I'm proposing to run the "Early Society" campaign from this post as a PbP campaign. Note, I haven't GM'd PFS before so this is a bit of a leap in the dark.
I'm looking for six players to start with.
I will initially run as CORE. If it goes well I will also kick off a standard run and may also run other campaigns from the aforementioned thread if there's interest.
To summarise, it's a campaign made up of PFS season 0/1 scenarios.
Regarding submissions and general practice (it's easier than usual as PFS does most of this for me):
- Expect to post at least once a day, preferably more often. I'd prefer to select players who have a solid posting record.
- PFS CORE creation rules
- Yes I do intend to hand out Chronicle sheets
- All characters begin at level one.
- Standard advancement track - given this is meant to be a campaign I expect the characters to move up together as possible.
- Content & tone: strictly no NSFW
- No third party content.
- Brief (1-2 para) back-story for your character, just so I can see how you write. Alternatively just reference a campaign you're already involved in and I'll check there.
It's probably less likely with CORE but there may be scenarios in the list (see below) you can't play. I'll try to work on some flexible mechanism to allow characters to drop out and come back in (it may involve dropping to slow advancement to try and keep everyone in sync). My preference is for people who can play most of the scenarios (obviously).
Here's the list of scenarios in the campaign. I'll initially leave recruitment open for 2 weeks from today, to provide a chance of getting a party with sufficient balance.
1st Level:
4 The Frozen Fingers of Midnight
5 Mists of Mwangi
1 Silent Tide
2nd Level:
2 The Hydra's Fang Incident
13 The Prince of Augustana
3 Murder on the Silken Caravan
3rd Level
35 Voice in the Void
29 The Devil We Know, Part 1 - Shipyard Rats
30 The Devil We Know, Part 2 - Cassomir's Locker
4th Level:
41 The Devil We Know, Part 3 - Crypt of Fools
48 The Devil We Know, Part 4 - Rules of the Swift
39 The Citadel of Flame
5th Level:
33 Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible
16 To Scale the Dragon
47 The Darkest Vengeance
6th Level:
37 The Beggar's Pearl
43 The Pallid Plague
50 Fortune's Blight
7th Level:
17 Perils of the Pirate Pact
38 No Plunder, No Pay
22 Fingerprints of the Fiend
8th Level:
26 Lost at Bitter End
32 Drow of the Darkland's Pyramid
34 Encounter at the Drowning Stones
9th Level:
31 Sniper in the Deep
56 The Jester's Fraud
27 Our Lady of Silver
10th Level:
36 Echoes of the Everwar, Part 1 - Prisoner of Skull Hill
42 Echoes of the Everwar, Part 2 - Watcher of Ages
44 Echoes of the Everwar, Part 3 - Terror at Whistledown
11th Level:
53 Echoes of the Everwar, Part 4 - The Faithless Dead
40 Hall of Drunken Heroes
20 King Xeros of Old Azlant
This character needs one more adventure to get to 2nd level. Would that be okay or would it be best to start another character?
Best to start another I think, otherwise you'll be slightly out of sync.
Quick question as I've never played the PFS scenarios, what's the level of difficulty? I love the roleplay aspect PBP gives access to, but if decisions we make don't end up mattering in the long run, we can breeze by any encounter without consequences the game loses enjoyment.
For character ideas I should have one up later today, looking at a ranger or a rogue.
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Season 0 and 1 are pretty easy. Season 0 scenarios are actually all based in D&D 3.5 using only OGL. Season 1 scenarios are all created with only the CRB and the first Bestiary.
So its like taking modern weaponry into a WWI fight.
Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play This guide provides character building guidelines.
Technically the GM can't determine if your character stays at standard level advancement or slow. But if you go slow, you'll be out of sync with Shady's campaign plans.
Just an observation, GM Shady: if you're new to play by post, may I recommend starting with four players?
It's fewer cats to herd, plus the Season 0 and Season 1 scenarios were designed for 4 players anyway, so no one should feel overwhelmed by the scenarios (a few outliers notwithstanding).
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Spending many nights on guard on the wall of Absalom, Fidgit often ushered returning Pathfinders through the gates. Many times hearing the fantastic stories of adventuring during their assignments.
One evening, halfway through his watch, the boredom and monotony of numerous eventless hours finally broke his will to hold on to the safety and comfort of city living. As he conveyed the lack of excitement to the relief guard replacing him, he looked at his longbow and longsword. Sparkling like new still from lack of use, he secured them to his body and headed home.
He didn't sleep much that night, as various imagery danced in his head of distant lands, mysterious magic items, and horrific creatures put down by his own arrows. He will be joining heading to the Grand Lodge tomorrow to begin a new life... as a Pathfinder.
"Fidgit Gossamar reporting for duty venture Captain. I'm excited to get started. My bow, sword, and military training are yours. What's my 1st assignment?"
Fidgit Gossamar
Human Male
Fighter 1 (Archery focused)
Faction: Grand Lodge
Human (Varisian) fighter 1
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +0
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee longsword +4 (1d8+3/19-20)
Ranged longbow +4 (1d8/×3)
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 17
Feats Deadly Aim, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Traits dangerously curious, observant
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 to jump), Climb +4, Perception +5, Survival +4, Use Magic Device +4
Languages Common, Elven, Varisian
Other Gear hide armor, longbow, longsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, grappling hook, silk rope (50 ft.), sunrod (4), waterskin, 21 gp, 9 sp
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Special Abilities
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Deadly Aim -1/+2 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Just an observation, GM Shady: if you're new to play by post, may I recommend starting with four players?
It's fewer cats to herd, plus the Season 0 and Season 1 scenarios were designed for 4 players anyway, so no one should feel overwhelmed by the scenarios (a few outliers notwithstanding).
The issue isn't PBP, it's PFS (and I may need a hand with the niceties of that). I'm running 3 other PbP campaigns right now, all reasonably happily at 6 players. My preference is for 6 so that if anyone needs to drop out for a scenario we don't necessarily have to go out and recruit.
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Dearon Phoenixstar is the orphaned son of an elven wizard from Kayolin and a human paladin of Iomadae who both gave their lives fighting against the incursions of the World Wound. Orphaned at a relatively young age he was taken into an orphanage run by the church of the Inheritor and taught many skills. Though he did not have the skills of a fighter like his mother he did have her faith. He was not born with the intellect of his father but did study different aspects of the faith of Iomedae. He did not have the ability to grow in wizardy. He has felt a special connection to her. He grew in devotion but as he grew in age he began to develop headaches. Seeking solace in prayer he would seek the intercession of the Inheritor to help him overcome the headaches he was experiencing so that he could also overcome evil in the world.
Once while in fervent prayer his divine connection manifested itself. As he prayed a beam of fiery light erupted from him and struck a nearby acolyte who had been hurt by a mace during battle practice. As the beam struck the acolyte rather that harming him the beam healed him. Dearon's headache subsided and he began to develop his gifts not for wizardy but as a sorcerer with aspirations for the clergy of Iomadae, to bring the forces of magic, both arcane and divine, to bear against the forces of evil.
The issue isn't PBP, it's PFS (and I may need a hand with the niceties of that). I'm running 3 other PbP campaigns right now, all reasonably happily at 6 players. My preference is for 6 so that if anyone needs to drop out for a scenario we don't necessarily have to go out and recruit.Just an observation, GM Shady: if you're new to play by post, may I recommend starting with four players?
It's fewer cats to herd, plus the Season 0 and Season 1 scenarios were designed for 4 players anyway, so no one should feel overwhelmed by the scenarios (a few outliers notwithstanding).
Understood, sorry for my confusion. Good gaming! :-)
Does Core allow the Faction Traits listed in the Guide, or strictly those found through the (incorrect) link contained in it?
On a similar note, will we still be allowed Day Job checks between scenarios, and are the faction "goals" or whatever they're termed allowed as well?
Faction missions for these scenarios aren't used for anything other than colour (per the PFS Guide p. 34).
I believe the faction traits are legal for Core (basically the only legal ones are those from the Character Web Traits Enhancement, and the traits from the Guide to Organized Play; if so the latter contains the faction traits) and that you still get day job/downtime.
I have already played Night March, but would love to get into some of the later games as an alternate if needed :)
Faction missions for these scenarios aren't used for anything other than colour (per the PFS Guide p. 34).
I believe the faction traits are legal for Core (basically the only legal ones are those from the Character Web Traits Enhancement, and the traits from the Guide to Organized Play; if so the latter contains the faction traits) and that you still get day job/downtime.
Oh, I wasn't aware of those; I meant these.
Oh, I wasn't aware of those; I meant these.Faction missions for these scenarios aren't used for anything other than colour (per the PFS Guide p. 34).
I believe the faction traits are legal for Core (basically the only legal ones are those from the Character Web Traits Enhancement, and the traits from the Guide to Organized Play; if so the latter contains the faction traits) and that you still get day job/downtime.
Oh, those. They're definitely OK for Core and I believe they're usable in Season 0 (where the faction can be mapped) but will need to check.
Are you looking at example of play style in another thread?
Yes. Will go through later today and figure where we are on submissions.
OK, to summarise where we are:
- Daereon Phoenixstar/Theodic - submitted
- Gilthanis - possible alternate for later scenarios
- Aeroden - dotted
- Fiddlesticks McCoy - submitted
- Fidgit Core Gossamar - submitted
- Hádanka - submitted
- Nebten - dotted
- GM Jol - dotted
Does not feel like we are at critical mass yet. I'll speak to some of the players in my other campaigns and see if they're interested.
I'm in the process of finishing up a Paladin of Iomedae, statted here, but I haven't posted her fluff bit yet. Having just joined the site, I've been tweaking with it to hopefully show promise despite my lack of history.
Was just going to wait until I had her finished, but now I fear I'm running out of time. I'll do my best to get her background up today, and round off her stat block.
I don't know; I'm fairly new to PFS. But when making the stereotypical Paladin, I figured I should pick the stereotypical Paladin deity.
Thank you! Are you going to wait the full two weeks or would you start when you get the proper group dynamic?
My preference is to wait for the full two weeks (quite apart from anything else that's when I'd propose to start).
Dotting for interest.
OK, I'll be closing this at 6pm GMT Sunday evening, or at least that's my plan.
I'll make something for this, keep meaning to try PFS.
The wind is the way of the people, and we must all bend before it. Yet every one of us will find a time when we cannot bend, when hope and love move us to stand. Then we must find our center point, where we can balance before the tempest. You say that you wish to study magic? What good is magic to an unbalanced child? Learn to bend with the wind when you must, and to stand against it as you may, and we will talk of Magic another day. Today, you study balance.
~From the lessons of Larksong Brightarrow, On Magic.
The finest flame burns in the hearts of the young. It has not been tempered, or fed with the dross of emotions. It is pure and primal. If you wish to summon fire, you must remember the fire of your youth. It was not your enemy, it was bright-laughing and quick. It was the light that kept darkness away. It was the warmth against cold. To call fire, you must not fear to be burned. You wish to control fire, but fire is not a thing to be owned. It is a process, as simple as the beating of your heart. If you wish to summon fire, you must open your heart to it, and it will pour forth from the very air around you.
~From the lessons of Larksong Brightarrow, The Flame at Heart.
It's strange. If you ask my students, I'm this great sage of magical insight, but I've always thought myself a soldier. I learned the weapons before the magic, and in some ways they came easier. Swordplay is simple. You do this, he does that, you do this in return. It's a series of exchanges. Archery is the same. Magic? As soon as you start playing with magic, you end up attracting the attention of all sorts of things. Things that don't really care much for logic or reason. Oh your demon summoner? We took care of her. She bit off more than she could chew. The daemon showed up all right, but we'd broken the inner circle, so she just ate the summoner, planted that garden of lilacs and then left. Why lilacs? Ask a druid. I think we're done here. Always nice doing business for the crusade.
~A conversation with the magister at Kenebas.
Female elf conjurer 1
LN Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +0
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +3 Dex)
hp 8 (1d6+2)
Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +0; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee cold iron dagger +2 (1d4+2/19-20)
Ranged mwk composite longbow +4 (1d8+2/×3)
Arcane School Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 6/day—acid dart (1d6 acid)
Conjurer Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +4)
. . 1st—burning hands (DC 14), color spray (DC 14), mount
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, mending, open/close (DC 13)
. . Opposition Schools Enchantment, Necromancy
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 7, Cha 10
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 15
Feats Point-Blank Shot, Spell Focus (conjuration)
Traits armor expert, magical knack
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 to jump), Appraise +7, Disable Device +1, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +0, Spellcraft +7 (+9 to identify magic item properties); Racial Modifiers +2 Perception, +2 Spellcraft to identify magic item properties
Languages Common, Elven, Goblin, Orc, Sylvan
SQ arcane bond (masterwork composite longbow), elven magic, summoner's charm (1 round)
Combat Gear cold iron arrows (50), scroll of cure light wounds, oil (4); Other Gear studded leather, cold iron dagger, cold iron gauntlet, cold iron light hammer, mwk composite longbow (+2 Str), backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, candle (10), canvas (10'x10'.), chalk (10), crowbar, flask (10), flint and steel, ink, inkpen, mug/tankard, piton (4), sack, sack, sealing wax (2), sewing needle (3), shovel, signet ring, silk rope (50 ft.), soap, spell component pouch, spellbook, thieves' tools, trail rations (7), waterskin, winter blanket, wooden holy symbol of Desna, 6 gp, 4 sp, 7 cp
--------------------
Special Abilities
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Acid Dart (1d6 acid, 6/day) (Sp) As a standard action, ranged touch deals acid dam vs. foe in 30 ft.
Arcane Bond (Masterwork composite longbow) (1/day) (Sp) Use object to cast any spell in your spellbook. Without it, Concentration required to cast spells (DC20 + spell level).
Conjuration The conjurer focuses on the study of summoning monsters and magic alike to bend to his will.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Elven Magic +2 to spellcraft checks to determine the properties of a magic item.
Enchantment You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Enchantment school.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Necromancy You must spend 2 slots to cast spells from the Necromancy school.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Summoner's Charm (+1 rds) (Su) Increase duration of summoning spells by 1/2 level (permanent at 20).
I have no idea which faction to take, so I might shift alignment/faction stuff around, but here's a rough draft of what I'm thinking about.
Re-summarising:
- Daereon Phoenixstar/Theodic - submitted sorcerer
- Gilthanis - possible alternate for later scenarios
- Aeroden - dotted
- Fiddlesticks McCoy - submitted cleric
- Fidgit Core Gossamar - submitted fighter
- Hádanka - submitted barbarian
- Nebten - dotted
- GM Jol - dotted
- Lucretian - dotted
- Ash - submitted wizard
I have one (so far) reservation from one of my existing games, so we are filling 5 slots.
Submissions to close 6pm GMT Sunday.
I think that Aeroden submitted a pally.
Ahhh ... thanks.
Re-summarising:
- Daereon Phoenixstar/Theodic - submitted sorcerer
- Gilthanis - possible alternate for later scenarios
- Aeroden - submitted paladin
- Fiddlesticks McCoy - submitted cleric
- Fidgit Core Gossamar - submitted fighter
- Hádanka - submitted barbarian
- Nebten - dotted
- GM Jol - dotted
- Lucretian - dotted
- Ash - submitted wizard
I have one (so far) reservation (a ranger) from one of my existing games, so we are filling 5 slots.
Submissions to close 6pm GMT Sunday.
OK, but you can change out anything you like, assuming you keep the class the same, before we actually start.
I'm working on a halfling rogue that I hope to have done in time.
To be clear (and I haven't been), I'd said 2 weeks, so closing is 6pm GMT Sunday 27 March. I'll be on a plane at that point (and in Pacific time for the following week) so might not announce anything till late on the Monday.
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I will throw my cap into the ring. For example of posting/rate please see Barek Nosun.
For a look at Andrezi himself see below:
The student cowering before him had more been shocked at the unexpected fist than injured, but spoke up anyways [b]But it was just a pra-
Smack Andrezi's fist smashed into his face once again, a distinctive crackle-pop indicating he had indeed broken something this time. It is beyond vile that you think that. I did not endure torment and subjugatin at the hands of the orcs of Belkzen to allow magic to be used in such a fashion. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go tend to my hand. Andrezi walks off and makes it to the healers in the Grand Lodge before his adrenaline dies away and he collapses from the pain.
I started playing a campaign similar to this but it fell apart after the first three scenarios, the same ones that you have listed for level one.
Can we submit a character even if we've already played the first three scenarios? Other than remaining a level behind the rest of the party, I'm not sure what effect it would have.
I started playing a campaign similar to this but it fell apart after the first three scenarios, the same ones that you have listed for level one.
Can we submit a character even if we've already played the first three scenarios? Other than remaining a level behind the rest of the party, I'm not sure what effect it would have.
Probably. I think there's a limit on the number of players who have played a scenario before being involved, so I'd need to check on the fine print. If not, I plan to maintain a waitlist for if/when characters drop out later (which seems inevitable in PbP).
BTW if your previous campaign was Classic rather than Core you can replay in Core anyhow.
Re-summarising:
- Daereon Phoenixstar/Theodic - submitted sorcerer
- Gilthanis - possible alternate for later scenarios
- Aeroden - submitted paladin
- Fiddlesticks McCoy - submitted cleric
- Fidgit Core Gossamar - submitted fighter
- Hádanka - submitted barbarian
- Nebten - dotted
- GM Jol - dotted
- Lucretian - dotted
- Ash - submitted wizard
- Ietsuna - dotted
- Grizzly - dotted
- AGamer70 - dotted
- Andrezi - submitted wizard
I have one (so far) reservation (a ranger) from one of my existing games, so we are filling 5 slots.
Submissions to close 6pm GMT Sunday 27 March.