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OK. I agree that unchained is a downgrade, but mostly its a just different mechanic. I understand your desire to challenge the players but I am interested in games that provide a more level playing field. The fact that you are giving one character the ability to fly and electrical resistance on top of their racial abilities and have decided to strip some of my racial abilities still baffles me. With respect, I'll have to bow out. I hope everyone as a good game.
When did you offer a stronger version of the class? I totally missed that. And Endless Stamina is not Endurance. He would not have the Endurance feat or the ability to take feats that require it. The RP points may or may not be an accurate measuring stick, but its the only stick we have.
Er, really? Why? That lowers his RP value below a half orc. They likely will not come up much but I see no reason to strip them. I have to say I do not get this call at all. Its almost all color but part of being a Mul. What I am hearing is "Don't play Mul." There is no reason or justification to strip 2 racial traits off this race. It certainly not over powered. I am baffled. Do you plan to strip racial traits off all the PCs?
Haile sits quietly in his chair. He is tall for a dwarf but his features hint at that race. He wears a nice breastplate for armor and carries a number of weapons including a large hammer and longspear.
Mul would get all the stuff in the lower part - Medium, normal speed, darkvision, Dwarf blood, endless stamina,ferocity. and Mul resistance. No wild talent per Lonely. You could add that back in if you like. :)
Finally home. Long day. Here is the link to the source book for Athas. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9vv1a7v3y5BbEowUzZkQ1NBdlk/view And here is the long and short form that source: What I used: Ability Adjustments
Race Adjustments
And here is what a "real" Mul gets: Racial Modifiers: +4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. For completeness here is the rest of the Mul entry: Medium: Muls are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Lonely actually provided it in the recruitment thread. You can find the link theee. Or
I am not sure what the delta is. Tak's current build is a 49 point build, before racial adjustments. But I suspect a lot of that is from his template. A base kobold is 5 RP which is low. Here is that breakdown. Type Humanoid (reptilian) 0 RP Size Small 0 RP Base Speed Normal 0 RP Ability Score Modifiers Greater weakness (–4 Str, +2 Dex, –2 Con) –3 RP Languages Standard 0 RP Racial Traits Defense Racial Traits Natural armor 2 RP Feat and Skill Racial Traits Skill bonus (Craft [trapmaking]) 2 RP
Senses Racial Traits Darkvision 60 ft. 2 RP Weakness Racial Traits Light sensitivity –1 RP
For Haile, a Mul, there are two sets of stats. One is for Muls in Athas and its a much higher point build than the one I am using, which is a conversion to the "regular" system and is about the same value as a dwarf or human.
I concur that unchained barbarian is the only lame unchained class. Happy to level to 5th and switch from unchained.
I recommend, and would prefer, one group.
Templates are a little broken imho. I am fine dropping mine.
Sorry to hear Yugbex. Was looking forward to some fun clashing from a CG vs LE angle. We always see the LG vs CE so our relationship could have been special. lol. I think I have noticed a relationship between PC starting power and GMs dropping. Anyone else? For me when a campaign allows rolling of stats, templates and higher starting level or generous gold, watch out. It almost seems like a tempting trap.
count me in! But I am still hoping this is revived too.
March 24 was the first, last, and only post from Lonely into this or the gameplay thread. I am sad.
Haile shrugs. My mother loved me. She spent time with me as allowed. We were both salves after all; property. To say it was dysfunctional implies it was not the norm. In fact it was quite normal on Athas. It was the way of things. When Telin tells more than he intended Haile does not push it. How do we prepare for tomorrow?
On my world those in power breed humans with
Haile pours a light shot and offer it to Telin. In the name of Cayden Cailean. he intones as he passes the glass. I do not drink heavily myself. I was taught to do so would be disrespectful.
Raising the smallish glass up Haile lets the light of the cabin filter through the honey-amber colored liquid. This is a moderately good brandy. Would you care for some? He indicates the bottler near him. And yes, I am a follower. My rescuer was a devotee of Cayden Cailean and I soon converted, partly in thanks for my deliverance, but mostly because it spoke to me. Freedom and bravery you know. He finishes the drink and with a smile he adds And spirits!
Not nervous. Anxious. And amazed by this wondrous ship. Traveling to other plains is somewhat new to me. So far I have done it a grand total of once.
Unable to sleep Haile wanders the ship, learning its passages and those rooms not locked or obviously private. Eventually he ends up in the lounge (if there is one) to have a drink. He treats imbibing as a ritual but seldom drinks to excess. And he hopes to meet some interesting off duty crew or passengers while there.
Wait. You leave gates open to the Abyss? On purpose? Haile looks confused and worried. Don't... things wander out?
Watching Gilly and Telin grapple he Haile notes It is good that we build bonds friendship. It will make the team stronger.
Haile's list of potions from his shopping spree: Oil of Bless Weapon (4) - 200 gp
I understand the temptation to post often here and get off to a good start, but I suspect we are posting so much that we are slowing down Lonely in his plans as he has to pause and deal with our posts
Did not know it o could wear off.
IIRC unchained barbarian was to remove the possibility of death rage, where if you stop raging the character would die. But they decided it wasn't enough of a change so to justify a book entry and retooled more things. And then that broke a whole bunch of compatibility. Hmm. I'll have to read closer. I took Raging Vitality for just that reason - to cover going down while raging. If that is already covered I may want to change to another feat.
A valid point, and it will cost me a point of damage when I two hand a weapon. But will gain me a point with a secondary bite I think. My opinion: The unchained rogue is pretty much all win. No reason not to play unchained. The unchained monk is good too. The unchained summoner is good for game balance. But as best as I can tell there is little reason to go unchained barbarian. It removes a couple cool options and sorta dumbs down the class.
I don't think Lesser Restoration helps with drain. We are really too low level with too few resources to be able to deal with drain.
If bear of souls is what you want, well remember you asked. I was born in the slave pits on the world of Athas in the shadows of a dying sun. I was literally bred to fight. My youth was not pleasant. It was a mixture of hard training from my masters, abuse from my jailors, and a tough tenderness from my mother. She was rewarded for wins in the ring with time with her son. And mom could fight. From my early teens I trained daily. I killed my first man before I was 14. For my coming of age my owners promised something special. On my 16th birthday I was pitted against my own mother. Knowing that they both would be slain if they did nothing my mother fell on her own sword and died in sands to the booing of the crowd. I hope you begin to understand my hatred of slavery. But I think you want more to understand what I can do in a fight. I am tough and have thick skin. And I am strong. In a fight I can choose to enter a rage. When I do my mind is fortified against magic and my hands become weapons. He can attack with one of his weapons or natural attacks of claw, claw, bite. [/ooc] And as a follower of Cayden Cailaen I am bolstered by strong drink and am seldom without it. And finally, I have trained with the earthbreaker and can attack equally well for lethal or nonlethal damage with it.
Having your partner's back is not new to Haile. This is a mainstay of arena team fights. He nods and adds Of course. I shall have all my team's backs. in his usual loud whisper.
Gonna spend my 800 on consumables. Getting at least 4 oils of Bless Weapon.
OK. Will pick up some cold iron and silver Chakram. Raging I would be +10 to hit for 1d8+10 with them. That will sting a little. :)
800 it is. Haile has bad eyesight beyond 30 feet (an unlucky roll as part of the Ogrekin template) so is not gonna ever be good at ranged combat. But he can throw spears and javelins. Telin, since you are more dex based I name you our ranged combat person. :P
I am willing to put all my communal funds into group purchases. What about a wand of Resist Energy (10 charges) for 900?
Gotcha. Was beating myself up trying to figure out my spending and wondering how I spent so much more than I should have. Then I figured it out. Automatic Bonus Progression. lol. I had but did not pay for +1 weapon and armor. Sigh. I am breathing easier.
You are right. I was mis-remembering. But you are also right that 10 rounds is longer than most combats.
As a divine caster I think she will know all the regular divine spells, but it lets her focus on other things. Bless does not increase in power or duration with level so it makes a perfect level 1 wand.
Seconded. Already having fun and looking forward to the action. :) Wands- We have a wand of Infernal Healing in the group. Its no doubt better for out of combat but not for in combat. Maybe go with a wand of Cure Mod with 10 charges for 450? It would heal 2d8+3 and could be super useful in combat? Oh, I was bad at the math! Second level spell wand fully charged is 4500. So 10 charge is 900, not 450. Sorry. A wand of Bless with 10 charges is only 150...
More than reasonable. 10 charges of Lesser Restoration would be 450 gp. I recommend we pick that up for team Abyss along with the wand of Cure Light. What else?
And partially charged wands?
Just don't explain it to Haile. :) or explain it sayig that devils bleed so you can heal. He will like that. lol. While asking about wands lets asks about maybe getting partially charged wands. 10 charges of lesser restoration could be a life saver.
I would be happy to chip in for a wand of cure light from my share of the 5K each team is getting. I was confused. I was thinking we had 5K to spend in character creation, but the number is 3k. So I do not in fact need to shop more. lol.
I still have money to spend and will finalize my gear before departing.
Haile hugs the strange creature back then adds quickly This does not mean we are dating.
The 10 electric resistance is pretty nice as well. I am just wishing I had a fly speed. :)
This seems a very good deal. Instead of a level you pay a feat? And for your CR0 template you get:
I am not saying your build is overpowered but this a lot for free.
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Most of the world of Æustëria has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the vortex before the Hazard could contain it. Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor had inadvertently come close to destroying the world. But Amus, the Goddess of Time, intervened, and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and awoke in the Bright Tower of Talanor. While the Bærwynnd remained locked in an epic struggle to keep the vortex sealed, the heroes were sent on quest to gather the surviving Hazards throughout the devastated world. Having reached Earthenwork, the capital city of the Kingdom of Haemil, they worked with the Rhykal, the 16th Hazard of Haemil, to unseal the Circle of the Whispering Wind. This ancient portal allowed the King of Haemil to send his people to the safety of the Vale of Talanor. Arriving in the Vale, the people of Haemil have discovered the refuge they sought is but a ghost of a town filled with the armies of the undead and a few survivors of the destruction of Æustëra. The cold air bites at your lungs as you take a deep breath. For two days you have waited at the Bright Tower, biding your time as the garrison of city guards made brief skirmishes into The Point trying to clear the streets and alleyways of the rampant undead swarming the district. Food and drink was being provided from a few arcane sources but the Hazard of Haemil had immediately disappeared into the highest levels of the tower and hadn’t been seen since. Prior to the refugees’ arrival, Sautekh had stumbled out of The Peaks and across the guarded streets of the estates. Battered and beaten by the undead he had encountered, he made his way through the gates under the rocky hillsides and into the Point. As another, larger group of undead bore down upon him, Titan the Hunter came upon him. Helping the paladin climb on to his grizzly companion, the inquisitor and his bear raced across the bridge and into the safety of the Bright Tower. One week ago, on the 10th of Selefis, Randall had made his way to the tower from Eastgate. Accompanied by a trio of elves and a few humans, they were led across Oldtown by a group of dwarves. As they made their way down the Dragon Road towards the gatehouse, a low rumbling of voices could be heard. Swelling out from the alleys, a horde of undead ambled after the group who escaped through the Bright Gate before it was shut and barricaded. There, they met Marcusic, a skald from Haemil that had traveled to Talanor before the storm that broke the world. He had been dubbed Constable by the wizards of the tower and charged with organizing and aiding any survivors of the Shaping. Inside the tower, Kayin had set up a small general store in one of the guest chambers. Although a capable fighter, he had excelled these past, dark days as a master trader. Procuring items from one source, only to trade it quickly for a profit to a waiting buyer. During this time, before the portal opened and the tower filled with the homeless highlanders, Sautekh and Titan had accompanied Marcusic into the Point to ferry supplies and news back from Eastgate. Kayin had joined them on occasion, trying to scavenge what he could from the city before any wandering dead found them. Randall had also joined them once or twice, as the tiefling was eager to reestablish a connection to the paladin. On the 15th of Selefis, the refugees arrived and space became cramped. The City Guard of Earthenwork have coordinated with the Bright Tower to begin clearing The Point for the refugees to inhabit. However, things haven't gone smoothly as undead have been found most everywhere. This morning, the 17th of Selefis, a call has gone out to all able bodied persons to report to the Bridge to assist. Marcusic, coordinating with the City Guard, began to assemble several teams under his command. He quickly called upon the foursome to lend a hand. Knowing that the everyone must pull together and that the spoils of what they found in the city would be theirs to keep as Kayin had eagerly reminded them, all of them heeded the call. Waiting at the mustering point on the far edge of the bridge, the group spotted Marcusic making his way slowly through the throngs of people. The constable stopped and looked to be talking to a half-elven female with an oversized axe. She nods and stands, towering over Marcusic. The pair walks straight over to the group. ”Sautekh… Titan… Kayin and Randall… I’d like you to meet Muraisa of the First Lands. That is, if you haven’t already had the pleasure,” he says with a large grin. ”The day is sure to be long, and strong axes shouldn't be overlooked. If you run into trouble, just fall back to the bridge.” Marcusic turns and waves a hand at another group. ”Excuse me for a minute. I’ll come back by after making an announcement.”
Most of the world of Æustëria has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the vortex before the Hazard could contain it. Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor had inadvertently come close to destroying the world. But Amus, the Goddess of Time, intervened, and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and awoke in the Bright Tower of Talanor. While the Bærwynnd remained locked in an epic struggle to keep the vortex sealed, the heroes were sent on quest to gather the surviving Hazards throughout the devastated world. Having reached Earthenwork, the capital city of the Kingdom of Haemil, they worked with the Rhykal, the 16th Hazard of Haemil, to unseal the Circle of the Whispering Wind. This ancient portal allowed the King of Haemil to send his people to the safety of the Vale of Talanor. Arriving in the Vale, the people of Haemil have discovered the refuge they sought is but a ghost of a town filled with the armies of the undead and a few survivors of the destruction of Æustëra. The cold air bites at your lungs as you take a deep breath. For two days you have waited at the Bright Tower, biding your time as the garrison of city guards made brief skirmishes into The Point trying to clear the streets and alleyways of the rampant undead swarming the district. Food and drink was being provided from a few arcane soucres but the Hazard of Haemil had immediately disappeared into the highest levels of the tower and hadn’t been seen since. Prior to the refugees’ arrival, Toraim has been helping the dwarves keep the road between Eastgate and the Bright Tower clear of undead. While mercenaries and a few survivors from the City Watch have been keeping the path clear right up to the tower, the dwarves had been charged with patrols from Eastgate ot the Bright Gate, a gatehouse separating Oldtown and The Point along the Dragon Road. One week ago, on the 10th of Selefis, Toraim and a group of dwarves were escorting a group consisting of Ysildaë, her two elven companions, a tiefling and several humans, to the Tower Gate. As they made their way down the Dragon Road towards the gatehouse, a low rumbling of voices could be heard. Swelling out from the alleys, a horde of undead ambled after the group who escaped through the Bright Gate before it was shut and barricaded. There, they met Marcusic, a skald from Haemil that had traveled to Talanor before the storm that broke the world. Since the 15th of Selefis, the City Guard of Earthenwork have coordinated with the Bright Tower to begin clearing The Point for the refugees to inhabit. However, things haven't gone smoothly as undead have been found most everywhere. This morning, the 17th of Selefis, a call has gone out to all able bodied persons to report to the Bridge to assist. Marcusic, coordinating with the City Guard, began to assemble several teams under his command. His first recruit was Toraim. He knew the dwarf was resolute and determined to help reestablish control of the Vale. Besides, he had been offered assistance from Akula, and who better than a fellow devotee to Valthyra to pair with the noblewoman. Toraim also turned to Ysildaë for aide. The elf had been aching to get back into the city and away from the Tower since she had arrived. Heading to the end of the bridge, the trio spotted several other hopefuls standing in line waiting to be selected. A hulking human warrior is inspecting the recruits, accepting those capable of defending themselves and rejecting the others. A smallish young female with unruly blonde hair that the warrior had dismissed, sulked through the crowd and made her way into the piazza where the groups were mustering. She glances about nervously, unsure where to head, when Toraim takes her by the arm just as Marcusic approaches them. ”Toraim… Ysildaë… glad to see you’ve recovered from the rough journey from Eastgate,” he says with a slight nod of his head. Turning to the half-orc, he continues with a more formal tone, ”Lady Akula. We’re thankful to have you with us.” Only then does he notice Maria. ”And you are?” he inquires looking a bit confused and passing a quick glance to the dwarf.
Welcome, we have a few things to discuss prior to opening the Gameplay thread. More to come...
This recruitment is closed at this time.
Welcome, we have a few things to discuss prior to opening the Gameplay thread. More to come...
Most of the world of Æustëria has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the vortex before the Hazard could contain it. Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor had inadvertently come close to destroying the world. But Amus, the Goddess of Time, intervened, and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and awoke in the Bright Tower of Talanor. While the Bærwynnd remained locked in an epic struggle to keep the vortex sealed, the heroes were sent on quest to gather the surviving Hazards throughout the devastated world. Having reached Earthenwork, the capital city of the Kingdom of Haemil, they worked with the Rhykal, the 16th Hazard of Haemil, to unseal the Circle of the Whispering Wind. This ancient portal allowed the King of Haemil to send his people to the safety of the Vale of Talanor. Arriving in the Vale, the people of Haemil have discovered the refuge they sought is but a ghost of a town filled with the armies of the undead and a few survivors of the destruction of Æustëra. Hello Everyone! My friends and I have been playing D&D since 1979 in a homebrew campaign. I have also run a F2F Pathfinder version of the campaign over the last 7 years. In April of 2016, I launched the PBP campaign, “Talanor: the Bright Tower” on these boards. After 32 months of consistent playing, the players of this campaign have rescued the inhabitants of the great capital city, Earthenwork, referenced above. Although their quest is far from complete, this act has opened the possibility of adding another campaign to the world. The campaign will be semi-sandbox, in that, there are ongoing events in the world that will be affected by the original campaign, as well as, this new campaign. You can participate in those events or strike out in a different direction. I will work hard to create several hooks into each character’s background so that you can explore those threads or whatever interests you. We will start with the arrival of the refugees from Earthenwork, roughly two months after the calamitous “Shaping” of the world. The party will be asked to help restore control of the city that is overrun with undead. After that, we’ll just see where the story takes us. I expect players to post at least once every day during the week. I’m flexible on the weekend as it tends to be family time for me. If you don't post for a week, you'll likely be replaced, notwithstanding travel or illness. In which case, please just communicate with me. During combat, if you haven’t posted for 24+ hours after your turn was indicated, I may delay or bot your PC. To keep the game at a brisk pace, I may roll saves, skill checks, perception, initiative, etc. for the PC’s. If I do ask you to roll one of these, I’ll give you 24 hours to make the roll before moving the game forward by rolling it for you. About the New Campaign:
The concept is an alternate timeline to our homebrew world, Æustëra. In this timeline, one of the Hazards (powerful wizards of an arcane guild) has inadvertently opened an uncontrolled portal to the Ethereal Plane… a violent vortex. All magic, both arcane and divine, originates from ethereal energy. By opening this vortex, the Hazard has created a singularity which began to destroy the world by consuming all physical matter of the Material Plane. This has become known as “The Shaping”. With one last surge of magic (and with the aid of a goddess), the Hazard was able to contain the vortex but not before world of Æustëra was terraformed into a five-spoked, spiral world... think of a pin-wheel, or better yet, of a galaxy spinning in the vastness of space. The new world is tilted away from the sun creating a permanent night. That is, until you reach the edge of the world and look down. Leveling will be by milestone, and I’d hope to play this into mid-high levels. We have an Obsidian Portal wiki site with plenty of information regarding the world, its origins, our house rules and the character creation rules. While there is a ton of info there, some areas aren’t fleshed out in the viewable pages. Just ask if you have questions or requests. I’ve been working on the site for well over a year, and adding everything from a nearly 40 year old campaign world is a daunting task. As my current players could tell you, I’m very flexible and work to make my campaigns fun and entertaining. Here is a link to a google slide deck with the Maps of Æustëra. Additionally, all of these maps, such as the Vale of Talanor can be found on the wiki site along with descriptions and details about the areas.
Character Submission Requirements:
Character Background The most important part of character creation, in my opinion, is the character's background story. This story should include information about his/her origin and heritage, experiences up to the present, motivations and fears, as well as, appearance and personality. Below are some questions to help you establish this background. You do not need to answer each question. They should just get your creative juices flowing. * Why did the character become a member of the chosen class?
Alignment I’m going to do something a bit different here. I’m dropping alignment restrictions on classes, and, frankly, I’m not going to even look at a character’s alignment. Instead, I’d like a description of the character’s ethics. Most importantly, I’d like you to think about where the character falls along the following continuums: Selfish -> Selfless
Character Starting Point As part of your character’s background, you should indicate if your character is starting in (1) the Bright Tower or (2) in Eastgate. There are boundless possibilities of race/class combos from these two locations. Your character could be a human evocation wizard sent by your master to deliver a tome to the Bright Tower; a half-orc brawler employed by the Hazard in his tower as a blacksmith; an elven cleric sent as a neophyte to your god’s temple in the Vale who was passing through Eastgate during the Shaping; a dwarven ranger who is the youngest son of a captain of the Dragongaurd in Eastgate; a gnome bard traveling through Eastgate looking for work; or anything else you could imagine. There are no restrictions, but I do expect a good explanation of how and why your character is here. Once I select the party, I’ll work with the players to adjust any inconsistencies or plot holes with the lore of the Æustëra. The Bright Tower The Bright Tower is the home of Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor. He is an ancient, powerful diviner and has several apprentices specializing in that arcane school. Characters located here could be either (a) a resident or worker within the tower, (b) a refugee from one of the districts of the Vale of Talanor that has luckily found their way to the tower following the Shaping, (c) a traveler/visitor to Talanor that has found their way to the tower or (d) a refugee from Earthenwork that has just been teleported to the Tower by the King of Haemil. Eastgate Eastgate, known to the dwarves as Kahae Edhekal, is an underground complex built and governed by mountain dwarves. Eastgate is the eastern exit from the Vale of Talanor, traveling many miles under the Shadow Mountains to the outside world. While most inhabitants of Eastgate are dwarves, people of nearly every race can be found here as residents, servants, workers, travelers, etc. Character Build For a character submission, a full build is entirely optional. 1-2 sentences giving the race & class, along with a general description of the concept will be sufficient. If you want to make the full build, below are the creation rules. More information can be found on the wiki site under: Character Creation. Character creation rules:
Basic Build Rules * 20 Point Build (nothing below 8 or above 18 after racial adjustments);
Magic Items The knowledge of spells and rituals to craft magical items has been lost to time. Such legendary items are rare in Æustëra. But with the Shaping of the world, the barrier between the ethereal realm and the material realm has been altered. The essence of magic can now be gathered and manipulated by those of strong will and desire. The source of essence is most often a fallen foe. There are several types of Essences; ethereal, arcane, primal and life. All essence may be imbued into items or a character to grant them magical powers while life essences may be imbued into characters to increase stats or gain feats. At 1st level, all characters start with an inherited item that they wear or wield. Depending on the class, this item may be any category of masterwork quality, bonded item. The heirloom item will not have an innate magical properties, but is of such quality as to be used as a bonded item if/when an essence is imbued into the item. Additional information regarding bonded items and essences can be found at this link. Additional information regarding legendary items and essences can be found on the wiki site under: Legendary Items. and Essences. Religion: On Æustëra, religions are tightly aligned with different empires and kingdoms. As a kingdom became more power, its patron deity gains more followers, more prayers and more sacrifices. Therefore, the deity grew in power as well. If a kingdom was defeated or waned in power, so did the god. Further, the gods, in their own realms, are constantly vying for power amongst themselves. Their battles also affected the kingdom’s power on Æustëra. Still, many kingdoms are tolerant, to some degree, towards religious freedoms. If your character submission contains a class that is granted spells or boons by a patron deity, post or PM me and we can figure out the right conversion. Most deities from our campaign have a similar god in Pathfinder. For example, we have Mylesar, the Warrior. He’s similar Gorum. You can find information about all of the gods on the wiki site under: The Ealintaine. I’ll keep the recruitment open for a few weeks, giving plenty of notice to complete any submissions before closing the recruitment period. Let me know your thoughts or questions.
I can't seem to find any rules or forum threads on this scenario that has come up in one of my games. On the Bad Guys turn, they Ready attack actions for the first PC to come out of an Obscuring Mist. The first player up, says his PC moves out of the mist and uses a wand. I, the GM, stop the PC after they emerge from the mist which has triggered the Readied Attack and resolve the Bad Guys attacks. The player then asks to use an extraordinary ability that is listed as an Immediate Action in response to and prior to resolution of Bad Guys attacks. I believe he can use the immediate action but not positive. Thoughts?
Discussion thread open. Let's talk about the characters background and connections.
Character Creation Rules, except: Level 3
I think using a SoP or SoM class would be best. I'd like at least a minimal background to inspire me for the adventure; including how you know each other and why you were going to the Vale of Talanor.
Most of the world has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the rift before the Hazard could contain it. Alaquendai, the 1st Hazard of Talanor… the most powerful Diviner in a millennium… had inadvertently come close to destroying the Ringworld. But the Cosmos, the Revered, intervened and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and have awoken in the summoning room inside Talanor, the Bright Tower. Before them stands the Hazard locked in an epic struggle to keep the rift sealed. They remember having felt their souls being ripped from their mortal flesh. Just as they witnessed the same happen to others moments before being consumed by the singularity. They hear the Hazard, in their minds, Help me… there is little time… my power is waning and I cannot hold the rift sealed… help me.
Congratulations. I hope you find the campaign interesting, challenging and, most of all, fun. I do have a few comments and requests to address before starting: 1. Please include your class, level, initiative mod, perception mod, current/max hp, current/flat/touch AC, CMD, and Movement under your alias’ profile so that it is visible when you post. Also, please keep an updated crunch and your character background in spoilers inside your profile. 2. I will roll for everyone’s initiative and post in a spoiler. If I ask you to roll an ability check, skill check or save, I’ll wait for 24 hours for you to respond. To keep the action moving forward, I’ll roll it for you after 24 hours. Weekends will be ignored for this purpose as my posting will slow down during this time. 3. The environment will be harsh, but livable. You will be able to breathe, but, on the surface it will be extremely cold. Imagine Frodo’s journey through Mordor, this may be worse. 4. As mentioned by several in the recruitment thread, note that resources will be scarce. Stopping in the local inn or tavern for a hot meal, bath and a bed isn’t going to happen. If you meet some friendly NPC’s, you may be able to barter with them, but stores will be either abandoned, looted or destroyed. 5. Magic shops have never existed on Malta. While magic was commonplace, it was much too valuable to be bought with gold. Items will either need to be created or looted. 6. To keep the action moving, I’ll do block initiative and indicate who can post an action once we’re in combat situations. 7. Equipment: In your profile, please be sure to list all of your gear and its location. For example, I’d like to know that Valjoen has a dagger, a belt pouch, a backpack and his wand on himself. In his belt pouch, he has his spell components, acid (x2), and alchemist’s fire (x3). In his backpack, he has a bedroll, candles (x10), etc. 8. Special Item: Please provide, in your background story, a blurb about your mwk weapon/mwk armor/wand. Where did it come from? How did you acquire it? What meaning does it hold for you? In our campaigns, these items are very character defining. As the party finds essences, you will be able to enhance these items. Additionally, if you find any other masterwork level items you can imbue them; for example, rings, staves, boots, gloves, etc. Item creation rules are the same except you don’t need the feat (other than potion and scroll). The gold cost is replaced by essences. The more gold, the more essences required. The idea behind this system is that it allows the GM to control the amount of magic coming into the game but gives the players the flexibility to get the items or effects they want. Extracting the essences is the tricky part. Below is the Essence spells. Not everything will have essences, but a successful Spellcraft check will let you know if one exists. Once you determine that one may exist, you can cast the spell and attempt to extract it. There is no gold cost to create an item. To imbue an essence and create a triggered effect or innate effect the caster must also have the spell memorized or otherwise available. Extract Essence – Level 0; School – Universal; Casting Time – 1 round; Components – V, S; Range – Touch; Target – One lifeform or object; Duration – Instantaneous; Spellcraft check. Spell Resistance – Yes. Note: Essences must be extracted within 2 rounds of death. Certain circumstances may prohibit extraction; such as disintegration, massive damage, etc. Failure may result in damage to an area around the caster. Imbue Essence – Level 0; School – Universal; Casting Time – 1 round; Components – V, S; Range - Touch; Target – One being or object; Duration – Instantaneous Any questions?
Most of the world has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the rift before the Hazard could contain it. Alaquendai, the 1st Hazard of Talanor… the most powerful Diviner in a millennium… had inadvertently come close to destroying the Ringworld. But the Cosmos, the Revered, intervened and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and have awoken in the summoning room inside Talanor, the Bright Tower. Before them stands the Hazard locked in an epic struggle to keep the rift sealed. They remember having felt their souls being ripped from their mortal flesh. Just as they witnessed the same happen to others moments before being consumed by the singularity. They hear the Hazard, in their minds, Help me… there is little time… my power is waning and I cannot hold the rift sealed… help me. Helllo Everyone! My friends and I have been playing D&D since 1979 in a homebrewed campaign, but we are down to just one or two gaming weekends a year. I have also run a F2F Pathfinder version of the campaign the last 5 years and periodically running some PFS games F2F, but this will be my first time trying to run a PbP game with any system if this generates enough interest. This campaign, “Talanor: the Bright Tower”, will be played using Pathfinder rule set. The concept is an alternate timeline to our homebrew, The Nexus. In this timeline, one of the Hazards (the top wizards in each school of magic; Divination, Evocation, etc... are called Hazards and preside over other wizards of that specialty) has opened a rift to the Ethereal Plane. On The Nexus, all magic, both arcane and divine, originate from ethereal energy. By opening this rift, the Hazard has created a singularity which began to destroy the world by consuming all matter. With one last surge of magic, the Hazard was able to contain the rift but not before The Nexus was terraformed into a five-spoked spiral world... think of a pin-wheel, or better yet, of a galaxy spinning in the vastness of space. The new world is tilted away from the sun, which the previous ringworld had encircled, creating a permanent night. That is, until you reach the edge of the world and look down. Leveling will be by milestone, and I’d hope to play this into the high levels. The interest check thread has gained some attention, but there was some confusion if it was an actual recruitment. To clear up the matter, I'm posting this recruitment but asking you to post any questions or submission in the other thread. The link is below. Information and character creation rules about Talanor: the Bright Tower.
Most of the world has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the rift before the Hazard could contain it. Alaquendai, the 1st Hazard of Talanor… the most powerful Diviner in a millennium… had inadvertently come close to destroying the Ringworld. But the Cosmos, the Revered, intervened and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and have awoken in the summoning room inside Talanor, the Bright Tower. Before them stands the Hazard locked in an epic struggle to keep the rift sealed. They remember having felt their souls being ripped from their mortal flesh. Just as they witnessed the same happen to others moments before being consumed by the singularity. They hear the Hazard, in their minds, Help me… there is little time… my power is waning and I cannot hold the rift sealed… help me. Helllo Everyone! My friends and I have been playing D&D since 1979 in a homebrewed campaign, but we are down to just one or two gaming weekends a year. I have also run a F2F Pathfinder version of the campaign the last 5 years and periodically running some PFS games F2F, but this will be my first time trying to run a PbP game with any system if this generates enough interest. This campaign, “Talanor: the Bright Tower”, will be played using Pathfinder rule set. The concept is an alternate timeline to our homebrew, The Nexus. In this timeline, one of the Hazards (the top wizards in each school of magic; Divination, Evocation, etc... are called Hazards and preside over other wizards of that specialty) has opened a rift to the Ethereal Plane. On The Nexus, all magic, both arcane and divine, originate from ethereal energy. By opening this rift, the Hazard has created a singularity which began to destroy the world by consuming all matter. With one last surge of magic, the Hazard was able to contain the rift but not before The Nexus was terraformed into a five-spoked spiral world... think of a pin-wheel, or better yet, of a galaxy spinning in the vastness of space. The new world is tilted away from the sun, which the previous ringworld had encircled, creating a permanent night. That is, until you reach the edge of the world and look down. Leveling will be by milestone, and I’d hope to play this into the high levels. I’d like character submissions to include the character sheet or stat block; a background story; a physical description; and personality description. To me, the fluff is as much, if not, more important that the crunch. I will make character selections based on that priority. I expect players to post at least once every day during the week. I tend to post once in the morning and again in the afternoon or evening. I'm flexible on the weekend as it tends to be family time for me. If you don't post for a week, you'll likely be replaced, notwithstanding travel or illness. In which case, please just communicate with me. Character creation rules:
• Materials: Any Paizo except Occult • 20pt Build (nothing below 7 or above 18 before racial adjustments); • 1 level of choice & 1 level randomly determined (see below); • Core races + hobgoblin only; (There are sub races for elves and goblins. See the spoiler below for more detail.) • Any class, except no occult nor vigilante; must use unchained; • No Guns; • Max Gold at 1st, plus one of the following: 1 mwk weapon, 1 mwk piece of armor, or 1 wand with a 1st level spell; keep in mind that the world has been virtually destroyed, so you won’t be ‘buying’ anything once the campaign starts. • Max HP at 1st (half +1 or roll after 1st); • 2 traits; You may take a 3rd if you take a drawback; we will use background traits; • +1 skill points per level; must be used on knowledge. • Neutral or good Alignment only; • Additionally, you will randomly roll for an additional "bound soul" to have entered your body before the rift was shut. These souls have lost their body and are now trapped inside you. You will receive their racial stat bonuses/penalties, one racial ability, and one class level; (see, Bound Souls below) Sub-Races:
Elves: There are three subraces of Elves: Bright, Dark and Noble. Bright elves are the standard elf with no adjustments. Dark elves (NOT Drow) are those who have been granted the sight of their own death. They lose the Elven Immunities and Elven Magic racial abilities and gain the spell-like ability to cast augury 1/day. Noble elves stat adjustments are -2 Con, +2 Int, and +2 Chr.
Hobgoblins: There are three subraces of Hobgoblins: Aegeans, Argeans and Aveneans. Aegeans are the most common hobgoblin and use the base racial stats. They also receive the greed and intimidating racial abilities. Argeans stat adjustments are +2 Int. They are the more scholarly of the race. In addition to the standard hobgoblin racial abilities, they also receive the skilled racial ability and either the academician or obsessive racial ability. Aveneans have kept their war-like tendencies of their hobgoblin ancestors. Their stat adjustments are +2 Str and +2 Con. They also receive intimidating racial ability.
Bound Soul:
Race: Roll to receive that race’s stat bonuses and penalties and select one racial ability from that race. You cannot select an alternative racial trait from either race. Reroll if matches your selected race.
1 = Dwarf 2 = Elf, Bright 3 = Gnome 4 = Half-Elf 5 = Half-Orc 6 = Halfling 7 = Human 8 = Hobgoblin, Aegean Class: Roll to receive 1 level of that class. Reroll if matches your inital class.
Item Creation:
Since most of the world and its inhabitants are destroyed, there will be no purchasing of magic items, although some items may be found or recovered. The Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion feats are available for use. All other magic items can potentially be made with ‘Essence’. Extract Essence and Imbue Essence are two 0-level spells that exist in our campaign. They are on all spellcasters’ spell lists.
There are several types of Essences; ethereal, elemental and life. Ethereal essence is pure magic and can be imbued into items to make them magical. Also, they can be used to infuse a spell into an item at one ethereal essence per spell level. Elemental essences can be imbued into items as well to give them special properties. Life essences can be imbued into characters to increase stats. There are success/failure rates to both extract and imbue essences. There will be more information about this linked to the campaign once live. Religion:
On the Nexus, religions were tightly aligned with different empires and kingdoms. As a kingdom became more power, its patron deity had more followers, more prayers and more sacrifices. Therefore, the deity grew in power as well. If a kingdom was defeated or waned in power, so did the god. Further, the gods, in their own realms, were constantly vying for power amongst themselves. Their battles also affected the kingdom’s power on the Nexus. Still, many kingdoms are tolerant, to some degree, towards religious freedoms.
If your character submission contains a class that is granted spells or boons by a patron deity, post or PM me and we can figure out the right conversion. Most deities from our campaign have a similar god in Pathfinder. On the Nexus, we have Freel, the Beautiful. She’s very similar to Shelyn. We have Jolnar, the Three-Eyed Warrior. He’s like Gorum. I’ll have at least a listing of the gods in the recruitment thread.
Ask any questions. Let me know your thoughts or general interest. If enough people show an interest, I’ll start an official recruitment thread. That thread will have more detail about the setting/world to aid you in character backgrounds. Thanks for reading!
I'm planning on playing an Arcane Sorcerer, but thinking about taking his 1st level as a Teleportation Wizard before progressing as a Sorcerer. My thought process is that I'll gain several additional prepared cantrips and a couple 1st level prepared spells to cast; a 5' teleporation as a swift action a few times a day; the innate bonus to conjurations; and the familiar progression stacks b/t the wizard and sorcerer levels. At 2nd character level, I'll have 3 cantrips and 2 1st level spells as a wizard and have 4 cantrips and 3 1st level spells (2 known) as a sorcerer. If I went straight sorcerer, I'd have 5 cantrips (instead of 7) and 4 spells (instead of 5). The trade off is that my spell progression will be 1 level slower for the sorcerer. Am I missing any other drawbacks to this quick, early dip into wizard?
Is there a feat that works on ranged attacks using deadly aim similar to the way furious focus works with Power attack? Edited for clarity |
