You: A GM with a flexible or homebrew campaign, looking to add a little challenge and varied dynamic for your players.
Me: A player interested in creating a character, rooted deeply in your campaign, with his own motivations and objectives, that come into conflict with the path of your PCs.
The Antagonist: You can have as much or as little input/control as you like, and use the character for your own ends or let him/her/me run free in your campaign. (S)he can be a one-off villain, a recurring nuisance, a primary opponent, an unscrupulous rival, an occasional ally, or anything else we can dream up.
Why you should consider it: Instead of you, the GM, having to be a thousand different personas, I take care of some of it for you. I add an extra human dynamic without stealing the focus away from the real stars--your adventuring party. It gives your players something more substantial to chew on.
Why I'm considering it: I can get a taste of various story settings, sample your campaign, create a deep character, and step in and out as needed. It's an easier way to experience more campaigns and worlds without having to commit to being an active player all the way through. Like a sampler platter of play-by-posts.
So, what do you think? I look forward to hearing some feedback, even if you're not yourself interested in inviting an Antagonist into your campaign.
We know each other irl. I'm just wondering if someone would like to run us through an (otherwise closed recruitment) AP. We did Dragon's Demand and had a good time. Want to run a game for a reliable party?
We'll probably do gestalt or something to bring the power level into balance since 3 players is running lean. Just a heads up. Should make it easier for you since you won't have to scale down the encounters.
I've been playing with a concept for an alchemist archetype based on transmutation (because, really, that's what alchemy is all about). I have this picture in my head of a guy pretending to be a wizard, pulling out vials and chucking them at enemies while declaring nonsense loudly. "Abracadabra, you're tiny!" he shouts as he splashes you with a bottle of some faintly-colored liquid and the world around you grows to enormous proportions (reduce person).
I've also added a dash of classic metals alchemy, though I didn't put gold on the table (silver is available however).
Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think of the transmuter.
Now I know what you're going to say, and that's probably because I've spend hours over the span of weeks tweaking this class and you just skimmed it in 30 seconds. Give it some thought, consider other actual existing classes, run some numbers, and get back to me.
This is the official open recruitment for the Bad Guys team for my new game, which I am dubbing "X the City!". Since you are the villains, you will be oppressing it.
Setting:
The game will begin in "the City!", where you live and work as despicable criminals and/or urban legends. "the City!" itself (hereafter referred to as simply the City) is a nebulous area wherein you may go to find an inn, sell goods, buy goods and services, hide from heroes, etc. Spellcasting services are available for any CL1 spells (so 1st-level clerics and wizards, 4th-level paladins, and so on). Magic items available for purchase include +1 armor and weapons, as well as anything costing 1000gp or less.
Outside the City: This is where you will be questing. It is an expansive, mostly undefined region wherein you will explore abandoned towers, mysterious dungeons, haunted villages, and everything in between. But be careful, because the heroes are out, and they may well be hot on your tail!
Within the City: There lies an abandoned castle from which kings of old used to rule. The Finders' Keep, as they call it, is an excellent place from which to control and oppress the citizens and defend the City against meddling heroes. This will be a quest site, similar to those outside the city, except that the reward at the end will be control of the City!
Objectives:
In case that last part was confusing, your general objectives will be to quest for rewards. Whether you're seeking out powerful ancient artifacts with which to assault the Finders' Keep, old crotchety spellcasters to raise your dead friend, or simply a secret hideout where the heroes will never find you plotting, questing is your bread and butter.
Okay, but what's the point of questing if you never get to fight the good guys? Well, besides the fact that it's tons of fun, obviously. Well, as a quest option, you can seek out the heroes. If you out-roll them (learning about a quest area is a knowledge local or gather information check, finding it is a survival check), you can get there before they do and set up an ambush, take or destroy their treasure, or even set traps (if you're that kind of Ranger). If they out-roll you, you might arrive in time to confront them as they are leaving, or perhaps even collapse the only exit to the cave they're still in! If you tie, you might just be in the awkward position of arriving at the same time...
But of course, for much of the game, someone is going to be ruling the town from the Finders' Keep. There will always be the quest option to raid the Keep! Where you'll face usual quest obstacles combined with heroic defenses, and perhaps even the puffed-up heroes themselves! But you'll find that while ruling from the Keep, you have less time to be out questing around, so don't go in unprepared.
Characters:
Starting Level 2
20-point buy
Core Races (+some common ones, like Oread, Tiefling, Aasimar), any Classes/Archetypes (except 3pp)
Max HP at every level
Traits 2
Starting Wealth 1000gp
You will quest on weekends, so feel free to invest in a day job or crafting skill (since you're probably a criminal, consider a day job of sleight of hand or the like). Or just take weekdays off, scaring children and taking their treats. This won't really benefit you, except insofar as free treats.
Being a Villain:
You will be expected to be LE or NE, and to act appropriately. If a villain is acting out of line, non-lethal PvP is permitted. If a villain outright betrays you (and isn't kicked from the game), lethal PvP is permitted. You are a villain, and your job is to oppress the citizens. Don't make it complicated.
NOTE: You may only play one character in this game, whether you are on the Heroes team, the Villains team, or the Maverick.
If you die, one of 3 things will happen:
1) You will "surprisingly" survive, but with heavy ability damage that will take a lot of time (or magic) to heal. This option requires that you are either dragged off for later reviving, or your team won (or the other team fled) after you "died". If your whole team goes down, or they leave you behind, this one is pretty much off the table.
2) You will be captured. If the heroes beat you, they'll lock you in the Finder's Keep dungeon (or some other sinister location) and you'll have to escape (or, if your teammates were smart, they evaded capture and can spring you). If you were killed by a dungeon trap or something, this is pretty much off the table.
3) You will be dead. Maybe the heroes went a little overboard and hit you with a disintegrate, or maybe you fell into The Pit of Eternal Fires and a Thousand Million Deaths (Or PEFTMD, for short). Either way, you're dead. You can: bring in a new character, drop from the game entirely, or play an NPC (of my making) while your team quests for a way to resurrect you.
Being a Maverick:
I will consider allowing a Maverick, who does not have to be LE or NE, but may instead be CE, LN, N, CN, or even CG. For CG and LN, see the call for Heroes thread.
The Maverick will act as a free agent, aligning with the villains (and maybe sometimes the heroes) as it suits his purpose. What is his purpose? Maybe becoming the new king of the City, perhaps he wants to destroy the Finders' Keep, or perhaps he wants to end the world. If you're the Maverick, that's up to you. If you're not, it's up to you how much you trust him (if you even know who he is).
Mechanically, the Maverick will be able to quest with either party, or independently (please don't do this much, as that's annoying for me). But all PvP is fair game against a Maverick, so be sure this is what you want. It's not likely that anyone's going to want to save you either. You're on your own.
This is the official open recruitment for the Good Guys team for my new game, which I am dubbing "X the City!". Since you are the heroes, you will be saving it.
Setting:
The game will begin in "the City!", where you live and work as respectable tradesmen and/or folk heroes. "the City!" itself (hereafter referred to as simply the City) is a nebulous area wherein you may go to find an inn, sell goods, buy goods and services, hide from villains, etc. Spellcasting services are available for any CL1 spells (so 1st-level clerics and wizards, 4th-level paladins, and so on). Magic items available for purchase include +1 armor and weapons, as well as anything costing 1000gp or less.
Outside the City: This is where you will be questing. It is an expansive, mostly undefined region wherein you will explore abandoned towers, mysterious dungeons, haunted villages, and everything in between. But be careful, because the villains are out, and they may well be hot on your tail!
Within the City: There lies an abandoned castle from which kings of old used to rule. The Finders' Keep, as they call it, is an excellent place from which to oversee the administration of just law and the defense of the City against nefarious villains. This will be a quest site, similar to those outside the city, except that the reward at the end will be control of the City!
Objectives:
In case that last part was confusing, your general objectives will be to quest for rewards. Whether you're seeking out powerful ancient artifacts with which to assault the Finders' Keep, old crotchety spellcasters to raise your dead friend, or simply a secret hideout where the villains will never find you plotting, questing is your bread and butter.
Okay, but what's the point of questing if you never get to fight the bad guys? Well, besides the fact that it's tons of fun, obviously. Well, as a quest option, you can seek out the villains. If you out-roll them (learning about a quest area is a knowledge local or gather information check, finding it is a survival check), you can get there before they do and set up an ambush, take or destroy their treasure, or even set traps (if you're that kind of Ranger). If they out-roll you, you might arrive in time to confront them as they are leaving, or perhaps even collapse the only exit to the cave they're still in! If you tie, you might just be in the awkward position of arriving at the same time...
But of course, for much of the game, someone is going to be ruling the town from the Finders' Keep. There will always be the quest option to raid the Keep! Where you'll face usual quest obstacles combined with villain machinations, and perhaps even the dastardly villains themselves! But you'll find that while ruling from the Keep, you have less time to be out questing around, so don't go in unprepared.
Characters:
Starting Level 2
20-point buy
Core Races (+some common ones, like Oread, Tiefling, Aasimar), any Classes/Archetypes (except 3pp)
Max HP at every level
Traits 2
Starting Wealth 1000gp
You will quest on weekends, so feel free to invest in a day job or crafting skill. Or just take weekdays off, having your adoring fans buy you drinks at the local tavern. This won't really benefit you, except insofar as free drinks.
Being a Hero:
You will be expected to be LG or NG, and to act appropriately. If a hero is acting out of line, non-lethal PvP is permitted. If a hero outright betrays you (and isn't kicked from the game), lethal PvP is permitted. You are a hero, and your job is to take care of the citizens. Don't make it complicated.
NOTE: You may only play one character in this game, whether you are on the Heroes team, the Villains team, or the Maverick.
If you die, one of 3 things will happen:
1) You will "surprisingly" survive, but with heavy ability damage that will take a lot of time (or magic) to heal. This option requires that you are either dragged off for later reviving, or your team won (or the other team fled) after you "died". If your whole team goes down, or they leave you behind, this one is pretty much off the table.
2) You will be captured. If the villains beat you, they'll lock you in the Finder's Keep dungeon (or some other sinister location) and you'll have to escape (or, if your teammates were smart, they evaded capture and can spring you). If you were killed by a dungeon trap or something, this is pretty much off the table.
3) You will be dead. Maybe the villains made a show of the execution of your leader, or maybe you fell into The Pit of Eternal Fires and a Thousand Million Deaths (Or PEFTMD, for short). Either way, you're dead. You can: bring in a new character, drop from the game entirely, or play an NPC (of my making) while your team quests for a way to resurrect you.
Being a Maverick:
I will consider allowing a Maverick, who does not have to be LG or NG, but may instead be CG, LN, N, CN, or even CE. For CN and CE, see the call for Villains thread.
The Maverick will act as a free agent, aligning with the heroes (and maybe sometimes the villains) as it suits his purpose. What is his purpose? Maybe becoming the new king of the City, perhaps he wants to destroy the Finders' Keep, or perhaps he wants to end the world. If you're the Maverick, that's up to you. If you're not, it's up to you how much you trust him (if you even know who he is).
Mechanically, the Maverick will be able to quest with either party, or independently (please don't do this much, as that's annoying for me). But all PvP is fair game against a Maverick, so be sure this is what you want. It's not likely that anyone's going to want to save you either. You're on your own.
So I've been kicking around the idea of a sort of randomized encounter PbP where players form two teams (the good guys and the bad guys) and directly/indirectly fight/subvert/compete with each other to gain control of the city.
If I ran this, would anyone play it?
Does anyone have any input on the idea? Suggestions, warnings, commentary?
As the title states, myself and two others are seeking a GM to run us through Dragon's Demand. We are all long-time active members on the boards with experience in PbP, so we should be good for steady posting all the way through without any annoying player replacement efforts. It is only the 3 of us, so we will have to discuss how we want to handle party balance.
As for you, if you're an experienced GM, give a link to some of your more successful campaigns so we can see how you run a game and what you expect from players. To find out more about me, just check out my aliases and their posts/campaigns. The other two players will be revealed at their own leisure.
So I've been kicking around the idea of running a homebrew starvation campaign wherein resources are slim, trail rations matter, and masterwork items are aristocratic fantasies. So I had a stroke (of inspiration I hope) and this is what I came up with.
Basic Setting:
In the midst of the Osirion desert lies a long lost oasis upon which a settlement was established several hundred years ago but largely forgotten. The settlement has been almost entirely isolated the entire time, not thriving but surviving well enough. But as the oasis begins to recede and the church of Sarenrae is burned, resources become scarce. There is little hope for the commoners as they face brutality, slavery, or starvation. Only the truly tenacious can hope to survive the strangling poverty gripping the settlement. This is not a fight for honor, or glory, or wealth, or power; This is a fight for survival.
Basic Mechanics:
NPC classes
10-point buy
day jobs required
weapons and armor legally restricted
homebrew experience and leveling
Basic Gameplay:
Perform short missions for competing factions
Gain favor from wealthy patrons
Build wealth to buy food and supplies
Find a permanent means of survival
I'm currently running a custom campaign that's been on pause for about 2 weeks. We need a new Smith to manage the graveyard, church, and more recently, mysteries surrounding Devil's Fork. This is a low-powered campaign where you will encounter NPCs as strong as you, and enemies potentially much stronger. It's set in Calorina of 1880. There's a high degree of realism, but enough supernatural to keep things interesting.
If you're interested in filling in this role and helping us continue writing the story, or you just want to be a part of unraveling the mysteries of Devil's Fork, apply here.
On the rainy evening of Friday, August 20th, 1880, in the small town of Devil's Fork, four men congregate in the dark sactuary of the Last Salvation church. Several candles cast an eerie light on the communion table around which they sit, discussing the events of the past few days. Not 10 days ago, Devil's Fork was just another backwater town tucked in the rainy woods of South Carolina. But now, something was amiss.
On August 15th, Cole reported a 3-month regular, Mr McCornin, failed to show up at the Crusty Cup to get blind drunk before Sunday service. Richardson began his investigation by seeing Wilkens to find if McCornin had fallen ill. He had, in fact, been in a few days earlier with a fever. Wilkens prescribed bed rest, but McCornin seemed too excited about something he'd found recently. He wouldn't discuss it much, but as he was a gold hunter, it is assumed to be along those lines.
Richardson continued his investigation by speaking with Smith to make sure he hadn't buried anyone matching McCornin's description recently. Smith reported he hadn't, but that he had buried a few strangers recently that he didn't recognize. He described them to Richardson, but even he hadn't heard of them. In a town with as many drifters as Devil's Fork, such a thing is not unheard of. But with Richardson's vigilant eye, it was rare that someone passed through without him knowing. Furthermore, Smith reported seeing figures, he thinks at least two distinct individuals, poking around the graveyard at night. He'd even found an unearthed grave that day, headstone shattered beyond recognition.
While doing his thinking at the bar of the Crusty Cup, Richardson was approached by Cole with more town gossip. Apparently, on August 18th, the children of a local hunter named Hewitt had gone missing. They often went out unattended, but by now Hewitt was worried sick. Being a hunter of some skill, he set off to find them on his own, and hadn't been seen or heard from since.
The four men, Cole, Smith, Wilkens, and Richardson, now meet over candlelight to discuss the issues at hand and weigh any concerns of what may or may not be lurking in the shadows.
The campaign actually starts without the madman. You'll get him later.
You are all familiar with each other, as possibly the most recognized names in Devil's Fork. You have had meetings before. You are like an unofficial town council. And Smith resents it.
When in doubt, assume it is raining.
@Richardson - I didn't find a reason for paranoia in your backstory. Could you include one? Something in which you contact the supernatural in a minor way would be best. For instance, you once had a witch put a hex on you, or you once saw what you're sure was a ghost, etc.
I'm recruiting PCs to fill roles for a story/campaign set in 1880s Jocassee Valley, South Carolina. As a player, you will fill the shoes of one of the main characters in the story. This is a low-magic, low-fantasy, mystery setting with alternative build rules.
Your Job: Give the character a first name and a build, draft a backstory, and enter the world of RP.
Characters:
Cole - The local bartender from out of town. A hulk of a man, Cole is full of stories of his mighty exploits and adventures out West. There is no animal in the American plains that Cole hasn't claimed to kill with his bare hands.
Wilkens - A well-educated doctor from up North, Wilkens moved to Jocassee Valley to retire. He still practices, but mostly prefers to stay in his cabin and read.
Richardson - Of English descent, Richardson is said to be of royal blood in his distant ancestry. Yet his life now seems far from noble. Relegated to the small town of Devil's Fork, Richardson's paranoia and obsessive vigilantism have earned him the title of de facto sheriff.
Smith - Smith was in Devil's Fork before anyone else. Most assume he named it. Nobody is quite sure how old he is, but he seems to go on forever, still tending the church and graveyard with methodical bitterness and aged indignation.
Madman - Tended by Smith, the Madman has been locked in the church tower for almost a decade. No one knows his name or his story, just that one day a man from the city brought him and left him in the church, bound from head to toe and raving mad.
Build Rules:
*Every class gets 3/4 BAB progression, d8 HD (1st full, 1/2+1 after), and 4+Int skill ranks. Starting gold, save progression, and class skills based on character chosen.
*Your choice of class provides class features, such as Fighter's armor/weapon training, bravery, and bonus feats, or a cleric's domain powers and channel energy, or a Rogue's trapfinding, evasion, etc, etc.
*There are no spells in this setting, regardless of class. If you want a spell-like feel, go with a magic class for the class features.
*Spellcraft will be used in place of UMD.
*The Human racial bonuses apply. You may select one trait. Starting character level is 3.
*No metal, wooden, or stone armor are available in this setting. Also, no two-handed melee weapons (with the exception of improvised weapons).
*Firearms are available in both early and advanced forms, at 5% list price for early and 10% for advanced. They may not be readily available for purchase after character creation, however. You may have to travel to a larger town for some firearms as well as other items.
*Custom items allowed in the campaign are as follows -
- Stiletto - 1gp, 1d3, 18-20/x2, 0.5lb, +4 to sleight of hand to conceal.
- Derringer - 75gp, 1d6, x4, 10ft, misfire 1, capacity 1, 1lb, +2 to sleight of hand to conceal.
- Remington Derringer - 150gp, 1d6, x4, 10ft, misfire 1-2, capacity 2, 2lb, +2 to sleight of hand to conceal.
- Morphine - 50gp; grants 1d8+1 temporary HP. Requires DC 10 Heal check (fail = half). DC 10 Fort save or become fatigued.
Devil's Fork is a state park in Northwest South Carolina near lake Jocassee. What is now lake Jocassee used to be Jocassee Valley before being flooded in 1973-ish by a power company for hydroelectric power. All that remains of it is an old inn and a graveyard now a few hundred feet below the water line. As a bit of movie trivia, it's the same graveyard in which the opening scene of the movie "Deliverance" was filmed.
In 1880, there was basically nothing there. There was no town of "Devil's Fork". Some Native American tribes lived vaguely thereabout, but by sometime between 1880-1900 a German immigrant family by the name of Whitmire had moved in to build "Attakulla Lodge", named after a local historical Indian chief whose daughter, princess Jocassee ("Place of the Lost One"), was fabled to have drowned herself at news of her lover's death.
As far as general times, the 1880s were generally before automobiles (though some educated or cultured individuals might be aware of their existence). Firearms have been closed-cartridge for 40+ years, but flintlocks still exist. Medicine was pretty crappy, largely consisting of morphine and aspirin.
Campaign Lore:
Devil's Fork is a small town of 200-300, depending on the season. It was never really meant to be a town, but some people stopped there to fish, and some others to pan for gold, and still others thought to hunt or homestead. Only a few rich families quarrel over property ownership and such, while the rest will simply fill any niche left empty, abandoning it themselves when they move on. About 100 of the town's residents are what you'd call permanent, having been there for more than a few years.
The town's buildings were made from the surrounding forest, yet somehow even for all the trees felled for construction the forest seems to be always pressing inward, choking the borders of Devil's Fork. It rains at least 6 months out of the year, mostly in the fall and spring, with some snow in the winter. There are no paved roads in or around the town, no telegraph lines, and not many ties to the outside world. As a result, most news comes from the newcomers in town, usually every spring, or from supply trips in the fall. The town seems stuck in the past, decades behind the rest of the world. As a result, flinklocks and crossbows are more common than modern firearms, though some hunters may have more advanced firearms as well as compound bows.
Everyone in town knows Cole, Wilken, Smith, the Madman, and Richardson, for obvious reasons. Though Cole is from the West, he's been serving drinks at the Crusty Cup long enough that he's considered a town insider. Wilken and Smith are household names, though Smith isn't known to be actually friendly to anyone. Richardson, in his late 20s, has only been in town for 3 years. Being a relative newcomer as well as self-appointed sheriff makes most view him with suspicion and distrust, and his constant paranoia is a well-known annoyance to most. However, he does keep a tidy town, and there hasn't been any significant crime almost since he arrived, for which he is respected. And finally, the Madman is the topic of many a late night tale over brews at the Crusty Cup.
Monsters and magic are generally discounted as mythical to most people of any education by this time. But of course, Devil's Fork is stuck in the past, and its population is not the most educated.
Other planes exist, as well as perhaps rare magic items and other supernatural abilities as described in the character creation possibilities. But magic deities or arcane masters are non-existent. For the most part, this is a world of hard reality, guns, knives, and wit.
I'm considering writing/running a campaign set in 1880s Jocassee Valley, South Carolina. This would be a low magic game with 5 pre-defined PC roles. Mystery themed.
Interest?
My only hesitation is that I don't know how much time I have to GM.
So I've only played one game of shadowrun, but I thought it was fairly cool. I'm 80% sure it was 4th edition. I went out on the tubes looking for a forum thread specializing in Shadowrun game recruitment, but came up empty-handed.
So my question to you is, where to Shadowrunners meet? Do you know the system? Do you like it? Is 4th edition the one with magicians, adepts, mystic adepts, technomancers, PANs, etc?
Thanks in advance.
I've noticed that everyone likes to start their campaigns at level 1. I'm curious as to why.
First of all, I assume that most of these games (especially PbP) never make it to level 20. Or even close. So I'm pretty sure that's not the reason. So what is the reason? Why don't any games start at like, say, level 4?
So I was thinking of making a rage prophet for PFS. I'm not aiming too high, just a fairly basic concept. I wanted to take the classic self-healing brute idea to the rage prophet level. Here's the plan:
Human, Heart of the Fields, Dangerously Curious & Charming traits
STR 17 (15+2)(+1 at level 4)
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 7 (+1 at level 8)
WIS 10
CHA 15
Curse - Tongues
Mystery - Life (lvl 1/3):
Channel Energy/Energy Body
Feats:
Power Attack & Raging Vitality/quick channel/extra channel/extra rage power/extra rage power
Rage powers:
Moment of Clarity/Roused Anger/No Escape
Starting spells:
Light, Guidance, Create Water, Mending
Command, Comprehend Languages, Cure Light Wounds
(taking recommendations for later levels)
I assumed I'd simply use a breastplate and greatsword as well. I also planned to buy a 3-STR composite longbow, some arrows, a wand of CLW, and dagger. Of course I can't afford all of them right away, but by level 2 I should have them. So... input?
So I'm working on a build for a sort of piratey brawling agile versatile sword-swinging musket-shooting trick-playing scoundrel of the high seas. My thought was to build thusly:
Human Cleric 3/Gunslinger 3/Cleric the rest. (Gunslinger - Musket Master)
STR 10
DEX 16+2
CON 14
INT 9 (+1 at 4th)
WIS 16
CHA 7 (+1 at 8th)
I start with a rapier (deity's weapon) and buckler, as well as a chain shirt (maxing out my light load). Later, once I get gunslinger, I swap my buckler for my gun & ammo (potentially earlier if I decide to use a light crossbow). Use cleric spells to enhance combat, replenish ammo, and be generally annoying (hold person, etc), use gun to, well, shoot people, and use rapier when I can't cast or shoot (decent melee option with good crit mod). Use domain powers to gain tactical advantage (better of 2 rolls for INIT and free mirror copies to be a tricky dodger). Focus on perception & survival for skills.
Traits - magical knack (compensate for splashed levels of gunslinger) and Veteran of Battle (+1 init, and I can draw my gun as a free action in the surprise round, if I can act in it).
So that's the idea, but I'm hearing that I should also consider main-classing as a Ranger, or an archaeologist Bard, or even a Rogue.
So what are my options? Pros and cons? Think my build is viable as it stands? Let the nit-picking begin.
I'm not looking for a discussion on "Can a druid use weapons in ape form?", I'm looking for a discussion based on the assumption that I can. Based on that assumption, would it be viable to run as a wildshaped ape using TWF with a quarterstaff (possibly Shillelagh-ed)? Or would I still be better off just taking some other form and using my natural attacks? What about using a large or huge quarterstaff with the appropriately-sized ape form?
