GM JScot - Giantslayer AP

Game Master Jeremy Packer

To begin, thank you for joining the Giantslayer AP. I am hoping this will be a fun, relatively well-paced, and exciting game experience for everyone.

While I finish getting everything set up, I figure everyone can discuss how the group may or may not know each other. You don’t necessarily need to know each other, but in a small town such as Trunau it’s not a stretch that you could have some prior relationship with each other. In addition, you can finish up any tweaks to your characters now that we know what the group looks like.

A few notes for everyone to provide insight into the campaign I am planning.

I am a fan of milestone leveling, so I will be using that instead of adding up XP. I do still want to provide some benefits for the various story awards, so it is my intention to provide some minor bonuses for them. These could be bonuses to any number of appropriate checks at time or possibly even additional Hero Points.

It is my intention to focus on story and RP as much as possible, and I also intend to customize elements to the characters. It may not start out as customized but over time as we get familiar with the characters there will be more. The overall plot will remain though.

I will be adding a PC sheet for each character, you do not need to fill it out in anyway. I just find it easier to load the tokens from these sheets. Plus it can be a good place to put up a visual image if you want. Many of the visuals I will use in the game will be linked to the Roll20 site. For examples, there are links on the campaign page, though until you join I am unsure if you will be able to see fully.

I am planning on starting the game itself no later than Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Obviously, if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

I guess I should start.

In the real world I am a middle-aged inventory specialist. I have been playing RPGs since the early 1980's and specifically I have been playing Pathfinder since the 3.5 D&D days. I tend to be a forever GM and I love to tinker with the NPC's and monsters, trying to come up with weird and/or cool concepts.

Giantslayer is an AP I have gravitated to running for a while but had never actually done so. I am looking forward to the chance now. Other APs I love as GM would be the Runelord trilogy, Crimson Throne (also my favorite as a player) and Hell's Rebels.

I have found that as a GM I take inspiration from many editions and even games. Or at least I try to. I find that most systems have some strengths and weaknesses so I will take ideas from other games and apply them here. You will definitely see some influence from 2E, but without changing rules. There is also some advice from Warhammer Fantasy I have taken as well.

I look forward to getting to know everyone here and to having a fun game. Thanks.

So there is one other house rule I meant to mention.

I have absolutely no interest in tracking basic ammunition. This includes normal arrows, bolts, and sling bullets. Specifically those listed in the Core Rulebook without any special materials. All others need to be tracked and as long as no one gets abusive of this rule, just assume you have enough. Thanks.

Vethorm reporting in! Thanks again for the kind consideration, GM!

As far as introductions go, I've been around these boards specifically since 2012 (Holy Iomedae!) and have done play-by-post even longer (back when WIZARDS OF THE COAST still had a forum!).

I've actually played with a few of you already; namely Ranhild and I have been in a Wrath of the Righteous game that's gone on for a few years (and several GMs), and Robin's player has GMed me through two, going on THREE Starfinder APs! Finally Hilde's player was part of an Age of Ashes game I'm in! HIIIIIII! XD

I look forward to getting to know the rest of you!

Hello there!

I'm excited to be a part of this group! I've been playing PF since 2014 or so after getting back into TTRPGs. Did a good amount of PFS play (both as a player and GM) and got into play-by-post a few years later. Most recently, I've been GMing an FFG Star Wars game for some friends at home.

I love the RP of this format and really getting to dive into the characters. Wild is actually based on an old EverQuest character I made a good long time ago. Can't wait to continue the story with you all!

Greetings all!

I have been with Pathfinder since about Season 3, whenever that was. Looks like 2011-2012, per notes I looked up because I'm like that. I have been in RPGs since the late 90s, originally White Wolf. Got into 3.0/3.5 during my time in the military, and have not left. I tried 4E briefly but it was not nearly as fun as 3.5 so I came to Pathfinder.

I have only recently tried getting back into PbP, needing an outlet for some creative juices after a move left my chances for RP rather barren.

EDIT:

Also, as to "relationships to other characters", Purg has the Dwarf-trained trait, so if any of our Dwarven allies want to link up, let me know.

Hey everybody! Happy to be here with you all. I've been playing Pathfinder since the beginning (part of the original playtest) and done some 3pp design as well as RPG Superstar.

I love this format for the character interaction and ability to lean into RP, and the wealth of ideas you get to explore.

I'm online most of the time as I work in Social Media (though Sunday/Monday are my usual days off)

Thanks for picking me, GM J!

Hi, all. I've been playing PF on the boards since (quickly checks) late 2010. Before that, I hadn't gamed much since the late 80s, so I'd basically skipped AD&D2, D&D3.0, and D&D3.5. Up until quite recently, the majority of my gaming was PbP...which is why I have over 46,000 posts here. I started FRP gaming in 1977, but before that had done wargames for a couple of years. About five years ago I stopped calling myself middle-aged...I am definitely old.

In RL I do lab safety, environmental compliance, quality assurance, and a few other odds and ends for (mostly) the Nuclear Science & Engineering Division at Argonne National Laboratory. I love my job, the people I get to work with, and the amazing things I help them to do without killing themselves.

As for knowing other characters, Hilde is from Janderhoff, and is in Trunau to officiate at a relative's wedding. So she's likely to have just met any dwarves who live in Trunau, and may also have met others who traveled to the town recently.

Hi all, long time PbP-er here as well. As AZ (Vethorm) mentioned, I've GM'd a big old pile of stuff here on the forums as well as played PF1E, 2E and Starfinder (soon to be 1E) in homebrew games and APs and PFS/SFS. That's on top of having a regular F2F (now online real time) game. My latest love is actually Lancer, but I have a soft spot for the chunkiness of PF1E.

I'll echo the RP comments from the rest of you - my "real time" table is very technical and light on RP, and I find PFS/SFS games stay at the level of "amusing gimmicks and voices" - so I need that extra outlet to actually write. PbP gives more time for roleplay to breathe.

I tend to post late in the evening EST.

Starting Wednesday works for me. I've still got some purchases to iron out for Robin.

---

If anyone peeked at Robin's submission, he's currently an apprentice/burden to Trunau's councilwoman and blacksmith, Sara Morninghawk. He may have made you a simple piece of jewelry such as a bangle or simple pendant, contrary to Sara's wishes. Feel free to describe what kind of item you may have asked for - or received unasked.

Also, GM J, it looks like you deleted your first post in the Gameplay thread. For some reason that breaks the thread, so even though many of us tried to post there and were added to the campaign, I at least didn't have to delete my dotting post--I don't think any of us can post to the thread and make the post stay. It may take an email to Customer Service to resolve.

Also, GM J, it looks like you deleted your first post in the Gameplay thread. For some reason that breaks the thread, so even though many of us tried to post there and were added to the campaign, I at least didn't have to delete my dotting post--I don't think any of us can post to the thread and make the post stay. It may take an email to Customer Service to resolve.

Yeah, I was noticing this. Didn't realize that would happen. Always learning new things. It's odd, but it did what I was hoping for, indirectly.

If anyone peeked at Robin's submission, he's currently an apprentice/burden to Trunau's councilwoman and blacksmith, Sara Morninghawk. He may have made you a simple piece of jewelry such as a bangle or simple pendant, contrary to Sara's wishes. Feel free to describe what kind of item you may have asked for - or received unasked.

I actually wanted to ask about that the moment I saw your submission (but didn't say anything in the recruitment thread so as not to accidentally influence the GM's selection). Since Vethorm is a failed apprentice to Sara's wife Agrit, what if Robin and Vethorm were childhood friends or partners-in-crime (crime in this case meaning the kind of mischief kids get up to, not literal!)?

Robin's not a town native, having only been in Trunau for the past six months, but it's not out of the question that he would have made friends with Vethorm (or anyone else in town) during that time. I see Robin as a fairly gentle soul, but not beyond some hijinks.

What kind of activities would Vethorm be up to?

Whoops! Still, I imagine we'd have seen each other fairly often while Vethorm was apprenticed to Agrit. I feel like while Vethorm may not GET Robin (and would respond to a gift with confused incredulity), he sees Robin as a fellow weirdo and is grateful for having a more sympathetic ear than most of the other townsfolk, who either don't get his issues or will tell him to suck it up and quit whining.

Ooh! Ooh! Maybe with his Shelynite background Robin realizes Vethorm actually has a lot of Charisma, and if he took better care of himself and had a little more confidence in himself, he'd be quite handsome, so he shares some self-care tips when Vethorm wonders aloud how he can work the forge all day and still look so clean!

Just chiming in here. I am glad to see people working on developing things. I expect to be ready to start with the game itself tomorrow evening after work. I like what I am reading though, and while I may not be commenting here much or responding to specific statements, I am making note to see about working it in if the chance comes up.