A pit trap is like the most basic trap. In front of a fake door, no less. Keep it Stupid Simple - Traps. Not that I was expecting it. It's funny Dex fell in, but after he noted it Isabella wasn't falling in that s$@&.
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Posted this in Gameplay on accident at first I was excited at the mention of a creature in the attic as well, but I believe that currently unwelcome guest is Leekoo's awaited mount (after thinking overly long on why the task was brought specifically to him). Not that any of us know that, or couldn't kill the creature in any case, just wanted to mention it before you plan a possibly ill-timed slaughter. Payn's murderous tendencies are a great thing to play out, though - I'm not saying you should act differently; just leave room for opposition from the party ;) Now that we're geared up, with a full party, I'm eager to kill things as well. Ambition & power is the name of the game. Looking forward to seeing how our mean little group grows into our new pact with evil. Leekoo; I'm following your lead going into the attic
Research slowed down. I am disheartened. Real poor with no plans for the weekend, so I'll push to make Bumpy into something viable. Thank you for the advice; very well may go with a familiar, & just have a pet or two managed with handle animal (I've thought about a dweomer cat cub before - they seem fun)
Thanks Thunder! I had a hard time picking skills as is, but I can add ranks for Intimidate or somesuch. Refocusing to mounted w/lance for melee. Why are multiple companions useless? The feat chain gives you a companion at significantly reduced level. I'll check out those archetypes & see about familiars. Awww.. the performance gained in place of Inspire Courage makes the animals better at tricks though. The Daredevil archetype also has a small boost vs mind-affecting, which seems nice for dealing with Intellect Devourers. Mostly it's a matter of flavor, & I can go straight Bard, if you feel it'd add some utility. Also I can drop the whip, restat for more Str, pick up a small lance & focus on mounted combat to make the panther-riding Halfling viable in combat. I mistook the theme to be the core focus of our adventure, & thought we wouldn't be seeing too much combat (foolishness). Would those changes make him less useless? No wagon; check. We'll just forget the swarms. Can I have a baby Roc & a panther as companions? His "combat experience" will be explained in the backstory as the adventures that lead to the capture & rearing of his two powerful pets, followed by various encounters with other dangerous creatures with those two at his side (big jungle cats don't much like it when you steal their cubs). Aside from the odd bandit raid, Bumpy's had few fights with humanoids, but his love of beasties has certainly gotten him into (& through) more than a few scrapes. Lions, tigers & bears, with a few battles alongside local militia to defend the homestead when they need it ('Ah s#+$ - go get Bumpy & that cat of his, should be no problem tracking those orcs down') oughta be sufficient combat experience. As a performing animal trainer, I figure most of his 6 levels of experience would be from those two things - maybe 45% would be direct combat experience over the years. It's a malleable thing, though, & this is thus far the most concrete info on the matter (no backstory set yet). I would like to maintain the potential of acquiring more pets while in the Underdark, if possible. Bumpy enjoys putting on a show, but his true passion is, of course, animals & magical beasts. Gotta write up the fluff, but he'd likely join the Drow willingly if they asked, just for the chance to catch some of Golarion's baddest monsters.
I've got the bare bones of the character. It's coming together, slowly. Sorry. I'll finish him up this weekend - I've been wanting to get the pet trainer into a game for some time now, & this looks like a really fun story, so my interest is still strong EDIT: Also claim work as an excuse - I'm picking up a bunch of OT through January. While I can post from work, character building is more involved; I work at a University & we're extra busy with a Jan start.
Littlefinger betrayed the Badger Lord?!? Is nothing sacred?!? All the more reason to kill him.
Hey Arkwright! How do you feel about a Halfling Rogue (Pet Trainer)/Bard (Daredevil)? The Pet Trainer archetype is 3PP. Little guy doing flips off an elk that's also doing tricks, while a giant vulture swoops in to catch him. & other such ridiculousness. EDIT: Probably start with the elk and a raven, picking up a dire bat within the underdark later, rather than entering with the vulture. That fits my mental image of a raven perched on the elk's antlers with the Halfling astride (after level 10 or so the elk will be large & the dire bat can hang from its horns). The pet trainer can juggle knives & things with the raven, which may again try to steal things during the performance & times. Maybe more dangerous animals would be cooler, but I like the above depiction; comedy as the primary performance, with some musical talent as well. The daredevil & his pets would all be acrobats of a sort. Mounted combat, of course, while still focusing on combat maneuvers/tricks with the whip.
Have fun all! Idk how he puts them together, but Sir Longears always has the coolest character sheets
I realized my perception of Tieflings in Cheliax was still a little off. Martisan is probably closer to Vinexa's peer, but could very well be considered inferior in a general sense. While Tieflings are more common in Cheliax (they're at least allowed to exist within the culture, as opposed to most Good nations, where they'd be killed outright); I see their existence is essentially within a lower caste, where even those few Tieflings with freedom are considered by humans to be lesser beings. You said this, Morvius, but the particular implications of that in a LE slave-trading nation kinda flew past me. I'm gonna edit the backstory to reflect this a little more strongly; Martisan's existence at the monastery was hidden from the world at large. There were, of course, still whispers of the Sister's devil student, but she was kept separate from the others, and denied access to any but her teachers. The Church of Asmodeus (as well as any necessary Chelaxian officials & agents of Thrune) would of course know from the head sisters as soon as they made the decision to train Martisan. This will allow me to keep truer to the Tieflings' lifespan & put Martisan at a more appropriate 94 years old, which in-turn gels better with her sage-level wisdom. She still looks like a fairly young devil woman; comparable to an attractive, incredibly healthy 30-something (monster-lady). Considering Tieflings don't hit adulthood until around half a century, Martisan's first 2 or 3 decades of life were spent being painfully brainwashed by the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes, before they even began showing her how to turn her powerful body & perceptive mind into a weapon. Her upbringing could be best likened to a slave bred & trained for the fighting pits, but instead with heavy church indoctrination & monastic disciplines spread over decades. Martisan would immediately remind Varushka and others with similar slave-trade experience of a highly disciplined, well-trained warrior slave, put into practice with a "dangerous sub-human." She would be more of an intuitive, autonomous tool in service to the group than a self-serving powerseeker working toward current mutual benefit as most adventurers tend to be (not that those are bad motivations at all, or Martisan isn't out for her own benefit - after her nation's). So I guess Martisan is basically a medieval, genetically-boosted, Hell-trained super agent :P (who I'm hoping to turn into more of the same + magic ninja dragon). For the Bloodline, I'm gonna trade the 1st level ability to grow claws (and eventual related bite attack) for a reptilian familiar, and probably pick up Improved Familiar later to get a cool little divination-casting Rakshasa snake that spends most its time looking like fabulous jewelry. In addition to gaining a familiar, getting rid of the claws/bite will keep everything consistent with Martisan's monastic origin/flavor as the driving force behind her bloodline, without allowing her heritage's less savory aspects to muddle the line between efficient destruction & savage barbarism (as she sees it). Oh, our characters would get along swimmingly. Well, at least if you ignore Hiram's 'heresy' and Martisan's anti-social tendencies. I agree. As the only true heretical submission, I most want Hiram to go in with Martisan for the awesome roleplay potential there. I don't know about Morvius' thoughts, but the intrigue inherent in a hidden heresy makes Hiram the frontrunner for me - were I running the game I'd actually pick him over Martisan, but I'm super into all that morality/theology stuff. Damn that was some alliteration for a moment there. This applies similaryly to Arachnofiend as well. For all her "fresh honesty," Martisan doesn't bring the same intrigue to the table like those characters with the deep secrets do. But she would serve very well to naturally bring those deep secrets into a realm where more of the party can enjoy the intrigues ;) However, the whole class being built around breaking a law punishable by death thing might have its own little downside. I'm inclined to agree with you on the matter of devil worship in principle, Hiram, but the law is the law. I'd advise some sort of long-term strategy for converting to the Church of Asmodeus, or some other kind of contingency to keep from getting killed if you're found out. Mostly just don't get found out. But if you do! It'd be better for Martisan to find out than some others; it's certainly not her place to question one of The Queen's Chosen, but it's gotta be good for the nation as a whole to at least attempt to convert the man before ratting him out, right? That feels right. Unless.. Well, let me just keep thinking about it for a couple more days. Lol ------------------------ Thanks for running this campaign Morvius, & hosting a gracious recruitment! Prompt responses to questions & all - I think the greatest loss of not getting into this campaign might be missing the opportunity to get in with a DM that appears significantly more reliable than seems to be average in PbP. @aptinuviel; thank you for keeping us up to speed on the party roster, and providing insider-advice as we put our characters together. Seriously helpful & much appreciated. I'm probably doin waay too much with all this character development, & am just gonna cry tomorrow when two of these other excellent submissions are chosen. Best of luck folks - some wonderful concepts. If anyone is willing to run a campaign with Morvius' theme for a party of those not picked, I'd be eager to discuss that in the case Martisan doesn't get in here.
Gotta say, Martisan would really love a sexy little snake dancer.. teamwork feats..? Tryna think some way to make that happen. I've got a Vishkanya Bard (Archaeologist) Archer in a game that hasn't started.. yet.. She's got sleep poison, traps, intimidation, Bardic knowledge she's badass. Gonna get her goin somewhere. She's a deadly pit viper, slinking through the slums. Easily retooled as a lustrous slave dancer, anywhere people could have them. My overall favorite character concept yet. I love the mythology that inspired the race's origin.
But uh. Can we go? Is it possible somebody else make a thread and set it up for GM TPK or something?
Thank you. Again this looks pretty interesting, although I still think that wording could be cleared up a bit. Huh... I see the original ability uses the same inane wording (rather, you used the inane wording they came up with). I suggest you rectify the foolishness of whoever wrote that ability in your own homebrewed archetype. The original Dervish Dancer ability does not affect anyone except the bard. You use the same language from that, but then add that the bonuses are doubled for the bard only, and indicate that the doubled bonuses only apply to the bard, while the usual bonuses still apply to everyone else, in the same phrase, without distinguishing between the two subjects. I just think you should modify the language from the original ability to make those points clearer. It appears as if you're saying the ability only works for the bard in first paragraph, and if not for the oddity of specifying additional performances that do only work for the bard, I would have continued with my misinterpretation and never sought clarification. Character: Gabriella Calideon
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Midnight eastern time on Monday, November 30. Emphasis his. Is this tonight (12:00am EST, Monday, 11/30/15)? Or tomorrow night? I ask more to help ease my own slight tension, but also for the folks just expressing interest now, as I don't think they'll make the deadline at all if it's the former. ----------------- Notes on Martisan's personality, general demeanor & playstyle:
Martisan is quiet, & tends to think overly long on simple things. The channeled destructive power from her heritage is less barely-restrained rage and more iron-clad discipline. I'm going to flavor her eventual Sorc/DD progression as the personal, meditative exploration of her bloodlines; essentially unlocking latent magical talents & bloodline powers through a particular utilization of her ki. Her deep meditations began under the watchful eyes of The Sisters at the monastery, as she learned to control her Asura-spawn urges, and will culminate in the unlocking of her draconic potential through Asmodean discipline and Infernal insight & force of will. A powerful example of personal order from an uncommon source. My little scene earlier, revised:
That should be read as a sarcastic conversation. Instead of some vicious interrogation, as if Martisan would try to inanely discuss "the truth" in a general philosophical sense with the captive noble in question :P She's not afraid to use violence to maintain order (it is, ultimately, her only effective means of doing so), but she restrains herself from unnecessarily indulging in destructive behavior. She would laugh at the peaceful monk who has vowed not to harm others (respect him for his order, but it's naive to think such ideals can maintain peace). Conversely, she would scorn those who give in to the baser impulses of rage and sadism, seeing it as a lack of discipline. Second, the bard will probably pop in again tomorrow to mention it, but she's switched over to a Skald. She can give a better writeup of her character though, so I'll leave it to her. Just wanted to note the class change in case it altered people's plans. Great choice. Most melee characters will love you :) After experiencing it for the first time, Martisan will likely deny the rage offered by Phaedra's Skald, not wanting to feed the demon in her blood, and will similarly be standoffish with the character herself out of a sense of fear. It'll be a player goal for me to develop Martisan's character and her relationship with the Skald in such a way that she does start utilizing the rage, and comes to view the character as a companion (specifics pending more info & some awesome roleplay).
This works like bardic performance, except that the performances grant double their normal bonuses, but these bonuses only affect him [the Dawn Dancer]. & When a Dawn Dancer uses the inspire courage, inspire greatness, or inspire heroics bardic performance types as battle dances, these performance types only provide benefit to the Dancer himself. All other types of bardic performance work normally (affecting the bard and his allies, or the bard’s enemies, as appropriate). Please clarify this. Is it saying that Battle Dance acts as bardic performance, except it provides double the normal bonuses for the Dawn Dancer himself, while providing regular bonuses for everyone else, except with those bardic performances listed (which only affect the Dancer)? Also, [Wordstrike] also deals damage to constructs and creatures made of solid materials (rock, metal) and double damage to crystalline or glass creatures. I'm guessing it's meant to affect creatures made of "natural" materials? Everything on the material plane is made of solid materials, whether it be fur, scales, or feathers - you only get the distinction of something being "solid" in Pathfinder as compared to being "incorporeal," as with ethereal creatures, etc. Flesh is solid (technically natural, as well, but natural seems more like the word you're looking for there). Otherwise, this is a very intriguing concept.
That's it for tonight. Keep the questions coming if people have any. It's helping me flesh out the Campaign Submission Requirements. Waiting for that. The info provided thus far is awesome, and incredibly intriguing. If I may suggest, given the massive draw you're generating here, it'd be best to come up with a specific, efficient & encompassing system to process submissions for after you close recruitment & begin sifting through the torrent of applications. Maybe a tiered process with various key points for each level, to more quickly weed out the obvious denials, rather than pouring over every single character submission. I don't envy the task you're setting for yourself here, but I'm clearly not alone in my enthusiasm for your will to manage it. Motivation-Grams:
Yeah, that's some stiff competition. Thanks Leid. Hiram nailed it on Asuras' relation to the Devils, and the possibility of their progeny finding a way into Cheliax. Characters will have secrets. Having your blood secretly tainted (by any of the types) would be an interesting one. This is why I went with an overt, sense motive-heavy position for Martisan & her fiendish traits. I love playing characters with hidden origins & secret sources of power, but Chelaxians are known for their "secret" ties to Hell (I actually expected more applicants to go a route similar to Arachnofiend), & with the group's duties likely calling for them to sniff out others' secrets in the name of the Queen, I figured an honest character whose monstrous nature & depth of loyalty are both evident would be a sort of stabilizing point in the party. Not as the group's leader, but as that character's go-to enforcer. She is very much the brutish muscle. "Can we trust this noble?"
Not that there aren't characters who would be equally good (or better) at interrogation, but I intend for Martisan's motives to be unquestionable. Rather, if questioned, her loyalty will thereafter be undeniable. She would also put an end to any hidden operatives within the party itself that are working against the group. Not that I expect such from the players, but I imagine House Thrune would be wary of the possibility. Everyone does have their secrets (Martisan's being her controlled urges), so a character who can otherwise be taken at face value is, for me at least, something fresh.
All finished up! :)
Martisan Vordren
Crunch:
-------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 17; Touch 16; Flat-Footed 15; (+4 Monk, +2 Dex, +1 Natural) CMD 19 HP 12 (1d10+2) Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +4 (+2 vs sleep & paralysis) Resist Fire 5 Spell Resistance 11 --------------------
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Background:
Martisan was picked up as a child by a military patrol somewhere East of the Whisperwood; her earliest memories are riding in a wagon with dozens of other children. The patrol dropped her at the nearest monastery along their route, along with the other orphans and a number of refugees, to the care of the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes. As with the other children, Martisan was raised into the Church of Asmodeus, and, showing the promise of a select few, began her training as a warrior monk among the Sisters.
Early into her training, while she was yet a girl, Martisan began showing signs of her Infernal ancestry. Possibly in response to the harsh structure and challenging stimuli of her monastic training, Martisan’s skin thickened and grew scaly; her eyes grew an unsettlingly bright yellow in hue, and the nubs of two horns could be seen poking out from the crown of her head. The young girl was talked about throughout the compound, and tales of the monastery’s twisted half-breed demon were soon being whispered in nearby villages. After much discussion, the leading Sisters determined that the abomination would not be summarily killed, but instead pushed harder – Martisan was put through rigors that a Human girl her age would likely not survive, and was given lesson upon painfully unforgettable lesson in Asmodean Law. Here is a powerful tool to be sculpted to the will of the Prince of Devils. Truly, The Sisters underestimated the power of Martisan’s evil taint. Tormented nightly by strange nightmares in which she gleefully, indiscriminately ends life after life, Martisan channeled the purely destructive urges from her Asura ancestor into each day’s challenges. As she grew, and added hatred from each person she met to the daily rigors of life at the monastery, so grew her disdain for the world and its inhabitants. Never too bright, yet surprisingly discerning, the Faultspawn Tiefling learned to temper her passions with the teachings of Asmodeus. There are few living creatures Martisan has met that she has not wished to destroy, but the discipline of The Sisters and the strictures of her religion have given her the strength to suppress her Infernal urges. When Queen Abrogail II’s call for Chelaxian heroes reached the monastery, The Sisters saw it as an opportunity to put their unloved, prize pupil to the work she was made for: fighting for the power and glory of Cheliax, House Thrune, and the Lord of Hell. Appearance & Personality:
Height: 5’8” (6’2” with horns); Weight: 156 lbs
With her large yellow eyes, greenish scaly hide, and a pair of short, curved horns, Martisan’s inhuman visage often strikes fear into the hearts of those unaccustomed to the dark beasts that lurk throughout Golarion. Yet, despite her obviously fiendish traits, Martisan is an undeniably beautiful woman, and her powerful presence is equally attractive to those with an affinity for such strange creatures. The light load she carries and her loose-fitting black and red robes designate Martisan as an advanced acolyte of the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes, and an iron pentagram hangs from a chain at her neck. Her only apparent weapons are the wooden spear she uses as a makeshift walking stick, three similar spears strapped to her back, and a pouch of shurikens that clinks lightly at her belt. She is well-muscled, and moves with measured grace - those blessed enough to watch Martisan in combat quickly learn that The Sisters train their entire bodies into a single, integrated weapon. ---------------------- A cruel result of her Asura ancestry, Martisan is driven by the ever-present, whispering urge to destroy all the gods’ mortal creations. Yet, through the dull-witted girl’s indoctrination into the Church of Asmodeus, she sees these desires for the sinfully chaotic impulses they are, and (unable to simply ignore them) strives to direct her urges toward productive ends for The Church and its Chelaxian constituents. She has particularly focused this penchant for destruction toward Hell's eternal enemies in the Abyss; the chaotic demons. Martisan is intellectually slower than most, and has faced little else but hatred from others since the day her Infernal heritage became known. As such, she resorted to bullying the other children at the monastery, and became particularly adept at picking up social cues and the secrets of others in order to stay ahead. Though she doesn’t have the aptitude for any true academic pursuits, Martisan is incredibly intuitive, and has a passion for religious studies as she expands her awareness of the world. Before being sent away from the monastery in Isger to heed Queen Abrogail II’s call, even the leading Sisters would begrudgingly come to Martisan for her surprising insight and wisdom. Some things to note:
I traded Acrobatics for K:Religion just to round her out a bit more (a negative Int mod makes the knowledge skill useless in any practical sense, but having the rank adds flavor, and acrobatics can at least be attempted untrained). I'll be toning back the overt aggression from her genetic destructive urges (not quite so many threats within the party), but the conflict between that and her monastic upbringing remains a key point for the character. I made a direct, OOC reference in her background to the village of Senara in the Whisperwood as her birthplace, as opposed to the implied reference in the previous background. I also discovered there is a resident Green Dragon in the forest as well, which ties nicely into my ultimate goals for the character. It might actually give the whole character concept more synergy thematically than what she'll get from the class mechanics (which is really just a hodgepodge of useful powers/abilities - idk what I'm doing with this multiclassing business; I just think the combo feels cool). Martisan Vordren (HotLanta): Since she only now came to Cheliax and Baolus almost never left, it really makes no sense for them to have met before. Word. Appreciate the mention though :) Lots of people gunning for the spots happen to be tieflings. Given that they're not the most popular lot in Cheliax, I do wonder the odds that multiple tieflings will be picked. I do think we've rather squeezed ourselves into a smaller pool. This is very true. I'm sorry to have crowded in on you in this area, but I'd never made a Tiefling before, and once the concept started coming together for me it was hard not to run with it. This probably extends a bit to all non-core race applicants, though - the general sense I get is that the less "normal" a character is by Chellish standards, the harder a sell it'll be to get in. Still, despite the shared race, our characters are very different, and would each add to the party in unique ways if we're both selected. Both our characters have motivations derived in some way from being outcasts, but Edmund is looking to prove himself in the face of that adversity and achieve a position of honor, while Martisan has virtually accepted her place as an outcast, and seeks to simply control her vile tendencies. As with all the other submissions, both those motivations are, of course, framed & promoted by the overarching desire to support & strengthen Cheliax. Martisan would probably press Edmund to get a sense of his world view, and she'd likely either distance herself out of jealousy or creepily stalk him over the apparent ease with which he handles his devil-blood, depending how their interactions go. Also, for what it's worth, Cheliax's Hellish proclivity probably makes Tieflings more prevalent here than most other nations in Golarion. & like you said, what better way to get involved in the devil aspect of things than to just jump in all the way (I had considered a wiz/sorc going diabolist, but casters are kinda hard for me, & binding is def too much). There's a lot of cool character concepts here, & the campaign's political/religious bent seems like it'll provide a really good backdrop for some awesome interactions both within the party & with NPCs. The four settled players & whomever gets picked will likely have a lot of fun with this one.
No, she's a Tiefling. I posted her stats & backstory in spoilers earlier. Don't want to make an alias yet unless it's required for the submission or she gets picked for the game. I just gave a quick description of Jeggred there because I referenced him as part of my inspiration for Martisan, then realized that nobody probably knew what the hell I was talking about. If DM Morvius says having Drow for a base race for Tiefling wouldn't change the already strong prejudice against her, I'm fine with having her be a "Drow" Tiefling for the roleplay opportunities there, otherwise her base race would be human. But I honestly think that most folks in the human nations of Cheliax & Isger would try to kill such a creature if they encountered a young Drow Tiefling. I also put in her backstory that her fiendish features didn't show until she'd already started growing up at the monastery for the same reason - it's more likely that a guard patrol would kill a young Tiefling (or Drow) outside some creepy woods than take her to be raised among their human children.
So it would seem. Thank you for enlightening me, honored sister. :) Such is our duty, brother. Be thankful for this lesson's painless delivery - your next is unlikely to be so. Side-note: If one of Abrogail II's Chosen of Cheliax secretly worships a lesser devil, that could be a very interesting plot point to develop within the party. Who finds out? Who do they tell? What favors are necessary to keep your secret? If we're both chosen, you best watch out for Martisan's sense motive ;) Stuff about non-human characters & party ties. I just went with DM Morvius' time-honored "call for heroes" hook. Martisan would be an outsider within the group, as she has been throughout her life, bound to the others only through an overwhelming sense of duty (when frustrated, she will often point out how much better you'd look impaled at the end of her arm, or pulped on her heel). Note on an outsider fitting into the campaign - I developed the essence of the character from a line in the OP: "This is a game about the peace that law brings with it winning out over chaos." Martisan's life exemplifies this sentiment, with the cruel discipline learned from The Sisters giving her a small measure of peace and some semblance of belonging. Again, I'm playing up the strength of her evil outsider urges. Had she not been "saved" by The Sisters, she'd have haunted the Whisperwood through her youth and killed anyone she encountered until someone else killed her. She will provide unsolicited (many times unhelpful) words of wisdom from the Church of Asmodeus, while always resorting to violence to solve problems if left to her own devices. Device... being good at violence is about all she's got. I'd have dropped her Int lower just for roleplay fun if I could afford to lose any skill points.
------------------- Anywho, I'll grab Martisan some traveling gear & pick a third trait shortly; post an updated sheet before the weekend. Edit: I also made Martisan particularly devout in the hopes of stirring up some interesting relationships in the party. I'm certainly not looking to fit her into a group of like-minded individuals, and hope that a bit of ideological head-butting within the party is welcome while they go about about their business for the state.
One possible exception to the rule that comes to mind are the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes, who revere the whore queen Eiseth while still giving prominence to Asmodeus. Is that not worship? Where do you draw the line? The Sisterhood in Isger is a branch of the hidden cult that revered Eiseth. They rebranded themselves from the "Sisterhood of Eiseth" to the "Sisterhood of the Golden Erinyes," which appears to be more than a simple renaming. Their primary goal is no longer "ascension" as erinyes, but the indoctrination of Isger's youth into Asmodean law. There may be some Sisters who still hold to the original convent's dream, but the organization itself now worships Asmodeus, and as such any worship of Eiseth involved in the aspirations of those few would happen in secret. If the original, Eiseth-worshipping monks still operate, they do so separately & distinct from The Sisterhood of the Golden Erinyes. The Sisters have the direct support of the Church of Asmodeus & House Thrune of Cheliax - this wouldn't be the case if they worshipped other devils. There can be reverence without worship. The primary combat style they practice is an adaptation of another devil's prowess in battle. In this way they certainly revere barbed devils through the practice of Hamatulatsu, but that's not to say they worship them. You are certainly allowed to respect, admire, and even emulate the power & wonder of Hell's various denizens, but you cannot openly worship or pay homage to any but Asmodeus.
Alright! looks like the Underdark team all checked in to the other party's recruitment thread here. Good deal lol. I don't think GM TPK has made a thread for our game yet, Dan. @Grani - what Felstad said, but with less timidity - GM TPK allowed us the better of 2 roll-sets for ability scores. If neither of those are favorable, you have the option of a 20 point buy. You're asking for a reroll, but there's already a recourse in place for your situation. That was explicitly stated in the first post. I understand it may not hurt to ask at this point, but at least finish building your character with a 20 point buy so we can start once TPK gets things set up. If he does allow you a reroll, and it happens to be more favorable, you can simply replace the ability scores and onward we go.
Also, alignment is LE. Copy-paste mistake.
Martisan Vordren
Crunch:
-------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 17; Touch 16; Flat-Footed 15; (+4 Monk, +2 Dex, +1 Nat AC) CMD 19 HP 12 (1d10+2) Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +4 Resist Electricity 5 Spell Resistance 11 --------------------
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Background:
Martisan was picked up as a child by a military patrol somewhere East of the Whisperwood; her earliest memories are riding in a wagon with dozens of other children. The patrol dropped her at the nearest monastery along their route, along a number of other orphans and refugees, to the care of the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes. As with the other children, she was raised into the Church of Asmodeus, and, showing the promise of a select few, began her training as warrior monk among the Sisters.
Early into her training, while she was yet a girl, Martisan began showing signs of her Infernal ancestry. Possibly in response to the harsh structure and challenging stimuli of her monastic training, Martisan’s skin thickened and grew scaly; her eyes grew an unsettlingly bright yellow in hue, and the nubs of two horns could be seen along the crown of her head. The young girl was talked about throughout the compound, and tales of the monastery’s twisted half-breed demon were soon being whispered in nearby villages. After much discussion, the leading Sisters determined that the abomination would not be summarily killed, but instead pushed harder – Martisan was put through rigors that a Human girl her age would likely not survive, and was given lesson upon painfully unforgettable lesson in Asmodean Law. Here is a powerful tool to be sculpted to the will of the Prince of Devils. Truly, The Sisters underestimated the power of Martisan’s evil taint. Tormented nightly by strange nightmares in which she gleefully, indiscriminately ends life after life, Martisan channeled the purely destructive urges from her Asura ancestor into each day’s challenges. As she grew, and added hatred from each person she met to the daily rigors of life at the monastery, so grew her disdain for the world and its inhabitants. Never too bright, yet surprisingly discerning, the Faultspawn Tiefling learned to temper her passions with the teachings of Asmodeus. There are few living creatures Martisan has met that she has not wished to destroy, but the discipline of The Sisters and the strictures of her religion have given her the strength to suppress such urges. When Queen Abrogail II’s call for Chellish heroes reached the monastery, The Sisters saw it as an opportunity to put their unloved, prize pupil to the work she was made for: fighting for the power and glory of Cheliax, House Thrune, and the Lord of Hell. I need to pick a third trait & figure out gear yet. Asmodean Demon Hunter is her Chellish trait. The idea is that Martisan is strongly driven to wanton evil & destruction by her Asura-Spawn heritage, which she has learned to channel through her training as a Sister of the Golden Erinyes to benefit the Church of Asmodeus (and constituents). She would fill the apparent melee gap in the current team. She'll appear mostly as the "silent stern type," except in battle, when she gleefully turns her body into a beautiful tool of destruction (more art than savagery), and on the rare occasion when her Infernal insight is called on. EDIT: I should note, if allowed, I'd like to dip a level or three in Crossblooded Sorcerer (Infernal & Draconic bloodlines), and go Dragon Disciple. Doesn't matter for a few levels in any case, but if that's not favorable I'm fine going straight monk (either way grabbing the Hamatulatsu feats & focusing a bit on grappling & other combat maneuvers).
Mahorfeus, Bro... you're making the same character as me? Make something different so you're not mutually exclusive with another applicant before you even assign ability scores. 2 spots is competitive enough without people submitting (barely) different versions of the same concept. I'm gonna make her a Tiefling (Faultspawn) Unchained Monk. Rolling for variant abilities per Fiendish Heritage feat.
Ooh 33 & 41 are Dr 2/silver and SR 10 + 1/2 HD, respectively. Nice. Gotta go with the SR. I've got a nice story brewing that addresses the uncommon race in flavorful fashion, and also details her inclusion in Abrogail II's recent call for heroes. Leaving work in a minute, I'll put some stuff up tonight after I get home.
Dot. I like the driving nationalism. Prevalent campaign themes make everything feel cooler. Thinking a young Sister of the Golden Erinyes. Unchained classes cool? She'd be a monk, of course, LE in alignment, probably Human. Definitely pick up the Hamatulatsu feat chain. I'm gonna take a look at race/class options & see about bringing her to life.
Sure thing. I'm hoping it will help the GM enough to maybe expedite what seems like an otherwise slow recruitment. There definitely was more interest in Death of a God, but most of the (semi)complete submissions are for the Underdark campaign. --------------- Here's the completed crunch & backstory for Sindie. As indicated, this story has her starting in the Underdark. I have another backstory with her starting in Qadira, if the campaign begins on the surface. I must say Pathfinder's "Darklands" pales in comparison to D&D's culturally expansive Underdark, particularly where the Drow are concerned. Le Sigh. I tried to tie her into your story, Daniel Stewart; as you can see I have her starting in the same city. There's obvious difficulties there, but I did include a hook in Sindie's backstory for anyone looking to start in the underdark that would like to have a connected backstory (Drow or otherwise). If you're looking to make an escape from the city, or something similar, she's the perfect ally (unlike a Drow Escape Artist, the only thing Sinde'Sithuan would get from turning in a potential accomplice is the axe or the lash). Otherwise, feel free to create whatever tie-ins you like. --------------- Sinde'Sithuan
Crunch:
-------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 17; Touch 14; Flat-Footed 13; (+3 Armor, +4 Dex) CMD 14 HP 10 (1d8+2) Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +2 (+1 vs Poison) --------------------
Bard (Archaeologist) Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +4):
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Life in the Underdark: Despite the wondrous magic and vast riches that abound in Drow society, there are few treasures to be found in the slave-ridden underbelly of their subterranean cities. Yet, what scant items of value there are to be had in the slums of Erelhei-Cinlu, the ever-fortunate Sinde’Sithuan has, or knows how to acquire.
Born in these slums, the serpentine woman has made a life using her natural talents for stealth, charm, and subtlety to evade the wrath of those stronger than her, while taking what she can from those weaker and less observant. The mundane arms and armor she’s acquired are a vast treasure to the unfortunate souls of the slum district, and her continued “freedom” among society's lowest caste make her well-sought by those denizens in need of the escape artist’s skills. Sinde’Sithuan herself has taken an interest in the ancient histories of Golarion’s early civilizations, particularly the once-powerful Serpentfolk, whom she sees as distant kin. She scrounges what knowledge she can about these long-dead societies, and desires to seek out any remaining relics left behind by their cultures, in the hopes of learning more of their ancient wisdom and vast power. With a life envied by many of her slave-race neighbors, yet valued less by their Drow masters than the subterranean fungi they eat, Sinde’Sithuan balances each day on the edge of a razor. Dealing with the slums' residents is a constant battle for survival, and she grows tired of evading the Drow's regular raids, where more slaves are killed than captured to restock the Noble Houses’ pens. The amateur archaeologist knows it won’t be long before her skillful maneuvers and magical luck are not enough to keep her alive in her dirty little corner of the deadly Underdark.
Alright folks; it would seem we really could use some clarification, as it looks like people started coordinating backgrounds for characters that applied for different campaigns. Here's a breakdown, in no particular order: Underdark Campaign:
Death of a God Campaign:
Unspecified:
I only included those submissions that are noticeably complete. I tried my best with role descriptions, I apologize if I missed anyone or failed to do your intended role justice.
Sounds great guys. Always welcoming more players. A lot of interest,but not many submissions yet. They're not all complete, but there's definitely more submissions now (almost enough complete to field the Underdark party). When's your deadline, GM TPK? Stat Block 1:
13
15 13 14 15 16 Stat Block 2:
11
14 9 16 16 11 Well that first one's just swell; let's go with that! Gonna pour over race/class combinations and pop back in with more later.
Terribly sad I missed this; such a grungy, fast-paced, role-play heavy game is what I first came to PbP for. Ah well.
Not sure if it's worth noting, given the number of applicants and my own lack of character details, but I'm backing out. Have fun folks!
Probably going original monk for flowing archetype/druid. I know it well enough already, & it's simple. Wyvaran Sinde. I don't know if this has been answered, if I missed it, I apologize, but how long will recruitment be open?
You know, I'm not even going to bother. Whatever floats your boat, man. Lawl Dot. Thinking Wyvaran Ancient Guardian Druid/Unchained Monk. Local Shaman determined to finally drive society's technological menace from my land. Question: How do overlapping creature type & class features work? From what I've read, it appears class HD typically override racial/creature type HD. But what about saves, BAB, etc? It seems to go against reason that a creature that has learned the skills of a specific class would lose it's genetic features in favor of (less favorable) class features. This would be particularly true of HD, as a measure of a creature's vitality (the giant becoming a sickly being because he tapped his inherent magic & classed into sorcerer just doesn't seem right). It also seems more permissible to follow the "best applicable option" rule in a gestalt game, where that's already the rule of thumb when determining which class features apply.
This is Khazia. After a bit of preliminary research Oracle/Barbarian is a more synergistic way to go; prestige-ing into Rage Prophet. Barbarians are straightforward enough, but this is the first time I've actually looked at the Oracle class. Currently perusing feat chains, archetypes, etc for both classes. I'll put together a backstory & something crunchy tonight after I have a handle on the character.
I am very interested; you seem to have a fairly well-thought out world here, kudos. I'm unfamiliar with the various alternate systems you listed (from Unchained & Ultimate Combat), so I'll need to read up on that. I also have no familiarity whatsoever with Hero Labs (It's a system of some sort... that tracks campaigns?). I'd like to make a Female Human Unchained Rogue (Pet Trainer Archetype) for this campaign world. All of the following is a nebulous concept for the character, so please bear with me as I fine-tune everything closer to quantifiable crunchiness. The idea is for her to have been abandoned in the wilderness as a child (looking into traits for this), where she survived by developing a strong affinity with animals. Now, grown and residing in Mosval, she works as an animal trainer, raising horses, dogs, birds, etc. for residents' various needs (aided by her primary animal companion, TBD, who also assists her when the townsfolk call on 'adventurers' for aid). EDIT: Just realized the Pet Trainer archetype I'm so geeked about is 3rd party. I'll put the character together without that and see if there's any other way you might be willing to let me bump up my companion's level progression after I cement some ideas. Rambling Request on 3rd Party Archetype:
I understand you may not have the Pet Trainer archetype, and am hoping you might compromise on a point or two here. The primary benefit of the archetype is trading trapfinder/trapsense for an animal companion that progresses with levels in rogue=druid. The only other means of gaining an animal companion is to take the Animal Ally feat, which gives you a companion at effective druid level=character level -3. Clearly a worse alternative, if one wants their companion to be a significant feature of their character. There's always a class that receives an animal companion, but that's not the idea behind this character - she is connected through her upbringing to animals, but doesn't particularly revere nature, as a ranger or druid, & is a far cry from a crusading cavalier. Thoughts/questions/suggestions, Ouroboros? @Roonfizzle: Interesting to see you've added that letter of introduction from a noble to your standard application ;)
Dot. Seems there are more open player spots, then? Korak's a very active & thorough GM (although I think he might enjoy Killing PCs..? o.O), and if he or another GM picks up the campaign I'd love to get my seafaring druid into a game (for which I believe S&S would fit very well).
I say this not just to you, but to all applicants: think character, not build or class. We want people who have awesome backstory, personality, and RP. If your build is the first thing that comes to mind, you might want to refocus. I agree, but as an ENTP with a personal difficulty on this point, must play Devil's Advocate: First, I'm falling in love with this character concept (were that it not so!). I've been wanting to create a unique druid for some time, and this dwarven druidic sailor is just that, at least for me. As I attempt to put her together in my usual holistic manner - pouring over maps of Golarion, the Pathfinder Wiki, & the PRD - to craft a character with features that tie into her backstory, and abilities in line with her goals & passions, I'm delighted to see that Paizo has a lot of mechanical support for the character concept. From archetypes to subdomains, making a seafaring druid is apparently something they also thought of and decided to encourage. It is almost all, unfortunately, also from Ultimate Magic or the APG. Even looking past those larger class options, I see that even the spells which would truly make her a seafaring druid are also not Core or ACG. More succinctly: You can make a wizard and say he's a master swordsman, but if you want to play him that way, you better make a damn fighter. The game mechanics are designed to support character concepts, restricting the former will certainly not expand the latter (not to say it necessarily stifles them either). Again, this is not a complaint; just making a point. I'm going to finish putting Divura here together, get the info onto her profile & jump into the IC fray here soon enough.
Alack & Alas I did not finish developing Gyllesha before the cutoff. Have fun folks; don't eat each other too quickly!
Dot for interest
There's a few game shops around here, I'll check them out and see what they have for table-top news. Thanks guys, I'm sure I'll be able to meet some people to play with. I'll just have to be a bit covert so that I can keep this game going for a bit yet (my patience has yet to run its course).
Unfortunately, he provides our group with all of our source material. Books, gaming location, figs, dice, and for all the other players, a basis for the "rules." Obviously some of those things are cheap (and/or free), but to get all of those resources adequately would be a significant investment in both time and money. To add to it, none of us (with the exception of the two GMs) know anybody else that plays (my experience comes from electronic D&D games and old friends).
True Shiz I could understand writing the character in order to creat some interesting conflict within a party that could lead to unique relationships between characters and interesting (and sometimes difficult) dynamics in interactions, but to create a conflict-creating character and then demand a lack of conflict as a standard in the campaign is hypocrisy incarnate.
A better rule would be that if you are larger than the creature grappling you, you can move at half speed. Definitely agree with you there. That's why I didn't really argue against the movement. I didn't know a wyvern's base speed, and it still flying seemed reasonable enough to me that there would be some caveat in the rules for such a case. After reviewing the rules for grapple later, I realized that, with there being no such caveat, even if it's allowed to move at full speed, there's no way that it simply gains control of the grapple to the point that I cannot make anything but a "hold on" check. At this point, I'd opt for leaving this GM, if I had any other group to play with right now. An interesting anecdote about the GM's take on playing Pathfinder: :
Another player in our group is GMing another campaign, with a slightly smaller subset of people from the same group. The current GM is going to play a well-established character of his; a Human Witch that is racist against every other race. The GM of the second campaign won't allow me to play a Half-Orc because of "conflict with the (player's) witch." . . .
These two play with another group they've known for some time, with a GM I don't know. They're complaining about something with that group, and when I ask what, they explain it as: "(The Other GM) keeps allowing players to make characters that he knows my witch won't work with. I don't know why he's acting like this, just creating situations that are going to result in inter-party conflict. Especially with how long we've been friends." This is just after the last session, in which my monk got pooped on for being awesome.
Gotta run for a bit. I'm really grateful for the fast and balanced responses I'm getting. I'm new to pathfinder, and this is an awesome community I'm seeing here.
How did the encounter end. Did the GM have a reason? While I was making grapple checks to not die as the sole action available to me, the ranger/aa hopped on a pegasus he just got (summoned with a figurine), and flew as fast as possible to catch up. I failed my 6th grapple check (wasn't allowed a reflex save or anysuch to use an Immovable Rod I had on my person), and "Falling from 250 ft takes 3 seconds... You fall and take 25d6 damage.... Except wait the ranger is just close enough... He gets 3 perception checks, 3 ride checks and 2 reflex saves to catch you (Oh and you get one reflex save to land on the pegasus too). You both take enough damage to almost kill the two of you and the mount." The End.
Truf privately and politely discuss grappling with your GM I actually hadn't thought of that.... Much better idea than trying to make an appeal before god while all of his other supplicants are watching.
The DM should have had the wyvern attempt to break free using its +16 grapple CMB to take control of the grapple. I was half-expecting to fail the initial check and drop to the floor below, but the potential awesomeness couldn't be denied. I'm almost positive the GM got pissed when everybody started cheering after I did it, and just wanted to "teach me a lesson." So the Wyvern "flies 120 feet up and out of the tower, moving out over the forest." Period. No discussion. F you I'm in charge.
Size should matter eventually between grappler and grapplee. I just don't see it between a large and a (assumed) medium creature. Size grants a +2 bonus to CMB and CMD for grappling, per size category of difference. So that +2 difference doesn't mean a whole lot (medium to large), but +4 can be significant, and +6 means grappling the thing that is four times bigger than you is probably a bad idea.
Definitely not snatch; these were only large size, not huge, and the other two would've been crushing the rest of the party
Taishaku - That's what I was envisioning when I leapt off the stairs (a semi-impressive jump in and of itself). Not so much taming it, but grabbing it and (eventually) beating it to the ground. I just read flyby attack; I don't understand how that would allow it to move while grappled? It reads like Spring Attack to me, but less clear (allowing an attack before and after movement, or just one attack in between movement..?)
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