J Scot Shady's page

I also am good with things. And Chishik would likely wander at times around Absalom. Especially if prompted by Stari.

@GM Drake

I am experienced with 2E from the other side of the screen but limited as a player. And Thaumaturge is not a class I have played before. With that said though, yeah, I was already considering Tome. It is the perfect implement for the character concept.

I also should clarify one thing. I didn't mean all combat, I was specifically referring to thaumaturge being more focused on "weapon" combat more. Strikes vs. Spells mostly. But looking into it more, while I still feel that the build isn't perfect, it is more like what I was envisioning. Using Recall Knowledge (and similar information based things) to help in fighting monsters.

Also, the idea of the focus was specifically monsters, and that is entirely what thaumaturge does. Bard is very similar, but less focused.

As for secondary implements, I was thinking wand for the second one but not sold on that. There is time to see what works for the build as well as what works for the group.

I should have the build posted later tonight. My brain was a little fried last night. Being sick and living in my office (to keep from catching Covid from my wife), I got burned out. I have a lot of the details down, just need to type them up.

The more I look at it, the more it does seem to work out better with Thaumaturge as the main, and keeping Pathfinder Agent into Scrollmaster for the FA. Scrollmaster doesn't really have much to do with scrolls, so I won't likely go down that road. I likely will take Trick Magic Item as a feat at some point but not at first level obviously. Still working on it though, for now.

@GM Drake and @Lia

So, now I am rethinking things a bit. Thaumeturge fits the idea but is a little more personally combat oriented than I was thinking, but I think I might be able to work with it a little more and see. I'll see what I can present tonight.

To the group, something you want to start to consider is healing, both in and out of combat.

You have very limited healing options at this point. That is not a bad thing! But you will need to start considering your plans for how you'll work around it.

I want to emphasize I am not saying 'OMG, someone must be a cleric' or 'You all need to get medicine.' What I am saying is during this session 0, which will hopefully move to session 1 within a week, that some chatter and planning around this happens.

So, there is some wiggle room in the build for Chishik and if we feel it is needed, I could take Hymn of Healing at level 2. And I could take the Soothe spell instead of Runic Weapon.

I could also rebalance things a little and take medicine for a little more out of combat healing, but it will never be that great unless I refocus on it more.

Wang won't really have the action economy for poisoning his weapons. What I'd appreciate is a steady supply of Silvertongue Mutagens and Bravo Brews. Theatrical Mutagon might also be useful, but probably at higher tiers.

I had been entertaining the idea of taking Alchemical Crafting myself to make them on my own before we snagged ourselves an alchemist. On the other hand, I could take Magical Crafting if there will be significant periods of downtime to merit the feat expenditure. Alchemical Crafting is easier to justify.

I was more intending that people could start with their weapon poisoned to add a bit to the first attack. The poison should remain as long as it's one of the infused or crafted ones (not really if it's made with quick alchemy).

I was also planning on taking magical crafting at level 6, but alchemical will be the main focus I think. Especially since I am taking specialty crafting at level 2.

I have worked out some of the backstory now, but while working on it I have found a few things didn't fit mechanically with the story.

The main change was the Occult Librarian background. The name fit, but it seemed more fitting for someone focused on cults and not on creatures. Then it dawned on me, that I didn't look at anything related to the Society. I found the Pathfinder Hopeful background.

So I switched that, and rebalanced some skills because of it. Also, now he has Additional Lore as his skill feat. This meant I had to figure out what lore to take. I settled on Serpent lore for now. It seemed fitting since bird and snakes are often seen as enemies (they do often predate each other). Add that with the Ghol-gan empire being opposed to the Serpentfolk empires, it seemed kind of fitting. And maybe, it will inspire Lia in some ways.

So, still working on the story and will add more later tonight or tomorrow.

Dobu, you are aware that Sure Strike is a once-per-10-minute spell now, right? You probably are, but I want to make sure in advance just to prevent any surprises later.

Thanks. I wasn't aware but I also didn't choose that spell. It came automatically with the muse.

Ok, will be back in the morning with the selected players. Thanks everyone for applying - I will have to make some hard decisions.

I don't envy the decisions on this one. Good luck to everyone.

@J Scot Shady:

From write-up for Ushinawa Isles from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Isles of the Shackles: "A surprising number of tengus for whom the seagoing life has lost its allure have also retired to these islands, typically tending shops and taverns or working the docks."

Would you like your tengu to be from there as well with our characters having grown up together and (when your tengu was old enough to apply for Pathfinder training at the Grand Lodge) traveled from there to Absalom? Your tengu could have been studying at the Pathfinder Society's Grand Lodge while the summoner continued on to Iblydos.

This could definitely work. I was already looking down the line of him being from Tian Xia at birth and coming to Absalom with family. Likely could have a stop in the Shackles, and have the family be part of the sailors who found the settlement. Obviously not his parents (he's not that old) but sometime the 200 or so years.

Interestingly enough, given the connection you were establishing with a "dragon" I was figuring my nephilim heritage actually comes from an ancient imperial dragon (as they are connected to the Celestial Court). Explains the distortion in appearance to be more like a predatory bird (dragons being ultimate predators). I wasn't thinking it would be the same dragon nor was I intending this to be a presence in the characters story, just it explains his backstory and provides a connection to you.

Secre-tengu? :P

I truly forget what I was looking for when I came across that one. I need to look up the artist again to give them credit. But I saw it and immediately loved it.

But I feel this is the perfect image for a nephilim tengu.

So, starting Absalom works. Given that, unless there is a conflict in the group, I was think of making him a member of the Pathfinder Society. The Scrollmaster archetype fits well and his thirst for knowledge fits as well. Yeah, he is either naive of or ignoring all the issues in the group's history, he just wants to learn.

Here is the image that inspired this character.

Tengu Bard

Without a feat to modify it, using Intimidate to demoralize an enemy is a standard action.

Hilde is correct here, keep it in mind for the future. Still, the threat will work to end combat, not necessarily to mechanically Demoralize.

Ranhild tries to end the combat as the remaining thug flees, but the heavy hammer falls just after the thug is away. Ranhild charges after them and brings them to the ground with a mighty swing. The thug rolls onto his back, conscious but hurt. They drop their blade as they cry out. ”I give up. Please don’t kill me.”

The battle is winding down. Most of the thugs remain unconscious, only one having died. Omast also remains unconscious. Or perhaps he is sleeping, it is unclear. The party can now dress their wounds and question the thug.

Combat has now ended. We can continue with RP from here. I will present loot below in spoiler. It requires some kind of alchemical knowledge to figure out the two unknown things. And last, I need to set up a loot sheet. I should have that done tomorrow night.

OK< now to chime in on the rest.

All of the options are great and I feel like they are workable. And I also 100% agree with the themes that people wish to be left out. I have nothing else to add to those personally, but I respect those requests.

As for Ancestral Paragon, I have only seen it once and that was very short lived. I have never used it as a GM but I am interested in seeing it out more. Count me in as a yes for it.

Obviously, I also give a thumbs up to the Free Archetype. And I get your concerns about the restrictions and the removing of them. I don't want to derail the thread here but perhaps I can explain it at a later date better. Needless to say, I respect the decision 100%. (Also, as I mentioned, my concept has no need for multiple archetypes as of now.)

Speaking of the concept, the idea I have is for basically a bookworm bard. He is a Nephilim Tengu Enigma Bard. He's a monster nerd basically who focuses on what he knows about the various monsters he's encountering, and making notes on things he learns. I plan on sharing a document I make of all his notes (a simple doctored up word file basically) as an in character prop of sorts.

Mechanically, he's likely a good support. Might have some healing, definitely some magic, but other than that not much weapon attachs. A lot of his strength will come from making recall knowledge checks I hope. This isn't set in stone as I haven't done anything to actually fill it out, but it's a character I am excited for.

FA is a good system. It allows for more character flexibility, and that is good, but it takes that hard decision-making and tosses it out the window. On top of that, many players use it just for Multi-class dedications, or one of a select few Core rulebook ones (Blessed One, Medic, Sentinel, Wrestler, etc).

I am working, so I will need to post more later, but I wanted to chime in on this one first. I also am a fan of FA and I have often used it with and without limits. One limit I have used is just multiclass but I have never thought of limiting the opposite. I am intrigued but the concept and I hadn't considered it.

I will present one other thing that I have found limiting when adding these restrictions, and that is the limit of taking additional dedication feats. I have said that if someone wants to use their class levels to take a second dedication, that restriction is waved. As I said, I've never limited to non-multiclass, so that may not be an issue at all (and to be honest, it's usually not an issue anyways). Just my two cents. Nothing in my concepts should present a problem either way.

Perhaps in line with the exploration an unusual Aiudara (Elf Gate) has been uncovered, and some organization is looking for groups to see where it goes. Or perhaps an individual... or even a member of this group finds this gate. This one could have some subtle differences from the others known at this time... and may not be the only aberrant Aiudara.

Where do these gates go... and what lies on the other side? What strange items or artifacts are associated with these gates? Who built them and why?

Building on this a bit. What if some kind of fiendish cult found a gate in one of these out of the way areas and were working towards corrupting it to bring some kind of apocalypse to Golarion. I’m partial to daemons right now and plan to work an idea I had into one of my own campaigns, but I feel any of them would work well. This would be “big arc” level stuff I feel, and not the initial point. It also could build off some of the story beats from other APs involving the portals.

I'm in favor of a "Good" aligned group... though one of the things I like about PF2e is the elimination of alignment. I would think as a group we could come up with Edicts and Anathemas that fit what we're trying to accomplish.

As for organizations, I feel leaning into a more “good” or “neutral” aligned one would be better. Depending on the character idea, I feel both Aspis and Hellknights could work. I will also point out as a patron organization, the Lion Blades could be a very interesting concept. I’m about to finish a War for the Crown campaign and I’ve had some interesting connections develop there. Just don’t drink the tea!

I'm more than ok with us being a good-aligned group, personally. I usually require "No Evil Characters" when I DM.

With limited exceptions, I tend to avoid “evil” characters in general for PCs. I prefer my fantasies to be more traditionally heroic than villainous. So far, most of my ideas have been “good” or at least opposed to “evil” in theory. And speaking of ideas, I have an idea for a bard or thaumaturge that is basically a book worm/”naturalist” who wants to learn about all the monsters and constantly makes notes. I’d have questions for Lia about how she plans to handle recall knowledge checks for this build.

I haven't thought of much in the way of big arcs but one thought just struck me. A "borderlands" area with LOTS of unexplored places? Sounds like the Darklands to me. While I don't necessarily think it's a good idea to start the game exploring the darklands, as I agree with DoctorEvil that small scale works best for the first few levels. Perhaps lost village or town is discovered, a small location to be explored and studied, but it becomes more and more clear the party isn't necessarily alone. And after the first mystery is solved it leads the party to a newly discovered entrance to the Darklands.

While typing this out, it struck me with an idea about what could be the big plot. Deep in the ground a egg is found. Maybe large (like massive, so what is inside is massive) or maybe small (but not like chicken egg small, like large flightless bird large egg). One of the many Darkland societies has a legend about the egg and it's hatching.

Also, sorry, this is how my ideas sometime come. As I type things dawn on me and I put them down for later. Since this is a group thing, maybe something here will spark something in someone else.

Question for Lia: Is there anything that you specifically DON'T want to play or use? Species you would rather not see as characters, or storylines you dislike or are bored with seeing?

Lia, I definite feel this is an important question? While the sandbox idea is a great one, it is also important that we all consider your views as well. A GM should never have to run a game they won't enjoy.

Odd thought, not related to anything listed above: Does Pathfinder have anything akin to Spell Jammer? (Not counting Starfinder, by the way. Fantasy spellships rather than tech stuff is what I'm asking about)

I know there are the portals, but has there been anything official about non-sci-fi ships? Travelling via the portals could be a fun element of a game.

Thank you for the invite Lia, I appreciate the chance to give this a go.

Exploration of a newly opened (or found) location could be an interesting time. Both northern and southern edges of the map could be a lot of fun to explore. The idea I had originally had, a kholo wizard, would fit better in the south but ironically, kholo have been found near Sandpoint according to at least one source. Personally, I have love of the Varisian area and I know there are a bunch of ruins there but it is more populace than the other extremes. Both Hollow Mountain and Viperwall have potential.

A lost village or city in the Mwangi could also be a great location to look into. Possibly previously discovered but the old manuscript showing it’s location was lost for years, and just now rediscovered by some organization. Within the jungle there have been so many threats it would be hard to say if it was wiped out by demons or what. Perhaps the explorer who wrote the manuscript dies from some unknown curse (or it was made to look like a curse). Sorry, just building on the previous idea.

I also want to put it to the group about if we want to be members of an actual organization. The Pathfinders first come to mind since it is starting in Absalom. The Aspis as well (could be fun being the darker side of that coin). A few others I think would be fitting as patron organizations (not necessarily with all PCs being actual members) are Aldori Swordlords, Cyphermages, and the Lantern Bearers.

Last, while the idea I have had for a kholo wizard, that is just a rough thought at this point. I like the idea but haven’t invested much more into it at this point. I definitely could come up with something else.

Huzzah! Congrats to everyone!

Seconded! I look forward to this.

While I greatly enjoy the possibility of "city-building" a la Kingmaker, watching a small, scrappy town grow into a prosperous city because you're making the land safe, I have no actual experience with that style of play, and understand that it's a big ask for any potential GM. Besides, such a style of play would necessitate staying in one place for a long time, perhaps the whole campaign, and that seems antithetical to the kind of game GM-Lia wishes to run.

I agree with you that the "sit in one place" campaign doesn't feel right in this concept. I was mentioning it more for the Hex-ploration aspect of that AP. That concept also is done well in Mummy's Mask. Personally, I am open to a lot of different things.

Above NotEspi mentioned "planes" and it has been running around in my head since. I have a concept for a "conjurer" that would be interested in exploring planar travel. Not necessarily actually travelling (though that would be cool) but a wizard/conjurer who wishes to learn about the planes and how they impact each other. And the magical theory around planar travel and summoning.

It's at the early stages, but I think there is some potential here.

Whether we all end up playing together or not, howsabout we turn this thread into a conversation to get to know one another while we await decisions from our GM Hostess, eh?

While I think this is a good idea, I'd rather see what Lia thinks on this before posting too much more. Don't want to bury her in posts if she's not cool with it. But, whether it is done here and now or after selection, this is exactly the thing this group should do.

I am not sure if GM-Lia intended for those submitting to answer the questions we each proposed, but following the example of Drake, here are mine.

Some of these were easy to express as they are things I tend to think about anyways. Others though were a fresh way to look at things. Thanks for the opportunity.

1) What draws you to this game, with all of its potential pitfalls, in particular?
In general I am looking to get a chance to play (as opposed to GMing) more PF2E and as my friends and I get older, life has just gotten too complicated. PBP kind of solves a lot of the problems with that. For this specific game concept, I have recently had a chance to try my hands at a similar idea. It crashed, but it helped me realize that I need to reevaluate how I approach 2E games. And with this game I am hoping to see more examples to improve my own skills (as a player and as a GM).

2) Do you feel that you will have the time and energy to come up with hooks for the group?
I feel I should have the energy, and lately I am focusing on taking the time to engage with games a little more. Depending on the timing and formats used to communicate, I can easily engage with the others in the group.

3) Do you feel that you will be able to eagerly engage with others' hooks if yours is not the one that the group chooses to change at any given time?
Some of the greatest stories follow the “quest” of one character, with the others helping their friends achieve their goals. As long as the story allows each character to shine within the story and focus does not always fall to the “chosen one”, then it is a matter of working out the relationship to the group rather than worrying about if MY story is what is focused on.

4) What are the characteristics you think make a good PBP partner, whether DM/GM or PC? What do you do to encourage these characteristics in others?
Not to repeat the obvious, but consistency is high on the list. A similar outlook or goal is probably the number one thing to look for. I prefer a group that tries to work together, understanding that every character should support the others at times, and with a GM you can trust to challenge the PCs but not try to destroy them. To encourage this I try to make characters that at least have one mechanical ability that is able to help another character shine, a well as developing story elements to connect with most if not all characters in the group. Even if they don’t see eye to eye, I work to make sure the characters can get passed their differences for the greater good.

5) What one question would you ask me, or other players, to determine if they were a good fit with you?
If you were born and raised in the world of Pathfinder, what deity or (deities) would you CHOOSE to worship (or EMBODY for the GM)? And why would you make this choice?
I feel this will give you a glimpse into their personality fairly well. For me, the answer would be a combination of Pharasma, and Desna and Sarenrae. I find life shouldn’t be taken lightly but is not necessarily “sacred”, when it’s time, it’s time. I also worship the sun (think beach bum) and love to wander when I can. Taking walks in the sun recharges me both physically and mentally.

I'd be interested in joining in. I've toyed with true sandbox games before but never been able to play in one.

I may see what I can present in time. Thanks for running, it's one of my all time favorite APs.

Adding my late opinion here, but I have felt conflicted on paid games. Seeing that Paizo is planning on throwing official endorsement of them is slightly troubling to me but as mentioned earlier, by a fellow "old" person, it's their business and their decision.

When I first noticed Paid threads, I was afraid they would take over but that really hasn't happened (in my opinion). Personally, I would never pay a GM to run a game but I am lucky to have a pretty good circle of friends to play with. There is a decent Organized Play community both on the forums and in person near me, so I have options. Some others do not and perhaps this is a solution for them.

I do think one positive of Paid GMs is that it allows people who are great GMs (subjective, I know) to support themselves by doing something they love and for the community to support. I am glad Paizo welcomes them as part of the community, but welcoming and endorse are two very different things. Providing them space and defending their right to participate in the community free from harassment is a good thing.

What is not a good thing is if the product swings to focusing on servicing the paid GMs, or if Paizo begins to model their business towards taking their cut of it. This is what I truly fear this could mean. I acknowledge Paizo is a business first, and I will stand by that. They are free to do what they want with their products, but if the trends leans into paid GMing and pushing the community to pay to play the games, then I will regrettably have to say goodbye to their product lines and move on to another game community.

One more thought on this, regrettably, long post. While I no longer actively participate in the Organized Play system, I feel that it would be a massive failure and an actual barrier to the community for Paizo and their Organized Play to endorse monetary pay to GMs for participation in Organized Play. Individual stores taking minor table fees and even sharing store credit to GMs to encourage patronage is one thing, but for Paizo to actually endorse charging players to pay GMs directly for Society Play games would be a horrible idea and a massive failure on the part of Paizo. That would signal a shift where paying to play this game is the norm, and possibly a step to far for myself.

I think I'd like to submit an evoker "battle priest" of Nethys. A wizard with arcane armor training and possibly going into the Evangelist PrC. I will try to have something submitted in the next day or three. Thanks.

I try to make sure I post at least once per day and tend to on weekends as well.

As for the Discord vs. Forum debate/questions, I am not opposed to Discord but when I was attempting it I found it was less user friendly as opposed to the forums. I admit, it may have been my own issues and biases, and it also might be a lack of experience with the format. If that is the way it would end up going, I may have a few newbie type questions.

One last note, I have always been curious to see the Core concept in action, which is why I am interested in this. Thanks.

I'd be interested in checking this out.

I have a halfling jinx cleric of Pukura going towards Stargazer at level 7. I'll see about posting the build tonight or tomorrow night.

Thank you to everyone who submitted to the recruitment. This was a tough one with a lot to review and consider. I was able to do a bunch of work last night and this morning, and I have come to a decision. Given the number of submissions I liked, I have decided to go with a 6th character and will make adjustments to that end. So, without further delay here is the list of characters I would like to join me in the game.

I don't selection will be completed until Sunday night/Monday morning as the DM has new submission to review and their submissions need the same level of consideration as the ones submitted at the beginning :-)

Lots to consider now. Thank you all for the submissions. I am going to take time today and tomorrow to review the submissions. I should have the group selected no later than Monday night. Here is the final list as I see it.

Characters Submitted

And slipping in at the last minute...

Gefirist Rivenhelm

Unchained classes were not among those allowed. If you want to rework it and resubmit, there is technically still time.

Just about 5 hours to go for submissions. I have to say an impressive 28 active submissions so far. Thank you for that folks. I am hoping to post an final updated list later once the deadline is passed, though it may wait until the morning here depending on if I need to pass out or not.

Coming down to it here folks. Last two days for the submission. Given the volume of submissions and a slight personal hiccup, it may take an extra day or two for me to make my decisions. I hope to have the list by Monday or Tuesday though and then begin getting things started after that. Lots of good options.

Here is the latest summary and a response below. Thanks.

Characters Submitted

A lot of good submissions folks. I am working on gathering more info and my thoughts. A few more days to submit for anyone still thinking about it. Here is the latest. Thanks.

Characters Submitted

Working on a Northstrider clone using bloodrager and dragon disciple. Is bloody knuckled rowdy allowed as an archetype? Looks like it would not be. It is from a Pathfinder Player's Companion and none of those were listed.

Character is done as is if Bloody knuckled rowdy is allowed. If not, then I will adjust to standard bloodrager.

Also, I assume shikigami style is not allowed? Another Player Companion book.

Sorry, those sources were not on the list and I am avoiding allowing things not on the list as special exceptions.

Time for another update. At this point I am sending out some follow up questions to help me decide. These are coming in private messages as they are sometimes specific questions. Keep an eye out in the next week in case.

Characters Submitted

Hey folks, just wanted to post another update here. Lot's of submissions, more than I would have expected. I wish I could take more than the one table worth but I know my limits. So a big thanks to everyone so far and I look forward to seeing more come in.

Characters Submitted

Well, then.

J Scot Shady, kindly add Kahldek back to the list, and I'll get him finished a.s.a.p.

Sorry for any confusion.

No problem. I left it there but crossed out, just in case.

Glad to see people still seem to be putting in more submissions. I think that means people are excited for this one. Here is the updated submissions. Again, if I overlooked something, please let me know. Thanks.

Characters Submitted

Thank you to everyone who has posted since the last update. Here is the current Summary. As before, if I am missing anyone please speak up so I don't overlook anything. I also address a few things below in response to posts.

Characters Submitted

Wondering if there’s anything I need to add for Merdec like appearance and personality or if that’s optional

I won't say it's necessary but personality would be helpful.

I should point out that I'm currently running a Giantslayer campaign. (The party there is early in Book 3.) I think I'll be able to separate player knowledge from character knowledge, though I'll understand if you don't want me to apply because of that.

Not necessarily a deal breaker. If knowing an AP disqualified people from a game here, I'd likely never play. Still, thank you for the heads up.

My Dwarf Synthesist Summoner was posited in jest. For you own benefit, kindly remove it from your list!

No worries. I figured it was an interesting concept.

Add me to that list. Probably a wizard of some sort.

Will do!

Lots of interesting concepts and submissions. Great first day and a half. Looking forward to seeing more. Not looking forward to have to decide between all of them. I am putting a summary below of things so far. If I am missing anyone, sorry, just let me know and I can update the list. Thanks.

Characters Submitted

Wow, first time seeing PAck Lord mentioned. May I ask for the reason for the ban there since this is PbP, and the player can roll the monstrosity that is everything at once?

Fair question, and Mark Thomas has it completely correct. I do understand in PBP it's less problematic but I also have much experience with this aspect from playing a conjurer way back. I understand the draw of these archetypes but I'd rather not deal with that situation.

Just to clarify: no unchained classes?

Correct, no unchained classes.