The 22nd of Rova, The Year 4707, Absalom Reckoning: The Swallowtail Festival
As dawn breaks on the Autumnal Equinox, the town is already coming alive. After five long years, the Sandpoint Cathedral has finally been finished, and today marks the day of its new consecration. The occasion was planned particularly for this auspicious date, which marks the Swallowtail Festival that's been held in Sandpoint nearly since its founding. For the past few years the celebration has been more subdued, owing to the lack of a dedicated worship point and a general sense of recovery from the Late Unpleasantness. But today, there are no reservations, no mutterings of bad omen or worries for the future. Today, travelers from near and far are joining the townsfolk in their joy and wonder, with the promise of good food, good prices, and good fun had by all. Today is a day of celebration and enjoyment, and it all kicks off with the first speeches starting just after dawn at the new church square!
Efanydd:
You arrived in Sandpoint only a few scant days ago, and while you've been hopeful to explore and learn more about the landmark they call the Old Light, you haven't made much progress as yet. You've been living out of a room at the Rusty Dragon Inn, which caters to travelers and adventurous types such as yourself more than the other boarding houses of the town do. Beyond that, you've spent some time familiarizing yourself with some of the locals, particularly an elderly scholar named Brodert Quink. Quink strikes you as the type who knows quite a lot, but unfortunately feels the need to pretend he knows even more. Still, he's the local expert on Thassilonian ruins... although his working theory of this particular ruin, which involves it being an ancient mystical siege weapon, seems somewhat beyond practical consideration.
Your day begins with a polite knock on the door of your room, and you open it to find the beaming face of Ameiko Kaijitsu, the proprietor of the inn. The lovely young Tien woman smiles as she says, "Sorry if I woke you, but I thought I'd check on all the tenants to let them know it's nearly time for the Festival to begin. Speeches are up by the cathedral, can't miss the square, and then everything's started! Hope to see you there." With that, she walks off down the hall to the next room.
Matoska:
You arrived in Sandpoint just two days ago, and quickly made your way to the smithy to sell what you had and offer your help. The owner, a fiery-haired bear of a man, was at first quite dismissive and rude, but once you offered to bend your back at the forge, he became more accepting... if only slightly. You're not sure if Das Korvut likes you or not--you're not sure if the man likes anyone, truth be told--but so far he's put up with you and allowed you to sleep on a cot in the Red Dog Smithy.
Today, you're woken well before dawn by the sound of a hammer striking hot metal, and you quickly rise up to see what's happening. Das is already at work by the forge, finishing up the project he's been working on for the past few days: a magnificent rendering in steel and bronze of Abadar's holy symbol, which he intends as an offering for the new cathedral. He grunts when he looks up to see you, and although he doesn't say anything, you sense his appreciation when you lend a hand to help. When dawn arrives, the beautiful, arm-length key is finished, and Das wipes the sweat from his brow with a rare grin. "Time for the speeches, I reckon," he says. With no more words, he sets the key on a table for later, and steps out of the smithy to head for the cathedral.
Gao:
You've been in Sandpoint for nearly a season, having arrived just before the height of summer. At first you stayed wherever you could, but most recently you've taken up semi-permanent residence with Chask Haldan, the elderly owner of the Curious Goblin. The old man is more a librarian and simple lover of knowledge than a businessman, but he's appreciated your help around the "shop," as well as your unique foreign wisdom and outlook on life. You've spent more than one afternoon sipping tea and discussing all matters of life and philosophy with the man, and he's been especially grateful since you handled some would-be thieves a couple weeks back.
On this day, you're woken by the pleasant scent of fresh tea, and when you rise, Chask hands you a steaming cup with a smile. "Drink up, and let's get over to the cathedral," he says, eagerness in his raspy voice. "I'd hate to miss the speeches, or anything else. This is a once-in-a-lifetime sort of day, after all!"
Rajuna:
Your travels to Sandpoint have been smooth enough. Varisia is still a frontier country in many ways, with open plains and roads that see only nominal lawkeepers most of the time. Between Belkzen raiders, standoffish Shoanti tribes, potential bandits, and the local wildlife, it's not exactly a safe region, although the main roads are usually free of too much harassment. Still, you were somewhat fortunate to link up with one of the caravans that travel the country, and with the safety of numbers your trip to Sandpoint has been as safe as you could hope for.
The timing has gone well, too, as you wake this day an hour before dawn. Most of the caravan's sleeping arrangements are already broken down and stored once more, and soon enough the caravan's master--a young Varisian man named Sandru--swings by to check on you. "We'll be on our way shortly, if you'd like to ride beside me," he says with a grin. "We should arrive in town by dawn, just in time for the start of the festival. You should enjoy yourself before going off to hunt your Devil--might I suggest sampling the Rusty Dragon's offerings. Always good food to be had." With a laugh, he claps your shoulder and moves off to finish getting the wagons on the move.
Shara:
You've been back in Sandpoint for about a month, although having grown up in the town you of course are familiar with... well, most everything that's common knowledge. It was a mixture of pleasant and disappointing to find that things are mostly the same here since you left for schooling, although there's been a more hopeful attitude of late with the leadup to the opening of the new cathedral. You've been living at home with your mother for the time being, although plenty of your time is spent in your own pursuits--mostly speaking with Brodert Quink about the Old Light, and what else he knows of Thassilon. For all his knowledge, though, Quink doesn't seem able to offer all that much insight, as he's hooked on his latest theory: that the ruins were once some sort of magical siege weapon.
Your day begins by accompanying your mother to the Hagfish, as you promised to help make sure Jargie Quinn was ready to offer his work for the festival. Having a boisterous one-legged tavernmaster as an unofficial uncle has always been interesting and entertaining over the years, and he's grateful as always for the help you lend. Truth be told, he's mostly finished the work himself by the time you arrive, and you end up just seasoning some stew while he polishes Norah's tank and repaints the old sign proclaiming the Hagfish's signature challenge. By dawn, everything's finished, and he hobbles over with a smile and a nod. "Well, let's get a move on, Alaznas," he says. "Don't want to miss the kickoff of everything, after all!"
Uriel:
You only just arrived in Sandpoint last evening, having set out from Magnimar several days prior with a small caravan bound for the town. You know you've been brought here with divine guidance, the need to stamp out some evil that threatens not only the town, but the world beyond... but nothing seems amiss from the short time you've been here. The people seemed friendly enough, excited for their celebration, and you quickly secured cheap lodgings at the Rusty Dragon Inn, which caters to travelers. The bed was comfortable, and your sleep was free of dark dreams. If there's evil in Sandpoint, you haven't found it yet.
Your day begins with a knock on the door of your room. You open it to find the smiling face of Ameiko Kaijitsu, the owner of the establishment. She nods and hooks a thumb toward the stairs. "Hope you slept well. I'm just making rounds to let everyone know that the Festival's going to start soon. Opening speeches are at the cathedral square, you can't miss it. Hope to see you there!" With that, she bounds off down the hallway, leaving you to get ready for the day.
Welcome to the game, everyone! While my notes here are establishing the very beginning of your characters' days, please skip ahead to their arrival in the cathedral square in your post. (Feel free to cover what they do before that as well, if you like!) Describe what they look like as they arrive, and feel free to interact with anyone else, particularly if your characters may know one another already. And I hope you enjoy this campaign!
Male Human Commoner 2/ Philosopher 2/ Gamer 5/ Writer 5
Greetings one and all! Welcome to the game, and I hope you enjoy your time here. This will be our Discussion thread for talking about things out of character; I'd ask that most if not all questions and commentary be posted here, so the Gameplay thread doesn't get muddled with out-of-character stuff.
For the moment, please just check in and let me know you're here, and introduce yourselves to one another. I don't know that any members of the party would necessarily know one another, and a couple are just arriving in Sandpoint shortly before the Swallowtail Festival, but feel free to work out any links that you see and wish to explore. In the meanwhile, I'll double-check sheets and such with a fine-toothed comb, and then we'll get this train moving, hopefully by the weekend.
For five years, the faithful of Sandpoint have attended church in temporary structures erected after fire destroyed the previous temple. While the new religious leader was helpful, kind, and wise, their worship wasn't the same. Now, though, the new cathedral is finally done. All that remains is for the Swallowtail Festival to renew the site's blessings from the gods, and it will be as if the Sandpoint Fire had never occurred.
From near and far, attendees to the Swallowtail Festival have come to help usher in this wonderful new era in the town's history. With all the festivities, the locals have set their goods and services on display, and even travelers in the region are drawn to Sandpoint for a day of celebration. It's sure to be a wonderful and relaxing time for one and all.
Greetings, everyone! Loup Blanc here, and I'm opening recruitment for a campaign of Rise of the Runelords, running off of the Anniversary Edition. This isn't going to be your granddad's Adventure Path, though--there are going to be some updates and power increases, both for the PCs and the enemies. I'll also probably tweak some encounters or add things in here and there. Don't worry, it'll still be very recognizable as Rise of the Runelords in all its glory; it's one of my favorite campaigns, and I wouldn't want to mess with that. Any changes will just be made to link things deeper to PCs if necessary, to build things out a little longer (I'd love to see this reach 20th level before the finish), and to perhaps make things more interesting as characters are rebuilt to keep things interesting and dangerous. My overall hope here is for things to be challenging and fair.
Character Creation--Mechanics:
Starting Level: 1st. The PCs will one day become great heroes, having overcome incredible dangers along the way... but they have humble beginnings.
--Special Rule: Gestalt! We'll be using the gestalt system for leveling up, meaning you advance in two classes and take the best of both. If you're unfamiliar with the system, a quick web search should get you what you need to know.
Ability Scores: Use a 25 point-buy by standard Pathfinder rules. You're great heroes with many talents and strengths.
Races: I don't explicitly disallow any given race, because soemone might wow me with a great backstory, but use good sense, and keep in mind your race is more than just numbers and abilities on a sheet. If you play a drow, people are going to react to that; same for any other distinctly odd or monstrous-looking race. Core and featured races are your best bets, unless you give me a great backstory to explain how you've come to be in Sandpoint.
--Templates: Not at game start. If your character concept involves hoping for something down the line, mention it as wishful thinking, but no guarantees. This is not the game to put forward your Advanced Natural Wereocelot.
Classes: I allow all Paizo published classes; the only one I can think of that raises an eyebrow for this area is the gunslinger, but a decent backstory will explain that. Unchained is recommended, but not required (although Summoners must use the Unchained spell list).
--Archetypes: I'm mentioning this since it comes up sometimes: I'm fine with archetypes, and feel free to use them for a different flavor than their origins. Sometimes a mechanical setup works perfectly for an idea that doesn't fit the flavor, and that's okay by me. I also have no issues with archetype stacking (per the usual requirements), as a general rule, so go for it.
--Third Party: Listed here since classes and archetypes are the most common. The only third-party sources I'll allow on a general rule is the Path of War work from Dreamscarred Press. Anything outside of that needs to be run by me specifically, on a case-by-case basis of what you want to use, before I can allow it; I also need access to it, meaning that if it isn't on the d20pfsrd website, it probably won't work, since I don't own very much.
Traits: Each character begins with a campaign trait for Rise of the Runelords; you also gain two other traits of your choice, for a total of three. You may take a drawback for an additional trait, but I will hold you to that drawback both mechanically and in terms of roleplaying.
--On Traits: Traits should be more than just a way to gain a class skill or bigger numbers on your sheet: they should inform an aspect of your character's background. I'm fine with reflavoring a trait for you to gain the same advantage, but it needs to be explained somewhere.
Starting Wealth: Maximum for your class at 1st level (e.g., a fighter or other 5d6x10 gp class would begin with 300 gold pieces to spend). There are several traits that add to this, whether in gold or equipment--these are powerful tools, so don't use them lightly.
Sources: To reiterate, most anything Paizo is available, with exceptions here and there. If it's from a hardcover you're probably fine--if you want to use something from an obscure source, please point out to me where it's from and I'll make sure it's okay. Third-party is allowed on a case by case basis, other than Path of War (which I like as a neat system providing more options for martials); please ask me before building a character, to save us both time and energy.
Alignment: At risk of causing a big debate (please, please for the love of the gods don't start one in this thread), no alignments within one step of Chaotic Evil. The reasons for barring NE and CE should be clear; CN is banned due to probability for shenanigans and it being unlikely that a truly Chaotic Neutral individual would go through the entirety of this AP. Lawful Evil will be looked at with a leery eye, but if you believe you can build one that will get along with the party (and well), I'm willing to give it a look.
House and Optional Rules --Background Skills are a go, including Artistry and Lore.
--Combat Stamina and its related systems are allowed; Fighters can access these for free, anyone else can take the feat.
--Feat Taxes are a thing I don't like, and to help combat them I'm using some changes I've recently been made aware of. This article discusses some of the basic alterations in depth, and this table has some more changes that we'll be using. Nothing major is altered here--it simply does away with some feats that don't need to exist, and combines some others to make things more streamlined.
--Variant Multiclassing is allowed, but it means you cannot multiclass in any other way. (For example, you could be a fighter/wizard VMC cleric, but you couldn't then multiclass from fighter to rogue down the line.) This does lock you out of prestige classes.
Character Creation--Backstory:
Let me begin this section by saying that I don't require anything specific. Everyone writes backgrounds differently, they focus on different aspects, they write in different ways. Instead of telling you how to write your character, let me just offer some suggestions of how to get my attention and fulfill what I need.
If you don't know where to start, try the Ten-Minute Background. It's a simple, useful method for writing down the basics of your character: concepts, plot points, goals. It's by no means the be-all, end-all of background writing, but it's a solid foundation.
Please don't just give me bullet points, or fragmented highlights that aren't full sentences, or something similarly half-assed. I'm offering to run a well-loved campaign with NPCs and subtlety and character and plot. True, most if not all of it comes prewritten, but I'm also promising not to just copy and paste chunks of the book into a thread and call it a day. In return, I'm asking you to give me an interesting and thought-out character.
Interesting is the best word to have in mind for your PC's background! After all, this isn't a game about regular townsfolk who are boring old commoners, nor is it about skilled individuals who'd rather hang out on their porch than take the fight to the evil of the world. This is a game about heroes! Feel free to go reluctant hero, or even grudging antihero, but above all, make your character an interesting person who will rise above the masses.
Finally, make sure to hit the usual highlights. What are your origins? How did you become an adventurer? What brings you to Sandpoint? Think of your backstory as the origins issue for your hero, their special prologue that comes before the team-up arc. Feel free to describe their first mini-adventure; in game terms, it might have netted a total of 300 XP or so, so maybe you killed some goblins or helped hunt down an ogre or something. Definitely have fun with it! The more you care about your character, the more likely it is that I will, too.
About Me, About This Game:
I'm a recent college graduate with a degree in Creative Writing; naturally, I love to read, tell, and write stories, which lends to my love of RPGs and GMing. I've been playing for about a dozen years now, and I've been GMing in some form for much of that time (since I was among the first of my friends to get into the hobby), so I have experience. I can theorycraft with the best, but I prefer interesting, well-rounded characters to powergamed one-trick ponies.
As mentioned previously, I'll be running this game based on the Anniversary Edition of Rise of the Runelords, with updates and upgrades to reflect the new material that's become available since the book's release (as well as changes I feel will make for a more challenging, and thereby more fulfilling, campaign). The plot will remain nearly entirely the same, but expect many encounters to be different. You might think of this as the AP on Hard Mode, but the PCs are also much more powerful to match. I think of this campaign as a great example of classic high fantasy, with heroes rising up to stop an ancient world-changing evil, and I want things to feel truly heroic throughout.
With my schedule as it is, I hope and plan to post, on average, once a day, perhaps going down to once over the weekend. (I live on the East Coast of the United States, in terms of time zones.) That said, I have an active and at times very busy life, and there will be times when I cannot post. As often as possible, I'll at least check in, and any planned departures will have warning ahead of time, but life happens; things come up that cannot be avoided. All I can say is that I'm in this for the long haul, barring extreme circumstances, and I hope to see this through to the end no matter what. I don't promise a fast game--I promise a well-loved one.
I would strongly recommend anyone who's interested in this game to take a look at the following document: Virtues and Vices of Playing. It offers some of my most important thoughts on how to be a good player for PbP, particularly how to improved your chances of being selected by me for a campaign.
For this game, I'm looking at recruiting 3-6 characters, depending on interest, party composition, and so forth. There's no hard deadline to recruitment as of the moment, and warning will be given before it closes down and I make my selection.
If you've made it this far, congratulations and thanks to you! I hope this has caught your interest; if not, I hope you find happy gaming elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if I've forgotten something, or muddled my meaning somewhere, so if you have a question, feel free to ask. Otherwise, I hope to see some voices of interest and some wonderfully neat characters!
Hello, everyone! I'm here as my life is settling back into some semblance of regularity, as my college years are done and I got through the final semester's finals and graduation. As something of a gift to myself, with the recognition that I'll have a little more time on my hands and a more regular schedule for posting, I'd like to offer another game (or two*) for this community. I enjoy running games, and although I'm involved in a number already, I'm confident I have the time and commitment for one or two more.
The question, however, becomes: What shall I run for you fine people? I'm one of those people who always has tons of ideas for games, concepts for characters and plotlines and settings, and it's tough to settle on one when I'm thinking on my own. So as I've done in the past, I'd like to first put forward an interest check to see what people would like to play! I've got some summaries for ideas in spoilers below, so please take a look and let me know what you think. Each spoiler has a potential title for the game, a sketch/blurb of the base concept for the game and what I'm thinking of as at least the basis for the campaign, and a thought on what system I'd be using.
(If you've been in my previous interest checks, some of these are probably familiar, but please take a look anyway! A number have changed slightly as I've continue to think on them.)
Idea 1--The Age of Lament:
Ahh, yes. The Vault. Once it was a great nation, the pride of the Rhoune, alongside our Grand Duchy. But that was before this age; before the coming of the Fell Beasts. For a hundred years it stood against them, but another hundred have passed since its walls rose and its gates shut. The stories of miraculous discovery and magical advancement are gone, replaced by whispered tales of darkness, monstrous things that prey upon those few who remain. But you--you bear the mark, don't you? The mark of the blessing, or the curse, if you prefer. You are a Hero, with Estus in your blood. You will enter the Vault, as is your fate; you will face its horrors again and again, and you will return a Champion, wealthy and beloved... or you will lose your very being to the madness of your existence.
The Concept: A campaign steeped in the flavor, tone, and lore of the popular Dark Souls video game series, with a dash of Bloodborne thrown in for good measure. (Probably some Demon's Souls too, but more in legacy than references.) Gearing toward sandboxy with an overarching "metaplot," it sees a party of Heroes who rise above mortals but are doomed to fight until they die, over and over again, and either succumb to madness or live long enough to "retire." That sounds a lot bleaker than I hope the game plays out, but it sets the tone. Rest assured that you can (and hopefully will) make a difference in the land, and my goal is for the party to ultimately uncover the secrets of the Vault.
The Setting: A homebrew setting of mine, specifically an alternate timeline of a larger setting I'm working on that will encompass huge swaths of time and a variety of different types of games. It's a classic medieval fantasy world that's been in a downward spiral for a couple of centuries, with rivaling nations clinging to life and struggling for what power they can claim.
The System: After some heavy thought anad work on this idea, which I've been bouncing around for a while, I've changed from Exalted as the basic chassis to a simpler offering: World of Darkness, mainly utilizing rules from the NWoD books with the God-Machine Chronicle updates, at least right now. I have some of the stuff for Chronicles of Darkness, but I don't love all the changes they made, so it'll probably end up somewhere between the two with some houserules.
Idea 2--The Gates Ascendant:
Our scholars have long pondered over the origins of the Gates which dot our lands, but we understand so little of their workings. The world has gained much from their immense magical power, perhaps nowhere more than our City of Alabastre. But all light casts darkness, and the brilliant energy of the Gates is no exception. We have long guessed the Gates to be a cause of the monsters that roam the wilds, but now the Venhurst Empire is harnessing the power of their Gates for conquest and war. Already some neighbors have fallen to their Godbound Legions. We can only hope our own Knights are able to hold fast, should they come to our shores...
The Concept: This game has evolved somewhat from a couple of ideas I had a while back, mainly by combining them and adapting more ideas in the process. The basic concept is a classical high fantasy story, drawing from some of my favorites (Final Fantasy [some of them, especially I, II, IV, and XV, as well as the Tactics series], The Belgariad, Sword of Mana, and of course The Lord of the Rings)... but basing that story in a mythical Bronze Age setting reminiscent of classical myth. It'll hit the high points of that foundation: an evil empire on the rise, heroic knights with abilities well beyond those of mortal men, incredible mystic power and fearsome monsters.
The Setting: My hope is that this game's setting will start somewhat loosely defined, probably as a fantastical reflection of the Mediterranean region and the surrounding continental areas. I'm hopeful that the players would collaborate with me and with one another to establish what more of the setting needs filled in: homelands, other city-states or nations of interest, things like that.
The System: My most solid plan for this game would be Pathfinder, probably using E8 as a level cap and Mythic rules alongside to create an appropriate level of incredible but limited power. That said, in the last thread I was made aware of Godbound, which is an interesting system and could be helpful for capturing some of the feeling here. This one in particular could go one way or the other on system depending on how potential players feel about it.
Idea 3--Mind Games in the Dark:
Ah, welcome, my friends, to Accoria. Don't worry, I've already bribed the guards, so you're free to enter. Watch your purses, watch your steps, and don't mind the common folk--they shouldn't cause any trouble for people like us, eh? Now, I've secured lodgings for you at one of the finer establishments in the city, personal friend of mine runs the place, pays to know people in high places, after all. Fine dining and a private bathhouse, not to mention company if you desire? Settle in there with your belongings, enjoy yourselves if you like. The first party you're expected to make an appearance at is tomorrow, the Duke's cousin's daughter-in-law's fete to celebrate the new ship in her name, so you have a day to make yourselves at home... and to go over the dossiers. We only have one shot at the first impression. Don't screw it up.
The Concept: This is a game of high intrigue, utilizing some of the newer themes and mechanics Paizo's released recently to play a very different sort of adventure. I don't expect dungeon crawls and murderhobo antics here: this is a world where the danger lurks in garden parties and backroom dealings. Traps lurk around every corner, but they're more likely to be a hired knife or a social faux pas than a pit filled with spikes--after all, that's so uncivilized. The PCs will be agents representing an outside faction (or factions) with interests in the power plays between nobility in a city-state at the height of its decadence.
The Setting: This game will take place almost entirely in and around a large city-state, which is called Accoria until I potentially come up with a name I like better. It's a fantasy setting complete with many races and even monsters, but it's a little more advanced than the typical medieval feeling--think more along the lines of southern Europe in the height of the Renaissance. Beyond that central point, I'm leaving the setting fairly empty, which means more elements can be created as needed by players and myself alike.
The System: I'm looking at Pathfinder for this, making heavy use of the rules from Ultimate Intrigue; that book inspired me to start crafting this sort of game, which I'd vaguely tried in the past with less success. I'm considering making it E8, but in any case it'll make use of gestalt rules, with the strong suggestion that one side of each character be a vigilante. (The class is very fitting for a game like this, but I feel it can use some extra filling out to really make it shine.)
Idea 4--Pulpy Science Fiction Action Survival Horror:
Alright, everyone, listen up. Dolph, that means put down the explosives. We just got a comm in from the Edge, a message from the Colonial Board. It seems one of their colony worlds went dark on 'em not long ago, some lush beautiful hunk of land that seemed like it was gonna send lots of money their way. Guess there were some dispatches about megafauna or some other big nasties, so the CB's hired the Expedient--that's us--to come in and lend a hand, find out what happened. We're going in without a whole lot of intel here, I know, but it's not like we haven't done that before. So I'm gonna send in a team of you to go down there, face what could probably be certain death, try to kill it, maybe save some people, and most importantly, make us all rich and famous. Mostly rich. So, who's in? Now don't volunteer all at once.
The Concept: If you can't tell from the name, this is a mish-mash of a bunch of my favorite genres for stories and games, and my hope is to have a glorious combination of them that plays up the tropes to eleven. An important note is that although we'll have characters from a gritty setting dealing with big trouble, I'm not looking for some grimdark operatic drama about the hopelessness of existence. I'm looking for this to be pulpy and over the top, with dynamic characters who spit in the face of danger. The horror will be there, but it's gonna be less Resident Evil or Night of the Living Dead and more Dead Rising or Zombieland. If you know the game Evolve, that was a big inspiration for this game's concept. Above all else, I think this one should be FUN.
The Setting: A colony world on the edge of the ever-expanding galaxy. Beyond that, it's played loose and fast; I've got ideas for stuff if people want to use them, but I'd also encourage people to come up with their own notions if they like. Part of me wants to add a Space Western flair to things, but I don't know if that might be one too many genres to throw in the mix. (By the by, aliens do exist, I'm not against people playing them for this, but they do need to be alien, not just humans with rubber heads.)
The System: For this one, I'm thinking Savage Worlds, making good use of the Science Fiction and Horror Companions. It's a system designed for pulpy, over-the-top fun with quirky characters, and it's gone hand in hand with the concept since I started planning it out.
Idea 5--Rise of the Runelords Redux:
Goblin raids on the coastal town of Sandpoint presage a growing danger in the ruin-choked wilderness of Varisia. An ancient evil stirs to waking life in the distant mountains, drawing crazed murderers, inbred ogres, warlike stone giants, and creatures fueled by the power of sin into an epic conflict destined to create a new generation of heroes!
The Concept: Pretty much what it says on the tin: I'm very down to run the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path, using the Anniversary Edition with some extra touch-ups and add-ons. This is one of my favorite published campaigns, with a classic fantasy feel mixed with other elements to tell a fantastic story. I just hope to use the newer additions to the system to really make it incredible--don't worry, it'll stay very recognizable as the campaign we know and love.
The Setting: Golarion, of course. I have my own small takes on certain aspects of Pathfinder's main setting, but I don't know that any of them have a big impact here.
The System:Pathfinder, to put it simply. I'm envisioning this as a high-powered game where the heroes are truly heroic, so I'm strongly considering using gestalt rules for the PCs and powerful NPCs (mostly key villains), and I'll be making use of the additions we've had to the game since the campaign came out. Expect NPCs with levels in newer classes, and expect them to be built pretty well with the new options that are available--while keeping to the vision that was laid out for them, of course. This will be a challenge, but a fair one.
*A Potential Second Game:
Depending on how I'm feeling as I get an idea of what to run, I may also open a recruitment for a smaller, simpler game that would be expected to be perhaps less serious, although equally enjoyed and tended. This would likely be run using a somewhat simpler ruleset, and probably overall be a more lax experience, since I'm not sure I'd want to start two new full campaigns at the same time.
My main thought here is a fun little game called Kung Fu Hotel, although I'm not positive on how well that would translate to a PbP format. I own a few fun, small systems, though, and I'm up for exploring others if people want to suggest any. Some of my personal favorites include the always-wild Everyone is John, the tongue-in-cheek Kill Puppies for Satan, the team-focused One Last Job, and the slightly more serious but equally simple and fun Paladin.
That's quite a lot of text, so kudos to you if you read through it all! I hope to see some interest from people, so let me know what you think. I'd like to get a good gauge for what people are interested in before I move to an actual recruitment, so I expect this will remain as it is for a little while at least. Hope something catches your eyes!
Another artillery shell explodes as the Lieutenant unravels the message. For the past hour the world has been tearing apart, and there's been no more than a minute at most of rest between the blasts. The church has held, for the most part--mainly due to solid stone construction and only one direct hit, which took out the bell tower and the pair of spotters who were nested there. The walls are crumbling, though, and only a few of the stained glass windows remain intact, the rest shattered into shards that glimmer on the dirty floor. The pews are all outside, converted to makeshift barricades by the Germans who held the church until that hour ago.
As another pair explosions rock the earth, even closer now, Lieutenant Warren Updike shouts over the roar. "Just got word from command. They want us to pull back. Say our position is 'untenable.'" The Australian holds up the slip of paper for a moment, and then lets it drop to the floor. "I'm not retreating, boys. We lose this church now, we aren't gonna get it back, not without a lot more blood. Anyone wants to try going, I won't stop, but these walls are all that's keeping us from those shells. I don't know about you, but I'd rather die here fighting than running." He cocks his hat back with a grin; as usual, the Triple U doesn't seem fazed by the suicidal nature of his plans.
"Besides, we're all that's keeping Jerry--" His words are cut off by another explosion, this one directly on the church. A section of wall gives, and screams are cut off by falling stone as a half-dozen men are killed and buried in a moment. The collapse also reveals the outside, and a large number of men currently running toward the building from the hills outside.
"Positions! Open fire!" Updike barely has time to say the words by the time the shooting starts, everyone moving to windows, what's left of the wall, anything to try and get some cover and start firing. The Germans are already doing the same, some flinging themselves belly-down to the dirt. Updike curses as a bullet flies through the brim of his hat, and he draws his pistol to start shooting as he moves behind a pillar. Amdist the chaos, six men among many find cover for yet one more fight...
ROUND 1 INITIATIVE
Aaron: 6 of Diamonds
Dances: Ace of Hearts
Desmond: 4 of Clubs
Harry: 8 of Hearts
Nilan: Ace of Clubs
Sean: 2 of Diamonds
Germans: King of Diamonds
Welcome to the game, everyone! This Discussion thread is good for out of character questions, comments, things of that sort. We'll also use it to help plan out Rippers for anyone who doesn't have them mechanically finished, things of that nature.
That's all for the moment, but expect more coming soon--either an edit to this post, or a new one altogether.
Greetings, all. Loup Blanc here with another harebrained campaign, one that I've been thinking of and planning for a while now. If you like tales of adventure and grit, stories where the heroes are hardened men and women who do what they have to in pursuit of the right thing, mash-ups of different themes and a dash of history, this game might be of interest to you. This game is probably not for everyone, though, as it involves a couple of different facets that are a little different.
Here's the Skinny:
The idea for this game is a mega-campaign that takes place in a world combining the Deadlands (specifically Deadlands Noir) and Rippers settings from Pinnacle Entertainment. This game's world aims to be a mixture of the two: an altered reality of the history of our own Earth, where magic is very real, and the things that go bump in the night are tangible threats. On the surface, to the common man, the world goes on much as it did in our history, with a touch more fear and darkness around the edges, as dangers lurk in the shadows and supernatural evil spreads its influence on the very land itself.
Beneath that surface, though, that evil is combated by those brave or just dedicated enough to take up arms. The most widespread of these groups are the Rippers, a secret society with a troubled history dating back to the Renaissance. They've had their trials, and not so long ago the entire organization was thrown into turmoil and seemed on the brink of collapse from within. With the death of their greatest enemy and the destruction of his own wicked organization, though, the Rippers have rebuilt, and lead the global fight against the darkness.
In the Americas--which remain divided between the Union to the North and the Confederacy in the South--there are two other organizations which battle supernatural forces. The USA's mysterious Agency serves in a secret capacity, their men in black hunting down monsters and disappearing them before the public has any idea what's gone on. In the CSA, the Rangers have spread far beyond their origins in Texas, and their "shoot it or recruit it" strategy has led to many victories against evil, if some are more pyrrhic than they'd want to admit.
In general sweeps, history remains much the same. Major events take place more or less when they did in our world, or at least in the same order, and although Weird Science has resulted in technological advancements before their time, the general technology remains similar. The Devil is in the details, as they say: wars tend to last longer with supernatural influence, and many famous folks have a little more to them than simple luck or mundane skill.
1933, Las Vegas, Nevada:
The city that will one day become the gaming capital of the world is still growing up. Even in the 1930s, Las Vegas is still a wild frontier town in many ways: only the names and details have changed. Bands of roaming outlaws on horses have been replaced by organized mobsters in their automobiles; six-guns and Winchesters were turned in for automatics and Tommy guns. The construction of the nearby Boulder Dam has brought thousands of workers to the area, and the mob and the city government both did their best to capitalize on the influx of working men with money to spend. Now fledgling casinos strongarm each other for the biggest take, and rumrunners from the Confederacy smuggle booze across the nearby border. The town is wild, dangerous, torn between the region's history and the modernization that creeps in day by day.
In the thick of this mess is a small group of hardboiled men and women, working at a private detective agency in a city with more crimes and secrets than most. This agency has a secret of its own, however: they are not only detectives, but Rippers, forging the way for the newly founded Las Vegas Lodge. Though they take many cases, they have a special interest in the stranger events that crop up with odd frequency in the American West, and even the city authorities sometimes send a case their way if it doesn't make sense.
This setting will be the bulk of the campaign, with the PCs serving as the Ripper detectives in the city. Their cases will be a mix of "regular" detective work and supernatural investigation, although in a world where nothing is quite what it seems, the occurrence of a truly mundane event is unlikely. There's no end to the concepts that will work here, so long as the character has come to the Rippers and to Las Vegas, in whichever order. Rippers come from all walks of life, from all nations and creeds; the main links that tie them together are special skills and the will to use them.
1919, Amiens, France:
The city that will one day be known as a turning point in the Great War is currently serving as that turning point. The Allied Forces have made a push on the town, beginning with a surprise attack and bombardment, and the fighting has continued for days. The assault is led in large part by Canadian and Australian forces, known for their aggressive power and ability to break German lines to capture territory. The push has already gained more ground than most battles in the war; it is the hope of command that it will be a breaking point for Germany, allowing for a counteroffensive to push them back and end the war.
Among these forces is a small, special company nicknamed after its commanding officer, Lieutenant Warren "Triple U" Updike. The Triple U, the man, is a skilled Australian soldier, a proud warrior reputed for his leadership skills and his ability to turn supposed suicide missions into fantastic successes. The Triple U, the unit, is a collection of men who want to serve with a bonafide war hero, and are willing to lay down their lives in high-risk missions to make a difference in the fight. Just now they're in the final moments of the Battle of Amiens--and their role in the war and in history is about to change forever.
This setting will also play a role in the campaign, in played-out flashbacks of events that effect the Rippers fifteen years later. Many games might include a written clue in the form of a diary entry that characters read; in this game, you will instead play out the very events as you discover them. The soldiers you play might coem from any nation, although Western European Allies are the most likely; both American nations also joined the war, on the same side for once. Although the Triple U is technically part of the Australian Expeditionary Force, organization has broken down to some extent during the battle, and individuals from any nation or platoon join the unit through volunteering or absorption.
That's a bit of a crash course in things, and there's more to be said especially for the Rippers' knowledge of things, but it gives you the basics you'd need to get a sense for the idea of the game. If this sounds interesting to you, please read on and put in your interest! If you have any questions on things, whether something I've said that isn't clear or something I've missed, please ask away.
Character Creation/Submission Requirements:
System: Savage Worlds, particularly using elements from the Deadlands Reloaded, Deadlands Noir, and Rippers Resurrected setting books. That said, I own a number of sourcebooks for the system, so if there's something of interest from another book that you'd like to use, let me know what it is, where it is, and what it does. You also shouldn't be afraid to apply if you aren't familiar with Savage Worlds or the subsettings I'm using--it's not that hard to pick up the basics of the game, and I'm happy to assist in creating a character you want to play.
For Your Ripper
All I need here from you at the moment is a concept! We'll be fully building the team of Rippers in Discussion once we have the group together, while we start off with a scene in the World War I period. For your concept, I'd like to know your Ripper's nationality, what their particular skills and specialties may be, and how they came to be part of the new Lodge posing as detectives in Las Vegas. You might be a native to the area who had a run-in with something strange in the desert, or you might have been with the group for some time and you've just recently come out to the city. For this part you're selling me on background and character, so make it interesting and unique!
If you're knowledgeable of the system and want to build a full character, use standard Savage Worlds rules: 5 points for Attributes, 15 points for Skills, a free Edge for being human, Hindrances as you take them. Keep in mind that as this takes place in the Great Depression, we'll be using Deadlands Noir's setting rules, including the one on Poverty; use prices from that book for your gear, as well. There's one bonus, though: you get an additional free Edge to be spent on an Arcane Background, a Faction Edge for your Ripper Faction, or the Harrowed Edge--these round out your character with something special about them.
As an added note, due to the mixed nature of this setting, almost every Arcane Background is available. I don't mean the basic versions in the Savage Worlds core book, I mean the versions from the Deadlands line as well as Rippers. Pretty much the only ones not available are Martial Arts Magic from Deadlands due to rarity, and Mad Scientists from Deadlands because they've become the Patent Scientists of Deadlands Noir.
For Your Soldier
This character does need to be built for the game start, so if you're knowledgeable of the system, certainly build it! (If you're not, we can work it out.) These are also standard Novice characters, with 5 points to spend on Attributes and 15 for Skills. You get the free Edge for being human, although the only Arcane Background available to a soldier is Weird Science, to serve as one of the company's Tesla Engineers (see below). Don't do equipment, because that will be given to you based on your role in the unit.
And that brings me to the roles! When you submit your Soldier, include the role they serve in the Triple U from the list below. Note that the numbers are hard limits that will continue throughout the 1919 campaign: the Triple U is a field company without time to get reinforcements once we're started, so when soldiers inevitably die, it cuts down on the numbers of the squad. Pick your part carefully! Each role has requirements to serve in it, listed below; some are definitely more intensive than others.
In terms of background, you can give as much as you want, but I only ask for basics: your character's nationality and name, and perhaps a brief idea of what they did before the war, if anything. I fully expect deaths to occur in the 1919 campaign, so be aware of that when creating your character--no matter how lovingly crafted, I make no promises that they will live to the end. In fact, I think it's very unlikely that all (or even any) of the characters you start with will be around at the end. (Don't worry, you'll make replacements.)
Finally, I note the Military Engineer Edge above, and it's available both in the 1919 campaign and for the Rippers if it makes sense that your character to have it (for example, being a veteran). The Edge requires Arcane Background (Weird Science) as well as Repair at d6, and has the following benefit:
Military Engineer wrote:
Thanks to training with the military's foremost engineers, you've learned to make devices that will stand up to the rigors of a battlefield and keep working when others might not. Devices you create only suffer a Malfunction when the skill die rolls a 1 and the roll fails. Additionally, the device will only suffer a Catastrophic Malfunction if the roll was a snake eyes--otherwise, treat the result as a Major Malfunction.
I think that covers everything for character creation, but I'm sure I've missed something, so let me know if you have any questions.
That's all for this post, I believe. Hope to see some interest and let me know if there's anything you need to know!
...So far, the mission has gone off without a hitch. A Republic ship flew to the surface of Carratos, avoiding the frigate patrols in orbit and the defenses around the mission site, landing a relatively short walk from the Sith compound. From there the infiltration is launched: a lone figure enters the desalination tubes that run nearby, crawling through them to reach the perfect vantage point to take out the two guards in the front of the facility. Even as a pair of shots takes them, four more figures dash into the clearing, catching the bodies as they fall.
Once the bodies are stowed, the door of the facility opens to reveal the sixth member of the team, already inside thanks to his cover identity. With his insight the group is able to move through the compound unnoticed, taking maintenance halls and otherwise avoiding security. The inside man's ID gets them through the first levels of mechanical security measures, but with the lack of preparation time he wasn't able to acquire clearance through the final door. This is where one of the other team members steps up, though: an experienced security cracker, he spends a few tense minutes operating, but gets the doors open for the team to continue.
Down a hall and around a corner, the first physical confrontation occurs. There's a quick exchange of blasterfire and thrumming vibroblades, and in seconds the guards are dead. In the room beyond is the target: Kaul Wren. The human is restrained in a chair in the center of the metallic chamber, and while he's breathing and even moving his head slightly, he looks dazed, nearly unconscious from torture and fatigue.
As the group inside approaches the captured agent, the sniper on the outside blinks and keeps her eyes open for potential trouble. So far, so good... but the real trouble was always going to be getting out, even more than getting in.
Welcome to the game, everyone! I'd like a post from everyone detailing what they're doing at this point in the operation, and then things will really kick into high gear. If you like, feel free to expand on my simplification of what you've done so far; describe the setup you did, if you want, or your thoughts and precise actions in the "combats" that have taken place. Those descriptions should be separate from the main action, though, probably in spoilers.
Greetings, one and all. This has been one of the toughest Recruitment processes I've gone through, with the number of fine submissions coming in, and I'm proud to say that you six have made the final cut. I've played with most of you already, and I look forward to getting to know some of you better in this game. I've got fun plans for it, and I hope you'll all have a good time as well.
If people post quickly enough we can get this started tomorrow afternoon, but it's more likely we'll kick things off on Thursday--Wednesday is a very busy day for me, so it's not likely, but it's potential. In the meanwhile, though, go over your sheets one more time to make sure everything's in order, and I have some final comments for some of you--as well as your bonus feats! I've chosen these based on my understanding of your backgrounds and bits of your concepts that I find interesting; I believe all of these feats are helpful to you in some way or another, if not ones that you found necessary to your builds. If you really don't like the choice I make, you can ask for a change, but I think these fit. (In no particular order for your names.)
Joran Gres:
I don't really have any comments on your setup. Joran is very good at what he does... even if what he does isn't particularly nice.
Bonus Feat: Joran is an infiltrator first and foremost, and he's gotten by through a combination of skill and focus. His sense of self has held through despite years of subterfuge and deceit, and that force of personality lends him mental strength. Recently, it's been pushed in a new direction: distrust and dislike of Force-users like the Jedi. His anger is controlled and directed, as fits his discipline, and this gives him strength. You gain Unstoppable Force (Clone Wars 31) as a bonus feat.
Callum Vorn:
Never responded in Recruitment, but duh, wielding the saber in two hands definitely accounts for the missing damage bonus, and there's no reason not to do it. You also guessed it on the bonus feat!
Bonus Feat: Callum is, as his master so recognizes, a Corellian through and through. He may have the gift of the Force, and he's been trained by the Jedi to refine his talents, but there's no doubting that he's a crack pilot. If you need a Jedi who can face down foes in combat and then fly you out of the hot zone, look no further; the Force is with Callum, and nowhere more so than the cockpit. You gain Vehicular Combat (Core 89) as a bonus feat.
Trevan Darksome:
I don't believe I have any commentary on your mechanics, as everything looks solid. Trevan has a mix of lightsaber skill and unique Force capabilities that can add to the party.
Bonus Feat: Trevan has led a dangerous life, from beatings to the danger of being a Sith Apprentice, all the way to a renewed life in the Jedi. He's skilled with both a lightsaber and the Force, but perhaps his most powerful tool is his mind: between the brainwashing of the Sith and the mind-tapping of the Jedi, he has a unique perspective on the way the Force can tap into a psyche... and the ability to shake off such mental attacks. You gain Imperial Military Training (Rebellion 29) as a bonus feat.
Vintressa:
My comments on your sheet aren't so much problems as a suggestion: now that we've got the party together, I think it would be interesting to see Vintressa's role as a sniper played up a little more. At the moment, it seems like that was an aspect you were shooting for (hah), while also wanting to cover some other tracks. I might be a little wrong on that, but it seems like something you're geared towards, so if you like, I'd suggest shuffling some feats toward that. Of course, your current setup is also perfectly fine!
Bonus Feat: Vintressa is a skilled reconnaissance officer, capable of infiltration and survival, but she particularly shines as a sniper. Her patience and resilience have given her the ability to lay in wait for the perfect opportunity, and that in turn has shown her that if you wait for the right shot, you can end a fight before it even starts. You gain Advantageous Attack (Force Unleashed 31) as a bonus feat.
Alaric Quor'ran:
No comments on your mechanics here that I can think of--the Prototype thing is cleared up, and you're built as a close-range machine with Force Powers to assist.
Bonus Feat: As a Jedi Shadow, Alaric knows more than most the danger the Dark Side can pose. It presents an ever-lurking threat, destructive power and cunning temptation combining to form an evil that will corrupt and ruin the entire Galaxy if given the chance. But equally, as a Shadow, Alaric is prepared to combat that threat, and its failures only grant him further resolve. You gain Unswerving Resolve (Jedi Academy 24) as a bonus feat.
Jal Raxis:
You look solid in mechanics, a mix of skills and some options to boost you in combat.
Bonus Feat: Jal was a Jedi for a time, but that was years ago. Since then he's been a gangster, a slicer, and most recently, a full-fledged crime lord. In a profession like that, especially working with the Black Sun syndicate, there's a very well-known and important lesson: it isn't what you know, it's who you know. For Jal, it's natural to mix the two. You gain Friends in Low Places (Scum and Villainy 21) as a bonus feat, ignoring the prerequisite, and you may use your Trace talent with this feat's benefit.
I think that covers all of you, so once I've heard back and you've introduced yourselves, we'll get things moving... although I probably will post again tomorrow, with some info on my GMing style and how I hope to run this game.
- -EPISODE I: THE VERGE OF PEACE- - It is the year 3652 BBY, one year after the Treaty of Coruscant brought an end to the Great War. An uneasy ceasefire has settled on the Galaxy, with the REPUBLIC still recovering from the SITH EMPIRE's all-out attack.
Beneath the surface, however, conflict lingers. On the planet CARRATOS, an agent of the Republic, KAUL WREN, has been captured by Sith forces. Eager to recover the information he may possess, the Republic sends a newly-formed team, the SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE, to covertly neutralize the Imperial agents and rescue Wren.
Six agents converge on the Sith complex, ready to do what they must to secure peace. . .
Happy New Year, and welcome to the Recruitment for my latest game on these fine forums! This is a Star Wars game, using the Saga Edition ruleset from Wizards of the Coast, set during the Cold War era of the Old Republic. Amidst a backdrop of espionage, uneasy peace, and countless organizations vying for power across the Galaxy, the game will see a team of Republic special agents take on covert missions to help a struggling government maintain its strength against the vast and wicked Sith Empire. The game will open during a rescue mission and move on from there, with potential paths branching out depending on choices made and the way the dice fall. I hope for the game to be gritty but heroic, with a team of highly-trained individuals making hard choices and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. (Or not! Loyalties sometimes switch in the blink of an eye.)
I've drawn up a more nicely-formatted player document that's shared through Google Docs, which you can access HERE; the information is posted below as well, and will be copied into the Campaign Info tab for reference, albeit without fancy formatting to look nice. I've spruced up the system in a few ways, so make sure to take a look, because there are changes to all classes in some way or another.
I'm also including a bit about the game I'm hoping to run and how I'm hoping to run it in a spoiler below, so check that out. Always good to know who you're dealing with when you're trying to game with them!
I'd also like to explicitly say right here and now that this is going to be a relatively long-running Recruitment process: I'm going on a family vacation soon, and after that is the start of a semester at school, so I fully expect not to actually start this game until mid-to-late January. If you can't find it in yourself to wait that long, and check in throughout, then you probably shouldn't apply.
Character Creation Mechanics:
Starting Level: 8. This is intended to allow everyone to have one level of a Prestige Class should they so desire, particularly allowing for full Jedi Knights in the party.
Sourcebooks: I believe I have all of them, so use your judgment but in theory most everything’s available. I’m okay with reflavoring some things, but do ask, particularly if you’re using something obscure. If I don’t recognize it I’ll look it up, and if it seems screwy I’ll call shenanigans.
Ability Scores: All your scores start at 10, and you have 20 points to spend increasing them on a 1-for-1 basis. No scores should be below 10 before adjustments for your species, unless you’re a Jedi, in which case none should be below 10 after adjustments. And don’t forget the score increases for being level 8!
Species: Most species are available, but some aren’t as reasonable. I’m not hugely concerned about what’s canon and what isn’t, but we probably shouldn’t have an Ewok or Yuuzhan Vong running around in this period.
Classes: All five base classes are available, of course, and as long as it makes sense, Prestige Classes are on the table, too. Keep in mind, you’re part of a special team of operators for the Republic during the Cold War: you should pick options that gear you toward a useful skill set for the team. Also make sure to look at my Class Notes/Upgrades below.
Skills: I roll Climb and Swim together into a new skill called Athletics; if either of those were class skills for you, Athletics is a class skill for you. I also fold Jumping into Athletics and Acrobatics, so you can use either of those skills for jumping as you please. Anything that would have added to Jump instead applies to Acrobatics/Athletics checks made to jump (or perform some other use of the Jump skill).
Feats: Biggest changes here are in your class’s Starting Feats. I’ll also be assigning your character a bonus feat of my choosing based on a background element—homeworld, prior experience, training, something of that nature. It’s worth noting, however, that I’m quite willing to change certain feats to replicate their Pathfinder counterparts. The ones that most come to mind are Dodge, Melee Defense (Combat Expertise), Power Attack, and Power Blast (Deadly Aim); ask me if there are others you’re interested in taking that seem worth changing.
Talents: You get two talents at each level you normally receive one—that is to say, every odd level of a given class. These talents are considered to be taken simultaneously, though, so you can’t use one to qualify for another at the same level. I’ve also altered certain talents, as noted in the Class stuff below. The other thing worth noting is that I make talent trees from your base class(es) always available when you take a Prestige Class; e.g., if you go from Soldier to Gunslinger, you could keep taking talents from, say, the Weapon Specialist tree with your Gunslinger levels if you wanted to do so.
Equipment: You have 50,000 credits to spend on starting gear; if you have the Wealth talent, it’s doubled to 100,000. As long as the base equipment makes sense, feel free to purchase modifications, upgrades, templates, and so on, as long as you follow the normal rules and everything works together. You can even purchase upgrades from the Tech Specialist feat, although if you don’t possess that feat yourself it costs double.
Obviously some characters may have more to purchase here than others—Jedi come to mind as probably not needing to spend all that much on their own gear—but I would strongly advise that you keep some cash in reserve for both purchasing/upgrading the group ship and just having some liquid funds during the game. After all, in the galaxy of Cold War espionage, you never know when having a few thousand credits on hand will make a difference.
I would also advise purchasing licenses for at least some of your equipment as necessary. Since you’re Republic agents, you’re technically allowed to carry anything short of illegal equipment, but since you’re covert Republic agents, you won’t be able to fall back on that excuse with any reliability--certainly not on any Imperial-controlled worlds.
Character Traits: I’ll be using the Background system from the Rebellion Campaign Guide, with the caveat that rather than just adding skills to your class skill list, you receive training in them; after all, you’re highly skilled operatives who’ve been chosen for your particular skills and experience. I won’t be using the full Destiny system, but Destiny Points are in play as a rare but powerful resource; each of you starts out with 1 Destiny Point. You also start out with max Force Points as regular for your class and level.For Hit Points, use half-max+1 for your class’s hit die (so Soldiers, for example, would gain 6 HP+Con for each level) for every level after 1st (which uses regular rules).
Character Creation Fluff:
Backstory: The more the better, within reason—while I’d love to read a well-written novella about your character’s life up to this point (that should only be read with a mild amount of snark), I doubt I’ll have the time, or the inclination to spend the time doing that instead of something else. A few paragraphs or so is probably good enough for giving the basics of your backstory: where you come from, how you’ve gotten here. The Legend of the Batman for your character is a good idea here: a neat sum-up of what’s made them who they are, but which doesn’t take too long to get through. We’re looking for the action, after all!
Beyond that, though, there are a few questions I’d like everyone to answer for their character.
Question 1: Who do you know? Name a couple of contacts your character has made, people they can call on for a favor or support when the time comes. One of these should be someone who could be a contact over and over again, and one should be more of a short-term or one-time deal—they owe you a favor, something along those lines. Give them a name and a basic summary of their role—something like “Dexter Jettster, Cantina Owner/Information Broker” would do, with a little more to explain how you know them and while they’re willing to help you.
Question 2: Who knows you? Name an enemy your character has made, living or dead. The Galaxy is a dangerous place, and not so long ago it was embroiled in all-out war. It’s difficult to make it very far in life without making enemies, and for the types of people who become Player Characters, it’s all but impossible. Maybe it’s a smuggler you busted, rotting in prison and waiting for revenge; maybe it’s a Sith apprentice whom you dueled to the death as a Padawan during the dark days of the Great War. Give them a name and summary like your contacts above, with a brief note on why you are (or were) enemies. (Obviously noting their current state will be helpful too, because if you don’t, I’ll take it and run as far as I can.)
Question 3: Why are you part of this mission? The game is going to start with your first mission as a team already underway: a “cold open,” in medias res, whatever you want to call it. The objective is to rescue one Kaul Wren, a Republic Special Forces agent who was compromised and captured by Sith agents. He’s currently being held in a complex on the city-planet Carratos, kept under careful watch and tight security measures. The situation is delicate for many reasons, but it seems a perfect testing ground for the new unit the party comprises.
But the group has been hand-selected for the expertise of each individual and their purpose in this particular mission. Explain what your role in the mission is, and be specific! If you’re a sharpshooter, don’t say “I was brought on for my precise aim and cool trigger finger;” try something like “Intelligence showed there are three guards posted on the balconies of the floor where Wren’s being kept, and there’s no approach to take them out without alerting them. The only vantage point to take them out is over 300 meters away; command knows there are just four rifles in the Republic who can make that shot, and I’m the only one who can make all three quick enough to count.”
Don’t treat this as a restriction that means you have to build characters with certain skills; think of it as a way to really sell yourself as a creative player and your character as a valuable member of the team.
CLASS NOTES/UPGRADES:
JEDI
Ability Scores: To play a Jedi, all of your ability scores must be at least 10 after adjustment for your species. Jedi are well-rounded and capable individuals, and are often above average for a member of their species in nearly every regard. (They’re also extremely powerful and I don’t want them to get away with dump stats of any kind.)
Starting Feats: In addition to their regular starting feats, Jedi gain Armor Proficiency (light) and Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons). In these dangerous days, many Jedi find that some light armoring can make the difference between life and death, and with the rise of energy shields, their training has reintroduced the use of vibroswords.
Talents: The Block and Deflect talents are combined into one single talent. Additionally, Jedi can take the Armored Defense talent from the Soldier’s Armor Specialist talent tree.
Build Lightsaber: Assuming you’re high enough level in the Jedi class to have this option, you should have completed it by game start. You do pay the cost for one attempt from your starting credits, but you also gain the bonus for having a personally built and attuned lightsaber (with a crystal of your choice).
The Force: (Listed here since Jedi are the most likely to be affected) When you take the Force Sensitive feat, you pick one mental ability score (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). You use this score as the linked ability for the Use the Force skill, and for determining how many Force powers you learn when taking the Force Training feat. By default, this does NOT affect Force talents or other Force effects that rely on a given ability score.
NOBLE
Starting Feats: In addition to their regular starting feats, Nobles gain Armor Proficiency (light) and Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons). Even diplomats and corporate heads are trained to use energy shields and vibroblades in self-defense during these dark times.
Talents: Nobles gain the Connections talent from the Lineage talent tree for free; in the Cold War, who you know is nearly as important as who you are.
SCOUNDREL
Starting Feats: In addition to their regular starting feats, Scoundrels gain Improved Defenses and Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons). For those who live by their wits, natural reflexes and luck are more important than armor, but a vibroknife at your side is never a bad plan.
Talents: Scoundrels gain one rank of the Dastardly Strike or Sneak Attack talent for free; perhaps more so now than ever, it pays to take whatever advantage you can. Additionally, Scoundrels can take the Improved Stealth talent from the Scout’s Camouflage talent tree.
SCOUT
Base Attack Bonus: Scouts have a Base Attack Bonus equal to their class level, rather than the usual progression.
Starting Feats: In addition to their regular starting feats, Scouts gain Armor Proficiency (light) and Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons). Even reconnaissance specialists and backwater survivalists benefit from armor and vibroweapons in this day and age.
Talents: Scouts can take the Armored Defense talent from the Soldier’s Armor Specialist talent tree.
SOLDIER
Starting Feats: In addition to their regular starting feats, Soldiers gain Weapon Focus (player’s choice) and Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee weapons). Nearly all combat training in this era includes the use of vibroweapons, and the best warriors are known for their skill with a given set of weapons.
Talents: Soldiers gain the Armored Defense talent for free; having lived through an era of all-out conflict, anyone with combat skill knows how to use armor to their advantage.
A Bit About Myself and This Game:
I'm a senior at college, going into my final semester later in January; I'm a Creative Writing major with minors in Film Studies and Philosophy, which keeps me busy and thinking but does leave me with enough time to post here during the semester for the most part. That said, I'm busy with other things in life as well: I'm involved in a couple of theater-based clubs on campus as well as other activities and two in-person games, one of which I GM. Between that and classwork, I sometimes find myself without time to do big GM-style update posts on a given day. I will do my best to maintain a 1/day post rate if the players do the same, but I make no stalwart promises: real life comes first. I'm almost always able to alert my games if I have an expected absence, though.
This game draws inspiration from a few venues, not just Star Wars, although it of course owes greatly to the films and expanded universe. Most directly it's built from what I know of the Old Republic through games like Knights of the Old Republic and the Old Republic MMO (neither of which I've played much myself, honestly, although I'm familiar with most of the general lore), and the recent Rogue One film, which to me showcased what a grittier story in the Star Wars universe can really do from a cinematic perspective. It also draws inspiration from the James Bond films and other espionage-themed media.
Some Tips to Get Selected:
1: Build a Character You Want to Play
I'm offering you a lot of options here, and giving you a fair amount of power to play with as well. I have a few restrictions, but not that many, and ultimately this is all because I want you to play the character you want. Don't worry about party balance, or trying to cram a "defined" role into your character that nobody else has; build what you want to build. It'll make the character more fun for you, and honestly I'm more likely to pick a neat character with a strong theme about them instead of someone who happens to have slapped a couple of, say, piloting options on the sheet. I'll build the game around the party, not the other way around.
2: Spread Out a Little
With more feats and talents than usual, your characters have a lot more options than most. I've done that to enable you to have characters with more skills at their disposal--not so much so that they can be horrendously good at one thing. I don't have strict requirements here by any means, but I'd advise you to spread things out. Use this as an opportunity to pick up the necessities, sure, but then nab those cool talents you've always looked at but couldn't justify fitting in a regular build; grab the feat that's situational, but flavorful and useful; build that switch-hitter who swaps from sniper rifles to subrepeaters to vibroknives. You can hyperspecialize if you must, but if the party's full of hideously overpowered combat monsters, I'll feel no guilt when I retaliate with the same for your foes. Don't make me do it.
3: Build a Team Player
It might be a natural response to see things like espionage and special operations and start creating a lone wolf sniper, or an undercover specialist who operates behind enemy lines without backup, or something along those lines... but maybe don't. I'm not saying you should build a character who thrives on supporting others, with all their talents and feats geared towards working in tandem with other people, but make sure you can function well as part of a team. Go ahead and make yourself a fine sniper, but make sure you'll have something to do when you're with the rest of the group, too.
3.5: Be a Team Player
This one's a little trickier to nail down in words or rules, but it's a simple enough idea: be a member of the team. Play nicely with others, and make an effort to do so. Gaming is a two-way street: I put forward a big wide world with lots of stuff to do and a plot crafted up to keep things interesting, and you put forward a character who's willing and ready to explore that world, follow that plot, and generally be interested. Ideally you as a player want to do those things, so make a character who does, too!
Like I said, it's not super easy to qualify, but here's a general pointer: I make characters all the time who have really interesting backstories, and lots of cool skills, and they're finely crafted with mechanics to back it all up and they've got really neat personalities, but they're not really "adventurer" types, they don't really poke their nose outside their boundaries or follow plot points. These are perfectly wonderful characters, and they're called NPCs.
Don't build an NPC.
4: Be Present, Be Positive, Be Helpful
I like to see potential players with a bit of initiative during the recruitment process, people who post with useful or important questions, people who help put forward neat ideas, people who are willing to help others without necessarily expecting anything in return. (You shouldn't expect anything--while I like it, I won't give you a spot just because you helped someone else or compiled the lists of applicants people always like to see.) If you maintain a positive outlook, helping people tweak their ideas and support their concepts, I'll take note. I'll also take note if you make unhelpful or maligning comments, so you should avoid that.
Likewise, I'd like to see people who are active in the thread. I don't want the Recruitment thread to turn into an in-character chatter area--if people want one, I'll open one--but I'd like to see people post a few times as the days go by. If you post once a day from now and disappear, that's not as good as seeing you check in every now and again.
5: Try Not to Waste Time
Don't ask questions that have already been answered. (What level are we starting at? How much starting gear do we have?) Don't ask questions that shouldn't need answered. (Can I play a Sith Apprentice? Can I stack X, Y, and Z in an unholy abomination that's strictly rules-legal?) Don't put forward a concept that should be obviously against the kind of game I'm trying to run. (Can I play a modern-day Star Wars fan who's been hilariously universe-transported into the campaign and also they're a Jawa now?)
I admit there's a fine line between questions worth asking and questions that aren't, sometimes, which is why this note is try (which my inner Yoda is yelling at me over, rest assured). If you're unsure, do go ahead and ask--and if you just want clarification, that's always fine!--but in my experience you can pretty quickly get a sense of a GM and what they are and aren't likely to let fly. I don't want to tell people how to play their game, but I am going to advise them strongly on how to play mine. That's my right as the one offering up the game in the first place.
6: Have a Good History
This is one that you can't control quite as much at this point, and in some ways that means it reflects the most on you as a player. If I've had good experiences with you in the past, that's going to be taken into account. If you seem like a generally good player who's got some good games and characters in their belt, that's good. If your first post ever is in this thread and I have no way of knowing what you're like, it's not an instant red alert, but it's something I consider. I'm very forgiving of certain things, especially absences--I once disappeared for a solid month and some folks welcomed me back to games with warm arms, so I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I wasn't--but I take things into consideration. I'm in my games for the long haul, barring unforeseen problems, and I want players who are the same way.
I believe that's everything I need to say right now, so I'll leave this for the time being. Please post in with concepts, interest, and questions as needed. As a wrap-up, the two big questions that might slip by shall be answered below!
How many characters are you recruiting? Six is my goal.
When is recruitment ending? Mid-to-late January. I do not have a fixed date at this time, so don't ask for one.
Disclaimer: This is NOT a recruitment thread, nor is it an interest check for a specific game I plan to run very soon. It's intended to gauge potential interest for a handful of ideas I have, to perhaps bounce some of those ideas off of players here to see what people think, and if nothing else to provide a more public mindspace for trying to organize and put forth some of my thoughts. The soonest I see myself trying to start a new game is a month from now. With that aside...
Hello all! Your ever-mad friend Loup Blanc here, starting a new thread to gauge reactions and interest for some ideas I've had for games I'd like to run. As always, I'm veering away from the more everyday fare that graces these boards--Paizo's Adventure Paths are wonderful, but I don't own most of them and I don't often want to run them. Rather, I have a seemingly endless stream of concepts for more homebrew campaigns, some of which get more attention and development than others, and of course there are other published products that I'd love to bring to the light of day--or rather, the light of play. The real trouble isn't having ideas of what to run, it's deciding which of them to go with.
None of these ideas are quite finished just yet, however, and I'm not planning on running anything just now! I've got five fabulous games going at the moment, and I'm just getting back into the swing of them after the end of a semester at school; I don't expect any to end anytime soon, but now isn't the best time to start another project to run. That said, I do want to do more of that down the line, so I'm looking to see if there's any potential interest for games a little ways off--probably recruiting and/or starting up sometime around a month from now, in the final days of January. By then my new semester will have started, and I should have plenty of time to devote to this.
So take a gander below, and if I pique your interest with anything, let me know! I may well use this space as a sounding board for further ideas and working with potentially interested parties in developing concepts, so please post any thoughts you have. If nothing else I like talking about game ideas with other people, and this may well lead to a fantastic experience for all involved! (That's what I'm hoping for, anyway.)
A Short FAQ on Me and This Thread:
Who are you again?
I go by Loup Blanc on these forums, where I'm mainly involved in the Play-by-Post scene, although I dip into the advice and chatter threads every now and again. I don't know if I have any sort of reputation, although I like to think the people I've played with like me.
How active are you?
That kind of depends on what you mean. In terms of quantity of campaigns, I've been involved in many during the last few years I've been here; my campaigns page features a bittersweet graveyard of games gone by, and I'm currently involved in 21 (16 playing, 5 GMing) moving at various speeds. In terms of how often I post, I shoot for once a day if there's something to say, but I'm the first to admit that doesn't always hold up; real life has a tendency of getting in the way, and I usually need to take care of things there first and foremost. In terms of quality, I like to think at least that I provide in-depth posts on both sides of the "table," hoping to breathe life into the characters I play and the worlds I create. It's about the experience provided by all, and I'd rather make it a creative and interactive one if at all possible.
You said semester at school?
Yes I did--I'm a full-time college student in my senior year, studying Creative Writing with minors in Philosophy and Film. That means that I'm fairly busy, but I usually have enough time in my schedule to check the boards at least once a day, and although GM posting can take a while to write up, I'm almost constantly aware of updates. Rest assured, even if I don't respond on a given day, I've almost definitely seen what you've written and started working out a thoughtful response!
When will these actually see recruitment and opening?
I'd put the short end as recruitment starting somewhere around January 18th, and selection and game start maybe a week after that. That's the soonest I feasibly see that happening, though, since I'm going on a big family trip that'll take me through somewhere around the 16th, and I don't want to be monitoring a recruitment thread during that. It might get pushed back to more like the very end of January or early February, though, in which case I'll open a game as a birthday present to myself.
What's the format you're using to present these ideas? Well first I put the idea's working title as the title of a spoiler. Then I have a little in-character introductory blurb, that hopefully gives you a vague notion of the game's subjects and an idea of what it's about. The Concept: This is a more summary-oriented look at my idea for the game--themes, inspirations, that sort of thing.
The Setting: An idea of the setting of the game.
The System: What rules system I'm planning to use. This is potentially up for debate in at least some cases--if everyone likes a concept but nobody owns the rules, I'll likely switch it to a system people can play.
What in the Nine Hells is up with you/your life/your ideas/your plan to do more?
I really don't know. I wish I could tell you.
Idea 1: The Age of Lament:
Ahh, yes. The Vault. Once it was a great nation, the pride of the Rhoune, alongside our Grand Duchy. But that was before this age; before the coming of the Fell Beasts. For four hundred years it stood against them, but a century has passed since its walls rose and its gates shut. The stories of miraculous discovery and magical advancement are gone, replaced by whispered tales of darkness, monstrous things that prey upon those few who remain. But you--you bear the mark, don't you? The mark of the blessing, or the curse, if you prefer. You are a Hero, with Estus in your blood. You will enter the Vault, as is your fate; you will face its horrors again and again, and you will return a Champion, wealthy and beloved... or you will lose your very being to the madness of your existence. The Concept: A campaign steeped in the flavor, tone, and lore of the popular Dark Souls video game series, with a dash of Bloodborne thrown in for good measure. (Probably some Demon's Souls too, but more in legacy than references.) Gearing toward sandboxy with an overarching "metaplot," it sees a party of Heroes who rise above mortals but are doomed to fight until they die, over and over again, and either succumb to madness or live long enough to "retire."That sounds a lot bleaker than I hope the game plays out, but it sets the tone.
The Setting: A homebrew setting of mine, specifically an alternate timeline of a larger setting I'm working on that will encompass huge swaths of time and a variety of different types of games.
The System: It's built on a chassis of Exalted Second Edition, using the rules for Heroic Mortals as presented in the Scroll of Heroes, and using the updates from the Scroll of Errata for some things. I'm drawing up my own weapon and armor lists, and the rules for spells are being designed entirely from scratch. I like the overall feel of Exalted's heroic mortal gameplay for this game, as PCs are very much better than average people, but still weaker than overtly supernatural creatures, and there's a lot more tradeoff with attack and defense than in many systems. I only have access to Second Edition material, so that's what I'm using.
Idea 2: The Gates Ascendant:
There were days, so the legends say, when the very gods walked the earth. Now their children make their way across our lands, stirring up trouble or righting wrongs. There seems to be no shortage of monsters to slay, or bandits to chase off, wicked tyrants to halt in their tracks. It is a troubled world, but there are those brave enough to protect it. We can only pray that the gods watch over their scions, and grant them what power they need to keep us safe. The Concept: A game steeped in classical myth and legend, particularly those of Ancient Greece. PCs will be children of the gods, heroes of superhuman might and ability, wrestling with dangers beyond the scope of the common man and seeking ever greater challenges as they try to maintain safety and justice in their land. There's going to be a more defined plot, I just haven't given it specifically a lot of thought just yet. Maybe a heavily adapted and reflavored published campaign?
The Setting: Very loose at the moment, and it will likely stay that way; in general, a fantasy reflection of the Mediterranean region is likely. This is a game where I'd love to have player input on the setting, with players developing their homelands and setting information cooperatively.
The System: Likely Pathfinder with an E8 level cap, along with the Mythic rules. Possibly including some sort of gestalt, although probably limited to keep things from getting too out of hand (I'm currently considering a free variant multiclass, so limited abilities at 3rd and 7th level). Weapons and armor will be adapted/reflavored as necessary.
Idea 3: Swords of the Sinners:
For centuries, Edria has been the shining jewel of the continent, a kingdom of prosperity and justice. Its Royal Knights are known far and wide as champions of peace and light, heroes among princes and paupers both. Now, though, it seems darkness is claiming the land; the Empire of Verthurst is on the rise, with a madman on the throne and frightening new advancements in magic and technology powering its sudden grasp for power. We can only hope that heroes will rise when they are needed most. The Concept: A high fantasy game drawing on the classic fantasy epics and RPGs of old, from Lord of the Rings and the Belgariad to Final Fantasy and Sword of Mana, to name just a few favorites. The party will consist of Edrian Knights (who come from all backgrounds and skillsets) who struggle to defeat a wicked empire and the forces of darkness. It's fun to play around with other stuff, but it is hard to beat the classics--nothing feels quite like it. Disclaimer: Names and plot are liable to change as I see fit/come up with different/better ideas. The Setting: Loosely defined as of right now (e.g., I just figured out Edria and Verthurst for this post), and likely to stay that way for at least a bit. I don't figure on this being collaborative in quite the same way as Gates Ascendant above, but neither do I feel things need to be figured out in depth. There's a pleasant kingdom and an evil empire, and you don't really need a lot more than that for a fun story.
The System: At the moment I figure on this using Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, probably with some homebrew stuff including a mini-gestalt idea for more customization in character classes. 5E has a very old-school, classic fantasy RPG feel to it, in my opinion, and I think it would fit this idea very well. I might be convinced to use Pathfinder instead, but it isn't likely.
Idea 4: Grim City Nights:
Youse listen to me, kid: this city's the type ta eat you alive and spit ya out before breakfast. These are mean streets. There's plenty danger in the shadows, and I don't just means a palooka with big fists or a Chicago typewriter's got your name on it. I seen a fella take a swig of whiskey and spit a fireball in some thug's face. I seen a dame make a man run off babbling nonsense just by looking at 'im. An' I seen a guy shot in the chest four times, with a shotgun no less, and he keeps comin'. Just watch yourself, kid. The world ain't like it was. The Concept: A good old detective story in the noir genre, with gritty private eyes and deadly femmes fatales, all with a supernatural bent. You may already know where this is going: Pinnacle Entertainment's Deadlands Noir. Undead detectives, perps with black magic, it all comes together for a unique blend and a good time. Characters will come from various backgrounds and work in a private detective agency. More specifics on plot to come, as I haven't fully decided yet--we'll be revolving around one of the published plot point campaigns, but I'm not sure which one, or if it will be just as written.
The Setting: Almost certainly the regular Deadlands Noir setting, although I'm considering 1920s Chicago and 1940s Lost Angels (Los Angeles) above 1930s New Orleans. I've also recently started thinking/working on a Deadlands/Rippers/Weird Wars crossover mega-setting, but that's still very much a half-baked dream right now. (Not that it couldn't be worked on and ready-ish if people are interested.)
The System:Savage Worlds, along with the Deadlands Noir-specific additions (and select others as requested/allowed). There's really nothing else to run the setting with, at least in my mind.
Idea 5: Star Wars--Special Operatives:
Times of great upheaval and monumental action are the focus of history, but there are many worlds in the Galaxy, each with their own stories. Countless lives are won and lost every standard day, and so many things pass that will never be recorded, never known to future generations. The Jedi are no exception--they may be regarded as diplomats and guardians, but they too have their secrets. Who's to say how many times the Jedi, in service to the Republic, have engaged in subterfuge and deception? After all, the greatest hive of scum and villainy in the Galaxy sits at their very feet, in the underbelly of Coruscant... The Concept: A Star Wars game that focuses on an aspect rarely touched on by most media (at least what I'm familiar with): the Jedi were a lot like special agents in a number of ways, during the glory days of the Republic. In the prequels (I know, I know) we see some of this; although they're usually talked about in terms of mystical knights, there's another side to what they do, and the opening of The Phantom Menace is very reminiscent of the opening of a James Bond film, in many ways. I wouldn't say I want everyone to be Jedi, but the game is likely to focus on a group of specialized Republic agents, Jedi among them, who engage in covert operations.
The Setting:Star Wars, obviously. I'm not sure on timeline, as there are a number of options: the Old Republic, the Republic before Episode I, the Clone Wars... There's a decent chance we'll need to wave our roleplaying wands and say Forget canon! regardless of when we set it, so that's not as big a deal as opportunity for fun.
The System: I'm torn, because part of me desperately wants to do a bunch of homebrew and use Shadowrun for this, but part of me thinks that's way too big a project and may not even turn out well in the end. So there's a decent chance I'll run this using the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition rules, with some changes and probably a slight power increase (to the tune of picking two talents instead of one at each odd level).
Whew, that took me quite a while to type, and probably takes quite a while to read, too. I hope that if you waded through all that you're willing to drop a line here letting me know what sounds interesting, and I'll be happy to respond, as well!
The date is Wednesday, October 19th, 2016, and Romney, New Hampshire seems to be going about its regular business. The college town, with a population of a bit over 150,000, has been generally following its usual existence. There isn't a lot of trouble in Romney, no pressing political concerns beyond usual, crime rates are about average, and it's an average New England city in many ways. The only talk that's out of the usual lately is expected, even: the two-year anniversary of Ricky Thompson's disappearance is coming up on the 29th, just ten days away. That dark spot in Romney's recent history has been brought back to local attention, thanks both to the upcoming date as well as an "anonymous tip" that led to a story in the local tabloid, the Romney Rag, wherein it was suggested that the Thompson family may be filing to have their son declared legally dead.
But as with every city across the world, darkness lurks under the surface. The shadows are around every corner, and there are many things in Romney that have gone thus far unseen, or unspoken, by the general public...
Aaron:
It's about 3 PM and you're sitting at your desk, going over yet another file in what's been a long day of paperwork. There was an issue a few weeks back when a Private got in a fistfight down at one of the bars in town, and the drug bust a week before, but beyond that, it's been backlogs and clerical duties for most of your time, lately. Sometimes it seems like taking the job here, in a relatively quiet New England college town, may not have been the best idea... but then again, you haven't had any flashbacks or direct nightmares about your last mission overseas lately. Maybe the trade-off is worth it. After all, if nothing else you've got your old cold case file on the Master Sergeant's disappearance, even though there haven't been any updates there in...
As your thoughts are drifting off, you're brought back by the ringing of your office phone. You answer to hear the familiar sound of Detective Marcus Warren, one of the local LEOs you've worked with over the last couple years. "Nikhols, hey, I figured I'd give you a ring. You still working that case with the sergeant thing? Asked me to send you anything with the Thompson kid for that, yeah?" He pauses, apparently both for you to answer and for a sip of something. "Well, we just got word that some art thing going up in town tomorrow? New exhibit opening, something like that, I dunno the specifics just yet. Anyway, apparently there's a last-minute addition and it's a tribute to the kid. Figured I'd send it your way, in case you wanted a look at it. Dunno what connection you see, but hey, you federal boys got further sight than us, I guess."
Warren's chuckle ruins his attempt to sound like the gruff cop bothered by higher-ups pulling rank or jurisdiction. He's an old hand at the game, and he cares a lot more about actually seeing justice done than anything else. He was also one of the original detectives assigned to the Thompson case, and he's been helpful in more than one investigation since.
Derek:
It's just after 3 PM, and you're walking out of Bio lab, free for the rest of the afternoon into evening. There may or may not be anything on your schedule just yet, but if nothing else you can always just walk around town a bit. Romney may not be the big city, but it does have plenty to do if you look for it. Maybe catch a movie, or visit one of the museums or hangout points in town. You're still too young to hit one of the bars just yet, but give it a little bit and you'll be there...
Your thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice--Dennis, one of the guys in your lab. You don't know him incredibly well, this is the first course you've had together, but he's a friendly guy. Just now, he's got his hand on your shoulder and a grin on his face. "Hey man, you going to the opening tomorrow night? I heard professors aren't counting it as absences for labs or anything."
Diana:
It's about 3 PM, and you're gaming in the name of research. It's honestly a potentially useful experience, and can give you insights into the way modern games are being made and the elements that go into a fun time for the user. It's also a decent way to take a break from the ongoing problems with your personal projects, and to procrastinate just a little on your homework. At least that's what you've told yourself, but the game is actually quite good, with a number of complex decisions to be made as well as character choices in-game that provide what could be positively described as "extensive." To an old hat RPG player like you, this only opens up worlds of opportunity, and you're looking at the various opportunities presented by a few options in particular...
Your thoughts are interrupted by the door opening and your roommate, Summer Shines (her actual name, thanks to parents who never quite outgrew the sixties despite not growing up during them), coming in to flop down on her bed. She heaves one sigh from a day of classes and then turns to look at you. "Hey, you hear about the art thing going up downtown tomorrow? Apparently there's gonna be a gamer thing as part of it. Maybe a good way to get out of the room for a bit, do something fun and different, you know?"
Fitting for her name, Summer's got a bright outlook on life and a cheery personality, for the most part. She was your roommate last year, and she's been a true friend and what even you recognize as a good influence, helping you continue to keep out of your shell and do new things. She doesn't ever really push you to do anything you don't want, but she's definitely suggested events in the past that have turned out to be a lot of fun.
Hunter:
It's about 3 PM, and you're packing up in an art lab where you've spent the last couple hours doing figure work with other students. Practice doesn't start until four, so you actually have a brief period to yourself. Between school, sports, and your outside work on art, it sometimes feels like you're busy all the time, but you've got a bit of freedom every now and again. Right now that freedom could get you some extra work on projects, or maybe an episode of something on TV or Netflix or...
Your thoughts are cut off by a new email coming into your inbox, and you check the subject line. New Exhibit Opening Tomorrow--Please Read! Opening the email reveals a longer message, sent out through the Art Department's collective email service to all of its students at Romney State.
To All Our Students and Faculty: A new exhibit is opening at the P. Stroehmann Gallery downtown tomorrow night, Memory Warp, and we would like to officially invite all of Romney State's fine arts community to attend if they have the time and desire. While we always encourage our students to attend exhibits if possible, but in this particular case we believe there may be even more value than usual in attending. The exhibit is showcasing works of local artists, working individually and together to create a showcase of unique and varied pieces. Also of note is a recently announced addition to the exhibit which will relate to the life and memory of Ricky Thompson. We are all aware that our community still feels the disappearance of Ricky and its effects, and we would like to encourage everyone to participate in this special reflection.
As such, any classes tomorrow evening will be excused, and you should speak to your professors regarding possible extensions to any ongoing projects. We hope you will take this opportunity to view a special collection of local work and participate in an important community event.
James:
It's about 3 PM, and you're staring at the last page you've finished so far today as you sit in the Fog and Flame. Maybe you typed or wrote it there this afternoon, maybe you're just reviewing over something warm to drink on this blustery autumn day, but either way you're looking at what you've written to double-check for now. Probably just a basic proofreading, making sure you don't have any blatant misspellings or punctuation issues. The book's coming along nicely, and you'll probably have it done before too much longer. Then it's final chapters to the agent, probably not long before a full manuscript to the editors, and from there, if everything holds up, it won't be long before you're out of town again...
Your thoughts are interrupted by the scrape of wood on wood and a familiar, if somewhat unwelcome, face appearing on the other side of the table. Now seated across from you is Hollis Brown, well-known to you and other Romney locals as the owner, publisher, and senior editor of the Rag. Most people think of him as a talentless hack, and as a publisher, he definitely is--but you know enough about the craft of writing to realize, however grudgingly, that the rare article he writes himself is well-written, if not completely factual or even ethical.
"Hey there, golden boy. You gonna be at the big hoedown tomorrow at the gallery? Asking strictly off-record, of course." He gives the wheezy laugh of a lifelong smoker at his own joke. He wrote a review of your novel and published it in the Rag after it came out--it was positive overall, although he seemed to miss the real plot in favor of wild conjecture about your own psychology and how it was represented on the page. "I'm sure it'd mean a lot to the community if our very own homegrown literary hero attended. Especially what with the Thompson piece and all."
John:
It's about 3 PM, and you're currently finishing up in a computer lab after class. It's mostly things you already know, mixed in with some thoughts on theory and specific vocabulary that you don't really care about. In the end this is likely to be an easy A as long as you take the time to do the busywork along with coding out the projects--ones that you may not still have saved on your computer, since they're basics you got used to years back. If there's one good thing about the class, though, it provides you ample opportunity to work on your own projects after you've finished whatever assignment was given that day. The school computers might not have as much power as yours, but taking down security measures is a piece of cake, and it does make it theoretically impossible to trace back to you if you're using the campus-wide networking. Even makes hanging around after class for a little bit to finish things up worth your while...
Your thoughts are interrupted by the tone of a new message popping up in an online chat you use to keep in touch with people of "similar interests." The message is from a "username" that's just a meaningless string of numbers, letters, and symbols, similar to your own in format and the fact that it'll be wiped and replaced as soon as you disconnect from the server. The actual sender, you know, is a local hacker with moderate skills and too little ambition to get him on a bigger scene. They go by PAC, always all caps, and you haven't met in person, but you've gotten to know them pretty well--as anonymous hacker collectives go--since coming to Romney.
Found lead on 1928--art open tomorrow. You in? Short and to the point while maintaining full spelling fits PAC's usual style, and they're the only one you share the codename 1928 with. It's a fairly basic but adequate way to mask discussions involving Ricky Thompson, and PAC is a source who's been helpful with gathering some info here and there, more with word on the street than hard hacking ability.
Michelle:
It's about 3 PM, and you're in your room, going over some of your latest drawings with a critical eye after classes this morning. You have a lab this evening where something's due, and you aren't sure just what to turn in as of yet. You're sure that several of your pieces are definitely of the right quality, but it seems that your subject consistently turns toward the strange. Whether it starts as a portrait of a man on Romney's bus system, a woman in a coffee shop, or a landscape look of Ash Valley Avenue, there seems to be something a little off or dark, somewhere just out of the focus of the piece...
Your thoughts are interrupted by a chime from your computer, signaling a new email in your inbox. You open it up, figuring it may be important, or at least distract you from your own work. New Exhibit Opening Tomorrow--Please Read! The subject certainly suggests it might be important.
To All Our Students and Faculty: A new exhibit is opening at the P. Stroehmann Gallery downtown tomorrow night, Memory Warp, and we would like to officially invite all of Romney State's fine arts community to attend if they have the time and desire. While we always encourage our students to attend exhibits if possible, but in this particular case we believe there may be even more value than usual in attending. The exhibit is showcasing works of local artists, working individually and together to create a showcase of unique and varied pieces. Also of note is a recently announced addition to the exhibit which will relate to the life and memory of Ricky Thompson. We are all aware that our community still feels the disappearance of Ricky and its effects, and we would like to encourage everyone to participate in this special reflection.
As such, any classes tomorrow evening will be excused, and you should speak to your professors regarding possible extensions to any ongoing projects. We hope you will take this opportunity to view a special collection of local work and participate in an important community event.
Russel:
It's about 3 PM, and you're in your own office, going over some files. You don't have any actual appointments here for the rest of the day, and no classes in the evening either. For once you've got a bit of time off, if it can be called that. It sometimes feels like the work's never done lately, between the practice, the hospitals, the university... Still, it's fulfilling enough, and it keeps you engaged. Better than always finding nothing to do...
Your thoughts are interrupted by the office phone ringing, and you answer it to hear a familiar voice. "Hello, Doctor Wilcox." It's Detective Andrew Banner with the Romney PD, one of the detectives from the Thompson case who's worked with you on-and-off over the years, giving you what information he can when it's available. He's also worked with you on a couple of other cases since then. He tends to be serious to a fault, but he's gold where it counts. "Detective Banner here. I thought I'd let you know something came up in relation to the Richard Thompson case? We don't have anything solid, but we've gotten word there's an art exhibit opening tomorrow in town, with a piece relating to him somehow. I can't say any more than that, but I thought I'd let you know, in case you hadn't heard. Apparently the piece is a last-minute addition, so not a lot of people have heard about it yet."
Male Human Commoner 2/ Philosopher 2/ Gamer 5/ Writer 5
The year is 2601 in the Imperial Calendar, and the great northeastern peninsula is embroiled in war. 'Minkai' is still the beginnings of an idea, and no single government reigns; instead, a multitude of warlords wrestle for power, as they have for almost a hundred years. Barely a year has passed since five clans--Amatatsu, Higashiyama, Shojinawa, Sugimatu, and Teikoku--first proclaimed they had been blessed to rule by divine mandate of the goddess Shizuru. As they have slowly banded together, a new shift is coming in this period of unending conflict. Perhaps someday soon, the wars will come to an end, and one ruler will unite this land of blood and fire. But for now, the battles continue, and even if the five families are destined to control the nation, there are many rivals they must face before taking the throne.
Placeholder post because Paizo requires I have something here.
Male Human Commoner 2/ Philosopher 2/ Gamer 5/ Writer 5
Greetings all! Post in here for the time being to check in and start tracking it. This'll be our discussion thread for OOC chatter, questions, all that good stuff. You know the drill.
Hi everyone! I'd like to apologize in advance if this post is a little short or not greatly worded: I originally had a longer, more complete one mostly typed up, and then my laptop restarted and lost it all. So here's take two...
Hey all! This is a now open interest/recruitment thread for a game I was already planning to run for some friends, but due to some changes in how much people are busy and all, we've decided to open it up to the public sphere here. There's a lot of great folks on these boards so I definitely have no problem welcoming you to apply with interest to the game!
What's the game, you might ask. Well, it's a modern day investigative supernatural game, with horror overtones, secret cults, and references to contemporary pop culture and internet phenomena and so forth--urban legends and entirely fictional creations as well. It all centers, at least to start, in the fictional city of Romney, New Hampshire*, an old-blood New England college city of the typical vein. There are a number of colleges and universities in and around Romney, each with their own reputations for prestige, areas of focus, and so on. Romney's a pretty decently-sized city, with lots of old historical ties coupled with modern amenities.
You'll notice I'm leaving a lot of things there pretty open and vague, and that's because I'd rather leave them without as much exclusive detail until need be. Your characters and events in the game will inform us of most of what there is in Romney, from things like popular majors and clubs at a given school to if the local café is known for any particular specialty drinks. There's a tad more info to support concepts and such in the spoiler below, but the long and short of it is that you should feel free to make some stuff up, so long as it doesn't outright contradict what someone else has said.
If this all is of interest to you, then please, ask questions, mention interest, submit concepts! If not, I understand, because this is a tad vague and weird.
[spoiler=Character "Creation"]The System: Chronicles of Darkness, essentially New(er) World of Darkness. If you're familiar with those books, you'll probably be good here; there's been some updates in mechanics and advancement and such, but the basics are pretty much the same.
Creation Rules: Standard, for the most part. 5/4/3 on Attributes, 11/7/4 on Skills, 7 dots for Merits. I do give 1 dot in Resources for free, and I'd ask that you not take more overtly supernatural Merits like Psychokinesis, Telekinesis, things like that, unless you have very strong backstory for it to support both why you have it and how you've made it this far without it being a public thing at all (this is very much a world where stuff like that gets out and leads to big bad trouble). There are also some Skills that would need good backstory reason to have more than one or two dots, mostly the combat-based ones: anything over two dots essentially requires in-depth training, so "I go to the range each week" isn't a good reason for your graduate student to have four dots in Firearms, for example.
Other Such Crunchy Stuff: Nothing of note off the top of my head, really. Again, ask if you're curious.
Background: As long or short as you like in terms of backstory, but it should let me know the basics of your character's history and what they're doing here today. Are they Romney born and raised, or did they move here more recently in their life? If they're linked to a college, which one? What's their job? How do they spend their free time? There are some specific questions I do need answered, though!
--What are your Aspirations? These are goals you or your character have. Two should be relatively short-term, like Get a date with that cute guy/girl from work/class, or Find a job, or Go on a really great bender. The third should be longer-term, like Take over the company or Bring my uncle's killer to justice. They can be in-character things your character wants, but they could also be things you want to happen to your character that they might not--maybe you want your alcoholic mechanic to Get sober (and stay that way), even though she doesn't think it's necessary.
--What is the worst thing you've ever done? This should be answered in-character, and that includes the perspective on "worst"--maybe they're a soldier who watched the life fade from an enemy's eyes, but they personally think their worst action was hitting that dog with their bike when they were fifteen. This informs a breaking point, some action or situation that would potentially make your character have a stroke of conscience and issues with their personal integrity.
--What is the worst thing you can imagine yourself doing? Again, in-character. This is an actual act they could see themselves doing, as in hypothetical, but possible. They might never murder someone in cold blood, but maybe in self-defense, or to save a loved one. This also informs a breaking point.
--What is the worst thing you can imagine someone else doing? This may well go further than the last answer, and probably should. Again, breaking point.
--What have you forgotten? In this kind of setting, it's basically impossible to grow up without any exposure to the supernatural in some form, and the type of people who're willing to stand up to the strange things in the night definitely have experienced things before, even if they don't remember. In fact, you usually don't recall your first interaction with the supernatural, and thus the phrasing of this question. Maybe you saw a vampire vanish in smoke, or a man turned into a beast and mauled your would-be mugger. Try to describe the scene in as much detail as you can. This also turns into a breaking point, although in a different manner than the others.
--What is the most traumatic thing that has happened to you? Everyone experiences something traumatic. The goal isn't to make a traumatized character, it's to set a bar. Maybe they were very sick, or were attacked by a creature natural or supernatural at one point. This is the final breaking point generation question.
--How did you know Ricky Thompson? Ricky was a nice kid attending Romney State University, a well-liked guy who was a pretty good student majoring in International Relations and Sociology, active in several clubs on campus and generally loved by everyone. He disappeared almost a year ago under mysterious circumstances with almost no hard evidence, and the police investigation didn't turn up much. He was a local kid, so the loss is still very much in the minds of the community. This isn't a breaking point, but it provides a more direct tie to the start of the game's plot. Please make it some sort of connection, don't respond with "I didn't know him but I heard about it." You should be invested somehow.[/spoiler]
I think that's everything I can put here for now, I know there's probably lots I haven't said and that you'd want to know about, so once more, please ask away!
*I'm pretty sure there isn't an actual Romney, NH, but if there is, this is a totally fictional place, and any persons and events herein are entirely fictional as well.
The year is 2601 in the Imperial Calendar, and the great northeastern peninsula is embroiled in war. 'Minkai' is still the beginnings of an idea, and no single government reigns; instead, a multitude of warlords wrestle for power, as they have for almost a hundred years. Barely a year has passed since five clans--Amatatsu, Higashiyama, Shojinawa, Sugimatu, and Teikoku--first proclaimed they had been blessed to rule by divine mandate of the goddess Shizuru. As they have slowly banded together, a new shift is coming in this period of unending conflict. Perhaps someday soon, the wars will come to an end, and one ruler will unite this land of blood and fire. But for now, the battles continue, and even if the five families are destined to control the nation, there are many rivals they must face before taking the throne.
This is a closed game (at least for now). I'm running this as a side project for some folks from another campaign.
For the players: The basic premise of the campaign is above, but I'll boil it down even further. We'll be playing in the period just before the Teikoku Shogunate is formed and Minkai is established as a single nation, in what I have to imagine is a period much like the Warring States in Japan before the Tokugawa Shogunate was established. According to official timelines, Shizuru visited the Imperial families in 2600, but it wasn't until 2612 that the Teikoku Shogunate was formed, so what happened in that dozen years? There isn't a ton of information on this era as far as I can tell, so I'll be putting together some stuff on my own, and we'll be making some of it up as we go. I like the prospects of collaborative world-building in games, but it's very good to have a groundwork to tie yourselves to, and this seems like a great way to get the best of both worlds.
Character Creation--Mechanics:
Starting Level: 3
Races: Stick to races that are fitting for this region and time period. Humans are the most common by far, with aasimars and tieflings potentially having some representation; the genie-kin planetouched are less likely to appear, but it's plausible. The racial tensions between the nagaji and humans died down some thousand years before this point, so a nagaji character wouldn't be impossible. I'd rather avoid kitsune to place emphasis on kami and other spirits being otherworldly creatures, but I won't rule them out. Most of the core races aren't very common or even present in Minkai at this point; keep in mind we're well before any contact has occurred between Tian Xia and the Inner Sea.
Classes: I'm not going to rule anything out, and we are doing gestalt. I'd suggest that at least one of your classes give you mechanics to support a strong flavor that fits the game--whether that means monk, or an appropriate archetype, or whatever, is up to you.
Ability Scores: 20 points on a point-for-point spread, with abilities starting at 10; this means a 14 costs 4 points, a 16 costs 6, and so forth. I'd like at most one score at 18 and at most two scores at 8 after racial modifiers, to give you guys plenty of room to grow.
Traits: 2 base, you can take a drawback for a third, and of course the Additional Traits feat for two more on top of anything else. Campaign traits aren't off-limits if they make sense (other than Finding Haleen), but please ask first.
Starting Wealth: 3,000 gp, plus one masterwork weapon and one masterwork armor of your choice. If you're playing a character who wouldn't benefit from either of these, let me know and we'll work something out (I also have some houserules that could change things). Note that you should primarily use Eastern weapons and armor (including those specific lists as well as thematic options from the overall lists).
HP: Max for these levels. We'll take half+1 after this point most likely.
Optional Rules/Houserules:
--Background Skills from Unchained (including the new skills introduced)
--Stamina and Combat Tricks from Unchained. Fighters get the feat for free, everyone else has to take it.
--Automatic Bonus Progression from Unchained at your level+2, albeit with some important changes to make it better that I'll get into as it comes up. This is negotiable, but I like the thematic idea of heroes who are inherently skilled with their chosen equipment and style, rather than relying on magic items. It also frees you to use that 3000 gp on interesting things instead of the obligatory +1 armor and cloak of resistance.
--Strain and Injury, a simpler variant of the Wounds and Vigor idea. This is mostly for the purpose of flavor, since unless you play a swashbuckler there aren't realy mechanics for parrying in sword duels like you typically see, but it's also useful mechanically and fits the idea. And this way the group doesn't really need a dedicated healer as much, leaving you free to focus on, y'know, badass samurai stuff.
--Duels from Ultimate Combat, when they come up.
--Intrigue from Ultimate Intrigue, as appropriate if/when it comes up. There's usually courtly intrigue at least in the background of wuxia and jidai geki films, so having some in our game feels fitting.
--Honor from Ultimate Campaign (and the Dragon Empires Gazetteer), because it's incredibly fitting. I'm also open to potentially using Honor in the alignment system from Dragon Tiger Ox, if people like.
(Wow, that was a lot. We're almost through.) Available Material: Pretty much everything Paizo as long as it can be found online--I mostly use d20pfsrd and Archives of Nethys, so between them I have access to most of what's been published. For 3rd-party, we'll mainly be doing Path of War from Dreamscarred Press, and Dragon Tiger Ox and the Heroes of the East series from Little Red Goblin Games. Other things are potentially open if you ask, as long as I have access to the stuff in question. If you need anything I've mentioned, PM me an email and I'll get them to you.
Character Creation--Fluff:
Backstory: I don't need a novella, although the more the merrier. As long as it gives me a good sense of your character and where they come from, that's all I need. However, I'd love to hear a couple of things in particular.
--Allegiance: In a period of civil war like this, very few can survive on their own, and who you know is often at least as important as what you know or how skilled you are as a warrior. In this campaign you'll be mainly working as agents of the five Imperial Families, at least to start. Which of the families are you mainly allied with? Maybe it isn't one of the central five, but another clan related to one of them somehow. Think about how you know them as well: are you a member of the family, are you a vassal samurai who works for them, are you a ronin who's been hired on? It's up to you. If you want to come up with some information on your character's clan, especially if it's not one of the main families, feel free; if you want to see any notes I've come up with, feel free to ask.
--Style and Training: It's often an interesting facet of characters in this kind of setting to look at where they trained, who they trained with, what kind of style they use to fight. Obviously we're starting at 3rd level, so you won't be masters of the greatest sword style in the land, but you may well be journeyman students under a famed master. What's the name of your style of combat? What were the circumstances of your training?
--History and Ancestors: These are some of the most important elements of an individual in the culture, as there's huge emphasis on respect for family of the past as well as the present. How much has history affected your character's current circumstances, and do they have any famous ancestors? Maybe they're named after a famous swordsman who fought in the armies that raised Imperial Lung Wa. Maybe your lineage is traced back to a dragon or an emissary of a god who visited a righteous ancestor.
Appearance: I just want the basics of what your character looks like, in terms of physical appearance and bearing. It would also be worthwhile to discuss things like the appearance of their armor and weapons, if any, as those are a big part of how your character is viewed by others.
Personality: Again, I just need some basics, nothing huge. Your character's alignment, ability scores, and honor and such can help form a basis for your character's personality, but they definitely aren't everything, so a deeper look at their life outlook and all that can be useful for defining them further. This is also a decent spot to discuss any religions or philosophies your character follows, and any other aspects that alter the way they view the world.
Whew. That was... more than I'd expected to type out. If you've got any questions post here or message me. I'm really looking forward to this.
It’s the great equalizer. It’ll stop a troll the size of car as easily as the smallest dwarf or the thinnest elf. It ain’t a weapon, spell or even a dragon—it’s hunger. When it’s time to eat, you just gotta get the stuffers into your stomach before you go berserk. They used to be called junk food or munchies. They’re probably just as good for you as nutrisoy and krill-filler, regardless of those ads from the Nutrition Council. When the pangs hit, there’s only one place to go (especially when the sun rises in about an hour) to find that kind of chow. It’s the place everyone loves to hate: Stuffer Shack.
Our story starts with a Shack in the northern Boston Sprawl, UCAS, on March 15th, 2072. The only way you'd know is from the outside, though, because on the inside the Shack looks just like every other installation across the world. Great tracts of neon and fluorescent lights leech away at the colors, giving everything in the place a touch of gray overcast. It's the home of synth-alcohol, soykaf, cheap porno-simchips, 3D greeting cards, pneumatic fluid, cheap fetish trinkets with less magic than a deck of playing cards, and all the stuffers you could want, with none of the social or nutritional value that comes along with a good bite to eat. There's a smell that can't quite be identified, and probably shouldn't be.
You could probably navigate the place with your eyes closed, since you've been in Stuffer Shacks before, and often enough to know the layout. You may not even need to think about what you want to get: some people spend so much nuyen here over the years that they ought to own stock in the company. You've got your soykaf, your soy-snacks, your heat-on-open soy meals in a can; just about the only thing you don't see is genuine food that came out of the ground instead of a factory. But hey, it's cheap, it's open, and it's here.
There are several folks in the Shack at the late hour when we arrive at four in the morning. The store clerk on duty is a young human with half-open eyes, absently flipping through a holo-zine. Chatting him up is a pudgy, homely-looking dwarf, filing her nails and yammering on about what sounds to be a completely mundane day. A middle-aged human man appears to be sampling "ice cream" in the frozen aisle, using his finger to test them before putting the containers back. In Aisle 7 (pet food), a human couple in punk rock regalia--lots of leather, chains, and zippers, with fringe for lack of taste--is getting handsy and romantic.
Male Human Commoner 2/ Philosopher 2/ Gamer 5/ Writer 5
Welcome to the discussion thread! It's a place for OOC questions, comments, chatter, and the like. It's for now a place for people to work on characters and such. It's also a safe place where your characters won't be attacked... probably.
Greetings, chummers! Glad that you've made it this far and I'm looking forward to the game. Discussion is where we'll have out of character chatter and such for the game, and you can ask questions and the like here. For now just post in to say hey to everyone, and I'll be putting up Gameplay in the coming days, hopefully not long at all, to kick things off.
For now we can use the space to get acquainted and I'll go over character sheets once more to ask questions for people if any need answered.
Hoi! There you are, chummer. Was wondering where you'd gotten off to. I'd hate to see you disappear so soon. Although maybe disappearing isn't such a bad idea. Given the circumstances.
But that's not what you're here for, is it? No, you're looking for something a little more interesting than just going off the grid. You're looking to go under it. You aren't content to keep going through the routine of life with all the other wageslaves out there. The daily grind, working your fingers to the bone and kissing your boss's ass just to get one step ahead. And even then, you're still so far beneath the real big shots that it barely seems worth laughing. Am I right, omae?
Of course I am. The whole thing's a pile of drek. And that's why you came to see me.
Slot and run though, right? We're both busy, so I'll get to the point. You've got some smarts, some skills. I've heard of your work, not too shabby. Between you and me, I think you might have a shot. But if you wanna run the shadows more than a week before having your head show up on somebody's desk, you'll need more than that. I can hook you up with people I know--not personally, you understand, but through business--and you do the jobs. I take my cut, you take yours, the Johnson walks away with whatever they want, everybody wins. Sounds like a milk run, right? Wrong. But don't worry, chummer--that's what you've got me for.
So get out of here, I got another potential client showing up in, oh, three minutes. Line's short, looks like I'll be able to get another cup of soykaf before they get here. You good to go? Wiz. Here's my number, my work number, so you'll know who I am when I call. Yeah, I call you, never the other way, got it? Otherwise we get who-knows-who on both our heads, and we don't need that.
Alright, I'll see you out in the sprawl, chummer. Oh, and remember: Watch your back. Shoot straight. Conserve ammo. And never, EVER, make a deal with a dragon.
Hey all! Here's the official recruitment thread for my Cthulhoid Shadowrun game. A more full lineup of what I'm thinking of can be found in the old interest thread, but long story short, you'll be a team of runners that will have jobs exploring some of the stranger secrets hiding in the sixth world. Ancient cosmic horrors, Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, and--if you pull it off--a whole heap of nuyen.
Just Who Are You, Chummer? Character Creation:
Build Points: Standard 400 BP and its rules. You can spend up to 200 on your base attributes, up to 50 on money for gear. Extra costs as usual for maxing out an attribute or skill.
Metatypes: I'll allow all the base metatypes obviously, and if you want to play the slight variants on them, you can, although the stranger you are the more I'll want a good backstory and everything. I'd rather people stick to core here if you can. I'd also rather not deal with any exotic creatures that are way out there, so please stick to the base five and work from there.
Archetypes/Concepts: Normally you'd talk about classes here, but Shadowrun doesn't have those. Instead, just keep in mind that while you can play anything that'd normally fit in a Shadowrun game, it would be interesting to see concepts that are reminiscent or linked somehow to the kinds of characters common in Lovecraftian stories and games. Some make more sense than others--playing a runner who still considers themselves to be mainly an author would probably be strange at best, for example--but there are lots of good concepts to reflavor, rework, and otherwise play with to fit here.
As a second note on your character concept, please don't shoot too high in terms of power and prestige and all that. I'd like for people to either be fairly novice runners who have a few jobs under their belts but nothing big yet, or else entirely new to the game--maybe not even considering themselves a runner at all, at least not yet--but with some sort of past experience that gives them the edge to succeed.
Gear: You can spend up to 50 build points here as normal, getting 5000 nuyen per BP spent, and the regular Availability cap of 12 is in place. However, I'm very aware that gear more than anything else is where you can break SR six ways to Sunday. I won't actually restrict anything outright, but I'd ask that you not equip your novice runner with crazy amazing custom weapons and armor. A little bit here and there is fine, of course, but especially with weapons and armor, the more you stick to the core rulebook and off-the-rack stuff the better. You'll have plenty of opportunities to buy shiny toys in-game, no worries--and besides, if you start out with the tricked-out machine gun, where do you go but down?
Sources: I believe I have every rulebook for Fourth Edition, so pretty much everything is open within reason. Please let me know if you're grabbing something particularly obscure from an out-of-the-way book just so I can double check it and all, but you should be good to go.
Background/Backstory: I just want a good feel for the character, so don't feel you need to write a novella. Use whatever format you like: simple description, in-character narrative, the ten-minute backround format, anything that works. One thing in particular you should note, though: Why has your character come to the local Stuffer Shack late this night?
I think that's everything basic you'd need to know for now; I'm going to double-check the Interest thread for questions I haven't answered, but feel free to post here and give me any questions you have. I'm not going to put a final date on when recruitment ends, because I'd rather get a full party I love than stop before someone gets something in, but once I see a good team of characters I like I'll call for an end of new interest and a short period to wrap up submissions before picking. In terms of team size, I'd go as high as six.
Greetings, all. Some of you may be surprised to see me posting here again so soon, since I usually go a while between starting up games, but I've been wanting to do more GMing on here recently, and I seem to be going a pretty solid pace with what I have right now, so I can run at least one thing more. I've also been having a number of strange and, at least to myself, interesting concepts for games to run popping into my head lately. As such, I figure at least an interest check to see if people are intrigued at all can't hurt. Assuming enough interest in a given direction, I'm happy to run some sort of game.
BUT! I don't want to run this like the average interest check thread, since A) average isn't fun and B) my ideas are a little odd for just that. Plus I want to gauge not only how people might feel about my specific ideas, but also general interest and experience people have with given topics and settings and (perhaps less importantly, but still important enough to ask) game systems.
The long and short of it is, I'm a passionate GM who's interested in doing slightly different kinds of games, not just the usual PBP AP fare (not that there's anything wrong with that, I enjoy them immensely as a player). In the past I've run (or attempted to run), with varying degrees of success, everything from a Jade Regent game where all the PCs are Licktoad Goblins, to a couple games set in the Fallout universe, to my recently-started 5E game set in a fantasy Western. I like to bring strong writing, fun characters, and offbeat ideas and settings to the games, to hopefully offer a unique experience you might not find with the general game. So if that sounds good to you, please respond to each of the following categories to let me know...
1. Your Interest/Familiarity with the Following Topics:
--Batman and DC Comics: I suppose also superhero comics in general, but more specifically the DC universe, and most specifically everybody's favorite powerless bad*ss, the Batman. What comics or storylines have you read, do you know, are your favorites? How about movies, or TV shows? To be even the very most specific, are you familiar with the comics The Doom that Came to Gotham (more on that in a moment) or Gotham by Gaslight?
(For myself, I love the character, and am currently working on reading through the New 52 series. Some choice favorites include The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke, of course, but also Death of the Family and the above-mentioned stories. In terms of movies, I'm a big fan of the recent trilogy by Nolan (although the first two are vastly superior to Rises), although I have a soft spot for the original 1966 film; my least favorites are probably Tim Burton's contributions, mostly for the weird tone and characterization. As far as TV, gotta love The Animated Series from the 90s. Who cares if it ran entirely before I was born?
--H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos: More focused on Lovecraft's original writings, and those of his contemporaries, but general knowledge of what's happened since then as well. Who are your favorite Ancient Ones, what's your favorite story, ever played in a Cthulhu-themed game before? Even if you're not super familiar with it yourself, is there any other weird fiction, or authors thereof, that you like?
I'm the first to admit I'm a tad lacking here, and there's a very strong likelihood some of you know a lot more about the mythos than I do. Still, I'm interested in it, I have basic grounding in the lore, and I'm slowly working through Lovecraft's collected works. Can't claim myself to have a favorite Lovecraft story just yet, as I've really enjoyed what I've read so far, but I'm also a fan of more modern horror and weird fiction writers who've descended, so to speak, from the original master.
--Cyberpunk: You certainly don't have to have read Neuromancer(I haven't) to appreciate futuristic dystopias, street samurai, and chrome-plated criminals. What have you read, what have you seen, what have you played? Do you lean more black hat or pink mohawk? There's plenty to be said and I can't come up with examples for everything.
I know of cyberpunk mainly through Shadowrun, but plenty of popular media has ties to the genre. I enjoy The Matrix, which has a cyberpunk-ish feel at times; Escape from New York is one of my biggest guilty pleasure films for over-the-top fun and action. Equilibrium is in my opinion a hidden gem for some fun, I, Robot is of course a good flick. I haven't played a lot of cyberpunky games, but "Shadowrun Returns" is obviously a solid example, and personally I looked at "Watch_Dogs" as a great look at a modern setting on its way to full-blown, dystopian cyberpunk glory.
--Zombies: I'm sure everyone's at least passing familiar, but the genre's a lot bigger than it might look at first glance. What do you know, and what do you like? Fast or slow zombies? Truly undead, or the result of a virus? Shoot for the head, or chop them to pieces?
I've seen and played plenty here. Favorites include Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland for fun, The Strain series for serious (okay, they're technically vampires, but it plays out a lot like a zombie story at least at the start), and among games, I've just recently picked up Dead Island and am having fun. Personally I'm not a big fan of The Walking Dead on TV, find it to be too much like a soap opera with zombies in the background, but that's me.
2. Your Interest/Preference for the Following Settings:
--Victorian Era: Possibly in England, but more likely in America. Almost definitely not steampunk, since I don't love that genre.
I love Sherlock Holmes, especially the recent films, I mentioned Gotham by Gaslight earlier, I'm playing in a Rippers game right now on the boards. There's lots to love in this period for a game.
--1920s/30s U.S.: Yeah, there's a number of differences between these decades, but there's a fair amount of similarity as well, especially in the types of stories set in the period. Feel free to state your preference between the two.
Haven't played in this period much, but it's certainly an interesting and fun one to look back on, and I love stories from and set in the period--Indiana Jones comes to mind.
--The Modern Day: I find it a tad boring to just run games set in the modern day, so if we go here expect some sort of twist. Still, there's plenty to work with.
Not much to say here; it's what we all know by virtue of living it.
--Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic: Lots of post-apoc media out there, but there are plenty of ways to keep things fresh and make original stories. Less common but perhaps even more interesting is setting something more directly during the event: the last days before an asteroid strike, the first days of a zombie outbreak, something like that.
I enjoy this stuff a lot. I've played Fallout games, I've read The Road and A Canticle for Leibowitz as just a couple examples of apocalyptic fiction... The end of the world is a smashing good time.
--"Feudal Japan": The oddball dark horse of this group, and one that I kind of hesitate to even include since it's a super vague idea that's popped into my head of late, mostly due to my recent reading. I put it in quotes because I wouldn't necessarily constrain myself to the true feudal period, since there's lots of interesting time periods, and I wouldn't necessarily constrain a game to being set in actual real-life Japan, even as an opener. I just think samurai types versus Cthulhu or zombies could be fun to play.
The recent reading I mentioned is Rurouni Kenshin; I came across my volumes of the manga the other day and have been rereading voraciously. I'm not even near what I'd call a "Japan-ophile" myself, but I've seen films and read stuff, so I'm familiar enough with the subject to feel comfortable doing something with it, or at least shamelessly steal for a vague fictional setting.
3. Your Familiarity with/Access to the Following Systems:
Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition Savage Worlds (Deluxe Edition, the most recent)
Shadowrun, 4th Edition No real commentary here, these are just a few systems I know and like. CoC is the most recent I've picked up, but it isn't that difficult to play. Feel free to mention any others you feel particularly fitting for your other preferences.
I know that was a lot, but don't feel you have to respond to every individual subject in each spoiler; just let me know your favorites or thoughts. Please do try to respond to all of them, though, since that can give me a better idea of what people like and want to play. Since this is an interest check, there are no deadlines or anything like that; I just hope some people can work through the text walls and let me know what game I can run to give some people a good time!
The station platform of Winter Junction is a wooden construction, solid enough and just off the ground. Long planks hammered into more of the same, raised up to keep travelers out of the mud on the rare rainy day, and a bit out of the dust on the more common dry ones. The rest of the town--if it can be called that--can be seen from the platform, about a dozen buildings in all. The most prominent are the station itself, which also serves as the postal office and jail, essentially housing all the government authorities present in the settlement; and the general store, which is itself little bigger than the few houses.
Winter Junction isn't meant to be a booming residential town, tough. The whole purpose is in its name. Winter Junction is simply a stopping off point for the rails headed in and out of Neverwinter, a day's horse ride Back East, about half a day by train from the city. Cargo is shipped here to be picked up by carriage or rider, and goods stop here to be inspected, when necessary, on their way in.
Of course, our story is concerned with folks heading away from the city. Folks going Out West, to the Frontier.
At present, there's one man and one wagon at the Winter Junction station platform. The wagon is heavily laden with basic goods: flour, salted pork, beer, shovels, picks, crowbars, lanterns, oil, and so on, perhaps a hundred dollars of the type of equipment needed for digging. The man is one Anders Hornby, the deputy stationmaster of Winter Junction. He's old and bent and thin, and wears simple clothing with a government cap on as he waits.
His waiting is almost over, as four figures simultaneously step onto the platform and approach the wagon. They've come from different walks of life, different places and pasts, but they're here for the same reason, now. They're westward bound, headed for Phandalin.
The station platform of Winter Junction is a wooden construction, solid enough and just off the ground. Long planks hammered into more of the same, raised up to keep travelers out of the mud on the rare rainy day, and a bit out of the dust on the more common dry ones. The rest of the town--if it can be called that--can be seen from the platform, about a dozen buildings in all. The most prominent are the station itself, which also serves as the postal office and jail, essentially housing all the government authorities present in the settlement; and the general store, which is itself little bigger than the few houses.
Winter Junction isn't meant to be a booming residential town, tough. The whole purpose is in its name. Winter Junction is simply a stopping off point for the rails headed in and out of Neverwinter, a day's horse ride Back East, about half a day by train from the city. Cargo is shipped here to be picked up by carriage or rider, and goods stop here to be inspected, when necessary, on their way in.
Of course, our story is concerned with folks heading away from the city. Folks going Out West, to the Frontier.
At present, there's one man and one wagon at the Winter Junction station platform. The wagon is heavily laden with basic goods: flour, salted pork, beer, shovels, picks, crowbars, lanterns, oil, and so on, perhaps a hundred dollars of the type of equipment needed for digging. The man is one Anders Hornby, the deputy stationmaster of Winter Junction. He's old and bent and thin, and wears simple clothing with a government cap on as he waits.
His waiting is almost over, as five figures simultaneously step onto the platform and approach the wagon. They've come from different walks of life, different places and pasts, but they're here for the same reason, now. They're westward bound, headed for Phandalin.
Greetings, all. Welcome to the Discussion thread for the campaign! For now go ahead and post in, and if you have any questions or concerns, let me know. I'll go over characters one more time to make sure we're all ready, and then I'll be putting up Gameplay shortly!
Greetings, all. Welcome to the Discussion thread for the campaign! For now go ahead and post in, and if you have any questions or concerns, let me know. I'll go over characters one more time to make sure we're all ready, and then I'll be putting up Gameplay shortly!
Hey all! Posting in with a bit of a half-baked idea but one that I don't honestly think would take long at all to finish. I've been working on other projects for bigger games that I hope to run at some point on here, but in the meanwhile I've decided to poke around to see if there's any interest for a concept I've been toying around with for a bit.
Essentially it boils down to the title of the thread. Imagine the fantasy elements and concepts of D&D and Pathfinder: magic and monsters, heroes and villains, brave fighters and cunning rogues, esoteric sages and men and women who fight for and with their faith. Now transpose that from the typical medieval setting to one more like a Wild West that Never Was. Instead of seeing heavily armored knights on their chargers, you have roaming gunfighters in dusters and ponchos. Delving into dungeons for lost treasures becomes searching for gold in abandoned mines, or gunning down the local bandit encampment for reward (and whatever riches of theirs you take in the process). Most of the general themes and ideas remain the same between the seemingly disparate genres, and I'd bet the transition for the most part would be simpler than you might think!
Part of this is probably the fact that I love Westerns, and I've run several Western games of varying seriousness and length over the years. I could open another Deadlands game, or even try Boot Hill on here, but I'd like to see if we can make this happen with 5E. Why? Because it's a very simple system, but (in my opinion) quite robust and capable of handling some very neat stuff. Plus I'd love to try out a world of Western fantasy filled with elves, dwarves, and hobgoblins, not just card-slinging mages and human pistoleros (although those are fun, and of course quite doable in this game concept as well).
In terms of mechanics, we'd start at level 1 and I'd be running the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure. It even kind of sounds like the name of a Western, right? For those who don't know it, it's a fairly straightforward and fun romp against goblins, bandits, and more, all in search of fabulous treasure in an abandoned mine. Pretty standard fare for both D&D and the Wild West, to my mind. The adventure runs from level 1 to level 5, but once we finish it if people want to continue on I'm certain we can!
That's all for now, so if this piques your interest, just give me a holler on here. Depending on how many people are intrigued, I'll either just do recruitment in here (after posting the necessary house rules and info) or open a new thread. Either way, I hope that maybe some of you lovely folks are willing to try out a nutty idea, and that you're as interested in seeing if it works as I am!
Hey all, and welcome to the discussion thread for the upcoming campaign. Hopefully we can start pretty soon, ideally by the end of the week, but for now this is just a place to say hey and get our characters together. If anybody wants any info, tips, feedback, or anything, post away with questions and comments. Otherwise this is just here to set things up for the full campaign.
Greetings, Paizo forumgoers! I'm posting here because I'm interested in running a game online here for some folks. I know I haven't always had the greatest track record with games in the past for various reasons--over the summer a game I recruited for fell through because of my own half-baked idea (fueled admittedly by finally marathoning Firefly and wanting to do a sci-fi game) as much as my feeling that the players weren't fully committed. The fact I was using a less well-known, older system that most folks didn't have access to didn't help either.
But this time around I've got plans for different things, ideas for what I can run and how I can do them, and I'm looking at actually using game systems that people know and can access. Assuming people are interested, they would need to be able to play the game I'd be using, whether that means prior experience or being able to access the game through the Internet or however.
That said, I'm hoping that there'll be some interest on here, and that's all this thread is for: interest. I won't post any hard rules on character creation just yet, but I'll mention some general ideas on systems and houserules. No need to post character concepts, definitely don't give me builds and expect me to look at them just yet, although if you want to discuss concepts you have based on a game idea, you can let me know. I'll be taking "votes" to some extent on deciding what to run, mainly because I'd want it to be something people are interested in.
So without further ado, let me give you a few details on ideas I have for games I'd like to run, and you can respond with what you'd be interested in doing, if anything!
Game 1: Jade Regent:
This is probably one of my favorite APs from Paizo, and it's the only one I have all 6 books for in hard copy. It's got a lot of great themes and stuff going on, and while I'll admit I don't love every individual nuance and detail, it's a lot of fun. I've started in in real life with a couple groups, hashed out a strange idea online here, and planned out a number of different paths and changes for it. That said, I've made a few change ideas over time, and the game would likely include a number of alterations to the exact story and encounters going on. I also plan on including at least limited gestalt or something of that nature, with the exact power level depending on what kind of game we want to play.
There are also a few subset variations of Jade Regent I could be interested in doing:
1: Vanilla. This would be a fairly normal version of Jade Regent, with a few substitutions of characters and events based on my own preferences. For the most part, though, the plot of the game would be fairly close to normal.
2: Jade Inheritance: In this version of the Adventure Path, the Oni have taken Minkai and been really consolidating their power in the region, and the PCs are much more closely linked to this from the beginning. At least one PC is actually a scion of an Imperial family, the heir to the throne. The family fled from the country to avoid the Oni takeover, seeking to avoid massacre at the hands of the fiends. Now the scion of the family and their friends and retainers must come out of hiding, quest to grow strong and build support with their allies, and take back the throne.
This could be done one of two ways: with the entire game taking place in Tian Xia, exploring a lot of tropes of wuxia and martial arts style stories; or starting in Varisia as normal, and exploring more of the journey trope and following more of the normal string of events. Not to say that events wouldn't be used in Tian Xia, because they would be adapted and used there, but it would have a very different flavor to it.
Either way, I'd be open to using plenty of thematic 3rd-party options for this AP, and would actively be using some of them to rebuild enemies. To give an idea, I have the Heroes of the East supplements from Little Red Goblin Games, and I'm a big fan of Dreamscarred Press (especially Path of War).
Game 2: Horror:
I've had a bit of a kick to run a horror game for a while now, and I've done a fair amount of planning out ideas, thinking about settings, and what I'd want to do with it. That said, this is fairly open-ended and I have no completely set plans on what system to use or what kind of setting. It could be anything from dark, gothic medieval, to Victorian or even Western (with or without elements of steampunk), to modern, or even futuristic or science-fictiony. The overall themes would revolve around a number of horror elements, and the tone would definitely be fairly dark, although not necessarily hopeless. As far as systems go I'd want something that isn't TOO filled with minutiae and fits the overall tone I'm looking for; World of Darkness would be a strong contender, at least for some settings, but I'm open to ideas as well.
Like I said, this one is fairly open-ended, but I've got plans and ideas, as I've been thinking about it for a long time. The main hope is that it would be pretty sandboxy and player-driven, although I'd have plotlines going on.
3: Shadowrun:
This is basically what it sounds like. I enjoy Shadowrun. It's a lot of fun, it's a neat system that fills a niche I haven't really seen in any other games I know of, and it can be very different than the usual fare you see in a lot of RPG groups and on these forums. It's been mentioned before to me by some folks that Shadowrun games are really scarce here, so I'd be happy to do one up with folks. We'd be using 4th Edition with a few houserules here and there.
4: And Now for Something Completely Different:
Basically whatever you'd want to play. Shoot suggestions at me, let me know what you're interested in doing. I won't run EVERYTHING or anything, I'll definitely shoot down suggestions of things I don't really want to run or don't feel I have the experience or talents to do well. And please don't ask me about Adventure Paths, because frankly I don't own the books for most of them and I'm nowhere near prepared to run any but Jade Regent or maybe Rise of the Runelords.
As far as this option goes, shout out anything else, though. System, genre, themes, whatever. Even just voice a character you really want to play and see if it sparks an idea or lines up with something other folks want to do. I've been playing and DMing for a long time so I'm comfortable with a lot.
I think that's about everything. Just let me know what ideas sound good to you, what you'd want to do. I'll keep an eye on this thread for a week or two, or until it seems like we have a strong consensus of folks who want to do something in particular. I'll then open an actual recruitment thread for that game, with "bonus points" for people who've posted here and then apply. If not, whatever, but let me know! And yes, this will be PbP here on these boards.
Male Human Commoner 2/ Philosopher 2/ Gamer 5/ Writer 5
Welcome, everyone, to the discussion for the game! This discussion thread will probably be used for general purposes and questions, and I may create new threads for separate gameplay threads if we end up going that way. For now, though, let's just get started with a few last-minute things.
1: New Skills--Lore
During the recruitment process, I started thinking about how we would represent what characters know. In the base Boot Hill, there aren't any knowledge skills, really, beyond special skills like Chemistry or the like; this makes a fair amount of sense, since the setting is the Wild West and there isn't a crazy amount of stuff to know about. In a setting as wide and varied as the 'Verse, though, there's a lot to hear about, and most folks don't know it all, no matter what they may say.
To solve the issue, then, I've decided to use something I'm calling Lore skills. Lore represents specific types of knowledge that aren't related directly to applicable skills--so you still need the Chemistry General Skill to know about mixing chemicals and that sort of thing, and knowing about starships doesn't make you any better at flying them. But having a Lore skill means that your character will know some information about most things that fall under its purview.
You get a number of Lore skills equal to half the Skill Points you got in character creation (3, 4, or 5). You also get to make your own Lore skills, although they need to be approved by me. Lore skills could be related to a political organization, types of technology, or anything else you can think of. I'll let you know if I approve your choice, or if you need to focus it down or even widen it out. Give it your best shot, and make sure it makes sense for your character!
2: Your Character on the Campaign Site
I've got all your characters on Obsidian Portal at this point, but they aren't quite finished yet. Check out what I've got so far here, but I'd like some things. First off, if you'd prefer a different short description for your character, let me know; second, if you don't have a picture for your character yet, try to find one; and third, if you could get me a brief bio of your character for their profile, that'd be great. Keep in mind this is just so folks can quickly and easily get a refresher of your character's appearance and personality, so you don't need to include all sorts of background information, especially if it isn't the sort of thing your character talks about frequently.
3: Thoughts on the Party
It's been mentioned that while we could keep this group all together as it is, it would also be fairly easy to break you up into multiple groups. As such, I'd like to hear from you all what you're thinking--would you rather stick together, would you want separate gameplay threads for different ships/groups, or would you want to be "together" but split into smaller groups most of the time? It's all up to you.
That should be everything for now, so just check in here--I'm hoping to get Gameplay going shortly. I'll also be drawing up an overview of how combat works in the game with some examples, since it's fairly complex compared to the rest of the game.
Long post below, hopefully the longest I ever have to put here.
Well, I was originally going to try and get a few quotes in this post to set the tone, but I couldn't find anything too quickly and I figure that you all can do more than enough to set up the tone of this game on your own, if you're interested! And that's part of the point of the game, too, as I'm about to explain.
The basic premise here is to set up a science fiction game with a lot of space western elements to it. Players can run characters of all different sorts, from frontier preachers to hired guns to merchants to anything else you can think of. Ideally we'll get together the crew of a ship, with characters filling all sorts of different roles, but for now think mainly about what kind of character YOU want to play--anything important can be filled in with NPCs and the like.
The other important concept here is that you, the players, will flesh out the setting. Together in recruitment and discussion we'll work out some of the big, important details to begin with, but when it comes to most of the specific things, you guys will get the chance to create information regarding the setting. Of course, I'll get to do the same thing through exposition and NPCs, but through characters in gameplay we'll get to see the world come alive in a dynamic, natural way. You won't have to sift through pages upon pages of information before game start to figure out where your character is from and what they did before now: you get to make it up yourself! I'm taking this page out of a few other RPGs with similar mechanics, and I've seen it work pretty well there in the past. If you have questions on how this is going to work, then let me know and I can explain further.
Anyway, I'm sure you all want to know about character creation and rules for the game. We'll be running with the 3rd edition of the Boot Hill Western Roleplaying Game, which is fairly rules-light on most things, but has complex (and deadly!) gunfighting rules. This means the game will be mostly character- and story-driven without too much concern about skill checks or anything of that nature. For the most part, the basic mechanic for skills and the like comes down to rolling a d20, perhaps with a small modifier, and trying to get a result equal to or below your rating in the skill in question. It's as simple as that!
The character creation process is outlined in spoilers below; you will, of course, want something of a character concept in mind before starting.
Step One--Attributes:
Boot Hill has 5 Attributes: Strength, Coordination, Observation, Stature, and Luck. Strength is your character's physical power, stamina, and endurance; Coordination is their dexterity, agility, and reaction; Observation is their perceptiveness and vigilance; Stature is how well-known they are; and Luck is just what it sounds like. You'll note there aren't stats for intelligence or charisma: those are based entirely on how you choose to play the character! Make a level-headed fistfighter or a terse simpleton of a pilot--it doesn't much matter!
To generate your attributes, roll 2d10 5 times, then add the following modifiers to each of the 5 remaining rolls:
2-5: +5
6-10: +3
11-14: +2
15-17: +1
18-20: +0
Then arrange the attributes however you want from there, but keep in mind that your Stature and Luck attributes will be halved (round up) to achieve the total. Most Attributes rate from 1 to 20, with 10 being average; the exception is Luck, which only goes up to 10. This means that while you might start out as a lucky individual, your Stature will most likely be below average--after all, you're fairly new on the scene and haven't made a legend for yourselves yet!
If you roll a particularly low set up attributes, don't worry because it means you get more skills (see below). But if you really would like to petition for a reroll, you only need ask.
Step Two--Skills:
There are a LOT of skills in Boot Hill, and believe it or not I've cut down on them some. The important thing to keep in mind is that there are two types of skills: Weapon Skills, which have simple ratings of 1, 2, etc., and improve your ability to handle weapons of that kind; and General Skills, which are rated like Attributes and represent training in other areas (although some General Skills are useful in combat!)
You get a number of skills at character creation based on the total of your rolled attributes:
27-40: 10
41-62: 8
63-80: 6
You can only put up to half of these initial skills into Weapon Skills; that is to say, at least half of your skills must be General Skills. When you put a point into a Weapon Skill, you gain a rating of 1 in that skill, and you can buy up to 3 at character creation; for example, spending 1 point on Pistols gives you a rating of 1 in that skill, and spending 2 points gives you a rating of 2. When buying General Skills, however, you roll 2d10 and add a modifier just like you did for your Attributes. You select all your General Skills before rolling, then allocate the results as you choose.
The list of skills is in a spoiler below.
Skills and Descriptions:
Weapon Skills
-Automatics: This skill covers the use of most automatic weaponry, including assault rifles and submachine guns. Automatics are expensive, uncommon, and prone to more wear and tear than other weapons, but they're truly fearsome when they work.
-Blades: This skill covers the use of most melee weapons that can kill a man--knives, swords, axes, and all manner of sharp-and-pointies. The dangerous end goes in the other guy.
-Brawling: This skill covers the less elegant sort of close combat--punching, wrestling, and smashing whatever's at hand over the other guy's head.
-Energy Weapons: This skill covers using the most technologically advanced weaponry out there--lasers and the like. These are a little different than other firearms for several reasons, and while they're potentially the most deadly and accurate weapons, they're also the most likely to break down--and the hardest to fix.
-Pistols: This skill is used for just what it sounds like: handheld small arms. They aren't always the most powerful or longest-ranged, but a reliable old six-shooter that fires is better than a tuned-up hogleg that doesn't. "Automatic" pistols are also covered in this skill.
-Rifles: This skill covers all manner of longarms that don't fire more than once per trigger pull. From shotguns to snipers, if it's long enough to get a second hand on there, this is the skill you want.
General Skills
-Assaying: This skill enables a character to assess the value of various items and materials, from minerals to tech.
-Bureaucracy: This skill gives a character knowledge of the law and legal channels; perhaps they once practiced law, or have simply had a number of dealings with legal officers and know the ins and outs of things.
-Chemistry: This skill gives the character knowledge and training in the use of various chemicals; they know the makeup of most common materials and chemicals, and can use this to their advantage.
-Communications: This skill represents knowledge of various communcations technology and methods, and can be used to establish contact in adverse conditions and keep a comm array working.
-Cooking: This skill is just what it sounds like: the ability to whip up a good dish. A lot of ships don't keep much fresh produce on board, and it takes a good cook to make another night of soy protein interesting.
-Driving: This skill is used for controlling ground vehicles, whether they're wheeled or tracked. A number of frontier worlds have few if any cars or such, but they do offer a faster method of transport than other ground options.
-Engineering: This skill gives a character knowledge and training in engineering of some kind. The most common sort of engineering used in the frontier is ship engineering, which lets a mechanic keep the crew flying, but other types of engineering have their place. The basic version of the Engineering skill represents the sort of training expected of a ship mechanic; other kinds should be specified when taken.
-Explosives: This skill is used for handling explosives of almost all kinds, from dynamite to the most advanced chemical and plastic explosives available.
-Farming: This skill means a character knows how to grow crops and raise livestock, probably from having grown up on a farm or plantation of some kind. The skill can be used to identify plants and animals, as well as care for them.
-Fast Draw: This skill is used to get a gun--or other weapon--up and ready for fighting as quickly as possible. It is mainly used in close-range gunfights; after all, when everyone's close enough that they'll probably hit with any given shot, it's the first one that counts. Note that while this skill seems like one every gunhand would want--and in some ways it is--it's really only necessary for someone who wants to haul iron REAL quick. And if you try and fail to use it in a fight, it sets you back further than drawing normal-like.
-Gambling: This skill offers experience and instinct when playing games of "chance," mainly various card games.
-Gunnery: This skill is used for large-scale weapons, from field artillery to ship-mounted cannon. Due to how much large guns differ from small arms, this isn't a Weapon Skill and doesn't follow the usual rules for combat.
-Gunsmithing: This skill gives a character the know-how to build and repair most manner of firearms, although particularly complex equipment (such as most energy weapons) may require additional skills to fully comprehend. It also allows a character to cast their own ammunition if necessary.
-Leadership: This skill represents to some extent a character's natural charisma, but more than this it gives a character training in how to speak to people, commanding and persuading them. This skill can be used for social interactions involving diplomacy or intimidation, depending on the situation.
-Linguistics: This skill gives a character knowledge of language in all its forms, including skill at writing. One-quarter this skill's rating (rounded down) is the number of additional languages the character can speak (every character can speak a language).
-Medicine: This skill represents training in medical practice that goes beyond basic first aid knowledge. The character may have been a full surgeon, or just had extensive hands-on experience with tutoring. Note that while this gives a character the aptitude, it does not guarantee the tools; most ships have basic medical gear for dealing with common illnesses or basic injuries, but surgery of most kinds require special equipment.
-Navigation: This skill is used to chart--and blaze--paths across the cosmos. In the modern day this skill typically represents astronavigation, giving the knowledge to find a safe and efficient route between planets and systems, but terrestrial navigation is still practiced by guides on frontier planets. The base form of this skill represents navigation as it is used in space, but its second form--often called Orienteering--is also available as a separate skill.
-Performance: This skill gives a character the aptitude to put on an entertaining performance of some kind, from music to dance to acting to more mature endeavors. This skill represents a certain type of performance each time it is taken, although they are typically broad categories. In certain cases it can also assist in some social interactions, especially deceptions.
-Physics: This skill offers a character training and knowledge of physical science, including many of the advances made during the space age. While more theoretical than practical, knowledge of how space travel and other technologies work can often assist in other activities.
-Piloting: This skill represents a character's ability to fly a ship. While more advanced ships can have autopilot programs for long-distance travel, a skilled pilot at the controls can perform maneuvers to outrun pursuit (or pursue) and go off the beaten... path?
-Prospecting: This skill enables a character to quickly look for and recover all manner of salvageable goods. While originally used just for mining-type activities, in the modern day this can also be used for other activities, such as scavenging.
-Riding: This skill gives a character the ability to control a live mount. Horses and other beasts of burden are still in common use on many frontier worlds where vehicles are too expensive or unreliable, and while most folks are able to stay on a well-trained animal, it takes a skilled rider to perform tricks or fight from horseback.
-Smithing: This skill shows a character knows how to work with different kinds of metal materials; it includes not only basic smithing, but welding and other advanced metalwork. It is commonly used for practical maintenance of a ship's hull, as well as other metal goods.
-Stealth: This skill represents a character's aptitude at skulking about, moving unseen and unheard.
-Survival: This skill gives a character the knowledge and experience to make their way through wilderness on the frontier. It covers everything from identifying edible plants and potable water, to tracking game, to scouting terrain for a safe place to camp.
-Tactics: This skill allows a character to gain knowledge about strategy for combat, from small teams to large armies, and also enables them to potentially predict what an opponent might attempt. This skill can be used at the beginning of combat to give a side a bonus to their initiative throughout the fight, as well as to potentially gain some advice on what could be done in the combat (although a failed roll will result in faulty planning).
-Theology: This skill represents knowledge of religion of all kinds. Perhaps the character is ordained themselves, or they may be simply interested in religious studies. Using this skill can potentially assist in social interactions with characters who are believers in a given faith.
-Thievery: This skill gives a character the know-how to commit all manner of roguish acts, from smuggling to picking pockets.
-Throwing: This skill allows a character to accurately throw items or weapons by hand, often used for knives and grenades. The character's chance to hit uses their Throwing skill rather than their Coordination attribute.
-Trading: This skill means a character has experience buying, selling, and bartering all types of goods. It enables a character to help get a good deal in their business interactions. This skill can occasionally help with social interactions of other kinds as well.
Since this is getting to be a bit much I'm going to break up the rest of the recruitment information into a second post below.
Let me begin by saying that this is just a preliminary interest check to gauge interest and see if there's anybody who'd be interested in playing. Feel free to spitball character concepts and the like right now, but don't worry much about hard stats or anything just yet. We'll get there if people want to do so.
Anyway, I've been getting the itch to do a game like this for a little while now, and with more free time on my plate than I've had in the past, I think it's as good a time as any to get it started. The basic concept is that the game will take place in a pretty malleable science-fiction setting, including many common tropes with a definite space western flavor to it. Players will take on the roles of, well, potentially anyone--probably starting out as a crew of a ship or some such (note that a definite influence in my head for this game's concept is Firefly), but as time goes on and if more people want to join, multiple threads could arise and many different folks could join in as different kinds of characters in different regions. True, that's pretty ambitious and down-the-line thinking, but it gives an idea of where I'd hope this could go.
Now, the setting is pretty open at the beginning because I'd love to try taking a page out of RPGs like One Last Job and give you, the players, lots of room to create setting details and information about your characters, rather than using any sort of established setting or facing the daunting task of creating my own. So, a key concept for this game would be that the players (through their characters) are able to create information on the setting, from important figures to planet names to the main model of firearm used by a given gang. So long as everyone else is okay with this information, it becomes "canon" in the game--at least on some level. Maybe when you get to that planet you discover that the name's been changed by its new leader, or perhaps the gang doesn't use Resetti Mk. V revolvers--they use Rosetti Mark Five assault rifles, an entirely different beast. In any case, I think this would be an interesting way to keep things open and let the players jointly create a universe to play around in. Obviously we'd need to decide ahead of time the general tone for the setting--while plotting a course from Albon 4 to Yoodledoop might be amusing, it would probably begin to strain suspension of disbelief.
As for ruleset, right now I'm thinking of using (modified, of course) the rules from the 3rd edition of Boot Hill, the old Western RPG from TSR. Boot Hill is fairly rules-light when it comes to general actions, which will help keep things roleplaying-focused: most rolls are simply a d20, and if you roll equal to or lower than your relevant attribute or skill, you succeed. It's fairly complex and notoriously deadly when it comes to gunfights, though. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing in this situation, though: I think it may even potentially dissuade characters from starting fights without good reason to do so, and may even keep things less combat-focused and more about story and character development.
Now, I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it may not appeal to anyone on the boards, but I figured I'd put this up to see if anybody's interested. I'll keep checking this as regularly as I can for a while, and if there's enough interest here we can hash out any questions and get up a real recruitment thread with more info on character creation and rules. If you think this might be intriguing to try out, though, definitely post your interest below!
Alright everyone, welcome to discussion. Here we'll do out of character chatter, questions, commentary, jokes, banter, and so on and so forth. For right now, though, we'll use this as a spot to get the group together, mention character concepts and the like, and talk about importants.
We'll run on usual 400 BP for this game, with most of the typical restrictions. I've got the same books on file as you guys, so pretty much anything goes within reason. I reserve the right to veto options that seem too out there or crazy powerful. When building characters, keep in mind that I'm hoping this game finds a balance on the spectrum, but leans a little more toward black hat than pink mohawk. That said, the notorious Grinder Dandelion may make an appearance, so there's a baseline.
Also, do you guys want to keep just this group in the mix, or would you be open to bringing in some other folks? Whether recruiting on here or maybe even people we know who'd be interested.
Hoi! There you are, chummer. Was wondering where you'd gotten off to. I'd hate to see you disappear so soon. Although maybe disappearing isn't such a bad idea. Given the circumstances.
But that's not what you're here for, is it? No, you're looking for something a little more interesting than just going off the grid. You're looking to go under it. You aren't content to keep going through the routine of life with all the other wageslaves out there. The daily grind, working your fingers to the bone and kissing your boss's ass just to get one step ahead. And even then, you're still so far beneath the real big shots that it barely seems worth laughing. Am I right, omae?
Of course I am. The whole thing's a pile of drek. And that's why you came to see me.
Slot and run though, right? We're both busy, so I'll get to the point. You've got some smarts, some skills. I've heard of your work, not too shabby. Between you and me, I think you might have a shot. But if you wanna run the shadows more than a week before having your head show up on somebody's desk, you'll need more than that. I can hook you up with people I know--not personally, you understand, but through business--and you do the jobs. I take my cut, you take yours, the Johnson walks away with whatever they want, everybody wins. Sounds like a milk run, right? Wrong. But don't worry, chummer--that's what you've got me for.
So get out of here, I got another potential client showing up in, oh, three minutes. Line's short, looks like I'll be able to get another cup of soykaf before they get here. You good to go? Wiz. Here's my number, my work number, so you'll know who I am when I call. Yeah, I call you, never the other way, got it? Otherwise we get who-knows-who on both our heads, and we don't need that.
Alright, I'll see you out in the sprawl, chummer. Oh, and remember: Watch your back. Shoot straight. Conserve ammo. And never, ever, make a deal with a dragon.
Greetings, chummers. For right now this is a private recruitment for some friends, but depending on how things go, it might open up for a couple other people to join if folks are interested. For now, though, I'd like those of you I've invited to post here and move to Discussion to talk more.
How disruptive/game-breaking do you think it would be to offer archetype's options for abilities granted by a class in a piecemeal system? Trading what you don't want for what you want, from any base class or archetype. Obviously, common sense and a good GM who has some control of his players will be needed, and I would never suggest using this for anything near an official game, but what (if any) huge problems do you foresee?
Yes, I was playing Super Smash Bros. recently. BUT, my point stands.
Have I made a point yet? Here it is:
I'd like to see what you guys can offer to make the Falcon Punch, that wonder of wonders when it comes to utterly obliterating everything in your path with a single punch, a possibility in Pathfinder. If it can easily be accomplished by monks, that'd be even better, as they really could use something like this to up the ante. If the only way it can be done is through homebrew, then so be it--I'd gladly use such an option in my own games. But if it can be done via actual feats and abilities in the game, so much the better!
Please note that I've already seen this thread, and while it's an interesting premise, I don't quite like it. I'd probably use it as a springboard for other possible archetypes, though.
What the Falcon Punch is:
You can use this video as a slight reference to show you the sheer power of a good Falcon Punch.
Essentially, though, it's really, really, really g&%@@@ned powerful. And harnesses fire, generally speaking. In PF terms, it includes the following:
High damage
Possible fire damage (this would be excellent)
Windup Time: The Falcon Punch is slow. It's not meant to be part of a Flurry of Blows or something--it's a slow, really powerful punch.
I've got some ideas in mind of how it could be done, with different feat paths, but I don't quite like the end result enough to truly dub it the FALCON PUNCH. So I come to you, community!
We be Licktoads, we make raid!
Put the longshanks to the blade!
Burn them up from feet to head,
Make them hurt, then make them dead!
Cut the parents into ham,
Smush the babies into jam!
All the rest in pot get stewed,
We be goblins--YOU BE FOOD!
You are goblins of the Licktoad tribe, who live deep in Brinestump Marsh, south of the hated longshanks-town called Sandpoint. Once, other goblins tried to burn Sandpoint down, and they would have been legends if they had succeeded. But they didn’t bring enough fire, and got themselves killed as a result. What idiots! Good thing you're not like them.
Yesterday, your tribe discovered that one of your own had been using forbidden arts and was engaged in one of the greatest of taboos—writing things down. In fact, rumor holds that what he was writing was a history of your tribe! There’s no swifter way to bring about bad luck than stealing words out of your mind by writing them down, and so your tribe had no choice. You branded the goblin’s face with letters to punish him, which is why everyone calls him Scribbleface now, and then you ran him out of town, took all of his stuff, and burned down his hut. Good fun all around!
But here's where things got interesting! Before you all burned down his hut, Chief Gutwad found a weird box in the building. Inside was a map and a lot of fireworks--fireworks that immediately came to use in burning the hut down. Then, this morning, Gutwad announced that tonight there would be a feast in order to drive out any lingering bad luck from
Scribbleface’s poor decisions. But even more exciting, all of you have been secretly invited to meet at Chief Gutwad’s Moot House. Why would the chief want to speak to you? It can only mean that he’s got an important mission for you all... one that the other goblins of the tribe couldn’t pull off. This could be your chance to go down in Licktoad history!
And why not? After all, you're big, important goblins! But do you even know who those other goblins around you are? Right now you're outside the Chief's Moot House--His Mighty Girthiness is probably informing his speaker Slorb what to say--so take a chance to tell each other how big and strong you are. Oh, what you look like might not be bad either.
I ran this with my IRL group when they were starting out, since most of them had never played a tabletop RPG before (the only one who had had bad experience with 4e). I found it worked especially well with those who'd played video games, because it kind of mimics the tutorials there that teach you how to play.
The basic concept is that Skippy (or whoever) is the local retired adventurer who is willing to teach new adventurers how to survive in combat. It goes through attacks, AC, saves, different combat maneuvers, that sort of thing. Covers rules on flanking and such. I was going to include sections on cover, concealment, etc. but I also wanted to get on with the adventure, so I moved on before covering that.
Posting this here because I saw a thread about someone wanting to learn the rules of combat, etc. I was wondering, has anyone else run something like this? How did it go, what did you do, what would you change? And, do you think this is the sort of thing that could be feasibly accomplished in Play-by-Post?
Welcome, goblins and bugbear! Make yourselves at home, discuss with one another, just don't keep fighting.
I hope to get the game going in a few days. For now, please look over your sheets and finish any formatting or changes that need to be done. Some of you aren't quite in proper format. I'd also like for your fluff to be in your profile along with stats for ease of reference. Thanks!
Greetings from GM Armadillephant, also known as His Girthiness Chief Gutwad! You have no-doubt begun to read this out of curiosity, perhaps confusion, and maybe even a slight amount of interest. After all, you may be asking yourself,
“A Jade Goblin Adventure Path? Doesn’t this fool mean Jade Regent? What game is he playing at?”
The game I’m playing at is Pathfinder, and I want to bring to light a campaign that’s only been hinted and guessed at in the past. I want to run the Jade Regent Adventure Path, complete with We Be Goblins prologue, with an ALL-GOBLIN PARTY.
Even this notion may make many of you turn tail and leave this thread. Some of you may find it aberrant or abhorrent; some may quaver with fear or disgust, and some may weep openly at this travesty of all that is right in the world. However, I don’t believe I’m wrong when I say that some of you--only some, mind you--some of you may just be intrigued and interested enough to want to join me!
And to you, I say: You green-skinned, balloon-headed, psychotic little freaks! Get over here, let’s have some fun!
Now, I’m sure you’re all wondering just how this will work. Don’t worry, I’m taking care of it all on the GM side of things. What you need to do is make characters for this game!
Character Creation:
Races: I’m mainly looking for goblins, of course, but hobgoblins are also acceptable. Note, though, that if you play a hobgoblin, you get one fewer trait (you still get a campaign trait). There is also a campaign trait that allows you to play a (slightly weakened) bugbear as your race.
Classes: I’m going to be open here and say that everything is allowed. Please don’t abuse this, though--I don’t want to see 1st-level goblin synthesists who can fly or turn invisible or something like that.
Alignment: I don't have any restrictions, but keep in mind that playing evil is probably going to be best. What variety of evil you espouse is up to you!
Ability Points: I like to keep things equal, and you’re playing as a bunch of goblins, so we’re using the 20 point-buy method to make characters, with one exception: EVERY POINT COSTS THE SAME. Raising 10 to 11 costs 1 point; raising 17 to 18 costs one point. This will help with any funky MAD builds you want, and it makes strong (or charismatic) goblins more doable.
Starting Wealth: Average for your class. Keep in mind, however, that you’re goblins living in a swamp. If you have a cold iron greatsword, I’m going to be asking how you got that. Just explain it in your backstory if you have anything unusual. You must also have a named lucky pet toad. This is something the Licktoads do. Keep in mind, the more goblin-y your equipment is, the more I’m going to like your goblin! Include some random knick-knacks and oddities (and don’t worry about encumberance, I won’t count them against your carrying capacity at all).
Traits: I’m allowing 2 traits and a campaign trait from the link below. Keep in mind, though, that if you’re playing a hobgoblin, you only get 1 trait and a campaign trait, and if you want to play a bugbear, you will take that campaign trait, meaning you only get 2 other traits. My campaign traits probably seem a little powerful; they’re supposed to. If you own Ultimate Campaign, I’ll allow you to take a drawback for a third trait. That extra trait can’t be used on a campaign trait, even if you’re a bugbear.
Vital Strike: This feat (and all its later improvements) is usable during any action where you take a single attack. This includes the attack standard action, using Spring Attack, and charging. It does not include Whirlwind Attack.
Agile Maneuvers/Weapon Finesse/Dervish Dance: These feats are rolled into two new feats--Combat Finesse and Improved Combat Finesse.
Combat Finesse
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13
Benefit: As the Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse feats.
Improved Combat Finesse
Prerequisites: Combat Finesse, Dexterity 17, Base Attack Bonus +2
Benefit: When using any finessable weapon, you may substitute your Dexterity modifier for the Strength modifier when calculating damage. You still take any Strength penalty to your damage roll. You don’t add 1.5 times your Dexterity modifier in damage with a two-handed finessable weapon.
Normal: You use Strength to calculate damage on melee attacks.
Special: With GM clearance, you may apply the benefits of this feat, as well as Combat Finesse, to certain weapons if you have taken the Weapon Focus feat for that weapon, even if those weapons are not normally finessable.
DO NOT nitpick or criticize/critique/comment on those feats, please and thanks. The intent is clear, and as they’re houseruled in, they don’t need to be perfect.
HP: At each level up you will gain 1/2+1 hit points, plus your Constitution modifier. For example, a fighter with a Constitution score of 14 would gain 8 hit points at 2nd level (10*.5+1+2=5+1+2=8).
Coup de Grace: If you attack an enemy outside of combat (which usually counts as the surprise round) and they were completely unaware of the attack, it counts as a coup de grace against them even though they were not helpless. There is also another new homebrew feat to go with this (again, please don’t pick it apart).
Skulking Killer
Prerequisites: Sneak attack +1d6, Stealth 2 ranks
Benefit: You may coup de grace an enemy in combat as long as that enemy is completely unaware of your attack, even if they are not helpless (at the GM's discretion). The coup de grace is still a full-round action.
Combat Maneuvers: You are allowed to Bull Rush and Reposition enemies into dangerous squares, because why shouldn’t you be able to? Also, the disarm and sunder (on weapons only) maneuvers do not provoke attacks of opportunity, since you’re targeting the weapon. And I don’t know if the great sunder debate is still going on, but in my book, it replaces any melee attack.
Class Alignments: Antipaladins do not have to be Chaotic Evil, they can be any evil. Monks do not have to be lawful.
Alright, I think that’s everything. I’m looking for good roleplaying ability and examples along with competent crunch on these characters, so make sure to have a good little backstory or other sampling of your goblin! I’m ideally looking for 7 players--one for each campaign trait--but I’m not against anywhere between 4 and 8. Also, I’m only accepting 1 bugbear and 2 hobgoblins at most, so submitting one of those does potentially create more competition for you. That said, I’d love to see neat bugbears and/or hobgoblins.
Good luck and have fun, everybody! Recruitment is open until I close it, and I’m happy to answer any questions.
We be Licktoads, we make raid!
Put the longshanks to the blade!
Burn them up from feet to head,
Make them hurt, then make them dead!
Cut the parents into ham,
Smush the babies into jam!
All the rest in pot get stewed,
We be goblins--YOU BE FOOD!
You are goblins of the Licktoad tribe, who live deep in Brinestump Marsh, south of the hated longshanks-town called Sandpoint. Once, other goblins tried to burn Sandpoint down, and they would have been legends if they had succeeded. But they didn’t bring enough fire, and got themselves killed as a result. What idiots! Good thing you're not like them.
Yesterday, your tribe discovered that one of your own had been using forbidden arts and was engaged in one of the greatest of taboos—writing things down. In fact, rumor holds that what he was writing was a history of your tribe! There’s no swifter way to bring about bad luck than stealing words out of your mind by writing them down, and so your tribe had no choice. You branded the goblin’s face with letters to punish him, which is why everyone calls him Scribbleface now, and then you ran him out of town, took all of his stuff, and burned down his hut. Good fun all around!
But here's where things got interesting! Before you all burned down his hut, Chief Gutwad found a weird box in the building. Inside was a map and a lot of fireworks--fireworks that immediately came to use in burning the hut down. Then, this morning, Gutwad announced that tonight there would be a feast in order to drive out any lingering bad luck from
Scribbleface’s poor decisions. But even more exciting, all of you have been secretly invited to meet at Chief Gutwad’s Moot House. Why would the chief want to speak to you? It can only mean that he’s got an important mission for you all... one that the other goblins of the tribe couldn’t pull off. This could be your chance to go down in Licktoad history!
And why not? After all, you're big, important goblins! But do you even know who those other goblins around you are? Right now you're outside the Chief's Moot House--His Mighty Girthiness is probably informing his speaker Slorb what to say--so take a chance to tell each other how big and strong you are. Oh, what you look like might not be bad either.
Alright, everybody, good to have you here! It took a while to figure out just who to choose, but you are the lucky six I've selected!
Feel free to take a look at one another's profiles and backstories, and perhaps start figuring out ways to intertwine your main characters so you already know each other.
However, let's not get ahead of ourselves! First it's time to play as the goblins...
To that end, there's mainly one issue here: two of you have selected to play Mogmurch, the alchemist pre-gen. This is a simple conflict to fix; someone will, unfortunately, have to change. The simplest alteration would be to take on Chuffy the Rogue, an equally disturbing and sadistic little SOB. Or, you can take the opportunity upon yourself to craft a unique goblin of your own! Whichever you prefer.
I'll probably be starting up gameplay in a day or two.
Great to have you all, and I hope to have many long months/years of fun running you through this!
Hundreds of years ago, a calamity struck an ancient nation. Their rulers were displaced, and an evil threat took power. This tale has been lost for decades... But now, it rises once more.
Greetings, fellow Paizoites! I, the Armadillephant GameMaster, have come to offer you a new chance at glory and excitement! All the facets of a great legend abound: comedy, danger, thrills, chills, good and evil, true love and deepest hate, ancient curses, high magics, and a quest for the fate of a nation!
But, to get there, you'll have to bear with my... whims.
You see, the above statements qualify the Jade Regent Adventure Path, friends, an excellent campaign which I seek to guide several erstwhile (read: excited) adventurers through to completion. But, this Adventure Path has a prequel: the WE BE GOBLINS module!
...Which I will be running first!
You may ask how this will work, and I will tell you. You will have two characters in this game: one who will have vast power and the greatest adventure of their lives... and the other, who is not a goblin. Still, I expect that your non-goblin Player Character will also see their share of adventure, and who knows? Perhaps they will conclude their story having succeeded in their mission, rather than at the end of a sword.
But, enough chatter, I'm sure you're interested in finding out how exactly all of this will work.
You will be creating one or two characters for this campaign. Necessarily, you will construct a "main" PC for the actual Jade Regent AP; however, you will also be running a goblin for the prequel module. For this goblin, you may either use one of the pre-generated goblin PCs in the We Be Goblins module, or you can create your own using the below rules. I personally promote the d20pfsrd for character creation.
Rules for Creating a Goblin PC:
Point Buy: 15. The goblins are heroes among their people, but they’re actually not that special.
Classes Available: All but the antipaladin, magus, ninja, paladin, samurai, or wizard. I also allow all official Paizo archetypes.
Races: Goblin, obviously!
Traits: You get 1. Just 1.
Equipment: You get a melee weapon, a ranged weapon (if you choose a throwing weapon, you get 1d8), a set of light armor if you want it, two potions of 1st-level spells, and miscellaneous other equipment befitting a goblin of little to no use or value. You MUST have a lucky pet toad with a name. Think of this equipment partially as a way to make the character, and partially as a way to role-play your goblin. If you want other gear, you can put in a request to me, which will be taken into consideration.
Other: You have to have something distinctly goblin-esque about your character. A specific goblin feat, trait, or archetype would fit this. I don’t need a big backstory for your goblin; you’re just a goblin, after all.
Main Character Creation Rules:
Allowed Books: Essentially anything Paizo and on d20pfsrd.com is allowed, including, but not limited to, the CRB, APG, UC, UM, UE, ARG, and others. I also suggest the Jade Regent Player’s Guide.
Point Buy: 20. Unlike the goblins, the main adventurers here are destined for greatness, and have the capabilities to survive dangerous tasks.
Allowed Races: I prefer core and featured races (like the demi-human outsiders), but even a relatively unusual race could be a part of the group if you have a good backstory to explain it. However, keep in mind that you’ll be dealing with a lot of good characters as well as townsfolk, so being a “monstrous” race probably won’t work well, if at all. You’d need a really good backstory, and have to be willing to face the RP issues.
Allowed Classes: I won’t disallow anything at this time, but certain classes may not have the easiest time in this AP. Especially the gunslinger. I’m not saying you can’t play one--taking on the challenge might prove very interesting--but keep in mind that guns aren’t a huge part of the AP in the first place.
Skills: You get an extra skill point at each level to be placed in a Craft, Perform, or Profession skill (or, with special permission, another skill that represents a non-combat skill you possess). This particular skill is a class skill for you.
Traits: You get 3 traits, and one of them has to be a campaign trait from the Player’s Guide.
Starting Gold: Average for your class.
Background: I don’t need a novel--though I’ll certainly read one, as I tend to write long backstories myself--but I do require a background for your character, or the submission isn’t considered complete. Just let me know a bit about the character, maybe their appearance or how they took up their profession now. The campaign trait will automatically link you to at least one important NPC.
House Rules:
Vital Strike: This feat (and all its later improvements) is usable during any action where you take a single attack. This includes the attack standard action, using Spring Attack, and charging. It does not include Whirlwind Attack.
Agile Maneuvers/Weapon Finesse/Dervish Dance: These feats are rolled into two new feats--Combat Finesse and Improved Combat Finesse.
Combat Finesse
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13
Benefit: As the Agile Maneuvers and Weapon Finesse feats.
Improved Combat Finesse
Prerequisites: Combat Finesse, Dexterity 17, Base Attack Bonus +2
Benefit: When using any finessable weapon, you may substitute your Dexterity modifier for the Strength modifier when calculating damage. You still take any Strength penalty to your damage roll. You don’t add 1.5 times your Dexterity modifier in damage with a two-handed finessable weapon.
Normal: You use Strength to calculate damage on melee attacks.
Special: With GM clearance, you may apply the benefits of this feat, as well as Combat Finesse, to certain weapons if you have taken the Weapon Focus feat for that weapon, even if those weapons are not normally finessable.
DO NOT nitpick or criticize/critique/comment on those feats, please and thanks. The intent is clear, and as they’re houseruled in, they don’t need to be perfect.
HP: At each level up you will gain 1/2+1 hit points, plus your Constitution modifier. For example, a fighter with a Constitution score of 14 would gain 8 hit points at 2nd level (10*.5+1+2=5+1+2=8).
Coup de Grace: If you attack an enemy outside of combat (which usually counts as the surprise round) and they were completely unaware of the attack, it counts as a coup de grace against them even though they were not helpless. There is also another new homebrew feat to go with this (again, please don’t pick it apart).
Skulking Killer
Prerequisites: Sneak attack +1d6, Stealth 2 ranks
Benefit: You may coup de grace an enemy in combat as long as that enemy is completely unaware of your attack, even if they are not helpless (at the GM's discretion). The coup de grace is still a full-round action.
That’s all for now, though others may be forthcoming.
About myself and the campaign:
As a member of a race of few--and very few of whom partake in RPGs--I find myself seeking to be as tolerant as possible when it comes to different things. I’d like to make you comfortable and make this campaign as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved. If there’s something you’d like to know or try, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m relatively accepting of even 3rd party material, but run it by me first.
As a senior in high school, though, I must admit that my schedule can get very busy from time to time. Particularly in upcoming days, I may be swamped with work and unable to post for a day or two. Once summer rolls around I should be more available.
I’m in the Eastern U.S. Time Zone, and I post in the afternoon and evening on most weekdays, though I can sometimes get on during a free period at school, or in the morning. Weekends, I will post whenever I’m able to get on.
I currently am involved as a player in several different games here on the forums, and also run a Fallout-based campaign. I’ve been considering doing a Victorian-esque homebrew as well. As may be apparent, this is the most orthodox Pathfinder game I’ve considered running.
This campaign should be enjoyable. It should have a good amount of combat, but I’m also looking for good roleplayers who will make it amusing and interesting. I’m also looking for team players--if you’re here with the “sooo grimdark, I’m so evil and angsty” character, it probably won’t work. Not to say I won’t consider it--but it had better be a pretty damn good character to get a good shot.
I’m looking for a party from 4 to 6, and one spot is reserved, though I don’t know what the player will be playing just yet. I’m not against having multiple characters with similar skill-sets, but ideally, the party will be well-balanced. To that end, it’s more likely that I’d pick a barbarian and a zen archer than a barbarian and a two-handed fighter, but all bets are off.
Submissions are open until declared otherwise! I don’t know how soon the campaign will start, but hopefully it won’t take too long! Remember, I need a goblin character (or a decision on which from the module you’d want) and a main character with a background. Aliases aren’t required just yet, and I don't need a stat sheet until we get to the selection phase (although you can draft one up as soon as you like), and for the sake of simplicity, you can use your main alias for the goblin PC if you don’t want to create separate aliases.
So, I'm not sure if this is just me getting inspiration from some recently-watched movies and whatnot, or if this is the sort of thing that anyone else would care about, but what's the interest level for an almost-modern RPG? I say Victorian just because that's the sort of culture I'm thinking, but it may also end up 18th century style just as easily.
Note that I wouldn't want this to be any sort of full-out steampunk or anything, so if you're not into that, don't be driven off! (Of course, if you are into steampunk, please don't be driven off by that statement!) Just, the time period is interesting, and I'm wondering what it'd be like to set something in then.
As for rules, I'm thinking I'll run off the basic PF rules that we know and love (or at least are content with for the most part), but with some updates of my own. Mainly, I'm looking at some new classes and tweaking races around to make things interesting. I'm not sure just what feel I'm going for--horror, maybe? We'll see--but I do know that magic will not be as widespread as it is in most games, and there will be almost no magical healing (don't worry, I know a way to deal with that).
Keep in mind that this is going to be a good deal in the making, what sort of interest might there be on here? ALSO, considering how much needs to be done, I'd be happy to have anyone interested in volunteering helping to put this together. I'm no professional designer or anything, but it strikes me an intriguing project and one that could be fun to put together.
First order of business here: roll call! Please post your Player name, Character name, race (human with template or ghoul), class, and, if you feel like, a little tag or quote or something. For example:
Loup Blanc/GM Armadeillephant
Joe Schmoe
Human (Wasteland Schmoe)
Commoner/1
"You know, I'd like to explore the wastes too, someday."
The bar of the club is dingy, with dust in the air and rubble still around the edges. Despite the cleaning that's gone into it, it's still obvious that the place was at least somewhat hit during the War. However, if you look closely, you can also still see the remains of what it must have looked like before the bombs fell--an intricate design on the bottom of a pillar here, the dull shards of a mirror there.
The bar itself is a big wooden construction, stretching about fifteen feet. While the glass behind it that once held magnificent cases of liquor was long ago smashed, the bar has been repaired as best as possible, and the barkeep himself, a tall, lean man with corded muscle, looks content to work here.
As you sidle up to the bar, you see him polishing a glass that, in spite of the surrounding environment, is already shining. He looks at you with one eye, the other remaining fixed on the glass, and then gives a slight grin and sets his "work" down. "What'll you have, stranger?" he asks.
If you've lived in the area for some time, feel free to call Flenn by name and remind him of who you are. This thread will be for preliminary roleplaying until the game starts, as well as out-of-game but in-character talks and any OOC chatter and questions for me. Please try and remember to format your posts so that I know what needs answering and what's just for fun, thanks!
War. War never changes. Since the dawn of human kind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything: from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage. In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world - but war, war never changes. In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters, known as vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wastes to greet them...
Welcome! A little ways back there were a couple of Fallout-based campaigns starting up on here, and it seemed like there was a lot of support for them. Because of this, I’ve been in the process of getting together a campaign of my own. It’s been a while in the making, but in the end, I think I’ve got it planned out enough to start recruitment.
Who I’m looking for: A handful of dedicated players who are willing to give a game with a ton of homebrew and system-meshing a go! I’m hoping for between 4-8 good players here. Will I check your activity on the site? Yes, I will; I want people who want to play and who will follow through; I’d hate for this game to fall through. Will I hold it against you if you’re a board noob who hasn’t posted much? NO! We were all noobs at one point; we all have to get started somewhere, and newness doesn’t mean you aren’t dedicated.
What I’m looking for: A good character concept: race, class, background. I’d also like to know how much you know about the Fallout games and setting, as well as what kind of games you like (Role-playing vs. dungeon crawls, etc.) and any particular ideas for a first adventure that you’d love. I DON’T need a full alias or stat sheet right now, because there’s a lot to be put into this. I’ll get some info up in the Campaign Info tab, and I’ve got some info in spoilers in this post, but here’s what you really need to know right now:
--Alchemists: Upgrade your bomb damage dice to d8s, rather than d6s (they count as Large, to bypass armor DR). Also, you can swap out the Brew Potion feat for Extra Bombs, or another feat to improve your alchemist abilities.
--Clerics: Your spells will be reflavored as applications of technology and whatnot. Obviously, some spells might not work with that, and we’ll see what we can do about that. You would probably also have connections with the Brotherhood of Steel, or, possibly, the Enclave. I may be willing to add in Druids or Oracles along with this system, and a Sorcerer/Wizard has a VERY slim chance of being allowed; give me strong points on why it’ll work, and how it’ll work, and I can check on allowing it.
--Gunslingers: Obviously, Exotic Weapon Prof (guns) isn’t going to be helpful in a Fallout world, where everyone knows how to shoot guns. So, you have two options: either A) gain proficiency with EITHER one type of energy weapon or one type of big gun; or B) gain Gun Training starting at Level 1, but it only applies to EITHER pistols/1-handed small guns or rifles/2-handed small guns. By the way, you still get the free gun with your Gunsmithing ability, meaning you have two free guns right off the bat. Congratulations!
--Paladins: You will almost definitely begin play with Brotherhood of Steel membership. This means you’ll get a suit of Power Armor as your free armor, and any one gun (including a big gun or energy weapon) as your free weapon.
Humans as a race:
Humans in this campaign are the same as humans in normal Pathfinder, no changes. However, every human character gets to choose one of the following “templates” to add to their racial benefits:
Wasteland Delver: You’ve spent many hours exploring old ruins from the bombs. Maybe you were born with good eyes and keen senses; maybe you’ve honed them from years of time spent in dingy, burnt-out old buildings. Either way, you’ve gotten good at it.
--Ruin Dweller: +1 to Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Survival checks made in ruins
--Low-light Vision: See twice as far in dim light conditions
--Stonecunning: +2 to Perception to notice unusual building features, such as traps and hidden doors; receive automatic checks to detect these within 10 feet
Wasteland Mutie Killer: The Brotherhood of Steel aren’t the only ones with a burning hatred for Super Mutants. Even regular folk can easily learn to despise the abominations, and you’ve turned that anger and fear into a source of skill for you. You’ve probably already helped track down and kill a Mutie or two in your time.
--Defensive Training: +4 dodge to AC vs. Super Mutants
--Hatred: +1 to attack rolls against Super Mutants
--Weapon Familiarity: gain proficiency with 2 small or big guns
Wasteland Resister: There’s radiation all over in the Wastes, and frankly, most people avoid it. You, however, have a special resistance to the strange effects still lingering from the war, which is helpful when you run across irradiated areas.
--Radiation Resistance: racial bonus on saving throws against radiation equal to your HD
Wasteland Stalker: Whether you used to be a Raider, a Merc, a Caravan Guard, or just a hunter, you’ve become very skilled at moving quietly and quickly in the Wastes--the better to kill your foes, or avoid fights you can’t win.
--Camouflage: +4 to Stealth checks in the Wastes
--Silent Hunter: reduce penalties for moving in Stealth by 5; can run while using Stealth at a -20 penalty
Wasteland Scavenger: In a world without white-collar jobs, potentially one of the most lucrative professions is that of a scavenger: finding and trading scrap and goods from the Wastes. You have to have a keen sense of what’s worth taking, though; fortunately, that’s a sense you’ve honed.
--Greed: +2 Appraise to determine price of goods
--Scavenger: +2 Appraise and Perception to find hidden objects and determine whether food is spoiled
Wasteland Tinkerer: Most people see the heaps of metal and rubble strewn across the Wastes as garbage, but to a mechanic like you, it’s a veritable treasure trove! With the right materials, you can craft some very high-quality goods... even if they blow up every now and then.
--Master Tinker: +1 Disable Device and Knowledge (engineering) checks; automatically proficient with any weapon you craft
--Craftsman: +2 to all Craft and Profession checks to craft armor, weapons, and ammunition
Wasteland Trekker: There are no cars or planes anymore, or at least, there aren’t many in a good-enough condition to run. What’s a guy/gal to do but take the shoe-leather express? You’re a traveler, and your time out there in the wastes has made you good at picking your way across the broken land and being able to survive that extra mile.
--Desert Runner: +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves against fatigue, exhaustion, and ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments
--Terrain Stride: move through natural difficult terrain in the Wastes at normal speed
Ghouls as a race:
Ghouls used to be humans, but they were caught outside, above-ground, and unprotected when the bombs fell. Most people were killed instantly, but some survived, the radiation seeping into their skin. What was left was a human with skin grayed, burnt, and blistered, often thinner. In fact, their appearance is reminiscent of film zombies, which spawned that nickname for them. (To get an idea of what ghouls look like, do an image search of “fallout ghouls.” Keep in mind that very thin ghouls, often shown running at someone, are feral ghouls, poor saps who’ve gone mad and, well, feral.)
Ghoul Racial Traits
Medium Monstrous Humanoids
Base Speed: 30 feet
Abilities: +2 to any one ability score; -2 to Constitution. Ghouls are as varied as the humans they once were, but the radiation has weakened their physical endurance.
Bonus Feat: Ghouls gain a bonus feat at first level, the same as humans.
Darkvision: Ghouls can see in the dark out to 60 feet.
Low-light Vision: Ghouls can see twice as far as humans in dim light.
Radiation Born: Ghouls were made what they are by the intense radiation from the bombs, and while it has affected them negatively in many ways, they have also grown used to that level of danger. As such, ghouls receive a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against radiation, chems (including chem sickness; also, they have to take this save every time they take a chem), and becoming nauseated or sickened.
Languages: Ghouls start play speaking Common (English). They can learn any other language, except secret languages.
Please note that Ghouls cannot join the Brotherhood of Steel.
No Super Mutants:
I’m serious, I’m not offering them as a PC race in my game. Sorry.
Basic Character Creation Rules:
You will be Level 1.
Ability Scores will be based on a 25 Point Buy.
You will get 2 Traits (but see below).
You will get Max starting caps (gp) for your class at level 1.
Traits
I’m going to run traits a little differently than normal: you can get the effects of two traits, and work them into your backstory in your own, logical way. I’ll allow a little leeway to change the exact applications of traits; for example, the Hunter’s Blood trait could be changed to apply to Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, Slavers, etc. The Hellknight Ancestry trait could be changed to apply to the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, or another appropriate group. Please note that I’ll be checking traits for balance, logic, etc. if you use this system. You can always just take a trait as is.
Some important notes if you want to start building:
1) New Skills: There will be the Athletics skill, with STR as its base ability; this replaces Climb and Swim, as it rolls them into one. There will also be the Use Computer skill, with INT as its base ability; this is used primarily for hacking and other complex computer usage.
2) Non-existent Skills: Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana, nobility, planes), Spellcraft, Swim, and Use Magic Device. Please note that I’ve done away with certain skills I don’t see being used in this setting as well as ALL THE SOCIAL INTERACTION SKILLS (barring Sense Motive, since it has other uses as well). This is because I don’t like the idea of a perfectly good argument or threat failing because of a poor roll of the dice. I expect you to do good roleplaying when it comes to lying, negotiating, or threatening, and I also want you to take your Charisma score into consideration. Likewise, I’ll look at your CHA and the enemy’s Wisdom/Sense Motive/whatever, and take into account what all an NPC would know, like, fear, etc. This does promote good roleplaying, and it will be tough if you’re just not great at coming up with stuff--however, there are always the go-to methods (flattery for Diplomacy, simple lies for Bluff, a gun to the head for Intimidate...)
3) New Skill Uses: Appraise can be used to scavenge for goods (and there is Profession (scavenger) as well). Disable Device can be used to disable or jam weapons and technology (other than hacking computers). Heal can affect the amount of HP you heal with the application of a StimPak or other item of that sort.
4) What All is Open for Use: EVERYTHING! Well, not everything; for example, I laid out above what Paizo-published classes I’ll allow, and Human and Ghoul are the only races to pick from. But I’m very open to 3rd-party feats, archetypes, etc., as long as you and I both understand how it works and I give you the OK. If you spy a 3rd-paty class that you think would fit, by all means shoot me a link and I’ll take a look. I’m here to make you happy to play the game, after all!
Whoo! That’s all for now. Hopefully all this work pays off somewhere... I’ll get some info on really creating characters and purchasing weapons/armor/gear once I get some feedback.
So, recently on the forums I've seen some Fallout Campaigns cropping up. People seem itching to play in one--I know I am!
It's been a couple/few weeks since the last Recruitment thread I know of for one of these games closed, so hopefully some of the eager players and such are still around.
Here is my call: anyone want to play? And, anyone want to GM? I'd love to be a player in one of these, but I'm willing to GM if nobody else wants to. I'm working on setting up all the information I need right now, but once I get that done, I'd be happy to either use it myself or send it to someone else who'd like to GM, but doesn't want to go through the process of compiling data.
This is the neutral discussion thread for the campaign. Feel free to use this to start out a little roleplaying, ask me any pertinent questions, do a little smack talk on the other group, or whatever else.
Please only post here if you've been accepted into the campaign by me! Also note that there'll be discussions and gameplay threads for each individual party as well; this is for interactions, smack talk if you want, things like that. If you want to add a layer to the RP, I can give a setting for the Brotherhood-Justiciar interactions (that don't devolve into violence).