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I got COVID two weeks ago despite having the vaccine and most of the boosters. I'm posting here to request that Jazlyn's character be taken off the active PC list. Click on the Campaign page, then on the "Edit this Campaign," button. Scroll down to the lists of Players and PCs and uncheck any active buttons for Jazlyn and for Clebsch73. This will make it so the campaign no longer shows up on my campaign list. Thanks. I hope you feel better soon and can resume your campaign.
I have been waiting a long time to play this game, but in the meantime, I've joined other games. Now I'm overextended and need to withdraw from some campaigns that have been mostly inactive. I hope you have fun, but it will have to be without Jazlyn. I'll keep her in reserve for later. Thanks for considering me for the campaign.
Take the time you need. Just please let us know what is happening.
Has this campaign died? Who is still checking for posts?
While Jazlyn prides herself on being unflappable in combat, the creepy nature of this swamp denizan takes her by surprise and unnerves her. Jazlyn immediately twists and tries to break free from the gripping appendage and then adjusts her fighting style, drawing on training to more effectively deal with such a monster.
I'll be out of town this weekend. Next opportunity to post will be Monday.
I'll be on a trip from Friday to Sunday, so not much posting possible from me in that time.
Is the GM waiting on the players for something or are the players waiting on the GM?
Not likely, but just in case of a high d20 roll:
Thanks for the heads up. No rush. RL comes first.
Jazlyn packs her gear carefully, adding supplies she thinks will be helpful. Jazlyn is not a talkative traveling companion, although she speaks when spoken to. She focuses on watching the surroundings for threats and makes mental notes of landmarks passed.
"Caves have water, but it's nothing like what you are familiar with," Jazlyn offers. "Usually there is water flowing through some tunnels and here and there it pools into what might be called a lake. With no direct sunlight, however, the creatures that inhabit the water are likely nothing like those in the ocean. The water is fresh, not salty."
Jazlyn watches the Gripli as intently as he watches her, but says nothing.
"I'm a fighter mainly," Jazlyn says, making a pair of fists as she speaks and holding them up like she is ready to box. "I grew up in a jungle, so I'm used to dealing with the wilderness. I'm a good climber and swimmer, for what it's worth. I've learned a thing or two about underground areas and nature."
Jazlyn is grateful to the group for rescuing her from certain death. When they get back to Dunwich, Jazlyn explains that she had joined another group of adventurers who planned to locate the ingredients for the cure, but they bungled things, got captured, and only she survived long enough to be rescued. She volunteers to join the current team, since they have shown themselves to be more capable.
Jazlyn wants to help, so she shares what she knows about the part of the swamp they'll have to get to and the dangers therein.
I'm ready.
We should at least role-play the interaction with Jazlyn once she returns to consciousness.
Jazlyn your choice but since we are probably hardly ever going to do any Riding in this campaign due to its nature -- I am willing to let you take Survival in place of the Ride skill as one of your Class Skills. I think I already swapped riding and survival as class skills. My character creation notes have survival as a class skill and ride is not. I suspect you already gave me this option during character creation. She also has a full list of background skills.
The unconscious woman has a tattoo of a jaguar on her cheek and another more elaborate one on her sternum. A close look at the cheek tattoo will detect a brand mark, which once marked her as a slave. Her body has a number of scars on her face, neck, arms, torso, and legs. They are not deliberate as is sometimes done by savages in the jungle, but evidently the result of combat or work accidents. Her nose is crooked, likely having been broken a few times.
Just letting you know I'm still here, waiting for an entry point for my character.
Looking forward to it.
Would it be possible to come up with a storyline that puts Jazlyn in the vicinity, teamed up with a few other adventurers, on a hunting trip in the swamp? Perhaps her comrades were killed and she was captured by the goblins and can be rescued by the party? Or maybe she was with another party that Eritha sent out on the same mission earlier. With no word from that first group, Eritha gathered the current group to try their luck. Jazlyn could have been in that earlier group and is all that is left of it, having been attacked by some swamp denizen or another. Or this second group left a few days later but met some tragic fate, with Jazlyn making it to the current location. If that can be arranged, then perhaps Stone can recede, perhaps taking a mortal wound or abandoning the effort. This option seems more organic and does not require rewriting the previous events. I'd rather not RP another character. If that is too much trouble, my second choice would be plan B.
Still here.
Take your time. Holiday season is always subject to RL limitations and posting if often interrupted. Happy holidays.
I've been working on other things while waiting for the gameplay to reach the point where my character can join. I'm fine with the sling rules presented. My only remaining question is whether or not sling stones can use the Masterwork house rules to improve accuracy or damage. Once I have that, I'll finalize my character sheet/profile and will be ready to go.
I've been busy with work, but Jazlyn is essentially ready. I would like to make one more pitch for making slings have a range and damage more in line with what history indicates they are capable of. Your argument for a lower range and damage is based on the assumption that if players can get a weapon just as effective as a longbow for free, they'll get the sling to save money. I've moderated quite a few Pathfinder and DnD games and I've always made a house rule that the sling does the same damage and has the same range as a longbow (except it does bludgeon damage rather than piercing). Yet I don't think there has ever been a player who has taken the sling as a ranged weapon. The cost difference only matters at character creation when gold may be severely limited. Once a PC has gained some gold, it is easy to purchase the preferred weapons. I think people prefer the bow to the sling because the bow has a more romantic image as a weapon of adventurers. Robin Hood and Legalas are prime examples of legendary fighters who used bows, not slings. Jazlyn could afford a bow, but for aesthetic reasons, I'd like to equip her with a sling. I'm not sure why she should have to do half damage as a bow with a third less range, just because of the cost of the weapon. If you want to adjust the damage, I'd suggest removing the strength bonus from the sling, since the way slings are usually used, it does not take much muscle to attain a high velocity. That would make the composite bow the better weapon for strong archers who want to do more damage. As for the range, most ranged attacks occur at relatively close range, so I don't think that makes much difference. Another option would be to give the sling the same range and damage as the bow provided the user has Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Sling expert), to represent the time it would take to become good enough to use the sling effectively. Whatever you decide, I'll abide by your decision and not complain. Just wanted to make this appeal.
Questions about weapons. Regarding the Cestus:
Those with Advanced Unarmed Combat (those whose unarmed strikes do increased damage die) instead can add a +1 to their Unarmed Strike Damage, gain the increased Critical Threat Range, and they can also use this weapon to fight defensively, gaining a +1 Shield Bonus to AC. If used paired, then one can be used defensively while the other used to attack just like fighting with a sword and shield with no penalty for duel wielding. When you say "use this weapon to fight defensively, do you mean to rule of the same name which states, "You can choose to fight defensively when attacking. If you do so, you take a –4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC until the start of your next turn." Or is this just descriptive text indicating using one hand with a cestus as a deflecting device, like a buckler, while fighting at no penalty with the other hand for attacks? Does masterwork armor reduce the ACP by 1 as with standard masterwork rules? Could Jazlyn get a +1 chain shirt (magic enhancement) for 1000 gp? If so, would it stack with a +1 MWK enhancement? Jazlyn will focus on melee combat, but she has a sling for ranged attacks if needed. Can slings be made into MWK versions or are they too simple, like the handwraps? I think MWK sling bullets could be made for increased damage. Would it work as with standard rules, with the cost rules applying to 50 pieces of ammunition? I have always been annoyed that all role playing rules seem to think that slings are less effective with less range than a bow. This is contradicted by historical references to slings in ancient and medieval warfare. See this article in Scientific American, The Sling as a Weapon. I can't embed the link, but search with the following "Scientific American Sling article pdf" and click on the link to Primative luky. It is a pdf of the article. I'd encourage house rules to give the sling more damage and range.
Something to keep in mind when creating a new character or leveling up a character, Jazlyn has the Martial Flexibility special ability which allows her the ability utilize feats she is qualified to take for short time (1 minute) 3 times a day. This means if someone wants a teamwork feat, when it is an advantage, Jazlyn can add that feat (if she has the prerequisites) and use the teamwork feats. Check with me to see if Jazlyn can add a teamwork feat using martial flexibility. She has some feats already that are common prerequisites, like combat expertise, power attack, and combat reflexes (or just see her profile).
With a brawler or monk, my main interest in weapons is for the situations where a special material is needed for bypassing DR, such as cold iron or silver, and having at least one way to make attacks that overcome magic DR. Beyond that, it's simpler to just use unarmed attacks. Just in case, however, I generally have questions about weapons like brass knuckles. They say monks are proficient, yet the weapons damage listed is 1d3 and the ability to do lethal damage with an unarmed attack. Monks (and brawlers) do more than 1d4 damage (at least 1d6) and can do lethal damage without the brass knuckles. That suggests to me that the brass knuckles would increase the damage done in some way. Same goes for any other weapon that might be worn on the feet, elbow, etc. Unless a weapon increases the unarmed damage over what a brawler ordinarily does, there's no point to using a weapon such as brass knuckles.
The cestus seems to be a better choice than handwraps. Jaslyn will go with that. Can they be given cold iron materials in one glove and silver in the other? If enchanted, does the enchantment cover both gloves.
I'll respond Friday morning. I read through the posts but haven't processed the information in terms of making weapon purchases yet. I have been going through the feats to see which ones Jazlyn can use with the Brawler's martial flexibility. I've made a list of them all so I'll be able to make decisions quickly during combat. Today's a heavy work day, but then I have Friday through Sunday to post updates as I get them.
Jazlyn will be getting masterwork improvements on her main weapon: handwraps. These may require some special handling unless you are okay with them being very inexpensive (fine by me, of course). Their cost is listed as 1 silver, so by the masterwork mechanics, it would cost 5 silver for a single enhancement, 2.5 gold for 2, 12.5 gold for 3 and 312.5 for 4 (for +2 to hit and +2 to damage). They can have metal worked into the business end of the wraps to allow special materials. I'm thinking it would be good to have cold iron in one and silvered in the other. So doubling the cost of the weapon before mwk enhancements would be 2 silver. That would then double the costs listed above for MWK. Let me know if this is correct or if you want to adjust the costs. Pathfinder 2E has a magic weapon for handwraps. I'll probably want to know the cost for a +1 enchantment on mwk handwraps, since Jaslyn will be most effective using her unarmed strike attacks. If some of the other versions in 2E are available (striking, for example), let me know how they work in 1E and the costs. She'll spend much more getting her chain shirt MWK, but I think that will still leave a lot of cash.
The proposed background details are fine. Jazlyn will work as a guard only so long as she doesn't have to arrest poor people for stealing loaves of bread or to intimidate people who do not tow a party line or stay in their low social status places. I'll put a point into each profession: Pugilist, guard, and bouncer. As she levels up, I can put a background point into whatever seems to occupy her the most. Her vision quest tattoo would be on her chest, which in her clan region would generally be visible. Wearing civilized clothing, it may not be visible as it will usually be under her chain shirt. However, her face received a slave brand on her left cheek, which since her liberation, she has had disguised with another jaguar tattoo, which would always be visible. In RL I've been reading a book that describes the views of First Nations people encountered by the French in what is now America and Canada. They were generally critical of the Europeans political and social systems. Their culture allowed people to generally do whatever they wanted with no chief or authorities having any power to make anyone do anything. Order was enforced by the understanding of the benefit of social solidarity and by the influence of public opinion on those who cause trouble. The author suggests this was a common way in which non-civilized natives organized their politics, although not the only way. So I'm weaving this into Jazlyn's personality. I don't want to make her troublesome to RP with and she is good at heart and cares for her companions. But if anyone tries to order her around or usurp her ability to decide things for herself, she'll stand up for herself. This is why she finds Trithereon appealing.
Preliminary thoughts on Jazlyn's religion(s), based on info found on the Internet for Greyhawk. Let me know if you have modified any of these deities. Spoiler: Her native religion would be a preference for Llerg, Sueloise god of beasts and strength. During a vision-quest as a teen, before she was enslaved, Jazlyn had an encounter with a Jaguar, which became her totemic animal.
Later, while enslaved by the orcs, she learned of two deities of the more civilized humans that gave her hope. One was Kord, god of Athletics, Sports, Storms, Brawling, Strength, and Courage.. The other was Trithereon, the god of Individuality, Liberty, Retribution, and Self-Defense. After she escaped, she gravitated toward followers of these two deities and became a follower of both. When she won a fight contest sponsored by local Kord worshippers, the prize was a book of tales of Kord and other great exemplars of the principles valued by the followers of Kord. This inspired her to learn to read. One of the reasons she has stayed so long in Dunwich is the presence of Libertina Freiheit, a local cleric of Tritheron. She found Jazlyn a job as a bouncer along the docks and encouraged her to look out for people who were at risk for violence. Jazlyn eventually began teaching informal classes in self-defense for those who needed it. She has also put pressure on local toughs to avoid crimes preying on the weak, giving them a taste of what it's like to be on the receiving end of violence. This has earned her some enemies but she has also managed to turn some toward less predatory goals. She has also encouraged women in abusive relationships to find refuge with followers of Tritheron, protecting them and sometimes threatening the abusers with retribution if they did not treat women with more respect.
I changed her background, which I now see somehow got hidden in a different spoiler. I said she was sold to orcs in Pomarj, where she was forced to enter fighting contests. Being a female human who could beat up orcs, she became something of a minor celebrity, earning somewhat looser oversight. This allowed her to escape and she headed west along the coast from Pomarj. So she is heading toward her homeland, but she has adjusted to life in the civilized world and not yet ready to try to get back home. Plus she would have to either sail around the lands that caused her enslavement or travel through it to get to the jungle. Either way, she likely would have a hard time finding her way back to her home area, since she was plucked from the jungle and transported away. She would need help knowing which way to go to find her people. Are you thinking the promoter is the same person as the lady of wisdom are the same person? Either way, it's a good idea, but given Jazlyn's chaotic alignment, she'd not be comfortable as a professional defender of the laws of the city. She'd be more at home as a bouncer if there is a bar that has need of her. That could be her job and reason for staying. Perhaps the bar is in the docks area so she ends up helping keep the peace but without the designation of a guard. She could be given an apartment above the bar. She's also a fugitive from the orcs, so she has reason to keep a low profile.
I'm thinking Jazlyn has been working in town for at least a year. She's in her mid-20's. Prior to settling in Dunwich, she moved from one coastal town to the next, moving westward. She found a job she liked as a bouncer at a rowdy local tavern or pub or bar. If there are organized fights, she would participate in these. I haven't worked out her religion yet. She would probably be somewhat superstitious, revering a few gods/goddesses, something like modern day Santeria.
Language issues fixed. Olman is native. She learned Keolan and Orc later. I want to have her speak with an accent. If you have a sense of what Earth accent would fit an Olman native speaker, let me know. The profession was from an error in my spreadsheet I developed to keep track of skill bonuses. I actually put three background ranks into the profession, but the program was not adding the class skill bonus. So her profession would actually be +3 (ranks) +2 (Int) +3 (class) = +8. I could split those three ranks across two professions, and include Profession (Bouncer) in case there are not going to be instances where the fight profession will be used. I'll take the swap of Ride for Survival as class skills. If I transfer the point from ride into survival (which already has 1) then the survival skill will go up to +2 (ranks) +2 (WIS) + 3 (Class) +1 (Savage trait) = +8, which is good if she's going to be adventuring in the wilderness. I still have to work out the equipment enhancements from the starting wealth.
Hello. Jazlyn is a new character created to join this campaign. I'm still working on background, equipment, and traits. Background on current profile is a rough draft. Details to follow. If anyone has any suggestions as to if and how Jazlyn might know others, let me know. GM: If someone improves a weapon or armor using the masterwork house rules and then later enchants the item with magic, do the enchantments stack with the masterwork bonuses?
That's me (Clebsch73). If you hover the mouse cursor over a character image, it will identify the root player profile. If you look at the PC profile, this info is also at the top. I'll check on the Greyhawk source material. I've never played Greyhawk, so I'm not familiar with the world yet. I'll flesh out the character with traits and spend the rest of the starting cash. I'll be ready after updating the background. Let me know if I'm good to post in the discussion thread. One question for using the house rules on masterwork weapons. In the RAW, magic enchantment bonuses do not stack with the bonus to hit for a MWK weapon. Is that also the case with your house ruled mwk?
Here's my character for consideration. 2nd and 3rd level HP rolls:
Questions: What languages are there to choose from besides the racial tongues? She is from a barbarian tribe or society. What are the choices for this or should I make something up? In the campaign page, it says this at the start of the additional gear spoiler: "Below is a list of additional gear not approved for this game." I assume this is a typo and this is additional gear that is approved for this game. I'm not interested in using the artistry background skill, but if I were, I'd need an explanation of how it functions as a craft skill when the description says "Like Craft, Perform, and Profession, Artistry is actually a number of separate skills. You could have several Artistry skills, each with its own ranks. The most common Artistry skills are choreography, criticism, literature (including poetry), musical composition, philosophy, and playwriting." Is this just calling it a craft to compose music, write literature, etc.? Since craft is also a background skill, I'm not sure why artistry is designated a craft skill instead of going with the description given. I have only purchased the basic gear. I'll upgrade her handwraps with MWK and make her chain shirt MWK and see what that leaves me. Background is bare bones until I learn more about the community and surround areas. |
