”That wasn’t ideal.” Lars said, understating the situation. ”But not everything is. The ants seem to becoming and as such we don’t have time to stop if we want this ore. I think we should put our backs into this, and get what we can, while we can.”
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Lars listened as the others discussed mineral rights and land ownership. These all made sense to him. That, and it was good to see Jaxom light up. It was clear that he had the heart of a craftsman. Lars respected that. ”So, I take it then that we will hold off on any more merging while we work the mines.” Lars said, half question and half statement. His voice deadpan, he added ”And I am sure whistling while they work will make the work go faster.”
Sorry. I’ve gotten life more or less under control. Meant to do a post but was burnt out and it kind of fell by the wayside. Am still struggling with something at work, but will get a post up soon.
Sorry for quietness. Work exploded. And now I’m sick as a dog. Which has apparently spread to one of my daughters. Posting has fallen because. I’ll try and get something up soon
”Milk tea?” Lars asked, rhetorically. ”I’ve never heard of that before. But I suppose it would still be tea.” He answered with some uncertainty. ”In the field I brew what I find, and infuse it with the essence of the land. A blessing from Erastril, I believe. But when we are back in town I will see what I can do in making this drink of yours.” He said, his face and tone deathly serious. ”I will drink it with you. And then we can decide whether it is still tea or not.”
Lars took a skewer without hesitation. He had survived on such food, so the taste was not foreign to him. At least now, though, he ate in victory rather than to stave off the inevitable. After taking a bite, he pulled open his own bag. "I will brew tea." He said, simply. "Come morning I shall brew more. Unlike what I make now, those will not be for immediate drinking. I will be able to brew four...potions...for lack of a better word. Drinking them will cause the body to heal far faster than it normally would. The effect spoils after a day, so when I give them out I ask that they be used when needed."
Lars attended the meeting with a newfound appreciation for the group that had rescued his village. It wasn't even grudging, but he legitimately saw them as being heroic. They had done what was required of them for their people, when many others would have fled or have failed. That had earned his respect. "I will come." He said in response to Alden. As a man of few words, he saw no reason to elaborate. His intentions were clear.
6000 to work with (1) Belt of Strength (2000)
Total: 5500. Remaining 500 left over for the group. Does that work?
I’d gladly take some of the normal magic items. Like +1 amulet, armor or the like.
Even in the best of times, Lars did not come across as especially approachable, and as such Timalt's hesitation was understandable. He looked up from his work, the grinding of herbs together to make a poultice, and put it down so he could give the man his full attention. He leaned forward as Timalt began talking, his eyes boring into those of the other. "It is good that you prefer labor." Lars said, seriously. "I've heard some of what you lot went through. Your militia was necessary. And I hope that men like you. Like us. Continue to defend our community when needed." He went back to grinding the herbs. "Big shot heroes don't exist. They are just something bards sing about to con us out of our coins. But yes, I will do whatever is needed to make this land prosper." His gaze turning back to his work, he continued "Tell me about your home. The people. What you've been through, and who is playing heroes."
While Alden dined with the dragon, Lars...he filled his time. There was so much to do, and yet he had far too much time on his hands to think. On one hand, he was in a village that was safe and prosperous. The survivors were integrating into it. There was work to be done, in the making of medicine and potions, two things that he was well qualified to do. But at the same time, he had time to think. And for the first time, he actually had time to mourn. For all of the lives that had been lost. For those that he had failed to save. This was not the explosive anger of before, but rather a weary sadness that came from reflection in an environment that was safe. While it was well and good to settle in, he was ready to adventure forth with the others. He knew that grief did not have a cure, but the symptoms could be treated. And the best way was to keep busy.
We are back!
Lars leaned forward, a smile on his face. It was a cold, bitter one. ”You’re a wise man.” He said, staring Alden in the eyes. ”The world that was, it was not a good place. And I don’t expect this broken one to be any better. But for what it’s worth. Thank you.” Still with the intense stare he added ”Dragon or not, you lot bled with us. And one of yours nearly died. Regardless of why, that is not something I will forget.”
I agree on arms and armor being a priority. Lars is fine as he is right now. Perhaps focus on getting Alden his long sword and pass the dagger to Kevan?
Lars shook his head. "We were a farming community. If there was any trove of art or knowledge, it would be news to me." He looked over at Milton, curious to see if the mage knew of something he didn't.
Lars sat, accepting the offer from Alden. For the first time in Erastil knew how long, he had performed basic hygiene. His clothes had been cleaned, his hair washed, and he had an actual night sleep. And yet somehow he still managed to look wild. "A gift?" He looked at Milton with a bemused smile. "The dragon sounds like nothing more than a Baron. Or any other noble. It keeps us safe, and in return it gets whatever is of value in its lands. And if we don't give it what it wants, then it stops keeping us safe...from it." Reaching for his drink he took a sip. "But it's worth it if also keeps us safe from ants and the like. If you lot need to head out to collect tribute, then I'll do what I can to help. The only thing from our village of value was the crops we grew." While it was true that he wanted to leave to assist, as a way of repaying the strangers for saving them, there was another reason as well. He was a self-trained druid, for that, along with his alchemy, was what kept his lycanthropy controlled. The wilds called to him.
Didn’t realize we rolled.
Nevermind. As for spells…I’m not the best with arcane casters. So no requests or suggestions from me.
NOTE TO OTHER PLAYERS
Lvl 5
HP: +5 (class) + 2 (Con) = +7 (43 total)
Feats:
Spells Known:
Potions Made Daily:
Class Abilities Druidic Herbalism Nature Bond Variant
Studied Target
With a weariness that Lars felt deep in his bones he nodded. ”We will live.” He said, more to himself than anyone else. He looked at the dragon, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. He didn’t know the right words to say, for he was far from being as silver tongued as Alden. And he had no idea as towards what might make something “official” in their eyes. Not everyone in the village had been literate, and a man’s word meant more besides. ”On behalf of those who are left, we accept the terms.”
To explain my post…Lars has seen most of his family and friends die horrible deaths, devoured by ants. That is a terrifying thing to live through. He was resigned to fighting to the death, with no hope of survival. In Erastril’s name, protecting his community and the land that mattered so much to them. Even his armor was a mix of leather, fur and ant chitin. Literally anything that could be pulled together with limited resources. Then out of nowhere outsiders come. Even with their help, another member of the dwindling community died in front of Lars. And with them a came dragon. Then… (1) The dragon acted like a dragon. Arrogant, but not cruel. Talking of taking the land Lars and his community lived on for longer than any could remember. And hand waving (claw waving) allowing them to flee when the lands were taken.
But Lars…was someone who adrenaline just went out, who was processing everything from losing another friend, to having his lands taken by a dragon. And he just found it all to be too much. In his mind, there was nothing to negotiate with. So he expressed both relief and despair, as he tried to process everything. At least that was what I was going for. A realistic response to constant trauma.
Lars looked over at Alden, his face as hard as stone, though there was fire in his eyes. It was much easier to talk to a fellow human than to a dragon. He made a point of ignoring Kevan, though. The jibe of asking if he wanted to be a beggar would normally have been enough to raise his fists, but he knew that he was in no position to do so. Far too many people would die if he let his pride get the best of him. In a happier time he’d have entertained the halfling’s ramblings. The physician in him would have been interested, at least, in the chemical knowledge. But at the moment he had another body to bury, lest the ants eat it. Another life to mourn. And he was facing the simultaneous reality of salvation, coupled with losing his ancestral land. It was all too much. He could see what the paladin was doing. He was trying to give dignity. To ensure that the people had a voice and could negotiate as equals. But…he was broken. Far too much blood had been spilled over family fields, with the bodies of farmers turned into fertilizer for crops that would never be harvested. It felt like condescension dressed as charity. ”We are dying.” He growled, trying to keep his anger in check. ”Why play these games?” He asked, his voice cracking from the pain of the situation. ”Everyone in charge is dead, and until you lot got here we were just fighting to the end. Protecting...” Forcing his fists to unclench he continued, and he made the sign of Erastril to steady himself before continuing. His voice defeated ”The land is yours. Or hers. That the last of us that remain may live is better than what we faced minutes ago. Just…don’t insult us by pretending that this is a negotiation.” It was odd. Up until just then he had been resigned to dying. Now he, and what was left of the community, would live. And he knew that he should be happy. But the idea of their land, which they had lived on and cultivated for longer than any could remember…it was being conquered by another. By an inhuman monster that wore the skin of a human, but which showed no actual care for the people that lived on the land it was annexing. And the idea of losing that was like a punch to the gut. All he could hope for, though, was that he didn’t insult their new draconic overlord. He was a brave man, but he was not suicidal.
Lars laughed bitterly. ”All who could claim ownership of these lands have long since been devoured. If I were to ask for their position I’d have to scrape what is left of them out of the ants which ate them.” He glanced over at Milton, his smile devoid of any humor. It was the look of a man who had forgotten what the word hope meant. ”As some of the last men who can still stand, I think we are the closest left. I don’t see any other answer but yes.” He waited to hear the mage’s opinion.
"Too many." Lars said to Jaxom. "The more we kill, the more than come. And fewer of us are left."
Lars glanced over at Milton, making eye contact with the mage. He then looked back over at the newcomers, eyeing them to judge how much of a threat they were. Deciding that it was immaterial, as they were allied with a dragon. He knew his limits, and there was no scenario in which he would knowingly aggravate something so far beyond him. ”Lars.” He said, his voice rough and low. He pulled his armor to the side, showing the tattoo of Erastril to Alden. ”Any blessed of Old Deadeye is a friend of mine.” After a moment he added ”And we would hear this proposal.”
Loving the introductions. Holding off for a moment before responding to see if the man being healed lived or died, as it effects the tone of the conversation.
The fury ebbed, and with ragged breaths, was pushed down. The coarse fur along Lars' arms shivered and retreated, drawing back into his skin. His claws, which moments ago had torn through chitin like parchment shrunk, leaving behind only calloused, trembling fingers. His muzzle, slick with gore and viscera, twisted and shortened with a series of soft cracks, until his face was his own once more. Lars stood, himself once more. Even without the primal power that had infused him, he was still a broad-shouldered a powerfully built man. He had the look of someone who had been shaped by hard labor, with weathered skin, and an age which was hard to determine. A jagged scar ran from temple to cheekbone, sitting under a heavy brow. His armor and clothing, designed for the transformation, was still worn. Chitin and leather pieced together from the wreckage of far too many desperate battles. The tattoo of Erastril, barely visible under the fur of a werewolf, was now only partially obscured by the furs and bone charms that he wore. The bow on his back and dagger from his belt marked him out as someone who was well used to hunting to survive. "A dragon." He breathed, bowing his head in reverence of the mighty dragon which had saved them. The dragon seemed to know the newcomers, and it was enough for him that they had been saved. He stood back, away from the others, though he watched them all with a wary, even predatory, eye. As he did so he walked along the edge of the field, heading towards what was left of the two men he had come with. One was obviously dead, but the other might yet be saved. As he moved he deftly took out a healer's kit, opening with practiced ease as he moved with all haste to save what life he could. He had decided that they could have what conversation they needed, but his priority was clear. Too many of his people had died already, and while he still drew breath he would save who he could.
Is Lars up, and is the ant on the map alive?
For the intrepid halflings attack roll: “Size: Halflings are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls” +3 (BaB) +4 (Dex) +1 (Size) = 8 And I don’t think that bombs have size categories. Making them an excellent weapon choice of a halfling.
Exactly. And that would break the game. From a money point of view and for balance. Even if the potions only lasted for a day I’d be happy. Mostly, I just love the flavor of it given that he is a healer. That can’t be beat.
GM: Ready to jump in whenever. Will wait for the word to do so.
That is more than fair. It hadn’t occurred to me that they could build up like that, but your solution manages it well.
Ah! That’s good to know. And perhaps with downtime rules his survival skill can help with that as well? Regardless if puts my mind at ease on taking that trait. Thank you
Sounds useful. I was tempted to buy healer’s gloves (+5 competence bonus to heal) at 1250. But that is the equivalent of 62.5 uses of the use of etherium detailed above. I’ll spend my 1500 etherium on a vest of surgery, as Milton has the craft skill for it. Why? Because it allows the treatment of ability point damage until I have the spells for it. I’ve also decided to swap out clockwork healer. As I realize now that we aren’t finding gold and it makes clockwork healer…odd. So I’m replacing it with Devoted Healer. Help keep us on our feet when healing outside of combat.
Not sure I follow. Potions/scrolls are once use only. So…would it be like ‘50 etherium’ so that the healer’s kit can once be used as a potion of cure light wounds? Or 750 for remove disease? If I’m reading it right then that sounds useful for us, until Lars gets Druidic herbalism. But until then I can see it as a great way to handle effects otherwise beyond his abilities.
“Hmmm... I might have to consider adding etherium to healers kits. Always was a fan of healing hands.” I have an idea… I have this: Clockwork Surgeon: You begin play with a special healer’s kit at no cost and can fully restock your kit by expending materials worth 10 gp and spending 8 hours assembling medical devices. When using this healer’s kit to treat deadly wounds, you can either halve the time required to perform the action or add your Intelligence modifier to the number of hit points healed. This is something that the above could be upgraded to with etherium? Basically just improves the trait so it doesn’t need the 10 gold anymore (always counts as having an healer’s kit) and 1/day can remove 1d4 points of ability damage instead of hit point damage. Would cost exactly 1500 etherium using the pricing rules. I think this would be both thematic and very useful to the party. While Lars can eventually do ability drain healing it’ll be a few levels. This would give the party a way to handle it, but as 1/day it would still be a rare resource to use.
Checking in over here (Grumbaki). Starting out as a Weretouched shifter and then rest of the levels will be in Druid. Devotee of Erastril. While he doesn’t have spells yet he can still reliably heal with his skill until that kicks in. Lvl 5 is when healing goes into overdrive. Looking forward to gaming with you all, and will wait for when the GM brings us into the group.
WIP Lars as a human
Grumbaki here. A Druid character would look like this. Natural attack build, with his claws and bite attacks being his Bloodmark. A Druid who can fight in melee. At lvls 1-3 he can become a wolf as per wild shape for 2 hours per day. At lvls 4+ he keeps the extra 2 hours from bloodline, but wild shape gets extra uses. At lvls 6 he will be able to turn into a dire wolf. Does this build outline and character build work?
I made a post asking whether my build plan is legal at your table. While I think it, I wanted to check with you on it.I replied in my last comment, looks all good to me! It works the way you want it to, as far as I can tell. So you did! Thank you :)
I made a post asking whether my build plan is legal at your table. While I think it, I wanted to check with you on it.
Many, many thanks to eriktd for pointing out to me that my build wouldn't work, as precise strike deed can't be used for a magus. So, I have a question for the GM.... Question for GM: Is this build allowed? Feat Plan
Enchantment and modification plan
Effects
I believe that this is all RAW, I just want to make sure that I'm right in this, and it is also RAI from the view of the GM
Did a slight rebuild of Lars. Build changes, thoughts, plans:
Stats
Traits
Build Progression: Damage Levels 1-2
Levels 3-4
Level 5
How is this a change?
Anyways, rambling over.
Love the character concept. The halfling slayer sounds neat. On an unrelated note, I love Vigilantes as unarmed builds.
At lvl10, with power attack, Str22, dragon ferocity, and +2 enchantment….
As a vigilante being able to just punch your fist right through someone is very satisfying. Given that the damage falls off at lvl10, the next 10 levels makes for a great time to switch to something else.
Just want to throw in my 2 cents: These APs can take years. I'm in the last book of CotCT right now with Robert Henry and Your Benevolent Dictator. The first gameplay post was in September 2020. And that campaign has cycled through many players... ..the only way to get through these campaigns is to play a character that you personally like. People will drop out. Builds will evolve. If you play something that 'the party needs' then all you are doing is hurting yourself. So yeah. My free advice to everyone is think about what kind of character you would be happy playing for several years and build that. Personally, I like to plan out the build all the way up, to ensure that it is something I will keep enjoying. But that's just me.
Right. I've been in two of these campaigns and they both died. Would like to see one through. Class will be Golemfist Magus. Background:
Lars is a native born son of Kintargo's prestigious Villegre district. Born to mages who worked within the Alabaster Academy, he had thought himself destined to follow in their footsteps. That was, until one night when he learned that his parents, in an effort to move up in the world, had publicly accepted the Asmodean faith. Already a fervent follower of Sarenrae, what followed was an heated argument of base-pragmatism against religious fervor and idealism. It ended with Lars slamming the door and storming out. It was then that he made a fateful mistake...he crossed Barzillai Thrune. Young, full of himself and hot-headed, he wrote what he thought would be an anonymous letter. In it, he denounced Cheliaxian rule and the worship of Asmodeus. Furthermore, he put to pen his opinion as towards the self-determination and independence of his city. Finally, he nailed it to the front door of the Alabaster Academy, in the hope that likeminded mages and students would read it. To his surprise, he visited in the night by inquisitors and was dragged off to a location that was unknown to him. After waiting in the dark for many hours, they came and said that they had good news to him. Given that his parents were in good standing with the Cult of Asmodeus, they would show him mercy. First they asked for a written confession, in which he vowed to never write such traitorous words again. And when that was done, they asked him if he would prefer to never see them again, or never speak to them again. Confused and terrified, he said that he'd prefer to never see them again, thinking that it meant that they would leave him be. They responded, that in their mercy, that not only would they let him live, but they would ensure that he would not break his word, even by accident. When he returned home, he was missing both his right arm and his eyes. Lars' days as an aspiring mage had come to an end. He now lives within Old Kintargo. Before he was banished from his home, for his parents were terrified that if he stayed there then they might share his fate, they gave him one last gift. His mother used her alchemical knowledge to grow a new pair of eyes for him, and his father enchanted a prosthetic arm. So equipped, they begged him to never come home, nor to let anyone know what they had given him, lest the Thrune Inquisitors punish them for going against their will. He now is laying low and trying to keep his head down as a manual laborer at the city docks, lest the brutal rule of House Thrune decide that showing mercy was a mistake. Yet still, his hearts burns with a desire for vengeance. He just knows that he cannot act alone.... Crunch in profile
Lars jogged to catch up with Shekla. His face slightly flush, he said "Sorry, sorry. Hearing isn't exactly what it used to be." He tapped his left ear with his prosthetic 'hand.' "When it starts ringing, you know? But-" He changed the topic, somewhat awkwardly "-let's find Baskerwhel."
My apologies for falling behind. I've said this in a number of other games, but life got ahold of me to the point where gaming fell into the back burner. And I'll be traveling next month...but I am still here, and I give my apologies for letting this slip.
"The law, yes. For what it matters, I'm licensed." Lars said."And anyways, what we do is in the Crown's interest, is it not? Making the frontier safer. We need not burden your father with details about how we go about doing that."
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