Coron Ekken's page

So just to be clear, Skills are

1.) 8 Points distributed as we see fit into Backgrounds that fit our character. Diego for example may have 4 points in "Docker Revolutionary" and 4 Points in "Errant Scholar".

2.) An additional 5 "Free" Points devoted solely to something fitting a Class that gets 6 or More Skill Points per Level, ie my Investigator having 5 points in something called like "Detective"

I have that right?

Assuming WBL for level 3?

Also for Skills, are we doing the 13th Age system with 5 Points for Free in something related to the Class or Background Theme, yes?

Welcome to the team, Bale Fire!

*Goes completely googly-eyed and depressed over mention of 7th Sea*

Gods how I love that system. Gods how I hate my job and its time crunch.

For high-skill classes, we could agree on extra Background points for certain classes. Like, 2 or 4+Int classes would get the standard 8 points, 6+Int would get 10 points, and 8+Int would get 12? That's not play-tested, obviously.

Alternatively, some classes could just get free Background points for core class features. For example, this Ranger entry says they get 5 points in the 'Tracker' Background for free.

Thoughts?

So, I kinda dig the idea of Free Background Points for Core Features. That way you're still good at what your class is supposed to be decent at, but you still have the freedom to put points in other things too. It seems most classes have it where you get just a straight 5 Points to 1 Background?

And for Zeitgeist if you don't want it by Class, we can even tie that directly to the Theme, so you'd have like 5 Background Points related to being a Docker / Gunsmith / Technologist / Etc., and then your 8 points elsewhere.

I think the 8 Points distributed as you please and 5 Free Points straight towards something intrinsic to your Class or Background is more than adequate and satisfies my concerns. Assuming that abilities that allow you to use, say, Intelligence for Diplomacy still work, you just flavor what you're doing properly in the writing, yeah?

So! With that said.

Diego shall be a Gunslinger 1 / Investigator (Empiricist) 2 to start with. For the Gunslinger, looking at the Black Powder Vaulter as an Archetype, as I kinda like the idea of a Docker Private Eye being more mobile during firefights. He'll stay Gunslinger after that until about 5.

Score wise, going to pump Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Looking to have the character serve as kind of a Skill Monkey, knows a little bit about everything, very much a Jack of All Trades, Master of None deal.

Current background concept revolves around having come to Risur after the end of the Fourth Yerasol War. Mom was an Executora dola Liberta and so influenced her son with the egalitarian and revolutionary ideals of Ber. Dad was a Risurian by birth and died fighting in the Fourth War. Diego himself was a student of the Panoply, the scholars of Ber, and when he was offered to go abroad with a group of traveling professors to teach in Flint, he accepted to go see the land of his father.

There, he comes to bond with the plight of the Dockers and increasingly sees it as his duty to help these people if he truly is the son of an Executora. He abandons the Panoply tour when they go home to Ber and stays on in Flint, putting his education to use in agitating for political reform, protecting Dockers from criminal activities and overzealous police, and pushing for labor unions and other forms of social organization. Probably joined the RHC as a "I have a better chance of changing them from the inside" deal, or maybe was captured during a protest and offered his freedom in exchange for working with the RHC, that might be a bit more dramatic.

More than happy to coordinate with anyone else who may have known Detective Roldán from his time amongst the Dockers.

If we go 5e, I'm probably looking at the Inquisitive Rogue, I feel that fits my concept best.

Welcome to the growing crew, wicked_raygun!

The Player's Guide says Berians are Spanish influenced, so my Half-Orc is absolutely named Diego Ferran Roldán because of course he is. The Dwarves are Slavic-sounding, it seems, which I lean HARD into. Russian/Germanic Dwarves <3

To be fair, I DO like the 13th Age system just because it feels similar to like Cypher's or FATE's way of handling skills, and I'm all for being able to play charming Fighters, erudite Barbarians, and athletic Wizards which Pathfinder just ... doesn't really allow without building your entire concept around those things and paying a bunch of Traits and Feats to do it.

My only issue with it is Pathfinder is built also upon the idea that class balance means some classes get more Skill Points than others because part of the draw of their class is that they ARE skilled in many things, like the Rogue, the Bard, and, to make it personal, the Investigator I'm planning to roll up. With 13th Age giving everyone an equal amount of Skill Points to distribute, that's great for diversity and balance, but not so great for Pathfinder's deal of "No, part of your class' benefit is you just know more things."

And I get 13th Age Skills are more open but I can't just do like "Okay I drop 6 points into "Docker Private Eye" and that means I know everything about anything and I'm also stealthy and athletic and persuasive and great at singing and also an amateur philosopher and artist."

... Right?

After some brief theorycrafting, I think I'll abandon the Steel Hound and instead go Gunslinger 1 / Investigator (Empiricist) X. A Berian Docker who, upon arrival in Flint, basically adopted the Docker cause and tries to champion Berian Egalitarianism for these hard working bohemians.

Is there like a link or such to "Streamlined Combat Feats" and "Scaling Feats"?

I'm going to be looking at a Berian Half-Orc Investigator (Steel Hound). Pistol-Packing Private Eye sounds pretty fitting for working with the Constabulary. Current idea is someone who originally sailed on steamers, running cargo (perhaps a smuggler?) who because of [insert event here] is indebted to the Constabulary and so is putting his skills to use for them.

I'm okay with Regular PF Skills with Background Skills, but I'd be open to trying 13th Age Skills again, so long as everyone else is.

I would only be able to commit to one, so for me it would be either Dragon Heist or Zeitgeist. If there's interest for DH, that sounds pretty darn fun, otherwise I'm good doing ZG once we get our extra folks in.

If we are staying in Pathfinder, I am glancing hard over at an Investigator, the Steel Hound Archetype. But I'll reserve commitment until we're settled on system

Assuming we're playing in the Paizo Forums? Any chance at playing in a different forum per chance? These tend to not be very intuitive or accessible for moi.

I'd be much more in favor of 5e as I find it much simpler to digest for PBP. If we do PF it will definitely take me significantly longer to plot out a character and mechanical posts.

I'd be interested for sure but I definitely need to read up on the Zeitgeist setting, as I'm not familiar with it at all. I've heard it's somewhat similar to Warhammer Fantasy, though?