The guard nods to Juliet, "Sure, you can take them over into the next car. I'll send a couple of my men with you in case they try any funny business.
The entire floor is wholly drenched. It's not immediately evident how the dog met its fate. There are no external wounds to speak of.
Gryahrmun doesn't detect any magic in the the car.
Kelly sees that the gilded pen is quite sharp, covered in ink and blood. The rubber-ended rope appears to be covered in the same bloody inky mixture. The plumbing pipe is clean of any such blood or ink.
"We found the pen in this man's pocket in the caboose," the guard gestures to the smelly, burlap-clad peasant with the bloody, inky hole in the chest of his shirt. "We found this one clutching the rope in this room we're in now," he adds, pointing to the conductor. "And the politician here was found holding the pipe in the lower floor of his car."
Sorry about that. Sick, then convention, then I got con crud from the convention and got sick again. I meant to pop in here and say something, but it completely slipped my mind multiple times.
"At the very least, we have a bloody shiv, a bloody rope, and a missing person. If he were still alive, I imagine he'd be around to speak of it," the guard replied.
The windows are shut, so the possibility of rain flooding the entire car floor doesn't seem plausible.
The conductor speaks up in response to Fodd. "I saw a man in a yellow fedora and a mink coat with the dog on the train after our last stop. He must have boarded then, but I didn't see him until the train had already started moving again, so I never took his ticket if he even had one."
The doctor chimes in to say that he saw this man with the poodle as well. The mousy brunette says she saw the same person, but was certain they were a woman, not a man.
While she didn't get a sharp image of the man's face in her vision, Kelly can tell that the man in rags seems similar enough in shape that he could be the same as the one she saw board with the ticket. The stench of alcohol is coming from him, and the bodily odor is a mixture of him and the burlap-clad peasant across from him.
The guard responds to Kelly, "Yes, we have him here on the train now with the other passengers. He's a big fella, wearing some sad rags. Not sure how such a poor sod got so fat, really. Not sure how you know whether the ticket is his or not, but I'm interested to see if you're right."
As he's about to answer Fodd, Juliet interrupts. When she's finished, he adds, "Well, the odd thing about that... There's no body to report as of yet."
At Nicholas' inquisition, he elaborates, "Seems like everyone on board's got something to hide. Makes it hard to get any information, but maybe you folks can make heads or tails of it. They're right in here."
The entrance of the train leads right into the bar car and through to the cigar car. The carpet squishes under your feet as you notice the floor is absolutely soaked in water. There is a table with eight faces situated at it with several more guards surrounding them and barring the exit. At the center of the table lies a golden-tipped fountain pen that is rouged with ink and blood, a rubber-ended rope that is also covered in ink and blood, and a plumbing pipe that is not covered in anything. There is also a dead poodle lying in the corner.
There are six men and two women at the table.
One man is round and dressed in rags, clearly the one who was found by the guards in town. He reeks something awful.
Another poorly dressed and putrid man sits at the table as well, a bloody hole in his burlap garb.
Another man wears the white coat of a doctor.
There is also a handsome man with a well-groomed beard in a resplendent jacket.
Another man appears to be the conductor for the train.
There is also a man dressed in the garb of a lesser politician, a ruffled cravat of fine lace signifying his economic status.
Of the two women, one is tall and athletic, with flowing blonde hair.
Sorry for the absence, I was half waiting for everyone to catch up and half busy. I'll make a post tonight and we'll really start digging into the mystery.
This will be an encounter of deduction more than anything, so I don't really want to bring social skills like Diplomacy and Sense Motive into this next part. It'll be up to you all to parse the clues and stories for your answer.
Also Kelly, just as a heads up, I'm going to do my best to give you hints with Object Reading without giving away the answer outright.
Focusing on the ticket stub for a minute, Kelly catches a hazy glimpse of a portly man in a business suit handing the ticket to the train's conductor before the stub is torn off and handed back. This image appears to have been from two days prior, when everyone boarded the train.
In some parts of the world it may be illegal, but not in the United Commerce or the Rebublic. It is seen as a bit archaic and strange as people have moved on to rely on technology and machines, but there are no laws against it unless you're using it to do something illegal (like raising the dead and such).
"That very well could be the same person. There is a bar/dining car on this train, so it's likely there that he found his vice. This guy isn't the only seedy character on this train, though."
At Kelly's request, he offers her the train ticket. "Not sure how much good it'll do you, but it can't hurt to have another look." The ticket stub has a picture of a smiling man with the slogan 'So cheap, even the proletariat can ride!' You recognize the grinning visage as that of the train's owner. Beneath that, there is a stamp that says 'Eddystone to Crasmere - One Way'
As you all approach the entrance to the forward cars, the guard turns and finally divulges what this is all about. "The owner of this train has been murdered, but we have seven suspects and no idea where to start. I figure if the Council has such faith in you as investigators, then so do I. We could really use your help on this. I can't offer you any reward, but I can write a letter for you to take to the council confirming your participation in this matter." He looks a little desperate, but genuine nonetheless.
He takes the note, skimming over it and holding the seal up to a lantern held by a nearby guard. "Investigators traveling by will of the Council, eh? The whole lot of you? That makes things a little easier on me, then."
He beckons you off the train and points toward the forward cars. "Found some drunk bastard having a piss on a wall in town. Grabbed him up, gave him a search, and found a train ticket in his pocket just as my men gave word of a train broke down out here. The boarding number matched up, so we hauled him with us to investigate."
He licks his lips pensively before continuing. "We're in a little over our heads here. Come take a look."
As you slide open the door of the car to the outside, your eyes meet with those of several others; armed men and women in the trappings of local guards. They seem as surprised to see you open the door as you are to see them on the other side of it, but stand at the ready nevertheless. Looking further up the train, you can see more entering the forward cars, two of which who are dragging a man in rags onboard.
"Halt," says the frontmost guard, an aged yet handsome man with a thick scar on his temple. "We would like to ask you a few questions. But first, where are your papers?"
Despite the keenest of ears, not much can be heard aside from an incoming storm rumbling overhead. The train is still and silent as the raindrops begin to trickle down over the windows. Nicholas can just barely spot a large figure out the window dashing from one of the forward cars into the darkness of the nearby shantytown to the right of the train.
It's been about an hour and a half since the train's last refueling stop, yet suddenly the lights go out and the train creaks as it slows to a stop. It is completely pitch black in your cars.
By request of the Council of the United Commerce, you have been summoned to Crasmere. Concerns regarding the recent unnatural seismic activity require professional investigation in order to restore peace to the capitol. Should you accept this summons, this letter will serve as express authority by the Council for your investigation, as well as a voucher for travel and living expenses. You will be awarded 3,000gp upon successfully uncovering the source of the tremors, and another 3,000gp should you be able to eliminate them yourself."
[There are a number of signatures as well as the official seal of the United Commerce Council]"
---
You have each accepted the summons request of the United Commerce Council and have been directed to convene and arrive via the three-day expressway from the Republic coaltown of Eddystone. The letter serves as your passport between the borders of the Republic and the United Commerce as well as your train ticket, and you board with no trouble.
Since your arrival was unexpected and the train had already sold all of its tickets, an additional two cars have been hastily added to the caboose, although this leaves them unconnected to the rest of the cars. Each car has an upper and lower private room, meaning that two of you will be required to double-up. You have been provided with three days worth of meals and a cooktop. The train's owner, while very apologetic, assured you that these were the best arrangements he could manage on such short notice.
---
It is currently the second night of your travel, and it's been a particularly uneventful ride. You've gotten plenty of time to get to know each other by now (although feel free to write an introduction if you wish). The train stopped not long ago for refueling, but has sinced resumed chugging forward.
Let's postpone until the 27th then, if that's fine with everyone. I'll be busy during that time as well, so it makes more sense to have a strong start when we're the most free and set a good pace.
If you're willing to switch to a Conjuration implement, I think some healing extracts from Fodd in addition would help shore up the party's lack of healing and allow him to keep as-is. I felt bad asking him for a redesign, but he'd offered to do so. I think this would be a better approach if everyone is in for it.
@Gryahrmun: Undercommon should see some use. Most of the ones Dwarves can take will likely come up at some point over the course of the adventure. I like to play to my party, so if you take an option, I'll make sure that the choice isn't in vain and make some opportunities for you to use it.
Please use this thread for out-of-character discussion. You are welcome to change your characters up before we begin, so feel free to synergize with each other.
There will be a fifth character, but I need to talk to the person over PM about it first. To everyone else, thank you for applying and keeping up with the recruitment. My decisions were not easy, but they were based on a number of factors that pulled my interest in different ways.
A discussion topic will be up soon for those who made the cut.
We'll have the standard run of languages, minus cultural languages like Osiriani/Tian/Vudrani/etc, and minus ancient languages like Thassilonian/Anciant Osiriani. Anything that has those as a prereq no longer requires that prereq.
As far as deities, divine classes are welcome to follow ideals rather than specific deities for their class features. If you'd like a deity, I'd be amenable to porting in some of Golarion's deities or working with you to roll up a custom deity that fits the setting that your character can follow.
I haven't heard of Girl Genius, but now that I have a link I'll give it a look. I'm drawing inspiration from a lot of sources for this campaign, so more material certainly can't hurt!
Looking good so far. Just popping in to let you all know I'm still here and I am reading these daily. Applications are still trickling in, so I'll keep this open for a bit longer still. I'm excited to round up a party and begin.
I had a PbP PvP recruitment going once that never got more than a single submission, so that never happened. I was previously going to run this campaign for some friends, but some of them waffled on getting their characters together for so long that I decided to make this recruitment public instead. I was a player in a Kingmaker that was ditched by the GM. I'm currently a player in a WotR with some friends where I'm just waiting for the GM to post (we have an understood lax schedule there). I've done plenty of PbP roleplaying offsite over the past decade (without a game system attached), so I'm familiar with the commitment and format.
As far as general GM experience, I GMed a lot of 3.5 and have GMed a few ongoing Pathfinder campaigns over the past 2-3 years.
I'll roll everyone's initiative for them all at once when combat starts. If enemies have the same general initiative modifier as each other, I may roll them in an averaged block for speed and ease of play. Players can make active perception checks whenever is appropriate, but if something requires a secret roll I'll resolve the roll privately and only mention it if their roll yielded results.
Boneshaker, do you have a preference between me going a Mr. Hyde mutagen-focused monster or a bomb-lobbing creature-summoning type alchemist? I'm really torn, myself. Could use a second opinion to get me to decide either way.
Either would be pretty cool and thematic, I think. That's definitely a tough choice. I really can't say, I'd be just as torn myself if I were you. I think that the summon/bomb alchemist gives you more control over who your character is, but the Hyde mold isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I'm thinking about an Ancestor Oracle - Psychic Searcher Archetype. I'd be quite interested in this scenario, although... 15 point buy, that's tough... would you perhaps consider a 20 pt buy?
Sorry, I already responded to this question and explained my reasoning in my response to Jubal Breakbottle.
@Jubal Breakbottle: Test runs of the Unchained Automatic Bonus Progression have proven that the characters still pull out ahead of standard WBL games. But I want to offer a world where magic items are unique and interesting, not just headbands and belts and cloaks with flat bonuses, so I want to use this system. I believe that a 15PB will help balance out that edge and offer a grittier experience. Guns will be "Commonplace" as described in the section about them, except that only Early firearms are available. This means that firearms are considered Martial weapons, and firearms and their ammunition cost 25% of their listed price.
@DM Mooshybooshy, "the Foolish": Thanks! Preservationist alchemist is pretty fun, I knew someone who made one as a joke character in PFS that was "Ash Ketchum" and he would throw out the extracts as "pokeballs" and the summoned creatures were "pokemon" haha.
On your way to investigate the mysterious rumblings beneath the industrial city of Crasmere, there seems to have been a disturbance on your train. A murder has occurred. Can you get to the bottom of it before you reach your destination? And what awaits you in Crasmere?
Hello, and welcome to the recruitment thread for Boneshaker, a steampunk/occult Pathfinder play-by-post game. This is a homebrew campaign that I've been working on off-and-on for a few months now. I had originally planned to run it with a few friends, but have since decided to run it publicly instead.
What You Know About the Setting
As a traditional steampunk setting, the world (simply called The Globe) shares the aesthetics of late-1800's/early-1900's Earth, and the steam-engine and steam-based technology have paved the way for rapid industrialism and technological advancement. However, The Globe is also home to magic and supernatural occurrences. Magic and machine combine to make a modern yet anachronistic fantasy setting. Not much of the world has been created yet in order to allow the journey and necessity of the plot to decide the landscape. There are no rails in this story other than the railroad itself!
What You Know About Yourselves
You each have slight renown regarding the supernatural, whether as investigators, thrillseekers, hunters, magic-wielders, or otherwise. Whether you work on your own or have worked together before, you have all been called upon to get to the root of the unknown tremors beneath the city of Crasmere. Feel free to keep your backgrounds light in order to develop them as we go along. Otherwise, if you have something specific in mind, the world is intentionally left open in order to inject personalization into every aspect of it.
Character Build Rules:
All Paizo Pathfinder content is available except for the following changes:
Summoners must be Unchained, no Synthesist or Master Summoners. No Protector familiars. No Sacred Geometry or Arithmancy feats. You may use the unerrata'd version of Slashing Grace. Change the Oracle FCB for Elves/Sylphs/Aasimars to +1/4 instead of +1/6. Fighters get the Combat Stamina feat for free, but only count the BAB from their fighter levels for their stamina pool. You will get 2 free Background Skill Points per level. We will be using Unchained Automatic Bonus Progression with half WBL progression. The Trap Finder campaign trait from Mummy's Mask may be taken as a regional trait. Deity restrictions are lifted on all material.
You will need to build as follows:
-Level 2
-15 point-buy using the standard point-buy system, with no stat below 8 before racial modifiers.
-Any 15RP or less race, with a preference for core races
-500gp starting gold
-Max HD at level 1, half+1 for every level after that. (Example: A fighter with a +2 Con mod would have 12hp at level 1 and 20hp at level 2.)
-Two traits, no Drawbacks. You may take the Additional Traits feat for more traits.
Alignment: Non-evil is preferable, but there are evil characters that can work well in parties, so I'll leave it up to you to be mature.
Please include a character sheet/statblock and a brief (or extended, if you wish) description of your character's background, personality, party role, and future build plans.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will be recruiting 4-5 players for this campaign. Players will be expected to post at least once a day unless notice is given. There is no specific deadline set for application. I will close applications once I feel I have a suitable number of applicants to choose from.
Thanks, though it just seems like a lot of squabbling over when casters should/shouldn't refresh spells. I already have everyone fully restored between fights. I didn't really see any relevant discussion in that thread, though I do see that it seems like it never got off the ground.
My plan for this is a bit more broad that the current interest would allow. The idea is that, while yes, powerful builds can be made, the player meta would allow for sort of internal tiers of power.
The reason for splitting the rolls onto Roll20 is because it is incredibly easy to cheat using Paizo's dice system since you can preview your roll results before you post. Since maps need to be done separately regardless, Roll20 fills that role perfectly and gives me some powerful GMing tools to work with as well. It's fairly simple to use, and there are plenty of helpful tutorials as well. I know that reviewing your battles is important, which is why I made it a requirement to transcribe your rolls from Roll20 into your post on the forums so that it's completely clear.
I may consider changing it to 2 wins to advance, especially considering that with the potential of loss, it could take 4-5 matches or more for some people to get their requisite wins. I'll have that sorted out before it becomes relevant.
That sounds fair. If you would like to keep your character's sheet confidential, feel free to PM your application to me. That would actually also make it easier for me to keep track of applicants as well.
Hello there. My vision is for an ongoing organized player-vs.-player arena where players can battle their characters against each other for the right to advance to the next level. This thread will be used for character applications and questions about the format as well as a sounding board for improving the format.
The premise is that players will be playing a virtual competitive arena game against each other, which will conveniently facilitate the impermanence of death and lack of need for sustenance or sleep within the arena.
For more details on how this will work and how you can participate, please view the Campaign Info tab.
