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I modded her to Holy Gun, but I'm weird. Also, we have yet to see how that goes. : /
Whoo! Go Medesha! I will personally campaign for a run of this at Cafe Mox. ; D
Not for nothing, but those things are gonna fall right out if she has to tumble...or swing that sword around...or run...or walk fast...
Hey, maybe the Decemvirate is really into social experimentation. Bene Gesserit much?
I generally presumed that they took volunteers or, you know, interested parties. Didn't you sign up? :/
So, actually running an AP raises so many more questions than playing a character. A few things I've attempted to sort out : What language ought to be spoken in Ustalav? Because Skald doesn't make any sense, no matter what the guide says. I was thinking Romanian, only I've used that for Varisian (on account of them being largely inspired by Roma, and also the migration from an Italian-style Chelish, I don't know, it seemed to fit). I thought about Hungarian, though I'm using that for Brevoyan - it seemed odd to repeat the Irrisen esthetic in Brevoy when there's this lovely Hungarian style just sitting around collecting dust. Then, given Lepidstadt and whatever else, I was thinking maybe this is the German I was looking for. Only it's a little unfair to dump the country of spooks and horrors on Germany...or anywhere, come to that. So my fix is this - "Stalav" is an odd, cobbled collection of Brevoyan (Hungarian), Varisian (Romanian), and northern Andoran (German). Gives me lots of word choices for just that perfect esthetic, and also keep those grammar-nazi players at bay. (I actually have a player who's fluent in Romanian - who knew?) Meanwhile, now I've got Varisian, which I was thinking of before as the south of France (used a picture of Eze for Sandpoint, it's a perfect fit), and now I've gone and made it all Romanian. My solution, I think, is to have some odd city-evolution Varisian (French), as opposed to the 'wild' Varisian (Romanian), except I don't have an excuse for it yet. Working on that. I've adopted Brambleman's notion of Draconic as Latin, only I've kept Latin for Infernal as well - the difference being that demons have added to the old language, overcomplicated it, thrown all manner of conjugations and circumstances in, so that it's a massively complex knot of gobbledegook and legal jargon, very difficult to sort out by anyone who isn't either demonic, trained to it, or extremely patient and perceptive. I like Bomanz' use of Celestial, as well - a chorus, probably of simply sung notes, not even words, very tonal. Normal humans would never be able to get it quite right without some assitance - perhaps magical, or else just several voices chipping in to 'speak' simultaneously - though one could generally do well enough to be understood. On the same note, Abyssal could be a multitonal screeching/baying of dogs...it might not even quite matter which you go with, dialects varying massively, if only the tone and intention are important. More descriptive than translative. This would lead to all sorts of arguments and misunderstandings, but, you know...devils. I was going to say that Sylvan is Irish Gaelic, perhaps with a shot of Scotch, but I got to thinking about Aklo and Old Gnome. Old Gnome (I don't think there is a New Gnome, they just call their own language Old Gnome.) should be Irish, and Irish Gaelic, and Scotch Gaelic, and probably some Cornish, a bit of Yorkshire, and odd bits of French as well. It's a large language, breaking all its own rules, but fairly simple and adaptable, like English is in our world. Easy to learn, if perhaps difficult to master. Aklo, however, hrm...Aklo is totally dependent on story, setting and situation - sometimes it's the howling of winter wind through an ancient wood, sometimes it's the keening of a kestrel, or the long, sad note of an instrument. It takes experience to even recognize it as a language. That's fey for you. So then Sylvan should be similar, but not so bleak - don't have any examples off the top off my head, though. Whew - didn't realize I had that much saved up. Alright, then - thoughts?
I always figure the friars of Cayden Cailean for the best beekeepers, though there's something to be said for Calistri clerics... Oh, damn. Another short story note.
My fey concepts have been forever tarnished (burnished?) by my reading of Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.
I've made a few preliminary scribbles myself, as to how I'd like to handle alternative codes. (I keep with the "holy warrior" concept rather than the "badly-defined idealism" one.) Feel free to steal anything you find useful.
Holmes is almost a perfect, odd, uncommon Lawful Good. I could see an argument for LN, but in the end he's too much inclined to work for the good guys. Certainly a healthy dose of Rogue in there, as well. For a more period take on the same, consider the old occupation of "thief-taker." Not unlike bounty hunters, these fellows often worked freelance (like Holmes) for nobles or politicians or who-have-you, either tracking and recovering criminals, or else simply the goods they've stolen. Nice hook for a character, though - that one job that just got way out of hand, sort of thing.
I'm interested in the clashes between Goods. I'd like to see different acceptable methods of Good - it seems awfully unimaginative to think that the only good guys are the ones who practice wanton charity and random acts of interfering kindness, and that the only alternative is a Lawful Stupid metagamer. I'd like to see shades of Good, variations of Good. On a slightly tangential note, I'd like to see an AP with a genuinely Good 'villain' - which is to say, someone who either doesn't have all the facts, or perhaps has drawn an invalid conclusion. Make the Good choices hard ones, as much as any other choices are. It's been said before, but : alternative Paladins - Cayden's got to have some CG Paladins out there. Desna might have some Wardens of the Road, sort of thing. NG Pharast Paladins could be interesting (obviously focusing on the anti-undead aspect of things). A NG Dawnflower Paladin might be fun, as well, and a totally different take on the same alignment. If it's a Holy book, rather than simply a Good book, perhaps a note on Holy-but-not-strictly-Good. There have to be some fascinating Neutral Celestials out there - arbiters and the like. Maintaining the Balance, sort of thing. The old orders of monks keeping the time of the universe. I have an amusing notion of anti-ascetic merchant monks of Abadar, spreading wealth by trade rather than charity. They probably get on well with the holy smiths of Torag. I guess the big thing I'm getting at is variety - 'fantasy Good' is woefully lacking in variety. I love Mikaze's mention of Zoveri and Busen...creepy-good puts me in mind of old fairy tales, and I enjoy that.
So there's always talk about paladins - who can have them, how they fall, etc. I take the view that, for one thing, a paladin is a holy knight and there are a feck of a lot of deities out there. For another thing, there's more than one way to be noble and just - sometimes without even being characteristically Good. So these are my preliminary notes on alternate Codes of Conduct, primarily just to add some flavorful options to a few games out there. Thoughts? Code of Order (LG) : Do Good – don’t cheat, don’t steal. Don’t talk at the movies. Defend the defenseless, by words or swords – but only ever kill in defense of another life, and only if there is no alternative. Keep the peace. Abide by the laws of the land, except where those laws contradict any of the previous tenets of the code. Code of Mercy (NG) : Do no harm – never ever aim to kill. Heal first, ask questions later. On your honor, try to save any life which might reasonably be saved – though this may often require difficult decisions. Resolve conflicts without bloodshed wherever you can. Treat prisoners and survivors as best you can. Never endorse the use of torture, maiming or mutilation.
Code of Justice (LN) : Do Right, no matter the laws or consequences. Judge with an unbiased eye, to whatever extent you can. Judge individuals as individuals and societies as societies, without mixing them up. Judge actions as actions and characters as characters – bad people may do good things, as well as the reverse. Never lie about events or observations – though your thoughts and intentions are your own. Reward or punish as you see fit. Code of Preservation (N) : Knowledge is sacred; wisdom comes through awareness and understanding. Seek out new lore wherever you can. Never allow a knowledge to be hidden from the world, if you can help it. Don’t falsify records or documents. Never burn a book, scroll, or tablet which isn’t actively attempting to destroy existence. Never accept an argument of authority from someone you don’t recognize as an authority. Always fight your own battles, and try not to get caught up in others’ if you can help it. Code of Expedition (CN) : Explore and experience! Discover! Wander through woods, crawl through dungeons, take the path less traveled. Go where luck and whim and adventure dictate. Gather experiences as firewood, to fuel your life – and to start fires in others as you go. That fire is life, warmth, and motion in the world. Never stay in one place for too long, for fear of growing stale. Never wait around when you can reasonably continue.
That's only if you like your family. :P
Hah...I actually wrote an app some time ago, for a sword-and-board goblin paladin. I dug it up, to place here for your enjoyment/interest/mockery. Scurfy: Name : Sir Scurfy Barkface Blisterfoots the One-st. (But you can call him Scurf.) Race : Goblin (Yep.) Class : Paladin (...Yep.) Tropes : Funny Foreigner, Team Pet with delusions of Chronic Hero Syndrome The paladin stood tall, impeccably, still shining in his shiny armor despite the murk and mush around him. A slash of his blade through the brush and there was the path again – the dwarf beside him hefted his hammer and trotted ahead. A lean, wiry woman stepped softly behind with her bow in hand. To the edge of a broad pond, rung with a grove of thirsty willows, all digging their roots down into the reeds. “A good place to rest,” the paladin declares. The reeds snigger a bit, but the hungry heroes fail their listen check. Hurk Licktoad, lurking in the reeds with a dozen other goblins, frowns. “Is we bean smartheads, here?”, he whispers. One of the others – the boss, from the size of him – only shakes his head sadly. “Course we is; you knows moto. We be goblins – they be food.” He sighs; every goblin pup knows the motto. Hurk eyes the heroes warily. “Food looks sharp...” he mutters. Needless to say, this didn’t end well for the goblins. They lay in a mess of acid-blood and marsh, their fearful leader running away with an arrow in his bum – and Hurk, somehow still alive. He had jumped out with the others, but he hadn’t seen any good way to attack without, well, dying. When the ranger shot at him, he ran – tripped over a willow-root and hid behind it. As the melee died down (haha), the dwarf noticed him as well. Advancing on him, Hurk dashed behind the trunk. The dwarf pursued, and Hurk scrambled back around front – with an arrow nearly pinning his ears back. He yelped, then splashed back around the willow’s back – right into the dwarf! Ducking, Hurk accidentally tripped the dwarf up the water and roots, then tried to climb straight up the tree and hide in the boughs. The bark broke, though, and he fell on the dwarf just as another arrow whizzed by. It was around this time that everyone in the vicinity, goblin included, noticed the paladin laughing. “Why that lucky little bugger! Desna laughs, surely – let the auspicious imp go!” The woman shrugged, and the dwarf made a face, but they wandered away. Hurk, left alone and largely unharmed, sat amidst his fallen clanrades fairly stunned. Oh, not that they’d died – average goblin life expectancy is under twenty; it’s hardly a traumatic event anymore after the first few years. No, the stupefying aspect of this situation was that he’d lived. Hurk sat on a stump to ponder this, insofar as goblins can ponder. He’d heard of Desna – some of the squishy healers shout her name before becoming goblin food. Other times, the traders they steal from talk about her. He’d seen her wellshrines at the crossroads...and, er, stolen the change from them. Well, she wasn’t using it. So he knew there was a goddess of travellers, and he knew that she wasn’t a goblin god...this being pretty much the point where his head hurt. Because, well...when did Lamashtu ever actually save goblins? It was a blasphemous thought, but an honest one. Lamashtu was many things – scary, predominantly – but she wasn’t very lucky. An odd thought crept up on the goblin...that...well...service to Lamashtu kind of stinks. Yeth-hounds are awful, and harpies are mean, and there’s nightmares all the time, and – this one’s kind of the dealbreaker – goblins always seem to be dying. This, by the way, is pretty much as deep as goblin pondering goes. With one grunt, he decided then and there to convert. There was an image in his head of that paladin and his shiny shield, all...alive. And laughing. Not like Lamashtu’s laugh at all. Hurk grunted, and nodded to himself, and decided that he would be a shiny paladin, too. The only thing he needed, obviously, was a shield. Casting about, he spotted the broken willow-bark – perfect! ... Not very long later, he had a somewhat mossy willow-bark shield and a few bits of metal armor tied together, mostly looted from the dead goblins. Looking into a small clear patch of lake, he grinned toothily. Honestly, there isn’t any other way for goblins to grin. It was right about this time when the boss came back, probably intending to loot the corpses himself. “Heyyou! How you live?” He jabs a fat finger at Hurk, who puffs up his chest all proud behind his new shield. “Desna save me! She nice god – Lamashtu stink!” He laughs the slightly shrill laugh of the recently heretical. The boss-goblin’s hand whips out to whack him, but it hits the barky shield. Hurk grins again. Toothily. The bigger goblin growls. “You run away, dint you – hair-tick!” Hurk shakes his head. “No way – was Desna! Sides, you ran, bossypants!” “Course! I leader. Gots to run way, find more goblins to boss.” He snorts, pokes his thumb at his chest, then sticks his tongue out. There’s a moment – common amongst goblinkind – wherein one combatant may pause to think up a good insult. It’s easy to tell, by the scrunch of his face, and only courteous that his opponent wait for the insult to arrive. ... “You scurfy barkface!” Now, Hurk had been having a small dilemma. Being a heretic meant he wasn’t a Licktoad anymore. Not being a Licktoad anymore meant he didn’t have a name. So just at this moment, his face brightened considerably. “Ooh, that good name, like it! Me take name!” The boss-goblin paused. Something in that transaction didn’t go as planned, only he couldn’t quite see where. Giving up, he focused on that last point. “Hey! Is good name – gimme name back!” “Nuh uh! Took it!” Scurfy danced back from another whack, then stuck his tongue out. “Pbbth!” The bossy goblin stamped up and down. “Gimme name back, gimme name! Rargh!” Drawing his dogslicer, he pointed it at Scurfy. “You not Licktoad now, you not goblin – you be food!” Scurfy hefted his willowbark shield. “Fine. You wants Barkface? I give you barkface!” And that’s the story of how Scurfy Barkface learned to smite evil.
I'm no expert, but in my limited experience I have worn chainmail and also full plate. I'm not a particularly weak fellow, and I have to say, those check penalties feel about right to me. My move speed was reduced by about half in the plate, and I sure as s*%$e couldn't swim in either. I respect that, with experience, you could grow accustomed to this to some extent, relearn those skills, etc. This is well-enough represented by armor training for my concerns. Something else to consider - it's not even strictly that armored folks are terrible at these things. It's that unarmored folks are that much better at them. Which is a bloody given.
Hrm...I'd never thought about tools for other bardliness. I like DV's notecards - maybe a crossreferenced notebook of quotes and stories? Not unlike a wizard's spellbook, really. Oh, and anyone remember Andy Serkis' gollum juice? In one of the LOTR special features, he describes this unique, er, beverage. A tea, I think, with immense concentrations of honey or lemon or somesuch. Perhaps a flask of some special throat brew? Also, really nice dancing shoes for a dancing bard, or shoes with really good traction for a dervish? Maybe something styled after tabi boots?
Three words for you : Call of Cthulhu.
I'm willing to bet this is happening already, and will be announced at Paizocon as one of this year's projects. It's the most talked-about potential AP in the wanted thread, and also a shoe-in for great fantasy elements. Plus, they could suggestive-sell that Giants handbook. Just sayin.
Ask a wizard for smoking implements and you're asking for trouble.
For another thing, not everyone has, or even knows, a caster of that level. Add to that, perhaps, that sailors can be superstitious and they've all heard horror stories of botched teleports. Then there's the philosophy of the thing - not all ships are going to be filthy cramped stinking holes, especially not in a world with some magic. If there is magic aboard, all it takes is a cantrip to keep clean and a small spell to summon fresh water. The romantic notion of the ship, as I see it, is mobility. If you keep all your stuff in one place, eventually someone will steal it - so take it with you. Take your whole life with you, and nobody will no where it is to bugger with it, as someone inevitably seems to wish to do. Incidentally, this plays well with teleport being difficult with ships, as that's only incentive to keep moving.
I must reiterate my appreciation for this thread - as much as I enjoy and appreciate the Paths as written, there are *lots* of odd alterations and customizations which may be made here or there, which Paizo very understandably has neither the space nor the inclination for. Every AP forum should have one of these threads. I'm throwing my lot in with the Zaiobe-changers - I've bumped her to CN, and she's only at Brinewall for the library, trying to figure out who/what/why her voice is gone. Pazazu is only a suspect, with perhaps Hshurha and Hei Feng (who is going to be the same deity as Gozreh, I think) also mentioned. Despite being an oracle, she really comes off rather witchy, with a bit of Tia Dalma thrown in for fun and flavor. She'll recognize Whispering Shrike, as well - by the name Fūshen. Suishen is only one of five (I have five PCs, so...) and also not the ancestral weapon. The weapon is Kūshen, the fifth elemental. Five PCs, five elements, Five Storms - five weapons. Qi Zhong will also come into play, I'm sure...I like using the gods as [hopefully] very subtle plot-pushers, especially in such a destiny-themed adventure. So will she turn on the party? Probably not, for so long as she can benefit from them. What she wants is knowledge, and they're likely to acquire that for her. Kikonu has certainly given her as much as he has...she would probably have left him in peace as well, if he hadn't insulted her in such a sensitive way. That's my take, anyroad.
Border Collies and St Bernards can be trained to handle animals...they could theoretically keep horses moving along a road in the absence of a human at the reins. (I've worked on a farm and watched one dog keep six hundred sheep in line - and she wasn't even an Animal Companion.) It's really more about style and flavor - do you like the look of it?
[flame on] It enrages you? As in, +4 Str and Con...cause I don't see it helping your Cha any. (Let's leave Int out of it...no need to be nasty.) Don't forget, you're taking that AC hit...might want to cover it with a little Combat Expertise, if you qualify. xP Really, though...enraged? So there are some rules that work better, and some that maybe don't. Not only is this debatable, but it'd inevitable. Worst case scenario? House rule. Seriously dude, James Jacobs isn't going to show up on your doorstep with a goon squad if you decide you don't want to use Combat Expertise. Come to that, you can minmax, rules-lawyer, and munchkin till your little heart's content, and nobody will stop you. Me? I like rules; rules describe a game...and rules can be broken, and I like that too. I'm just looking to play a game, which I really enjoy, with other folks who enjoy it. And there are a lot of those. So, you know, thanks Paizo - I'm glad you guys are around. Also, I love my Duelist, and he totally has Combat Expertise. With a rapier. Why? Because he's an Int-based Fighter - I liked the flavor of it. He's middle-aged, too, so he took the physical stat hit in favor of the mental - and I don't even know whether Pathfinder kept that rule! :D [/flame]
Aha, thank you. Which leaves me still wondering where to put my Jaegerkin, er, I mean German fellow.
I play Pbp, and consequently find it very flavorful to integrate more of those 'languages known' into my characters' speech patterns. I keep Etymonline and Google Translate bookmarked, then throw a few phrases out with translations in spoilers, footnotes or tooltips. Not overmany of course, as it could get annoying very quickly...but the obvious curses, exclamations, etc. Halfling culinary terms I might put in Old French or Irish, Dwarfish curses are always Scotch Gaelic, etc. These worlds we play in, and the characters we play, are seem to be so much more tongue-tied than we are. Racial languages clashing with national languages, all in turn washed over in Common, because otherwise things might get very sticky indeed. My query is this : Which languages (and consequently, cultures) do you associate with our much-beloved Golarian provinces? Would French suit Varisia better than Irish? Is a German or a Scandanavian dialect better for Ulfen than, say, something Russian or Slavic? Would it be odd to consider Mandarin and Japanese as merely different dialects of Tian Xia?
Don't forget, 'patron' doesn't *necessarily* equate to 'worship.' One can have a predominant respect for, or fear of, a deity - and if that passion is what rules your character, I'd say it qualifies. To say nothing of unwanted patronage...I can see a few of those gods just messing with folks. Isn't that what gods do, anyhow?
I'll second Master & Commander, as well as Cutthroat Island. Oh, and Harry Gregson-Williams did a beautiful siren theme for that Sinbad movie - it might suit the grindylow cavern very nicely. Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead might work for a growing storm...and maybe have another listen through the rest of Planets? Hrm, some Zoe Keating maybe? Potentially some Rachel Portman - the Chocolat soundtrack waxes a bit stormy on occasion. Ah, and listen through some Firefly/Serenity tracks (two different composers, there). Luck!
Where to begin? Well, just slap me if I ramble on too long... All of the stats appear to have multiple uses, for one thing, and not just mechanically. Charisma is 'force of personality,' yes, which is only slightly difficult to define. It can also be a measure of beauty, or third-party perception of beauty, or it can be general likeable-ness, OR that boisterous goodnatured like-others-ness. By the same token, I feel that Wisdom is often short-changed as 'common sense' or 'intuition.' If Int is factual knowledge (and/or aptitude for knowledge/learning), then Wis would represent the *application* of that knowledge - Wis takes on a thoughtful, philosophical nature. In addition, Wisdom is the Perception stat (as it was also the Spot/Listen/Scent stat before Pathfinder) - suggesting that Wisdom is also representative of physical senses, or perhaps more appropriately, one's attention to sensual inputs. Now, does a character with 18 Wis necessarily have incredibly keen senses in addition to their depth of thought and wonderful good sense? I'd say no, no more than an 18-Cha character *necessarily* is ultimately likable, beautiful, convincing, AND good-natured. No more than a high-Dex character *necessarily* has a perfect combination of cat-like reflexes and manual coordination. (Amusing note - I have a phenomenal immune system, but terrible stamina. Where does that leave my Con?) It comes down to personal concepts - choices and combinations. There are feats, flaws, traits and skills and backstories to be reckoned with. Can you optimize by dumping this and taking that, then grabbing a harmless flaw (which you can forget about later, anyway) and picking up an extra feat? Sure. And if that's your goal, have a blast, make a PunPun, I'm not knocking it. Well, a bit maybe. It's just...the stats are good and they are interesting and they are archetypal and they have become very much belovedly classic to us - but they're still awkward and imperfect and *only useful insofar as we value them.* In a tabletop game, maybe you don't need Cha at all - it is a very different beast from what I play. Try joining my Skull & Shackles PbP without Cha, and you will die. Quickly, painfully, repeatedly. It's a mechanical fact. ...Sorry if I strayed a bit from OP topic, there. SO, with all that said, I would like to mention that I do enjoy those various feats and functions which switch modifiers for you. Weapon Finesse and Zen Archery and the like - they're wonderful flavor-generators, as well as valid mechanics. My favorite *mechanical* use of Cha? Feint. I have a concept sitting around somewhere for a lamed lore-oracle with a sword-cane, PrC to Duelist later on. Perhaps it isn't optimized, but he'll be a blast to play someday. Edit - Intimidate is also Cha, no? There's lots of fun to be had with Intimidate checks, to say nothing of the interesting redefinition to 'force of personality.'
Let's not forget to add Besmara to this list. On which note, I have no doubt that she's flirted with Cayden more than a little. |