All around is a wall of sickly yellow fog, tumbling through the alley's canyon of crumbling, gray brick walls like some jaundiced flash flood. You find yourself running, but can't remember why. Nor do you recognize the four others running alongside you. Ahead, the alley splits, curving to the left and right. You feel as if you've been here before, but can't quite place it. Are you having déjà vu?
Behind, from the silent swell of yellow mist, emanates the sound of footsteps - slow, but somehow keeping pace with you. You glance back, but can only see the vague shape of a tall humanoid with tendrils billowing out behind it, completely obscured by the unnatural fog. As you look on, the figure slowly and methodically takes steps toward you.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
For this encounter, I do not plan on running initiative. Feel free to take your actions in any order. The... creature... will act after all of you.
Please post below using your character avatar with a link to your character sheet. Feel free to use this space or the Discord to discuss your character backstories or if you have any questions.
Wati endures, or so the local saying goes. The people of Wati, known for their even tempers and shrewd wit, prefer understatement. They have known war and peace, poverty and prosperity, and survived decimation at the hands of a mad god's cult. But Wati's people answer each challenge with innovation, tenacity, and the deep bonds of community. They do not endure their hardships so much as grasp them, white-knuckled and screaming, until the world permits them to return to their quiet lives, surrounded by their honored dead.
-Priestess Ankhtah Shepses, personal writings, 3076 AR
Okay, so I guess we can go ahead and get started!
In this campaign you will all be members of a small group of adventurers who ventured to Wati, in Osirion. Pharaoh Khemet III, the Ruby Prince, has recently opened up Wati's necropolis for adventuring parties to explore. As a group, you have formally registered your team with the priests of the local temple to Pharasma, the Grand Mausoleum. These priests have been tasked with assigning sites ready for exploration via lottery and you now await news on whether your team will be chosen to explore one of the ancient sites.
The campaign expects your characters to already be acquainted. In addition, because there are only three of you, I intend to add an NPC as a fourth character. Once you have decided on your own characters, we can all work together to create an NPC to complement the group. I'll control this NPC.
Character creation rules:
1) 20 point buy, core races only.
2) All classes allowed except Ninja, Samurai, and Gunslinger. I suggest avoiding cavalier due to the dungeon diving nature of the campaign (unless you are small and can ride a medium sized animal).
3) Average starting wealth.
4) 2 traits (one must be from the Player's Guide) and a maximum or 1 drawback (not required).
5) Archetypes allowed upon review. No firearms in this campaign.
6) HP will be max at 1st level and avg+1 thereafter.
7) No evil alignments.
You'll have to come up with the adventuring party's name, so think of that as well!
It's an Egyptian themed campaign, so keep that in mind when designing your characters. Please post here as soon as you are able in order to check in. And we can discuss characters as we go. Once all characters are finalized (or very close), I'll start the gameplay thread.
Please feel free to discuss what you would like to play here. The following are the character creation rules:
Point Buy: If your highest stat is higher than 18 after racial bonuses/penalties, you are limited to a 17 point buy. If it is 18 exactly, you get a 19 point buy. If it is less than 18, you get a 22 point buy. The goal is to make some of the MAD classes/concepts a little more appealing while limiting some of the optimization of the SAD classes. (MAD = multiple ability dependent, SAD = single ability dependent).
Alignment: You may be any non-evil alignment. Remember that Chaotic Neutral (CN) is not a substitute for evil.
Races: Core races (Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-elf, Halfling, Half-orc, Human) are permitted. Non-core races will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Core races with inherent resistances (such as cold resist 5) will not likely be approved.
Classes: All core, APG, UM, and UC classes and archetypes are generally approved, though some restrictions may occur on a case-by-case basis. For example, Synthesis Summoners tend to be overpowered, so they may not be allowed. We can work any concerns out below.
Traits: You get two traits. One trait must be from the Player's Guide, and the other from any other source (with approval).
Starting HP: You will start with max HP at 1st level. Every level thereafter you will take average HP rounded up (3 for 1d4, 4 for 1d6, 5 for 1d8, 6 for 1d10, and 7 for 1d12).
Starting Wealth: You will start with average wealth for your class.
Firearms: I've only looked briefly at the first two modules and I didn't notice a single firearm. Please take into consideration that you will likely have to purchase any firearms and ammo you'll need, as you won't be finding much in treasure.
Cold Weather: The Player's Guide has information on how cold weather affects gameplay. You might want to take that into consideration. For example, you'll be fighting a lot of cold based creatures, so cold attacks won't be very effective. On the other hand, they'll use cold against you as well. Also, during snowstorms, visibility is limited and ranged attacks take a penalty. Endurance could be a very useful feat.
Note that I'll review your characters before we start. If you are planning on building your character around or up to a specific feat or feat chain, please let me know in advance. Certain feats may not be allowed (like Leadership and Antagonize).
It has been a century since the immortal witch Baba Yaga last visited the world, and the hour draws nigh for her return. But when she fails to appear in the frozen realm of Irrisen to usher in its newest ruler, pockets of winter begin to grow throughout the Inner Sea region. After 1,400 years of perpetual winter, the icy curse of Irrisen is spreading! What links do these strange blizzards and swaths of wintry landscapes have with Irrisen, and is there any truth to the growing rumors that the Witch Queen Elvanna has taken full control of the realm? Can her plans for the Inner Sea be thwarted, or will the Reign of Winter engulf the world?
Please do not post in here until we have finalized characters in the discussion thread.
Please feel free to discuss what you would like to play here. The following are the character creation rules:
*Point Buy: If your highest stat is higher than 18 after racial bonuses/penalties, you are limited to a 17 point buy. If it is 18 exactly, you get a 19 point buy. If it is less than 18, you get a 22 point buy. The goal is to make some of the MAD classes/concepts a little more appealing while limiting some of the optimization of the SAD classes. (MAD = multiple ability dependent, SAD = single ability dependent).
*Alignment: You will end up being pirates, so lawful good is prohibited. In addition, I'd like you to be non-evil in order to avoid party squabbling. This limits you to NG, CG, LN, TN, and CN. Please note that NG may be difficult to play in this campaign (you'll be plundering!). LN characters should be played with "personal" laws/codes instead of being lawful towards a city's law, otherwise it doesn't make sense for them to be pirates.
*Races: Core races (Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-elf, Halfling, Half-orc, Human) are permitted. The following non-core races are also permitted: Goblin, Tengu, and Tiefling,. Alternate racial traits will be approved on an individual basis (but are probably fine for the most part). Other races will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
*Classes: The following classes are prohibited: Alchemist, Cavalier, Gunslinger, Magus, Summoner, Ninja, and Samurai. If you really want to play one of those classes, let me know and we'll work it out. The goal is to avoid the more overpowered classes, and to keep within the theme of the adventure. (Cavalier and Samurai will be ineffective on a boat). If you choose to work your way toward a prestige class, let me know in advance.
*Archetypes: Archetypes are generally permitted. I'll review them individually to be sure. The Player's Guide lists some recommended archetypes for the campaign.
*Traits: You get two traits. One trait must be from the Player's Guide, and the other from any other source (with approval).
Skills: Profession (sailor), social skills, and swim will be very important. The Player's Guide has more recommendations if you'd like to take a look.
*Starting HP: You will start with max HP for your class. Every level thereafter you will take average HP rounded up (3 for 1d4, 4 for 1d6, 5 for 1d8, 6 for 1d10, and 7 for 1d12).
*Starting Wealth: You will start with average wealth for your class. Note that items that are commonly found on a ship are not necessary to purchase (rope, candles, etc.). If you have questions about a specific item, feel free to ask.
*Firearms: Guns are not widely used at the time of this campaign and will be extremely difficult to get hold of. They will show up in the campaign, but it would be wise not to build around their use.
Note that I'll review your characters before we start. If you are planning on building your character around or up to a specific feat or feat chain, please let me know in advance. Certain feats may not be allowed (like Leadership and Antagonize).
There's adventure to be had on the high seas when a group of press-ganged strangers seizes a ship and becomes embroiled in the plots and politics of the Shackles—an infamous island chain dominated by pirate warlords. But as these new swashbucklers make names for themselves, rival scalawags, enemy navies, legendary sea monsters, and the infamous Hurricane King himself seek to see them walk the plank. Who will survive when there's glory to plunder?
This is a placeholder until the group is all set. Please do not post here just yet, except to dot the thread.
If you haven't checked out the Strands of Fate book and you are a fan of the FATE system, I highly recommend you do so. Nova Praxis is from the creator of the Strands of Fate book, and it takes the system into a futuristic setting. If you follow the link above, you'll find a lot of information and detail about the system, including links to playtest previews.
As of today, he is at $7500 out of his $10,000 goal with 38 days to go. There are a lot of really great stretch goals as well.
I've been bouncing around the idea of an Urban Barbarian / Dervish Dancer bard for a little while now. Here's what I've come up with, up to level 3.
We'll start with Human for the bonus feat, though cases can be made for other choices (anything with a bonus to Dex would probably be okay). Let's assume a 20 point buy. I tend to take the following array: 16,14,14,12,10,8. Stats become:
Note that it is probably better to have a 13 in Str to open up the option for Power Attack. Whether this is through the ability score increase at 4th level, or during point buy is debatable.
Level 1: Start off with a barbarian level (Urban barbarian archetype) for the +1 BAB, controlled rage, and 14 HP (max HP at 1st gives 12 plus 2 con). Our two feats will be Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus (scimitar). At this level, with our scimitar, we have a few options for attacking while raging. If we put all of our rage into Dex, we have an attack of +8 for 1d6+1 damage (+9 attack when in melee with 2 enemies). Putting our bonus in strength, we have +6 for 1d6+3 damage. And splitting it gives us +7 for 1d6+2 damage.
Level 2: We'll now take a level of Dervish Dancer bard, which gives us spells, Battle Dance (inspire courage more specifically), and Fleet for +10 speed with battle dancing. Now we can rage and battle dance at the same time, so our damage and attack from before increases by +1 each.
Level 3: Here's where it gets good. We now qualify for Dervish Dance (since we put two ranks in Perform [Dance]). This allows us to use our Dex for damage with our scimitar. Forget using our rage on Str now, its all Dex all the time. We have a +10 to attack (+4 Dex, +2 Rage, +2 BAB, +1 weapon focus, +1 inspire courage) which bumps up to a +11 if adjacent to two or more foes. Our damage is now up to 1d6+7 (+4 dex, +2 rage, +1 inspire courage).
Future Feats: If we revise our point buy to have a 13 str, Power Attack is an important choice. Extra Rage is probably a necessity. The standard Iron Will, Greater Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Dodge, and Toughness are good choices as always. What else?
From here out, I am thinking it is best to just stick with bard levels, but I would be open to ideas. Should we dip again in barbarian for a rage power? Which one? Any dips anywhere else?
I imagine this is not the most optimal build, nor what I trying to make it one. I just liked the synergy with the urban barbarian and the bard class. What other classes could benefit greatly from a dip into the urban barbarian? Feel free to post your own build ideas to expand upon this one.
I've noticed quite a lot of harsh and disrespectful language directed toward the Paizo staff as of late, so I just wanted to take the time give Paizo some well-deserved thanks. Speaking for myself and those I play with, we all absolutely love the work you've put into Pathfinder. All of us find interesting characters to play, and though we have noticed some imbalance occasionally, it is never enough to affect the game negatively and is usually circumstantial anyway. And besides, anything we find to be wrong, we can always houserule anyway!
I can't claim to understand how difficult it is to put out as much material as you at Paizo do throughout the year, but I imagine it is a ton of work. And you deserve more credit than you have been given recently.
So thank you! And remember that the vast majority of us love what you are doing, we just aren't as vocal about it!
I'm just stopping over here to let you guys know that I am hosting a Diplomacy PbP on the forums here (I figured not everyone who would be interested would be keeping an eye on the recruitment forum). The recruitment thread is here, so feel free to chime in if you'd like to play. I need 7 people total to start.
Is anyone interested in playing a game of Diplomacy over the forums? I would run the game as the moderator and we'd have a relatively slow game (I'd say two to three days in between adjudication to allow for some back and forth, with the weekend off). You can find the rules here if you are unfamiliar with them. Almost all of the game will take place over PM, of course. The gameplay thread will be where adjudication happens and the discussion thread will be for any "propaganda," questions, and just normal off-topic discussion.
If I get seven people who are interested in playing, I'll go ahead and set a game up. And if there is a lot of interest, I'll run a second game at the same time.
The Warp Touch ability of the sorceror's Warped bloodline doesn't state what type of action it is. Am I right in assuming it is meant to be a standard action? Here's the ability in question, from the PRD:
Warp Touch (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you create brief, disorienting changes in a creature's physical form. This ability affects one creature within 30 feet, which is dazed for 1 round (Fortitude negates; DC 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. This bloodline power replaces acidic ray.
As the sun heads toward the horizon, the crew and passengers of the Jenivere continue their daily routine. The crew take turns in the crow's nest, scrubbing decks, serving food, and making life comfortable for the passengers. The passengers rest, soaking in the sun and enjoying the pleasant breeze as the Jenivere coasts along on its route to Eleder. Captain Kovack announced that morning that they were wthin four days of the capital city.
NPC Bios:
Aerys
This severe half-elven woman boarded in Port Peril, where she immediately got into a scrape with a crude sailor. She spends most of her time in her bunk, seeming to purposefully avoid fraternizing with the ship’s other passengers. Aerys is a trim, athletic woman with short dark hair, tanned skin, and fierce blue eyes. She dresses in tightly fitted leather armor and favors dark clothing and tricorn hats. The few times you have seen her, you get the impression she spends most of the day drunk; the smell of alcohol is always present on her breath.
Alizandru Kovack
A Chelish man whose family has made the Magnimar to Eleder run for generations, Captain Kovack is pleasant enough with his passengers, but a strict disciplinarian when dealing with his crew. He is strict, but generally very competent.
Alton Devers
The Jenivere’s first mate is friendly with both passengers and crew, but he sometimes seems to chafe under the strong discipline of Captain Kovack. Of all the crew, he is the friendlist to the PC's.
Gelik Aberwhinge
A sharply dressed gnome from Magnimar, Gelik spends much of his time writing in the ships’ common areas, and takes every opportunity to tell long-winded stories, boast of past journeys, or quip about anything in his field of view. Gelik is a spry, energetic gnome with blond hair and a neat goatee. He dresses like a noble at all times (“If you can’t take the time to dress properly, no one will take what you have to say seriously—and they’d be right not to!”). With liberal use of prestidigitation, his fine clothes always seem freshly cleaned. Only the ink stains on his fingers break the illusion of a proper gnome nobleman (“If you don’t have ink stains on your fingers, no one will take your writing seriously—and they’d be right not to!”). Gelik has something of a cruel streak, and a tendency to mock others.
Ieana
A bookish Varisian scholar who tends to keep to herself, Ieana is traveling to Sargava to explore the ancient ruins there. Rumors aboard the ship alternately suggest that she’s the Jenivere’s owner, a Chelish agent, or Captain Kovack’s secret lover. Ieana keeps mostly to herself, and grows more intent on her studies with each mile the ship travels closer to Eleder. A small and quiet woman, Ieana has shown no interest in socialising or making friends on the voyage. but causes no trouble.
Ishirou
A scruffy human of Tian heritage, Ishirou boarded at Bloodcove and waits to reach Sargava with a quiet eagerness. Aloof but not rude, he gives the impression of one who has had a hard life but finds himself currently without direction. Ishirou is a rugged Tian man who appears much older than he is, with graying hair worn in a ponytail and a perpetual scruffy beard. His clothing and armor are well kept and clean, but obviously of low quality. Only his sword, a beautiful katana, has any real value. Ishirou is fiercely protective of it, as it is his only material link to his cultural heritage.
Jask Derindi
A prisoner loaded aboard in Corentyn, Captain Kovack sees to this taciturn human’s needs with curt courtesy, but insists he be left alone, sequestered in the ship’s brig. Jask is a middle-aged, plain-looking Garundi man with hair starting to gray and watery eyes.
Rambar Terillo
A taciturn man from Senghor, Ship’s Cook Terillo has served in that capacity aboard several ships, though apparently not on account of his culinary skills, which seem to be limited to watery soups.
Sasha Nevah
This red-haired human boarded the Jenivere in Ilizmagorti. Since leaving Mediogalti Island, the woman’s somber demeanor has gradually faded, revealing a boisterous and optimistic personality. None have yet questioned her about her missing left pinky finger.Sasha has tousled red hair and mischievous green eyes, and is extremely attractive, in a somewhat manic way.
Rowena
From high above the deck on her duty in the crow's nest, Rowena is all smiles, which unfortunately do little to improve her plain, almost masculine features. Up here, the heat isn't nearly as oppressive despite the lack of shade, due to the constant breeze in her face. She giggles with girlish delight at the beautiful breaching a hundred yards off the starboard side. She's learned by now not to bother the jaded seafaring veterans with something so trivial after the last mass panic she created announcing the presence of a giant squid - apparently, there are really giant squid that can swallow whole ships, although Rowena suspects a certain amount of 'pull-the-noob's-leg going on there.
Looking down, she sees Embrianna climbing up to the nest. She frowns as the cleric takes her spot on watch, not because she dislikes her presence, but because it means her shift up top has ended and it's time to scrub decks again.
"Nothing to report, the seas are clear. And now I guess it's time to give the decks their third daily scrubbing. Honestly, sometimes I think the capt'n just makes us scrub it so much out of sheer spite."
Ace
Ace is up in the rigging, working on making sure the variety of pulleys, ropes and other bits of wood don't become tangled. It isn't necessarily an easy job, but not one that isn't overly hard either. He whistles as he works content that he is up here and not scrubbing the decks below.
He watches Embrianna climb up to take her duty on the Crow's Nest. Ace's Weather Reading had given clear skies for quite some time, and he knew there would be no storm clouds on the horizon. However, there was always the threat of pirates and other nasties to come up. Why, when one of the new crew members had declared there to be a giant squid it had driven everyone to a sheer panic. Thankfully all she was a large squid and that was the end of that.
Ace takes his time moving through the rigging, examining each knot carefully as he slowly works his way upward.
Embrianna
Embrianna climbs up to the crow's nest, eager to begin her turn at watch. She enjoy's the solitude up here. It is quiet and peaceful, with a spectacular view of the ocean all around. A very fitting place to offer up her daily prayers to Gozreh. When she reaches the top, she receives shift report from Rowena. Laughing a little at Ro's comment regarding the scrubbing, Embrianna responds: "More likely he's just trying to make the ship look as good as possible for all those paying passengers. Probably thinks the better the ship looks the more he can charge."
As she trades places with Rowena she adds, "I'll catch up with you later at dinner."
Embrianna scans all around her, appreciating the beauty of the day. She notices Ace up in the rigging and gives a little wave of hello. I hope he's careful, I always worry someone is going to fall out of that rigging if a sudden wind picks up and I'd hate to see him go splat on the deck.
Sorin
Sorin began to take comfort from the daily routine of the ship. Despite wind and weather, the same actions took place aboard the ship at the same time each day. Soon, he found his own place in the order.
When the morning meals were done, and if the weather was in a pleasant way he would find himself above decks in the breeze and brisk salt air. He always brought his journal and leads for sketching, and would typically begin the day checking a compass, discussing the heading with the helmsman, and writing down sets of sails and whatever else he could divine from the rigging. All of this information would end up notated in his journal in the cryptic shorthand notation that he used. Then, for a few bells he would sketch and take in the sun, tucked out of the way of the crew by the bowsprit or sitting on an unused coil of rope. Occasionally he would have one of the numerous books borrowed from Gelik with him and read histories of the Mwangi Expanse, Marithan’s theories on the Doorway to the Red Star and Tesswick’s epic travels (and brief enslavement) among the Gorilla Kings.
At the change of the watch it was time for his exercises. As the decks were getting washed, he would be on the aft castle, standing behind the helmsman, practicing difficult (and wince inducing) hand and finger positions or pronunciation of contorted syllables. Occasionally a streak of color or a skirl of wind would fall away into the wake behind the ship from a movement and Sorin would stop to make notations in his journal before resuming his practice.
Sorin, I have you borrowing Gelik's books instead of Ieana's. It doesn't really fit her personality to interact with anyone.
Djal
Djal spends most of his time looking at the sea. Somehow, life had brought him to this realm, so far away from his roots as a Dwarf, and he had to make sense of it. The flapping of his clothes in the strong and salty wing felt good after all.
He kept a pleasant company and tried to give a hand with the sails, mending carefully the ones that weren't in use. He learned to know the sailors, in particular Rowena, Ace and Embrianna, and appreciated their dangerous work.
But his thoughts often turned to the future ahead, to his return to Eleder. Gloom washed over him and settled like foam on his features. Having been exiled, he wondered what life had in store for return, and whether he would be able to make best of it, for the Land required change.
I already have three people for this campaign (though one may drop) so I am only looking for two or three more characters. I have a confirmed Cleric of Gozreh and Dervish Dancer Bard, so you might want to stay away from those classes. The third character hasn't decided what to play yet.
Recruitment will last until Tuesday, August 30th. I'll be on travel and likely unable to answer questions or acknowledge that you have applied. I'll be reading through each application and making my selection all at once. The more fleshed out the backstory, the better. I'll be giving preference to good backstories, interesting character interaction possibilities, and finally class role (putting together a well-rounded party).
How to Join:
Here's what I need from you. Respond here with a character background and an idea with where you want to go with the character. Don't just give me "Rock Smasher, Half-Orc Barbarian." I want to know Rock's history, why he's on the Jenivere, what his values are, etc. Feel free to use the Serpent's Skull Player's Guide for ideas and inspiration.
It'll help if you can manage to put together a preliminary character sheet, but is absolutely not required.
Please answer the following questions in addition to the backstory you already provide:
1) Where are you from? This will likely tie into where you board the Jenivere (see the Player's Guide).
2) Why are you heading to Eleder?
3) Odd question: If your character were an animal, what would he or she be? Think of this as a personality question and feel free to explain.
Character Creation:
1) 20 point buy, 1st level
2) Core races only
3) Core, APG, UM, and UC classes, archetypes, and racial variants are allowed with the exception of gunslinger (they don't really fit this campaign, in my opinion). If you pick something really out there, be ready to back it up with story.
4) No evil characters. Remember that CN is not a substitute for evil.
5) Max HP at first level.
6) Average starting gold
7) Two traits. One must be a campaign trait from the Serpent's Skull player's guide.
Posting Requirements:
Other than using proper spelling and grammar, I prefer the following:
1) Bold text for words spoken aloud.
2) Italics for words thought to oneself.
3) OOC (blue) text for out-of-character comments, questions, quips, snark, jokes, etc.
4) Big and small text for shouting and whispering, respectively.
5) Regular text everywhere else.
Good luck everyone. I look forward to reading your submissions!
Some things to think about when coming up with character background:
1) Where are you from? This will likely tie into where you board the Jenivere (see the Player's Guide).
2) Why are you heading to Eleder?
3) Odd question: If your character were an animal, what would he or she be? Think of this as a personality question.
Remember: 20 point buy, two traits, average starting wealth, core races only, APG, UM, UC allowed (except for gunslinger), and max starting HP.
You may want to avoid the cavalier and samurai, as they are difficult to work with in this campaign (at least in the first module). Also, keep in mind you will not be able to shop until level 4 at the earliest.
Please answer the above questions when you present me with your character background. I'll be asking these questions in the recruitment thread as well. If you could have your basic character stats and stories ready in the next few days, I'll be able to start up the recruitment thread shortly after. The more info you have, the easier it'll be for me to pick two more folks. Plus, it'll be more fair to them, so they know not to create another cleric, for example.
If you need help with ideas or suggestions, we can talk them out here. Remember, you pretty much get what you want here! Feel free to work together.
It is a beautiful day in Sandpoint, the first day of Autumn in fact! Today is the day of the Swallowtail Festival, which will culminate in the consecration of a new Church of Desna. Right now, however, it is morning and our adventurers have all arrived. There is a feeling of joy and excitement in the air as people run about getting ready for the festivities.
It isn't long before you are handed a flier with a timeline of the day's events. Turns out the opening remarks are about to begin in the square in front of the church, followed by festivities, children's games, and dancing. At noon, the Swallowtail butterflies will be released and lunch will be served, free of charge. Finally, at sunset, the new church will be consecrated followed by a few hours of dancing into the night.
If you want to make it to the opening remarks, you must head there right away. There will time to explore immediately afterward.
Korvosa, the Jewel of Varisia, has long sparkled on Varisia's southern shore. Established 300 years ago by Cheliax at the height of that empire's expansion, the city now commands its own destiny. A line of Korvosan kings and queens emerged to rule the city, establishing an infamous seat power - the Crimson Throne. Rulers have sat upon the Crimson Throne for more than a century, and the city has flourished. Yet the monarchy always seems on the brink of disaster. The Crimson Throne is not a prize to be won - it is a curse. No monarch of Korvosa has died of old age, and none have produced an heir while ruling. Even though King Eodred II controls Korvosa more fully than any previous monarch, that control remains tenuous, and many secretly count the days until their latest king falls to what they call the Curse of the Crimson Throne.
Solace:
After completing her morning devotions, it is now midmorning on an ordinary day and Solace is at the marketplace. She has just finished picking up a few things her senior clerics have asked for. Reaching into one of her bags, she notices something that wasn't there before - a card. Solace pulls it out to find that it is a Harrow card depicting "The Carnival." Turning it over, she finds a note that reads:
Solace:
I know what Gaedren Lamm has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at noon. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Devrim wakes up to sunshine entering his room. After a few groggy moments, he puts is legs over the side of the bed, stands up and finds some clothes to throw on. While putting on his boots, however, he notices something odd inside of one - a card. Devrim pulls the card out of his shoe to find that it is a Harrow card depicting "The Keep." Turning it over, he finds a note that reads:
Devrim:
I know what Gaedren Lamm has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at noon. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Aerodus, having fully woken up and ready to move on, starts to pack his things. It only takes him a few minutes before he gets to his spellbook. He stops for a moment and opens it up on a whim. Inside, he is surpised to find a card. It is a Harrow card that depicts "The Foreign Trader" and has a note on the back that reads:
Aerodus:
I know what Gaedren Lamm has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at noon. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Tyr, having no options other than to sit, waits in the corner of his cell. Oddly enough, he hears two guards chatting nearby.
I dunno why their lettin' it go. Makes no sense t' me! The thing's vicious.
Aye, but an order's an order, I guess. I s'pose we'll just have to do it.
The guards stop at Tyr's cell and he hears the clinking of metal as a key enters the lock. One of the guards enters and gestures for Tyr to stand up.
Congratulations, yer bein' set free.
The guards escort Tyr to the front of the Longacre building (where the majority of Korvosa's worst criminals are held). There they bring him all of his personal belongings. They hesitate before handing over his greatsword, but they finally do so. Finally, he receives his personal items, but including is something that Tyr didn't have before - a card. It is a Harrow card depicting "The Bear" and a note on the back reads:
Tyr:
I know what Gaedren Lamm has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at noon. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
It is midmorning and Jack is at the Temple of Nethys, lost in a book he is studying. That is until he turns the page and finds a Harrow card nestled between the pages. The card depicts "The Courtesan" and has a note written on the back:
Jack:
I know what Gaedren Lamm has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at noon. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
You may make a Knowledge (Local) or a Diplomacy (Gather Information) check to find out more about the location on your card. You have about two hours before noon.
DC 10:
Turns out 3 Lancet Street is the home and fortune-telling shop of Varisian woman named Zellara.
Remember: 20 point buy, Max HP at 1st level, average starting wealth, and two traits.
Roll Call:
Hawkeye Talquimm - Eagle Shaman
Skorabor Skalfgrin Boulderback - Fighter
Occa - Cleric of Gozreh
Durvin Tamish - Bard
Stark - Wordcasting Sorceror
Once you have your alias created and stats incorporated, post here and I'll look over it for you. If you'd like to modify your backstory so that you know each other, you may do so as well. Now's your chance to discuss and get to know each other a little bit before we start.
Welcome and congratulations! Let's go ahead and get our characters statted up and ready for play. I'd like to start by Monday, if possible.
Remember: 20 point buy, Max HP at 1st level, average starting wealth, and two traits (one must be from the CotCT background traits).
Roll Call:
Devrim Ornelos - Magus
Solace - Cleric of Pharasma
Tyr Wulfskald - Barbarian
Jack Allorei - Synthesist Summoner
Aerodus Crispin - Wizard
Once you have your alias created and stats incorporated, post here and I'll look over it for you. If you'd like to modify your backstory so that you know each other, you may do so as well. Now's your chance to discuss and get to know each other a little bit before we start.
Hello everyone (again)! I'm just about to close a CotCT recruitment thread and because there were so many applicants with such great ideas, I've decided to go ahead and run a second game on the forums. So here we are with recruitment for Rise of the Runelords.
This thread will only remain open for only one day, so get your application in right away! Preference will go first to folks with really good backstories and second to those that I did not choose in the CotCT recruitment.
How to Join:
Here's what I need from you. Respond here with a character background and an idea with where you want to go with the character. Don't just give me "Rock Smasher, Half-Orc Barbarian." I want to know Rock's history, why he's in Sandpoint, what his values are, etc. Feel free to use the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide for ideas and inspiration.
It'll help if you can manage to put together a preliminary character sheet, but I don't expect it since you only have a day anyhow. Character creation will be finalized in the Discussion thread.
It's nice to know your timezone, but not necessary. It will not affect my decision.
Character Creation:
1) 20 point buy, 1st level
2) Core races only
3) Core, APG, and UM classes, archetypes, and racial variants are allowed. If you pick something really out there, be ready to back it up with story.
4) No evil characters. Remember that CN is not a substitute for evil.
5) Max HP at first level (choose either average+1 or roll thereafter).
6) Average starting gold
7) Two traits. If it's not from the APG, let me know where you got it from.
Let me know if you have any questions about character creation (or if I'm missing something glaringly important). I'll be happy to answer.
Posting Requirements:
Other than using proper spelling and grammar, I prefer the following:
1) Bold text for words spoken aloud.
2) Italics for words thought to oneself.
3) OOC (blue) text for out-of-character comments, questions, quips, snark, jokes, etc.
4) Big and small text for shouting and whispering, respectively.
5) Regular text everywhere else.
I expect you to be able to post at least once a day during the week (remember, a post is more than one sentence) and at least once during the weekend. I am on EST (GMT -5:00). If you need to be absent for an extended period of time, all I ask is that you give me and the other players forewarning, if possible.
Hello everyone! I'm looking to start a Curse of the Crimson Throne PbP here on the forums, but I need some players! If you are interested, please respond to this thread. I'll be making a decision within the next week and the game will start shortly thereafter. I'm looking for four or five players, no more.
A couple things before I get to what I'm looking for:
First, if you haven't already, you'll want to download the Curse of the Crimson Throne player's guide. It's free, so just search the site!
Second, this will be my first time running a PbP. I think I'll do pretty well (especially because I'll be able to take my time formulating responses and looking up rules), but you never know. Just wanted to give you a heads up on that. This may especially be a problem when it comes to map-making. I'm still working on a solution to that (and will accept suggestions of course). I also find that I use parentheses a lot, so if that bothers you, you might want to avoid my games!
Third, I'll take new and veteran PbPers. It all boils down to your story and how well you write.
Lastly, I consider PbPs as a way to really create a story. We are all writing this story together. What this means is that I expect you to roleplay. I expect posts that are more than one sentence (more often than not, sometimes just a sentence is fine). It also means I would really prefer you to write well. Try to use proper grammar and spelling (we all make mistakes of course).
How to Join:
Here's what I need from you. Respond here with a character background and an idea with where you want to go with the character. Don't just give me "Rock Smasher, Half-Orc Barbarian." I want to know Rock's history, why he's in Korvosa, what his values are, etc. Please be sure to put in there how you are tied in with Gaedren Lamm (see the Player's Guide traits). If you have a unique way to be tied to Gaedren Lamm that isn't one of the background traits, we can work together to come up with one for you.
Don't worry too much about actual character creation just yet. It's a good idea to get a head's start, but we'll finalize everything in the Discussion thread prior to game start. What matters is the story.
Also, it'll be handy to know what your timezone is.
Character Creation:
1) 20 point buy, 1st level
2) Core races only
3) Core, APG, and UM classes, archetypes, and racial variants are allowed. If you pick something really out there, be ready to back it up with story.
4) No evil characters. Remember that CN is not a substitute for evil.
5) Max HP at first level (choose either average+1 or roll thereafter).
6) Average starting gold
7) Two traits. One must be from the Curse of the Crimson Throne player's guide Background traits, the other can be from anywhere subject to approval. If you have a unique way to be tied to Gaedren Lamm that isn't one of the background traits, we can work together to come up with one for you.
Let me know if you have any questions about character creation (or if I'm missing something glaringly important). I'll be happy to answer.
Posting Requirements:
Other than using proper spelling and grammar, I prefer the following:
1) Bold text for words spoken aloud.
2) Italics for words thought to oneself.
3) OOC (blue) text for out-of-character comments, questions, quips, snark, jokes, etc.
4) Big and small text for shouting and whispering, respectively.
5) Regular text everywhere else.
I expect you to be able to post at least once a day during the week (remember, a post is more than one sentence) and at least once during the weekend. I am on EST (GMT -5:00). If you need to be absent for an extended period of time, all I ask is that you give me and the other players forewarning, if possible.
I think that's all! I look forward to seeing some character ideas!
Has anyone attempted to convert Necropolis to the Pathfinder system? I'd do it myself, but it's a rather massive undertaking and I don't have too much experience converting from 3rd edition. If anyone's interested, maybe we could set up a group conversion project.
I know a lot of people use the profession skill as sort of a specialized knowledge skill, but does anyone have any need house-ruled ideas for profession skills?
For example: In my Legacy of Fire game, the monk took Profession (Masseuse) and I am house-ruling its use in helping eliminate fatigue/exhaustion.
The way I have it now is that a profession check can be used to get rid of fatigue for 3 hours (takes 1 minute, so it can't be used mid-battle easily). Likewise it would reduce exhaustion to fatigue for 3 hours. Haven't decided on the DCs yet.
