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Corbain's page

Goblin Squad Member. Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber. Organized Play Member. 6 posts. No reviews. 1 list. 1 wishlist. 1 Organized Play character.


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber

BLUF: The ORC should kill OGL. For good.

At first, I didn't want to think that WotC would be as stupid as the "leak" makes them out to be. (In a way, I suspect this is a trolling exercise.) Given the high volume of amazing content (I support way, way, waaaaayyyyyy too many on Kickstarter), it's no wonder they would want to tap into that creative market.

It's almost ironic that WotC, formed by a group of gamers, nearly killed D&D, then bought it to keep it alive. I didn't game for a while, shortly after 3rd Edition came out, but I kept my subscriptions to Dragon and Dungeon magazine going throughout my haitus.

When I restarted, it was right before the announcement of 4th Edition. I literally skipped the bulk of 3rd Edition and spent a lot of money catching up. 4th Edition was no surprise, Hasbro wanted to change the nature of the game from role/roll-playing to a mini-buying rush, nearly killing D&D. The only reason I bought 4th Edition core books was because Paizo was offering 10% discount on an entire order. I made sure to clear my wishlist and the discount more than covered the price of the cost.

I moved along with PF, ignoring 4th Ed and 5e until recently when I finally made a friend that's a gamer. (Previous attempts to find a gaming group all failed.) So, I jumped back into 5e.

Near the end again. (rofl)

What is ironic is Hasbro bought WotC and nearly killed D&D a second time, and now they seem to think the 3rd time's the charm, trying to focus D&D on pay-to-play content and services (I'm not against making money, but not keen on vampiric payment schemes either), as well as futilely trying to tap into the creativity of thousands of content creators without actually having to work at it. It would be like IBM suddenly declaring they could confiscate all code written for PCs, ever. (IBM has a very shady past, so it's no surprise when corporations attempt such things.)

I look forward to the new license. Even if WotC doesn't follow through, the ORC should kill OGL.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber

I've been struggling with this for a couple of weeks using Chrome. I could log in using FireFox. Clearing cookies and cache didn't fix the problem. Eventually, I found a setting that block third party cookies in Incognito.

To get there select:
Three vertical dots (Customize and control Google Chrome menu)
Settings
Security and Privacy
Cookies and other site data

You can do one of two things:
1) Change the general setting to "Allow all cookies"

2) Scroll down to "Sites that can always use cookies"
Click "Add"
Enter [*.]paizo.com
Select "Including third-party cookies on this site
Click Add

This will probably work for any other sites when in Incognito. I think an update enabled this. So far Paizo is the only site I found impacted by this.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber

I currently have several subscriptions, Player Companion being one. If I do nothing, will it migrate to Lost Omens automatically or just end?


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber

Judging from the email I received yesterday and tis post, I can only assume that the Paizo staff are as addicted to Kickstart as I am. A very dangerous habit. I haven't contributed yet, still trying to determine what level I want. But looking at Kicktraq, it doesn't look good. But since Lisa's email yesterday, we've rallied and the contributions have shot up tremendously (the single largest day yet). Thanks, Lisa.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber

To Lisa and all the amazing staff at Paizo,

When, out of the blue, I first found out that Paizo was taking over the subscriptions, I was dubious at first, not because I thought you couldn't do it, but because I hadn't heard of you and internet spoofing was a growing concern. My subscriptions were hit and miss on arrival (magazines via APO are just that way). Without any reason to truly be doubtful, I went ahead and renewed; the option to subscribe online was fantastic since mail gets lost around my house.

You've done an amazing job and the end of Dragon and Dungeon as a regular feature in my life was a loss. With the advent of AP, I am glad to be one of the charter members (even if it's not reflected in my tag). I haven't been the most active in gaming and the site, but I've watched the site grow over the years. I am certainly glad to have stuck with Paizo.

I had just decided to bring gaming back into my life as a regular feature and went on a massive spending spree buying a lot of used books on Amazon when Wizards posted a big notice on their site stating 4dventure. #*(&^$%! Having just purchased what is probably one of the most eclectic collections of RPG books, I wasn't interested in moving on with 4E. I was glad when you moved past 3.5 without ditching it. I did pre-order the 4E set from you to take full advantage of you're one time discount and made full use of it, though I probably could have done better.

Reading the history (and looking forward to the rest) has been an eye-opener and I'm glad to have supported Paizo in my own small way. I'm grateful that you didn't give up when things looked the darkest.

I now understand why you haven't published a replacement magazine. I was ecstatic when Wayfider 1 came out and thought you had finally picked up the magazine reigns, but alas, this was not to be. Disappointing, but understandable. It looks like you're supporting Wayfinder as a fanzine. I think that's a great idea, maybe those of us who aren't able to win RPG Superstar can still get our ideas shared in virtual print. I believe it will add a lot to the community.

I've been happy with Paizo and the products you've put out over the years (and don't plan to ever lose the Charter Member tag), keep up the good work. Strike that, keep up the excellent work!

Failthfully yours,
Sean

P.S. When can we load up our own avatars?


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Maps, Rulebook Subscriber

I don't have a problem with giving up the rights (I've put in a submission).

There are scores of success stories filled with massive rejections. Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishing houses. So not making the cut on one contest is hardly the the Gauge of Likelihood to Succeed. (I know, she didn't give up the rights, but that's not the point here.)

So, I don't get picked. (I don't expect to. There's a lot of amazing talent and I'm looking forward to the winner's module.) But taking inspiration from stories like J.K. Rowling's, I slink off and later I persevere and get my item published in a book (I'm an aspiring writer), or another RPG, or even in a Kobold Quarterly article.

While I consider the possibility somewhere between slim and none, what really is the likelihood that Paizo is going to come after me?

This of course assumes my item was notible enough to remember, or Paizo has a memory like an elephant, and discovers I made money off IP I gave them the rights to, but they rejected.

Thanks, Sean, Ryan, Clark, and Neil, we appreciate your time. And thanks to Paizo for a shot at the top.

Race

Human

Gender

Female

Alignment

Neutral

Deity

Sivanah

Strength 10
Dexterity 14
Constitution 10
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 18
Charisma 14

About Umie Xua

Stat Breakdown Cost:

str = 0
dex = 5
con = 0
int = 0
wis = 10
cha = 5

Combat:

HP:
AC: 15
Flat-Footed: 13
Touch: 12

Init: +2
BAB: +0
Melee: +0
Ranged: +2

CMB: +2
CMD: +14

Saving Throws
Fortitude: +2
Reflex: +2
Will: +6

Skills:

Acrobatics +7 [1rank+2dex+3inclass+1trait]
Perform Dance +8 [1rank+2dex+3inclass+2trait]
Sense Motive +10 [1rank+4wis+3inclass+2feat]
Knowledge Religion +4 [1rank+0int+3inclass]

Feats:

Selective Channeling

Alertness

Traits:

Savant
From a very young age, the ability to master performance types has come quite naturally to you.

Benefit: Choose a performance type. You gain a +2 trait bonus on all Perform checks made using that performance type. Perform is always a class skill for you. Dance

Rescued:
At some point in the past, you had a terrifyingly close brush with death. Maybe a goblin nearly killed you during an attack on the town, or perhaps a building struck by a giant’s boulder collapsed around you. Whatever the peril was, you would have certainly died if not for the swift actions of Koya or Shalelu, who intervened just in time to save your life. You’ve never forgotten this, and remain fiercely loyal to the NPC who saved you. Perhaps even more importantly, the method. If it was Shalelu who saved you, she did so by pulling you to safety while simultaneously defeating the peril that almost did you in, and as a result, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Acrobatics checks and Acrobatics is a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +1 trait bonus on all attack rolls against foes that threaten your savior. NPC Choices: Koya, Shalelu.

Domains and Spells:

Deception (subdomain of Trickery)

Granted Powers: You are a master of illusions and deceptions. Bluff, Disguise, and Stealth are class skills.

Sudden Shift (Sp): In the blink of an eye, you can appear somewhere else. As an immediate action, after you are missed by a melee attack, you can teleport up to 10 feet to a space that you can see. This space must be inside the reach of the creature that attacked you. You can use this power a number of times each day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.

Master’s Illusion (Sp): At 8th level, you can create an illusion that hides the appearance of yourself and any number of allies within 30 feet for 1 round per cleric level. This ability otherwise functions like the spell veil. The save DC to disbelieve this effect is equal to 10 + 1/2 your cleric level + your Wisdom modifier. The rounds do not need to be consecutive.

Domain Spells: 1st—disguise self, 2nd—mirror image, 3rd—nondetection, 4th—confusion, 5th—false vision

Magic Domain

Granted Powers: You are a true student of all things mystical, and see divinity in the purity of magic.

Hand of the Acolyte (Su): You can cause your melee weapon to fly from your grasp and strike a foe before instantly returning. As a standard action, you can make a single attack using a melee weapon at a range of 30 feet. This attack is treated as a ranged attack with a thrown weapon, except that you add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll instead of your Dexterity modifier (damage still relies on Strength). This ability cannot be used to perform a combat maneuver. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.

Dispelling Touch (Sp): At 8th level, you can use a targeted dispel magic effect as a melee touch attack. You can use this ability once per day at 8th level and one additional time per day for every four cleric levels beyond 8th.

Domain Spells: 1st—identify, 2nd—magic mouth, 3rd—dispel magic, 4th—imbue with spell ability, 5th—spell resistance, 6th—antimagic field, 7th—spell turning, 8th—protection from spells, 9th—mage’s disjunction.

Spells Known for the Day

Orisons

Mending
Light
Detect Magic

1st Level

Bless
Tap Inner Beauty

Disguise Self - Domain Spell

Appearance:

Umie varies her appearance as much as possible, not just for performances, but for her own personal reasons.

Currently her performance makeup includes pearlesent body make-up applied all over with pink and red makeup applied to eyes and lips. Her hair is currently longs and white blond, but it is unknown to most if it is a wig, natural or dyed.

When off duty, Umie favors wearing multiple scarves making it difficult to determine her natural appearance.

height: 4'10"
weight: 96 lbs

Background:

Background Summary

Caravan life is nothing new to Umie. Her family had long made it's living by traveling around as merchants/healers and whatever other skill anyone happened to posses at the time.

Though never wealthy, her family did at least make a decent enough living at what they did. At least until they were attacked by a band of orcs as they were attempting to traverse a narrow mountain pass.

There was no sign of trouble until they reached the narrowest point and found what appeared to be a small rockfall. Umie's father and uncle were attempting to clear it enough for the horses to get past when the orcs struck, quickly killing both men while they were still unarmed. Umie's mother yelled for both her girls to run away while she attempted to turn the wagon fast enough to block the narrow pass and allow their escape.

That slowed the orcs enough for both girls to get a head start, but they couldn't agree on which way to run when they got back down to the fork. Umie went left and her sister went right.

Two orcs managed to follow Umie's trail and she thought that she was dead for sure, but at the last second, Shalelu showed up and rammed her blade right through one orc's chest from behind. His startled companion turned around just in time to get his throat slit.

Shalelu took the exhausted and wounded Umie back to her caravan and later took a group of people out to look for any survivors of Umie's family. They found the bodies of her father, mother and uncle, but never found any trace of her sister.

With no where else to go and already accustomed to life on the road, Umie chose to stay with the caravan and hopes that she can one day repay Shalelu for saving her life.

Background points

1) I'd like 5+ points that capture the concept and story of the character. More are welcome, but no less than five.

1) Umie was born into a traveling merchant/entertainer family.

2) Umie and her twin sister Umae would often dance together for entertainment.

3) Umie's family was brutally killed by a band of orcs

4) Umie was saved from certain death by Shalelu.

5) Umie now lives and performs at the same caravan as Shalelu and seeks to repay her.

2) Two goals that you'd like the character to accomplish in-game.

1) Find out what happened to her sister.

2) Save Shalelu's life.

3) Two secrets, one the PC keeps to himself, and one kept from the PC. I'll come up with a third that both the character and player aren't aware of, in hopes of shocking surprises within the storytelling.

1) Umie keeps her true appearance a secrete. The sister that she lost was her identical twin and Umie doesn't want to be reminded of her every time she looks into a mirror.

2) Umae was captured by the orcs is being kept by their tribe.

4) 3-5 people that are tied to your PC by blood, love, rivalry, honor, etc. I'd like at least one enemy in a set of three or four, with no more than two for a set of five. PLEASE consider the players reference guide for ideas.

1) Shalelu - Umie owes her her life and seeks to repay that debt.

2) Umae - Her sister who she hopes to one day find.

5) Three key memories that define your character as the person they are at the time of submission.

1) The fun of traveling to different cities with her family and dancing with her sister for the crowds that would gather.

2) Watching her family killed by orcs.

3) Shalelu saving her life and giving her a new home.

6) I'd like you to include with your submission a fear or paranoia that causes your character to shiver, cower, or panic. Anything from spiders to unexplained happenstance, but I'm sure you'll all come up with some awful stuff on your own.

Umie has a fear/hatred of orcs.

Umie also has a hatred of mirrors.

7) I would like to know what performance you will specialize in (your signature move or performance), preference on characters will be given to whose feats, traits, skills, and class directly show what type of performer you are. (example a knife thrower taking blind fight would make sense with acrobatics, but a knife thrower that takes cosmopolitan with history knowledge would not.)

Umie loves to dance as her main performance, her outfit consisting mostly of vibrantly colored veils and scarves. The time of day and nature of the performance dictates how many of those veils and scarves stay on and how many come off during the dance.

Her secondary performance is acrobatics and that was mainly learned to try to emulate some of Shalelu's maneuvers since Umie secretly heroworships her and her fighting abilities.

Equipment and Wealth:

Wealth
starting gold: 140

21 gp / 4 sp

Armor

Studded leather 25 gp +3 +5 –1 15% 30 ft. 20 lbs.

Weapons

Scarf, bladed 12 gp 1d6 x2 — 2 lbs. S disarm, trip

Dagger 2 gp 1d4 19–20/×2 10 ft. 1 lb. P or S

Morningstar 8 gp 1d8 ×2 — 6 lbs. B and P

Gear

Scarf x10 5 sp each 5 gp total
Scarf x4 1 gp each 4 gp total
Traveler's outfit 1 gp 5 lbs
Cleric's vestments 5 gp 6 lbs
Outfit, Entertainer’s 3 gp 4 lbs.
Holy symbol, wooden 1 gp
Backpack (empty) 2 gp 2 lbs.
Bedroll 1 sp 5 lbs.
Blanket, winter 5 sp 3 lbs.
Disguise Kit 50 gp