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Sorry everyone, I'm in the process of moving across the country and haven't had access to a computer reliably. I will have something up this evening, I promise.
Patraus steps back, cringing a bit beneath the shadows of the warriors. Aiesha laughs at his apparent cowardice. Flustered, he straightens his tunic and gestures down the road. "Yes, well....If you follow me. Master Thex's villa is just down the way." The villa at which you arrive is fairly modest compared to the others that surround it. Still, it is an impressive manor. Patraus and Aiesha lead you through a grand hall line with bronze oil lamps and great marble busts of people who were surely once leaders in this noble family. At the end of the hall sits a man in man in a heavy wooden throne. As you are lead down the hall, glances to the left and right reveal rooms that look more like libraries. Hundreds of scrolls have been placed neatly in slots. You can see the vague shapes of some strange statuary and chests, bound tightly with ornate locks. The man that sits upon the throne is Phinnaeus Thex, he is introduced as such by the servants who met you in the streets. He is fairly young, not yet a true leader of House Thex. "I see you have brought friends. I suppose it saves me the trouble of finding more men. I am sure you have heard the rumors of the Mithran sage. Jyordom. His murder at the hands of looters. I paid handsomely for this information. The sage was not killed by the hands of angry peasants, in fact none know what truly took his life. Only that when they found him he was little more than a bloody smear of the marble. He was researching something. Something I dearly want. But before I can give you details. You must pledge to me. If you return to me successful, I will shower you with gold and jewels." Thex's face is cut with a pompous grin as he looks down upon you from his seat.
Thought it might give some opportunity for people to ask questions before meeting the boss. Nothing was planned specifically for anyone. :)
The Grand Bazaar is already teaming with life. Servants dressed in finery mingle in seething, squawking crowds of commoners. Merchants off all kinds hawk wares ranging from simple pottery to the most exotic goods brought in on the trade caravans from the farthest reaches of Thule. Strange delicacies from deep within Dhar Mesh, ales from the Doldric Coast; some even rumored that for that right price you could purchase sacred Dwarven steel or dragons eggs. If you knew where to look, of course. You make your way through the Merchant Quarter, all the while the golden palaces of the Noble Quarter loom on lofted hills ahead of you. Guards of the Peacock Throne were present in every district of the city, but none more than Palace Way. There was an immediate transition between the common tiered buildings of the market square and the marble villas where the nobles dwell. From any of the pillared, multistoried home, those who lived there could look out upon the city, its networks of canals and the great Quosa River that flows into the Atlantean Ocean to the south. Splitting the river in twain is the island of Old Quodeth. Even with all of the pleasure gardens and sparkling fountains, signs of the riots still mar the scenery. The guard presence has pushed the rioting to other places, but it did not make it unscathed. As you wander the streets, searching for House Thex, you are approached by two servants escorted by private soldiers. One of the servants is a middle aged Kalayan man the other is a fiery haired woman of Dhari descent. "Thak, Kortar. Our Master received word that you had entered the Palace District. He asked us to escort you to his abode." The man looks at your group, his stern eyes moving from person to person as the girl runs her eyes up and down the muscled forms of the warriors. Again, the servant speaks, "Who are those two? The master's invitations did not include guests."
Sccchhhwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Got some character ideas in my head already! Quick question though, is this going to include aliens or be full-on Firefly? I love the idea of a space-western, but I don't know how fond I would be of aliens in the mix. I'm a huge western fan, and I think Firefly nailed the core of the old cowboy movies. Its about people. I tend to think aliens would detract from the setting. Just my opinion.
Yeah, I haven't heard from him for a couple days. I think we will wait a little. I'd hate to lose someone on the first day. If he doesn't post soon, I guess we can assume that he silently tags along.....I guess?
I've never used Boot Hill, but I am sooooooo in on this.
Nope, everyone has their something tailored to them, but ultimately you will have to work as a group.
Hey everyone, so an admin fixed the issue and the first post is up. Each character has their own start, I trust you won't peek at others. Feel free to post away! Also, I just noticed a few typos. The admin had to post for me or something to jump start the thread. I'll be sure to correct the misspelled name and some other stuff in the future. Still getting a hold of the formatting too.
Thank you so much! We all appreciate it!
Hi, I am kind of new here and I'm not 100% sure if this is where to post this, but I am having a problem. I created a Campaign, and the group has been using the Recruitment and Discussion threads, but now that we are ready, I am unable to post in the Gameplay thread. This is the campaign: http://paizo.com/campaigns/PrimevalThuleTheIdolOfDaoloth Maybe I am doing something wrong? Thanks for any help you might have!
So I am trying to post the first scene, but every time I click submit, it takes me to a blank page. When I check the gameplay thread, there is nothing there. Am I doing something wrong?
The sprawling city of Quodeth, seat of the Peacock Throne, largest city-state in all of Thule.
Kortar the Red:
You are awoken by a man in the finery of a noblemen. He is watching over you as you sleep. He introduces himself at Patreus, courier and man-servant for House Thex. His master, the revered Phinnaeus Thex, has a business proposition for you. The taciturn slave hands you a letter, scrawled on cloth scrolls in Low Atlantean script. Before you are able to ask any questions, the man has exited your hovel. As you attempt to follow, you are just fast enough to see him disappear into the throng. The letter reads:
Warrior, It has come to my attention that you are among the best sell swords among the Free Companions. I would like to offer you a job. If you are successful, it may prove to be quite the lucrative job, indeed. Come see me in the Noble Quarter, surely you can find House Thex. I will be waiting. Phinnaeus Thex Katsani:
Already, the caravaneers and merchants are bustling about the dingy streets of Quodeth. On this morning though, something is amiss. A rusted dagger, notched and chipped, is impeded deeply in the table next to your bedroll. Beneath the point, pinned to the table by the knife, is a parchment. On that parchment is written:
Come to the Knife Hold. If you can’t find it, you aren’t the man I thought you were. Hiroom Jarth- the Sixth Knife Bullo Dagmawi:
Throughout the night your soul is restless, filled with terrible dreams. In them you see torment and pain. In the far corners of the darkest vaults of your mind, something ancient and terrible writhes. It waits patiently for the day when the door will open, when the key is placed into the lock and the gate spreads wide for all the yawning cosmos. Then it will finally be home. Throughout the horrid visions of blasphemous cityscapes and tittering, alien songs dancing through night-veiled canyons on planets without suns, you hear words. They are not the mind-shattering words of some elder-thing, but words you know. They come to you softly, sweetly; like the scent of a lotus flower before it wraps its death grip about your senses.
I want it. Bring it to me and all you have seen will never be. Before you wake from your fitful slumber, the last thing you see is a gleaming white and gold tower. Your eyes bolt open to see the dawn. You immediately recognize your vision. It is the tower of Nephys. She is summoning you. Huanan:
Your dreams are fitful, not knowing that even now you are writhing in a pool of your own cold sweat. You see the eye. Everywhere the eyes. The look at you, look through you. Never blinking, never seeing you. They see past you. Beyond you. Gods, They see forever! They rain from the heavens like crimson snow, everything they touch is consumed. Men, women, beasts. Nothing is safe from the corruption. You see them, the wanderers, the plague bearers, diseased nomads seeking refuge from the insanity that roils within their frail husks. You reach out, grasping for a cure, anything to stave the destruction. Whatever it takes to stop the spread of the unholy malady to your lands and your people. Then there is a voice. Soft and sweet.
Come to me singer of songs. I can help you, but first you must help me The image of a beautiful woman appears before you. Her name cries out to you over distant gulfs. Nephys Thak:
You are awakened in the night by the sound of ruffling curtains. You are greeted by a woman, her soft curves and ample bosom suggestively inching out of her toga. She has long, brilliant red hair and emerald eyes. Her lips are red as blood spilled upon the area sands. She is accompanied by two soldiers. They are not city guards. Whoever this woman is, she had enough money to bribe the Peacock Throne. Breaking curfew during these times is death for someone of no station. She speaks, her voice is like a silver dagger.
My name is Aiesha, slave to master Phinnaeus Thex. He has bidden me here to give you a message. The naked dancing girl beside you, sighs innocently in her sleep. You stand, naked in the lamp light. Aiesha eyes your scarred but magnificent frame. My master knows well that you long for the extravagant life the arena once brought you. He offers you this, and much more. He bids you, come see him at his villa. With that, the slave girl and her guards leave your tent and leave you to ponder your invitation. At dawn, the sounds of civilization once again fall upon your ears. As you emerge from your tents and settle, silently, about the fire where a caravan cook begins to make the morning meal.
So we have the Reaver, The Shaman, A Skald, a Fighter and a Rogue. I am actually working on the first post. I will get is up today sometime, but the official start date won't be until Friday. The Skald is having trouble with the computer so it'll give him some time to get it fixed. Feel free to post whenever you want.
That is probably what is going on. That's actually what I do in my other one with that I run for some friends. I will let people post when they can and I will compile the actions in order. I think that's easier for every. It might not be the most ideal, but I think it works smoothly.
OK, maybe I am misunderstanding what's going on. I like everyone doing their own moves, so that's what we will do. Thanks!
For those of you new to the Play-by-post I am going to link this awesome thread that I think gives really good guidelines on how to make the best posts you can. http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nr91?DHs-Guide-to-Play-By-Post-gaming I am fairly new at DM'ing these but I have lurked awhile so bare with me folks. :) I am still working out how I want to do combat. I see a lot of DMs appear to do combat for the players, but I guess I feel like that takes away some of your control. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Or advice? I will not be posting maps, I am a big fan of "theatre of the mind" and I try to make combat feel as organic as possible. If you have a question about distance or spacing or whatever, just use to ask. Can't wait to play! Waiting to hear from just a couple more people, but we should be able to start this week. For those new to this, don't forget to make an Alias for your character!
Rogues are always welcome, we have our shaman and a barbarian. A witch and a swashbuckler are in the works. I'd like to start the game this week sometime if at all possible! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Cool deal. So I know Kortar is focused on killing things. Since you are a non-combat focused character, what do you do?
I am hoping to get this going this week. I am waiting on 2 more completed characters. I feel like 4-6 is a good party number. It'll make for some interesting deliberation on some of the decisions you will have to make as a party. Anything either of you would like to know more about?
Wow, you have a lot of stuff! So why do you think you are in Quodeth? Or mixed in with the other mercenaries? Also, in the setting, the Lomari are immigrants from Lemuria and are what one would think of as African. Their only colony is the second largest city in Thule. Perhaps your father was a wandering soldier or pirate and your mother a Dhari wise woman? Something along those lines? The Dhari are the largest tribe in Dhar Mesh, but there are also the Bolotanga wind runners and a few Kalayan tribes. Lomar is known as the City of Triumphs. They are a militant people whose entire hierarchy is based in war and military. They are industrious and are constantly at odds with Quodeth. Did you get your cape anywhere in particular? Thule is actually Greenland before the Glaciers took it. Just kind of a fun fact.
Bran dives beneath the raised arms of the giant undead, it swings as the Atlantean's guard was down. The club narrowly misses the warrior. A blow that could have very well meant death. He returns the attack, shoving his trident through the creatures chest. It seems unfazed, but how does death react to pain? A deep, gurgling roar echoes through the smoke filled chamber as the Beastman runs through the haze.
Brorn sets his sights on the witch doctor, as long as he focuses he is able to keep track of the beast. A wave of heat erupts from the Beastman as the Warlock channels his patron's infernal magic. Jurundr attempts to chase the cursemaker through the smoke. The space between the figure and the barbarian lessens but still the creature is out of reach. The skeleton looming over Bran swings again, but again the monstrous figure barely misses. The ground at Bran's feet cracks at the impact.
Llara squints hard, her sight focused on her target . This time, the arrow meets its target. The Beastman is hit squarely in the thigh; blood spills upon the sacred cavern floor. The bestial wizard wails in pain. Bran - 0 damage
You will be starting out in the city of Quodeth. It is known by many many names, The Peacock City, The City of Thieves, The Merchant City and a number of others. It is the largest city in all of Thule, rivaled only by Lomar. It has should have all of the services anyone should need and has a number of factions; also a lot of opportunity for distraction/trouble. You will not know the sage, but the characters will no people that do. I am working out how the players know each other. I am currently thinking that you were all traveling in a trade caravan, either as guards or pilgrims. Whatever you have done to get from level 1-3 has given your names some importance with various factions in Quodeth.
Order of Initiative
Bran leaps into the fog, lunging at some dark shape. Sulfuric smoke stings his eyes but through the tears he is able to land a hi. Through the gray he is able to make out some massive, boney thing. Through the acrid cloud, a small shape arcs toward Jurundr. It strikes him in the shoulder. Looking to where it fell, his eyes lock on to a small, leather object. Immediately his senses register the strange object. A grotesque, deformed face beneath a menacing tuft of ragged hair. It was a head, shrunken in some vile rite. The voices start as whispers, faint and distant, but suddenly it is all that Jurundr can hear. The indistinct voices clamor through his brain and he is frozen with fear. Brorn takes the time to peer through the smoke. For a moment he can see the figures through the murky air. In the center of the room, near the smoldering fire, stands a Beastman covered from head to tow in bone, feathers and abhorrent fetishes. There is something around his neck. Some golden amulet. Then there are the giants, towering colossi of undeath. Dried flesh wrapped tightly around aged bone, each carrying a small tree trunk more so than a club. Brorn lashes out; his lips curl and an unholy bellow escapes from the dark cavity in his chest. A beam of bright flame juts from his mouth, the lower jaw seemingly unhinged. It rushes through the target, one of the skeletal beings, singing flesh and bone. Jurundr is unable to move, his eyes fixated on the strange fetish. The words flow through his ears in repetition on some bloody curse. The giant skeleton that looms over Bran lifts its heavy club and smashes it across Bran's armored body. The impact is like a boulder. The bronze cuirass the Atlantean wore is dented and warped. Something inside his body aches and blood runs down his lip. The other abomination staggers toward Jurundr but is promptly met with an arrow that lodges itself in its chest. Llara looses another bolt, but the smoke waters her eyes and the arrow misses its mark. Bran- 15 damage
End Round 1
Haha, Tomato Jam is correct.
No, sorry. I've been multitasking and my brain is going more ways than one. Go with your starting health and then add the rolls. My semester is winding down and I'm packing to move. Lots to think about. My bad.
I completely missed the "creating a higher level character" section. Yeah,so according to the rules everyone should get 3000 gold. Half that for the food/drink. Sorry about this, I am a fairly new DM and I haven't combed the pages super thoroughly. I'll PM the finished characters. To answer Bullo's question, for gaining HP, roll your hit die for each level. The results are added to the initial HP roll.
I am using the basic pathfinder rule set, if that's what you mean. All three of those builds are legit for the setting.
I guess I am not 100%sure what you mean by resources available...
I am a big fan of pirates personally and the corsair background makes you captain of a ship at level 10. While creating your character think of anything S&S stuff you have read. If you can see it there, it probably fits. If you want some background info on the world, I can do that too. I have been using what's on the D20 pathfinder wiki as my resources, so I feel like that's fair game. Just check with me if you are unsure.
Has anyone else finished up characters? If you still need character narratives, send me the ones you are interested in!
Feel free to discuss the campaign, your characters or anything else in here. I'll check it regularly for questions on the setting or anything else. Hope everyone has fun!
You walk into the chamber and are immediately greeted by the smell of acrid smoke. The room is choked with the haze of a small fire burning in the center In the gloom you can make out the shapes of more giant statues, a series of three on each side of the room. In the center of the room are piles of rubble, the remains of toppled and desecrated statues. The statues are different than the ones in the previous rooms, they are not adorned with armor, but crowns and elaborate robes. From somewhere in the haze a harsh, guttural laugh echoes across the room. There is chanting, strange and vile. Words spoken as if in command. You recognize it as the language of the Beastmen. Figures lurk in the vale of smoke but you cannot get a clear view. Something large is moving in the smog.
Yeah, if you have something below a 10 and aren't happy with it, feel free to change it around a little. My old DM never liked to have anyone super dumb or super weak. It kind of stuck with me. You guys are supposed to be heroes!
The urn opens to reveal ash and charred bits of bone. Perhaps these are the remains of the warriors immortalized in stone. The path to the right seems to branch off again, with one turning back to the left, perhaps leading to the same room the first left path joins with. You hear no voices, but the right hand path sounds as though it moves close to a water source. the footprints from the entrance diverge at the statues. Sandaled feet lead off to the right while the prints of something vaguely human leads to the left. Llara kneels to get a closer look.
This is how we are going to do gold and starting equipment. http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/equipment.html I suppose take 3 levels of starting wealth. Assume you spend 1/2 on weapons, supplies and armor and the other half you lost wenching, gambling or whatever it is you do for fun. In Sword and Sorcery, most characters are fast and loose with their booty. Buy what you need, food and supplies will be necessary too. If you have a weapon, item or piece of armor ties to your back story, PM me and we can talk about it. I really just want this to be fun and exciting with a much different feel from the usual Pathfinder settings. Can't wait to play!
No torches are within reach. They are lodged into sconces further into the cavern. As you enter, your eyes adjust to to the dim, fire-lit corridors. A few yards in the path splits at a group of three giant statues, each bearing a torch in one hand and a massive stone spear in the other. They figures of rock appear to be clothed in fantastic armor. You can only imagine how menacing these warriors must have been in life. Nestled between each marble foot sits a large urn of stone, sealed at the top. From here, one path heads off around the corner to the left, the other goes down to the right.
Hahaha thanks! Mine isn't as creative, the whole "Danger is my middle name" bit. Also, just noticed that my smartphone has been having a heyday with my spelling and grammar. Suppose that's what I get for replying to forums on such a little screen.
Aside from recognizing the Janni architecture, you know nothing else about the history of this particular location.
All of those narratives are in the book. They did an excellent job other, they are definitely one of the best parts of the book. Its a really well done setting. I'm not the biggest fan of Pathfinder bit it what my group has always used and the setting makes it more like what I want. My favorite game is Savage Worlds. Just love the simplicity of it. This setting so different from the standard high fantasy stuff, its really cool. I recommend the PDF.
Cool deal! I like it. Looks like you picked up the setting book too! Do you have any kind of back story in mind? Judging from your character picture, he might be of Lomari descent? Can't wait to see how a shaman plays!
After some careful study, it appears as though you are not the first to to come here in recent days. Footprints, and not just sandaled feet, lead into the cavern. Light from a few flickering torches illuminates the inside. Statues, just like you saw in the temple line the walls, their faces desecrated just like the carvings on the obelisks at the entrance. Llara searches the entrance but finds no traps.
I am not familiar with how archetypes work as my real life group has never used them. Does the Huntmaster still use the Cavalier orders? Or does that get replaced? What all gets changed from its base class?
Two traits or are we using them? We will not be using traits, they are instead replaced by character narratives. I have listed them on the campaign page. PM the ones you are interested in and I will send you the full description.
Since you are in the character creation stage, I add a field about weapons and armor on the Campaign page. A lot of weapon types and armor don't exists in the ancient world, mostly because they haven't been invented yet. Also iron and steel are not materials available to the common blacksmith and aren't available to buy. Materials will be mostly made of copper and bronze. This won't effect hardness or durability, its just a flavor thing. You are also able to use stone/bone/wooden weapons, but they take the usual low quality material checks.
Standard roll for stats. Start at level 3.
Three hours later, the nighted jungle seemed darker than it had been earlier. Llara was able to guide everyone safely and efficiently through the swamplands with little hassle. Bran, having spent nearly 20 years of his long Atlantean life marching against through the wilds of Thule. His commanding presence and forceful instruction provided the necessary morale to make it through the harsh terrain. Brorn and Llara spotted the tale-tale signs of a stalking saber cat, but Llara was aware of the the beast's presence. With skill the creature was eluded. For the last mile or so, the shadows and silhouettes of toppled ruins stood, crooked and forgotten from the marshes. From out of the jungle and murk rose the sheer cliff face of the bluffs on the other side of the valley. The rock-hewn bones of ancient building began to grow thicker as the cliffs grew closer. Soon, the stone roadway appeared beneath the marching feet once again. Following the path through the city, long reclaimed by the surrounding environment, you find yourselves at an ornately decorated opening, a massive black obelisk on each side. Weathered stone steps lead up to an entrance of natural stone, smoothed and worked to form a relatively clear passage. Worn bas-reliefs depict tall, toga-clad humanoids with sad, wise faces. It looks like they are depicted as being significantly taller and more nobly proportioned than humans. Most of the faces have been crudely chiseled out or smashed.
Hey, sorry I didn't get a chance to reply earlier. I like your ideas for a shaman character a lot, I am not super familiar with the hybrid classes but that one seems really cool. I evidently left out Wizards from my post, but that is an acceptable class. There is a little blurb about wizards in the setting book I can post if you want more. Also, I have never heard of Iron Heroes. I will have to check that out! Thanks!
There is a 3rd party warlord class on the Pathfinder wiki, and there is a pretty solid warlock conversion that replicates the 3.5 class really well. AS for Magic in the setting, it really comes down to flavor. All the spells remain the same but magic in general is treated differently. The majority of people in Thule fear magic. Even the largest cities are home to only a few magic users, with the exception of one city that is ruled by a group of evil sorcerers. There are no "magic marts" (I like that term) in Thule. Magic items cannot be bought or sold because A. no one makes them, and B. People are scared of them. Alchemists will sell healing potions though, and probably a few other types of potions as well. Sorcerers, Wizards and Warlocks are dabblers in untold secrets and forbidden lore, while priestly magic is a jealously guarded secret. Divine magic is not truly a gift from Gods, just another arcane study. The Gods truly have little interest in the world of man. The players, being exceptional adventurers, will be more prone to finding magic items, but even then a +1 Bronze Longsword may just be an exceptionally made weapon. True magic items are artifacts from lost cities or remnants of pre-human civilizations. So it really comes down to how the setting is described and things in it are described. The PC's are going to encounter more magic than the average citizen of Thule, because that's how Sword and Sorcery works. The setting book explains really well how to handle Pathfinder as a low-magic setting. Hope that answers your questions, fellow Howard fan!
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