Most of the world of Æustëria has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the vortex before the Hazard could contain it. Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor had inadvertently come close to destroying the world. But Amus, the Goddess of Time, intervened, and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and awoke in the Bright Tower of Talanor. While the Bærwynnd remained locked in an epic struggle to keep the vortex sealed, the heroes were sent on quest to gather the surviving Hazards throughout the devastated world. Having reached Earthenwork, the capital city of the Kingdom of Haemil, they worked with the Rhykal, the 16th Hazard of Haemil, to unseal the Circle of the Whispering Wind. This ancient portal allowed the King of Haemil to send his people to the safety of the Vale of Talanor. Arriving in the Vale, the people of Haemil have discovered the refuge they sought is but a ghost of a town filled with the armies of the undead and a few survivors of the destruction of Æustëra.
The cold air bites at your lungs as you take a deep breath. For two days you have waited at the Bright Tower, biding your time as the garrison of city guards made brief skirmishes into The Point trying to clear the streets and alleyways of the rampant undead swarming the district. Food and drink was being provided from a few arcane sources but the Hazard of Haemil had immediately disappeared into the highest levels of the tower and hadn’t been seen since.
Prior to the refugees’ arrival, Sautekh had stumbled out of The Peaks and across the guarded streets of the estates. Battered and beaten by the undead he had encountered, he made his way through the gates under the rocky hillsides and into the Point. As another, larger group of undead bore down upon him, Titan the Hunter came upon him. Helping the paladin climb on to his grizzly companion, the inquisitor and his bear raced across the bridge and into the safety of the Bright Tower.
One week ago, on the 10th of Selefis, Randall had made his way to the tower from Eastgate. Accompanied by a trio of elves and a few humans, they were led across Oldtown by a group of dwarves. As they made their way down the Dragon Road towards the gatehouse, a low rumbling of voices could be heard. Swelling out from the alleys, a horde of undead ambled after the group who escaped through the Bright Gate before it was shut and barricaded. There, they met Marcusic, a skald from Haemil that had traveled to Talanor before the storm that broke the world. He had been dubbed Constable by the wizards of the tower and charged with organizing and aiding any survivors of the Shaping.
Inside the tower, Kayin had set up a small general store in one of the guest chambers. Although a capable fighter, he had excelled these past, dark days as a master trader. Procuring items from one source, only to trade it quickly for a profit to a waiting buyer. During this time, before the portal opened and the tower filled with the homeless highlanders, Sautekh and Titan had accompanied Marcusic into the Point to ferry supplies and news back from Eastgate. Kayin had joined them on occasion, trying to scavenge what he could from the city before any wandering dead found them. Randall had also joined them once or twice, as the tiefling was eager to reestablish a connection to the paladin.
On the 15th of Selefis, the refugees arrived and space became cramped. The City Guard of Earthenwork have coordinated with the Bright Tower to begin clearing The Point for the refugees to inhabit. However, things haven't gone smoothly as undead have been found most everywhere. This morning, the 17th of Selefis, a call has gone out to all able bodied persons to report to the Bridge to assist. Marcusic, coordinating with the City Guard, began to assemble several teams under his command. He quickly called upon the foursome to lend a hand. Knowing that the everyone must pull together and that the spoils of what they found in the city would be theirs to keep as Kayin had eagerly reminded them, all of them heeded the call. Waiting at the mustering point on the far edge of the bridge, the group spotted Marcusic making his way slowly through the throngs of people. The constable stopped and looked to be talking to a half-elven female with an oversized axe. She nods and stands, towering over Marcusic. The pair walks straight over to the group.
”Sautekh… Titan… Kayin and Randall… I’d like you to meet Muraisa of the First Lands. That is, if you haven’t already had the pleasure,” he says with a large grin. ”The day is sure to be long, and strong axes shouldn't be overlooked. If you run into trouble, just fall back to the bridge.” Marcusic turns and waves a hand at another group. ”Excuse me for a minute. I’ll come back by after making an announcement.”
Most of the world of Æustëria has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the vortex before the Hazard could contain it. Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor had inadvertently come close to destroying the world. But Amus, the Goddess of Time, intervened, and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and awoke in the Bright Tower of Talanor. While the Bærwynnd remained locked in an epic struggle to keep the vortex sealed, the heroes were sent on quest to gather the surviving Hazards throughout the devastated world. Having reached Earthenwork, the capital city of the Kingdom of Haemil, they worked with the Rhykal, the 16th Hazard of Haemil, to unseal the Circle of the Whispering Wind. This ancient portal allowed the King of Haemil to send his people to the safety of the Vale of Talanor. Arriving in the Vale, the people of Haemil have discovered the refuge they sought is but a ghost of a town filled with the armies of the undead and a few survivors of the destruction of Æustëra.
The cold air bites at your lungs as you take a deep breath. For two days you have waited at the Bright Tower, biding your time as the garrison of city guards made brief skirmishes into The Point trying to clear the streets and alleyways of the rampant undead swarming the district. Food and drink was being provided from a few arcane soucres but the Hazard of Haemil had immediately disappeared into the highest levels of the tower and hadn’t been seen since.
Prior to the refugees’ arrival, Toraim has been helping the dwarves keep the road between Eastgate and the Bright Tower clear of undead. While mercenaries and a few survivors from the City Watch have been keeping the path clear right up to the tower, the dwarves had been charged with patrols from Eastgate ot the Bright Gate, a gatehouse separating Oldtown and The Point along the Dragon Road.
One week ago, on the 10th of Selefis, Toraim and a group of dwarves were escorting a group consisting of Ysildaë, her two elven companions, a tiefling and several humans, to the Tower Gate. As they made their way down the Dragon Road towards the gatehouse, a low rumbling of voices could be heard. Swelling out from the alleys, a horde of undead ambled after the group who escaped through the Bright Gate before it was shut and barricaded. There, they met Marcusic, a skald from Haemil that had traveled to Talanor before the storm that broke the world.
Since the 15th of Selefis, the City Guard of Earthenwork have coordinated with the Bright Tower to begin clearing The Point for the refugees to inhabit. However, things haven't gone smoothly as undead have been found most everywhere. This morning, the 17th of Selefis, a call has gone out to all able bodied persons to report to the Bridge to assist. Marcusic, coordinating with the City Guard, began to assemble several teams under his command. His first recruit was Toraim. He knew the dwarf was resolute and determined to help reestablish control of the Vale. Besides, he had been offered assistance from Akula, and who better than a fellow devotee to Valthyra to pair with the noblewoman. Toraim also turned to Ysildaë for aide. The elf had been aching to get back into the city and away from the Tower since she had arrived.
Heading to the end of the bridge, the trio spotted several other hopefuls standing in line waiting to be selected. A hulking human warrior is inspecting the recruits, accepting those capable of defending themselves and rejecting the others. A smallish young female with unruly blonde hair that the warrior had dismissed, sulked through the crowd and made her way into the piazza where the groups were mustering. She glances about nervously, unsure where to head, when Toraim takes her by the arm just as Marcusic approaches them.
”Toraim… Ysildaë… glad to see you’ve recovered from the rough journey from Eastgate,” he says with a slight nod of his head. Turning to the half-orc, he continues with a more formal tone, ”Lady Akula. We’re thankful to have you with us.” Only then does he notice Maria. ”And you are?” he inquires looking a bit confused and passing a quick glance to the dwarf.
Most of the world of Æustëria has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the vortex before the Hazard could contain it. Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor had inadvertently come close to destroying the world. But Amus, the Goddess of Time, intervened, and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and awoke in the Bright Tower of Talanor. While the Bærwynnd remained locked in an epic struggle to keep the vortex sealed, the heroes were sent on quest to gather the surviving Hazards throughout the devastated world. Having reached Earthenwork, the capital city of the Kingdom of Haemil, they worked with the Rhykal, the 16th Hazard of Haemil, to unseal the Circle of the Whispering Wind. This ancient portal allowed the King of Haemil to send his people to the safety of the Vale of Talanor. Arriving in the Vale, the people of Haemil have discovered the refuge they sought is but a ghost of a town filled with the armies of the undead and a few survivors of the destruction of Æustëra.
Hello Everyone!
My friends and I have been playing D&D since 1979 in a homebrew campaign. I have also run a F2F Pathfinder version of the campaign over the last 7 years. In April of 2016, I launched the PBP campaign, “Talanor: the Bright Tower” on these boards. After 32 months of consistent playing, the players of this campaign have rescued the inhabitants of the great capital city, Earthenwork, referenced above. Although their quest is far from complete, this act has opened the possibility of adding another campaign to the world.
The campaign will be semi-sandbox, in that, there are ongoing events in the world that will be affected by the original campaign, as well as, this new campaign. You can participate in those events or strike out in a different direction. I will work hard to create several hooks into each character’s background so that you can explore those threads or whatever interests you. We will start with the arrival of the refugees from Earthenwork, roughly two months after the calamitous “Shaping” of the world. The party will be asked to help restore control of the city that is overrun with undead. After that, we’ll just see where the story takes us.
I expect players to post at least once every day during the week. I’m flexible on the weekend as it tends to be family time for me. If you don't post for a week, you'll likely be replaced, notwithstanding travel or illness. In which case, please just communicate with me. During combat, if you haven’t posted for 24+ hours after your turn was indicated, I may delay or bot your PC. To keep the game at a brisk pace, I may roll saves, skill checks, perception, initiative, etc. for the PC’s. If I do ask you to roll one of these, I’ll give you 24 hours to make the roll before moving the game forward by rolling it for you.
About the New Campaign:
The concept is an alternate timeline to our homebrew world, Æustëra. In this timeline, one of the Hazards (powerful wizards of an arcane guild) has inadvertently opened an uncontrolled portal to the Ethereal Plane… a violent vortex. All magic, both arcane and divine, originates from ethereal energy. By opening this vortex, the Hazard has created a singularity which began to destroy the world by consuming all physical matter of the Material Plane. This has become known as “The Shaping”. With one last surge of magic (and with the aid of a goddess), the Hazard was able to contain the vortex but not before world of Æustëra was terraformed into a five-spoked, spiral world... think of a pin-wheel, or better yet, of a galaxy spinning in the vastness of space. The new world is tilted away from the sun creating a permanent night. That is, until you reach the edge of the world and look down. Leveling will be by milestone, and I’d hope to play this into mid-high levels.
We have an Obsidian Portal wiki site with plenty of information regarding the world, its origins, our house rules and the character creation rules. While there is a ton of info there, some areas aren’t fleshed out in the viewable pages. Just ask if you have questions or requests. I’ve been working on the site for well over a year, and adding everything from a nearly 40 year old campaign world is a daunting task. As my current players could tell you, I’m very flexible and work to make my campaigns fun and entertaining. Here is a link to a google slide deck with the Maps of Æustëra. Additionally, all of these maps, such as the Vale of Talanor can be found on the wiki site along with descriptions and details about the areas.
Character Submission Requirements:
Character Background
The most important part of character creation, in my opinion, is the character's background story. This story should include information about his/her origin and heritage, experiences up to the present, motivations and fears, as well as, appearance and personality. Below are some questions to help you establish this background. You do not need to answer each question. They should just get your creative juices flowing.
* Why did the character become a member of the chosen class?
* Who are the character's mother, father, siblings or extended family?
* Describe a positive and negative childhood event.
* What was the character doing just before the campaign started?
* What is the character's favorite item or possession?
* What is the characters’s politics in regards to the local government?
* What is the character's religion?
* What is your character's short-term goals for the future?
* What are you most afraid of? Why?
* Who is your worst enemy? Why?
* Who is your closest ally or friend? Why?
* Do you know other characters in the party?
* Why is your character with the party?
* What is the character's appearance and mannerisms?
* What is the character's personality? Does he/she have any quirks or habits?
Alignment
I’m going to do something a bit different here. I’m dropping alignment restrictions on classes, and, frankly, I’m not going to even look at a character’s alignment. Instead, I’d like a description of the character’s ethics. Most importantly, I’d like you to think about where the character falls along the following continuums:
As part of your character’s background, you should indicate if your character is starting in (1) the Bright Tower or (2) in Eastgate.
There are boundless possibilities of race/class combos from these two locations. Your character could be a human evocation wizard sent by your master to deliver a tome to the Bright Tower; a half-orc brawler employed by the Hazard in his tower as a blacksmith; an elven cleric sent as a neophyte to your god’s temple in the Vale who was passing through Eastgate during the Shaping; a dwarven ranger who is the youngest son of a captain of the Dragongaurd in Eastgate; a gnome bard traveling through Eastgate looking for work; or anything else you could imagine. There are no restrictions, but I do expect a good explanation of how and why your character is here. Once I select the party, I’ll work with the players to adjust any inconsistencies or plot holes with the lore of the Æustëra.
The Bright Tower
The Bright Tower is the home of Bærwynnd, the 1st Hazard of Talanor. He is an ancient, powerful diviner and has several apprentices specializing in that arcane school. Characters located here could be either (a) a resident or worker within the tower, (b) a refugee from one of the districts of the Vale of Talanor that has luckily found their way to the tower following the Shaping, (c) a traveler/visitor to Talanor that has found their way to the tower or (d) a refugee from Earthenwork that has just been teleported to the Tower by the King of Haemil.
Eastgate
Eastgate, known to the dwarves as Kahae Edhekal, is an underground complex built and governed by mountain dwarves. Eastgate is the eastern exit from the Vale of Talanor, traveling many miles under the Shadow Mountains to the outside world. While most inhabitants of Eastgate are dwarves, people of nearly every race can be found here as residents, servants, workers, travelers, etc.
Character Build
For a character submission, a full build is entirely optional. 1-2 sentences giving the race & class, along with a general description of the concept will be sufficient. If you want to make the full build, below are the creation rules. More information can be found on the wiki site under: Character Creation.
Character creation rules:
Basic Build Rules
* 20 Point Build (nothing below 8 or above 18 after racial adjustments);
* Level: 1
* Races: See this link for details on house rule changes. We have lots of sub-races to the core races that change ability score starting adjustments and possibly some racial traits.
* Any class (no occult, no gunslinger); must use unchained; See this link for details on house rule changes.
* Feats: See this link for details on house rule changes. They are similar to the tax feat rules with some additional changes.
* No Guns;
* Average gold by class;
* Max HP per level; You’ll need it.
* Background Skills
* +1 skill points per level; must be used on any knowledge skill;
* 2 traits; You may take a 3rd if you take a drawback;
Magic Items
The knowledge of spells and rituals to craft magical items has been lost to time. Such legendary items are rare in Æustëra. But with the Shaping of the world, the barrier between the ethereal realm and the material realm has been altered. The essence of magic can now be gathered and manipulated by those of strong will and desire. The source of essence is most often a fallen foe. There are several types of Essences; ethereal, arcane, primal and life. All essence may be imbued into items or a character to grant them magical powers while life essences may be imbued into characters to increase stats or gain feats.
At 1st level, all characters start with an inherited item that they wear or wield. Depending on the class, this item may be any category of masterwork quality, bonded item. The heirloom item will not have an innate magical properties, but is of such quality as to be used as a bonded item if/when an essence is imbued into the item. Additional information regarding bonded items and essences can be found at this link.
Additional information regarding legendary items and essences can be found on the wiki site under: Legendary Items. and Essences.
Religion:
On Æustëra, religions are tightly aligned with different empires and kingdoms. As a kingdom became more power, its patron deity gains more followers, more prayers and more sacrifices. Therefore, the deity grew in power as well. If a kingdom was defeated or waned in power, so did the god. Further, the gods, in their own realms, are constantly vying for power amongst themselves. Their battles also affected the kingdom’s power on Æustëra. Still, many kingdoms are tolerant, to some degree, towards religious freedoms.
If your character submission contains a class that is granted spells or boons by a patron deity, post or PM me and we can figure out the right conversion. Most deities from our campaign have a similar god in Pathfinder. For example, we have Mylesar, the Warrior. He’s similar Gorum. You can find information about all of the gods on the wiki site under: The Ealintaine.
I’ll keep the recruitment open for a few weeks, giving plenty of notice to complete any submissions before closing the recruitment period.
I can't seem to find any rules or forum threads on this scenario that has come up in one of my games.
On the Bad Guys turn, they Ready attack actions for the first PC to come out of an Obscuring Mist. The first player up, says his PC moves out of the mist and uses a wand. I, the GM, stop the PC after they emerge from the mist which has triggered the Readied Attack and resolve the Bad Guys attacks.
The player then asks to use an extraordinary ability that is listed as an Immediate Action in response to and prior to resolution of Bad Guys attacks. I believe he can use the immediate action but not positive.
Level 3
Wealth by level
No Bonded Items
Spheres of Power
Spheres of Might
I think using a SoP or SoM class would be best.
I'd like at least a minimal background to inspire me for the adventure; including how you know each other and why you were going to the Vale of Talanor.
Most of the world has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the rift before the Hazard could contain it. Alaquendai, the 1st Hazard of Talanor… the most powerful Diviner in a millennium… had inadvertently come close to destroying the Ringworld. But the Cosmos, the Revered, intervened and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and have awoken in the summoning room inside Talanor, the Bright Tower. Before them stands the Hazard locked in an epic struggle to keep the rift sealed. They remember having felt their souls being ripped from their mortal flesh. Just as they witnessed the same happen to others moments before being consumed by the singularity. They hear the Hazard, in their minds, Help me… there is little time… my power is waning and I cannot hold the rift sealed… help me.
I hope you find the campaign interesting, challenging and, most of all, fun. I do have a few comments and requests to address before starting:
1. Please include your class, level, initiative mod, perception mod, current/max hp, current/flat/touch AC, CMD, and Movement under your alias’ profile so that it is visible when you post. Also, please keep an updated crunch and your character background in spoilers inside your profile.
2. I will roll for everyone’s initiative and post in a spoiler. If I ask you to roll an ability check, skill check or save, I’ll wait for 24 hours for you to respond. To keep the action moving forward, I’ll roll it for you after 24 hours. Weekends will be ignored for this purpose as my posting will slow down during this time.
3. The environment will be harsh, but livable. You will be able to breathe, but, on the surface it will be extremely cold. Imagine Frodo’s journey through Mordor, this may be worse.
4. As mentioned by several in the recruitment thread, note that resources will be scarce. Stopping in the local inn or tavern for a hot meal, bath and a bed isn’t going to happen. If you meet some friendly NPC’s, you may be able to barter with them, but stores will be either abandoned, looted or destroyed.
5. Magic shops have never existed on Malta. While magic was commonplace, it was much too valuable to be bought with gold. Items will either need to be created or looted.
6. To keep the action moving, I’ll do block initiative and indicate who can post an action once we’re in combat situations.
7. Equipment: In your profile, please be sure to list all of your gear and its location. For example, I’d like to know that Valjoen has a dagger, a belt pouch, a backpack and his wand on himself. In his belt pouch, he has his spell components, acid (x2), and alchemist’s fire (x3). In his backpack, he has a bedroll, candles (x10), etc.
8. Special Item: Please provide, in your background story, a blurb about your mwk weapon/mwk armor/wand. Where did it come from? How did you acquire it? What meaning does it hold for you?
In our campaigns, these items are very character defining. As the party finds essences, you will be able to enhance these items. Additionally, if you find any other masterwork level items you can imbue them; for example, rings, staves, boots, gloves, etc. Item creation rules are the same except you don’t need the feat (other than potion and scroll). The gold cost is replaced by essences. The more gold, the more essences required. The idea behind this system is that it allows the GM to control the amount of magic coming into the game but gives the players the flexibility to get the items or effects they want.
Extracting the essences is the tricky part. Below is the Essence spells. Not everything will have essences, but a successful Spellcraft check will let you know if one exists. Once you determine that one may exist, you can cast the spell and attempt to extract it. There is no gold cost to create an item. To imbue an essence and create a triggered effect or innate effect the caster must also have the spell memorized or otherwise available.
Extract Essence – Level 0; School – Universal; Casting Time – 1 round; Components – V, S; Range – Touch; Target – One lifeform or object; Duration – Instantaneous; Spellcraft check. Spell Resistance – Yes. Note: Essences must be extracted within 2 rounds of death. Certain circumstances may prohibit extraction; such as disintegration, massive damage, etc. Failure may result in damage to an area around the caster.
Imbue Essence – Level 0; School – Universal; Casting Time – 1 round; Components – V, S; Range - Touch; Target – One being or object; Duration – Instantaneous
Most of the world has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the rift before the Hazard could contain it. Alaquendai, the 1st Hazard of Talanor… the most powerful Diviner in a millennium… had inadvertently come close to destroying the Ringworld. But the Cosmos, the Revered, intervened and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and have awoken in the summoning room inside Talanor, the Bright Tower. Before them stands the Hazard locked in an epic struggle to keep the rift sealed. They remember having felt their souls being ripped from their mortal flesh. Just as they witnessed the same happen to others moments before being consumed by the singularity. They hear the Hazard, in their minds, Help me… there is little time… my power is waning and I cannot hold the rift sealed… help me.
Helllo Everyone!
My friends and I have been playing D&D since 1979 in a homebrewed campaign, but we are down to just one or two gaming weekends a year. I have also run a F2F Pathfinder version of the campaign the last 5 years and periodically running some PFS games F2F, but this will be my first time trying to run a PbP game with any system if this generates enough interest. This campaign, “Talanor: the Bright Tower”, will be played using Pathfinder rule set.
The concept is an alternate timeline to our homebrew, The Nexus. In this timeline, one of the Hazards (the top wizards in each school of magic; Divination, Evocation, etc... are called Hazards and preside over other wizards of that specialty) has opened a rift to the Ethereal Plane. On The Nexus, all magic, both arcane and divine, originate from ethereal energy. By opening this rift, the Hazard has created a singularity which began to destroy the world by consuming all matter. With one last surge of magic, the Hazard was able to contain the rift but not before The Nexus was terraformed into a five-spoked spiral world... think of a pin-wheel, or better yet, of a galaxy spinning in the vastness of space. The new world is tilted away from the sun, which the previous ringworld had encircled, creating a permanent night. That is, until you reach the edge of the world and look down. Leveling will be by milestone, and I’d hope to play this into the high levels.
The interest check thread has gained some attention, but there was some confusion if it was an actual recruitment. To clear up the matter, I'm posting this recruitment but asking you to post any questions or submission in the other thread. The link is below.
Most of the world has been destroyed, and most of the inhabitants have been sucked into the rift before the Hazard could contain it. Alaquendai, the 1st Hazard of Talanor… the most powerful Diviner in a millennium… had inadvertently come close to destroying the Ringworld. But the Cosmos, the Revered, intervened and a handful of mortals were saved at the last moment and have awoken in the summoning room inside Talanor, the Bright Tower. Before them stands the Hazard locked in an epic struggle to keep the rift sealed. They remember having felt their souls being ripped from their mortal flesh. Just as they witnessed the same happen to others moments before being consumed by the singularity. They hear the Hazard, in their minds, Help me… there is little time… my power is waning and I cannot hold the rift sealed… help me.
Helllo Everyone!
My friends and I have been playing D&D since 1979 in a homebrewed campaign, but we are down to just one or two gaming weekends a year. I have also run a F2F Pathfinder version of the campaign the last 5 years and periodically running some PFS games F2F, but this will be my first time trying to run a PbP game with any system if this generates enough interest. This campaign, “Talanor: the Bright Tower”, will be played using Pathfinder rule set.
The concept is an alternate timeline to our homebrew, The Nexus. In this timeline, one of the Hazards (the top wizards in each school of magic; Divination, Evocation, etc... are called Hazards and preside over other wizards of that specialty) has opened a rift to the Ethereal Plane. On The Nexus, all magic, both arcane and divine, originate from ethereal energy. By opening this rift, the Hazard has created a singularity which began to destroy the world by consuming all matter. With one last surge of magic, the Hazard was able to contain the rift but not before The Nexus was terraformed into a five-spoked spiral world... think of a pin-wheel, or better yet, of a galaxy spinning in the vastness of space. The new world is tilted away from the sun, which the previous ringworld had encircled, creating a permanent night. That is, until you reach the edge of the world and look down. Leveling will be by milestone, and I’d hope to play this into the high levels.
I’d like character submissions to include the character sheet or stat block; a background story; a physical description; and personality description. To me, the fluff is as much, if not, more important that the crunch. I will make character selections based on that priority.
I expect players to post at least once every day during the week. I tend to post once in the morning and again in the afternoon or evening. I'm flexible on the weekend as it tends to be family time for me. If you don't post for a week, you'll likely be replaced, notwithstanding travel or illness. In which case, please just communicate with me.
Character creation rules:
• Materials: Any Paizo except Occult
• 20pt Build (nothing below 7 or above 18 before racial adjustments);
• 1 level of choice & 1 level randomly determined (see below);
• Core races + hobgoblin only; (There are sub races for elves and goblins. See the spoiler below for more detail.)
• Any class, except no occult nor vigilante; must use unchained;
• No Guns;
• Max Gold at 1st, plus one of the following: 1 mwk weapon, 1 mwk piece of armor, or 1 wand with a 1st level spell; keep in mind that the world has been virtually destroyed, so you won’t be ‘buying’ anything once the campaign starts.
• Max HP at 1st (half +1 or roll after 1st);
• 2 traits; You may take a 3rd if you take a drawback; we will use background traits;
• +1 skill points per level; must be used on knowledge.
• Neutral or good Alignment only;
• Additionally, you will randomly roll for an additional "bound soul" to have entered your body before the rift was shut. These souls have lost their body and are now trapped inside you. You will receive their racial stat bonuses/penalties, one racial ability, and one class level; (see, Bound Souls below)
Sub-Races:
Elves: There are three subraces of Elves: Bright, Dark and Noble. Bright elves are the standard elf with no adjustments. Dark elves (NOT Drow) are those who have been granted the sight of their own death. They lose the Elven Immunities and Elven Magic racial abilities and gain the spell-like ability to cast augury 1/day. Noble elves stat adjustments are -2 Con, +2 Int, and +2 Chr.
Hobgoblins: There are three subraces of Hobgoblins: Aegeans, Argeans and Aveneans. Aegeans are the most common hobgoblin and use the base racial stats. They also receive the greed and intimidating racial abilities. Argeans stat adjustments are +2 Int. They are the more scholarly of the race. In addition to the standard hobgoblin racial abilities, they also receive the skilled racial ability and either the academician or obsessive racial ability. Aveneans have kept their war-like tendencies of their hobgoblin ancestors. Their stat adjustments are +2 Str and +2 Con. They also receive intimidating racial ability.
Bound Soul:
Race: Roll to receive that race’s stat bonuses and penalties and select one racial ability from that race. You cannot select an alternative racial trait from either race. Reroll if matches your selected race.
1 = Dwarf
2 = Elf, Bright
3 = Gnome
4 = Half-Elf
5 = Half-Orc
6 = Halfling
7 = Human
8 = Hobgoblin, Aegean
Class: Roll to receive 1 level of that class. Reroll if matches your inital class.
1 = Barbarian (unchained)
2 = Bard
3 = Cleric
4 = Druid
5 = Fighter
6 = Monk (unchained)
7 = Paladin
8 = Ranger
9 = Rogue (unchained)
10 = Sorcerer
11 = Wizard
Item Creation:
Since most of the world and its inhabitants are destroyed, there will be no purchasing of magic items, although some items may be found or recovered. The Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion feats are available for use. All other magic items can potentially be made with ‘Essence’. Extract Essence and Imbue Essence are two 0-level spells that exist in our campaign. They are on all spellcasters’ spell lists.
There are several types of Essences; ethereal, elemental and life. Ethereal essence is pure magic and can be imbued into items to make them magical. Also, they can be used to infuse a spell into an item at one ethereal essence per spell level. Elemental essences can be imbued into items as well to give them special properties. Life essences can be imbued into characters to increase stats. There are success/failure rates to both extract and imbue essences. There will be more information about this linked to the campaign once live.
Religion:
On the Nexus, religions were tightly aligned with different empires and kingdoms. As a kingdom became more power, its patron deity had more followers, more prayers and more sacrifices. Therefore, the deity grew in power as well. If a kingdom was defeated or waned in power, so did the god. Further, the gods, in their own realms, were constantly vying for power amongst themselves. Their battles also affected the kingdom’s power on the Nexus. Still, many kingdoms are tolerant, to some degree, towards religious freedoms.
If your character submission contains a class that is granted spells or boons by a patron deity, post or PM me and we can figure out the right conversion. Most deities from our campaign have a similar god in Pathfinder. On the Nexus, we have Freel, the Beautiful. She’s very similar to Shelyn. We have Jolnar, the Three-Eyed Warrior. He’s like Gorum. I’ll have at least a listing of the gods in the recruitment thread.
Ask any questions. Let me know your thoughts or general interest. If enough people show an interest, I’ll start an official recruitment thread. That thread will have more detail about the setting/world to aid you in character backgrounds.
I'm planning on playing an Arcane Sorcerer, but thinking about taking his 1st level as a Teleportation Wizard before progressing as a Sorcerer.
My thought process is that I'll gain several additional prepared cantrips and a couple 1st level prepared spells to cast; a 5' teleporation as a swift action a few times a day; the innate bonus to conjurations; and the familiar progression stacks b/t the wizard and sorcerer levels. At 2nd character level, I'll have 3 cantrips and 2 1st level spells as a wizard and have 4 cantrips and 3 1st level spells (2 known) as a sorcerer. If I went straight sorcerer, I'd have 5 cantrips (instead of 7) and 4 spells (instead of 5).
The trade off is that my spell progression will be 1 level slower for the sorcerer.
Am I missing any other drawbacks to this quick, early dip into wizard?
I'm going to a small Con today. One of the PFS Events being held is First Steps, part I. The GM has restricted the builds to CRB only and a 15pt build. Is that legal?
I know I can do a rebuild anytime before 2nd level but it seems unfair.
RAGE
Hp:108 Fort +10 Will +8
2 Claws +14/+9 1d6+4 x2
Bite +11 1d3+4 x2
Hindclaw Rake +11 1d4+4 X2
Full attack +14/+14/+9/+11/+10
Special attacks:
Special Attacks: Grab, pounce, rake (See Above).
Pounce (Full attack on a charge)
Grab (both claws hit, instant grapple attempt)
Rake (free rake attack in grapple or full attack)
Skills: 2+Int (Humanoid)/ 6+Int (Ranger) +Favored class bonus (2)=16:
Acrobatics: 13 = 5 + 5 DEX + 3 - ACP;
Craft (Bowyer): 5 = 2+ INT Mod +3);
*Climb: 8 = 2 +2 STR Mod +3 -ACP;
Escape Artist: 10= 2 +5 DEX Mod +3 -ACP;
*Heal: 8 = 2+ 3 WIS Mod + 3;
*Intimidate:5 = 2+ 0 CHA Mod + 3;
*Know(Geo): 7 (+8) = 3 + INT Mod + 3
*Know(Dunge):6 = 3+ INT Mod +3);
*Know(Nature): 8 =5 + INT Mod +3
*Perception: 12 (+14) = 4 + 3 WIS MOD +3 +2(racial)
*Profession(Hunter): 9 = 3+3 WIS Mod + 3;
*Ride: = + 6 DEX Mod + 3 -ACP;
*Sense Motive:8 = 2+ 3 WIS Mod +3 ;
*Stealth: 14 (+16) = 4 + 5 DEX Mod + 3 -ACP;
*Survival: 12 (+15) = 4+ 3WIS Mod + 3;
*Swim: 8 = 3 +2 STR Mod + 3 -ACP;
Class features, Feats, Traits and Racial Traits: :
Class features:
1st Favored enemy : Gnolls (+4 Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, Survival; +4 Att/Dam)
Track
Wild Empathy
Combat style :Natural weapons (Feats: Improved Natural weapons, Eldritch Claws [count as magic and silver])
1st Favored terrain (Forest) +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival
Endurance: +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion; Constitution checks made to continue running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made to hold your breath; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation.
Hunter’s Trick 5x/day (Rattling Strike (Ex): The Ranger can use this trick as a free action before he makes a melee attack. If the attack hits, the target is shaken for 1d4 rounds.
Rage: +4 morale bonus to her Strength and Constitution, as well as a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. In addition, she takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class.
Fast Movement
Invulnerability (Ex)
Extreme Endurance (Ex): Endure Elements (Cold)
Rage Power (Renewed Vigor 1d8+3): As a standard action, the barbarian heals 1d8 points of damage + her Constitution modifier. For every four levels the barbarian has attained above 4th, this amount of damage healed increases by 1d8, to a maximum of 5d8 at 20th level.
Special: This power can be used only once per day and only while raging.
Rage Power (Renewed Vitality 3 pts): Benefit: While raging, the barbarian ignores the effect of 1 point of ability penalty or damage per two barbarian levels she has (maximum 10). Once per day, when a barbarian with ability penalties or damage ends her rage, she can reroll a saving throw, if any, against an effect that imposed an ability penalty or dealt her ability damage. If successful, she removes an amount of ability penalty or damage equal to the amount she can ignore while raging.
Rage Power (Regenerative Vigor Fast Healing 1): Benefit: After using her renewed vigor rage power until her current rage ends, the barbarian gains fast healing 1 for every 6 barbarian levels she has (maximum fast healing 3). She regains hit points from fast healing at the start of each of her turns.
Heroic distinction (Lucky, Dextrous, Hardened, Offensive Training [Claws])
Tabaxi characters possess the following racial traits.
+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma
Darkvision: Tabaxis can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Sprinter: Members of this race gain a +10 foot racial bonus to their speed when using the charge, run, or withdraw actions.
AC: +1 natural armor bonus.
Natural Weapons: Tabaxis can fight with 2 claws that deal 1d4 base
damage, plus a bite attack that deals 1d3 base damage. They also can
rake with their hind claws for base 1d3 damage when pouncing or when
grappling a foe, but only if both hands are free.
Special Attacks: Grab, pounce, rake (See Above).
Special Qualities: Weapon aptitude (see Below).
Languages: Tabaxis begin play speaking Common and Tabaxi. Bonus
languages can be chosen from the following: Elven, Gnome, Goblin,
Orc, and Sylvan.
Weapon Aptitude (Ex) Swordtrained: Members of this race are trained from birth in swordplay, and as a result are automatically proficient with swordlike weapons (including bastard swords, daggers, elven curve blades, falchions, greatswords, kukris, longswords, punching daggers, rapiers, scimitars, short swords, and two-bladed swords).
[spoiler=Equipment:]
Bracers of Armor +1
Amulet of Natural armor +1
Efficient Quiver
Potion Cat's Grace
2 Potions Magic fang
Potion Cure Moderate
2 Potions Cure Light
2 Elixir of hiding
2 Elixir of Swimming
2 Elixir of Tumbling
Adventure Gear:( )
Hunting dagger
--Weight:
Special Substances and items:
--Weight:0
Tools and Skill Kits:
--Weight:0
Clothes:(0gp)
Tall and sleek, possessing powerful lean muscle, Mirrianissa is the perfect combination of feline grace and feminine allure, bearing a presence that is immediately both appealing and intimidating.
Her movements carry a superhuman grace and a sensuous deadliness that scream natural born predator, her skin covered in a coat of velvety orange fur, slashed with dark cinnamon colored stripes, broken up by stretches of pure white on the insides of her arms and legs as well as along the front of her body. Hands and feet both end in razor sharp claws, sharper and stronger than those of most Tabaxi, adding to a primal wildness topped off by flowing red hair and golden eyes.
As with most of the nomad clans-people of her race, she wears nothing in the way of conventional clothing, possessing only a pair of worked leather bracers covering her wrists and forearms, a tiger's eye amulet around her neck, and a detailed leather quiver slung across her back.
Around her left thigh she wears a band made from the canine teeth of felled gnoll enemies, a trophy she makes no attempt to conceal.
Background History: :
Mirrianissa was born to hunt. The product of a bloodline that traced back to Belegohtar caste before the Time of Dark Sky, the young Tabaxi girl showed a gift for the hunt, excelling at all forms of physical activity and wilderness skills, her aptitude almost immeasurable. Soon she became one of the clan's most notable warrior/huntresses, gifted with more agility and stamina than most, her skills sharper.
Hers was a happy life, the pride, the hunt.....everything a young Tabaxi could want...until the fateful day when a clan hunting party including Mirrianissa and her parents, was viciously attacked by a horde of Gnolls, led by a Flind barbarian.
The assault was terrifyingly brutal, and though the Gnolls suffered three times the losses, Mirrianissa was the only survivor. Wounded and left for dead, she awoke, feverish in the midst of the aftermath, to find the bodies of her clan strewn about the battlefield. Taking what tokens she could from her family, she donned the bracers worn by her mother, and put her father's amulet around her neck before setting out to return to their village.
The attackers had struck there as well, the carnage brutal, as every member of the village met their deaths defending their home. Gathering what she could, she found the village Shamaness, struggling to breathe, her spine broken.
As she approached the wise one, the woman's eyes lit up with an internal fire. Here was their pride's hope of retribution. The old woman looked into her eyes, grasping her face with a burning intensity as she whispered an invocation in Tabaxi, calling upon blessing of the Great Tigress, the primal animal spirit from which their ancient masters had drawn the essence of their race. Mirrianessa could feel a great power enter her, ripping its way up through her center to infuse her body, her muscles and skin becoming tougher, her claws growing, becoming stronger, deadlier.
As the power built within her she let out a combination between a roar of fury and a shriek of ecstasy as she was changed. She looked down into the eyes of the Shamaness, the final glimmer of life leaving her eyes as her breath left her body, a smile of satisfaction on her face.
She could feel the difference in her body, completely healed, she felt as if she was more of herself, the spirit of the Tigress within her awakening, seeking her prey. She would find the Gnolls, the Flinds....let them know fear.
She would be the death in the darkness, the terror the Gnolls would come to know before life was ripped from their stinking hides. She would be Miriannissa, Death's Shadow...and her enemies would pay.
Gathering up her weapons she took off at a run into the jungle. There was prey to be hunted.
