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Bharaz chuckled at that. With a smile smile he said. ”First watch ye say? Heh. Fine. I’ll hit the dirt then.” He proceeded to begin removing his armor, so that he could sleep while he could.
Bharaz was indeed quiet. The information weighed on his mind. There was something very wrong in the mines, a problem which spoke to his heritage as a “sundered dwarf.” The fact that a dwarf was somehow involved in this made him all the more uneasy. As they traveled his silently prayed, hoping to push the worry away through the repetition of prayer.
”Aye. We must look into this.” Bharaz said to Gloin. Turning back to their host he added ”Perhaps ye could recommend a guide? A miner who knows these tunnels who would be willing to go down with us. Someone who knows the missing. It would be most helpful.”
Bharaz stiffened at the news of these “dwarves.” Something in the telling made his beard bristle. As calmly as possible he said ”In the forge father’s name, I would meet with these…ah…dwarves.” His tone of voice dripped with doubt. ”But before hand tell us more about this new fireman, the troubles ye faced and the cloaked figures he brought. Oh, and don’t worry about the cheese. I give my word that I will take nothing that has not been offered.” He said with seriousness.
Seeing the others having properly offered a greeting, Bharaz nodded approvingly. He waited with arms crossed to hear the response.
Days of marching had left Bharak feeling far too secure. As they walked along, he quietly tried to recite his prayers to the Forge Father, focusing on getting each word and intonation right. It certainly filled the time, but it was not exactly conducive towards being alert for potential dangers.
”If the river leads to it, then I see no reason not to follow it. I agree; that conserving our supplies is always a valid concern.”
He did! My apologies. I think that I got confused. Please, accept my apologies for having Int as a dump stat.
We might have lost Gloin. Could we have his character, as a merchant, potentially be an NPC until he returns? Even if he doesn’t, it would be nice to have his character around as part of world building. That, and if we have arcane questions his character is someone we could go to for info, so quite useful!
Bharaz listened to Linden, taking a moment to mentally follow along. Only when his fellow had finished his speech did the cleric look to the rest of the group. ”Our comrade speaks from the heart, and shows remarkable restraint. For both of our people’s, our heritage is within reach. I would advise, however, that we begin with the quarry. As we will need the stone within regardless of where settle. Be it Bonehill Castle, a liberated gnomish home, or a rebuilt dwarven mine. As The Founders, the quarry would be the strongest stepping stone towards our purpose here.”
Sound good?
Bharaz nodded, a smile forming on his face. ”A title we shall earn. Let us drink to it!” He said, raising his mug.
"Humorous. But..." Bharaz said, pausing as he listened to Gap. The idea of earning gold spoke to him, for it was clear that they would need it for their settlement to flourish. Just like they'd probably have to look into the quarry business to get the stone needed to repair any ruined castle that they claimed. A slight smile was all but hidden behind his beard. "We have five dozen settlers who are relying on us. If it were not for them, I'd sign my name to that.." He leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "Perhaps...the Stonekin Company?" He said, some uncertainty in his voice. Given that their expedition included many a halfling, he wasn't certain how well it fit. "No...perhaps...the Keystone Pact?" He added, leaning into the settlement angle. "Or perhaps The Bonehill Wardens? Something that inspires confidence for those who rely on us. Maybe even drive home our claim."
Bharaz remained quiet as the others spoke. Ancient castle ruins. A gnome warren overrun by kobolds. And dare he believe it? A lost dwarven hold. The very thought of it made his heart stir. He was, what many called, a sundered dwarf. Whose heritage had been lost in ancient disaster. The idea of reclaiming what was lost was both terrifying and exhilarating. But he tempered his excitement, for he was a cleric of the Forge Father, and he could not bring shame through reckless talk or action. He lifted his mug slowly, the weight of his helmet and holy symbol of Moradin pressing on him. ”We must be cautious. The lives of our kin are in our hands,” he said deliberately. ”I believe we should first secure a safe place to settle. Only then can we consider striking further afield. And we must be cautious, as large rats plague these lands, and people are going missing.” He paused, letting the words sink in. ”Kobolds are dangerous. They swarm and lay traps. While the chronicles of Daubensprocket may call to us, we should venture forth only with proper preparation. Both in intelligence and numbers. I would sooner find a ruined fortification to fortify and improve. Something defensible from the start, while we plan our next steps.” Taking a deep breath, he turned to Tommy. ”This lost dwarven holding. Do we know if it fell to invaders, or was it claimed by the land itself? While my heart yearns to see it, we should only settle in it if it is practical.” He took another sip from the mug, steadying himself as he waited for the reply.
Bharaz made his rounds. He was taking his time to enjoy some comforts before the hardships to come. But he made sure to ask the locals about what they knew of any dangers that were abound. The last thing he wanted was to wander into an orc encampment or a troll's nest. And he assumed that they'd be much more likely to share such information, rather than tell anything which might be costly to themselves.
Bharaz nodded as he followed the others. As far as adventures went, he saw no better place to start.
”Where we are going there will be no taverns.” Bharaz said as he got to his feet. ”It would be a shame to miss out on one last chance for comfort.”
Behind Linden sat a dwarf, a traveling chest serving as his seat. While barely over four feet tall, he was massive. From his barrel chest, to his arms which bulged beneath his shirt, the best way to describe him was massive. His gut, likewise, showed that he was a dwarf built for practical strength, with no concern for glamour or appearances. His features, though, were mostly hidden by his helm, Baraz-Gul. Every inch of it was covered in runic prayers to Moradin, a clear sign of his identity and priority. The extravagant relic was clearly at odds with the rest of his equipment. Plain. Functional, up to and including the fur cloak for warmth in the cold northern climate. ”If everyone shares the same enthusiasm, we will do just fine.” He said. If he smiled it was hidden under his beard, one of the few parts of his face not covered. While he was not one for large boasts or the roaring of words, he had to admit that he was fond of Linden’s zeal. The fact that the gnome was obviously as strong as any barbarian tribesman of the north made him respect the passion, rather than laugh at it. And seeing Gloin’s robes? He assumed some sort of magical profession by then. An auspicious sign for the journey ahead.
Hi! I didn’t realize this was connected. Thanks for letting me know! I’ll get a post up today. Out right now but I’m happily here :)
I've got more to do, but I have the basics. The lack of a good character generator for 2.0 gimps me! I've grown so used to Hero Lab, and other such things. 3'4", 85lb Str 18/75That’s 85lbs of pure muscle!
Afraid I don’t use discord, but hi there! Glad to see the group will have dwarves (sundered and regular), a halfling and a gnome. :)
60 civilians? Enough to make a village, but any casualty hurts. Can certainly be sustainable, but it will take everyone working together, including the PCs. And it explains why the PCs get called in for dangerous tasks. And it makes finding an immediate settlement location all the more important. Oh…and if we gain another player, there is a base of npcs that they can come from. I like it. Is it safe to assume that these 60 represent the initial people brave enough to start the settlement? And that as it grows there are less brave individuals that might immigrate? Also: ouch as towards Clan Silverhelm. Earthquakes, volcanos and awakened titans? No lost honor in being driven out by that! So…about when do we plan to start? :)
Alright. So…what we have here is an expedition to found a new home. Made up out of a clan of sundered dwarves, and the gnomes+halflings they had been sheltering with for generations. Along with Clan Forgefire, a non-sundered clan, who is looking to build a new forge and sees the expedition as an opportunity to do so. Based on this, it sounds like Bharaz, Akkramar and Tommy (and Tawlet’s gnome if he makes the character) would all have more or less grown up in the same place? And would it be fair to say that Clan Forgefire sending Gloin to scout out a place for a new forge would have been what kicked all of this off? Given his incredible intelligence (18), high wisdom (15) and overall solid people skills (12) it makes sense to me, at least. I’m also curious as towards the halfling/gnome/sundered dwarf community if there is anything else that would make them want to move shop. Kobold/orc/goblin migrations, for example? Perhaps need for new farmland? —- For languages:
I think that these language choices best reflect the campaign background for this character.
I’m good to go (see profile)
Int 12. So 3 languages? * Spoken Languages:
* Written Languages:
——- Also saw this rule… “Weapons in Defense: A character attempting to punch, wrestle, or overbear an armed opponent can do so only by placing himself at great risk. Making matters worse, an armed defender is automatically allowed to strike with his weapon before the unarmed attack is made, regardless of the initiative die roll. Furthermore, since his opponent must get very close, the defender gains a +4 bonus to his attack and damage rolls. If the attacker survives, he can then attempt his attack.” So not going for the punching gauntlet route. Damn, 2e is different from later editions!
I’ve no issue with the order presented :)
Re-worked Bharaz abit given that fighting styles are allowed. He now is using this as his weapon. Proficiency points are **punching and **one weapon style. Yeah, it’s only a 1d3 damage die. But I love the idea of using gauntlets for punching/blocking. And with his high strength roll, it’s alright to lower the damage per punch.
Actually you can specialize as a Multiclass fighter, but only Specialization, you can get mastery or grand mastery and only in one weapon. Cool! “ Weapon Proficiencies: He may have any weapon proficiency. Unlike other warrior/priests, he may specialize in one weapon. This weapon must be chosen when the kit is taken and cannot be changed. He may never specialize in any other weapon.” So with 4 proficiency points…how many can I put into warhammers? Can it be all 4? I think that means +2 hit and +3 damage? And are you ruling that mastery / grand mastery is allowed outside of single class fighter? Also, are there hammers which can be thrown and used in melee that do 1d4 damage? I looked online and saw talk of it but I’m not sure if those are official or not. Right now my default is basic warhammer (1d4+1 damage)
That would be a great choice. Thematically it fits the sundered dwarf very well. And as only single class fighters can get weapon specialization, getting +1 hit and damage with better dual wielding is a great boost. Plus…I think throwing daggers adds your strength bonus? So when making ranged attacks it seems pretty optimal. Speaking of which, I’m somewhat confused by weapons. Is there, in core, hammers (thrown that do 1d4 damage in melee and range) and warhammers (1d4+1 melee only)? Because if so I’ll just use regular hammers. If not, I’ll stick with warhammers, and will be proficient in hand axes for throwing .
With 5 APR you might as well just call it an artificer with a gun. :p In this campaign how does weapon specialization work? If it is core rules, then am I correct that it’s just weapon specialization as above, without grand mastery or anything like that which came later? And likewise weapon proficiencies are just that, without any fighting styles?
Did another look over of the rules. Trying to get APR down. Someone help me out? Fighter Base Attacks per Round (no specialization)
Weapon Specialization Attacks (PHB p. 52–53)
So…at lvl 1, when unarmed, Bharaz would get 1 attack. But with his warhammer 1.5. Because weapon specialization replaces normal APR, right? Also, on weapon categories. “Equipment: A Champion is allowed one weapon specialization (this is an exception to the restriction against multi-class characters).” Is this in one weapon (warhammers) or is it for the weapon group? I currently have it as just warhammers. Finally, traps: We don’t have a thief. Is there any way we can handle traps and locks without one?
Oh my god! You’re right. That changes everything! My apologies! GM: are we holding to that rule? If so we can all fix our characters. Otherwise Tommy should be allowed to match ours, as it isn’t fair to only have one person be at such a standard. Naturally I’d hate to lose the 18 strength and have Con drop to 13…that’s crippling for a front liner. But having rules applied selectively is worse! If we do go with stats down the line I might have to make Bharaz an archer or the like….
I have to say: I have a lot of respect for you to take the rolls in order. And to then pick a class that doesn’t use charisma as a main stat.
Test combat to learn 2e:
Bharaz cursed as he stomped through the undergrowth. He had fallen behind on his way to join the expedition, and now he couldn’t find his clansmen. Just like them to go on ahead, he grumbled, even as he followed the sounds ahead. By the sheer noise it had to be them. Using his hammer to push aside a bush he called out ”Oi!” only to stop when no less than five orcs turned to look at him.
Not waiting, Bharaz *tried* to charge forward, but got caught in the bush. Leading to the orcs seizing the initiative and swarming him.
Luckily his armor and shield held up, and while driven out of the bush, he was more or less unscathed.
One orc lay dead on the ground, but his fellows rained spear blows down upon Bharaz. Bleeding heavily from wounds to his back and thigh, he knew that he was on his last legs.
…one orc fell. Then another. But he was surrounded. Calling out to his God, his wounds began to close, but then a spear stabbed him in the back of the leg. Knocking him to the ground he caught himself with his shield only for a spear to pierce on his back.
Roaring in pain and anger, Bharaz surged to his feet. He lashed out wildly with his hammer, only to look down and see a spear sticking out of his stomach. An orc standing behind him grinned as it pulled the weapon free. Staggering forward he dropped his shield as he numbly touched his hand to the fatal wound. The orcs laughed as they prepared to watch the dwarf die. But Moradin was not done with the young cleric, as his prayers were answered and the worst of the wound closed. Their faces registering surprise, the orcs readied their weapons, their only for the lead one to fall to the ground with its neck broken as if had run directly into Bharaz’s runic hammer. The fighting came to a halt as both sides stopped to listen. A large group was coming, and they didn’t know if it was a troop of dwarves or orcs. It was only when the armored and bearded infantry came into the clearing that the orcs turned to run. That night Bharaz was called a hero. Five orcs! And he had felled three! It was certainly a worthy feat. But he drank in silence. For he knew that it was Moradin who had won the fight, as without the blessings of their God he would have died twice over. All he could do was pray that he would have the chance to prove himself worthy of the gifts bestowed upon him. Right! I think I got it down. Some lessons. First, perhaps d6 orcs was too much, even if they only had spears. That was touch and go. Also spells are limited but can be clutch. And the high strength, weapon specialization combo hits hard. Though I don’t know how it will be at higher levels. But most of all: let’s not let him get surrounded by that many enemies while in a party. Especially if they have anything with higher damage dice. Still, it was good to do a test run.
trawets71
grumbaki:
gm_drake:
Albion, the eye
Malinor
Awesome. If there is anything in my backstory you’d like changed, or details you’d like added, please tell me. For kits, you can see them here I *think* correct me if I’m wrong, that only single class fighters can take fighter kits. Only a single class thief can take thief kits. And a fighter/thief can only take the fighter/thief kits. But again I could be wrong!
Sundered Dwarves are those who are not from mountain halls. Rather they have been gone for multiple generations. Hence why they normally get claustrophobia. But our GM is generous enough to lose magic resistance instead (like how drow lose magic resistance when gone from the underdark for too long). We also get 30ft infravision instead of 60ft. Losing Con bonuses to saves (except poison) and half vision hurts, but +1 strength is great to get in return. If you’d like to be a sundered dwarf as well as Bharaz, would you like for us to come from the same Clan? I make the same offer to anyone making a Sundered dwarf. Would be great RP! I’ve left the reason for Bharaz’s clanhold being destroyed vague and didn’t pick a clan name. So I’m open to collaboration with anyone who would like to. :) I’m also open to changing up Bharaz’s backstory to make it more collaborative (and less main character energy…)
I see, sorry for my confusion. I think that I fixed things now.
Total gold 160. Decided straight fighter only gets better thaco. Fighter/Cleric seemed to be more interesting and potentially more useful for the party. Mechanics are all done. First time making a 2e character but I tried to list everything out clearly. If there are any mistakes please let me know. I’ve also added a backstory to the character. Tried to tie it to the campaign with the details we have. All in all I think he turned out well. :)
Sadly, Kineticists aren't allowed. So the character was changed to Gloomblade Fighter / Elementalist Shifter
Due to my main class fighter, I’ve got a lot of feats. But no spells and low utility. So I thought…what is a big resource investment that casters hate wasting spell slots on? Healing. So, Bharaz is being made into a party healer. Non caster fighter healing: (1) Took Healer’s Hands Conduit (You can use the Heal skill to treat deadly wounds as a full-round action. You do not take a penalty for not using a healer’s kit when treating deadly wounds this way, and you can do so on a given creature more than once per day. When treating deadly wounds this way, if your result exceeds the DC by 10 or more, add your ranks in Knowledge (planes) to the damage healed. These benefits do not apply to creatures that are not healed by positive energy. You can use this feat’s benefit a number of times per day equal to your ranks in Knowledge (planes).) Also took skill focus heal, battlefield surgeon, healer’s satchel and gloves of healing! (2) Heal skill is +21. Got it high enough to take 10 on. 4 (ranks) + 3 (class skill) + 4 (wis) + 3 (skill focus) + 5 (gloves) + 1 (surgeon tools) + 2 (healer’s satchel) = 21 This means that currently, he can take 10 to heal 16HP as a full round action. Can do this lvl/day and up to 2 times on a PC. It’s not bad. Heals HD (4) + ranks of K Planes (4) + 2x wis (8) = 16 (3) Lvl 5 signature skill heal feat (skill unlock). So next level as a full round action he can heal 23HP. And it will keep scaling up. Heals 2x HD (10) + ranks of K Planes (5) + 2x Wis (8) = 23
So yeah. A lot of resources has gone into this. But it’s a one-time investment that has a lot of return and it frees other PCs up to use their spells on more fun options. And given that Bharaz has higher than HD BaB, fighter bonus feats and offense/defense from his secondary, it’s an investment worth making Also as a final note I realized that it was possible to hit AC30 at lvl4…and it seemed to be more fun and balanced to do this than to just be an unhittable block. As is, no magic armor. No magic shield. No cloak, ring, etc. But a comfortable AC24, with +11 hit and 5d6+13 damage. So good enough, I think.
Crunch is almost done. Actually happier with how he’s turned out.
Alright. Mulled it over. And I'm going with: Main Class: Gloomblade Fighter
Boon Feats:
---- My idea for the character when using kineticist was a dwarf who created stone weapons on the fly. He can do that now. And I don't think he can use major form yet without another boon feat. So when he hits that he'll learn how to turn into an earth elemental. Now, for my question.... https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/shifter/archetypes/elementali st-shifter-shifter-archetype/ Am I correct in that it is 1 Boon Feat to buy Minor Form, and a second Boon Feat to buy Major Form?
Ah, my mistake! Fortunately I love making characters. So I’ll keep the backstory and redo the crunch with new classes.
No! Don’t abandon the beards! Especially as there is only 1 ready so far. Plus Dwarven cards are so rare…
Background:
Koldukar. When the Great Sky Citadel had stood proudly as the jewel of dwarven civilization, none thought that it would ever fall. Back in those halcyon days, Clan Silverhelm was but one of many noble houses. The dwarves were known back then for their "blessing of stone." The power to shape stone was one which had ever brought them acclaim, for nearly every noble-born of the house could boast kinetic powers. In the days of peace and prosperity, the Silverhelms were known for their abilities to dig tunnels and mineshafts without ever touching a pick. This was not to last, however. The Clan, like most of Koldukar, faced near extinction following the Battle of Nine Stones, when the city was overrun and the population put to the sword. Since then, the Silverhelms have been a Clan in exile, it's far-flung members ever dreaming of the day when they might retake what is theirs. All that is left of this once-noble house are what few artifacts could be saved. Bharaz is one such member of the broken clan. Like most dwarves of age, he is a mercenary. Where once the gifts of their bloodline were used to bring gold and gems out of the earth, now the clan uses the same gifts to bring death to their enemies. From a young age it is taught to them that it is their duty to earn enough gold so that one day an army might be raised to retake their lost home. In theory, anyways. Bharaz knows what his duty is, and he certainly pays lip service to it. But he knows the reality of the situation. The longbeards grumble, as they always do, but Koldukar is no more. Now is Urgir. And the dwarven people? He knew that keeping what they already had was a challenge enough. How could they ever hope to retake the sky citadel in this lifetime? And even if they did, how would they repopulate it? No. It was a goal that would take many more centuries. Which meant that he was under no illusion that he was a mercenary with a good story. Nothing more, nothing less. In his life he had taken many a job. He had fought orcs, giants, trolls, humans...he had also dug wells and repaired structurally unsound buildings. He was blessed with the power to shape stone, and he made good use of it. It was enough to make a living. As of now, Bharaz has found himself in the Broken Boradsword tavern. He had just finished a job acting as a bodyguard for a merchant and was busy spending his coin on alcohol as fast as he could. Now, the beer was not good by any measure and if one got the beer and water confused it would be understandable. But he wasn't there for the drink. He was there to find the next job. Because the Broken Broadsword has a reputation as being a place where heroes could be found. And while heroes were extremely rare, mercenaries like himself were far more common. So what better way was there to find the next paying job than to sit still, laughing, carousing and drinking to his heart's content? Well, it seemed like a good plan! Appearance and Personality:
Bharaz lives up to his name, to be sure. He is a dwarf of meticulous dress. Should one see him, then they will find a dwarf who wears a breasplate made out of dragonhide, complete with a dragonbone helm etched in silver (a relic from before the fall of his ancestral home), with a solid darkwood shield upon his back and the finest of clothes beneath (courtesy of enchanted wristbands). Likewise, his beard is always combed and braided, and should you talk to him he will speak with the utmost courtesy. The image of a noble, in every shape of the word! Which makes it all the more disappointing that the true dwarf is anything but. Underneath the trained and practiced façade beats the heart of a jaded mercenary. His home is the road and all of the trappings of wealth come about due to illusions and inherited relics. He works for gold, because otherwise he won't eat. But this is not to say that he is bitter. Bharaz is content with his life and his station, for he knows how worse off it could be. So long as he has good company, good food and strong drink, he will be content. Crunch might still be fiddled with (still on the fence between weapon master fighter and elementalist shifter), but the core of it is down, as is the backstory.
Bharaz shrugged. Axton must have mistaken him for someone with a formal education. "Right, so grab the loot and the honored dead, head back to town and drink."
16/15/15/14/10/8 160 gold Willing to support someone trying his hand at GMing. Will be making a Dwarven Occultist. From the Langebukk clan, who has come to the Stolen Lands in search of relics from his Clan.
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