"No eyes" and Reijo, welcome. I am not sure that we are looking for two anymore, my current players keep joining in, and that isn't a bad thing, though it does put a limit on how many people can join! The RP looks great, hope we have a place for you both when it all shakes up, but still trying to figure that out.
Andrea, welcome and thanks for the consideration.
As to anyone else that might post, we are still figuring out the number we need for the group. I didn't count on some of my players converting over, because I hadn't heard from a couple until right after I reopened the thread.
If you are planning on running this on Roll20, at what time of day/time zone are you planning sessions? Also, what roles are you needing. 34 years of D&D experience here. I am old school, but can role play as well as roll play! Need a list of my writing creds? Published by Judges Guild, Necromancer Games and Goodman Games with about a dozen products. Let me know what you need and I can write something up if the times match. Ole Fishguts 'll tell ya "It's not like your gonna be volunteerin' anyways, if Ya know what I means!
We are spread out over the US. Time Zone doesn't matter as much as how available you are to log in and make posts throughout the day. I think that 2 are eastern, one is mountain, 2 of us are Pacific. Sounds pretty fun and I'm sure you'd be a good addition.
CRB and APG are a solid yes, classes and races (besides witch, and I'm not too fond of the idea of a barbarian pirate) everything else on approval. As long as you have a concept in mind I am happy to hear it out :)
Reopening the thread. We are adding two more players at least. I am finding that 4 players didn't quite work to my liking on Skull and Shackles from an RP standpoint, and want to add some more lively conversations to the boat as ye swab all the blood off them thar decks!
Same rules apply as in original post, still playing on Roll 20 (100%).
I'll be asking my players to drop in and socialize with you all. If you do some digging through the thread, you can find who they are :) We won't be starting the game over, but we are only a minor combat in, and a dedicated player can get completely caught up on the story while drinking the morning coffee :) (and is expected to do so, at least the story part. Not so much the coffee part if you don't have the preference... )
To this point, I think that we have invited the players that we plan on including in the game, but I will refer back to the thread if we have any dropouts or cancels. :)
Thanks for the submissions, and Happy Gaming to you all!
Great ideas everyone. We might have a pally, so that might conflict with the Anti, but I like the idea for future conquests!
Thanks everyone for your submissions. The group is filling up, but we may have room for one more irresistable characters. My PCs have the link and they will be lurking and possibly posting.
(Also, I am fine with prior campaign knowledge, as long as you are fine with me not doing things the way you have done them)
I have an Oread Druid idea that I'd like to play in Kingmaker. Wants to try and influence the growth of civilisations to work in harmony with nature and the developing riverlands are a good opportunity to work with a new community.
sounds fun.
If you want to introduce the character when you have a name, etc. then the players will take a look at it :)
Carious, welcome! A cavalier is fine with me, as long as it is a medium sized horse (no matter the size of the rider). Aasimar I could maybe go with if we had 4 PCs.
Ok so how would I do a medium horse exactly?
Freudian slip. I meant it always has to be LARGE. I had a player that had a small player on medium horse x3 COMBO-ing his way through dungeon crawls... lol. I'll edit my original post.
Yes if we only play with 4. Leaning towards 5, so maybe not. Perhaps submit that plus another for application?
Bane, no problem at all if you have played the first. I might run it a little differently than you remember. :)
Jafo, changeling is fine.
Carious, welcome! A cavalier is fine with me, as long as it is a large sized horse (no matter the size of the rider). Aasimar I could maybe go with if we had 4 PCs.
A few things. The first is that this will be hosted on Roll 20 (roll20 dot net). My maps and handouts are all there, and they are making some better posting features. It will be a PbP, with the option of getting together and fighting the BBEG fight once in a while, if everyone wants to and is open to it. I love the paizo site and the community, and I wish they had something like that here, but they don't. Simply put, botting players (for vacations, etc) is just all better over there. I check and post quite often from my phone and it is very good over there for mobile devices, and not so much here, as I think we all know.
With that said, I would like to check interest. I may have a few of my players from that game joining into my Kingmaker (if they show interest, that is) and they will probably filter in and rp with you all.
I want a max party of 5.
I am not a number counter, and I am much more interested in good RP, then battles. We battle, because that is part of telling the story, and I understand and respect that there are those of you out there that love plus one's and such, and that is great. It is important for you in joining a game of mine to understand that I am not that person, (though I am willing to learn, and flexible - not a pushover, just flexible) so IF it bothers you if your GMs don't know more than you do, we might not be a match. :)
My House Rules for anyone curious:
My House Rules for Pathfinder PbP – Brayden Green
The Main Ones
Have fun (both the players and the GM), and keep the game flowing.
No backstabbing other players, and no intentional player deaths by other players will be tolerated. Swift and immediate stoppage of the game will happen, including ejection of the player. We are here to have fun, and that is not any fun for the person receiving the harm. If you like that kind of thing, go out into the desert and strap M-80s to a cabbage patch kid or something… I’m fine with your PC having secrets, and subplots from the other PCs, but always remember that this is a team game, so let’s keep things in that spirit.
There is no such thing as “winning” or “losing” when it comes to RP. If you are RP’ing, and enjoying time with friends, you are already winning. We are creating a story together. Have you ever seen a story where the characters absolutely ran through everything they every came across, didn’t have adversity, and had zero character growth? Most of the best stories have adversity, intense struggle, and – yes - even deaths that need to be avenged. If you are looking for something to “win” every single time, head to your nearest game console and start twiddling thumbs. I’m not your enemy. We happened to be on the same storytelling team.
Player related stuff
I am okay with evil characters, as long as you know how to play them. Most people don’t, so they don’t get them. An evil character, played correctly, would never ever be discovered as evil by the party. He/she would know that it is in its best interests for everyone in the party to respect/love/admire the person, so that they could use that for further gain. In fact, portrayed “correctly”, the evil person in the group might be the one doing the MOST good. I don’t want to casually wade into philosophy, but evil characters don’t actually see themselves as evil. They see the world a different way and understand things differently, and they are aware of that. If you aren’t a douche, then you can play an “evil” character if you choose. If you are, then you can’t. Remember that this is a team game, and as such, keep in mind my first rule to have fun. Killing other characters will not be tolerated. Abandoning other characters to an otherwise avoidable death, simply because you want to, will not be tolerated. Evil characters using the party in a non-cohesive way also will not be tolerated, and warning will be issued.
All players are required to have a DETAILED backstory, (that makes sense w skills and traits selected…) or they will not be cleared to play. I draw inspiration off of the backstories, and take a lot of time to involve your characters in the flow of the game. It makes it more fun for me as a storyteller, and for you as the co-storytellers in this game/world that we are writing one session at a time.
All PCs are required to read any material the GM decides is pertinent to the main portion of the campaign. (Normally just the players guide, but sometimes it may be a little more). There will be an opportunity for the PCs to prove they have read the material before play starts.
I will hold you to your character’s “flaws.” What an absolutely flat game we would have if everyone was 18 and above at everything. Your character “weakness” to me is just as important as your “strength.” I will award good RP of your char flaws, and am readily available for you to pass ideas by me for “approval” on what that might mean for you.
We will be using Hero Points from the APG. They will be given upon leveling, and in “heroic” moments during the game (up to the gm’s discretion). You can augment your ability to get and use Hero Points by taking Hero Point feats. Be advised that villains and BBEG’s will have their share of these to use against you. I like rewarding people for good behavior. I also might reward Hero Points for excellent posts, or for combat ending quickly in real life, or possibly if you flatter me enough. (Hey, I’m honest!)
Out of character talk is allowed in game and recommended (everyone likes a pat on the back for a crit now and then) . I would suggest using parenthesis () to OOC talk.
I like honoring your specific skill ranks you specialize in (and high rolls) with knowledge that only you may be are aware of. Because of this, instead of saying it’s a gem, I will normally post specifically to that poster the knowledge that he or she knows, and they can pass it on to the other players if they choose. I am also okay with a poster saying appraise checks are an automatic “I tell the group” and then I will post it like that to create less work. I will use the whisper feature to tell you things that only you specifically know, so pay attention to how things are written to you.
Paladins do not have to (and are recommended not to) act like stooges all the time. Paladins have come a long way from the way they were created. They are basically walking Dbags, and they were never intended that way. For more, see the part about this being a team game, and having fun above. On a related side note, don’t create characters that hate other character types in the party (ie, a dwarf in the party that hates all elves, and wants them eliminated entirely – and you have an elven archer). It just creates unnecessary conflict, and is rarely ever more fun than it is a hassle.
We have the option of RPing out any “bluffs,” “intimidates,” or “diplomacy” attempts. It makes no sense that a wizard cannot talk reason to another wizard logically because he doesn't have diplomacy.
Combat related rules
I DO NOT LIKE WITCHES, Sam I am. I do not like them on a plane, I do not like them in my game. :) I think they are broken and if you have your heart set on a witch we can discuss it., but it will probably be a no from me.
Many other Houses have a house rule to do “critical fumbles” on a “1” attack roll. That is not going to happen here. You will still get critical hits. (Rolling a “1” and auto-failing an attack sucks bad enough, I’m not a fan of snapping your weapon in half to make you feel worse about it.)
Keep combat (and decisions) as fluid as possible. We will be doing a few things as a group that are PbP specific to help combat not drag on for days or weeks altogether. The first I do is we do a “combat phase” which basically means that when combat is inevitable (GM generated) I will roll INIT for the players and post INIT lineup. I will then take submissions for *everyone* at the same time (because we post at different times of day, and in different time zones) and then I format the round based on what you post. If something that you would have done is already accomplished I will normally do the nest natural selection. (“I want to shoot skeleton A.” if skeleton A is dead then I will have you target skeleton B instead.) This isn’t a perfect scenario all of the time, and sometimes we might need to slow it down, or sometimes I might need to retcon where you are (If I move you one way, but you actually would have gone the other way to try and flank, etc.) In the interest of keeping the story fresh, I am okay with the occasional retcon. I’m not here to kill your characters, or put them in a position to be killed. (That’s your job :P )
I will be posting maps for most combats, and it is the players job to update where you are on the map, or to ask someone else to move them if posting from a cell phone.
I will also be setting a time that I want rounds to be done, and “botting” anyone that isn’t in before that time period. If you all want to, most of my groups also opt in for a 3/4s bot (botting if one player still needs to post but everyone else is submitted.)
We will be using Hero Points from the APG. Worth mentioning here too, as they have combat significance.
Initiative will be rolled by me, and combat order will be shown to the players. All saves will be handled by me, with a vivid description of what is happening. EX: “You feel kind of a sickness in the pit of your stomach." This knowledge will give you the opportunity to cash in some Hero Points to land that DC if you think you need to, or use a re-roll that your character may or may not have. If no re-roll is requested, then it sticks.
Non magical healing: Using “Treat deadly wounds” rules but with one add-on: the downtime. Max HP restored will be capped at 1d6 per healer level per day, if all the rolls are made.
- 8hr minimum rest to completely restore 25% HP (if you make the rolls).
- 1d2 day(s) downtime (absolute bedrest) to restore 50% HP (w successful rolls)
- 1d3 days from 75% to “unconscious from lethal damage” (minimum 2 days, w successful rolls)
- 2d4 to completely heal a character who had received “dying” condition. (minimum 3 days, etc etc)
If you do not take the downtime, character becomes “fatigued.” PC becomes “Exhausted” AND receives “sick OR nauseous” (depending on infirmity) immediately after he/she participates in a combat/vigorous activity after being fatigued as per normal rules.
I am also adapting some house rules from my friend Jake Southworth that I think are great ideas, and I want to list them separately here so that he gets credit for them, although they should go in one of the sections above. I have riffed off of some of them, and changed some wording, but I want him to get credit as my inspiration.
No ability score may be raised above 20 except by magical enhancement (including spells, magic items, etc.). Because, in my mind, a score of 20 represents literal perfection, the pinnacle of mortal achievement. Scores above 20 (for humanoids) should be superhuman and unnatural – it cheapens scores above 20 to have them be more common.
At each level, a player may always re-roll the hit die if it's a 1 or a 2, no matter the hit die. PCs may also opt to take half their level +1 instead of rolling, but must decide to do this *before* rolling.
Crafting: Because crafting, as is, just doesn’t work for PCs at all.
See “Making Craft Work”
The masterwork component of a weapon costs:
Simple weapons: 100gp, instead of a static 300gp.
Martial weapons: 200gp, instead of a static 300gp.
Exotic weapons: 300gp
The masterwork component of armor costs:
Light armor: 50gp, instead of a static 150gp.
Medium armor: 100gp, instead of a static 150gp.
Heavy armor: 150gp
When crafting magic items, the crafter’s caster level must meet the caster level of the item or take a -2 penalty on the Spellcraft check for each caster level that he is short. (a 4th level crafter making a CL9 item takes a -10 penalty for being 5 caster levels short) Because, just as some spells are beyond the ken of a novice spellcaster, some magic items are simply beyond the normal abilities of a novice crafter. And this keeps PCs from farming equipment beyond their normal wealth by level. *This doesn’t mean you can’t find NPC’s to help, because that’s just good role playing.*
The Linguistics skill applies to skill at understanding and learning languages alone, NOT to any documentation or forgery (that’s Forgery). New languages are mastered in steps, not an entire language for each rank.
I.When you put the first skill point into Linguistics for a new language, you gain a rudimentary understanding of that language, meaning you must make a DC10 Intelligence check in order to understand spoken/written forms of that language and you cannot speak any but the simplest phrases, and probably with a horrible accent.
II.When the second skill point is applied to Linguistics for that same language, you have learned the language and you can speak, understand, and read it without difficulty, but with a noticeably foreign accent. Technical text and exceptionally flowery language (as in poetry) may still require a DC10 Intelligence check, according to GM discretion.
III.A third skill point may be put into Linguistics toward a specific language to attain complete fluency (even the most technical writing/speaking is understood) and to adopt a flawless native accent in that language granting a +2 circumstance bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks against native speakers when you speak to them in that language. This does not apply to “common.”
All characters start with Common at rank II (there is no rank III for Common) and their racial languages at rank III. Bonus languages taken at first level due to a positive Intelligence modifier start at rank II. Linguistics still applies to attempts to make sense of script written in an unknown language, as explained in the Linguistics skill entry. Because learning a whole language in a few days (or even weeks) is retarded, even for heroes.
There is a new skill to be added, Forgery. Forgery is an Intelligence-based skill and is a class skill for Bards and Rogues, and Aristocrats and Experts. The Forgery skill can be used to both create and to recognize forgeries. The Forgery skill works as explained within the Linguistics skill entry (Core Rulebook 101). When forging a document, the GM will make a secret Forgery check to determine the Sense Motive/Forgery DC of the document, though the creator will certainly know if it was well-done or if it’s rubbish. If the document ever comes under scrutiny, the scrutinizer must make a Sense Motive/Forgery check (whichever bonus is higher for the scrutinizer) against the DC determined at creation to recognize it as such, or a Wisdom check if he has no ranks in either skill. Because being skilled with languages doesn’t really have much to do with creating/recognizing forged documents, although it would admittedly help in making/recognizing a forgery in a foreign language. It makes more sense to me, personally, to have them separate. I speak 2 languages and understand the basics of a few others, and I couldn’t forge a passport.
All PC casters get 2 additional cantrips/orisons. (Memorized casters have 2 additional 0-level slots. Spontaneous casters begin knowing 2 additional 0-level spells.) These are such dinky spells anyway that it won’t unbalance anything and it’s more fun to have more access to them.
At 1st level, all characters receive 3 extra skill points to represent background experience, training, and hobbies. Skills are not game breaking to have too many, but it can make things boring to have too few.
A PC cannot be taken from conscious to dead in a single hit. Anytime a PC takes damage that drops him into negative hit points, no matter how far (yes, even -100), he simply falls unconscious at a -1. This will not apply if/when a monster confirms a crit with a natural 20, if that should ever happen, though highly unlikely. At that point, you were supposed to die. (This game isn’t about death, it is about life and overcoming death.)
When it comes time to sell items and loot, characters will not be guaranteed half of the book’s listed value. You will make an Appraise check to see if you have any idea how much something is worth. A merchant will then make you an offer based upon his want/need for the item, which you may accept or reject based upon your own valuation. Because this makes an otherwise useless skill (Appraise) relevant and it encourages you to develop relationships with merchants you feel treat you fairly. Feel free to get creative though – there’s more than one way to figure out what something is worth, in-game.
Any character that has reached what that race considers to be “middle aged” (per p.168 in the CRB) gets +2 appraise to start out. (+4 to “Old” and +6 to “venerable”)
If a character seeks to multiclass into a new class or to take on a prestige class, he/she must seek out a trainer. There will be time and cost involved. This is not to discourage multiclassing and prestige classes. It just makes these things more of a realistic change in career. A ranger, for example, would need someone to show him how to use arcane magic before he could multiclass into wizard. And chances are that person won’t do it for free. I am also okay with someone RPing out a multiclass with someone in the party as a template, but it needs to be cleared with me, and it needs to be somewhat of an extensive process. (ie, the character watching as so and so picks a lock, etc)
Char concepts only right now, please don't fully stat out your chars.
Core and APG fine (including races). Everything else upon approval (including races).
So, we have been discussing it amongst the group, and we are selecting just one player (for now. Depending on how readily death evades the group and vice versa we might be wanting another). There are some very good applicants here, and I am honored to be among you. Feel free to add me in any capacity that you wish, and I honestly wouldn't mind gaming with any of you in the future, nor having you in my games. I know that sounds like BS and isn't a consolation to you probably, but there it is.
The group has selected Alkyd as their first option, and it is a very close tie with a few others for second. What that means, to me, is that I am considering you as players if and when we need in the future. If you didn't get picked, but would like to be considered in the future then PM me. Before I open up recruitment for this (or another) game I will pm you to see if you are interested, provided you PM me your interest.
Thank you to everyone, and I really wish we could add more, but we are trying to keep it minimal and walk that fine line of having a tightly knit group for pbp and rp purposes, and also try not to die by the dozens. We'll see how it works...
Good luck, and good gaming. I'll see you in the future I hope :)
As the latest of my players to enter stated, we are looking for 4 total (as a 25 pt buy), or possibly 5 totAL (as a 20 pt buy). It is up to them what kind of "attention" they want to draw upon themselves by only having four instead of five.
Just want to update you, and not string anyone on. I know how hard it is to rp for a spot, but it sounds like some companionships have been made here regardless of who gets picked, which is nice for consolation.
We are in the process of picking and deciding. We hope to have a decision by tonight or tomorrow (still waiting on some input from the rest of the party).
You are all wonderful, and I/we are having a tough time deciding. Thank you for your admissions and I respect your game and time. I would be happy to have any of you in the game, so the players can't go wrong in my opinion.
Thanks again, and hope to have updates as soon as possible, and we are shooting for a monday start time for the game. Might get there, might not. This is the first step.
Linky ta' tha' thingy on this D20 place, please! (^_^)
Sunny, there isn't a way to give you a link to our game that isn't an actual invite, but I can link you to the homepage and it has a few tutorial videos on the homepage :)
I think that Paizo blocks it as a link, so just type in roll20.net and it will take you there.
Wow. Good job everyone. Way too good. You are making it a hard choice for the players.
One thing that I would recommend to players, is that if you play NG, you consider yourself a lot more nuetral, and a lot less good... otherwise you will find yourself missing out on a lot of campaign stuff, some really good rp, and also might put you at odds with the rest of your party. Remember, you WANT to be pirates for whatever reason (gold, infamy, intrigue, etc) per the S & S players guide.
Great RPing, and I am starting discussions to see who the players want to invite. We are going to call it here as far as submissions. We have enough great PCs to choose from. :) Thank you all. :)
I respect and understand your request to keep it here on the paizo boards. All my games are there, so I would be coming over for just this one :) Perhaps I am in the wrong being over here and requesting to play the game somewhere else. what I wish is that Paizo had a function like roll20 so that I wouldn't have to go anywhere! But they have been very slow in their process, and someone else beat them to it.
We will be playing over there, sorry. I understand if that doesn't work for you, and wish you the best in your gaming :)
Welcome new people, and newly considered. Nicely done. We are planning on picking soon (at least by the weekend) in hopes of starting play Monday.
I do have one small change to make. It was pointed out to me by one of my players that he/she isn't a dex based rogue as I had assumed. He/she is going with a Strength monk build...
My mistake.
So far the party contains:
STR based "monk" type
Dex based gunslinger
and (last I heard) a Harrow Deck based Divinator
I really do not like role playing in a recruitment for a slot at a table. I had asked what the party had already but did not get a reply (although all the party members may have replied, I do not know). I'd be happy to create a fun and balanced character to fill any role needed and would be pleased to submit this or any other alias I have as an example of my role playing but I am just not interested in RPing as an interview. It looks like you have lots of interested folks who do not mind role playing in the recruitment thread so I wish you the best of luck. I will say I am an experience Roll 20 player (though someones I struggle getting my macros to work) and played a game using the tool last night.
Completely understand. I hate asking for it... it is nice for the players to know what kind of interraction to expect with each other.
I did respond that there is a gunslinger, a dex rogue subtype, and (possibly, he is still deciding) a harrow deck diviner.
Also, do I need to change Carious's feat then? I got it for his rapier. Also, are we doing traits?
To be honest, I haven't looked at anyone's stats yet, I am posting away from home on my phone. If you took weapon finesse, assume you have it for the purposes of my games. Weapon finesse seems redundant to me if you have a finesse character build. It is a feat tax, and doesn't hold congruent with my interpretation of the game.
As I have said, I am not really interested in roll 20, but if you are going pbp here then I am interested. Sven is a Dragon Skald, which is support and melee.
I have all my stuff on roll 20, so that is where we will play, but you are certainly welcome here :)
Great RP. If you haven't already, you should also drop a quick idea of what role you intend to play so my players know, if it is any role, put any role. So far in the campaign we have a gunslinger, a rogue based dex based, and a possible harrow card divine.
It also might help you to know my house tules. I will try to post them today. One of them that might come in handy for melee is thatif a char is using light weapons they can attack with dex instead of strength (basically I give weapon finesse for free). Damage is still based on strength.
So primarily, the play will be here on the forum, with maps over on roll 20. More interesting scenes will be played live on roll20, if timing works out? Do I have that correct?
We will actually be playing 100% on roll 20. Just here to snatch a few recruits. I really like roll 20. It is everything that I wish that Paizo would have done here :)
I've tried a couple of times to get into S&S and would really like to play. I could submit this Waves Oracle, or I could go with someone else, depending on party make up So I wanted to ask about who is already in the game. Also, will be we joining a game in progress or will be we starting anew?
To explain why Diana is 5th here - After failing to get into two first level S&S games with her, I did get into a pirate related game but we started at 5th. This game was great, but the DM got too busy to support it soon after it started. It was very RP focused.
Starting anew. :) So far we have a gunslinger and a rogue-base stealth.
I'm running a Skull and Shackles game currently on Roll 20 for my home group, and find that I want to add one more as a PbP. We will mostly be doing it as a PbP, but may occasionally meet as a live session (with or without cameras/voice, I have no preference and depends on comfort level of the group) for BBEG boss battles, etc. if the group so chooses. The game will be done explicitly on Roll20 dot net (all my maps and material is there sharing between the two games). IF you aren't familiar with roll20, or haven't ever played there that is NOT a dealbreaker. You will be posting once or twice a day, so you will need to get in the habit of going there frequently. Posting from mobile works well as long as you have a "newish" device that is good enough to do so.
We are looking for probably at least one or two players.
My players will be picking based on character concept and roleplay. I don't want statblocks here. It is a pretty RP heavy group, so that should be a focus.
Any questions for me are welcome. To give you a small sense of my style, I am much less concerned with statblocks and/or killing PCs, and much more concerned with creating a story together.
You are in the Formidably Maid, awaiting "invitation" to join a pirating crew, for that is what you want to be... A pirate! (my players will be filtering in unannounced, but make yourselves at home until they do, and bounce any questions that you would like off of me as well in the meantime.)
Answered on the other thread. I like that the site emails when something is submitted. I am thinking about the Skinwalker still... I explained my reasoning on the other thread.
Party betrayals and PvP will get you booted, immediately and without question. Says so in my rules. :) This is a team game, so as long as your evil character knows how to use the team to get what he wants, and also doesn't put the party in any more jeopardy than any noble paladin wanting to go kill the evil Lich King BBEG, then I am fine with it. Played correctly, a party wouldn't know that a character is evil. If we want to get into the inner psyche, bad people don't ever think they are evil in the real world. They are normally just sociopaths that see the world differently than other people, and possibly to terrible things on top of people. No one actually gets up in the morning and says "Hmmm... This place is to good. What can I do to make it more evil, like me?"
Do you have a breakdown or something I could read about the stalker? I read over a review of the class, but I would be interested
As for a character, I'm thinking of keeping Alphonse personality-wise, but changing his class and build. I made a Slayer after this campaign died off that does basically the same schtick, so I don't really want to play it again while I'm playing such a similar character.
Or, well, depends on how we're running this.
Do we want a grim and gritty "real pirates" S&S, or do we want a more family friendly light and soft anti-hero at worst crew?
I'd have fun with either. I'm a fan of both Black Sails and One Piece. =)
My PCs that I am running for are half and half. I have 3 in the group, one is right down the line (unexperienced player), one is a softy, and one is legitimately evil. He is solely responsible for the deaths of 3 crew members, and happens to be a good enough liar to get away with it.
I'm fine with whatever. As long as someone knows how to play an evil character then I am fine with it. That in itself is a discussion that I believe is in my home rules listed in the journal of the campaign. I don't plan on getting obscene or overtly sexual because that isn't my style, but as far as whether people start disappearing from the ship and gold starts disappearing from - everywhere...
Do away with the daily job rolls after the first 3 or 4 days. They get tedious and are a big reason why PbP games of it seem to die.
I'd also request doing away with the Rum Ration, or changing rum significantly. That also gets tedious and are a big reason why (when run RAW) CHARACTERS tend to die.
I don't do the rum rules. At all. It makes zero sense to me that Captain Harrigan is pressganging people into his ship crew (for his own purposes, which shall remain nameless here, but that which he needs live bodies for...) and he is slowly poisoning the entire crew to death. It makes zero sense.
The day job roles matter for me, but that is only because I have an in depth spreadsheet of who is doing what, and who they are working with that day, and most times my PCs want the opportunity to try and sway one of the people that they are working with. Also, there is quite a bit of gamesmanship going on with people trying to get people in trouble and/or killed.
I suppose I could learn... where would you be starting Skull and Shackles... I DO have a S&S character that I'd love to play with... but he was inthe middle of book 2 when the game fell apart... or do you want us to stay with the characters we had here?
Seijiro (in my aliases). He's 6th lvl currently, but that can be adjusted... and so can equipment (some found, some from crafter in party).
Starting at the very beginning. If you wanted to use your character that would be great. We would just use the level one version. :)
Hmm, I'm not sure how well that would work, honestly. It seems clunky, especially since it's hard to scroll back over the Roll20 chat.
Using it for maps is just fine, but once you get into using rolls (which roll is which? When was it made?) and whatnot it gets clunky.
The chat log is just a long unbroken line of chat...until it's not, because it likes to cut it off at weird places and wipe it.
All my games to date have been played over Roll20, and it's really good for real time, but for a PbP? Ehhh...I'd stick with just using the maps.
And my game technically doesn't have any Evil characters. Technically.
They're skirting the edges of Neutral, though, that's for sure. We used to have a Neutral Evil Goblin Alchemist but he got merked by a Falcata crit that took him from full HP to -24 in a single swipe.
Do you use the character sheets in Roll20??? They are fantastic! I'll port over one of my characters so that you can play with his sheet. In order to roll all you need to do is click your button and it rolls for you and labels it. That would be perfect to remove the clunkiness of a PbP, actually. Rather than me constantly asking for Fort Saves, and Reflex saves, and Bluff/Sense motive saves ( A LOT of those in pirate adventure) I can go into your char sheet and just roll a save for you. All I have to do is click your button. It's freaking amazing!
The whisper functionality is way better than posting "Spoiler:GM" "Spoiler:Character" "Spoiler:GM" back and forth constantly. I think it would be better, personally. It's worth a shot at least, imo.
Rynjin, I would want to do a PbP, but over on roll20. Essentially we would use the game log as a chat thread, and anything that needed to be discussed we could use the outside forum. I would be happy to have you, running it or no. :) If your game is anything like mine (with some evil players), the game has a tendency to get off the rails with their enemies getting shanked, etc. Lol.
I'm almost done porting over the campaign. It is actually our old Serpent's Skull that I am re-purposing for Skull and Shackles. If you all want to join, I'd be happy to have you. If not, then that is fine as well. :)
Hey everyone. We would do a fast forward for sure, if we started out anew.
One thing I have been tossing around, is that I have been using roll20 pretty heavily for my home group, and I really like the use of it. I am wondering if anyone in the current group would have interest in gaming primarily over there? We use voice chat (meet up about once a week for a couple hours) but in ours we could continue doing a PbP. It is free for everyone, and a place to see maps and interact with them.
If anyone was interested in playing Skull and Shackles (the game that I am currently running for my home group) Roll20 allows for a direct duplication, so I could already use all the material for that game in our PbP. It wouldn't be that much effort, and since I am going there anyways it would be a great/easy place for me. (I hardly get on the forums anymore, still not enough time to get on and browse here, unfortunately).
What do you think? I'll look into getting it ported over in the meantime.
Travis, you are the best. So, some good news and great news. Katelyn is doing stable, and I found out that by adjusting my major I am able to graduate a full calendar year early.
That means that come summertime I will just have a J O B that I am working on, and none of this full time school and part time everything else garbage. We'll have to revisit this thread soon and start talking about if we want to continue the campaign as is, or maybe start anew.
Very excited avout the way things are going, just need to keep pushing for a little bit more...
Her dad is getting married AUG 9th. I'm holding out until then to start back up, but if we don't have any more scares after that, I see no reason we can't get the band back together and do this right after that. :)
Hi friends, thought I'd check in and give you an update. Katelyn is doing very, very good. She is really clicking with her therapist and working through a lot of things. I have gone with her and have seen a lot of really good changes happening in her life. I think that we are really turning the corner and can finally be happy.
Hi friends, thought I'd check in and give you an update. Katelyn is doing very, very well. She is really clicking with her therapist and working through a lot of things. I have gone with her (at their request) and have seen a lot of really good changes happening in her life. I think that we are really turning the corner and can be happy.
Hopefully life finds you all well too.
Brayden
Race
Half-orc ranger 1 | AC 17 - T12 - FF 15 | HP 20/20 | F+6 R+6 W+3 (+1 vs evil outsiders) | Per +7/+9, Init +2
About Therrik
The Cliff's Notes Background:
Therrik was born in the River Kingdoms to a riverboat-merchant mother who never spoke of his orc father. He grew up on Sellen barges, and, for a half-orc, had a fairly happy childhood-- barring an incident when he was ten, when the family barge sailed within range of Tanglebriar. While gathering berries ashore, the boy was grabbed by minions of Treerazer and dragged off for a strange ritual. Fortunately, a band of Kyonin scouts rescued Therrik and returned him to his mother, no worse off save for odd marks on his skin and nightmares to haunt his sleep.
Therrik grew up-- and grew big. By the time he was fourteen, he was being pressed into service as muscle for local river lords. Therrik figured this was all life had in store for him. That changed when, at nineteen, he met Janayya-- a half-elf his current crew fished out of the river, half-dead, covered in bites and wounds. She seemed familiar... and she was: for she'd been a member of the raiding party that had saved him, ten years earlier.
Therrik nursed her back to health; they became friends, and, in time, lovers. Janayya taught him woodlore, and spoke of fighting demons: something that resonated in his soul and made his scars itch. They agreed to travel to the Worldwound, and slay demons together... but they were separated by fortunes of the road. Therrik has arrived in Kenabres alone, but every day he scans the streets for the sight of her. He plans on having a nice pile of demon corpses to show her, when she arrives.
The Long Form Background:
As above, but with more details and yammering!
Therrik was one of half-a-dozen of his mother's children-- though the only one with orc blood among them. Though she never said as much, he's fairly sure that his mother's liasion with his father was consensual... perhaps the stigma of that alone would be why she doesn't talk about it. His childhood was spent on riverboats; his mother ran up and down the length of the Sellen on a barge crewed by herself, her large family, and hired hands. It was a rambunctious and active lifestyle, and not all of their cargo was legal, but Therrik's memories of those years are mostly good. He was never treated poorly by his family for his green-hued skin, and, by and large, the other people of the River Kingdoms took him in stride as well, for it's a land of various ragtags and outcasts, the dregs of polite society. Accordingly, Therrik doesn't have the chip-on-his shoulder common to many half-orcs. Nor does he feel a gap where his father might have been, in his life: he had brothers, and informal 'uncles', to fill that hole.
When he was ten, his mother's barge docked on the Kyonin shore of the Sellen River for needed repairs... unfortunately close to the Tanglebriar. Therrik and his siblings were let ashore to get them out from underfoot. Therrik noticed an especially tempting berry patch, and followed it... and then another, further on... by the time he realized he was lost, he was already in dangerous territory. Minions of Treerazer spotted the wandering child on the edges of the corrupted swamp, and, with promises that they were taking him back to his mother, they led him further into the swamp.
After scratching twisted runes into the wailing boy's flesh with cursed thorns, the inhuman cultusts prepared to transform him into something... other. Thankfully, Therrik's cries had reached help-- in the form of a Kyonin scouting party who had dared to penetrate deep into Tanglebriar on their mission of hunting and slaying Treerazer's servitors. Arrows streaked from the trees; elves (and one half-elf) followed, cutting down the cultists, saving the child from whatever sinister fate might have awaited him. The more conservative elves in the patrol might not have seen a half-orc child worth saving, but Janayya, the half-elf in the group, argued that he was too young to be considered anything but an innocent.
She treated his bleeding scratches as best she could, but noticed that the lines still showed black, stained with some sort of plant dye (at least, she hoped it was only plant dye). Once Therrik had calmed somewhat, she managed to coax out the information of who he was, and where his family was. Janayya and the elves escorted him back through to the river's edge again, where they were able to reunite him with his worried family. The elves melted away into the trees, and Therrik was left with only fragmented memories of the encounter, manifested as nightmares for some time afterward. The marks have never left his skin, but, as he grew older, most have assumed them to be merely tattoos.
Therrik continued to grow... and grow. By twelve, he was as tall as his mother; by fourteen, he was as tall as any of the men working the boats with them, his orc blood manifesting in a strong back and broad shoulders. His mother, a pragmatic businesswoman who was quick to seize any advantage, paid a swordsman to teach him the ways of a blade, and later on, urged him to join up with the crews of some of the river lords (read: bandits, really), where his size would serve him well.
Therrik did so, for several years. He played the role of 'big, dumb brute' fairly well, especially as he reached his full height and weight. The childhood scars merely made it more fearsome when he growled threats at those who owed river tolls. It was not, perhaps, a fulfilling existence... but there was a kind of cameraderie among the river-crews, and he was respected for the strength of his arms and his skill on a boat, and what exactly did he want out of life, anyway? What more than coin to gamble with, and willing bedmates, and the knowledge that few would pick a fight with you? There worse fates, he told himself, and tried to be content.
At nineteen, Therrik and his current crew fished a body from the Sellen. This was hardly unusual, and usually made for a quick profit; but this one was still alive. She was badly injured, her body covered in scratches and bites. But she was still breathing, and, to Therrik's shock, familiar. It was the face of the half-elf that had helped him as a boy, nine years before. Therrik announced to the others that they'd get her healed, and that anyone who had a problem with it could take it up with him... nobody argued much. Therrik paid a cleric of Hanspur for some healing, and nursed her through what he couldn't buy. In turn, Janayya was startled to see the little boy of a decade gone grown into a strong, competent warrior.
Her story was simple enough: she had been on another patrol, ambushed in the depths of the Tangle, and ultimately had fled in the grips of supernatural fear, corrupted fey harrying her all the way to the Sellen itself, where she had fallen half-dead into the water. With the rest of her patrol most likely dead, Janayya was in no hurry to return to Kyonin itself. She stayed on the crew with Therrik, though he insisted she owed him no debt-- if anything, they were even now-- and, for a few months, she lent her bow to the work of river-guard. But at every turn she spoke of how it was unworthy work, a mere step or two above piracy, and that Therrik obviously could aspire to better. He found himself listening.
They became friends, and Janayya persuaded him to leave the river and come with her for 'a challenge, if you're up to it.' For several more months, they camped on the banks of the Sellen where it borders the Tanglebriar, and Janayya instructed him in the ways of the woods, in hunting on land, and also, in the fine art of demon-slaughter. They would lurk for hours to catch one of Treerazer's minions that came too close to the edges of the wood, and then strike together. It was teamwork of a sort Therrik had never known, more intimate than the rough river crews. Furthermore, he felt validated as he turned his blade, not against merchants and ruffians, but against the abominations that had haunted his childhood dreams.
He also felt drawn to Janayya. She was the antithesis of his world in some ways: idealistic where all his acquaintances were pragmatic; ready to die for her beliefs rather than turn tail and save her own skin. She was wise, tough, and she saw in him more than a thug: she saw someone who could be a hero.
In time, their friendship became more than that. Together, they harried minor demons on the edges of the Tanglebriar for another half a year, living off the land and slipping back to the river only when their position became too dangerous or they needed to resupply. It was the happiest time of Therrik's life.
But all things come to an end. Janayya felt she needed to return to Kyonin-- to give the full report of her squad's demise, if nothing else-- and Kyonin would surely not tolerate a half-orc joining their patrols (Janayya herself had struggled to prove her worth over and over). At the same time, Janayya had no desire to leave Therrik, and so, she hit on a solution: they would go to Kyonin, but only so she could report and tender her resignation. Then, the two of them would travel north, to the infamous Worldwound. There, Janayya told Therrik, the two of them could continue to fight demons-- but together, openly, with a society and resources at their back. Therrik was more than willing to follow her wherever she led, including, literally, to the Abyss itself.
The elves, however, would not let Therrik enter Kyonin's boundaries. Frustrated, the lovers agreed to part for a time: Therrik could say his own farewells to his mother and siblings, and Janayya could attend to her business in Kyonin. They decided to meet again in Castle Urion, halfway to the front, at an inn Janayya spoke of.
Therrik was there, the day they agreed to meet. And the next day.... He waited a week in the inn, increasingly worried, fear and doubt preying equally on his mind. Perhaps she'd had trouble, on the road... but even worse, perhaps she'd changed her mind about him, about them. He considered going to Kyonin and trying to find her, but remembering the cool reception he had received before, he ultimately decided to press on to Kenabres on his own. Janayya would come, he was sure of it. Maybe she was already there, even...
Therrik has now been in Kenabres a week. He travels from crusader-crowded inn, to crusader-crowded inn, looking for a half-elf woman with a crooked grin and a bow over her shoulder; so far he has not had any luck. Daily, he wonders if he should have gone the other direction, back to Kyonin after all, but now he is too worried that he might miss her if he leaves. So instead, he's decided to stay, and fight demons, so that when Janayya does arrive, she'll see he hasn't wasted any time.
Appearance:
Therrik is a big guy. He stands six-foot-six, and has the muscles and shoulders to match. His greenish skin and jutting tusks are accentuated by black marks over much of his visible skin, twisting squiggles interspersed with harsh, angular lines. Most people assume they are merely the tribal tattoos that many orcs (and anyone wanting to look like a tough guy) wear. Scholars who are familiar with the Abyssal tongue, however, can notice that the symbols are hardly random: the sigils of Treerazer and other demons are interspersed into the markings. (Therrik himself is not aware of this; Janayya knew, but was worried the information might do him no good, and did not tell him.) Still, as Therrik doesn't usually sit around letting people inspect his skin, it's not something that would be apparent at first, casual glance. Therrik's black hair is worn cropped short, and his eyes are a vivid, new-leaf green.
Therrik is usually dressed simply but serviceably. He wears sturdy boots, brown leather breeches, and a tunic and surcoat of coarse linen, usually in greens, greys, or browns-- the natural colors that he became accustomed to while he and Janayya lived off the land. If expecting trouble, he dons his scale mail. A large falchion is strapped over his back, and a number of other weapons are at hand should he need them. At all times, he wears a simple bracelet on one wrist-- a braid of leather cord, with small, colored wooden beads strung onto the plait.
Personality:
Despite his battle-ready appearance, Therrik is not particularly quick to violence or anger. As a product of his upbringing, Therrik is pragmatic and practical, and thinks about 'the bottom line' a lot... (You would too, if you'd had his mother.) ... even if he no longer weighs that bottom line merely in terms of coin. He's patient and hard to rile, but doesn't tolerate nonsense-- think the steady, unphased bouncer at a club who will put up with a drunken patron for three warnings and then you're out, pal. During his time in the woods with Janayya, Therrik discovered a deep appreciation for nature; that and his sailor background means he loves the water, swimming and fishing in it and on it. His other hobbies include woodcarving and trying to learn Elven (his accent is awful).
Behind his 'common sense, level head' approach to life, Therrik is still fairly young, and has the specific insecurities of a man in the grips of his first real love, with a woman his senior in various ways. On a background level, he frets about being worthy of Janayya, and good enough, and strong enough. He seeks to prove himself to her-- and to himself, as well; to show that he is, in fact, more than some river thug. He hopes to someday have perhaps a boat of his own, or a cabin by the water, where he and Janayya can settle down after their demon-slaying days are done, and maybe raise a bunch of kids with greenish skin, pointed ears, and crooked smiles.(Closet romantic is closet romantic.)
Regarding religion: Therrik pays a half-hearted, habitual worship to Hanspur, as the river god he was raised with, but he feels no particularly strong allegiance to any of the Golarion pantheon. The closest he has come to feeling 'divinely touched' has been when watching the flow of water over stone and sand, or staring at the clouds drifting overhead, or listening to the wind in the branches of the trees. Gozreh is likely the god he's closest to, but he hasn't yet made that connection in any formal sense: he just knows he likes being out in the wilds, and feels at peace there.
Party role: Melee hard-hitter, some skills, maneuvers as needed, eventual divine casting. Nothing fancy mechanically, just a guy who swings a big falchion.
Therrik
Male half-orc ranger (tanglebriar demonslayer) 1 (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Combat)
NG Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3; +1 vs. spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities of evil outsiders
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee club +6 (1d6+4) or
. . cold iron dagger +6 (1d4+4/19-20) or
. . dagger +6 (1d4+4/19-20) or
. . falchion +6 (2d4+6/18-20)
. . mwk warhammer +7 (wielding two-handed) (1d8+6)
Ranged sling +4 (1d4+4)
Special Attacks favored enemy (evil outsiders +2)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +6 (+8 bull rush, +8 drag, +8 overrun, +8 sunder); CMD 18 (20 vs. bull rush, 20 vs. drag, 20 vs. overrun, 20 vs. sunder)
Feats Combat Expertise*, Powerful Maneuvers (Improved Bull Rush, Improved Drag, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder)*, Power Attack*, Shield of Swings
*as per house rules Traits brute (orc), stolen fury
Skills Acrobatics -2 (-6 to jump), Climb +5, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (planes) +5, Perception +7, Profession (sailor) +6, Survival +7, Swim +4; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Orc
SQ favored enemy, orc blood, track +1, wild empathy +2
Combat Gear cold iron sling bullets (50), acid; Other Gear scale mail, club, cold iron dagger, dagger, falchion, mwk warhammer, sling, backpack, bandolier, bedroll, belt pouch, box of fishing tackle (2 lb), fishing pole, simple (1 lb), flint and steel, magnet, mess kit, mirror, signal whistle, silk rope (50 ft.), small bundle of loose tea leaves, teapot, trail rations (3), twine (50'), waterskin, whetstone, braided leather charm bracelet with small wooden beads, Terendelev's scale (align weapon), 12 gp, 2 sp, 4 cp
Encumbrance light
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Special Abilities
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Brute (Orc) Whenever you score a critical threat, you add (but not multiply, in the case of a confirmed critical hit) an amount of damage equal to your weapon’s critical modifier.
Combat Expertise +/-1 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Favored Enemy (Evil Outsiders +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs. Favored Enemy (Evil Outsiders) foes.
Favored Enemy (Ex) +1 vs. spells, SLAs and supernatural abilities of evil outsiders.
Improved Bull Rush You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when bull rushing.
Improved Drag You Drag at +2 and don't cause an attack of opportunity.
Improved Overrun You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when overrunning, and foe can't choose to avoid you.
Improved Sunder You don't provoke attacks of opportunity when sundering.
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Sacred Tattoo Alternate racial trait, luck bonus to saves
Shield of Swings Reduce damage on a 2H power attack by 1/2 to gain +4 shield bonus to AC and CMD
Stolen Fury +2 trait bonus to CMB vs. Demons
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Wild Empathy +1 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
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