Alright. Zombie Jesus holidays are over where I am at, so I suppose it's time to start narrowing the tone and theme. The location will stem from those two.
But that is just 3 players out of the expected 6 (maybe 7? Fey didn't get back to me regarding Ninni). Anyone else have any preferences or suggestions?
Lisi is also on the invite list, but Voomer mentioned Lisi traveling at the moment, so we'll wait for that. But - we can do some preliminary talks in the meantime to narrow stuff down. Come at me.
The sooner we get through this session zero stuff, the sooner we can all get to work. You will get details from me to work on the characters I get material for the campaign.
Note none of this will be set in stone. A naval campaign might turn into a superdungeon and vice versa. A horror campaign can take a hilarious turn (I -loved- the entirety of John dies at the End series. Went through all of those books in a slow week). You get the deal.
Normally this is where I would mention that my characters don't flirt with anyone. But since my wife is playing, we are thinking of playing a pair of Kobolds in a permanent and already established relationship. We will of course keep things to a PG rating or better.
This is super sweet and I support it 100%.
breithauptclan wrote:
I haven't ever played with Dual Class before. It will be interesting to try. From what I am analyzing, it still doesn't necessarily make for more powerful characters...
The way I see it, it gives options. In my eyes, options are good. It's why I am a free archetype fan.
breithauptclan wrote:
For Ancestry Paragon, there are a couple of things that I would propose for ancestries that don't have enough ancestry feats. One is to pick a versatile heritage that comes with more feats. That isn't always an option for some character concepts though. Another is to homebrew ancestry feats - which is hard to handle in character build apps like Pathbuilder. And a third is to poach existing feats from a different but similar ancestry. Again, that one isn't always possible because of the ancestry not really having anything similar. An example of this working is a Sprite character that can pick from certain Gnome feats. In Pathbuilder that can be handled by giving a custom Adopted Ancestry (Gnome) at level 1 or 3. An example of this not working is Goloma.
I suppose we will have to look at these on an individual basis. The point is to make all characters "legal" in pathbuilder. If that is possible by adding a custom feat, I might be open to it.
Why pathbuilder - very simple. Tracking. Making a gestalt character is already complicated enough. The app will check it for you, and we can see whether it's all in order.
So that's the philosophy behind the "maybe" ruling.
breithauptclan wrote:
Automatic Bonus Progression does favor martial classes and more importantly, the reduction in loot penalizes certain spellcasting classes - specifically, the spellcasting classes that have to learn and pay for all of their additional spells. Spontaneous casters are usually fine because they don't spend much money learning a bunch of extra spells. Druid and Cleric are fine because they don't have to spend money learning common spells. It is only Wizard, Witch, and Magus that are nerfed by ABP.
Well, the problem is potency runes. As far as I am aware, there is no equivalent for full casters that simply adds a +x to hit or +x to the spell DC. That is my main concern. A +3 bonus is fairly major.
breithauptclan wrote:
The easy fix for that is to remove the monetary cost of learning spells. Keep the access requirements, especially for Uncommon/Rare spells, and even the time cost. Just don't make it cost coin since getting loot is reduced with ABP.
Interesting. Spellbook casters need to purchase a scroll and then pay the same price again to learn the spell? Am I reading this right? Because that's bonkers.
Suppose that you purchased a scroll of the spell, I would assume that the cost is null, similar to witch.
If you "research" the spell during downtime, sure. Pony up.
breithauptclan wrote:
Something that I want to try out at some point is removing the monetary cost of everything. Limit the items that characters can have in some other way - probably have permanent item and consumable item slots similar to spell slots. You can have a certain number of items of certain item levels. The costs of getting them are handwaved and we simply role-play finding, buying, or otherwise acquiring these items in-game.
I'm gonna go ahead and say this. I will not do this here. There is a limit to item amount. Of invested items, at least. A mechanic to acquiring items in the game outside of purchasing them. Crafting, and let's be honest - PCs find most stuff while adventuring.
breithauptclan wrote:
There are also some other known bugs with ABP, mostly centering around the blanket removal of item bonuses from everything. It nerfs alchemical items like mutagens and certain spells like Mage Armor and Magic Weapon that give a higher item bonus than what you can get from permanent items at the character level that they come available at. The fix for that is to convert the item bonus of temporary effects to a potency bonus that ABP uses and as normal, the bonuses of the same type don't stack. But you can use the higher bonus from the consumable for the duration of the effect.
These, I can agree on. Hence the variant rule being in the "on the table" pile, instead of "in effect".
Also, with Dual Class and Free Archetype, it won't be hard to have all of our characters capable and competent at nearly any type of scenario. Wandering episodic problem solvers in the style of The A-Team would probably work just fine.
That popped into my head at some point. Since there is dual class, we can do a lot of things with it. Not that I will be forcing you to take a specific class, but I just found some funny options:
- proselytising cultists *cough* clerics *cough* wandering the world, converting who they can. they try, but the deity is problematic
- bards on a tour, bringing culture to the savage lands. wooing dragons and killing princesses
- a bunch of randos decide to start a thieves' guild in the equivalent of Megacity One
- initially boring magic academy (wizards or witches)
- pirates of the inner sea (gunslingers and/or swashbucklers)
And so on and so forth. Again - this is not a proposal. Just dumb ideas.
Yeah I did not want this to clog the campaign tabs of previous players, so I marked everyone as inactive a while ago.
I assume it would reactivate once you re-dot, but it seems that is not the case.
Anyway, fixed now!
Please note that in the pursuit of a player-oriented game, I will actually want some backstories from you. Probably with some goals included. So start thinking about those in a general sense.
Once we settle on the theme/tone/GPS of the game, we can expand.
As a player, I am actually a fan of making a quick premise before starting, but expanding on that as the game moves on. You make a few dumb decisions on the spot in regards to the character personality, and can slap that into the backstory doc when time permits.
But it is good for both you and me to have something to start with.
Invite only session zero discussion. If you're not invited or stumbled into the thread, please ignore it. Thank you.
Alright, everyone, let's talk about this thing. What are we looking at? We're certainly looking at a thing, though I am not sure what it will be.
I have looked at the concept of balance, considered it, and then promptly tossed out out of the window. As I mentioned in our less public preliminary chat, I would like to use the following variants here:
Dual Class
You level up in two classes instead of one, gaining all the class features.
Free Archetype
Every even level, you get a free feat that can be used only for archetype feats. Whether we will go for a version when we do not limit taking a new archetype before picking up 3 feats of a specific archetype is something I am thinking about. We can discuss it
Gradual Ability Boosts
Instead of having to pick four ability boosts on 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, you instead get one ability boost at every level except 6, 11, and 16.
Other possible stuff on the table includes:
Ancestry Paragon
Extra ancestry feats at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. Plain and simple. Some ancestries do not have enough of a feat pool to fill this, so we'll need to talk about it depending on what ancestries you are going for.
Automatic Bonus Progression
This will depend on what classes you bring to the table. Full casters (IF someone decides to go full bonkers and do a two full caster gestalt for some reason) are a bit shafted by this, giving martials an edge. Again, we can talk about it.
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In this game, we will be running around Golarion, which I like as a setting, and I'm too busy and/or lazy to make up my own world. This guy, right? Can't even craft a world? Trashmaster!
The actual starting point/location will be based on what we discuss here. At the moment, not determined.
I will try to weave our story as we go, depending on what you do in the world. Meaning we are not doing an AP. I like to run sandbox games with some gentle nudging towards the planned outline. With that said, I've been doing this for a while and know that when the GM plans, players laugh as they pour the gasoline and juggle burning matches. You will have hooks, you will have town criers screaming their throats out about the local interesting events. If you decide to pursue some of those, cool. If you have your own agenda, cool.
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Which brings us to the fun part. Theme.
So what game do you want to play? We already know it will be crazy stupid balance wise. I am asking for a consensus on theme. Polintrigue? Horror? High fantasy? What are we looking at? I would like everyone to put their opinion down, and we'll try to reach some common ground.
Speaking of themes, everyone has a line in the sand. What's yours? What do you NOT want to see in the game? Not to worry if you omit something right now. In the future, if you feel like we are getting dangerously close to something you'd rather not see in the game, just let the table know and we'll either tone down or steer away.
I'll go first here.
I will not do sexual violence scenes. Hard no there.
I will not do sex scenes or ERP. Doors close, fade to black, beautiful morning.
I will not do intentional body mutilations. Flamingo knees to pull information from someone, etc. Obviously, there will probably be combat. But a slice across the forearm is not PUSHING THUMBS INTO THE OPPONENTS EYE SOCKETS TO TICKLE BRAIN MATTER. I assume you get what I am trying to say here.
We're not shooting A Serbian Film here. We're playing a game. If you are not sure that that is, lucky you.
Alignments are not a thing anymore in this game, BUT... play nice. You can play a selfish bastard of a person that sold their child to slavery, but find a way to cooperate with the party. On the other hand, don't be afraid to speak up if you feel like something is off. We are here to have fun as a collective, and can talk like functioning adults, I assume.
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So yeah. Most of you know me, I am Espi (he/him, if that's something useful to you), I play and run games for a few years now, going back to 2010 I think? I like to think I can help telling a story, but that's subjective. Sometimes when I am in a hurry, I make errors in text. S~&& happens. I'm just a man.
So - hello and welcome, and let's start the discussion.
A. Questions for Players:
1. He/Him
2. 3 ( I play and run 2e games. Partially familiar with the remaster )
3. I can post daily during Europe daytime hours. I would let you know in advance if I am not available. Syncing worldwide can be complicated, depending on where other players are from.
4. Nothing to mention, really.
5. 4/5
6. 3
B.From 0 to 5, rank how much of the following you want:
1.4
2.4
3.4
4.3
5.3
6.2-5 depending on levels
7.1-2 I prefer to keep excel sheets at work
8.3
9.3 (a bit of everything)
10.2-4
11.2
C.General questions for the characters (short answer):
1. A fortune teller told him he would meet his father within a year. His fater is presumed dead, however, so Kork took this as a bad omen. After thinking about it for the better part of the week, Kork decided to do some good in the world.
2.
3. Kork grew up with his mother and two sisters. Father was often gone, but did visit every few weeks. He had a good friend who he was running with.
4. Kork grew up in a semi-isolated goblin community, hidden from prying eyes of the world. The entire tribe hunted local wildlife for food, and sent out scavengers to find rare and prescious trinkets to trade for whatever they needed. When the scavenging parties returned, they sat down by the fire to tell tales of what they saw. Kork would sit with them, mouth agape, taking in all the stories they told. Of vast cities in the east, of terrible monsters walking the marshes, of orc tribes roaming to pillage and enslave whatever they find, of hags cursing entire lands with their foul magics... He took all of that in.
5. Kork always asked himself this question. Perhaps it was the teeth? He was only missing one when the orc raid came. They looked at everyone's teeth, and slit the throats of those with defects. The rest were thrown into cages, and moved east into the desert. Kork doesn't even know where. But perhaps it was his ability to entertain his captors with the tales he had heard from other scavenger parties, and the ones he collected himself?
6. Kork was the only man in his familial household, and while his parents loved all of their children the same, his father was out in the wild scavenging most of the time. There are some things Kork's mother could not teach him. Chunks was Korks friend for as long as he can remember. When they were young, they hunted for sqruiells together. They played hide and seek in the foul-smelling marshes, and drowned fish for hours on end in the nearby creek. They have grown up together and competed in courting the same girls. When they reached a proper age, they both joned the same scavenger group, and lived to tell the tale. Chunks taught Kork the meaning of cameraderie and loyalty, and the value of found family. They have only split paths after Chunks started his own family. Something Kork never wanted. Last time Kork heard, Chunks moved to Eredorn.
7. His friend Chunks, his mother and sisters - Joknu, Ukko, and Ipi, his father Boork, his scavenging party leder, Boork.
8. The slaver Krozin, owner of one of the mines near Lake Taul. Kork found himself in a very 'One Thousand and One Nights' situation, except the fact that there was no love between Kork and the gem merchant.
9. Greed, I suppose. Kork often searches for old ruins in his travels, and collects various doodads.
10. Auldari Reaches, Karstlands, Despotate of Zokai, City of Glimmer, Akarnennian Empire, Free Isles
11. Slavers, snotty goblins.
12. Orc raiders. A deep wound from his youth.
13. He tricked one of the other slaves in the mines at Lake Taul - a halfling called Rupp. He stole his food to surive the journey on boat to Glimmer. It's been gnawing him since, and he would like to find the halfling at some point to repay him and ask forgiveness. If time permits it.
14. The fate of his father, Boork. Last time Kork saw Boork, their camp was being raided by orcs.
15. If permitted, make a new one? Since the character is out of the picture, I can't do much to persuade the party to somehow bring him back. Unless you permit a ghost running around, in which case - awesome? I'm not going to hold it against you, or anything. Dice roll either way.
16. Kork never was in a serious relationship. A few flings in his younger years, but nothing recent.
17. Kork made sure to survive his time as a slave by telling stories to his captors every night and ending on a cliffhanger.
D. Campaign questions for the character (Short answer)
1. Visiting a childhood friend who supposedly moved there.
2. Kork is not afraid to do dirty work. He would earn money to pay for a room.
3. Kork is not afraid to do dirty work. He would earn money to pay for a room.
E. Game questions (short answer, “I don’t know” is acceptable):
1. Skill monkey, close range or frontline combatant pointing out enemy weaknesses to the party.
2. Champion, Rogue, and Acrobat are top candidates.
3. Champion, Rogue, Acrobat are top candidates. If we use free archetype rules, it's more of a question of the order in which I would take them.
4. Skeleton Key, and a Rope of Climbing I guess? I am not bent on any particular item. Well, a Bag of Holding would be nice.
5. Hard to tell at this point. I could get back to you on that, if I make the cut. However, Kork probably slighted a lot of people during his slave days, just to ensure him and his family get through the ordeal. I'm going for a redemption angle, assuming the character reaches civilisation at some point.
6. No preferenece. Variety is the spice of life.
F. Question(s) for players redux (short answer)
1. No preferenece. Variety is good.
2. All enemies can be fun.
3. I love me some intrigue in a game. Dopplegangers, shadow governments, shifty advisors, lies, treachery. The works. But not too often. Good friend NPCs are good friend NPCs.
4. As long as there's banter between players, even stranded scenarios are fun.
Fluff:
Kork grew up in a semi-migratory goblin tribe located on the borders of Karstlands and Auldari Reaches. Most of the tribe had spend their time scouting the nearby ruins for bits and pieces thye could use to trade with neighouring settlements or passing merchants.
In his young years, Kork had spend most evenings listening to tales of other scavenger parties exchanging stories of their travels by the communal fire. He would sit with them, mouth agape, taking in all the stories they told. Of vast cities in the east, of terrible creatures walking the deserts, of orc tribes roaming to pillage and enslave whatever they find, of hags cursing entire lands with their foul magics... He took all of that in. His father, Boork, was often away on these scavenging hunts. As a result, Kork grew up mostly with his mother, Joknu, and younger sisters Ukko and Ipi.
With his father scavenging most of the time, Kork was the only man in his familial household, and there were some things Kork's mother could not teach him. Chunks was Korks friend for as long as he can remember. When they were young, they hunted for sqruiells together. They played hide and seek in the foul-smelling marshes, and drowned fish for hours on end in the nearby creek. They have grown up together and competed in courting the same girls. When they reached a proper age, they both joned the same scavenger group, and lived to tell the tale. Chunks taught Kork the meaning of cameraderie and loyalty, and the value of found family.
When they reached adulthood, Kork and Chunks joined the scavenger parties. They went on several expeditions together, scouring nearby ruins. When the tribe felt that the local ruins have been depleted, they packed, and started moving to another location. This migration did, however, attract the attention of a nearby orc raiding party. They descended on the goblins and overpowered them within minutes. A few hours later, Kork had found himself shackled in a cage with Chunks, but with no idea about his family. Much of the tribe did not make the journey east through the Karstlands, and when they finally reached the Zokai’gor camps, Kork and Chunks approximated only a third of the goblins made it here.
Both goblins got assigned slave jobs. After seeing the disregard for slave life in the camp, Kork decided to entertain his guards with stories, ending in a cliffhanger every time (yes, a very "One Thousand and One Nights" situation).
Weeks have gone by, and Kork could have sworn he'd seen one of his sisters in the camp. With his hipe rekindled, he conspired with Chunks. Steal keys, free whoever they can, and run for the hills. This plan did not come to fruition, however. Timing is everything. And the timing on this was not at all right. Before executing their plan, they were loaded onto wagons again, and shipped further east towards the slave markets of Abul Dar. Here, they were all sold to a man named Krozin. Finding the silver linings, at least Kork was reunited with his mother and sisters. As for the fate of his father, none of them had seen Boork since they original attack in the forests of Auldari.
The entire goblin batch was sent to a mining colony near Lake Taul. Here, they shed blood and broke their backs extracting rate minerals for months, when Chunks devised a plan to hide in barrels on a ship heading for the goblin city of Glimmer. Kork distracted the guards while Chunks and Korks's family hid on the boat. Kork stole some food for the journey and snuck up on the boat a few minutes before it set sail for Glimmer.
After an arduous journey with little to no food or water, they reached their destination, Kork and Chunks did odd jobs for a few weeks, then signed up with Jibzi's Trifles, one of Glimmer's curio shops. Having an eye for interesting objects, Kork would walk around the city, looking for oddities to buy for Jibsi. He found the Glimmer goblins to be... snobbish and condescending. Placing themselves themselves above their wildland kin for reasons Kork did not understand. He grew tired of the attitude and left the goblin city to wander the land, looking for interesting baubles to sell back in Glimmer.
Years went by, and Kork had visited his fmaily in Glimmer several times, most recently to celebrate the 20th birthday of his older sister. A quite venerable age for a wildland goblin. During the occasion, they have all visited a fortune teller for fun. But Kork did not get good news. He was told he would reunite with his father, presumed dead, within a year. Kork left his money with his family in Glimmer after purchasing passage to the Free Isles, and set off to say goodbye to his old friend, Chunks in Eredorn.
Crunch:
Old Kork Thaumaturge 1
Small
Goblin
Unbreakable Goblin
Humanoid
Perception +4; Darkvision
Languages Common, Goblin
Family:1d100 ⇒ 34 3 members.
If you grew up with three or more family members, you had to mediate family conflicts and negotiate a crowded home. Add a Charisma ability boost and a Dexterity ability boost to your options.
Homeland:1d20 - 4 ⇒ (7) - 4 = 3 Frontier
You grew up at the edge of a settled region. This might have been isolated hills if you are a dwarf, a ranch or farm if you are a human, or another similar frontier. Add Farming Lore, Fishing Lore, Hunting Lore, Scouting Lore, and Lore pertaining to a type of creature that threatened your homeland regularly (such as Giant Lore) to your background options.
Major Childhood Event:1d20 ⇒ 15 Raided
A horde of raiders attacked your settlement and killed and wounded several of your people. This could have been a band of highway robbers or a conquering army. You have a relic from those times; add an armor or shield worth 15 gp or less to your background options. If you select this option instead of a skill feat, you are trained in Medicine.
Influential Associate:1d20 ⇒ 18 The Seer
You were close to a person who claimed to see the future—perhaps an oracle, seer, prophet, or merely some festival charlatan. The seer’s influence either made you into an optimist with a drive to fulfill that future or a fatalist resigned to accept it. Add a Wisdom ability boost to your background options.
Okay, I can make this work.
What do you think of a Thaumaturge with Champion (Zanda or Zethiss) and Rogue dedications?
A gobbo traveling around the continent, unearthing interesting trinkets in ruins of the old world.
Since we now have a fortune teller submission, I reserve the right to switch the background selection to a toy maker. I was on the edge with fortune teller and toymaker when I was making her, it makes sense narratively, and doesn't change mechanics too much. Besides, the bard she is only a con fortune teller for a single week in the year, anyway.
Alright, everyone. I present my submission, Theya - Human Bard.
Role - I am going for a skill monkey, face, out of combat healing, and backline support (buffs/debuffs). Bards, duh.
I will commit to a forum avatar if I make the cut.
Fluff:
A daughter of a seamstress and a fisherman, Theya is a human woman of Shoanti descent living in Sandpoint. She earns her keep crafting and selling rag dolls to the locals, and - being good with a needle - the occasional stitching up of injured hunters. Arts are her passion, and she has some semblance of musical talent.
Free-spirited at heart, Theya can be a bit of a troublemaker at times, but she has mostly good relations with the Sandpoint residents. Especially children, as she makes toys and clothes for them.
Every year during Shallowtail Release, she sets up a tent presenting herself as Madame Theya the Weavereader to tourists, and tries to make some extra cash on the side by doing card readings. While not a harrower, she dabbles in the occult and can be convincing.
Visuals:
*Subject to change, depending on finding a suitable avatar image.
Theya is a woman in her late 20s. Her black hair is held out of her face with a headband, showing her almond skin, hazel eyes, button nose, and a face decorated with laugh lines. She wears loose, often layered clothes and a scarf. On her belt, tied to a length of string, she carries a simple cloth doll roughly 7 inches tall. She often says it is a token - the first one she was happy with. Given its age, the doll is surprisingly clean at all times.
Focus Spells (2 points)
Counter Performance Trigger You or an ally within 60 feet rolls a saving throw against an auditory or visual effect. Area 60-foot emanation Your performance protects you and your allies. Roll a Performance check for a type you know - it must be an auditory performance if the trigger was auditory or a visual one for a visual trigger, and this action gains the traits for the type of performance. You and allies in the area can use the better result between your Performance check and the saving throw.
Courageous Anthem Area 60-foot emanation Duration 1 round You inspire yourself and your allies with words or tunes of encouragement. You and all allies in the area gain a +1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects.
Lingering Composition Muse maestro You add a flourish to your composition to extend its benefits. If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest[1]level target of your composition, but the GM can assign a different DC based on the circumstances. The effect depends on the result of your check. Critical Success The composition lasts 4 rounds. Success The composition lasts 3 rounds. Failure The composition lasts 1 round, but you don't spend the Focus Point for casting this spell.
If someone takes an ancient elf or some other option with a dedication feat from the get go, what ruling would there be for the level 2 free archetype feat?
I am asking because they are usually not compatible, and I am looking at eldritch trickster racket rogue as one of the options. Thank you!
◆ Twin Takedown (Flourish) - Frequency once per round - Requirements You are wielding two melee weapons, each in a different hand.
You swiftly attack your hunted prey with both weapons. Make two Strikes against your hunted prey, one with each of the required weapons. If both hit the same hunted prey, combine their damage for the purpose of its resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to each Strike normally.
◆ Hunt Prey - You designate a single creature as your prey and focus your attacks against that creature. You must be able to see or hear the prey, or you must be tracking the prey during exploration. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks when you Seek your prey and a +2 circumstance bonus to Survival checks when you Track your prey. You also ignore the penalty for making ranged attacks within your second range increment against the prey you’re hunting. You can have only one creature designated as your prey at a time. If you use Hunt Prey against a creature when you already have a creature designated, the prior creature loses the designation and the new prey gains the designation. Your designation lasts until your next daily preparations.
I imagine this fellow as someone who hunts down people for money when they want to disappear in the wilds. We can work on it if it's not a viable option at the moment. I read the lore doc, and I got the feeling that big cities are far and between, so I assume the setting is mostly rural. Hence the concept.
Where is the party currently situated? I have read your lore doc, but unsure of this.
As for names - do you want a specific naming rules for half orcs that I am to use and fit the setting better?
AC 16; Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +5
HP 24
Speed 35 feet
Melee
Jaws +7 , Damage 1d8+3 P
Claw (agile) +7 (Agile), Damage 1d6+3 S
Skills
Acrobatics +6
Athletics +7
Intimidation +4
Str +3, Dex +2, Con +2, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha +0
Items
Unarmored
Support Benefit Your bear mauls your enemies when you create an opening. Until the start of your next turn, each time you hit a creature in the bear's reach with a Strike, the creature takes 1d8 slashing damage from the bear. If your bear is nimble or savage, the slashing damage increases to 2d8.
I have built this guy and his bear (could switch to a different animal if needed, but bears are dope) to be the wall between the baddies and the rest of the party. Meaning the ranged combat capacity is limited for now. No money left for a bow, but I did get a sling. I used a 15 gp budget for the whole thing. Since you are level 2, I wasn't sure whether to increase the budget.
Let me know your thoughts. Specifically, on the name and setting stuff.
I'll throw my hat into the ring. I have a question, however, if I could. At the moment, there is a bard, a cleric, and an alchemist, correct?
Anyway - as per the first post in this thread, something about me:
I am a male, mid 30's, based in what you yanks would probably call eastern Europe. I work in localisation as a freelancer. Long-term relationship, but no children. I have a dog, however - as the late George Carlin would put it: "Cute as a dick."
My history - I picked up PF1e with a few friends shortly after it was released. No prior experience with TTRPGs, but we did do boardgames before that. Some of them with RPG elements. The RPG itch was scratched by PC gaming before we picked up PF, but... I was hooked. We ran a few short campaigns before I decided to sit in the GM chair. I currently run PF1e and PF2e campaigns for a few tables and occasionally play a character when someone else picks up the mantle.
I mostly run games in the Golarion setting, but do my own storylines and arcs. I love the improv and freedom aspect of tabletop, and cherish memories of the resulting shenanigans.
So if you don't mind, I will roll the ancestry now and we'll see if you consider me before I commit to building something. I'll poke my head in this thread in the next few days to see whether I should start building something.
Wolf Stance (Stance) Requirements You are unarmored. You enter the stance of a wolf, low to the ground with your hands held like fanged teeth. You can make wolf jaw unarmed attacks. These deal 1d8 piercing damage; are in the brawling group; and have the agile, backstabber, finesse, nonlethal, and unarmed traits. If you’re flanking a target while in Wolf Stance, your wolf jaw unarmed attacks also gain the trip trait.
Battle Medicine (General, Healing, Manipulate, Skill) Prerequisites trained in Medicine Requirements You are holding or wearing healer's tools. You can patch up yourself or an adjacent ally, even in combat. Attempt a Medicine check with the same DC as for Treat Wounds, and restore a corresponding amount of Hit Points; this does not remove the wounded condition. As with Treat Wounds, you can attempt checks against higher DCs if you have the minimum proficiency rank. The target is then temporarily immune to your Battle Medicine for 1 day.
Flurry of Blows (Flourish, Monk) Make two unarmed Strikes. If both hit the same creature, combine their damage for the purpose of resistances and weaknesses. Apply your multiple attack penalty to the Strikes normally. As it has the flourish trait, you can use Flurry of Blows only once per turn.
A son of a ferryman and a surgeon, Obahi was not raised by his parents, though he saw them often. He was instead raised in the estate of Jorsal of Lauterbury - a crusader working for an organisation outside of Mendev.
Obahi was studying medicine in the monastery, training under a strict regime. After his teens, he had joined the crusade as an auxiliary. A messenger, medic, scout. He went on a few missions with Jorsal. Nothing too dangerous. Scounting jobs, patching up limbs after the crusaders returned, the works.
On the last one, Obahi got separated from the troop. Lost in the Worldwound, he wandered the area, trying to retrace his steps to the surface. No dice - the shifting quality of the land got the better of the man. He gave up hope, sat down, and contemplated his fate. And then she showed up. A woman with Desnan markings, she escorted Obahi for a few days, until they found Obahi's group.
The half-blood greeted Jorsal, and turned around to introduce the mysterious woman, realising two things - he never got her name, and she wasn't even standing there.
Confused, they returned to Kenabres, to take make it to the Armasse festival. Obahi could do with a little rest.
Since we have traps covered by an archaeologist, I opted for a teeny monk boy. I present Aki "Nuts" Lowleaf! A coconut salesman, pit fighter, mediocre carpenter, and a terrible surgeon.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
You mean martial artist? Also you must be of a lawful alignment
Since we have traps covered by an archaeologist, I opted for a teeny monk boy. I present Aki "Nuts" Lowleaf! A coconut salesman, pit fighter, mediocre carpenter, and a terrible surgeon.
Crunch:
Nuts
Chaotic Good Small Halfling Martial Master Monk 1;
Aki was born into a family focused around wood and timber. His grandparents were rescued from a Chelish slaver ship and brought to Slipcove on Bag Island. Since that time, Aki's father managed to acquire enough money to build a lumber mill. Lowleaf Timbers, a family company, makes money by cutting down palms, processing leaves for roofing materials, selling roots for firewood, selling trunks for ship and building construction, and coconuts for food and drink.
And that exactly is Aki's business. Take a shipment of coconuts to one of the more frequented ports, sell them, and come back with the money. Frequently, he would purchase passage on ships and help them with his carpentry skills, however meager those may be.
Alongside his official income, he has a side hustle. Underground fighting rings. He cycles cities throughout the year, and people underestimate a halfling in a ring more often than not. Aki used this to his advantage several times, and got a little coin on the side.
During his latest trip to Port Peril, Aki was bashed over his head after collecting his winnings, only to wake up captive in the bowels of an unknown ship.
You only get 1 feat at level one He does get another trait however
AC 18? What armor with 60 GP
What alignment?
In general he is approved though, just needs to be fleshed out
Endurance is from Shaman’s Apprentice alternative racial.
As for armor, I am not bent on it. I assume it will be stripped at the start of the game anyway?
It's 75 GP, which is within the budget, but I can change it, if it's an issue.
With that said, 18 AC is not really high for a medium armor frontline.
The second trait is Fate's Favoured. Same treatment ar armor. I can swap it.
Ok on alt racial and trait
I don't see an armor at 75 gp?
Here is what I have
Kafa
Half-orc slayer 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 53)
Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4
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Defense
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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex)
hp 13 (1d10+3)
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +0
Defensive Abilities orc ferocity
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee boarding axe +5 (1d6+4/×3) or
dagger +5 (1d4+4/19-20)
Special Attacks studied target +1 (1st, move action)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Dirty Fighting, Endurance
Traits fate's favored, ship's surgeon
Skills Acrobatics +6, Disable Device +3, Heal +5, Perception +4, Profession ((Carpenter)) +4, Profession (sailor) +4
Languages Taldane, Orc
SQ orc blood, track +1
Combat Gear healer's kit; Other Gear boarding axe, dagger, bandolier[UE], bedroll, thieves' tools, waterskin, 60 gp, 4 sp
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Special Abilities
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Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Dirty Fighting Forgo flanking bonus to make combat maneuver not provoke attack of op.
Endurance +4 to a variety of fort saves, skill and ability checks. Sleep in...
There are a few different things, and they were not exported from pathhbuilder. I can drop a rundown tomorrow. Sleeo time here.
However, I may change some things. Since we do not have a brawler anymore, I might do a brawler/rogue multiclass.
It would be similar to the slayer above mechanically, but have much more rogue utility. I'll drop the full rundown tomorrow and see what fits you more?
A woodworker/carpenter by trade, he keeps an axe (boarding variety) on his belt.
Campaign trait Ship Surgeon.
Combat wise, the plan is to go heavy into two weapon fighting and dirty trick combat maneuver. Pirates are not known to be honorable fighters.
Regarding party role, Kafa would be the forward scout and deal with traps. I am investing points into disable device, but will need to wait until level 4 before I actually get the trapfinding feature and disable device as a class skill.
An option is to remake this person into a rogue, but slayer is more in tune with what I am going for.
Kafa's father is a woodworker, and Kafa took up the same trade. He works as a carpenter for hire on ships to feed himself. Recently, he was between jobs in Port Peril, looking for his next gig, when he was jumped by a group of thugs in an alley during a drunken stupor.
I will expand on this and make a board avatar if I am picked. Good luck, all.
Noemy, I love the concept and I think it's great. However...
I know it won't come up a lot, but please let me help you with what I assume is a machine translation of "Rivertown". I can't help but giggle every time I read what you had written down.
What were you going for? What's the town like? Is it next to a large river, or just a smaller stream? Frozen over a lot? Shallow waters that are used to cross often?
I have some familiarity with a Slavic language, so I got a good giggle out of it too! So awkward sounding, isn't it? It's actually straight out of the Irrisen campaign guide book, as is a character I drew into the backstory that I thought was particularly fitting.
Okay, that is actually hilarious. Canon, but hilarious.
Noemy, I love the concept and I think it's great. However...
I know it won't come up a lot, but please let me help you with what I assume is a machine translation of "Rivertown". I can't help but giggle every time I read what you had written down.
What were you going for? What's the town like? Is it next to a large river, or just a smaller stream? Frozen over a lot? Shallow waters that are used to cross often?
Feats: Natural Medicine, Orc Sight, Storm Born
Specials: Anathema, Druidic Language, Druidic Order (Storm Order), Wild Empathy
Fluff:
Lenla has a heart of gold, but she tends to make horrible decisions in life. Her daughter turned out to be a result of one such decision. Having a child outside of wedlock, and one with a green tint to the skin on top of everything, Lenla had found herself irritated by the constant whispers and disappointed looks. She left the town shortly after. She travelled south towards the forests of Verduran - a place where, at least supposedly, all can join the local community and live as one with the forest itself. This turned out to not be a horrible decision, as both she and her daughter were welcome in the community. They both received new names upon joining. The child was named Yorah, and Lenla never told the child her own true name or place of origin.
Yorah was raised in the spirit of the Green Faith. To venerate nature itself, to appreciate its gifts, and to give back what you take. It’s a simple life, but it works. Especially appealing if you live in one of, if not the largest, forests on the continent. Each year, swathes of powerful druids moved through town, performing what Yorah could only describe as miracles right before her own eyes. She was enthralled. Once she witnessed an owl turn into a man right before her very eyes. That was the last drop. She immediately ran to this person, asking them to help her learn such powers. The man smiled and asked to speak with Yorah’s parents.
Two weeks later, Yorah found herself in the company of a handful of youngsters, working on honing their skills. However, the initiation into the arts of druidry takes literal years. She wasn’t told that when she started, but being able to fly like a bird has to be worth it. Right? At least that’s what she told herself. Medicine, herbalism, self-improvement, caring for the land and its inhabitants however big or small, the circle of life - these were just a few of the lessons Yorah and the other children were taught. The half-orc girl grew into her late teens and eventually found herself taking care of several colonies of bees with her friend Orix, a sylph from Kyonin. The colonies were their pride and joy, eventually growing to around 2 million strong, and eating up a considerable amount of their time. The druids were happy with it, however. “It develops discipline.” Orix and Yorah heard that line countless times. Not that it mattered, they were happy with it.
Another student, a gnome fellow named Ililar, had a particular affinity for fire. Ililar made sure every torch was lit, every pyre was large enough, and every hearth was warm overnight. Yorah didn’t pay him no mind, until that day. The day he came, boasting what he could do. He walked around the copse, with a small ball of fire hovering above the palm of his hand. Students followed the gnome, praising him for his achievement. Until he walked to the bee yards and got stung, releasing the fiery seed into one of the skeps. Before anyone realised what was happening, the straw was ablaze and so were the colonies within. Fortunately, the nearby seniors stopped a major wildfire from spreading. The bees, however, were in a bad state, reduced to just under a quarter. Orix and Yorah watched in horror as their years of work were reduced in a literal flash. Orix mumbled something under her breath. Yorah, holding her friend for comfort, lost her temper and shouted the thing at the gnome. Firefu… fornicator. The gnome was still in pain and shock, and only regained focus when the students were shouting the unpleasant nickname at him repeatedly, laughing along. The druids attempted to turn the experience into a lesson in the importance of control, and the consequences of losing it. It probably fell on deaf ears, however.
As far as Yorah is aware, Ililar never forgave her. As a matter of fact, he sabotaged her whenever he could. As long as others were using the nickname, he would not stop. She was sure of this.
It took a while, but the senior druids had found a resolution. Yorah would be charged with taking care of a small oasis in Qadira, apprenticing under Epwi of Tapur. She gave her goodbyes to Orix and her other friends and profoundly apologised to Ililar. Not that it helped. Yorah’s life in the desert felt like an unjust punishment, but at least she had her own, private tutor. Epwi was no hierophant, but she learned a thing or two. And years went by. Yorah made progress, and on a particularly hot day, she attempted to call in a light breeze to relieve the locals. Unbeknownst to her, she had a visitor a few weeks back. Ililar gave her a visit and imbued some of her components. Instead of a light breeze, Yorah summoned a sandstorm, nearly devastating the local wildlife and at least one caravan.
She almost gave up on her dream, but Epwi managed to lift her spirits, eventually. When Yorah calmed down, Epwi tried to turn it into another lesson. “I probably mislabeled some ingredients. It’s as much my fault as it is yours. There’s a lesson to be learned here. Make your own ingredients, or check the ones you get from others.” In truth, Yorah was quite scared of harming others with her inexperience. She decided to travel back north, and live as a hermit, expanding her knowledge on her own. Small steps, trial and error. Eventually, she found herself a small glade in Border Wood. She set up a few bee skeps, a small garden, and a humble hut where she could try to work on and expand the rituals she had already known.
Her solitude lasted for a few months, but she was eventually discovered by a handful of local gatherers. As she was working on a shapeshifting ritual, she was disturbed, and the magic misfired. Her lower canines, already large thanks to her orc heritage, grew in size. And so the locals started talking about a hideous creature living in the woods, with fangs as large as fingers, stealing children at night, to gorge on them under the light of a full moon.
A blessing in disguise, Yorah thought. At least they left her alone. And they did. For a while. But some came back, asking for help with their misfortunes. The tusks were clearly making people uncomfortable, and they also made her mouth dry, so she started filing them down and wore a mask when she had visitors. Nevertheless, she helped when she could. Toothaches - a problem she was familiar with until she developed a unique combination of 11 herbs and spices ground up and mixed with a little honey. So she gave them that. She also helped with various other minor problems. The villagers were coming in more frequently over time. Eventually, she fixed a broken femur. She was pretty proud of herself when that happened. It was progress. Slowly, she and the Heldren locals developed a long-distance relationship, but most were still scared of her for some reason.
And on one beautiful summer morning, Yorah woke up to find her roof and the trees in the forest peppered with snow. Confusion kicked in. She didn’t do any rites yet. Curiosity won over, and so she packed her bag, put on her mask, and set out to check on Heldren.
Interest dot. Never played 1e RoW, and wanted to. With 2e, even better.
Will you be running with remastered rules, or current 2e?
Both. We'll start with current rules. Once remastered is out, it will be up to each individual whether or not they want to switch out any class structure, etc or keep the current ones.
Some rules changes and terminology changes will be implemented (such as "Off Guard" instead of "Flat-Footed"), but I believe they have mostly already been given to us.
If there's a question of conflicting rules, we'll decide together which version applies to this game.
Fair enough. I was more concerned about the fine-tuning of class mechanics, but this seems like a healthy approach for the time being.
Not just yet. 6 am for me right now. I'll transition into the productive part of the day and carry on with the writing. Let's say I'll have it ready in some 5-6 hrs?
BretI wrote:
NotEspi wrote:
BretI wrote:
@NotEspi,
Would you allow the Tamchal Chakram or the rope dart as a weapon? They are both Uncommon weapons with Thrown and Finesse on them.
If not, I can use a regular dagger. It being a simple weapon would give me the dice increase.
If you burn a feat on proficiency/unconventional weaponry, sure.
I will just use a dagger then.
Let me specify - it's not the uncommon tag that bothers me here. If you have martial prof / advanced prof somehow, grab them.
If you're asking how many PLAYERS - after feyrial decided to not join us (at least for now?), there are 5 players on the roster. Well - all players are mostly present, with phaeton_nz missing.
Lanni told me he reached out to phaeton, but not sure regarding the response. So that leaves us with FOUR players currently contributing to the thread.
Which is good enough for me. If feyrial or phaeton decide to join in at a later date, I am fine with it.
As for CHARACTERS - well, I didn't see any outside of this thread, so there's two of you. I will get to work on an introductory post today and hopefully post it. If not, tomorrow, as that is the day I was hoping to actually start. But I have some doubts on that front. We'll see if you can prove me wrong.
I have a thing in my head. Just need to translate that into text. I will put down a link here when it's posted.
Playtest classes can (and should) be played RAW. That is, after all, the point.
If the text allows you to do it, I'm not stopping you, but I will mention any such interactions in the survey.
However, for intents and purposes of keeping the enjoyment, using cheese repeatedly may earn my ire, and a warning.
As a matter of fact, I would recommend that anyone playing an animist or exemplar actively looks for the cheese and points it out in the game... ONCE per cheese found.
Investigation and/or whimsical adventures - Bretl
Light hearted and absurd - Hmm
Lighthearted with action - Chuck8
Going by the majority, based on the list above, I think I have a plan.
I will be going for a an investigation/mystery on the lighter side of things. No world-ending horror.
I have a concept in mind. A localised issue in a medium-sized settlement that acts as a ruling body for the immediate area. This means there will be some mayor or nobleman/noblewoman and their mansion, surrounded by small businesses and farms, and potentially one or two larger companies that have a foothold in the area (or trying to gain influence). There will be a few temples here as well - I am thinking of Erastil, Pharasma, and a few others. No large cathedrals. As a matter of fact, potentially just altars. One or two of these will be larger than the others. Thinking of Erastil and Pharasma here.
I will go with the River Kingdoms for the setting.
You all would be freelancers or adventurers for hire working with an organisation (not unlike an adventurer guild) hired to investigate the issue.
I will drop further details later today, but the above should give you a rough idea of the where and how you got there, so you can start making them toons.
Re:Flashbacks - Potentially. Since we are starting with level 5, it presents an opportunity to fill in (back)story elements for the overall plot and players.
It doesn't mean we are starting at the end of an arc. In this case, it might mean the first post is 'in the middle of' an encounter (social, combat or otherwise) with an established goal. The goal here could be whatever, depending on the planned plot and character plans.
But since we are kind of rushing the game, I understand you (and me, as well) will not have much time to do establishing scenes (briefing, traveling to the starting scene, what have you) and it could give us space to fill in those blanks.
As an example, it could mean that the first post is an initiative roll with a conflict to resolve. Could.
I honestly consider combat to be the least interesting part of RPGs, but we ARE doing a playtest here, so that's where I am coming from with this idea.
Re:Characters - this is not a published scenario. I will try to tailor the game to the party composition as best as I can. Make characters that you want to have fun with. Odd stuff you wouldn't have a chance to play otherwise or want to try in a level 5 oneshot, etc.
With that said, I would like to establish the premise of the game/plot tomorrow, so if you could all give me the preferences, it would make my life easier in the long run.
Characters completed by monday.
Game starting by tuesday.
I know it's a tight schedule, and we can change/partially recton things in the first week or so if you are not happy with what you brought to the table.
Pathfinder Society GM. 326 posts (6,827 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 8 Organized Play characters. 17 aliases. 
