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Hey
Drunken Turtle
Andostre
Aeshuura
Ridge
Ira Kroll
DM DoctorEvil
Let's start the discussion here.
Drunken Turtle wanted to learn how Pbp works on these boards so I'm hoping they'll jump in and we can all answer questions about the paizo forum specific things like 'dotting' creating aliases etc.
But let's start with introducing ourselves. I've been Gming a long time now and jumped from PF1 to PF2 very early (He/Him).
I wrote a third party rules supplement that makes the pathfinder 2 character creation system into a series of tutorial mini games and I really enjoy running people through it. So that's what I'm hoping to do here.
Why don't you all introduce yourselves too and we can start bouncing around character concepts and things like that. I've invited DM DoctorEvil to follow along or even participate if he wants and maybe we could even tailor the character creation to lead into one of the adventure paths he mentioned!
But that's just one option and we don't have to do that, and if you want you could just create a character that seems interesting as well. (and then maybe create a brand new one for a new campaign!)
Another point of discussion is how you guys want to create a character. Do you want to learn how the pf2e character sheet works from the ground up or are you happy with using one of the amazing fan made character builders that pf2e is blessed to have?
Finally and most importantly, we are going to be using X card rules for safety as well as lines and veils. Just let us know, or me in private DM if there are any topics that you just do not want to be faced with (like certain animals that you might have a phobia too for example)
More details on all that here.
https://2e.aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?ID=2471
But yeah, let's start the discussion!
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Well, I'm Ridge (He/Him) and I've been playing RPGs all my life and as I'm long in the tooth that is awhile. That said I've always been more into fluff than crunch hence one reason I'm happy to have chances like these to bone up on the mechanics.
I can be a private person and I hope no one takes that too personally. I am a nerd, but not the useful kind who can fix your computer, more like the kind who can talk pre Discovery Star Trek trivia, or superhero debates. :)
I wrote a third party rules supplement that makes the pathfinder 2 character creation system into a series of tutorial mini games and I really enjoy running people through it. So that's what I'm hoping to do here.
Sounds fantastic!
As far as what corner of Golarion we start in, as I mentioned in the recruitment thread, about the only AP out of the three the Doctor preferred I haven't played in at least partly is Age of Ashes; but I'm good with what the two GMs prefer as a starting location/eventual AP as it's got to be fun for you guys too or what's the point?
As for character concepts, nothing is screaming at me "I must play THIS" and if this were a level zero kind of situation I might just see what calls to the young PC as he develops on the fly. I've already got two druids in different games so probably not that :)
As for ancestry? Again I'm flexible and it might depend on the starting location. For the 'usual suspects' common ancestries I may try either an elf or a half elf as I haven't played one of those in awhile. Less common ancestries? Kitsune, Kobold or Centaur intrigue me.
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From what I can tell, all of those APs start off with the expectation of *fairly* generic 'fantasy' PCs. We might not go down the route of creating AP ready characters at all of course, but if you want to use something from the Age of Ashes player's guide then you're more than welcome to also.
If you want to bone up on the mechanics and the character sheet, then I recommend that maybe we go the route of the form fillable character sheet that I added auto calculations to that I linked up above. Download it and see how it works for you Ridge. (The auto calculations might have mistakes but I hope not)
I think putting in basic information and seeing how it affects different parts of the character sheet is probably the best way to grok how the sheet and the character work.
Okay.
Forgive a silly question, but are we doing pathfinder 2, or Pathfinder Remastered? I was told there was almost no difference but the first is what I learned a bit of and then the swap came in and I confess it threw me off a bit. I'm used to using something like Dex 14, rather than +2 Dex. Obviously I'm here to learn, but I felt I should ask as to our starting point and the sheet I've downloaded says 'Remaster Core'
It's actually a really good question. I'm just so used to moving to the latest thing that I don't even consider it might be a point of confusion.
We are doing the Remastered rules, and one of the biggest changes there is indeed that they removed the Attribute score and it's just the modifier now.
Most of the legacy options are perfectly valid in the remaster. Most of the options that don't really work anymore are alignment and deity based as the 3x3 alignment system has been removed in the remaster.
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Aloha, I am a long-time DM/GM. I started playing at the tail-end of the 1980s, when my sister's Marine boyfriend ran me on AD&D. I ran Rise of the Runelords about 15 years ago, right about when PF1 came out.
I wandered away from Pathfinder, moving to Savage Worlds for a bit before my friend let me peruse his 5e PHB and I was hooked with that system for a while. After years of running that system, and several gaffs by Wizards, I left and tried PF2e. I love this system and want to get more familiar with it, so that I get better at running it!
Coming from Hawaii, I am interested in making Ho'okepa, an islander, kalai wa'a (canoe builder), and all-around waterman. With Polynesian reverence for the gods, I am thinking he may lean toward Champion, though it is not set in stone...
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The big difference in the Remaster is the removal of Alignment. No more Good-Evil and Law-Chaos. As someone who started in DnD with AD&D (basically Second Edition) in college (Yes, I am that old), I'm still wrapping my head around there is no such thing as defined Evil.
There are bad things and good things, but not Evil things and Good things. The closest we get is Holy and Unholy.
I'll be playing Boudon. I don't know what he is yet, but I plan for him to be radically sub-optimal. Think a Wizard with a +1 INT modifier or a Barbarian with a +1 STR modifier. It's easy to play an optimized character. The Wizard blasts things and the Fighter bashes them. But, for the past two years, my PCs have been becoming more and more bizarre unusual. I'm wondering if my actual play will require more consideration if I purposefully make them sub-optimal.
I'm currently GMing two FtF (Face-to-Face) games and two long-term campaigns on the Paizo boards.
There is a spectrum of players. Some like only role-playing. Some like only roll-playing. That said, I really prefer hack'n'slash playing. I prefer tactical combat to trying to find the right words in a conversation. So, on the role-playing spectrum, I'm probably about an 80-percent roll-player.
As far as the X-cards, I'm such a prude in real life that I dislike profanity, and don't want any romance/sexuality in my games at all. I will also shy away from descriptions of torture or hyper-violence. I'd like things closer to PG than to PG-13.
It's actually a really good question. I'm just so used to moving to the latest thing that I don't even consider it might be a point of confusion.
We are doing the Remastered rules, and one of the biggest changes there is indeed that they removed the Attribute score and it's just the modifier now.
Most of the legacy options are perfectly valid in the remaster. Most of the options that don't really work anymore are alignment and deity based as the 3x3 alignment system has been removed in the remaster.
Okay, good to know! I'll make like a borg and adapt! The fillable sheet seems to be working. I put a +2 in a stat and it shows up the modifier on the skills that stat was linked to, for example. I'm pretty good with any starting location setting wise and generic is dandy :)
These are pretty one on one by nature, so I'll kick off the start of this the initial scene for the three of you tomorrow.
Make notes of what you're thinking about but we're going to go through them all step by step.
Excellent! Thank you.
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Okay, this is what I am thinking:
* Ho'okepa is a waterman and apprentice kalai wa'a. He lives in the island chain of the Olehala (sp?). His kahuna (teacher / master) is a prized canoe builder that creates the voyaging canoes that connect the peoples of Olehala with each other and makes the kingdoms of the islands into an entire nation.
* Something happens, perhaps his sister is chosen to find the next island home for some of their growing population. She does not return.
* Ho'okepa is chosen by one of the gods, preferably a god of nature (I have always been partial to Kamohoali'i, the shark god, eldest brother to Pele and Keeper of the Waters of Life, but in terms of the mechanics of Golarion a god with the Nature domain and club a favored weapon). He is chosen to find his sister, who was the original champion and favored of this deity.
* This could lead to one of the various APs that is continued. In Korvosa, 'Kepa's sister could be one of the 'missing'. A storm could have left 'Kepa lost at sea and he could find his way to Sandpoint, for Rise of the Runelords. Don't know enough about Age of Ashes for that one, but I could work on a way for that as well...
These are but thoughts, and are infinitely mutable...
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Hi everyone! Happy to be here!
First off, thanks to GM Stargin for running this exercise! I'm looking forward to it!
Thinking of DrunkenTurltle... it looks like the post they made in the other thread is the only post they've made on these boards. I hope they're still around. Also, since they're new to these boards, they might not realize if they've been sent a Private Message. The little red dot is not exactly noticeable. I've made a post on their thread telling them about Private Messages.
About me: it seems like most of us, I'm well-experienced in D&D/Pathfinder. I've technically played 1st edition, but I don't always count that since we barely knew what we were doing. I was really into 2nd edition, and then 3.x, and then I took a long time off from RPGs before wanting to get back into it and discovering Pathfinder. In recent years I've had a hard time transitioning to a new system, because it's difficult for me to forget rules that are no longer being used. This is the main roadblock I've had to transitioning to PF2. It's been difficult for me to learn new rules when the old rules are still taking their place in my brain. I guess if I had more free time to devote to it like I did when I was younger things might be different, but with a career, family, an active social life, and other responsibilities, it's hard to prioritize learning a new system when I've got a perfectly fine system already in my head that I've been using for years. :)
That said, I have ventured into PF2 (not Remastered) a couple times. Both times were PbPs on this board. I played a grumpy dwarf rogue in a The Fall of Plaguestone game, and we converted a PF1 hoembrew game to PF2 at around level 8 or 9. I was playing a witch in that game, although there were some homebrew modifications to make the PF1 concept for my character work for PF2, including the mythic mechanics. Both games fizzled out.
I have a healthy amount of PbPs from this board under my belt, and as such I'm both surprised that I haven't played with any of you before, and pleased that I get to play with new people!
X card stuff: I like to think that there's not a whole of things that bother me, but ultra-violence without purpose doesn't interest me. It has to serve the story. Romance and sex in a PbP is also not something I'm interested in for my PCs. If it's in the campaign, I'd prefer it to be implied or for it to happen between scenes.
Drunken Turtle wanted to learn how Pbp works on these boards so I'm hoping they'll jump in and we can all answer questions about the paizo forum specific things like 'dotting' creating aliases etc.
DrunkenTurtle, the "dot" thing that GM Stargin is talking about has to do with how these forums handle campaigns. At the top of this thread, you'll see a series of tabs:
Campaign Info | Gameplay | Discussion | Recruitment | Players | Characters
These are all of the threads associated with the campaign that GM Stargin has created. Once you've joined a campaign, you'll be notified on your profile's Campaigns page, which for you should be here. To join a campaign and have it show up on your Campaign page, you have to make a post in the campaign's Gameplay thread. Since the actual gameplay hasn't started yet, most people just make any post at all, often just a dot or period. The campaign will then show up for you. Additionally, if you want, you can then immediately delete that post, and the campaign will still show up for you.
So, you haven't posted anything in five days, so I'm not sure if you're still around. If you do show up in this thread, I'm happy to offer more guidance. :)
Okay, as for what sort of PC I want to make, as I said above, I've already played a rogue and a witch, so I don't want to rehash that. I think I'd like to explore melee in PF2 more. In the early PF2 days, I was reading a post on these forums about how the fighter is now a pretty balanced class that addressed a lot of the problems with the PF1 fighter. I'd like to try out a strength melee fighter.
As for ancestries, I think I'd like to explore one of the less common options, but I want to read through and see what appeals to me. If none of them appeal, I'll be going with a human fighter.
I'm also thinking that my PC is a bit of a scoundrel and has a gambling problem, perhaps keeping him from staying in one place for too long. He's otherwise a decent guy. Those are a couple of roleplay elements that may inform the options I take when building this PC.
X card stuff: I actually enjoy minor romantic flavoring if it makes sense for a character; A PC might go to a town festival and ask an NPC to dance, that sort of thing. But it should probably be at PG level, and never hog the group limelight. Most of my 'oh hell nos' are already covered by Paizo's posting rules anyway. Not a fan of graphic torture for example.
.....
As for my thoughts on what I will probably play, I'm rather tempted to go sorcerer at this point. It is said to be among the simplest of the caster classes in Pathfinder 2e/Remastered and I do like my magical types.
As for ancestry... I'm still unsure between Kobold, Kitsune, or Half Elf. I'm open to GM preferences there.
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If it's all the same to you, I'll play along.
The opening of Age of Ashes, if that's what we play, starts with a call for heroes, so there can be disparate individuals who join or the core of PCs who might already know each other. It lends itself well, IMO, to the exercise we are starting on. Either use these PCs or don't -- it'll be up to you.
I have DM/GM for too many years to count. Ran PF1 to a 4 star GM before they brought us PF2. Have run many campaigns IRL and on the boards but now live in a place where its hard to find live tables. I am running three games now (Ridge is one of the players) and am in a game where Aeshuura is the GM and Ira is another player. So small world...
For the character building exercise, I think I'd prefer to play a wizard. Not something I play very often, so i will be a stretch. Happy to flex to something else if there is a role missing. I am not locked into Ancestry, but was thinking Elf or Gnome, but can be very flexible here.
I really like the thoughts you guys are having in terms of character creation, it's exactly what the core rules recommend as step 1 of character creation, coming up with a concept.
For character creation here I'm going to be open to any option from Paizo published materials.
Stage 2 of character creation has been posted in the gameplay. This one is generic to all of you!
Hope you all have fun.
I'm fooling around with a low-intelligence psychic. Maybe Ulfen and cold-resistant.
Ridge here, went with the kobold :)
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Okay. I admit, I'm already having fun and my character isn't even out of his 'crib' yet :)
Let's see, for the record, things about Qwerk we've established:
1) He is a Kobold. Yes, I'll go with male.
2) His scales are white, possibly more than one shade of white, but what he sees is bone white.
3) He has two siblings, a red and brown sister, and a black and green brother.
4) He is in a kobold warren, probably in the back where he and his siblings are safer from predators.
5) He knows his parents.
6) They must live near a source of fish!
Things we haven't established yet?
His sorceress bloodline. Draconic is most likely. In remastered they changed dragons in a way that means he can have Arcane, Divine, Occult, or Primal. Still undecided there.
While alignment is gone in remastered, it helps me to still keep it as a 'guideline' thought wise. I don't want to play an evil sort, though depending on if he succeeds a lot, he might be just a bit full of himself. I don't know much beyond that yet. He maybe a kobold traditionalist in a lot of ways, or might adapt some bad foreign influences. Plenty of time for that.
When his spells will surface. I assume in Kobold adolescence, much like a young Mutant in the marvel universe :)
How WELL he will get along with his sibs.
Glad you're enjoying, Qwerk already seems like an adventurous sort!
Actually I'm going to switch things up a bit and move the character creation step into Discussion and have the roleplay and mechanics segments in gameplay.
So. Qwerk: Stage 3. Adolescent We actually have choices to make!
We've already decided on Ancestry KOBOLD!
Your ancestry will provide your character with starting hit points, a size, a base speed, some combination of attribute boosts and flaws, and other benefits such as enhanced senses.
You get to pick a heritage from in there as well. What do you think fits you're bone white kobold?
You also get a first level ancestry feat for kobolds.
So as you make your choices, write them down on the appropriate part of your sheet, and let me know what they are.
As your attributes change you'll see them automatically update in various parts of your sheet. Let me know if you want more details, but I think you're experienced enough to know all that :).
Also since you're living in a fairly dangerous fantasy world, all young characters are expected to start learning how to defend themselves. If you don't have any other sorts of attacks then give yourself a starting club and a sling with some rocks.
In the Melee strikes section of the character sheet write club for one weapon.
In the damage section for the club write down 1d6 + the Strength Modifier of the character. At this stage it will be either a 0, -1, or a +1. Also fill in B for Damage type.
For attack bonus of the club write down the Strength modifier of the character. At this stage it well be either a 0, -1, or +1.
In the Ranged strikes section of the character sheet write sling.
In the damage section for that weapon write down 1d6. Also fill in B for Damage type.
For the attack bonus put in the Dexterity modifier of the character. At this stage it will be either a 0, -1, or a +1.
If there's other weapons that make sense then we can substitute them here.
Qwerk: Kobold in progress
Ancestry Kobold- Size Small, Base Speed 25, Attribute Boosts (Dexterity, Charisma, and Free.) Attribute Flaw (Constitution), Dark Vision, HP 6 (But see Heritage)
You get to pick a heritage from in there as well. What do you think fits you're bone white kobold?
Well, let's say the little guy has Dragon Scaled for his Heritage. While others do look tempting, that bonus to starting HP is just too good and seems to fit his eventual power.
' gain 10 Hit Points from your ancestry instead of 6. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saves against dragon breath, effects with the sleep trait, and effects that would make you paralyzed.' Which is nice.You also get a first level ancestry feat for kobolds.
Keeping with the unoriginal but all too fitting them, Let's go with Dragon Presence. It doesn't provide the skill bonuses that others would have but it goes well with him.
His attributes were a zero bonus wise, but now shold be all zero save for Dex and Cha, each at +1 at this stage, and Con at -1Weapons make sense.
Ho'opeka:
You're onto Stage 3, Adolescent as well.
Most of the info you should need for character options and sheet are in the post above. Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise
We've got
Ancestry Human (?)
Ancestry Boosts:
Heritage:
Feat:
And a club and a sling to add as weapons unless you've got some other thoughts.
What skills would you pick? And Ancestry feat?
Is there anything else you need from me before adolescence RP starts for Qwerk?
Hey sorry. Work and other things have eaten up all my free time for today. I'll try and catch up tomorrow night.
No worries at all, we're glad you're figuring it out, a new website or platform of any sort is always confusing. Feel free to ask us any questions!
Merfolk are an uncommon option for a reason I can see. Go ahead and make your mermaid here, if you want to for fun. You might never get to play them unless it's a game that starts at a higher level or you have a GM who's willing to work with you.
You can either start posting as DrunkenTurtle or you can try making an 'alias' for your character. We can step you through that if you want.
Magnus and Boudoon: For Stage 3 you've got ancestry choices to make? I've got the Ancestry character option link in the description that has the details but basically here are the options you are picking.
Ancestry:
Ancestry Boosts:
Heritage:
Feat:
Weapons: Starting weapon if you don't like the default club and sling.
Hi, Everyone! Sorry I missed so much. I honestly thought my post had been buried already. I am trying to figure out how to navigate the website, as I write this.
I am a long-time player of Pathfinder and table-top role-playing games in general. I started with D&D 3rd about 14 years ago. I have been playing Pathfinder for about a decade and Pathfinder 2e for a few years. I am well versed in the game itself, but I get anxious entering new environments, like the forums.
As for character concepts, I have been listening to "The Maiden and the Selkie" by Heather Dale a lot lately, and Aeshuura's character being from the islands kind of inspired me. So, I am thinking of maybe going with a merfolk. Although, they seem to not be competent on land until 5th level. I am definitely open to suggestions.
Hey, welcome aboard and thank you, if not for you this would never have gotten started period!
ACK. I actually missed the part of the feat (Dragon Presence) that said a failure became a critical failure. Well, that's on me!
Let's see how it plays through :)
Ho'opeka: Don't forget to click Trained on Acrobatics and Atheltics! You should get a +2 on the proficiency level, which will change to +3 when your level ticks over to 1.
I'm adding links in the description to the different parts of the game that are being experienced as the characters experience challenges!
DM Doctor Evil: These are pretty solo experiences so you don't have to fill in a role here. Create any character you wish, and then jump into gameplay with the initial Stage 2 prompt! By now I've revealed the DCs of 5 to stand, 12 to toddle, and 31 to run, so you can roleplay it all out for your baby gnome or elf.
Responded and done editing in responses!
I think Azluu must be a rogue in training and Vuld a ranger.. so if Qwerk dies, I have spare kobolds!
;)
Kobold in Progress (Update)
Let's see, for the record, things about Qwerk we've established:
1) He is a Kobold. Yes, I'll go with male.
2) His scales are white, possibly more than one shade of white, but what he sees is bone white.
3) He has two siblings, a red and brown sister named Alzuu, and a black and green brother named Vuld.
4) He is in a kobold warren, probably in the back where he and his siblings are safer from predators.
5) He knows his parents.
6) They must live near a source of fish!
7) Qwerk and his siblings snipe at each other, but still are loyal to each other when a crisis hits. His sister is nimbler than him and sneaky (Think Rogue in training) and Vuld is a better scavenger/hunter (Ranger in training?) . Qwerk is the biggest with the hardest scales.
8) Qwerk has adopted a very unkobold attitude of seizing the day rather than cautiously thinking things out. It is how life has rewarded him. It may indicate that his Wisdom isn't exactly stellar but we'll see.
9) While both his parents are proud of him, his father has trouble hiding it more. His mother worries he's too darn rash
10) The kobold warren is near a tomb and he took a pretty hard fall from it, but so far is very brave.
Things we haven't established yet?
His sorceress bloodline. Draconic is most likely. In remastered they changed dragons in a way that means he can have Arcane, Divine, Occult, or Primal. Still undecided there. However, the magic spell he was hit with may have awakened something. Heck, he could go Undead instead of Dragonic.
In Alignment (Used as a guideline) It is possible he's not so lawful as most kobolds, and perhaps not lawful enough (By his mother's standards). None of his family seem Evil, at least not with a BIG E. And they do care for each other though they all have their own interests.
No spells yet. And I need to think on his skills
I don't want people to get too far ahead of each other so I'm going to pause Qwerk until everyone else catches up a bit. (No rush to anyone! A post a day or so is more than enough!)
But no reason to stop thinking about character choices. The next is Stage 4, Adult! Or in the standard character creation, Background!
Here you will continue to build your character as they mature from a young person into an adult who has gained experience and knowledge in a vocation. If your character never gets called to the adventuring life then this is where their mechanical character development will end. As you go through this step you would usually learn about skill feats and proficiencies. But we've done proficiency already thanks to the Skilled Human Ho'okepa!
So pick a background. There are like hundreds now.
Typically, backgrounds grant two attribute boosts, the trained proficiency rank in two skills, one of which is a Lore skill, and finally, a skill feat. Adjust your attribute just as was done when an ancestry was picked. Remember no attribute can be boosted more than once per step of character creation.
So it'll be
Background:
Background Boosts:
Lore Skill:
Skill Feat:
I don't want people to get too far ahead of each other so I'm going to pause Qwerk until everyone else catches up a bit. (No rush to anyone! A post a day or so is more than enough!)
That's totally fair. I had some free time this week and took ruthless advantage of it (For which I thank you) but even I noticed I was getting way ahead. I hope it didn't discourage or annoy anyone and sorry if it did. I'll post in the game play section tomorrow.
And mull over the other stuff in the meantime. I'm open to suggestions as well. Given his fall and need to get back up acrobatics or athletics seem possible skill wise.
Not sure on what background. I don't see 'fisherman' though there is Sailor and Deckhand
Ancestry: Human
Ancestry Boosts: Strength and Constitution
Heritage: Wintertouched Human (Cold resistance)
Feat: Dragon Spit (Ray of Frost)
Weapons: Morningstar and a Sling.
Boudoon is strong and likes the cold.
Background: Artisan
Background Boosts: Strength and Constitution
Lore Skill: Guild
Skill Feat: Crafting (Specialty Crafting: Artistry (in particular, sculpture))
He is a bit sensitive and artistic.
Ho'okepa, I would have expected you to have +3, did you not put your Ancestry boosts into Strength and Dex?
I like the wheelchair idea, but needing to return to an aquatic environment every 48 hours or suffocating is the bigger challenge!