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”An elk, actually.”
"Now look who is being pedantic......"
Ting: This isn't a search, it's a 'hear something down the hall'.
And you don't!
Garados and Malinor are up.
"I gots da poo in ma' eye man!!!!" Dok says, stumbling in a drunken circle.
Welcome to the Dungeon of Graves. A few "Stream of Consciousness" thoughts: (1) I doubt anyone applied to this game without having an idea of the style adventure Rappan Athuk is, but just in case I'd like to make a warning. This game doesn't have the same style as a Paizo adventure path with challenges geared specifically to certain party levels. You'll end up facing a few moderate difficulty encounters, some easy ones, a tough one, and then walk straight into a potential TPK if you aren't paying attention. That's not a bug in this game, it's a feature. It's one of the reason I'm not worried about a high point buy and 6 players. There's no particular balance here anyway. Pay attention and if it looks scary, run away. (2) (kind of a continuation of #1) Don't be surprised if a character dies. I expect it, not because I'm out to kill characters, but because there will be a lot of tough challenges and everyone drops a 1 on a save eventually. There will be plenty of resources to fix broken characters if the party is smart. If you don't want to fix your broken character, then you can make a new one and insert it. (3) Much like a random mixture of tough/easy challenges are written in the adventure, there's a great deal of treasure inside Rappan Athuk. I expect the party to exceed typical wealth-by-level guidelines. I don't really see that as a problem because it just goes back to the 'balance' theme (or lack of). What I am going to do is play with the rules about the availability to buy magic items during the game. You can trade in whatever cool item you find for gold, but only items up to 16,000gp are going to be available 'off-the-shelf' in a big city and only if you make the 75% or less roll. More expensive items will be available, but you will have to either contract having them made (and wait for them) or make them yourself. (4) Expect smart bad guys to be smart. Part of the fun for me is trying to plan out how the smart bad guys react. If you end up in a protracted guerilla war against the Temple of Orcus or the goblin city of Grezzor, expect the bad guys to adapt to fight you. (5) I want to say right up front that: I will make mistakes! There's a whole lot of system mastery in the group of players I selected. I expect that if I make mistakes, you guys will figure it out. If I screw something up, I'll fix it. Don't take it personally, don't get mad, don't assume any intent to disadvantage your character. I may bend the rules or put my thumb on the scales occasionally if I think it makes for a good story. I won't do that if it will create a situation that's un-fun for a player.
I appreciate all of the interest over the last couple of weeks. I have decided to invite: Tessai
Sorry there's not room for all of the great submissions.
Submitting Dairiya, priestess/assassin/devoted of Nocticula Background Questions:
1. What is your character’s name? Dairiya 2. How old is your character? 25 years, give or take 3. What would somebody see at first glance (i.e. height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, physique, race, and visible equipment)? Five foot six inches, attractive, tiefling, red toned skin, pointed incisors, black hair, smooth red tail, chain shirt, crossbow 4. What additional attributes would be noticed upon meeting the character (i.e. Speech, mannerisms)? Smooth talking, charismatic 5. Where was your character born? Where were you raised? By who? She was born in the Worldwound, raised initially by her parents in a small village, sold to slavers by her parents at a young age who sold her to a brothel 6. Who are your parents? Are they alive? What do they do for a living? Her parents were settlers in the Worldwound, the village where she was born has vanished without a trace when she returned to kill her parents 7. Do you have any other family or friends? The madame in the brothel where she grew up was a priestess of Nocticula 8. What is your character’s marital status? Kids? Dairiya is single and cannot have children 9. What is your character’s alignment? Chaotic Evil 10. What is your character’s moral code? Never trust anyone unless they're afraid of you and you can destroy them 11. Does your character have goals? She desires power and station as the consort of a demon lord 12. Is your character religious? She is a priestess and assassin in the service of Nocticula 13. What are your character’s personal beliefs? Never trust anyone, the world is a dark place, demons are just honest about it 14. Does your character have any personality quirks (i.e. anti-social, arrogant, optimistic, paranoid)? She is paranoid that everyone is going to stab her in the back 15. Why does your character adventure? Wealth, power, and glory for her mistress Nocticlua 16. How does your character view his/her role as an adventurer? Manipulating fools, casting divine magic, and assassinating enemies at a distance, stealth/lock picking/trap finding/healing 17. Does your character have any distinguishing marks (birth-marks, scars, deformities)? Red skin, pointed incisors, small horns, tail 18. How does your character get along with others? She smiles at others while plotting to stab them in the back 19. Is there anything that your character hates? Loss of freedom and control of her life. 20. Is there anything that your character fears? Loss of her connection to Nocticula and divine gifts 10 minute Background:
Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum...more elements are encouraged! * Dairya is an attractive tiefling with red skin, budding horns, pointed incisors, and a smooth red tail.
Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game. * Killing Mazlax, the cambion who still thinks he owns her as a slave.
Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. * Dairiya's parent's are still alive.
Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you. * Mazlax – A cambion who is the owner of the demonic brothel in the Worldwound where Dairya grew up. He still feels he has claim of ownership over her.
Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor. * Dairya still remembers fondly the first man she killed in the service of Nocticula. She fooled the man into thinking she was interested in him and then gutted him with a concealed switch blade knife. She still has the knife.
Stat Block / Crunch: Dairiya Priestess of Nocticula Demon-spawn tiefling cleric (fiendish vessel) of Nocticula 1/slayer (sniper) 1/gestalt 1 CE Medium outsider (native) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +2 Dex, +1 shield) hp 12 (1d10+2) Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +4 Resist cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5 -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Melee longsword +2 (1d8+1/19-20) or . . switchblade knife +2 (1d4+1/19-20) Ranged light crossbow +3 (1d8/19-20) Special Attacks studied target +1 (1st, move action) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +4) . . 1/day—shatter (DC 15) Cleric (Fiendish Vessel) Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +3) . . 1st—divine favor, obscuring mist, sleep[D] (DC 13) . . 0 (at will)—detect magic, enhanced diplomacy, read magic . . D Domain spell; Domains Evil (Demon[APG] subdomain), Darkness (Night[APG] subdomain) -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 13, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 16 Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 14 Feats Blind-fight, Selective Channeling Traits abyssal eavesdropper, criminal, fiendish sniper Skills Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Disable Device +6, Disguise +7, Perception +8, Profession (courtesan) +6, Sleight of Hand +0, Stealth +3 (+8 to hide following a sniping attack); Racial Modifiers +2 Disable Device, +2 Perception Languages Abyssal, Common SQ accuracy, channel evil, fiendish summonining, fury of the abyss, night hunter, prehensile tail[ARG] Other Gear chain shirt, buckler, crossbow bolts (10), light crossbow, longsword, switchblade knife, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, candle (10), courtesan's outfit, flint and steel, holy text (Nocticula)[UE], mess kit[UE], perfume, common[ISWG] (20), reversible cloak[UE], soap, spell component pouch, thieves' tools, trail rations (5), wooden holy symbol of Nocticula, 7 gp, 7 sp -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Tiefling:
Slayer:
Feats:
Cleric:
@WabbitHunter: combat stamina is a bonus feat for fighters. I've got no problems with custom items that combine abilities. Crafting will be fine in game. @Tingting: write/re-write backgrounds however you like. Ideas are important now, not specifics.
You've already got a regional reputation
"Nice work little buddy!" Tamm says in surprise as the raccoon performs his trick. "Now take this over to the nice bartender and tip her for giving you that ale earlier." he says as he picks up a coin and hands it to the raccoon.
Tamm works his way through another beer and then sends Bandit to fetch him a new one. "No use saving the town if you can't get a few beers on the house.." he tells the raccoon behind a cupped hand. The raccoon takes the cup in both his forepaws and walks on his hind legs across the barroom to the bar. He waits patiently for the bartender to refill the cup, chittering cheerfully all the while.
Delroy rubs his hand across his bald head and says: "Uhhhh .... I can think of problem with that first request."
Khufu raises his fingers up to his lips and blows whisps of smoke away.
John grabs his sword and stands up, then falls back over ... unconscious in the smoke.
normally the PCs are people who don't really belong in an asylum. This party, though.... Holy cow yes. John's going to spend the next 2 books of the AP getting over the PTSD. When he gets an animal companion at 4th level, it's definitely going to be a therapy dog.
I appreciate all of the interest and effort put into the characters submitted. I, unfortunately, have to narrow it down to five. Here are mu selections: David_Boss – Olander PsionicHamster - Mikittar Blacknip Anthorg - Nocki Captain collateral damage – Jera Alsabor MrStr4ng3 - Sandu Draghici Thanks again for all of the submissions and effort put into the characters. I've opened the discussion thread for those selected.
I appreciate all of the interest and effort put into the characters submitted. I, unfortunately, have to narrow it down to five. Here are mu selections: David_Boss – Olander PsionicHamster - Mikittar Blacknip Anthorg - Nocki Captain collateral damage – Jera Alsabor MrStr4ng3 - Sandu Draghici Thanks again for all of the submissions and effort put into the characters. I've opened the discussion thread for those selected.
I am enjoying the idea of John slowly cracking under the pressure. He's a good person at heart, so the memories coming back to him of being a hired thug and hurting people are really bothering him. He's trapped in a haunted asylum and short on sleep which is contributing to poor mental health. He's also a pretty mundane guy, so the collection of people he's with as allies: Broom's bendy arms, Des's animated shadow, and scary lady Reine aren't really reassuring. Now he's paralyzed and facing a corpse-eating undead.
I'll be reviewing applications today. Thanks for all the great submissions.
No real problem with squire. No particular problem with anything that develops your character's story.
@Cellion: a couple of good points (1) like I called out in my initial post, I’ll be interviewing trap monkeys about their posting habits to make sure we don’t bog down. I tend to always play that character in my pbp games because I don’t want to wait on perception/trap checks. (2) I’m planning on using some of the suggested side quests in the ap to enhance the RP opportunities. I also want to encourage better intraparty RP than typical in PBP. I’d like to finish book one with all the players knowing each others’ backstories and being invested in one another.
Shattered Star Recruitment I intend to run this recruitment with submissions open through the 21st of February with the plan being to select players and start the game by March 1st. My goal is for the campaign to move at a fairly rapid pace. I would like to finish the first book in six months of playing time. Posting Expectations: target frequency of 1/weekday. I’ll probably update the game on most weekends as well. Things come up and real life takes precedence, I have no issues with either myself or another player botting a character if a player needs a break. Given some of the dungeon crawl aspects of parts of the AP, I’d really like designated scout/perception/trap-monkey to be someone who posts frequently. I am looking to strike a good balance between roleplaying and roll playing in the game. I know that different people enjoy their games for different reasons. I’d like to create a good story and create fun tactical problems to keep everyone happy. The party I select won’t look like a traveling zoo. There’s room for some uniqueness, but standard fantasy tropes will be appreciated as well. Having said that, make a character that you’ll be interested in devoting the time and energy it takes to play through an adventure path. As per the AP, the characters will start as novice members of the Pathfinder Society. Please download and read the Shattered Star Players Guide Backgrounds: you don’t have to write a novel, but I’d like to have some idea of how you envision your character. Your background should tie in with your AP trait and explain how you became a novice member of the Pathfinder Society. Your background can evolve some in the early days of the game as you figure out a better idea of who your character is. Description: Give me and your fellow players an idea of what your character looks like and how they’re dressed. Remind people of your appearance/description in flavor text as you post. Stealing/linking some art from somewhere to give everyone an idea of what you look like is a good idea. Character build: Give me a brief summary of what you’re planning with the character. I don’t need a road map for your entire build, but if you’re doing something that wouldn’t be obvious from looking at a first level character sheet, I’d like a heads up. Party size: I will be selecting 5 characters that will need to form a well-balanced team Build Rules:
There’s no need to create a forum alias prior to selection. Please format any submissions in this thread into spoilers to avoid things getting messy. Any questions, please ask.
Delroy has trapfinding.
Can we stab it before it gets up?
"Quit talking back to it, you're encouraging it!" "Rats aren't supposed to talk."
Work for two weeks in South Africa, then played tourist for about 10 days.
I will be on vacation, visiting a game reserve without internet until Friday of this week. Please feel free to 'bot my character as necessary.
"I wish people in this place would just die the boring old normal way." "Vomiting smoke, endless streams of blood, and corpse-eaters are starting to damage my calm."
"Oh yeah, because my first instinct was open the coffin in crypt covered in skulls deep underground......"
Tamm and the raccoon both turn around with matching exasperated expressions to stare at the clumsy party members tripping over themselves in the hallway behind them. Then, they start and look at each other as if surprised that they're thinking the same thing...
"Look Broom, a treasure-trove of cleaning supplies." John says as she opens the closet door.
"Most recently, I cold-cocked her and knocked her out." John tells Winter when she asks about the administrator. "Before that, she was up to something weird and magicky that left her in a trance, vomiting smoke and unresponsive." "I hoped that there was some connection between her weirdness and the general weirdness around here, but even though knocking her out seemed to stop her weirdness, we're obviously still stuck with the general weirdness."
Happy Thanksgiving from Cambodia!
Barnabus nurses his whiskey and eats the home cooked meal. To himself he thinks: "These folk would be helpless in the face of the evil that seems to lurk at all of the edges of the wilderness. Perhaps it's best that I left the library and put my talents to use after all." "My magical power is growing and I think I can keep this up .... as long as the whiskey holds out."
I've been waiting a week to see what's behind that curtain.
Good luck to everyone. I'd lay money on a witch making the cut.
@Kleora: I always take Sasquatch as my last language. Some day it will come in handy.
Great list of characters. Good luck all.
"Gophers until proven otherwise ....."
"The last know place of employment for Ulthar's mother, I believe."
"The plans seems to revolve around a cataclysm of epic proportions. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies ... Rivers and seas boiling ... Forty years of darkness ... Earthquakes, volcanoes... The dead rising from the grave .... Human sacrifice ... dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!" "All of this to settle petty squabbles over who lives in the light and who lives in darkness."
"Good thing we've got Arlok along or we wouldn't know what ogre piss smells like..." Brok comments as they reach the bottom of the stairs. Brok checks the axe. (+2 for traps) "Grezzor .... magic?" |