A few sensations are all you comprehend first. Muted voices. A humid breeze. Rocking motions. A clinical smell. Then nothing once more. Then, a dull yellow light, as if through a dense fog, begins to glow from nowhere in particular all around you.
You look around. A roiling yellow fog obscures most of your vision, but as you adjust you see more. Shadows, at first. Things just beyond your vision. Some appear humanoid, their gait stiff. Some are low to the ground, skittering on too many legs. Some tower above, every lumbering movement a creaking roar in your ears.
You notice four others then, standing around you. They too look around in the fog, lost. Two are taking note of the few details. One bears a look of guilt. One is watching the movements of those things in the fog. The last one seems to not notice the dense mist surrounding the group. At your feet, scattered amidst the cobblestone, broken glass and pottery, are hundreds of pages bearing sketches of some alien city.
Whether it is a moment or an eternity, you cannot say, but the roiling mists reveal the five of you are in the middle of some street. The buildings are strange, blackened and ruinous, with no windows or doors. Ziggurats, minaretes, and stranger structures loom in the distance. An iron lattice tower stands beneath two black suns in one direction. A pyramid standing on its point dominates the opposite horizon. These sights fade in and out as the curtains of mist are drawn and reveal new wonders. You realize the countless sketches are of this city.
[The five of you come to consciousness here. Roll a d4 to determine how much of your gear you start play with. Post with your characters’ gut reactions to their environs.]
For OOC chitchat, questions, and memes.
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Welcome patients to Briarstone Asylum. Here it is our goal to help you through the process of returning your sanity to you and getting you back out into the world. I understand you have no recollection of your name, your past, or your identity. That is expected and nothing to worry about. Doctor Ilesi Scaen will see to you personally once you’ve filled out your paperwork.
Firstly, we will need to determine some general information about you. You can see the options listed below, and do reference your Player's Guide for further reading:
ADMITTING YOUR PATIENT:
Races: Any core race including aasimar, catfolk, changeling, dhampir, gillman, fetchling, ratfolk, tiefling, or any of the four elementally touched races (ifrit, oread, sylph, undine). More exotic races may detract from the eldritch nature of the campaign (and frighten other inmates).
Classes: Anyone can fall prey to mental stress or illness, so any class found in the Archives of Nethys is permitted. We are not staffed to handle third-party classes, so we will not admit those. Please feel free to reference your Player’s Guide for thematic choices for archetypes.
Alignment: We normally wouldn’t accept evil characters, but our new administrator and GameMaster is eager to see how players will roleplay anyone faced with greater threats than mere mortals. As such, we are accepting anyone so long as they aren’t disruptive and work well with others.
Stats: We know no one is perfect, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. As such, your character’s statistics will be determined by a “weal/woe” system. You begin with an 8 and an 18 before racial modifiers, then four 10s to which you add a 1d6 roll. You are free to arrange these numbers as you see fit. We understand this may result in high 20 points for stats, but the condition of your admittance permits such an idiosyncrasy.
Traits: You are allowed three traits at character creation, as well as a fourth should you take a drawback. The drawback must play a roll in your roleplay.
Wealth and Gear: You begin play with either average for your class or roll according to your class for starting gold. You begin play with a threadbare asylum pyjamas instead of an outfit, and you will not begin gameplay with your gear, familiars, or companions, but once you get settled you were have access to your belongings.
Health: You start at max health for your class, and will roll against the GameMaster for each level up afterwards.
Additional Rules: We are happy to announce we will be using Background Skills and the Elephant in the Room feat system for your patients as well.
There we go! We are glad to welcome you to our Briarstone Asylum family. Now, we have a few things to go over with you before we take you to your cells—I mean rooms.
CONSULTATION
House Rules: These may have later additions as your sessions progress, according to the needs of our patients.
a) Knowledge checks and Perception checks can be made as free actions during combat.
b) When resting, characters restore 1 hp + Con modifier. If Con bonus is negative, treat it as zero when determining regained hp.
c) If a creature is unconscious and/or dying and receives magical healing – even if this does not bring the creature to positive hp – that creature stabilizes.
d) An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you are unarmed, you only threaten surrounding squares if you have at least a +1 BAB or the improved unarmed strike feat, and thus, can only make attacks of opportunity in those cases. An attack of opportunity “interrupts” the normal flow of actions in the round. An attack of opportunity also never triggers an attack of opportunity, as the sudden nature of the attack means that it doesn't give opponents an opportunity to punish your opening, even if something about the attack would normally provoke (such as making it unarmed.) If an attack of opportunity is provoked, immediately resolve the attack of opportunity, then continue with the next character’s turn (or complete the current turn, if the attack of opportunity was provoked in the midst of a character’s turn).
e) Projectiles such as arrows can be recovered if the player rolls above 25% on a percentile dice (ie 26% or higher).
Backstories: By your admission to Briarstone, your characters are in a fugue state and have no idea of who they are or how they became patients here. See Fugue State on page 4 of your Player’s Guide. As such, you are not obligated to provide a backstory for your character. You can provide a backstory if you want, but it must end with you coming into the “employ” of a strange count from Versex, Ustalav and can feature events appropriate to lvl 8 characters.
Otherwise, the GameMaster will wholly construct a backstory based on the traits and archetypes of submitted characters. Your character’s time with this count is unknown to you, but will come up in flashbacks and be wholly revealed in a crucial moment about halfway through the AP. The GameMaster will determine the deeds done (or sins committed) in those missing years based on your character’s traits, archetypes, and personality.
We do ask for a personality file for your character upon waking. What are their instincts? What are their vibes? Who are they when they don't know who they are? While a stat block can say a great deal, we would like to get to know you.
Also, we expect your characters will have a non-mechanical weakness. A scent, a color, a vermin or insect, or a sound. This need not be a negative weakness, it can rouse nostalgia or horror. Either way, it will not be game breaking but might whittle away at your sanity in certain contexts. Such elements can be substituted for Drawbacks in the Traits section, or vice versa.
SANITY and RESEARCH: We will be implementing Sanity rules as found in Horror Adventures and Research rules as found in Ultimate Intrigue. Both sanity and its loss are critical elements in Lovecraftian stories, as is researching the encroaching threats of the Dark Tapestry and the mystery of your missing memories.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
We make no assurances that your treatment will be a gentle process. We will be exploring the darker parts of your psyches and your traumatic pasts as we uncover them. Expect heavy themes and horror elements, including but not limited to: body horror, existentialism, nihilism, secrets, trauma, amorality, decadence, cults, haunts, sins of the past, manifestations of madness, and worse. Think carefully before admitting your character into this, as we don’t want to cause trauma for the patients’ loved ones.
We will not allow indecency or immature behavior between characters or players, as such harassment and ERP is strictly forbidden.
The GameMaster has been inspired by Bloodborne, Darkest Dungeon, the Sinking City, and “supernatural procedurals” such as Grimm (2011), Sleepy Hollow (2013), and Constantine (2014) for your sessions, and recommends referencing such materials for tone.
We will be admitting patients till November 16 and announcing those who will receive treatment the following day, November 17. Feel free to ask any questions, we are here to help. We hope to see you soon and thank you once again for considering us here at Briarstone Asylum.
Male Devil
Posting to kickstart the thread, not official first post.
Male Devil
A massive giant with malformed legs and wielding a great frozen hammer smashes a pile of Elsa dolls as you enter.
'Ello, welcome to Hell - Frozen Over!
Just doing this to set up my second table
Male Devil
Come on down, grab some hot cocoa, pull up an ice cube, wrap that fur blanket round your shoulders, and let's chat.
Let's use this thread to keep in touch, post updates, and ask questions of each other.
Male Devil
Despite the warming weather, you notice a snowflake drifting down, passing before your eyes in a moment of alien beauty.
This is not the official first post, more of a prelude.
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Ice to meet ya'll, I'm the DM Chill-iax and I'm here to tramp through that well-traveled adventure of icy worlds and colder hearts: Reign of Winter. However, Imma do a thing with this. I would like to run The Witchwar Legacy as a prelude to the adventure path proper. What does this mean?
I'd like you to submit TWO characters, one at level 17, and another at level 1. Character creation rules for both will be mostly the same. The pair you will submit will not be the same character. The Witchwar character could be a relative of the Reign of Winter character, or completely unrelated. They can be separate builds, or the WWL character can reflect how you plan to build your RoW character.
CHARACTER CREATION RULES, UNIVERSAL
Only Paizo Materials No third party, no conversions, none of that.
Stats Focus/Foil. 8 in one stat, 18 in another, 1d10+6 in the other four as you please.
Races As this adventure is a world-hopper, I'm not going to ban races at the start. I will ask that in your dot or pitch you run the race by me first.
Classes Only Paizo, no psionics. Occult, Shifter, and Vamp Hunter are fine by me.
Alignment If you are chaotic and/or evil, be a team player. Otherwise, no restrictions. You will be dealing with – and allying with – things far worse than you in this adventure.
Traits Two to start, one campaign and one other. Take a drawback and a third can be taken. I'll be impressed if you only take the drawback and no third trait.
Background Skills Can be in effect. Moments for downtime will be available.
CHARACTER CREATION FOR WITCHWAR LEGACY
Wealth Average for level 17.
Hit Points Max for level one, roll or take average for your class.
Background You are either mercenaries working for Queen Elvanna or followers of the demon lord Kostchtchie, both parties interested in recovering the infamous Torc of Kostchtchie. I'd like to try and get a mixed allegiance in this – just to see how that would play out – but if that'll be too disruptive we can have a neutral party caught in the middle.
CHARACTER CREATION FOR REIGN OF WINTER
Wealth Average for class or roll.
Hit Points Max for level one.
Background You start in Heldren, Taldor, according to the AP, but there is no reason to not be a native. Your characters can be from anywhere, but they require a reason to be in Heldren. Visiting family, hearing tales of the pleasant weather and people, something that'll drive your character to save the village.
Recruitment will be open till the seventh of April! I am looking for 4-6 players!
Any other questions, feel free to ask! Feel free to sing "Let It Go" and the Anastasia OST, Imma be different and post this: When the Wolves Cry Out! It fits, I think.
Male Voice Beyond the Folding Fourth Wall Game Master
A hand extends over the table covered in dice and colorful figurines, casting a shadow from beyond the dungeon master's screen
Male Voice Beyond the Folding Fourth Wall Game Master
Write me if you're in need of something or post if you wish to talk amongst yourselves.
A voice emanates from the other side of the screen
Well met, gamers. I am the DM Game Master, but ya'll can call me Gee-Em. I'm planning on running the Pathfinder AP Second Darkness for a friend of mine and I'm opening up submissions for 4 more characters. We all know how this goes so I'm going to come straight to my points.
CRUNCH and FLUFF
--Stats shall be 20 point buy.
--Average gold and max hp at first level, further health points rolled
--Paizo material only, no third party anything!
--All classes are available to choose from
--Almost all races are available, but for reasons no drow or half-drow or anything too monstrous; no racial feat taxes for races that can access those
--Alignments allowed are as follows: LG, NG, CG, LN, TN, CN, LE, and maybe NE. No CE, again for reasons
--Two traits: one campaign and one other. Drawbacks may be selected to gain a third trait; all traits/drawbacks must be worked into character and will be enforced
--I love a healthy background, so do not be afraid to send me an essay about your character. Since some of the campaign traits can tie characters together, feel free to discuss amongst yourselves how your characters could know each other prior to the AP's beginning
--Ad will close December 22nd
I look forward to what you have to offer!
Should be straight forward, just pick a song for the Pathfinder villain posted above then post another villain. Doesn't have to be a big bad either, any "boss battle" will do.
Kicking things off with Eccardian Drovenge.
It is all too dark. The faint smell of burnt stone and flesh still lingers here. You look around. The scorched ruins still stand despite the obvious damage. There is no wind. There is no life. Only the haunting whispers that promise horror.
Your eyes are constantly assaulted by pale shades lingering at the edges of your sight. Some are distinct, wearing clinking chains, carrying bleeding axes, or letting their entrails drag from open wounds. The whispers grow louder as you go closer to the ruins. Thinking you hear words spoken in a dark tongue, you creep closer.
You approach the doors, seeing candle-lit shadows upon the walls inside. The whispers increase in number and strength, clouding your ears with their chanting. You see their faces now, skulls hiding in the shadow of their hoods, cloths gagging their grinning mouths.
A terrible light fills your eyes as a man screams, followed by a woman’s wail. Stone cracks overhead, and when you look, a gagged skeleton pushes a gargoyle off its pedestal. As it falls upon you, its horns becoming scimitars, its form boney and robed, and its eyes blaze with infernal fire.
The demonic creature smashes into you …
And you awake.
Welcome to Carrion Crown, the Adventure Path of gothic horror, ranging from hauntings, monsters, cultists, and nightmares beyond mortal understanding.
For first posts in Gameplay, I'd like my players to tell from where they came from, how you arrived (whether by foot, horseback, or carriage), your thoughts during the journey, and your steps to the Lorrimor house, where you were to meet Kendra and from there attain the late Professor's funeral. Effectively, you all received a letter at your latest residence, telling you that the Professor Lorrimor, old friend, mentor, and colleague of yours, has passed and had requested you attend his funeral and the reading of his will, as he has seen fit to include you within it.
Use this thread to discuss character interaction, ideas for encounter tactics, and anything between life and death.
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"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" - The Happy Mask Salesman, Majora's Mask
Welcome to my recruitment thread, gamers all. Please, enter freely and of your own accord. I have taken it upon myself to run the Carrion Crown adventure path, a long-time favorite of mine, through its entirety and perhaps beyond.
So, by viewing this thread you are hoping to submit a character to play through the adventure, so I'll get right to the crunch so the fluff may develop after.
For your listening terror...
CRUNCH 'n' FLUFF
-For stats, I'm using a formula known as the Focus and Foil. In a nutshell, you have an 8 and an 18 to place as you wish before racial bonuses are applied. The other four are determined by rolling 1d10+7 four times, and these may be placed as you wish.
-Average gold and max hp for your class.
-Paizo material ONLY! No third party material will be permitted.
-All classes are available, including the unchained versions of them. I'm a bit hesitant on gunslingers and summoners, but I'm letting them through my net.
-Core races are fine, along with aasimars, changelings, dhampirs, orcs, skinwalkers, and tieflings. Other races will have a harder time getting in, but if you present an awesome story, I might let it slide. No feat tax for alternate racial goodness for tieflings and others, if you were wondering.
-Alignments are as follows: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil (only if team player and a good story behind it), Neutral Good, True Neutral, Chaotic Good, and Chaotic Neutral (only if minimal disruption). No Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil for hopefully obvious reasons. Now, this is only for initial character creation/submission. I love a good story as much as the next dungeon master, and if your story is one that warrents a fall into darkness, so be it. Don't plan on going evil early unless you really want a screwy character. In that case, PM me first and we'll work something out off the books.
-Two traits - one of which must be a campaign trait - and one drawback for a third. Drawbacks will be monitored and used/abused and must tie into the character's background; same goes for traits.
-As for backgrounds, I'd like it to go as follows:
1) I'd like 5+ points that capture the concept and story of the character. More are welcome, but no less than five.
2) Two goals that you'd like the character to accomplish in-game.
3) Two secrets, one the PC keeps to himself, and one kept from the PC. I'll come up with a third that both the character and player aren't aware of, in hopes of shocking surprises within the storytelling.
4) 3-5 people that are tied to your PC by blood, love, rivalry, honor, etc. I'd like at least one enemy in a set of three or four, with no more than two for a set of five.
5) Three key memories that define your character as the person they are at the time of submission. Including Lorrimor in one of those might not be a bad idea.
All that is to help you and me tell a compelling story not only you, but any who read our adventure, will enjoy. If this is asking too much, let me know.
-Finally, I'd like you to include with your submission a fear or paranoia that causes your character to shiver, cower, or panic. Anything from spiders to unexplained happenstance, but I'm sure you'll all come up with some awful stuff on your own. Cool?
Questions are welcome and wanted; if I missed something, tell me. I look forward to meeting your characters in Ustalav.
Edit: Ad will close Jan 31. Thnx for pointing that out.
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