Griswald Maurin, the half-orc barbarian, Nivel Klist, the half-elf rogue, Merkava, the human fighter, Firyin, the half-elf ranger and Brimlii Titansteel, the dwarven cleric, have made their way back home to Kassen, battered but not beaten, after a gruesome experience inside the Crypt of the Everflame, where they defeated an old enemy and companion of Ekat Kassen, Asar who had risen as a skeleton after the tomb was disturbed by a group of grave robbers.
The spirit of Kassen has left them with an intriguing story and a task, if they so wish to do it, to seek out the two missing amulets taken from the tomb, which, together with another as of yet undiscovered amulet, form the key to a vault containing an artifact which has been left untouched by Kassen and his companions, Asar and Iramine, when they discovered it a long time ago. It is believed that Iramine, an elven sorceress, has had the third amulet in her possession.
The party has found several clues about the robbers. They were carrying coins from Tamran, the capital city of the region, and one of them had a note mentioning the Rangers Lament. Another one, possibly their leader, was wearing a mask and carried a note mentioning the amulets. Mayor Uptal suggested they go speak to Father Rantal Prasst, in charge of services in the only temple of Kassen, who used to be a soldier in Tamran before.
At the temple of Erastil, near the town square, they met Father Prasst. He listened attentively to their story and then spoke: "Yes I know the Ranger's Lament. It's a popular bar in Tamran.. So you say one of the robbers was wearing a mask.. Hmm.. Someone from Tamran passed by Kassen several weeks ago. He came to visit our temple here. Of course we talked about Tamran and he told me that about 2 years ago a new cult has arrived there, the cult of Razmir. They built a temple and their influence seems to have grown quite a lot. They help the poor but they are also suspected of thievery, blackmail and extortion. Now I am telling you this, because the cult members all wear the same kind of mask.. I think that's worth investigating.. As for this Iramine, I am afraid I can't help you. I have no idea who or where she might be."
As you discuss your next move with the Mayor, he suggests to go check the docks for a possible transport to Tamran. There you receive notice that a river barge is expected to arrive within a few days and continue its way to Tamran. The Mayor says he could probably book passage for the whole team on the barge.
The next day after you went to see Father Prasst, he visits you, together with a woman. He says: “I heard one of your companions has decided to stay in Kassen. I thought maybe you could use some help with your mission. Allow me to introduce you to someone.. this is Kyra, she’s a cleric and she visited me yesterday a few hours after you came to me for advise. I believe she has something to tell you..”
Kyra:
You can now introduce yourself to the others. Morg is not yet part of the team.
Morg:
Any idea how you want to introduce yourself? You can message me in private first if you prefer. I suggested something about your pathfinder group being interested in lost artifacts and the missing amulets would give you a connection. We could also simply let the group decide they want one more member and you happen to be in town, perhaps out of interest for the ritual of the everflame or some task from the pathfinders etc.
Hello and welcome to the Masks of the Living God :)
Post any further questions here and introductions about yourself if you like.
After I reviewed more in detail all characters I will open the gameplay section with an introduction.
About myself: I live in Belgium, I am 45 years old, male (human), currently studying logistics and transport with a fulltime speed course until February. This means that I don't have as much time as I would like for playing, but I think it's still possible for me to post most days.
Kyra:
Guided hand as feat is ok! I think you have 3 points too much in abilities. CON 14 = 5 pt, not 2.
The Crypt of the Everflame, which I played on this forum, has come to an end and the group is still enthusiast to continue with the next chapter in the story, Masks of the Living God.
You can read all about the finished game here: Crypt of the Everflame (includes a map and description of the city of Kassen)
We are looking for one arcane caster and one divine caster.
Currently the group has a ranger, fighter, barbarian, rogue. So obviously casters would be very welcome :)
Guidelines for character creation:
20 Point Buy.
Level 2 (4620 xp).
Core Races.
All Core, Base, Alternative Classes and Paizo Archetypes except gunslinger and antipaladin (only 1 archetype).
No evil alignment.
2 Traits.
Feats and Traits can be from any source that is covered by Hero Lab.
No Hero Points. Instead you may choose one extra Feat at level 1 (antiheroes option from APG).
Starting gold 1000 gp.
Full Hit Points at level 1 and average rounded up for next levels (for example: d8 = +5).
You are living in Kassen, a small town ruled by Mayor Uptal, a fair, but mildly grim man. While most of the “townsfolk” actually live in small homes or camps in the woods and fields surrounding Kassen proper, the town is quite tightknit. As with most of the folk in Nirmathas, they stand up for one another and refuse to be pushed around.
As background, I like to see a basic description of your personality, family, activities and goals in life.
The group who returned from the Crypt is now looking for two new members before continuing their journey to the capital city of Tamran in search for two amulets which form part of a key to a vault containing a mysterious artifact.
Hi, I have a question that may seem rather stupid (?)
Suppose an opponent has higher initiative and withdraws and you can't do a charge, how can you ever hit him if you can't reach him with a single move and you don't have a ranged attack? (his speed not being faster than yours)
Could he just continue to withdraw without that you ever get a chance to hit? If your speed is 30ft and he has 20ft, you still lack 5ft to hit after a single move without reach weapon.
When applying the zombie template to a creature with very low cha, for example a giant leech (cha 1), it becomes useless because of the negative hit points modifier.
Hello, I am currently testing some houserules for making combat feel more like real time action in play by post.
Some fundamental points I want to use are:
*Rolling for initiative every round and for every PC, NPC, monster individually. (Thinking of initiative order more as a difference in fractions of a second)
*Split a round in two. Every standard and move action being one part. All actions from the first part take effect before those from the second part.
*Move actions are always slower than standard actions regardless of initiative. I am still a bit in doubt to keep this rule or not. It mainly gives an advantage to ranged magic and attacks but it makes normal rules for being flat-footed a bit confusing. Without this rule, for example a charge attack from 30ft away could be quicker in execution than a melee attack standing next to your opponent and that just doesn't feel right to me. Reducing initiative for every 5ft travelled makes it more complicated and I haven't thought this option through yet.
This is still very much a work in progress, but after two fights I feel that it could be good. A combat round plays out very fast this way and so far everybody seems to enjoy it. What I hope to encourage with this, is that combat is more like action oriented role playing than turn based strategy.
I am sure others will have thought about something like that, especially in play by post games, but I haven't seen much so far about houserules except letting players post out of initiative order and then the GM writing a summary, adapting their actions when needed.
houserules for combat (work in progress):
*Initiative is rolled each round for every player, NPC, monster.
*Rounds are split in two parts: each move and standard action is one part of the round.
Actions from the first part of the round take effect before actions from the second part.
*Free actions (for example speak, drop an item), a 5ft step and attacks of opportunity take no time.
*Move actions are slower than standard actions regardless of initiative.
For example: if you stand ready with your crossbow to shoot at an approaching enemy (further than 5ft away), even if this enemy has higher initiative you can shoot first before he reaches you, but if you need to do a move action first to load your crossbow and the enemy gets within melee range after his move, initiative will decide who might hit who first and in any case he gets an attack of opportunity before you can fire your crossbow because you use a ranged attack while in threat range.
Note: While getting up from prone, you suffer the penalty for being prone until your initiative comes up in the order of acting (after standard actions).
*Resolving full round actions depends on their nature but always takes up a full round:
-Coup de grace is a standard action to deal the blow in first part and a move action to recover your weapon and ready yourself in second part.
-Full attack is split evenly as a combination of standard actions between both parts.
-Charge is split between a move action in first part and a move action + free attack action in second part.
-Casting a full round spell is like two move actions and takes effect at the end of the round if you start casting during the first part or at the end of the first part of the next round if you start casting in the second part.
*Flat-footed: You are flat-footed during the first part of the first round (as well as the surprise round) towards those having higher initiative. In this regard, speed difference between move or standard actions is not taken into account.
This means that if you do a move action to reach an opponent that is aware of you, he will not be flat-footed anymore during your attack in the second part of the round, even if your initiative is higher. Taking a 5ft step is not a move action and thus can be combined with an attack to catch an opponent off guard in the first round, the same goes for a ranged attack that doesn’t require a move action first.
Note: Your opponent will also still be flat-footed if you can attack him during the first move action of a charge, if your initiative is higher than his.
For example: Two opponents charge each other. If it takes them more than one move to reach each other, none of them will be flat-footed, but if they are close enough to hit after the first move, the one with less initiative will be flat-footed when the other attacks him.
Another example: An opponent charges at you while you have your bow ready to shoot him. You can shoot first before he reaches you, but if his initiative is higher than yours, he will not be flat-footed. If then that opponent reaches you at the end of his first move action, you will be flat-footed against his charge attack if his initiative is higher than yours.
*Flanking and 5ft steps: You can flank an opponent if the average initiative of you and your ally is higher than his or if he doesn't want or can't make a 5ft step to move out of flanked position. Otherwise it is supposed that he's quick enough to outmanoeuvre at least one of you.
*5ft steps and avoiding attacks of opportunity: You can step away from an opponent, combine it with an action that would normally provoke an attack of opportunity and avoid that attack only if your initiative is higher than the opponent who is threatening you or if he's unable or unwilling to do a 5ft step to follow you.
Almost 200 years ago, when the land that was to become Nirmathas was still a vassal of the empire of Cheliax, the northern reaches of the Fangwood were a wild and untamed place. The crusades that laid low the Whispering Tyrant to the north were a distant memory, and those who remained were intent upon keeping the orcs of Belkzen and the remaining undead from Ustalav in check. As a result, the great forest was full of danger, from marauding orcs to deadly predators, making it unsafe for merchants hoping to trade with the growing community of Skelt in the foothills of the Mindspin Mountains to the west.
Ekat Kassen was a crusader and fortune seeker who came to serve Lastwall in the year 4515 AR. While he fought with distinction, he soon realized that he wanted more from life and left the Lastwall military to find his fortune elsewhere. His travels took him all over the region around Lake Encarthan, and he decided to settle down in 4522 after a very profitable adventure. Using a sizable portion of his fortune, he set out to tame a small area of the Fangwood on the banks of the Tourondel River, making it a natural stopover for those traveling up and down the river to Skelt.
For the next 10 years, the town, which was then known as Kassen’s Hold, grew and prospered. All that changed when Asar Vergas came to Kassen’s Hold with a host of mercenaries under his command. Asar was an old companion of Ekat, and the two had traveled together for some time before splitting up just after Ekat’s last adventure. Over the years, Asar became sure that Ekat had cheated him after that adventure. Promising great wealth to his mercenaries, Asar raided the town relentlessly for 2 months.
Finally, the townsfolk managed to locate Asar’s camp in an ancient crypt deep in the forest, and Ekat himself went out to deal with his old companion. The battle was terribly bloody, with only a few townsfolk coming back to tell the tale. In the end, Asar was slain and his mercenaries scattered, but Ekat suffered a mortal wound. He died 2 days later, on the 11th day of Neth, 4535.
In honor of their beloved founder, the townsfolk buried Kassen in the ancient crypt, interring his bones in a place of honor, above the simple sarcophagi used to inter Asar, his mercenaries, and the townsfolk that lost their lives in the bitter struggle. They placed an eternal flame above Kassen’s final resting place, so that all who visited might find warmth in the wilderness.
Over the years, the Crypt of the Everflame has become an important part of the history of the town, now simply called Kassen. The townsfolk view the crypt as a memorial to those difficult first years of the town’s history. Every autumn, a few of the townsfolk make a pilgrimage to the crypt to light a lantern from the flame and bring it back to town, where it is preserved all winter, a symbol of the town’s resilience. Most years, the town mayor and a group of dignitaries perform this quest. Every few years, however, a handful of younger townsfolk are given the honor of lighting the lantern (it has now been 4 years since the mayor last decided to send a group of young heroes to the crypt). Many see this as a passage into adulthood, a taste of adventure before settling down to work and marriage. The quest starts out as a solemn ceremony in town, where the townsfolk gather to wish the adventurers luck, just as it was when Kassen himself left to fight the mercenaries. When the adventurers return a few days later, the town holds a great celebration in their honor. This also marks the final harvest celebration before the long winter. Children are known to tell wild tales to one another about what happens during the quest. Some even claim that there have been a number of deaths over the years. Adults however always deny such concerns but will also sometimes suggest that some townsfolk may be setting up simple traps, puzzles and illusionary monsters for the adventurers to overcome.
We are now the 4th of Neth, just as the winter winds are beginning to blow. This is the day, in the year 4535, when Ekat Kassen and his men set out from town to find Asar’s camp and deal with the mercenary. A few weeks ago, Mayor Uptal has come to ask each one of you if you want to participate in the quest for the eternal flame and for one reason or another, you decided to accept. You have been informed that you are expected to travel light, carrying only what you absolutely need—weapons, armor, spellbooks, etc.—as rations and other generic equipment will be provided. You are supposed to meet at noon with the other participants at the town square, for the start of the quest.
You can now describe how you spend your morning before arriving at the town square. Friends and family will not accompany you until the town square as they will be part of the attending crowd, dressed in black. Arriving at the town square, you will find it empty except for each other.
Hello and welcome to the Crypt of the Everflame :)
Post any further questions here and introductions about yourself if you like.
It's not necessary to buy adventuring equipment, because you will receive a backpack from the town before leaving on your journey with rations, tent, blanket, waterskin and some additional stuff like rope, torches, grappling hook, tinder and twig. Be sure to have bought all your armor and weapons. The journey to the tomb is about 2 days from the town.
After I reviewed more in detail all characters I will open the gameplay section with an introduction.
About myself: I live in Belgium, I am 44 years old, male (human), currently without a proper job, just doing some volunteer work. The last years I spent most of my adventuring time reading about many game systems with some play by post sessions once in a while.
Hi all, after trying to apply as a player and seeing the number of applications for an AP, I decided to instead try my luck as a GM :) I have a bit of GM experience IRL from a long time ago with the relatively unknown system “the Dark Eye” (in Dutch) and more recently some PbP experience as a player with D&D 3.5 and Call of Chtulhu. This means I am fairly new to Pathfinder and being a GM. Before trying an Adventure Path, I thought it's best to start with a level 1 module and I read that Crypt of the Everflame is perfect for that, so that's what I will do now. I have Hero Lab with all packages for Pathfinder and I will use this for keeping track of characters and encounters. I plan to make tactical maps with print screens from the roll20 VTT.
Guidelines for character creation:
20 Point Buy.
Level 1.
Core Races.
All Core, Base, Alternative Classes and Paizo Archetypes except gunslinger and antipaladin (only 1 archetype).
No evil alignment.
2 Traits.
Feats and Traits can be from any source that is covered by Hero Lab.
No Hero Points. Instead you may choose one extra Feat at level 1 (antiheroes option from APG).
Average starting gold.
Full Hit Points at level 1 and average rounded up for next levels (for example: d8 = +5).
You are living in Kassen, a small town ruled by Mayor Uptal, a fair, but mildly grim man. While most of the “townsfolk” actually live in small homes or camps in the woods and fields surrounding Kassen proper, the town is quite tightknit. As with most of the folk in Nirmathas, they stand up for one another and refuse to be pushed around.
As background, I like to see a basic description of your personality, family, activities and goals in life.
I am looking for 4-5 characters with different classes.
I hope to provide a map and some more information about the town and its people later today so you could fit that into your background if you want.
