So.. I've an off-game that blew up a little. I'm running dragon's demand for my party, and I was wondering if someone had already converted it to a larger group?
You have been riding for a week, now. The green mountains rise high and verdant on your right hand, to the north, although they have recently grown obscured by the small forrest you're passing through. The road winds its way through the trees, clearly well tended and often traveled, although you have met few other people on your journey.
It is just past noon, and although the sun bears down with great heat, the verdant greens of the crowns above make for a cool, pleasant ride.
The Swallowtail festival has come to Sandpoint, and has brought out locals and strangers alike to the square before the newly completed church. The opening speeches are a fairly high point, as the four speakers give short, well-recieved introductions and welcomes to the festival.
Mayor Deverin's friendly attitude and excitement prove contagious as she welcomes visitors to town and jokes about how even Larz Rovanky, the local tanner (and notorious workaholic) managed to tear himself away from the tannery to attend, much to everyone's amusement (except Larz's).
Sheriff Belor Hemlock brings the crowd down a bit with his dour mood, his reminder to be safe around the evening's bonfire, and his request for a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the fire that claimed the town's previous church several years ago. The next speaker is scheduled to be local nobleman Lonjiku Kaijitsu, but a sudden illness has prevented him from attending the ceremony (this isn't something that surprises the locals, given Lonjiku's well-known dislike of frivolity and festivals).
Sandpoint's own showman Cyrdak Drokkus is more than up to the challenge of bringing the crowd's mood back up with his rousing anecdotes. He delivers a not-completely-irreverent recap of the long process the town went through to finance and construct the new cathedral. He throws in a bit of self promotion at the end, as is his wont, inviting everyone to stop by the Sandpoint Theater the following evening to check out his new production of "The Harpy's Curse," revealing that the lead role of Avis era the harpy queen will be played by none other than the famous Magnimarian diva Allishanda!
Finally, Father Zantus steps up to give a short speech thanking everyone for coming before declaring the Swallowtail Festival underway.
The day is filled with festival games of all kinds, from apple bobbing to knife-throwing and tug-of-war. Participation is free and encouraged; the winnings are primarily bragging rights.
At noon, Father Zantus and his acolytes wheel a large covered wagon into the square, and after recounting the short parable of how Desna first fell to earth and was nursed back to health by a blind child whom she transformed into an immortal butterfly as a reward for her aid, they pull aside the wagon's cover, releasing the thousand children of Desna - a furious storm of swallowtail butterflies that swarm into the air in a spiraling riot of color to a great cheer from the crowd. Throughout the rest of the day, children futilely chase butterflies, never quite quick enough to catch them.
Lunch is provided free, at the expense of Sandpoint's taverns. Each brings its best dishes-this event is as much a marketing push by the taverns to win new customers as it is to feed a hungry crowd. It soon becomes apparent that the darling of the lunch is, once again, Ameiko Kaijitsu, whose remarkable curry-spiced salmon and early winterdrop mead easily overshadow the other offerings, such as the Hagfish's lobster chowder or the White Deer's peppercorn venison.
As the shadows grow long, and the light takes on red hues, you find yourself at the front of the crowd as farther Zantus takes the stage once again.
He raises his hands and clears his throat to speak, but is undercut by a scream - little green humanoids emerge from under wagons, behind barrels and around corners, nooks and cannies all around the festival square.
They're swinging torches, singing and chittering exitedly in voices that are just a tad too high-pitched to be human.
Three of them emerge from under a wagon near the pair of you - two of them waving knives in the air while another jumps on top of the wagon, lighting a torch.
The goblin lighting its torch is succesful, and immediately starts settin fire to the wagon it's standing on, singing gleefully.
The second goblin seems to have a acquired a bucket, and is placing it on its head, while the third is busy dragging the corpse of a dog out from under the wagon. He gets frequently distracted by the need to shank the dog again. Can't have it getting up.
They're roughly 15 ft. away from you. Not bothering with a map for this one.
Part 1: The Fall of Kenabres
Kenabres, the city of a thousand banners, is awash with celebration.
For several weeks, excitement has been building - Armasse is coming!
Traditionally an opportunity for scholars and priests to come together to study the lessons of history from wars past, since Aroden's death, this holy day has become more about training commoners in weaponry, choosing squires, and ordaining new priests. Over time, Armasse has grown to encompass jousting competitions, mock duels, battle reenactments, and other festival events. In Kenabres, the festival (which takes place on i6 Arodus) is eagerly anticipated, for it provides distractions from the horrors of being on the front line of the war. Smiles on faces normally marred by downcast eyes and furrowed brows do wonders for city morale in the weeks leading up to the event.
Just looking at the crowds, you'd think that the city's population has swelled to thrice its usual size, as if the entire fourth crusade had come to take part.
In the skies above, the gathered masses give rise to great pillars of hot air, carrying scents of strange spices, food and people. The celebration is city-wide, but there is a natural congregation towards Clydwell Plaza just west of the grand marble cathedral, where the opening ceremony will be hosted at noon.
So, we're running Rise of the Runelords. It sounded like you'd want to run gestalt, would that be a solo game, or should we pick up some others?
If you're wanting more than one other player, I feel like it'd be hard to have the characters be gestalt and the game remain interesting at the same time, so if you want to do that, I'd recommend a two-person party.
I'm thinking 2nd level, gestalt, 1000gp (not sure what you'll do with it, but I might be missing a bunch of stuff here. Convert it to CP and SP and heap it in a pile somewhere, if nothing else) 2 traits, 1 of them a campaign trait.
25 point buy, and as for hp, full at first level, and roll for the subsequent levels, taking half if you roll less than that. (i.e. results of 1 to 5 on a d12 becomes 6.)
Finally, there's a silver dragon in Kenabres, an ancient female called Terendelev. You might or might not be a family relation, who knows.
Nate Lange's excellent recruitment thread inspired me to do something I've wanted to do for a while. So here goes:
Character Creation
Level: 2nd, fast experience track.
Stats: 30 point buy
Races: The available races for this are Humans, Halflings, Devilblooded (see the 'races' spoiler) and Aasimar.
Gear: 1000gp, in accordance with Wealth By Level. Additionally, you will begin play with one of the seven legendary swords of your order. It will gain powers as you accomplish great deeds and become worthy of their heritage, eventually becoming the equivalent of magic items worth 20k gp. Currently, they are +1 masterwork swords in your hands.
Variant Rules: Epic 6, Background skills. Stamina is free for fighters.
Allowed Paizo material: All official pathfinder material. 3.5e written by Paizo, such as the Guided weapon property, is not allowed.
Allowed 3pp material: Path of War & Expanded. The Zealot alone may use Psionic Feats, taken from the ones at d20pfsrd.
Background: I'd like to know about your characters' histories of course, but that's not as important as their personalities and their social ties. Why did the previous wielder of your sword choose to pass it on to you? Are you a proper samurai with lord, lands and titles, or just some guy with a sword? If you're a samurai, who is your clan, and how are they special? If you're female, how did you end up learning martial arts when that's very much a male-dominated field?
Finally, some info about your sword. What special purpose does it serve, in a group of seven swordsmen? Do its wielders have something in common, and does it have any legends associated with it? What's it called?
What sort of sword is it?
~~
In ancient times, a magnificent sword was forged. They called it the Sword of Kings, and it was prophecied that it should be taken up by three kings in succession.
The first king to wield it would forge an empire. The second would rule for a thousand years, and the third would reign eternal.
Terrified of the prospective doom inherent in that prophecy, seven swordsmen banded together. They swore to hide and protect the blade, keeping it out of the hands of those who would rule unjustly, until such a time where a worthy ruler should come to pass. Further, they swore to oppose the forces of darkness, wherever they came across them.
That oath withstood the ages; the blade was lost from the keeping of the seven but once, and from that occasion arose the Empire of the Sun, with the Divine Emperor at its head, all before the sword could be returned to the seven.
But a month ago, the Sword of Kings was stolen from its hiding place, the two eldest of the swordsmen killed, and their blades bestowed on relative novices. The last ten years have been peaceful, and all seven of you have been given your blades in that time of relative peace.
Now however, you must stand your first real test. The divinations point to the Spirit Forest of the Sentori Valley as a possible location of the thief, and so the guardians must ride there to recover the stolen blade, and forestall an eternal reign of terror.
First stop, Son Watari, a sleepy little village, and the nearest place to cross the river for many miles in both directions.
~~
Races:
-Humans are the dominant people of the island empire. They form the samurai caste, and makes up the majority of other people in the lands.
-Halflings are the other indiginous race of humanoids. They're generally of lower class, and when they're not clearly working as farmers or servants, they're regarded with some suspicion as to their purpose. Humans generally understand the smallfolk to steal a lot, and have a propensity for the ninjitsu arts, and so are quick to accuse them of stuff.
-Aasimar are of the Divine Imperial bloodline. Noble and pure, they're the family of the emperor. They're also rather unlikely to venture far from the court, and a member of the royal family turned adventurer would be a great breach of conduct.
Mechanically speaking, neither variant aasimar heritages, nor the table of Variant Aasimar Abilities is allowed, although alternate racial traits are allowed.
-Devilblooded are the result of humans mixing with the race of devils of the conquered 9th province, and are viewed with great suspicion and a little bit of horror. They're generally large, possess great horns that curl back from their brows, and hooved feet. As half-humans, their hair and skin ranges from ashen white and grey, to the standard human colors. They're born with an intristic understanding of arcane magic that belies their physical size.
Devilblooded Racial Traits:
Humanoid(Human, Devilblooded)
30ft. Speed
Languages: Common, any bonus.
+2 str, +2 int, -2 cha
Low-light vision
Natural Attack: Gore, 1d6 primary(secondary when used alongside weapons)
Powerful Magic: +2 to cl checks overcome spell resistance
SLAs: Detect Magic 3/d as an SLA, cl 1.
Swords, with all credit to Nate Lange:
Most swords available in Pathfinder will be available in this game, they’ll just be made in an Asian style. Before looking at specific swords, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with a few asian swords: the Dao (Chinese sabre style), the Jian (Chinese straight sword), the Chokuto (Japanese straight blade, like the ninjato), and the Uchigatana (Japanese curved blade, like a katana or wakizashi). Please make sure that the style of your weapon is indicated in your description (and/or in your equipment).
The following constitute available swords and may be styled as listed:
Bastard Sword- a fairly long Dao, Chokuto, or Uchigatana
Butterfly Sword- as described
Cutlass- a medium sized Dao
Dueling Sword- a medium sized Jian or Uchigatana
Estoc- a large Jian
Elven Curve Blade- a Nagamaki
Falcata- a broad, heavy, medium length Dao
Falchion- a large Dao or Uchigatana
Flambard- as described (Indian weapon)
Gladius- a short Jian with a tassel or feathers hanging from the pommel
Greatsword- a large Dao or Chokuto
Katana- as described
Khopesh- a hook sword
Kukri- as described (Indian weapon)
Longsword- a medium sized Dao, Jian, Chokuto, or Uchigatana
Naginata*- as described (it was considered a sword in Japan, so we’ll count it)
Nine-ring Broadsword- as described
Nodachi- as described
Rapier- a narrow, medium length Jian
Sawtoothed Sabre- lightweight, medium length Dao (no serrations)
Scimitar- a medium sized Uchigatana
Sevenbranched Sword - as described
Shortsword- a short Jian or Chokuto
Sword Cane - Shikomizue (actually the name of a blade mounting, the blade is most often a short Chokuto)
Temple Swords- as described
Two-bladed Sword- a short wooden shaft with Dao or Uchigatana blades on each end
Wakizashi- as described
Finally, certain homebrew feats will be available once your characters reach 6th level.
Epic Feats:
These feats are available to characters who have reached level 6. Any character of 6th level may select general epic feats, but only characters who possess six levels in a class may select capstone feats, and a character may only possess a single capstone feat.
General Epic Feats
Ability Training Benefits: Pick one ability score. You gain a +1 bonus to ability checks and skill checks involving that ability score.
Special: Ability Training may be selected multiple times, once for each of the six ability scores. The bonus does not stack.
Ability Advancement Benefits: Pick one ability score for which you have Albility Training. This ability score increases by two points.
Special: Ability Training may be selected multiple times, once for each of the six ability scores. The bonus does not stack.
Magical Stamina Prerequisites: Spellcasting as a class feature.
Benefits: You gain an additional spell per day of a level you can cast. This follows the normal rules for spellcasting, and may not be applied to spells from Master Spellcaster.
Capstone Epic Feats
Barbarian
Deradnought Benefits: You gain Damage Reduction 2/-. This stack with DR/- from other sources.
Bard
Maestro Prerequisites: Bardic Music
Benefits: You gain the ability to use Inspire Greatness as a ninth level bard.
Master Spellcaster Prerequisites: Ability to cast 2nd level bard spells.
Benefits: Pick one 3rd level spell from the Bard list. You may cast this spell twice per day, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from a high charisma modifier or other sources do not apply.
Cleric
Domain Savant Benefits:
Master Spellcaster Prerequisites: Ability to cast 3rd level cleric spells.
Benefits: Choose five 4th level spells from your spell list or your chosen domains. Each day, you may prepare and cast one of these spells, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from domains, a high wisdom modifier or other sources do not apply.
Druid
Master Spellcaster Prerequisites: Ability to cast 3rd level druid spells.
Benefits: Choose five 4th level spells from your spell list or your chosen domain(if any). Each day, you may prepare and cast one of these spells, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from domains, a high wisdom modifier or other sources do not apply.
Fighter
Armor Master Benefits: You gain Armor Training II. If you do not already possess Armor Training, you gain Armor Training I it instead.
Master Warrior Benefits: For the purpose of prerequisites, you count as having a base attack bonus and fighter level of 8. Additionally, you gain an additional combat feat.
Unchained Monk
Ki Master Benefits: You count as a monk of 8th level for the purpose of choosing Ki powers. You gain an additional Ki power.
Master Warrior Benefits: You count as a monk of 8th level for the purpose of calculating your unarmed damage and unarmored AC bonus, and gain Ki Strike(Silver and Cold Iron)
Paladin
Aura of Resolve Benefits: You gain the Aura of Resolve of an 8th level paladin.
Master Spellcaster Prerequisites: Ability to cast paladin spells.
Benefits: Choose five 2nd level spells from your spell list or your chosen domain(if any). Each day, you may prepare and cast one of these spells, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from domains, a high charisma modifier or other sources do not apply.
Ranger
Master Woodsman Benefits: You gain the Swift Tracker, Woodland Stride, and 2nd Favored Terrain Class features.
Master Spellcaster Prerequisites: Ability to cast ranger spells.
Benefits: Choose five 2nd level spells from your spell list. Each day, you may prepare and cast one of these spells, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from domains, a high wisdom modifier or other sources do not apply.
Unchained Rogue
Master Warrior Benefits: Your sneak attack increases by 1d6, and you gain the Improved Uncanny Dodge class feature. Should you not possess uncanny dodge, you gain that ability instead.
Shadowdancer Benefits: You gain Hide in Plain Sight, as per the Shadowdancer ability.
Sorcerer
Bloodline Savant Benefits: You gain the 9th level bloodline power of your chosen bloodline.
Master Spellcaster Benefits: Pick one 4th level spell from your spell list. You may cast this spell twice per day, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from a high charisma modifier or other sources do not apply.
Wizard
Master Spellcaster Benefits: Add two fourth level spells from your spell list to your spellbook. Once per day, you may prepare and cast a 4th level spell, using the normal rules for spellcasting. Bonus spells from school specialization, a high intelligence modifier or other sources do not apply.
Special: You may add other 4th level spells from your spell list you encounter to your spellbook. However, this proccess uses up ten times the usual resources.
Harbinger
Ill Intentions Benefits: You gain the Ill Intentions class feature of an 8th level Harbinger.
Master initiator Benefits: Pick one 4th level non-stance maneuver of a discipline you have access to. Once per combat, you may initiate this maneuver.
Mystic
Master of Glyphs Prerequisites: Elemental Glyph class feature.
Benefits: You count as an 8th level mystic for the purpose of which benefits are granted by your Elemental Glyph class feature.
Master initiator Benefits: Pick one 4th level non-stance maneuver of a discipline you have access to. Once per combat, you may initiate this maneuver.
Stalker
Master initiator Benefits: Pick one 4th level non-stance maneuver of a discipline you have access to. Once per combat, you may initiate this maneuver.
Warder
Adaptive Tactics Benefits: You gain the Adaptive Tactics class feature.
Master initiator Benefits: Pick one 4th level non-stance maneuver of a discipline you have access to. Once per combat, you may initiate this maneuver.
Warlord
Tactical Assistance Benefits: You gain the Tactical Assistance class feature.
Master initiator Benefits: Pick one 4th level non-stance maneuver of a discipline you have access to. Once per combat, you may initiate this maneuver.
Zealot
Mission Augments Benefits: You gain access to the Mission Augments of your Mission.
Master initiator Benefits: Pick one 4th level non-stance maneuver of a discipline you have access to. Once per combat, you may initiate this maneuver.
Capstone feats will be provided for the rest of the classes eventually, base, hybrid & occult, but I think you can just about figure out the thrust of them by now, right?
Fair warning: I don't know much about China, Japan, or the far east in general. Google and pop-culture 'facts' will abound, and I expect to completely butcher most of it.
I'll also be ripping storylines from all over the place - this adventure will be largely based on a published 3.5e adventure, for instance.
I'm looking to play through an AP as a solo character.
This feels quite... Greedy, I guess? Either way, I feel like I should be giving something back to whoever undertakes this quite large task just to entertain me. As such, here's the bait:
I'll pledge to run a game for you in turn, if you desire, either as a solo game for you, or including other players. I'd prefer to run modules or APs, but am fairly open to variant rules and 3pp, as long as it does not require me to retool the adventures too far.
As for material, I've a friend who has all the APs from Savage Tide (maybe excluding Age of Worms), up to and including Wrath of the Righteous, and possibly one or two more after that.
There's also a collection of 3.5e adventures I could run, including the Sunless Citadel 'AP', the Rappan Athuk superdungeon, the "World's Largest Dungeon", and Red Hand of Doom. That final one I'm planning to run a game of here on the forums in not so long.
Finally, I have access to the Emerald Spire and Dragon's Demand modules, if either of those tickles your fancy.
What I'm looking for:
A GM who's willing to run a character of mine through one of Paizo's published APs. I have little preference as to which one, as I am fascinated by the prospect of all of them. I imagine I'd start off at level 3, or 2 if we decide to use gestalt, and rely on the extra wealth and experience from that point onwards to keep me on top of things.
I post regularly once every one to two days, and I find that this rate is optimal for me. Ideally, you'd have a similar posting schedule. That isn't to say that there won't be times where we have rapidfire posts, but simply that I enjoy the somewhat ponderous pace of pbp.
A player of mine wants to play Groot in my e6 game. That's cool, we've a bunch of ways to facilitate that.
One thing we agreed was that he'd use wooden weapons and armor, which would be refluffed to be pieces of wood he'd found and made part of him over the years.
But, since the completely wooden weapons are all a little bad, I thought to drop him a bone, and give him this specific weapon;
Club of Shillelagh.
This masterwork +1 club is permanently under the effects of a Shillelagh.
What sort of problems would arise from allowing something like that? Do you think I should at all?
If yes, do you think a pricing scheme of 6300gp=2300(+1 mwk club)+4000(2000*1*1*2, for a permanent lvl 1 spell with min/lvl duration) is fair?
Keep in mind that we rule that specific items can be further enchanted, although you can't move the specific item abilities from one type of item to another.
No Beaststrike Scimitar or Slaying Shuriken, for example.
