Female Human (Chelaxian) Brawler (Hinyasi, Snakebite Striker) 1/Rogue* | HP 12/12 | AC 16 TO 12 FF 14 | F +3 R +4 W +2 | CMD 16 | Init +2 | Perc +6 DV | Image
Hopefully it's just one of those phases, though the GM has been off since Apr 14th :/
Female Human (Chelaxian) Brawler (Hinyasi, Snakebite Striker) 1/Rogue* | HP 12/12 | AC 16 TO 12 FF 14 | F +3 R +4 W +2 | CMD 16 | Init +2 | Perc +6 DV | Image
Female Human (Chelaxian) Brawler (Hinyasi, Snakebite Striker) 1/Rogue* | HP 12/12 | AC 16 TO 12 FF 14 | F +3 R +4 W +2 | CMD 16 | Init +2 | Perc +6 DV | Image
Thanks, Dante! Hopefully we will have some bites. It's an active group with good dynamic in an interesting AP... Would hate to lose it :/
We have a GM who is interested in taking this on. If all of us could pop in to the recruiting thread and let them know we are still interested that would be a big help.
Hi folks, it's BrandingOpportunity, your new GM for "In Hell's Bright Shadow". While I am still reading the adventure, I thought we could discuss a few things here that came to mind.
1) Has anyone actually heard from GM Wulfson and confirmed that they are not coming back? If no one has, I can DM them to see if I can get that confirmation. I know people dropping out of games is not that unusual, but I just want to make sure before asking Paizo to sign over the game to me.
2) As you can see in the info for this alias, I have a private Discord channel where you can reach me if I'm suspiciously absent for this game. I will try my best to check and post at least once every day M-F in either the IC or OOC threads and at least once during the weekend. If I know I'll be gone for more than a day, I will let you know ahead of time. The most frequent killer of PbP games is folks (especially the GM) mysteriously dropping out, but the second-worst killer is waning momentum, so I will do my best to not be the culprit of either of those.
3) Something which I didn't see in these threads is whether any of you were familiar with this adventure/had played it before. If someone is, that's not a problem, I can change things up a bit; I just need to know.
OK, here are some game-specific questions/comments I have:
4) As a GM, I tend to really enjoy digging into the verisimilitude of the game. What I mean, is that I love getting into the nitty-gritty of the lived life of the PCs and NPCs and what it might be like to actually be a person living in Cheliax. Now I know there has to be a balance between the mundane and the heroic. After all, few people want to play a game about what you do when you get up in the morning and have breakfast in Kintargo and Pathfinder is a very heroic game, but I just want you folks to know that I tend to GM a bit more on the mundane side. That said, if it gets to be too much, just let me know, and if you prefer to have your PC not get into these things, let me know and I will not throw mundane stuff at you.
5) I don't think you folks had talked about how you want to handle XP. The adventure provides XP rewards for a bunch of the actions you have already taken IC (not just the combats), so that wouldn't be too hard. On the other hand, we could also ignore all of that and just level everyone up together at thematically appropriate milestones. Which do you prefer?
6) I don't use Roll20, so when I feel it's necessary to play with battle maps I will provide links to Google Slides. Here's an example: Sample Battle Map. Please let me know if you are happy with your token and you can manipulate them (i.e. I set the permissions correctly).
I have more stuff to talk about, but I think that's enough for now. I'm excited to get started!
Female human Urban Ranger 1 | hp -6- 12/12 (0 NL) | AC 16, t 12, ff 14 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1 | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Conditions: none
I'm familiar with the Hell's Rebels AP, having both played and GMed parts of it before. I'm pretty good at keeping player and character info separate, however.
I love urban adventures and Kintargo in particular, so I'll have no issues if you make the day-to-day life of the city more prominent. Indeed, the Solstine family plays a small but important role later in the AP (which shouldn't raise any problems with me playing a member of that family).
As for leveling, using XP or milestones doesn't matter to me.
I'm familiar with the Hell's Rebels AP, having both played and GMed parts of it before. I'm pretty good at keeping player and character info separate, however.
Female human Urban Ranger 1 | hp -6- 12/12 (0 NL) | AC 16, t 12, ff 14 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1 | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Conditions: none
GM BrOp wrote:
Carlissa Solstine wrote:
I'm familiar with the Hell's Rebels AP, having both played and GMed parts of it before. I'm pretty good at keeping player and character info separate, however.
No worries. How much are you familiar with?
The further we get into the AP, the less I recall, but I own and have at least flipped through all six books of the AP. I played deep into the 3rd book and GMed deep into the second.
Male Human Cleric 1 HP 11/11| AC: 17 TAC: 10 FFAC: 17| Initiative: +0 |Perception: +3 Speed: 30| Conditions: None
GM BrOp wrote:
Hi folks, it's BrandingOpportunity, your new GM for "In Hell's Bright Shadow". While I am still reading the adventure, I thought we could discuss a few things here that came to mind.
1) Has anyone actually heard from GM Wulfson and confirmed that they are not coming back? If no one has, I can DM them to see if I can get that confirmation. I know people dropping out of games is not that unusual, but I just want to make sure before asking Paizo to sign over the game to me.
2) As you can see in the info for this alias, I have a private Discord channel where you can reach me if I'm suspiciously absent for this game. I will try my best to check and post at least once every day M-F in either the IC or OOC threads and at least once during the weekend. If I know I'll be gone for more than a day, I will let you know ahead of time. The most frequent killer of PbP games is folks (especially the GM) mysteriously dropping out, but the second-worst killer is waning momentum, so I will do my best to not be the culprit of either of those.
3) Something which I didn't see in these threads is whether any of you were familiar with this adventure/had played it before. If someone is, that's not a problem, I can change things up a bit; I just need to know.
OK, here are some game-specific questions/comments I have:
4) As a GM, I tend to really enjoy digging into the verisimilitude of the game. What I mean, is that I love getting into the nitty-gritty of the lived life of the PCs and NPCs and what it might be like to actually be a person living in Cheliax. Now I know there has to be a balance between the mundane and the heroic. After all, few people want to play a game about what you do when you get up in the morning and have breakfast in Kintargo and Pathfinder is a very heroic game, but I just want you folks to know that I tend to GM a bit more on the mundane side. That said, if it gets to be too much, just let me know, and if you prefer to have your PC not get into these things, let me know and I will not throw...
1. Our previous DM hasn't posted OOC or IC in a month and a week ago Dante's player sent him a PM with no response. He could just be exceptionally busy, but it certainly doesn't sound like he'll be back
2. Good to know! I find Discord a very useful tool for OOC, though in my experience very few Paizo DMs use it.
3. I've played in two Hell's Rebels games before this one, but both of them died shortly after arriving at the Long Roads Coffeehouse, so most of this campaign will be new to me.
4. Fine with me.
5. I prefer milestone personally. Easier to keep track of and less dependent on encounters and other minutiae.
1. Our previous DM hasn't posted OOC or IC in a month and a week ago Dante's player sent him a PM with no response. He could just be exceptionally busy, but it certainly doesn't sound like he'll be back.
OK, I won't try to reach out then, and will email customer service to have the campaign transferred over to me.
Thank you for taking over this game. As to your questions:
1) Already answered
2) I'm more a lurker on Discord, but I have no issues using it. I just need to remember to mute or leave channels I no longer have interest in so I see notifications from the ones I still do
3) I think I have played in one or two other Hell's Rebel's campaigns but I've never made it much further than we are now so pretty much everything will be new to me
4) Sounds good. I prefer more RP heavy games
5) With PbP, I think milestone works best but I am good with whatever you want to go with.
6) Google Slides is actually my preferred map. I post a good amount from my phone and roll20 and google drawings do not work well on mobile.
Female Human (Chelaxian) Brawler (Hinyasi, Snakebite Striker) 1/Rogue* | HP 12/12 | AC 16 TO 12 FF 14 | F +3 R +4 W +2 | CMD 16 | Init +2 | Perc +6 DV | Image
1) As answered by my peers... No luck to find him :/
2) Thanks!
3) I am familiar, but never played. While I won't remember many details, I GM'd almost all adventures before to my in-person group, and HR is no exception. Don't worry about changing anything, though - even if I was to remotely remember details, I'm usually pretty good to sticking to the character knowledge :)
4) All good. Same flavor for RP is not a bad thing, as long as we can keep the story moving in a good rhythm!
5) Milestones work fine for me! And I think it matches better the forum thing.
Excellent, we are moving along nicely. I'm continuing to read the adventure and believe that we'll be able to start playing in the IC thread before the end of the week.
More things I'm thinking about:
1) Do you have a preference for what season it is in game? This AP doesn't have a set start date (the way Rise of the Runelords does, for instance), so we can pick anything. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas for what would be an appropriate season to start this in. I don't have a preference. Whichever season we pick will help me figure out how to describe the weather.
2) I like using a tool in my games called lines and veils, especially for games (like this one) that can deal with dark subjects. If you are not familiar, a line is a subject that we do not explore in game and which, for the purpose of this game, doesn't exist in world. A veil is a subject that exists and which might get mentioned, but we won't actively RP it, or deal with it extensively. It effectively happens "off screen". To facilitate this, I have a short Google drive sheet where a bunch of subjects are listed, and which I have already filled out with my preferences. There are even blank lines if you want to add your own. Participation is not mandatory. Lines & Veils
3) Another technique I like from other RPGs that I'd like to use for our game is called "painting the scene". It's a technique where I briefly describe a location and then ask a question to you (OOC) about the place, the answer to which helps explore the theme or idea associated with that place. Any one person can answer, and what you say helps inform the theme of the scene, and can even change it in some ways, adding fun details that add life. I strongly believe that we all create a more interesting game world together than I could ever do on my own.
Let me give an example of this. I tell you all that your PCs arrive at a gambling hall and briefly describe the outside, what you can see through a window, and perhaps mention there's a barker outside the front door. I then ask the following "paint the scene" question: "This gambling hall was once the center of activity in this neighborhood, and brought in customers from around the city. What gives you the impression that they are barely scraping by now, but are working hard to still keep up appearances?" Your answer could basically be anything. You could talk about peeling paint on the outside covered in a poorly applied fresh coat and several roof tiles missing. You could talk about the lack of enthusiasm of the barker, who looks a bit long in the tooth and whose suit is poorly patched in several places. You could also talk about faded posters from years gone by advertising games you could play there or performers who appeared there once, but which haven't been seen there for a very long time. Basically anything that comes to mind. In this way we expand on the theme of the "gambling hall past its prime" and get to do a bit of world-building.
I've changed my mind. I can start the IC game sooner, even if I haven't finished reading the adventure. We can at least get through your conversation with Laria Longroad at the Long Roads Coffeehouse, as that should a bit of time.
Female Human (Chelaxian) Brawler (Hinyasi, Snakebite Striker) 1/Rogue* | HP 12/12 | AC 16 TO 12 FF 14 | F +3 R +4 W +2 | CMD 16 | Init +2 | Perc +6 DV | Image
1) No preference at all! Any season works.
2) Interesting concept. From my side, I like to keep things kids friendly - even if we don't have any kids on the game right now, not only we may have some in the future, but they'd have access to read it regardless. This is just to keep it healthy.
3) So organized! I love the techniques. I'll learn and make it work.
Cool, cool. cool. We'll go with milestone XP where everyone levels up at the same time. That's easy.
As for the season, since no one has a strong preference, but we've already mentioned the rain, I'm going to choose the fall, toward the 3rd quarter of 4715 AR. Things are beginning to get colder, but it's still several months until winter really kicks in.
I have an additional thought I'd like to run by all of you. Because we are using the milestone XP method, I feel that we don't have to use all of the combats that are written in the adventure. Sure, if there's an important combat that needs to be in there because it moves the plot forward, I'm all for that, but Pathfinder sometimes puts in combats just to pad the XP budget to make sure that there are enough points for everyone to level at the appropriate time. I don't see a need to include those because a) we're using the milestone XP system, and b) combats are the MOST time-consuming part of running PbP games. This is one of the main reasons I have not been playing a lot of Pathfinder in the PbP format lately; combat here just takes too long IMO. Anything I can do to trim this a bit, I see as good. I understand that defeating foes in combat and taking their stuff is an important part of Pathfinder's wealth-by-level calculation, however, so if I were to skip a combat, I'd be sure to transfer the wealth you would have received to another encounter or pass it on in a different way.
Another question for all of you. I like giving mechanical incentives for roleplaying your background. Normally the incentive would be through XP, but since we're doing the milestone system, I can't use that carrot. Basically, I have the following proposal for all of you:
I'd like to institute a system where you can choose to have two short-term personal objectives and one long-term personal objective for your PC at a time. These are things that either have nothing to do with the party objectives, or are only tangentially related to it. Short-term objectives are just what they sound like. Things that at first glance can be accomplished easily with a few actions that won't take more than a day or two. Examples include: "I'd like to figure out what this small figurine I found is", or "I need to get a new dress made, the old one was completely destroyed by the otyugh", or "I need to check in on my parents and make sure they're okay". A long-term objective is a deeper personal one that most likely can't be accomplished easily and will take a significant amount of time. Examples include: "I just found out I was adopted and I want to see if I can track down my birth parents", or "I have heard that somewhere in Cheliax there is a Secret Society of Philatelists. I want to track them down and convince them to let me join", or "I want to speak with Sarenrae directly".
The mechanical benefit is that if you are doing something in furtherance of either a short- or long-term objective, you get a +1 untyped bonus to skill checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. You may only have one of these bonuses at a time, even if the action somehow is in furtherance of multiple objectives. I get to make the final decision whether you get that bonus or not. Once you have accomplished any objective you may pick another, but you can only ever have 2 short-term and 1 long-term at a time (that give you bonuses, you can obviously have as many non-mechanical personal objectives as you like).
Male Human Cleric 1 HP 11/11| AC: 17 TAC: 10 FFAC: 17| Initiative: +0 |Perception: +3 Speed: 30| Conditions: None
1. I'm definitely cool with milestone over XP. Done a few PbPs, a lot of these encounters meant to provide loot and experience just slow things down in this format.
2. The objectives sound like a neat idea, though I would need to think of some for Draco.
Unless others really want it, can we get rid of the paragraph from the Campaign Info tab? It really clutters my campaign tab when I'm trying to see if there are any updates.
Unless others really want it, can we get rid of the paragraph from the Campaign Info tab? It really clutters my campaign tab when I'm trying to see if there are any updates.
Sorry, which paragraph are you talking about? I thought I had gotten everything behind spoiler tags now.
The city of Kintargo has a new lord-mayor, but he's not someone interested in maintaining that city's free spirit. Paracount Barzillai Thrune has placed the city under martial law, and his cruel proclamations and sinister plans for the city bode ill. Can a small group of heroes and would-be rebels stand against the might of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune and the Church of Asmodeus and save their home town from being crushed under the boot of an infernal tyrant? Will one of Cheliax's most powerful inquisitors make the city his playground, or can the rebels known as the Silver Ravens rise up to bring a new era of freedom to the so-called Silver City of Kintargo? Join the rebellion! Save Kintargo! DOWN WITH THRUNE!
Female human Urban Ranger 1 | hp -6- 12/12 (0 NL) | AC 16, t 12, ff 14 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1 | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Conditions: none
Objectives sounds feasible, though I'm not sure what Carli's might be at the moment, beyond reporting to her family and convincing her parents and siblings that working with Rexus is something that she's capable of doing on her own.
And sorry about the relative silence. Between the long holiday weekend and the Paizo site either being really slow or flat-out non-functional for me the past few days, I let things slide.
And sorry about the relative silence. Between the long holiday weekend and the Paizo site either being really slow or flat-out non-functional for me the past few days, I let things slide.
No need to apologize. The Paizo website seems to be doing its usual shenanigans that have been happening for years for everyone: up one minute, down the next.
As a reminder: don't forget to save your post somewhere before you hits the "Submit Post" button. Given the iffy nature of the website at the moment, I'd hate to have folks lose a big post to web entropy.
I'm sorry everyone. I've been on vacation this week and my fiancé and I our having an open house for our new place this weekend and I have been up to my chin in honey-do projects to get everything ready.
Female human Urban Ranger 1 | hp -6- 12/12 (0 NL) | AC 16, t 12, ff 14 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1 | Init +2 | Perc +5 | Conditions: none
Congrats, and I hope things go well for you.
I've been meaning to slow down my posting some to make sure that other folks get their shot at doing things; it's a fine line between keeping things moving and posting too many actions!
That being said...Carli will volunteer to try to slip through the crack in the doors if asked.
Profession Smith 6 ranks, if you feel like making extra posts but don't want to run away with the main plot, you can always start a conversation with Rex. He's pretty talkative and is happy to have discussions about a great many subjects. Might be a way for us both to dig into the backstories of both characters a bit. No pressure, just offering it as an opportunity as I am now able to post more frequently.
I don't think I've mentioned how I handle initiative, although I don't think it's too different from most other PbP games around here. Basically, I bunch all PCs into groups around the opponent or opponents. Within your group, your actions happen in POSTING order, not initiative order. This helps keep combat moving.
So in this example, Dante would go first and everyone would wait for him to act. After Dante has posted, Creature 2 would go. After that, Draco, Carli, Charlize and Lyra would go in POSTING order. Charlize goes before Creature 1 because she has a higher initiative modifier. Then Creature 1 would go, after which Dante would go again.
I just realized I skipped Lyra in the combat. Sorry about that, Lyra.
While we are on the subject, I would like to suggest something re posting in combat. I'd like everyone's okay on this before instituting it. If you disagree, I'm happy to talk about it, it's just my preference.
PROPOSAL:
In the future, when we are in combat, I will GMPC anyone who hasn't posted within 24 hours of my last major combat summary post or the post where I tell those players that it is their turn (whichever is latest). Combat in PF just takes way too long in PbP as it is, and I don't want for things to get bogged down. This 24 hour timer does not run on weekends, but restarts on Monday morning.
I'm fine with the proposal and sorry for not posting. Weekends are always busy spending time with family and then work has been stressful as its looking like they are going to make all of us reapply for our positions. I'll catch up on the gameplay thread now
I'm looking for five players to join me in playing the Hell's Rebels AP. Recruitment will continue until Friday February 13th (aren't you lucky?) @ 6:00 pm CST.
Races: All standard races from the Core Rulebook will be allowed, plus Tieflings and Strix. Any other exotic races will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Classes: All classes from Paizo published sources are allowed (no 3rd party content). Any Archetypes for these classes will be allowed. Barbarians, Monks, and Rogues may choose between the core or Unchained variant of their class. Summoners must choose the Unchained variant only.
Alignment: Only good or Neutral characters will be allowed, no evil (there's another AP for that). That being said Lawful characters may have a hard time coming to terms with the rebellious nature of this AP.
Abilities: Characters will be built on a 16-19 point buy (15+1d4) (variety is the spice of life, am I right?) No ability may be higher than 18 (prior to racial modifiers) and only one ability can be lower than 10 and that ability cannot be lower than 8 (prior to racial modifiers).
Feats: Let's just get this out of the way now, no Leadership. Otherwise any Paizo published feat will be allowed.
Skills: Background Skills will be in use.
Traits: Character's will start with two Traits, One of which must be from the Hell's Rebels Player's Guide. No drawbacks.
Hit points: Characters will begin with maximum hit points or their class at 1st level. Thereafter, players may either roll for hit points or take 1/2 their Hit Dice, whichever is greater. Character death occurs when their negative hit point total is equal to their Constitution score plus their level.
Starting Gold: Character's may roll for their starting gold or take the average, whichever is greater.
Firearms: Early firearms are available using the emerging guns rules. Gunslingers are a playable class.
Posting Rate: I know most GM"s expect a post a day, but I know that sometimes that's just not feasible. So I would hope for at least 2-3 posts a week. If you're longer than that I will bot you for a time, but if it's been more than two weeks without posting (or giving me and the group a heads up) you will be booted and replaced.
I think I've covered everything, but if you have any questions just ask.
I am rolling right away, and suggest everyone should do the same - otherwise it feels like people are using filler posts to preview and wait for a better 1d4 dice result. Just saying ;)
Interested!
I am really feeling a good old grumbling ex-army half-orc mercenary, 'maybe' turned revolutionary. Maybe because of a friend, or the right cause? He’s seen enough bad orders to know when to start thinking about giving his own. A bit of an ass and cynical by nature, he’s still the first one to offer "wise words" (or a harsh reality check) when the stakes are high.
Mechanically he's a Melee/Support Bard using a longspear, with potential martial dips later for more punch. If they get too close, he’s not above drawing a morningstar and going to town. He doesn't shy away from a fight, but he's experienced enough to consider the odds and try to cool things down if needed (Perform: Oratory for that Sense Motive and Diplomacy). He's seen some crap, and knows fire in your loins is not always enough to win a war.
17 actually is enough for a reasonably competent Skald.
"Lucretia de Artois" or "Lucy" to her friends (she is a popular girl) grew up in the mostly elfish boarding school, where her Tiefling nature made her stick out a fair bit.
According to the schools headmistress, someone place her, and several diamonds as well as a letter with her name, and a lot of Abyssal venting about *effing deadbeat Galtese Swashbuckler-pathfinders*, on her desk. In a closed and locked room naturally.
Cleary demonspawn, she never the less managed to achieve a suprising number of friends, owing to her capabilities in things like procuring booze for other, mostly elfen, members of the boarding school.
Some at the opera saw her innate talent for disguise, making s+#@ up, and being a completely bald faced lier (though rarely a malicious one),
This culminated in her being succesfully cast to play her first significant (if supporting) role, as a hyperviolent Sarkorian warlord in the Opera "Wrath of the righteous", with well regarded one liners such as
"Blood for Gorum, Girls for me!", "I trust you considerably less far then I could throw you", "I cast fist" and "What do you mean this was not a flying meatball from the first world but a Ghibrileth?".
She played an Irriseni mercenary in the critically panned *reign of winter*, but the panning was mostly due to the libretto, which was mostly seen as highly unplausible.
She is looking forward to her next role in *huntress of heroes* in which she is to play the demonlord Nocticula! Funnily enough, that was her prefered role in wrath of the righteous, but the director decided to cast someone with less massive biceps.
Having the opera house closed naturally makes her protest violently.
With a poster reading "Look Barzilai, if you want to crossdress in my Nocticula outfit, just do it, nobody minds, but keep the effing Opera open!"
Traits: Diva in training, Irrepressible;
Chaotic good Skald (archetype to be determined based on other characters)
STR 15 (+2) Dex 12 Con 14 Int 10 (-2) Wis 8 Cha 14 (+2)
STR 17 Dex 12 Con 14 Int 8 Wis 8 Cha 16
Feat: Probably combat reflexes
Build: Likely straight Skald
Tropes: Opportunistic attachment to reality, really nice to kids, equal opportunity prankster, pretty fun to be around
One short of the highest. Thinking of going with a Cleric with the Ex-Asmodean background. Either a Milanite or a Sarenite that is looking to atone for the evils they've done in Asmodeus' name by freeing the city from his followers. Mechanically, I think they'd be a healer/buffer that's still capable of contributing in melee if necessary.
Gold:4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 4, 4) = 16
160gp, I'll take it. Character will come tomorrow.
Currently unsure of my class to be, but I think I'll go with the Child of Kintargo trait because it's been a long time since I played a noble / uppercrust sort.
--Fated Champion lets you spoof on weaponized main character syndrome, it is mostly a direct upgrade, as initiative boni are powerful, and having better access to divination via spell kenning is very desireable. it is in essence a straight upgrade on the basic Skald.
--Spell warrior Skald is the most caster friendly Skald, on account of weapon song fully working with other peoples casting. Weapon Song peaks at level 5, where it is highly potent, but then plateaus there.
--Urban Skald doesnt actually, strictly raw, stops rage from preventing spell casting, those there is table variation on that.
--Court Poet boosts casters, by increasing int and cha, but offers, other then rage powers, little to increase melee prowress.
Reknar
Half-orc bard 1
CG Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +4
Defensive Abilities sacred tattoo[APG]
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee cold iron longspear +3 (1d8+4/×3) or
. . cold iron morningstar +3 (1d8+3)
Ranged sling +2 (1d4+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with cold iron longspear)
Special Attacks bardic performance 6 rounds/day (countersong, distraction, fascinate [DC 11], inspire courage +1)
Bard Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +2)
. . 1st (2/day)—cure light wounds, saving finale[APG] (DC 12)
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, message, read magic
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 13
Base Atk +0; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Arcane Strike
Traits fate's favored, natural born leader
Skills Acrobatics +4, Bluff +5, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +1, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nature) +1, Knowledge (planes) +1, Knowledge (religion) +1, Perform (oratory) +5, Profession (soldier) +4, Use Magic Device +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Orc
SQ bardic knowledge +1, orc blood
Other Gear lamellar (leather) armor[UC], heavy wooden shield, cold iron longspear, cold iron morningstar, sling
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Special Abilities
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Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Bardic Knowledge +1 (Ex) Add +1 to all knowledge skill checks.
Bardic Performance (standard action, 6 rounds/day) Your performances can create magical effects.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Sacred Tattoo +1 to all saves.
Once a soldier for hire, Reknar has seen others buried for bad causes and worse commanders. He learned early that orders are cheap, and loyalty is usually spent by people who don’t pay the cost.
He came to Kintargo as muscle, nothing more - but stayed when he saw how tightly the city was strangled, and how many people were pretending not to notice. He doesn’t call himself a hero, or even a rebel - just someone watching more closely this time.
Reknar lends his voice and steel when it seems useful, offering blunt advice, battlefield songs, and the occasional reality check when passion outruns sense. He doesn’t believe in people yet - but he knows revolutions need more than fire. They need survivors. And watching from the sidelines has its own price...
@Lapyd: Why Kitsune? As you can tell From my post I'm not that big on the more exotic races, but go ahead and build it and let's see if you can change my mind.
@Delightful: Yes, Nocticula would be acceptable
@noral: As long as you can keep character knowledge and player knowledge separate I don't see a problem with it.
@Lapyd: Why Kitsune? As you can tell From my post I'm not that big on the more exotic races, but go ahead and build it and let's see if you can change my mind.
Kitsunes have some fun and thematic little quirks, like this awesome feat Realistic Likeness that really shine in intrigue-heavy adventures! Combined with vigilante, I feel it's a solid concept :)
However, I prefer respecting your preference around avoiding the exotic races, and not "stimulate" people to start submitting a zoo for you to deal with, so I will actually go with another fun concept I used before: a kitchen cook! Yes, character will simply be a kitchen cook with a frying pan, mechanically a brawler fighting with improvised weapons. Or maybe I'll build a mason with a sledge hammer, still debating - but the concept is that of a common peasant with improvised weapons, human. The sledge seems fun as well, and at least it's different than the cook I used years ago for a Skull & Shackles game :D
Rolling to build the sheet:
1d4 ⇒ 4 3d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 4) = 12
Philo Pharynx wrote:
Oh, I know why somebody would want to play a kitsune. I started an HR game in person with a kitsune. But the GM burned out quickly.
I was considering bringing in the same character for this game. But I don't want to step on another person's conce
Please go for it mate! I'll step out of the kitsune vigilante game, so that's your cup of tea...
I'll actually let the GM reroll if they so desire. I should have rolled in my first post. Or maybe the GM can simply consider to use 1 for everyone that didn't roll immediately.
Male Human Cleric 1
NG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +3
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DEFENSE
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AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +2 shield)
HP 11/11
Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +5
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ex-Asmodean: +1 to Spell DCs vs. Thrune agents and all worshippers of Asmodeus.
Illuminator: When you are filled with the light of Sarenrae, your speech takes on a fiery eloquence. You gain a +2 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks, and Diplomacy is a class skill for you.
Aura (Ex): A cleric of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see the detect evil spell for details).
Channel Energy (Su): Regardless of alignment, any cleric can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her holy (or unholy) symbol. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted.
A good cleric (or one who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can choose to deal damage to undead creatures or to heal living creatures. An evil cleric (or one who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can choose to deal damage to living creatures or to heal undead creatures. A neutral cleric who worships a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. This decision also determines whether the cleric casts spontaneous cure or inflict spells (see spontaneous casting).
1d6 Healing, 4/day
Domains: Good and Healing
Touch of Good (Sp): You can touch a creature as a standard action, granting a sacred bonus on attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws equal to half your cleric level (minimum 1) for 1 round. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Rebuke Death (Sp): You can touch a living creature as a standard action, healing it for 1d4 points of damage plus 1 for every two cleric levels you possess. You can only use this ability on a creature that is below 0 hit points. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Domain Spells: Protection from Evil, Cure Light Wounds
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GEAR/POSSESSIONS
Scimitar
Heavy Steel Shield
Scale Mail
Backpack
Bedroll
Belt pouch
Flint and steel
Iron pot
Mess kit
Rope
Soap
Torches (10)
Trail rations (5 days)
Waterskin
Holy symbols of Sarenrae
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Carrying Capacity Light 0-76 lb. Medium 77-153 lb. Heavy 154-230 lb.
Current Load Carried 64 lb.
Money 58 GP 0 SP 0 CP
Background:
Draco was born into a family of loyal Asmodean worshippers. For most of his life, he never questioned any of the less favorable actions that he or his church performed in the name of Asmodeus, fully believing in his doctrine of the rule of the strong over the weak, and the following of law, regardless of how tyrannical or underhanded it may be.
Until one day, where he was working to get some slaves ready to be auctioned off. Most of the time the slaves would merely whimper pathetically in the face of their upcoming fate or if they felt truly daring, try to plea for mercy or act defiant.
Except one slave that when they were being prepared for sale, they didn't show any fear or defiance in regards to what would happen to them, but instead they seemed to care more about the sake of their captors, telling them that "None of this will result in a good end for you."
They ended up being taken away for punishment until they were broken enough to be sold, or worse. Either way, Draco would never see them again, but their words and the look they gave him lingered enough to haunt him. He wondered how someone could care enough about another to look into the face of someone about to sell them off and try to warn them about what is coming for them, as if they're the ones that are doomed.
It shook the foundations of Draco's faith and everything he had been taught about the order the world ought to have. He left the faith, a move that forced his family to disown him entirely in order to save themselves from being punished by the church.
Without a family or a home, Draco lived as a wretch until a Shelynite felt pity for him and took him to their temple. There, he lived the Sarenites taking shelter in the temple, learning about their faith and belief in redemption. Eventually, he came to be a believer in the Dawnflower and while he himself is doubtful about whether he truly deserves redemption, he believes that the city deserves to be free from Cheliax and Asmodean rule.
The blurb for Ex-Asmodean says that as retaliation for leaving the church, the family gets exiled or executed, but I had the idea that they'd do the realistic thing and disown him in order to save their skins, which might make for a neat narrative moment later on. However, if that goes against the spirit of things too much, I can remove that detail and say they were simply exiled.
I've got a wizard in the works that I might like to try out. An elf with too many maxxed-out library cards and her nose in too many secrets. I think there's an elf gate canonically close to Kintargo that she might conceivably know about. :)
Planning ahead, might we be able to work out some sort of homebrewed variant multiclassing for the arcanist? (E.g., like this, maybe?) No rush, and no problem if that's too much trouble. I just haven't been able to figure out what I would ideally have in mind for her through stacking archetypes.
I have played in a couple of Hell's Rebels games before (up to about early into the third volume, I think), but I can keep past experience separate.
Her profile has the backstory, sheet, and other details as I flesh her out :) still a work in progress, and happy to make any adjusts if needed. As I said before, HR is one of the few APs I haven't played or GM before - so excited to see it being proposed! I think some people in the past refrained from proposing it because of the special rulesets, or maybe to avoid Intrigue stories.
Her profile has the backstory, sheet, and other details as I flesh her out :) still a work in progress, and happy to make any adjusts if needed. As I said before, HR is one of the few APs I haven't played or GM before - so excited to see it being proposed! I think some people in the past refrained from proposing it because of the special rulesets, or maybe to avoid Intrigue stories.
Abilities: Characters will be built on a 16-19 point buy (15+1d4) (variety is the spice of life, am I right?) No ability may be higher than 18 (prior to racial modifiers) and only one ability can be lower than 10 and that ability cannot be lower than 8 (prior to racial modifiers).
So I think you can't have a 7 in Cha for Charlize :/
(I believe she is human, right?)
I'll actually let the GM reroll if they so desire. I should have rolled in my first post. Or maybe the GM can simply consider to use 1 for everyone that didn't roll immediately.
Her profile has the backstory, sheet, and other details as I flesh her out :) still a work in progress, and happy to make any adjusts if needed. As I said before, HR is one of the few APs I haven't played or GM before - so excited to see it being proposed! I think some people in the past refrained from proposing it because of the special rulesets, or maybe to avoid Intrigue stories.
Abilities: Characters will be built on a 16-19 point buy (15+1d4) (variety is the spice of life, am I right?) No ability may be higher than 18 (prior to racial modifiers) and only one ability can be lower than 10 and that ability cannot be lower than 8 (prior to racial modifiers).
So I think you can't have a 7 in Cha for Charlize :/
(I believe she is human, right?)
I believe you should probably focus on your own character. We're all still working through our characters.
As long as you roll the dice here on the forums and incorporate it into your build, I'm good with letting the players roll whenever they can.
Albion is correct, no single stat can be lower than 8 prior to racial modifications. I'll be going over the early submissions this weekend and see what's what.
Her profile has the backstory, sheet, and other details as I flesh her out :) still a work in progress, and happy to make any adjusts if needed. As I said before, HR is one of the few APs I haven't played or GM before - so excited to see it being proposed! I think some people in the past refrained from proposing it because of the special rulesets, or maybe to avoid Intrigue stories.
Abilities: Characters will be built on a 16-19 point buy (15+1d4) (variety is the spice of life, am I right?) No ability may be higher than 18 (prior to racial modifiers) and only one ability can be lower than 10 and that ability cannot be lower than 8 (prior to racial modifiers).
So I think you can't have a 7 in Cha for Charlize :/
(I believe she is human, right?)
I believe you should probably focus on your own character. We're all still working through our characters.
Also fair - will do!
It is just a bad habit I have from being a PF DM, to look over (audit :D) other people's characters. I will refrain.
Empiricist Investigator for your consideration. He's really good at forgery and at Knowledge skills. And pretty solid at Disable Device. And... that's about it, at least at 1st level.
Point Buy:1d4 ⇒ 217-pt buy Gold:3d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 6) = 8So the average 105 GP.
Saminarus:
Tiefling (Grimspawn) Investigator (Empiricist) 1
CG Medium Outisider (Native)
Init +3; Perception +4 (+1 rank, +3 class skill); Darkvision
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DEFENSE
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AC 15, touch 13, flatfooted 12 (Armor +2, Dex +3)
HP 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2; Resist Fire, Cold, Electricity 5
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Dagger +0 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged Sling +3 (1d4)
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STATISTICS
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Str 10, Dex 14 (16), Con 12, Int 16 (18), Wis 12 (10), Cha 8
BAB +0; CMB +0; CMD 13
Feats Skill Focus (Linguistics)
Traits Historian of the Rebellion, Resilient
FCB Investigator +1 Skill Point
Skills (11 per level)
Perception 1 +4 (+5 vs traps)
Stealth 1 +8
Sleight of Hand 1 +9
Disable Device 1 +10 (+1 rank, +3 class skill, +3 Dex, +1 Trapfinding, +2 racial)
Linguistics* 1 +11/+13 (+1 rank, +3 class skill, +4 Int, +3 Skill Focus; +2 book in Kintargo)
Disguise 1 +3
Knowledge (Local)* 1 +8
Knowledge (Planes)* 1 +8
Knowledge (Arcana)* 1 +8
Knowledge (Religion)* 1 +8
Knowledge (History)* 1 +8
Background Skill
Knowledge (Nobility)* 1 +8
Knowledge (Engineering)* 1 +8
Languages Common, Abyssal, Infernal, Draconic, Elven, Orc, Celestial
Alternate Racial Traits Prehensile Tail, Light From the Darkness
Special Incorruptible (Corruption Resistance 1/day; hours/level if on self), Alchemy, Inspiration 4/day, Trapfinding +1
Extracts 1: True Strike, Shield, Adhesive Spittle, Disguise Self, Cure Light Wounds, Monkey Fish
Equipment (105 GP)
Pathfinder’s Kit (includes dagger) 12 GP
Book of Letters 50 GP
Thieves’ Tools 30 GP
Sling
10 bullets 0.1 GP
Leather Armor 10 GP
Remaining: 2.9 GP
Appearance:
Saminarus is slight, short, and undeniably fiendish. He has a visible (and prehensile) tail, small horns, and notable (though not combat-effective) fangs.
Personality:
Saminarus prefers to rely on trickery and guile when he can, since he is not much of a fighter. He speaks quietly and tends to defer to others with stronger personalities.
Background:
Saminarus’s family have lived in Cheliax for centuries. Descendants of Varronax the Cambion, a powerful half-demon warrior who was spared by General Arnisant after a brutal but honorable duel. For returning to his army’s camp defeated, Varronax was killed and disemboweled by the lieutenants of the Whispering Tyrant. The Shining Crusade revived him, and he fought alongside them from that point forwards. His descendants have generally striven to be heroes, though some turned to evil after facing the prejudices so common across Avistan. Saminarus, for his part, is one of the good ones. Unlike Varronax, he is no warrior, but he is clever and studious. He grew up in Devil’s Nursery, and has worked for years with the Cloven Hoof Society and the Bellflower Network on some less-legal operations. He is an exceptionally skilled forger. Saminarus has forged documents of manumission for slaves, and framed a particularly diabolical Thrune collaborator with a false journal confessing to Milanite sympathies. Lately, he’s been researching the Silver Ravens with hopes of helping their operations.
Reason to Protest:
Meeting a contact. Valkarian, a contact from the Cloven Hoof Society, said he could introduce Saminarus to the Silver Ravens.
Role:
Saminarus’s skill as a forger could be invaluable if the party wishes to take a subtle approach to some problems. He has excellent Knowledge skills. He is also decent at dealing with locks, traps, and scouting, though his skills will improve considerably at level 2 with Ceaseless Observation. He is not very good at social skills, but will improve greatly at level 3 (when he gets the Orator feat). He is not very good at combat, but if the party needs him to be then he can dip a level of Inspired Blade swashbuckler for a significant boost.
Some Thoughts on Resistance vs. Rebellion:
I have had terrible experiences with intra-party arguments in both this AP (played Book 1 in PFS mode) and Council of Thieves, since I expected that the party would act the part of a resistance. As anybody who has cracked a history book or seen Andor knows, haphazard public killings of the allies and agents of the tyrannical regime is not what a burgeoning resistance movement does. It is what a full-scale rebellion does when you have a real shot at toppling the government and when your power is strong enough that they cannot enact 50-to-1 reprisals against the population. And yet there was always a split between the players who wanted to take account of the fact that we were playing the part of resistance members under martial law, and those who wanted just “we are the good guys and we kill the bad guys” with no consideration of reprisals. So this time I will go with the flow. If we want subtlety, Saminarus can do that, if we want murderhobo’ing with a slight patina of righteousness, he can do that.
And here's Nyxia. Or at least here's her crunch. I got her speec'd as a pretty typical Cleric who do damage, heal, and support when needed. Just wanted to post it here so it might get a once over incase I missed something.
Fluff will be forthcoming in time but the basic brief is that she's a native of Nidal and a former Kuthite who found Nocticula and exiled herself to Kintargo to found a less murderous religious group in the city while also moonlighting as a singer in the opera.
Nyxia:
Nyxia
Female half-elf cleric (hidden priest) of Nocticula (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic)
CG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5
Immune sleep
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5; +2 vs. enchantments, +2 vs. shadow spells and effects, -2 vs. evil spells
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee dagger +2 (1d4/18-20) or
. . spiked chain +2 (2d4/18-20)
Ranged dagger +2 (1d4/18-20)
Special Attacks channel positive energy 4/day (DC 11, 1d6)
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 6/day—touch of darkness (1 round)
Cleric (Hidden Priest) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st—bless, obscuring mist[D], shadow trap (DC 14)
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, mending, stabilize
. . D Domain spell; Domains Darkness, Travel
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 12
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 12
Feats Blind-Fight, Weapon Finesse, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spiked chain)
Traits diva in training, shadow dissident
Skills Craft (paintings) +5, Diplomacy +5, Heal +7, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perform (sing) +6
Languages Common, Elven, Shadowtongue
SQ elf blood, false arcanist
Other Gear scale mail, daggers (5), spiked chain, backpack, spell component pouch, waterskin, silver holy symbol of Nocticula, 22 gp.
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Special Abilities
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Blind-Fight Re-roll misses because of concealment, other benefits.
Cleric (Hidden Priest) Domain (Darkness) Granted Powers: You manipulate shadows and darkness. In addition, you receive Blind-Fight as a bonus feat.
Cleric (Hidden Priest) Domain (Travel) Granted Powers: You are an explorer and find enlightenment in the simple joy of travel, be it by foot or conveyance or magic. Increase your base speed by 10 feet.
Cleric Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (6/day, DC 12) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
False Arcanist +2 (Ex) Gain +2 bonus on some skill checks; disguise divine spellcasting as other type with a skill check.
Selective Channeling Exclude targets from the area of your Channel Energy.
Touch of Darkness (1 round, 6/day) (Sp)
Korva Tauranor. A Sorcerer with the Maestro bloodline.
I still need to work on her background a bit more, but see her as someone who starts with little real interest in all the trouble taking place.
She has the Pattern seeker trait and Staying up on current events as her reason for going to the protest.
Someone who has been poking around Kintargo to satisfy her curiosity until things go wild.
Korva Tauranor:
KORVA TAURANOR
Female Human (Chelaxian) sorcerer 1. NG medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Senses Perception +5, Languages Common, Draconic
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10
hp 7 (1HD). Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +2, +2 trait bonus to Fortitude saves vs. poison and drugs, +4 trait bonus to Fortitude saves to avoid the effects of alcohol, +1 trait bonus on all saving throws against illusion effects.
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee cold iron dagger +0 (1d4/19-20)
Ranged cold iron dagger (thrown) +2 (1d4+1/19-20), within 30 ft. +3 (1d4+1)
Ranged sling +2 (1d4), within 30 ft. +3 (1d4+1)
.
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 12
Beguiling Voice (Ex) You can use the sound of your voice to lull a target creature into taking no action. This ability acts as the daze spell, except it is language-dependent, has a duration of 1 round, and affects a living creature with no more than 1 Hit Dice. You can use this ability 7 times per day.
Bloodline Each sorcerer has a source of magic somewhere in her heritage that grants her spells, bonus feats, an additional class skill, and other special abilities. This source can represent a blood relation or an extreme event involving a creature somewhere in the family's past. For example, a sorcerer might have a dragon as a distant relative or her grandfather might have signed a terrible contract with a devil. Regardless of the source, this influence manifests in a number of ways as the sorcerer gains levels. A sorcerer must pick one bloodline upon taking her first level of sorcerer. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.
Bloodline Arcana Whenever you cast a spell with a verbal component and no somatic or material component, you treat your caster level as if it were one higher.
Bloodline Powers You hear music whenever you cast spells, and can use the songs in your head to create magic effects.
Cantrips Sorcerers learn a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Eschew Materials A sorcerer gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Iron Liver You gain a +2 trait bonus on Fortitude saves against poison and drugs, and a +4 trait bonus on Fortitude saves to avoid the effects of alcohol.
Maestro Bloodline The spiritual power of art and song runs strongly through your family line. This may be the result of ancient pacts made with azata patrons, or even an inheritance from a lillend or trumpet archon ancestor. It could also be the lingering taint of a less savory heritage, such as from a harpy or a forefather driven to madness by the disquieting gibbering of a shoggoth. However it came to be, your family's artistic bent shows itself strongly in your magic.
Maestro Bloodline ~ Bonus Spells
Pattern Seeker There are patterns in the world, both natural and artificial, that if only one can interpret them correctly, great secrets could be divined. You have long been fascinated by the idea of these hidden patterns, perhaps because a sibling or parent went to the grave obsessed with seeking a pattern, or maybe because you feel that you've uncovered a previously unknown pattern. Kintargo has a particularly unique pattern of its own; the belfry atop the Temple of Asmodeus rings at what seem to be random intervals. None know who or what rings the bells, and no true pattern by which the so-called Devil's Bells has yet accurately predicted the tolling. Many have tried, and extensive but always incomplete documents exist that track the dates and times of recorded ringings back to the end of the Chelish Civil War, when the church of Asmodeus first claimed the abandoned temple of Aroden as their own. Maybe you will be the one to solve the pattern of the Devil's Bells? You gain a +1 trait bonus on all Perception checks, and Perception is always a class skill for you. In addition, you increase the save DC of any illusion (pattern) spell you cast by 1, and you gain a +1 trait bonus on all saving throws against illusion effects.
.
Spells A sorcerer casts arcane spells drawn primarily from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a sorcerer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a sorcerer's spell is 14 + the spell level.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency Sorcerers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor interferes with a sorcerer's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.
