85. Home to a vast conspiracy
(okay, we'll see how this plays into the setting...)
55. Ancient artifact
(well, I'm pretty sure how this can connect to the first one...)
47. Riddled with tunnels and caverns
(...this is starting to become a stereotype of itself...)
73. Hidden City
(...seriously, random number generator?)
61. Earth-related magical anomaly
(probably related to 47, possibly related to 55 or 73... or even 85 itself)
Haven is a quiet ring of villages in a small valley, who alternate between small scale feuds and ever shifting family alliances against their neighbors and the abominations which creep through the dark tunnels in the mountains (which the common men are, of course, forbidden to enter due to the terrible dangers of the abominations). The only oddity is the occasional unexplained eclipses which hit the region every so often, plunging the world into blind darkness. In respect of these powerful events, a few blind elders guide the city, although nobody is sure where they come from. Some adventurous youths say they saw the elders come out of the dark tunnels themselves, but this is clearly nonsense.
Lightward, on the other hand, is a thriving metropolis. Hundreds of years ago, the great founders of the city banished an evil demon lord with the creation of the sword Third Sun, which was incredibly bright and also incredibly dangerous to demons.
Eventually, though, Lightward's citizen councils became more interested in coin and couches and grapes, and less interested in always being vigilant against demons. The only thing that roused the people of Lightward were the constant attacks by demons (who of course wanted to destroy the sword). No matter how the people hid the sword, they found their attackers would always be guided to it - necessitating expensive and suspenseful fights. Eventually, they discovered this was due to dark spells locating any time any person looked upon the sword (Lightward's people tried decoys, but discovered they had to recognize it as the sword as well).
Unwilling to let the sword be destroyed, but reluctant to give up their rich and proud history, the councils finally came up with a solution. They buried the sword in a great cavern underground, and raised an entire people group to watch over the sword in ignorance, unaware that their "sun" was just a chunk of steel hung on a moving pulley system. Blind men (from natural causes, or due to men who wanted an easy pension, as the village life was carefully looked over to always be generally pleasant and successful) would make sure the villages never discovered the true meaning of the sword, the city above them, or any other secret that might unravel the quiet complacence of Haven.
I think the Sleeves are a good bargain for one purpose - they're a cheaper Hat of Disguise for people who only needed to look like "a ___" rather than "the ___" (but who do need to change the look a lot or need to have the look last for a long time, and thus don't want to just use potions*)
People who want to blend into different crowds (disguise as a patron to get into a club, disguise as a waiter to get into the back, disguise as a cook to get access to the food supply... as long as there's enough people, there's no need to change your actual appearance aside from possibly a couple small details).
People who want to easily switch sides (your uniform is whichever side is winning, perhaps)
People who want to blend into nobility (fashion is pretty expensive, especially if you need multiple sets of clothing, jewelry, etc. - or if you might be doing things which would lead to expensive clothing being destroyed or dirtied... which is generally what PC's are up to if they're in upper class events).
People who need to blend into groups with difficult-to-acquire uniforms (guards, religious, etc. - you can't just buy the uniform, and disguising yourself with similar looking clothes sometimes would just be ridiculous).
People who want to look like they're wearing skimpy clothing in the winter / hot clothing in the summer / hiding the fact they're wearing jewelry in a slum / etc. ?
People who just think it's cool to keep up with changing fashions or different cultures with a couple flicks of the wrist.
It's not a replacement for a Hat of Disguise, but it's cheap enough for a frivolous luxury or backup plan for some - and it allows these types of shenanigans for characters too poor for a Hat of Disguise (or who have something else in the Head slot - the Wrist slot doesn't have that much competition for some characters). The Hat holds up to more scrutiny, and can be used to better imitate specific people (or people who look very different than you) or to disguise from people who might know what your face looks like (or to hide a distinctive feature, like fangs or a burn)... but it's an order of magnitude more expensive.
* Disguise Self potions would, I think, last for 40 minutes at most, and only allow for 4 changes. If someone wants to do these kinds of acts for a long period of time (staying for a ball without having to watch the clock like Cinderella, for example) or who wanted to do these kinds of acts on a semi-regular basis, potions get pricey and add more risk of being noticed. (they hold up to more scrutiny, however - so it's a payoff)
However, it's still a raw ruling for people who depended on the Sleeves as a replacement for keeping track (and carrying!) of a billion different types of clothing types that could come in handy. It is a "paperweight" for people who didn't need any of the "blending in" properties the sleeves actually grant, and there isn't really a replacement for it that I'm aware of (but perhaps one will be made eventually - but priced and with a slot intended for such an item, rather than priced and slotted with the intention of making an illusory item [what the proper price and slot is, I don't know - it could even be cheaper (at least for items which covered only a specific set of clothing items) ] ).
Note that these values are approximate and based on the values for a campaign using the medium experience progression and a normal treasure allotment. If your campaign is using the fast experience progression, treat your NPCs as one level higher when determining their gear. If your campaign is using the slow experience progression, treat the NPCs as one level lower when determining their gear. If your campaign is high fantasy, double these values. Reduce them by half if your campaign is low fantasy. If the final value of an NPC's gear is a little over or under these amounts, that's okay.
It seems to suggests that NPC do gain experiences points.
The Fast Experience Progression means that PCs level up with less xp (and thus after facing fewer encounters, or lower CR encounters).
However, Wealth-by-Level remains the same. The increase in NPC wealth - and thus in loot from encounters with them - balances this out.
Note that even for non-NPC fights, the amount of treasure per encounter depends on whether the players are using fast, medium, or slow progression paths. It's just that for NPCs, treasure is assumed to be worn and used in part by the NPCs (and thus is part of the process of creating NPCs).
Similarly, it gives advice on how to adapt the treasure NPCs are using (and thus dropping/giving as loot) for high fantasy and low fantasy settings (which assume different Wealth-by-level counts).
In short, the wording does not provide any evidence that NPCs level (and if it did... it would mean that they gained weird pseudo-levels just based on the progression you were using? And that they doubled these pseudo-levels if you played in high fantasy?).
The lack of any mention of experience for NPCs on the page, along with every other page mentioned (Monster Advancement, Character Advancement, Leadership Feat, Animal Companion explanation, Hirelings, Mounts and Animals, the four Bestiaries...), on the other hand...
Why are you grasping at these straws in particular?
I just want to respond to Damir specifically because several points are made
Quote:
Experience points are never mentioned in the context of NPCs (class based NPCs or creatures/monsters) and leveling.
Quote:
The chart and text refers to "characters", but it often prefaces this with "player characters" or "your character" or "you" - I don't see any indication that its use of the term "character" isn't just shorthand for PC.
Not completely true. The headings in the character advancement chart specifically call out NPCs
Not in the official PRD. There is absolutely no mention of NPCs in relation to the character advancement chart and the other information on character advancement.
For the d20pfsrd page you linked, it has handily added in information about NPC wealth by level. NPC isn't mentioned anywhere else in that information (I CTRL+F'd to check this). This information is from the Core Rulebook information for GMing and creating NPCs (which lists the wealth by level without any connection to experience or gaining levels).
Quote:
The fact the cohorts have their own set of rules does not mean that other NPCs don't advance according to the advancement chart that specifically calls out NPCs. It just could mean that cohorts are exceptions to the rule.
But surely it is odd that they wouldn't make any mention about this supposed normal set of rules (which, as noted above, are not specifically called out anywhere)? Many feats have descriptions of what happens normally. For example, Light Armor Proficiency says:
"Normal: A character who is wearing armor with which he is not proficient applies its armor check penalty to attack rolls and to all skill checks that involve moving."
Other feats and abilities will specifically mention if their bonuses are replacing or changing an existing ability. Despite the fact that NPC leveling would be extremely relevant to explaining how Leadership works, the feat says nothing about it (not even a one line "instead of" statement).
One might also note that Advancing a Monster (or any non-class-leveled creature) is not a simple and intuitive process - even if you're just adding class levels. If NPCs, including those with non-class HD, leveled up - why wouldn't the Core Rulebook ever mention how to do so?
The first line of Character Advancement is "As player characters overcome challenges, they gain experience points".
Yes, but once again, it is not limited to PCs. Look at the chart. The chart applies to NPCs as well.
Why does it apply to NPCs as well? Experience points are never mentioned in the context of NPCs (class based NPCs or creatures/monsters) and leveling.
The chart and text refers to "characters", but it often prefaces this with "player characters" or "your character" or "you" - I don't see any indication that its use of the term "character" isn't just shorthand for PC.
Meanwhile, sections for the GM like Creating NPCs and Bestiary information don't give any indication of experience based leveling of NPCs. Neither do the rule for Hirelings or other PC influenced NPCs (surely if it was intended for a horse to gain xp, they would make it clear - explaining what level they were considered to be at to begin with, for example, and explaining what advancements they get by level).
Leadership Cohorts and Animal Companions, "NPCs" which do advance by level, have specific rules set out in order to let them level with the players. These don't say that they are replacing, modifying, or combining with some "normal" experience progression for the NPCs.
The Druid's Animal Bond ability (where the main Animal Companion rules all point to) says:
"Unlike normal animals of its kind, an animal companion's Hit Dice, abilities, skills, and feats advance as the druid advances in level."
This, along with all the other things noted above, would be an odd statement if normal animals or NPCs leveled with XP. Surely the rules would at least mention how such rules would interact, if they existed? If certain normal NPCs could advance by XP like a player character, why wouldn't they at least mention this when talking about:
- Monster Advancement
- NPC Development
- Basic Monster rules for GMs
- Leadership
- Animal Companion rules
- Hireling rules
- Ultimate Campaign's discussion about followers, companions, etc.
- Player character advancement
- The rules for purchasing horses and other animals
...all of which would have some reason to say "this replaces the normal way they can advance" or "when leveling up this creature, add..." or so on?
My predictions for book 2, The Advanced NPC Guide...
Rabble (Commoner/Warrior): Gaining the Warrior's BAB combined with the Commoner's terrible proficiencies, the Rabble lets you play out all your peasant revolt fantasies. Use the Angry Sign Holder archetype to start play with a masterwork sign with up to 1 word/level written on it.
Bureaucrat (Commoner/Aristocrat): For characters who have some of the stylings and training of nobility... but only some. The Tax Collector archetype is OP.
Dreamer (Commoner/Expert): The know it alls of the village - Dreamers get a modified version of the Expert's "choose 10 skills to be class skills" selection. They can pick 10 skills which become skills that the Dreamer thinks she is good at. The Drunken Dreamer archetype gains the ability to add even more skills to this selection with each alcoholic beverage consumed.
Pet Lover (Commoner/Adept): Did you ever want to be a peasant, but with a beloved rabbit, dog, or other animal from the Familiars list? Or did you ever want to be a Wizard, but without any of that magic stuff? This is the class for you. The Shepherd archetype lets you gain multiple familiars (which despite the name can also be ducks, geese, chickens, or pigs), but you split the levels between them.
Page (Warrior/Aristocrat): Before they were knights - before they were even squires - children of the elite trained to be pages. Act with all the entitlement of the nobility while gaining useful weapon proficiencies at 20th level. The Hostage archetype gives you a special power pool which your captors can use to keep your rebellious family members in line.
Medic (Warrior/Adept): For the warriors who need a few adept spells (mostly based around healing) now and then. The Treaty Medic archetype gives up armor and weapon proficiencies again, but gains auras of sanctuary which sometimes work against specific foes.
Caravan Guard (Warrior/Expert): Men of arms who have traveled the world and gained odd knowledge and training here and there (a lesser version of the expert's skill selections). The Greedy Mercenary archetype lets the character switch not only their allegiance, but even their alignment once per day.
King Mage (Adept/Aristocrat): Mage Kings are arcane masters of great power who meddle with the affairs of kingdoms. King Mages, on the other hand, are nobility who can dabble a little with a couple spells. The Evil Stepmother archetype gains use of some witch hexes as well (and an alignment restriction).
Scholar (Adept/Expert): Some men acquire the great secrets of the arcane by long study, ceaseless experimentation, and the occasional dark bargain. Others are more interested in the theory behind the magic than actually gaining any magical power themselves. The Philosopher of Alchemy archetype exchanges knowledge about spells for knowledge about formulae.
Quest Giver (Expert/Aristocrat): The best combination of plot convenient knowledge and authority (and the promise of reward, without too many questions about why they don't solve it themselves). The Dying Breath archetype gains the ability to deny death for up to 1 hour per class level, but only if they are continuously explaining parts of the plot.
The Slayer and the Barbarian: The two sides of fighting. On one hand, the clever, trained, and resourceful soldier. On the other, the intuitive and brutal warrior.
The Bard and the Inquisitor: The magic fighters. They can be sneaky-but-with-magic, leaders-but-with-magic, divine-champions-with-swords, arcane-champions-with-swords, or anything in between.
The Witch and the Oracle: The magic users of the world - whether they have shamanistic ties to the world, strange and uncontrolled powers, or studied and well known magical arts. They are distinctly magical, with a flexible selection of powers that are more than just more spells.
That leaves me with two more slots for wild cards. I think the Investigator (for alchemy and other options which aren't well covered by the magic users, as well as clever fighters which aren't quite covered by Slayers/Bards/Inquisitors - it also keeps in grit/panache concepts via an archetype, if I heard correctly) and the Expert (because we'll still want a simple and flexible class for quick NPCs) will do.
Quick note: Not sure what the Golarion precedent is, but real world east asian cultures put the surname first. It's more important to know where a person is from (both geographically, and in terms of family background - in this case, the -amoto names are a placeholder description of her ancestry, given no known family name, and thus are probably the surname) first, then to learn their given name.
Of course, depending on how long she's been around societies which do it the western way (like most of western Golarion), she might have adapted it.
Quote:
What I really want more than anything is a back story that answers the question of why she's obsessed with swordfighting
Some possibilities:
She was found with a katana (or a smaller sword or even a practice sword). The people who found her might have seen it as an omen for what to do with her, and she might cling to the art because it is one thing which ties her to her past.
She was found by someone who happened to be talented with the sword. She has always wanted to impress her adopted family, since she feels not truly a part of them (perhaps even having a trueborn rival who looked down at her and made sure to rub in the fact that she had no history).
She needed to. Several regions have very dangerous lands, so a rebel group, an isolated village in a demon/abberation/monster filled forest, etc. might need everyone to be obsessed with weapons just to survive.
It is the only outlet for her frustration about her past (or frustration of any kind).
Perhaps she turned to Shizuru first because of the importance of family and ancestry to her (since she had none and thus felt it was harder and more important to deal with these issues). Since Shizuru is pleased with swordplay, she would turn her devotion and meditation toward swordplay.
Quote:
and then why she'd leave her homeland to go join the Pathfinder Society in the Inner Sea region
Some ideas:
Mentor (or mentors) died. Perhaps killed by a foe that would have also killed her if she hadn't fled the country - or just from old age or unrelated factors.
She's grown impatient, or due to some crisis now feels a need to understand the world more.
She was first found by Pathfinder Society members (they're often around odd places where you could find a fey foundling), and now she feels a need to: (A) Do likewise to help others who might need to be found [not necessarily literally found], (B) repay a debt to the society, (C) follow her destiny
There's not a lot of uses for a swordswoman in her village (especially if it's not a militaristic society or underground rebel cult - villages need farmers, not warriors), and due to her lack of ancestry she isn't tied to family lands and family loyalties in the country.
(Bonus points if her mentor/mentors tried to teach her to accept the quiet retirement from danger and focus [on the simpler things in life / on the art] that they took - but she Luke Skywalker'd out regardless.)
She personally feels a need to gain experience before facing some thing that would give her more information about her past (such as braving the dangerous area she was found in, fighting an evil creature which hinted it knows about her past, etc.).
She personally feels a need to gain experience before facing some foe that would harm her mentor/mentors/village/country (such as the evil monsters which rule several countries, or the evil demons who pop in and out all the time).
My personal bias for Tian states is always going to be Wanshou. Probably not the best place for isolation, though, as it's a flat agrarian area (although every state is going to have some isolated regions). The kraken probably wouldn't be happy with people learning swordplay, either (but maybe she was kept by an underground resistance group plotting against it).
There's always Tianjing, which could explain her origin.
Shenmen seems like an easy place to be isolated in. It doesn't have the strong centralized government that most states have, it isn't heavily populated, it has some deep forests and mountains and coasts (I think). It seems to me that people wouldn't care about a few isolated people - even a lost expert swordsman or two - unless they started meddling with stuff. Maybe she was trained and protected by a secretly-an-expert-swordsman mentor who finally got in trouble (thus forcing her to flee).
There's always JapanMinkai, which no doubt has plenty of expert swordsmen in retirement here and there.
Another isolated place is Minata. Grab an obscure island (so, basically any of them), drop a few expats from Minkai (perhaps trying to set up a colony or missionary post in the area) and you have a good place to learn katana swordsplay in nearly complete isolation.
One possible Fey Foundling backstory is a shipwreck. Her parents may have been traveling somewhere (possibly around Tianjing, due to her heritage) when their ship was destroyed in a storm. Later (possibly much later, or very far away), she washes up on the shore of some other locale (there are aquatic fey in that area, right?). Most of the regions of Tian Xia seem to have coastlines (or rivers, at the very least), even if they don't have big mysterious forests or mountains.
The archetypal sword-training-backstory is learning from an old retired master - possibly one who disguises himself as a simple fisherman, logger, farmer, etc.
Being trained by the government is possible. Many governments are Lawful Neutral and war ready enough to do that - but they'd probably keep their training in cities (or cycle around recruits to different places, or... basically, it's not that isolated. The lone mountain monastery tropes seem to be solely for martial arts.). I'd expect isolated behavior to be more likely for resistance groups and revolutionaries (perhaps against one of the many evil-monster overlords in the various successor states).
How does she focus on revering her ancestors?
She doesn't and feels lacking - perhaps trying to make up for it in other ways, or actively searching for her past (perhaps hoping her explorations will take her places where she might learn more)
She doesn't and is satisfied by revering someone else's ancestors. Perhaps she "adopts" her mentor or mentors and their families. Perhaps she reveres collectively the ancestors of all her region's people. Perhaps she reveres those who no longer have progeny who revere them (and perhaps uses her explorations to find more of these forgotten people).
She reveres her fey "parents" who mysteriously saved her and "rebirthed" her into the world. She doesn't know who they are, but the mark gives her a connection she can associate with them.
She has seen visions from her celestial ancestors (who are likely still around) which she may not fully understand, but which she can use to find some sense of family.
Ken 418 wrote:
I'm thinking about creating a Lawful Evil Samurai who is a Peri-Blooded (Emberkin) Aasimar who worships Asmodeus.
This character will be involved in moderate to heavy RP in a Kingmaker style game.
First off; Can Aasimars be Evil?[/url]
Yes. Even celestials can fall (as is evidenced by the Emberkin - redeemed fallen angels), and as mortals, Aasimars' alignments are not decided by their blood.
Also, turtling up with 3 tower shields and Phalanx Soldier archetype lets you look like badass turtle. Less so if you're a ninja.
With a Kasatha, you could even have 4 tower shields (and the Tower Shield specialist archetype, since you have two hands left over for the spear and thus wouldn't need Phalanx Soldier - alternatively, be a Phalanx soldier and Two-Weapon-Fight with longspears while simultaneously having tower shield cover from 4 directions)
...actually, if you picked up the Wings discovery as well (or had Fly cast or so on, or had a phenomenal Swim score and were fighting underwater), you could hold a Tower Shield in every direction and still make attacks with the tentacle. The ultimate turtle.
You can use a Tower Shield for cover, use a Large Shield for AC, use a reach weapon two handed and also threaten adjacent with the tentacle. I would advise against this unless you are actually proficient with the Tower Shield though.
If you have proficiency with the Tower Shield already, is there any reason not to use a Tower Shield for cover and a Tower Shield for AC (or for double cover, if you ever need that)?
The answer to OP's question is clear, though.
A two level dip of Titan Mauler Barbarian. That's right, four lucerne hammers (and a tentacle).
(Don't actually do that - it's almost entirely pointless... although I guess it makes it hard for opponents to sunder/shatter/grease you out of a weapon... and you could have some reason to need cold iron/elysian bronze/silver/etc weapons which all had to have reach... or perhaps an Axiomatic, Anarchic, Holy, Unholy combination, for the really obsessed True Neutral...)
On a slightly (not really) more practical note, instead of four lucerne hammers, that dip could be used to have:
1 hand - Lucerne Hammer
1 hand - Whip
2 hands - Composite Longbow (probably Adaptive, due to being both a Barbarian and an Alchemist)
With the tentacle allowing you to threaten adjacent squares, you can hit just about everywhere (is there a way to make the whip threaten? Because then you have a massive fully threatened area at the cost of being only completely useless). To be fair, you could do that much easier with just the tentacle and a bow (although adding in the reach weapon allows you to hit anywhere without taking an attack of opportunity [although you can do that too with the right archery feats] ). To be even more fair, there's basically no reason to want to do that (there's a little bit of reason if you also count as threatening, but only a little)... unless perhaps you're also a Stalwart Defender?
...or maybe nets? Who else can throw and hold on to 4 nets at a time? Or three nets and a ranseur.
Feat: Unusual Heritage (Dhampir) from the Bastards of Golarion book gives a 1d4 bite attack (plus a once per day 1d4 bleed damage tacked on to that).
That's probably the best you can get for a bite attack. Better than the racial trait, and it doesn't replace your spellcasting racial trait.
You'll have to pick up the blood drinking part by a dip into sorcerer (Sanguine) or a later feat - but you can still drink blood before that (you just don't gain as sweet of bonuses with it).
For the feats, Skill Focus (Knowledge [religion]) and then Eldritch Heritage (Sanguine) would get you that power at level 5, without any levels of sorcerer (technically Sanguine is wildblooded, but most people would allow it to be used with Eldritch Heritage - especially when you have such a good reason).
Also, there's the Dhampir specific blood drinking feats (all from the Advanced Race Guide):
Blood Drinker: allows you to gain a bonus when you drink the blood of a living creature* of a particular subtype**. The bonus is perhaps better than the Sanguine Bloodline (lots of temporary hit points, a bonus to CON checks, and you deal CON damage to the person you bite)
(then Blood Feaster to get better bonuses if you can bite people multiple times, Blood Salvage to use it on recently dead people [although, consider*], Diverse Palate to use it on a second type of creature - even a monstrous humanoid type like centaurs or something)
(the need to grapple might be an issue for you if you're a DEX based fighter - Agile Maneuvers, Improved Unarmed Strike --> Improved Grapple might help... but that's a lot of feats. Other people can grapple them for you, though. Paralysis [from spells - Hold Person is a second level bard spell] or Unconsciousness [scour the battlefield after the fight is over to look for anyone who's bleeding out but not dead yet] are other ways you can get a bite in.)
* Generally by grappling and biting them (dealing damage as normal along with the drinking bonuses). However, not every enemy that falls unconscious in a fight dies...
** So you only get the nourishment from "humans" or "elves" or "goblins", rather than any creature. This is a bit of an issue - but talk with the GM. Some adventures tend to be in areas dominated with a certain humanoid enemy. Others... you might never find humanoids to feast on (aside from your own party, which is a valid possibility if you have a way to compensate them for their blood donations).
So where would be an appropriate part of Golarion for a sylph to come from, which is hilly or mountainous and fits the rugged description for the Highlander trait?
My first thought (due to currently running a Kingmaker game) is Issia (the northern half of Brevoy). It's a mountainous area described as being too hilly and cold for much farmland - and it borders the Lake of Mists and Veils - which seems fitting as an inspiration for her mist based combat techniques.
Mentor and Religion: Issia seems to have several fairly peaceably coexisting religions, so part of that could just be that everyone is pretty cool with other religions.
I'd imagine that many of the ship captains who don't follow Gorum (Issia was formerly The Pirate Kingdom of Issia before unification with Rostland - while the fantasy-version-of-Vikings are probably less important to Issia now, old cultural habits die hard) would venerate Gozreh (since the Lake of Mists and Veils is such a cold and wild water).
Someone who is naturally gifted in reading the winds and seeing through poor weather conditions would be invaluable for such ship captains - and probably seen as a gift from Gozreh. Serving on a trade ship will give her a great appreciation for the winds and sky (and where else would her love of nature turn to? The captains already can deal with the waters, and the land is far far away - the sky is her domain).
Trade is a great way to get a taste for adventure, and the Lake of Mists and Veils drains into the mighty Sellen River itself (so she could also have experiences with other locations just about anywhere in Avistan - this might also give her some learning experiences with other faiths, where her mentor can help her understand and work with these strange [and sometimes quite outrageous] practices).
Family:
- Idea 1: She gained her desire for peace from a troubled past. Issia can be a bloodthirsty place and some cycle of honor and revenge might have cost her some of her family.
- Idea 2: Maybe her mentor is her father. She inherited her talents for the winds from her mother, who served a similar role on the ship before falling in love with the then-first-mate-now-captain father. Her mother died of natural causes when she was still somewhat young, and her father dotes on her.
Her father sees that she wants more adventure than his poor trade routes can give, and is wise enough to see that he needs to let her go free (and perhaps she's gotten to the age where romance is a possibility and - while he loves his crew - she deserves better than he can find on his ship or back in his village in Issia). He happens to know a guy in the Pathfinder Society and thus refers her to it as a way she can explore just about everywhere (and still pay the bills and stay relatively safe from monsters) with an organization he finds relatively trustworthy.
Choral the Conqueror (Choral I | 4499 - 4509)
Possibly not technically a Rogarvia (if that just was the name of the house established by the Nikos-Choral alliance*), but definitely related. United Brevoy through conquest, had the whole dragon stuff, etc. He eventually left the kingdom to be ruled by his descendants and his fate is unknown.
Given that he ruled for only 10 years (and 4499 is just the date of his alliance with the Surtovas and the marriage, so even less than that when you include the time it took to pacify Rostland), it's quite odd that "his descendants" took over.
Either:
A) The actual marriage was between Choral's son and Myrna Surtova, thus forming house Rogarvia. The son would then be able to take over 10 years later.
B) The marriage was between Choral and Myrna Surtova, but Choral had previous children as well. This would explain why the main branch took over, while the current king (Noleski Surtova) would be descended from the Choral-Myrna branch (which was for one reason or another exempt from the Vanishing**, which only affected Choral's firstborn line?).
B.5) Choral had a son (and heir) and also a daughter (Myrna Rogarvia) who married Nikos Surtova. This would also make Noleski a direct descendant of Choral.
C) There was a Regency period, probably with Nikos Surtova unofficially running the show.
D) You have a 10 year old king (at best) right after the warlord who managed to unite two previously warring kingdoms just disappears.
Urzen Rogarvia (Urzen ?? | ??? - 4699)
Urzen disappeared, along with his potential heirs, for mysterious reasons.
It's suggested that the common people of Brevoy didn't care much for the Rogarvias (but people stayed in line because of Rogarvia's military strength and the possibility of draconic intervention). The latter kings may have been cruel and/or demanding.
There's 190 years to fill. It's hard to get a good basis for the lifespan (or at least average length of reign) of Rogarvias, since I don't think we know Urzen's birth or coronation dates and Choral just disappeared.
Going arbitrarily to Wikipedia's List of Kings of Spain for a baseline, it seems reasonable to switch kings every 30 or so years (barring those who have really short reigns - often due to disease*** - or really long reigns [see: Queen Elizabeth II] ). That gives us about 7 kings after Choral (including Urzen).
Here's a possible timeline (assuming a regency, for variety's sake):
Choral the Conqueror | 4499 - 4509 (disappeared)
United Brevoy with sword and flame (and, not mentioned as much in history, some good negotiation skills). Bold, clever, and charismatic. Choral always had the long term in mind, making sure his family would be well entrenched in a longstanding realm. However, as with many men who always are looking to the future, Choral always seem impatient and dissatisfied with the present.
Interregnum | 4509 - 4520
Myrna is declared regent for her son, Cibor Rogarvia, along with an absurdly large council of "advisors" from every major family (as each demanded to have some influence in the situation). In truth, Nikos Surtova controlled most of the workings of government. Surtovas got many important positions in government which they have managed to keep in the family ever since.
Cibor Rogarvia | 4520 - 4572 (died, age 72)
A fairly unremarkable king, not used to command and fairly dependent on his advisors. Still, trade flourishes, swordlord rebellions are put down, and the influence of Issian nobility in Rostland increases during the stable years of his reign.
Bonamis Rogarvia | 4572 - 4603 (died, age 74)
A bold knight who was known for his code of laws, which were generally seen to be fair and reasonable (and which also reduced the number of succession crises happening in the minor noble houses, thus solidifying the borders of the major noble houses to the borders we recognize today [with minor changes] ).
While he was good at lawmaking, it bored him and he really wanted to have a good war. He responded with great force to the minor revolts during his reign and tried to provoke Restov and the remaining swordlords into rebellion while pushing for aggressive actions against rising powers in the River Kingdoms (which actually caused many to back down from their plans of River Kingdom domination, frustrating him greatly).
He attempted to re-establish control in the Stolen Lands, but colonization was sluggish and prone to disasters.
Vuyic Rogarvia | 4603 - 4605 (died, age 24)
Died from a plague caught in the Icerime Peaks - presumed to originate from Ioberia (may have been poisoned).
Sudomir Rogarvia | 4605 - 4618 (died, age 77)
Bonamis' younger brother (ascending to the throne due to the death of Bonamis' only heir - Sudomir's descendants would become the royal line up until the Vanishing). Known for his great interest in the observatories in Skywatch.
Daris Rogarvia | 4618 - 4649 (died, age 67)
Known as an avid hunter and collector of artwork (which is often credited to his Lebedan mother). He left New Stetven much more cultured and beautiful - with statues, parks, and a more refined style. He also left the kingdom near the brink of debt.
Edert Rogarvia | 4649 - 4670 (died, age 74)
Edert famously quarreled with his father over expenses, and many thought he would be the answer to the debt crisis. He was, but most found that his solution of heavy taxation - while effective - was not what they had been hoping for. Some see Edert as a harsh and uncaring king while others see him as an efficient bureaucrat who did what he had to to keep the kingdom running.
Urzen Rogarvia | 4670 - 4699 (disappeared, fate unknown)
Urzen eased the taxation of his father, but his shy nature (especially after the death of his first wife) made it difficult for him to win back the trust of the peasantry.
--------------------------------------
* In which Nikos Surtova and Choral the Conqueror decided not to fight but to peacefully unite Issia under Choral's control. This included the marriage of Myrna to... someone. I don't have the relevant books here (Stolen Land and the Inner Sea World Guide), and a quick search online brings up two conflicting stories: Either she was Choral's daughter and married Nikos Surtova, or she was Nikos' daughter and married Choral. The second makes more sense and seems to be quoted more often.
** Or, if the Vanishing has to do with blood relationships, somewhere along the line there could be a bastard. Or, if the Vanishing was purely a mundane assassination string, Noleski just cut off everyone above him. It depends on how you run with that bit.
*** Or warfare. Those kinds of deaths tend to lead to overthrows (either because one house replaces another or because infighting destabilizes the ruling house), though. House Rogarvia seems to have been pretty stable (it sounds like they held Brevoy continuously for 200 years without any major periods of civil war in between), so I'd avoid these kinds of deaths.
@ Bo Atlas: Not sure if this fits with what you're looking for, but perhaps he could base some of his intimidation on the prowess of the others in the party.
e.g. "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you, but it's for the best. You don't want to face that guy. I've seen him pull men apart."
You're like a herald for how awesome and bloodthirsty the rest of the party is in order to keep people from needless and futile violence.
@ Kaelan: As well as Cheliax, Molthune seems like a good place for Lucas. A strong military oligarchy with a lot of enemies and a desire for a unifying militaristic culture seems like it would support brash young killers like him - especially if he brings back good results.
(in no particular order, more or less off the top of my head)
Weights: There aren't really any large races to start our guesses off of. Ogres are said to be, on average, 650 lbs. The trox are similarly big and burly, so that might be a start.
Ages: Why not have a race that ages fairly fast, for once? A race that never grows old enough to rebel (of course, that failed - but it was the idea behind it), and is always curious because everything is always new. Something like:
adulthood in 5 years, middle aged in 11, old at 17, venerable at 25, max age 25+2d6
Long lived enough to not have to deal too much with aging and death in the middle of an adventure arc (and if the aging is an issue - maybe they never really grow old? They take a penalty once at 15ish - or just none at all - and then die at 25+2d6. Why breed a slave race which deteriorates slowly over time [and gets smarter!]? You want them up and running as normal right until they hit the expiration date), but short enough that they experience life differently (and generational play might be a major factor for long adventures).
Height: I'd put them as tall as a large creature might be expected to be, to emphasize just how burly and scary they are (and add more fun when walking around little people houses). They might have been made to walk on all fours in smaller tunnels, a behavior they probably try to avoid on the surface.
Relative: The appearance, the strength, the clans, and the burrowing sort of suggest some kind of giant cave ant as their long lost relative to me. Looks like they have a tail, so either the ancestor was a very bizarre ant (it's the darklands, though, so that's not too surprising) - or maybe there was some weird creature splicing involved.
Colors: Duergar hate cheer, so they're probably pretty drab and utilitarian greyish red, greyish blue, greyish green, greyish tan. Whatever got the job done. To follow that, perhaps bright colorations (a genetic rarity) are revered among some groups, due to how much they stick out compared to the others.
Habitats: Hmm, the stat block says tropical deserts - but I suspect they might like some jungles, swamps, and forests. After living in darkness for so long, I'd think they'd find a bit of shade to be comfortable.
On the other hand, maybe they keep a nocturnal lifestyle. They burrow into the sand during the day (if they aren't being ordered around - but slave owners would probably realize that the creatures worked better at night) and emerge at night to be a terror in the dark. Their burrowing might also help them find water for themselves (and their captors).
They've got to eat a ton. Either there's big prey around (I'm imagining several of them surrounding and bringing down elephants and the like just by sheer tenacity and grappling. In fact, these guys would be pretty epic hunters/hunted with a bulette - just clinging on for the death or life struggle as the bulette tries to rip them off - diving down underground [both have burrow] and leaping into the air in the process.), or perhaps they are forced into slavery partly because their captors can promise food (those who run find themselves hungry and without a lot of knowledge about how to fend for themselves in the harsh empty desert - if they don't die rampaging a nearby settlement, they return for promises of food).
Society: For some variety, I'd suggest that many of the clans haven't had any formal contact with each other since their emergence. Each adapts to the area around it. Some get enslaved, and the slave-born are a very different culture from the free-born.
Due to the divided nature, the short lifespan, and the slavery, they're a culture without a voice. Individuals learn and adapt so much, but are rarely able to communicate this in a really meaningful way. Those who do pass on knowledge must do so in ways that can quickly and easily be passed along. In enslaved societies, it's unlikely they'll learn to read much - it's probably by song (since stories are too threatening to the slavers).
In freer places, they might hold storytellers in great renown, or have simple dances and performances (think mini-plays, steeped with a lot of symbolism) which communicate many stories at once.
But when we talk about renown - how much renown can someone gain in such a short life? Perhaps they don't look at individuals the same way, since everyone is replaced so quickly. Society is more concerned about the community's story as a whole and how everyone contributes to this base of understanding.
For their interactions with others, I think they'd exhibit the best of youth. They're unashamedly inquisitive and thoughtful - they're trying to learn about and understand the world around them, and easily placated and fooled by the strategems of others (they were, more than other races, "born yesterday"). It's not that they're dumb or dull - but that they just don't have the experience to deal with everything at once. Hedonists, idealists, maniacs - they're basically what humans are to elves in most settings, dangerous but noble in a way.
Reproduction: If they die fast, they probably need to bear a lot of children fairly quickly. I'd lean towards eggs - then you have communities based around protecting those young, possibly without regard to who birthed who (there's no "father" or "mother" - just an "aunt/uncle" term for all people of the last generation).
I have a character concept, and I am wondering how and where he will best fit in the PFS-Golorian world.
Karl Wolfgang von Grignrsbane is a Halfling melee character, nearly fearless, impossibly arrogant in his abilities and in the natural superiority of the Halfling race, aristocratic and elitist. Think World War I German Army officer, or maybe a young Fedor von Bock or Manfred von Richthofen.
My idea of militant/elitist Halflings doesn't really seem to fit with the easygoing gypsies singing and dancing between the cracks of bigfolk society, but I would really like advice on how do dovetail my concept with the PFS setting.
Well, in what ways might he think the typical halflings are superior?
Halfling wit and jokes? Maybe he thumbs his nose at what he sees as "lesser, unsophisticated" humor.
Halfling community? Maybe he elevates it as some kind of unspoken code of chivalry/bushido that only true halflings respect.
Halfling ingenuity? Maybe he dismisses straightforward plans because they are childish and ignorant - and dismisses ingenuous plans because they are better... but not by much.
Halfling food? Art? He'd probably stick religiously to his own kind.
Perhaps consider some kind of sling - not as your main weapon, since you want a meleer (although there is the Sling Flail feat), but as his ranged option. Anyone can swing it (unless you get one of the fancier types), but "halflings do it with technique".
And you might look into Halfling gods for ideas - whether he emulates them (possibly ignoring traits that are humble or subtle, but at least trying to superficially match some characteristics) or perhaps feels he is (and maybe is) an official or unofficial champion of one.
--------
On another note, I have a vague idea for a Lawful Evil Aasimar or Tiefling (not sure which is more interesting) Alchemist with levels in Master Chymist... and a Neutral Good mutagenic form. He realizes that being good is really useful for working with his friends, working together in general, and so on - but being good is hard.
What else could work with this? Maybe he feels he's past saving for some reason? Or maybe he has some vice that he can't give up? Or should he simply be synthesizing goodness for some nefarious/selfish purpose (aside from just being reluctant to actually try to be good)?
(edit) Also, beyond his motivations, how should his Neutral Good self act that's both capital-"G"-Good and consistent with his normal nature? (which gives me another idea for an Android version which can only feel love in mutagenic form, but that's straying a bit far from the original concept)
Quick question: Can somebody give me a handle on what is going on, plotwise with the Swordlords at this point? I'm not entirely sure.
What Thrund said pretty much summarizes it. In a bit more detail:
- Brevoy is described as being on the brink of a civil war due to the disappearance of House Rogarvia. Other sources generally point to the main conflict being between House Orlovsky and House Surtova, but the AP suggests the Swordlords of Restov are looking to be a third faction as they want to make Restov (and perhaps all of the former lands of Rostland) independent again.
- The party's kingdom, as well as the Varnhold, were (somewhat unofficially, to avoid making House Surtova suspicious) set up by Restov in the hopes that they'd have friendly territories to their south rather than centaurs (which are described as having caused trouble for Restov in the past) and bandits (like the Stag Lord). They're not officially the party's allies/patrons anymore (again, to avoid suspicion), but probably have good relations with them.
- The Swordlords have pulled troops out of the south (there's a border fort they abandoned in VV where this is mentioned) due to tensions in Brevoy heating up (and the Swordlords wanting to be ready when war breaks out). What actually happens in Brevoy is pretty much up to you - I don't think it ever comes up in the AP (just continual mentions that it's getting closer to war).
Lee Hanna wrote:
Allying with the centaurs against the spriggans and/or the undead would be a Good Thing.
Yeah, and it could be interesting if the allies - like with many combined forces in history - had some communication and coordination issues. The party could give the rough idea of how the two armies would work together (where to meet, who takes on which opposing armies, etc.) but wouldn't see if the other army got delayed (or ambushed) or even possibly decided to take a different plan, leading to some uncertainty.
One of the main issues I see is that a lot of the potential enemies are just so far away from the player's kingdom (especially with the Tors in the way). In most cases, it's a lot easier to just attack the party itself (and if someone like V succeeds in drawing them away by attacking their settlement, it becomes a back-and-forth adventure between pushing forward and running back to their realm). That being said:
- There is indeed V. Perhaps a defensive war? If it's foreshadowed enough, the party can bring an army along with them to break through his gathering horde.
- The Centaurs are a possibility at the beginning. Realizing that there is another group of human settlers prying into the Varnhold area (which might scare them if they had particularly bad experiences with the Varnhold) might provoke a preemptive attack.
This makes the Centaurs feel properly threatening and hostile, allowing for future events to make changes as both sides realize the real threats.
(They also might be provoked against Restov and/or that little village in the top line of hexes. Since Restov has pulled her troops north [right as their southern defense, in the form of the Varnhold, disappears], she might need to ask the party to come to her aid. Then you have a race to reinforce Restov's forces in time and a "home base" for the troops in the Varnhold region. This could be the initial hook for the adventure - "help us, then figure out why the Varnhold wasn't there to protect us like it should have been")
- Maybe the Spriggans you meet aren't the only ones? Maybe they're just a scouting/looting party (perhaps lead by the chieftan or a princeling - hence the treasure).
The party kills the small band that had advanced into the Varnhold and takes their treasure. The main Spriggan assembly then tries to get it back with actual armies.
- The old gate into the Shadow Plane could be a strange option - perhaps instead of fighting a few nasty shadow creatures, the party discovers that there's an army preparing to march out.
- You could foreshadow some of the cyclops themes by having a small group of cyclops gather together. Maybe they're unusually intelligent, trying to grasp a hold of some fragment of their past glory (possibly this desire is "awoken" in them due to some mystical tie to the main events, possibly some other enemy is actually leading them...).
--------
I'm interested to see what happens with this. My group is partially through the book* and have gained 2 small armies as well (due to a not-too-bloody takeover of the Varnhold).
*Or the general location and level of the book. My adventure's a bit different (V doesn't even exist - probably). Still, a lot of the army ideas might carry over.
The point is that he should be CR 8, which was probably why Purity of Violence made that argument (although with 16k, it could also be a disagreement over spending half of the NPC's wealth on one item, now that I think of it).
Wealth by level doesn't allow a 6th level character a +2 weapon.
Anyway conductive doesn't work with an vampire's energy drain because the energy drain isn't a touch attack.
The vampire can't have Ability Focus (dominate) because it hasn't gained a feat since it became a vampire.
16k gold, seems fine to me!
I know it doesn't work with energy drain? It is for corruptive touch.
The ability focus thing is true, I would probably just change it to corruptive touch(staggered)
12k at most, unless he's being given PC wealth (which is +1 to CR, so he'd be CR 8). Probably closer to 6k (if it's not high fantasy) or even 4k (if it's not fast experience progression). That's not enough for a +2 weapon.
If you haven't done so already, check out the threads "Redcelt's Game of Thrones" and "A Deal with the Devil" for ideas.
The "Deal with the Devil" was actually my inspiration for the festival in Restov. However, without BP on the table (as the kingdom has been pretty well established already), I'm not sure if the party will be motivated to meet and deal with so many factions.
I definitely want them to meet:
- Noleski Surtova
- A Lebeda (I'm thinking the young heir Lander Lebeda - he can be an enthusiastic fan of the adventures he hears from their lands, while his elders are using him as a front to negotiate and size up the party)
- A Lodovka
- An Orlovsky
- A Medvyed
- Possibly a Garess, but they seem more peripheral than the others.
- Some trade interests (maybe rolled into the various noble houses)
- Some religious (Gorum and Abadar) interests (briefly - perhaps in a circle of clergymen sitting in a corner and chatting about mutual interests together, to interest the cleric)
I'm not sure if there will be as many business and trade interests as in the Venture Capital thread (as the BP is not an issue), nor religious ones (as the cleric is pretty zealous about favoring the worship of Sarenrae over everything else - I think they'd be lost causes unless they had a really good offer).
I also know that there is another charter kingdom to the west (Drelev?), and the states Pitax and Mivon near the party's realm. I think it would be cool to introduce those somewhat (so they don't just appear abruptly in the story later on), but I'm not sure what they should be like (motivations, style, how they should act, etc)... and I don't want to spoil too much for myself (as I might not be the GM for the next book). What should I know about them?
My political scene is a little different from Redcelt's or the one in the Venture Capital thread:
Overview: Politics of Brevoy:
~ House Surtova (INT): The Surtovas are plagued by their ambitions. Their schemes have left them with many allies and few friends, and while they hold both the Archduchy of Issia and the Crownlands (Rogarvia's old territories - although it's hard to tell how loyal they are), they're a little overstretched.
King Noleski Surtova is the "Thorn of the Surtovas", a young and ruthless politician who has surprisingly managed to keep Brevoy from falling apart so far. While he has little charm, he's a capable administrator (and is banking on the support of the common folk as a result) who tries to keep his hands clean from the methods his family tends to use.
Unlike his older cousin, Damir (my old character), Noleski excelled in both the arcane arts and the art of war. I'm planning on a Cavalier with Eldritch Heritage for some interesting effects - although a Magus might be fitting.
Lady Natala Surtova, the "Rose of the Surtovas", does the dirty work. She controls the Port Ice based Brotherhood of Shadows, a guild of strict monk-like assassins with some ties to Norgorber. With her connections, they've managed to grow very powerful throughout the realm (usually Surtovas work with many assassin guilds, and they balance each other out). Even the Surtovas don't know about all her connections.
On the good side, the Surtovas have many competent rulers, and they tend towards a rather benevolent rule (if only because they realize that it is best to be feared and loved). On the bad side, there's several elements who love to assassinate people, and even the decent people like Noleski will do anything for power.
~ House Orlovsky (WIS): As the counter for the Surtovas, the Orlovskies are a noble branch descended from one of Choral's lieutenants - more Ioberian than Issian (although they've mixed and adapted somewhat). They prefer more cautious and distant schemes, but are being drawn into the Surtovan style of politics out of necessity.
The Orlovskies feel that they are the true followers of the Rogarvias, wrongfully bypassed by the succession laws despite their continual loyalty. They're a proud group, and while they may claim a desire to form a regency for the Rogarvias... they still want the power.
The Orlovskies have a sizable and disciplined army and a very good defensive position. With the right allies, they can split the Surtovas in half.
They need an assassin arm too, but I haven't figured out its distinctive features yet.
On the good side, the Orlovskies have the best anti-Surtova plans ready. They also tend to be fairly reliable rulers, but may just be hiding their ambitions better than others. On the bad side, they're as ruthless as the Surtovas.
~ House Lodovka (DEX): The Lodovkas are staunchly Issian, with none of the weak southern "culture" that has infected the other ruling houses. They still drink, eat, and fight like fantasy-equivalent-Vikings (and probably still sometimes go on raids). They tend to stick with the Surtovas, having a good neighborly relationship with their former kings.
They may not have a large territory, but the Lodovkan army is fierce and ready (and their navy is probably the best, if that ever is an issue).
On the good side, Lodovka is an honest and reliable ally. On the bad side, they don't have much class or care for the finer aspects of leadership. They also might be a little too eager for the coming warfare.
~ House Lebeda (CHA): Formerly "Lebdevka", this house has adapted the most to Rostlandic culture and custom. The Lebedas are the most powerful house in the south, with vast wealth and a large population (not the largest of armies, but they could probably raise a decent one quickly due to their funds).
They're looking to make an alliance with the Surtovas - the same that the Surtovas did with the Rogarvias (since it worked out very well the last time) - and currently seem to be fairly successful in their friendship. The Surtovas need their southern army (and vast funds), and the Lebedas seem to think the Surtovas are the best chance at a non-messy rule (so far).
On the good side, the Lebedas are charming and people pleasing allies (with a lot of money). On the bad side, they have a dragon's greed for gold.
~ House Garess (STR): This house is mostly divided due to the non-human heir and bitter internal rivalries. Most of the would be claimants are being courted by the Orlovskies, as the defensive position of the Garessites is vital.
~ House Medvyed (CON): House Medvyed is the oldest of all the families, closely tied to the depths of the Gronzi forest. While the leadership is more cool-headed about the situation, the Medvyed's are the Orlovskies version of the Lodovkas - old warriors ready for a fight.
On the good side, the Medvyeds are a fairly balanced family, and they tend to be generous and calm. However, on the bad side they have old secrets that haunt them - most notably, the "Bear Lords": an ancient tradition of rule by the strongest (which certain leaders want to encourage once more).
~ The Swordlords: The Swordlords are a mere shadow of what they used to be, but they could possibly be revived by careful selection of allies.
Unfortunately, they don't really have any yet. While they may be clamoring for war, they are actually quite outmatched. The festival in Restov is probably going to end with a Swordlord being assassinated... and the party realizing (due to their conditioning to use Detect Poison on everything) that his own sword was poisoned - he was meant to assassinate Noleski. That can shake up their current reliance on Restov and make them consider the pros and cons of new allies.
Players who recognize the Jarl Damir, the priest Crispen, or the spy Anders should avoid this thread. Seriously, it is going to have many spoilers which you don't want to have spoiled.
This will also contain some spoilers for the books up to the Varnhold Vanishing, for those who are not in my group but still want to avoid such spoilers.
I recently became the GM of a group running through Kingmaker, right as we transitioned between Rivers Run Red and the Varnhold Vanishing. In order to fit with the college schedule (including players graduating), I've heavily modified the adventure.
As the quick finale for the school year, the party has just become shadow rulers of the Varnhold (more on that later) and is now focusing their attentions east to the centaurs who have been engaged in warfare with their now-ally. I'm working out ideas of what they'll be meeting. They're currently level 8 and mythic tier 1.
The Heroes:
(Deceased: Player replaced him)
Captain Adoni Ro’Vaugn: A clever and well intentioned half-elf swordlord in training (Chaotic Good Rogue/Sorcerer [Draconic Bloodline] with skill in charging into trouble and almost dying) from a minor noble family in Restov (who was fleeing a rather murderous uncle).
(NPC: My former character)
Jarl Damir Surtova:An overly ambitious minor human nobleman and tax collector unofficially exiled into the south by his distant second cousin, the king. Originally a cowardly bureaucrat, he has slowly grown to be a fairly responsible knightly figure due to the weight of the crown (which was fashioned from the horns of the Stag Lord’s helm, so many call him “the Stag Lord” now). (A NN --> LN --> LE --> LN Bard with a level of Cavalier aiming towards the Battle Herald prestige class, Mythic Path: Marshal)
(NPC: The cohort to my former character)
Darius of Port Ice: Damir’s bastard son (human), born into the criminal underworld and trained as an assassin - but redeemed by followers of Sarenrae (Lawful Good Monk with a level of Inquisitor for the Conversion Inquisition - primarily an armored tank and a shield for the cowardly Damir) who inadvertently sent him on a mission straight into the realm of the father figure he never had. Darius acts as the Grand Diplomat of Ithorn.
Brother Crispen: An elven friend of a friend of Adoni’s and an extremely zealous battle cleric of Sarenrae (who has a minor, but fervent, following in Brevoy). His somewhat sheltered upbringing in monasteries may be the cause of his zeal to convert all the Stolen Lands to his faith. (Lawful Good Cleric. Domains: Healing and FIRE. Mythic Path: Hierophant) Crispen became the High Priest of Ithorn, mostly since he was the only religiously motivated player character.
(Cohort)
Ignus: A human friend of Crispen’s and an aspiring blacksmith. Has a tendency to fail any kind of save, leading to many close scrapes with death thus far. (Lawful Good? Fighter) Ignus holds no council position.
Nemo Uesagi: A custom-shapeshifter-animal-race minstrel (Neutral Good Bard [Sound Striker] / Dragon Disciple. Mythic Path: Archmage) from the mysterious Gronzi Forest.
Nemo’s village needed a safe haven from the coming storm in Brevoy, and allying with the rest of the party (the character entered at the end of the first book) was the best way to achieve this. While he is sometimes arrogant of his arcane power and bloodline, Nemo often tries to do the right thing.
Nemo is the Councilor for Ithorn. He also tends to be the guy to turn to when anything magical comes up, and with Damir out of the picture he’s often the (masked, due to his inhuman appearance) face of the party.
(leaving soon)
Thorvald Thorvaldson and Bofan Thorvaldson: Dwarven warriors (Thorvald is a True Neutral Fighter, Bofan is a Neutral Good Ranger with a wolf companion. I think they're Champion and Guardian respectively) who sought to find the secrets of their ancestors in the Stolen Lands (due to family legend). Both are sturdy in physique and loyalty. Thorvald has recently opened a thriving series of inns in the capital city. Thorvald serves as General while Bofan is the Marshal.
Anders: A former good-guy-crime-boss (Chaotic Good Ninja. Mythic Path: Trickster) in Restov who married into the Ro’Vaugns and “retired” to spying roles in Ithorn in order to give his family a safer place to live. Anders stepped into realm politics after the death of Adoni, and after an initial testing period (as the more lawfully bent party was very wary of the no-rules Anders) has mostly fit in with the council.
Anders is the current Spymaster of Ithorn.
(Cohort)
Hickory 47: A custom-android-esque-race living construct who fled his creator and lived with Anders’ former good-guy-gang. (reflavored gunslinger) Hickory just got introduced, but I don't think he's going to be taking a government position.
(NPC due to player absence)
Draug: A fearsome and not always perfectly sane Gnome (Chaotic Neutral - generally on the evil side - Barbarian) (who originally masqueraded as a Druidic guide) with an obsession with tea-bagging everything and rarely wearing appropriate clothing.
Draug is the Royal Enforcer of Ithorn, because nothing is more terrifying than Draug.
Basic Backstory (Stolen Lands and Rivers Run Red):
The party was probably originally commissioned under the command of Adoni who recruited Crispen and Thorvald and, in a fit of poor judgment, hired Draug as a guide. However, upon it getting ceremonial approval from the Dragonscale Throne of Brevoy, the expedition was “gifted” with Damir Surtova. The swordlords have not been particularly happy with us.
Through a gauntlet of misadventures, the merry band killed bears, allied with kobolds, and slew the Stag Lord in an only somewhat botched infiltration of his fort. Oleg was a staunch ally throughout, and is the Treasurer and general guy-who-runs-things-behind-the-scenes in the government. The party suspiciously accepted Akiros as a Warden and the enigmatic bard Nemo as a Councilor (after he brought them the gold they needed to begin their settlement). Thorvald’s relative Bofan also entered the story around this time.
Book 2 turned out to be mainly about interpersonal struggles in the new government, with the actual villains often taking more minor roles (story-wise, not gameplay-wise). In the religious tensions between the fervent Brother Crispen (Sarenrae) and the pragmatic Jarl Damir (Abadar), Crispen asked his superiors for helpers. They sent Darius, who had a... rocky initial relationship with his father.
[ One notable exception to the distant-villains was an ancient tower, imprisoning a similarly ancient demon-influenced lord of part of the Stolen Lands (the exact borders were not specified)... who we may have inadvertently released (but we killed him too! and we urinated in the ashes of his beloved, who we also killed! We’re the good guys!). ]
But in the Talonquake, the now character-grown characters all gathered to fight a truly terrible foe… and found that an essence of its power sought them after it died (Mythic Owlbear fight becomes the mythic ascension for the party).
And that’s where I became GM, inheriting a band of heroes (with fairly heroic actions - while Damir/Nemo/Thorvald sometimes chose ruthlessly pragmatic options, and sometimes the party was trigger happy, the party tended to try to deal honestly and fairly with everyone they met) testing out their new powers, beginning to feel confident in their ever so slowly growing realm.
My version of the Varnhold... not really 'Vanishing'... so far:
The party was then met with an eyepatched egotistical man calling himself "Duke" Maeger Varn, visiting their realm to berate them about the bandits they had (according to him) been neglecting to take care of in between the two states. Their ruler, Damir, had been reclusive due to assassination threats (that's how we're explaining him not adventuring with the rest) - so they went to deal with the visiting dignitary themselves.
The party fairly quickly realized that Maeger was trying to meddle with their affairs in an attempt to eventually take over their land. They got rid of him as gently and firmly as they could.
A visit by a certain Lady Jamandi Aldori confirmed that Maeger's desire was to be proclaimed the leader of the settlements Restov had made in the south, and that he was winning the political battle due to rather unspecified power. Also, some emissaries went missing in his realms, and she wanted the party to find out about it.
They also found out that Lady Aldori's steward was a spy - in fact, he was the treacherous uncle of Adoni (and step-uncle of Anders) - but that's been more or less a sidenote so far.
(They then had their first mythic-vs.-mythic fights. They had heard about a great Roc and its lovely eggs in the mountains. Despite how the dwarven part of the party - usually used as the meatshield and muscle - was busy [players were busy, so the dwarves were off training their troops], and despite hearing suggestions that the Roc was a personification of the storm itself, the squishy side of the party bravely marched in...
...and were soon cowering in a rained out tower. "Tempest", the ancient Roc, had a bit more power than they were expecting. You could say that it was a... shocking experience. They managed to run away with an egg by some clever usage of magic and teamwork later on.)
Maeger Varn's sister, Katrin Varn, was left in the party's realm as a diplomat (and to spread Varnhold propaganda). In a surprising twist, the paladin-esque cleric Crispen wooed her (coached both in and out of game by the bard) and the two fell in love.
She mentioned that she had lost a friend in an ancient ruins, under unspecified circumstances. Crispen bravely gathered the party to investigate.
They found the ancient ruins and fought their way through a creepy labyrinth to find the now-insane Ariadne (Katrin's friend) and an ancient cyclops who declared himself "The Keeper of Fate". After his first few words (which were exactly as melodramatic as you would expect from a Keeper of Fate), they brutally murdered him.
They realized that while many of the magical equipment of the Keeper of Fate died with him, one important artifact - the one the whole facility was built around - was missing. An "Oculus of Fate" which absorbed mythic power and powered the great surveillance of the Keeper (who was set their by the ancients to keep great [mythic] power - and the dangers that grew with it - from ever recurring on the planet).
When they left, they headed towards the now burning city (in reality, it was just a combat between the Roc Tempest and the Varnholders - a bit of a bait covered railroad on my part) of Varnhold and found Maeger Varn waiting for them... with the oculus in his eye.
After realizing that Maeger was actually killing people to absorb their mythic power, corrupted as he was by the promise of power, there was a grand fight between the two parties.
The good guys won, partially due to the power of love (as they got Katrin to switch sides), and they've been setting up a puppet government in the Varnhold now, under Restov's blessing (as Restov just wants someone in charge).
What to do with a Horde of Centaurs?:
So now the party seems to be focusing on the issue of the centaurs (and on getting Manticore quills - as Nemo wants the reward for that quest).
I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with them. Vordekai and the ancient-protector-Nomen are out of the story (the battles with the Varnhold took the position of big-bad, and I want to focus on Brevoy for the later portions), so the centaurs are just the thorn in the Varnhold's side.
I don't want to make the centaurs purely savages, but I don't want them to just be "noble savage" misunderstood good guys instead.
I have some idea for centaur politics (revolving around a matriarch and three consorts - each of which have their own motives which the party can anger or aid), but I'm not sure how the centaurs should meaningfully affect player adventures in the area, especially without making fights get a bit cookie cutter.
I do have ideas for different types of centaurs-with-class-levels (some Zen Archer monks for the classic steppe archer, some barbarians for the spearmen, etc.), but I'm not sure what goals the players can have in the area (aside from just killing centaurs when they randomly encounter them).
A Twist of Fête:
While the centaurs and some other minor threats (you remember those bandits Maeger mentioned?) are likely to be the focus of the summertime, I do want to use the opportunity to delve a little into Brevic politics.
I want the civil war.
I'm thinking that their achievements may give them the honor of having a fête in their honor in Restov (which will, of course, go horribly wrong in the end) as an opportunity for them to meet with the movers and shakers in Brevoy (as they get to choose who they want to ally with when the war comes, and then can have adventures gaining the trust of allies to build up a coalition).
But I'm unsure how to do this without boring even the more social-situation focused players. Ideas? What other ways can I introduce the major noble families and other allies (to avoid just dumping it all at once)?
The Noble Scion is an aristocrat styled prestige class which gains extra wealth and some ways to spend even more extra pseudo-wealth. He also gains lackeys, but is himself fairly wimpy.
You might consider that as a starting point. It's not as wealthy as you might be looking for (and it has other abilities to compensate), but it gets the general feeling of aristocratic wealth without much balancing messiness.
Wow!
And to think, that the solution was THAT easy... Oo
Well to solve the problem with the technical feats,
I suppose one can use something like a d'ni racial template, or just enhance core human race giving him something like an "amature tinker / amature technican" racial trait...
And to show the d'ni high versatality one could use instead of "+2 to atribute" something like "+1 to 2 attributes"
That I think would make them idea of advanced human-aliens taste and not so godlike as azlanti were in core rules
I don't think the D'ni are depicted as that much more versatile than humans (especially when compared to how humans are portrayed as the jack of all trades among fantasy races - if anything, the D'ni are less versatile, as they tend to be stuck in their ways). For a D'ni race, I'd go with:
Humanoid (D'ni)
Medium sized.
30 ft speed.
+2 to one ability score.
Skilled: D'ni gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Languages: D'ni begin speaking D'ni and Common. They can start with any languages they like (except secret languages, like Druidic) if they have a high enough INT modifier.
Low-light vision
Light sensitivity
Focused Study: D'ni gain Skill Focus in one skill as a bonus feat at 1st, 8th, and 16th level.
D'ni Engineering: D'ni treat Disable Device and Knowledge (engineering) as class skills. They gain a +2 bonus to all Craft and Profession checks related to stone.
Cavern Dweller: D'ni treat all non-magical difficult terrain as normal terrain when underground.
Alternate traits:
Xenophobic: These D'ni begin only speaking D'ni. They gain no extra starting languages from high INT. In addition, they gain a language for every two ranks they put into Linguistics, instead of every one. In exchange, they gain a +1 bonus against mind-affecting effects (except for fear). This replaces their normal languages.
Surface Born: These D'ni lose the Light Sensitivity and Cavern Dweller traits.
Magical Linguist: These D'ni gain a +1 bonus to the DC of spells they cast that have the language-dependent descriptor or that create glyphs, symbols, or other magical writings. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against such spells. Members of this race with a Charisma score of 11 or higher also gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—arcane mark, comprehend languages, message, read magic. The caster level for these spell-like abilities is equal to the user's character level. This replaces the bonus Skill Focus feats at 8th and 16th level.
All in all it's a couple of race points more than a human, with a couple extra benefits, but not universally better (and most of the benefits are fairly minor).
What would a character of Atrus or Yeesha from Myst game-series be at Golarion or just using the Pathfinder system?
The first idea that come to mind is the scribing type of bards
On second thouth maybe Oracle with Lore mystery...
Any suggestions?
The Pathfinder Chronicler prestige class from the Core Rulebook:
- Bonuses to Knowledge skills as well as Linguistics and Profession (scribe).
- Extra saving throws (characters in the series are always needing Reflex, Fortitude, and Will saves - there's madness, fire, dangerous terrain, and diseases all over the books in particular)
- They inspire other people with their speeches and, unlike bards, even with their writings!
- To get into the prestige class, you need to write a great book.
Bards are probably the best class to level in before you hit level 5-6 (when you can get into the prestige class), but there's lots of options. I'd go with the Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger
- Guns (or gun-like objects) aren't uncommon in the D'ni-verse.
- The Mysterious Stranger uses CHA as their main stat, which is the same that Pathfinder Chroniclers use for a couple of their abilities. Of course, Pathfinder Chroniclers don't seem to need a lot of charisma, so a regular Gunslinger (which uses Wisdom - a fitting stat for some of those characters... not so much for others) would also be fine.
- It's a non-magical but clever and resourceful (good saving throws, high Dexterity, targets touch AC) adventurer which uses technology to their advantage.
The main thing you're missing that would be really thematically fitting is Disable Device as a class skill - but there's at least one trait which can get you that.
