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* Pathfinder Society GM. 362 posts (8,179 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 8 Organized Play characters. 21 aliases.


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Final stretch. Good luck, everyone!


Kintargo GM wrote:


NotEspi: You could have Yassen’s ex-Order the Order of the Rack, if you’d like to tie him into the AP more directly, as they’ve just arrived with Barzillai a week prior to game start, and they’re his favorites.

Damn. Okay. I picked Chain because they are bounty hunters, but HELL yeah, Rack sounds like it could be tangentially related. In addition to seeing some of his old unit, perhaps. Let's do that. I'm gonna be a paranoid lad.


Alright, everyone, my entry for this would be Yassen the Turncoat - a dromaar inquisitor of Iomedae, formerly a hellknight armiger that found a conscience and is looking for his contact at the protest.

Very much a frontline fellow, sword and board, some party buffs and scare tactics for the opposition at a later point.

If something seems off, let me know, and I'll look into it.

That being said - Good luck, everyone, and see you at the finish line!

Storytime:

Yassen was born near Pezzack, into a family steeped in military tradition. His father, Yavor Cragtooth, had ascended through the military ranks before meeting Yassen's mother, Viatrix Aiello, a Hellknight Paralictor of formidable reputation. Naturally, their beloved child was steered toward a similar path. Inspired by tales of valor and adventure, Yassen eagerly embraced the idea of following in their footsteps. His training began humbly, progressing from wooden sticks to dull blades, and finally to an old sword once wielded by Yavor himself.

When Yassen came of age, he was drafted into the military—a moment of great pride for his parents. True to Chelish tradition, subtle indoctrination was woven into his education. He studied the storied victories of House Thrune, marveling at their cunning strategies that crushed the "cowardly" Davians during the Civil War. Yassen also found himself nudged toward the Asmodean faith, though he never truly considered himself a man of religion. Secretly, however, he devoured tales of a different kind of hero—the exploits of Cheliax's most famous knight, whose name was scarcely spoken: Iomedae. Once a Chelish soldier, she had joined the Shining Crusade and led the Knights of Ozem against the great evils of Ustalav. Valor, honor, justice—what more could a man aspire to? Surely, his parents would be proud. Right?

"I'm just studying strategy," he would claim when caught with redacted history books from the library. The excuse seemed to suffice. With military training behind him, Yassen decided to join the Hellknights, reasoning that unlike the state military, they wouldn't force him to kneel in prayer. Yassen, my sweet summer child...

Viatrix used her influence to expedite his acceptance into the Order of the Chain, securing a coveted position as an Armiger. At last, Yassen could do some tangible good in the world: capturing brigands and bandits, bringing them to trial. Or so he thought. The reality was harsher. The Chain’s missions often extended beyond outlaws to entire streets, cut down or "interrogated" based on whispers of harboring fugitives. Yassen often found himself standing guard while his superiors worked the "truth" out of suspects. "It's all for the greater good," he would whisper to himself in his tent, preparing his bedroll. "Lest we descend into lawlessness." Then he would open his books, seeking inspiration to be better.

Years passed, yet Yassen was never called to slay his devil and formally join the ranks of the Hellknights. During his leaves, his mother would ask about his progress. He had no answers. Frustrated, Viatrix promised to investigate. What she uncovered sparked a tense, emotional confrontation. "You are a good soldier, but you lack conviction," she said, reading from the response she had received. "Nobody has seen you venerate the Archfiend." Yassen had never realized this was a condition, but he vowed to try harder.

The opportunity soon presented itself. The Order received intelligence about a Bellflower Tiller—one Hene Vuisep, said to be operating in Whiterock. Eager to prove his devotion, Yassen volunteered for the mission. Arriving in the quiet town, he prowled its streets night after night, eyes sharp for suspicious activity. One night, he spotted a man fitting Vuisep's description leading a group of halflings through the shadows toward the river. Yassen followed the tracks for hours, trudging through the muddy banks of the Yolubilis until he reached a cave.

Inside, the scene was almost serene: Vuisep ladling soup into bowls for a group of exhausted halflings, many of them children. Yassen froze, torn between duty and conscience. He knew what he was supposed to do. But was it the right thing?

"Citizens..." Yassen’s voice rang out, calm yet commanding, as he stepped into the firelight in his distinctive armiger plates. The cave fell silent, save for the clatter of a ladle dropping into the soup pot. Vuisep moved swiftly, placing himself between the Hellknight and the group. "Just my slaves taking a dinner break, sir," he said, his tone a careful blend of deference and falsehood.

Yassen raised an eyebrow. "At four in the morning?"

Vuisep hesitated. "Yes, sir. Summer days are hot. We avoid heatstroke by working at night. Quotas must be met."

Yassen chuckled softly. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Mr. Vuisep. Do you have paperwork, at least?"

With trembling hands, Vuisep presented a set of documents. Yassen skimmed them, noting inconsistencies, but he reached for his ring to stamp them nonetheless. "Carry on," he said, handing the papers back. "But be quick about it. You're not as sneaky as you think."

Relief flooded Vuisep's face, but the tension in the cave remained thick. Yassen broke the silence. "Where are you headed?"

"Nisroch Bay. Kintargo," Vuisep replied after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper.

The armiger chuckled again, a hint of warmth breaking through his stoicism. "Can I come?"

Block:

Yassen

Lawful Good Medium Half-Orc Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor 1;
Init 2; Senses Darkvision; Perception: +6

Defense
AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17
HP 10

Fort 5, Ref 3, Will 5

Offense:
Speed 20 ft. (30 w/o armor)

Melee Longsword +4 (1d8+4 19-20)
Melee Dagger +4 (1d4+4 19-20)

Ranged Dagger +2 (1d4+4 19-20) / Throw

Inquisitor spells known (CL 1; concentration +3)
1st (2/day)- Cure Light Wounds (DC 13); Keep Watch (DC 13);

0th (at will)- Detect Magic (DC 12); Light (DC 12); Mending (DC 12); Oath of Anonymity (DC 12); Stabilize (DC 12);

Statistics:

Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk + +0; CMB +4; CMD 16

Feats
Divine Fighting Technique

Traits:
Memorable
Ex-Asmodean

SQ:
Charm of Wisdom
Monster Lore
Stern Gaze
Studied Target

Domains: Conversion Inquisition
Inquisitor Favored Weapon: Longsword
Divine Fighting Techniques: Inspiring Sword;

Skills:
Bluff +6
Intimidate +9
Knowledge (history) +0
Knowledge (nobility) +0
Knowledge (religion) +3
Perception +6
Sense Motive +7

Equipment:

Backpack
Belt Pouch
Bandolier
Spell Component Pouch

Bedroll
Mess Kit
Waterskin
Flint and Steel

Scroll case x3
Journal
Charcoal
Chalk

Outfit (Traveler's)

Dagger
Longsword
Light Steel Shield

Chainmail

Rations, Trail x3

Money: 48.25 GP


I would love to throw my hat into the ring here.

But I have a quick question, GM. How would you run animal companions? Would investment into handle animal be necessary?

Just checking for skill diatribution purposes. Thank you.


It feels like aeons, doesn't it?


I'm genuinely thankful for your comment. I didn't actually know wizards can keep the scroll if they fail and I was able to learn something from it.

Did I come across as being harsh? Because that was not the intention.

Tone in text only communication and all that.


Dr. Ethyl "Doc" Ermengarde wrote:
The scrolls aren't wasted, they're only used up if you successfully learn them. You can try again at least. Or use them as scrolls.

You're thinking wizards, but thank you for looking out.

Mechanics:
Quote:

Adding Spells to a Wizard's Spellbook

Source PRPG Core Rulebook pg. 219
Wizards can add new spells to their spellbooks through several methods. A wizard can only learn new spells that belong to the wizard spell lists.

Spells Gained at a New Level: Wizards perform a certain amount of spell research between adventures. Each time a character attains a new wizard level, he gains two spells of his choice to add to his spellbook. The two free spells must be of spell levels he can cast.

Spells Copied from Another’s Spellbook or a Scroll: A wizard can also add a spell to his book whenever he encounters one on a magic scroll or in another wizard’s spellbook. No matter what the spell’s source, the wizard must f irst decipher the magical writing (see Arcane Magical Writings). Next, he must spend 1 hour studying the spell. At the end of the hour, he must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level). A wizard who has specialized in a school of spells gains a +2 bonus on the Spellcraft check if the new spell is from his specialty school. If the check succeeds, the wizard understands the spell and can copy it into his spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook). The process leaves a spellbook that was copied from unharmed, but a spell successfully copied from a magic scroll disappears from the parchment.

If the check fails, the wizard cannot understand or copy the spell. He cannot attempt to learn or copy that spell again until one week has passed. If the spell was from a scroll, a failed Spellcraft check does not cause the spell to vanish.

In most cases, wizards charge a fee for the privilege of copying spells from their spellbooks. This fee is usually equal to half the cost to write the spell into a spellbook (see Writing a New Spell into a Spellbook). Rare and unique spells might cost significantly more.

Quote:

Adding Spells to a Witch’s Familiar

Witches can add new spells to their familiars through several methods. A witch can only add spells to her familiar if those spells belong to the witch’s spell list.

Spells Gained at a New Level: A witch’s familiar learns a certain amount of lore and magic as the witch adventures. Whenever a witch gains a level, she may add two spells from the witch spell list to her familiar. The two free spells must be of spell levels she can cast.

Familiar Teaching Familiar: A witch’s familiar can learn spells from another witch’s familiar. To accomplish this, the familiars must spend one hour per level of the spell being taught in communion with one another. At the end of this time, the witch whose familiar is learning a spell must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If the check succeeds, the familiar has learned the spell and the witch may utilize it the next time she prepares spells. If the check fails, the familiar has failed to learn the spell and cannot try to learn that spell again until the witch has gained another rank in Spellcraft. Most witches require a spell of equal or greater level in return for this service. If a familiar belongs to a witch that has died, it only retains its knowledge of spells for 24 hours, during which time it is possible to coerce or bribe the familiar into teaching its spells to another, subject to GM discretion.

Learn from a Scroll: A witch can use a scroll to teach her familiar a new spell. This process takes 1 hour per level of the spell to be learned, during which time the scroll is burned and its ashes used to create a special brew or powder that is consumed by the familiar. This process destroys the scroll. At the end of this time, the witch must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If the check fails, the process went awry in some way and the spell is not learned, although the scroll is still consumed.


Dorian 'Grey' wrote:

I just seen this but why not just

** spoiler omitted **

Was asked to roll, so I did.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I honestly don't mind. Don't really care about play-pretend money that much. Especially not after I rolled well above average for the starting amount.


Alright, spellcraft DC 16 rolls in order:

Comprehend Languages
Identify
Shadow Trap
Sow Thought

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Welp. That's 50 gold down the drain. And on the fun stuff, too. Eh. We'll get there.


Okay, gear is done. I did purchase 4 level 1 spell scrolls to learn. Do you need spellcraft rolls to add them to the list of spells known?


Alright. Here comes the money!

Starting Wealth: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 3) = 15 x 10 gp

So 150 GP. I'll go work on the gear list.

As for spells, I honestly wouldn't mind starting without level 1 spells. No cantrips seems a bit harsh. On prepared casters, that is.

I assume spontaneous classes would have their spells available either way.


Alright, everyone, I have set up a profile for this, but will not commit to posting with it yet, in case I need to repurpose/rename/remove it.

That said, I think this is done? Unless there is something else to add that I have missed? The original submission is in this post.

I picked the level 1 spells that fit the theme, I think. Flavouring the abilities and spells as the character's delusions materialise and interact with the environment and/or characters. So I plan on using a lot of divination, enchantment and necromancy stuff. As witches do.

On that note, I didn't really do gear just yet, but we are starting with nothing but rags. Are prepared casters allowed to purchase spell scrolls with the starting gold and adding them to the list?

And since a witch is nothing without her familiar (or in my case, without the veil), are we even allowed to have spells prepped?

If there is more information required, I'll keep an eye on the thread, so just ask.

Anyway - good luck, everyone!


Okay, a few things I realised.

1 - I can go for Stigmatised drawback, since I am kind of already doing that without the actual mechanic.

2 - that opens up a trait slot for the Bastard trait.

3 - I can not put points in the fly skill just yet, so I am instead slapping that one into sense motive skill, which would change my skills to the following:

Knowledge (arcana) +9; Knowledge (history) +9; Knowledge (nature) +9; Knowledge (planes) +9; Linguistics +6; Perception +7; Sense Motive +7; Spellcraft +9; Stealth +8; Use Magic Device +9;

On an unrelated note:
I have also been doing some reading. I plan on portraying a character undergoing a gradual descent into delirium and psychosis (though still work with the team ofc).

That said, I feel like I should ask if that is okay for everyone involved.

It is that kind of AP (or so I hear, at least), but I just wanted to make sure.

Of course, no players/characters have been picked yet, but I wanted to check in advance.


Alright, alright. Thank you for the input. I think I will go for insanity and embrace the crazy. Seems fitting for this kind of game.

After all, the PCs do begin in an asylum, so having a preexisting condition would make sense.

Thank you!

Time to brainstorm some obsessions with my imaginary friends.


Alright, here goes my submission for the game. Nyarai - a support-heavy witch, eventually branching out to debuffs. But that is later down the line.

Crunch:

Nyarai

Chaotic Good Medium Sylph Ashiftah Witch 1;
Init 3; Senses Darkvision; Perception: +7

Defense:
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10
HP 8
Fort 2, Ref 3, Will 4

Offense
Speed 35 ft.

Statistics
Str 12, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 15, Cha 8
Base Atk 0; CMB 1; CMD 14
Feats Extra Hex;
SQ Protecting Veil; Witch Hexes: Cackle; Protective Luck; Witch Patron: See last spoiler

Skills Fly +7; Knowledge (arcana) +9; Knowledge (history) +9; Knowledge (nature) +9; Knowledge (planes) +9; Linguistics +6; Perception +7; Spellcraft +9; Stealth +8; Use Magic Device +9;

FCB is in skill points, background skills linguistics + kn planes

Spell Level 0:
Bleed; Dancing Lights; Daze; Detect Fiendish Presence; Detect Magic; Grasp; Guidance; Light; Mending; Message; Putrefy Food and Drink; Read Magic; Resistance; Spark; Stabilize; Touch of Fatigue;

Spell Level 1:
TBD

Traits:Wind-Carried Voices (Race); Pragmatic Activator (Basic Magic); Sensitive Mind (Campaign)

Languages: Aquan, Auran, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Sylvan, Taldane

Alt Racials:
Whispering Wind
Like the Wind
Breeze-Kissed

Gear: I did not do gear so far, as the game starts without it anyway, as mentioned on the thread OP. If I am picked, I will add it.

Fluff:

Sylphs are rarely social creatures. Usually born to human parents, their odd features attract (mostly unwanted) attention from the members of their community. This indeed was the case with Nyarai - a bullied girl suffering from feelings of shyness, inadequacy, and fear of interactions. A problem that may have already developed into a full blown social anxiety disorder. She prefers to remain hidden from sight and keeps to herself most of the time, often preferring books to interactions with other sentient species.

In a fugue state, she would be fighting fear and mistrust, and attempting to rationalise her experiencing it in real time. Probabyl resulting in keeping a distance from others and attempting to prove her worth (even through her shyness) at the same time. Probably in the form of offering her encyclopedic knowledge.

While you did not ask for a backstory, I would imagine this character suffering from being bullied heavily in her early years. This would eventually develop into her anxiety disorder, her retreating to public libraries for some piece and quiet, and eventually spending enough time there to develop a passion for reading. She wouldn't be permitted to stay overnight, of course, and was forced to skulk home while hiding her elemental heritage behind a veil, which was eventually used by an otherworldly entity to approach her - promising serenity, contentment, and protection from her hardships.

Patron:

I am actually torn between a few patrons, and would love to hear your thoughts, Nightmare. I narrowed the list down to 5 patrons. What would suit you the most for this game?

The patron offers the ability to simply outrun the source of her fears - Agility

The patron offers to keep the world at a distance - Boundaries

The patron offers not to heal, but instead to become content in embracing the madness - Insanity

The patron offers to find or create small pockets and/or islands of temporary tranquillity - Peace

The patron offers to build barriers between her and the world - Protection

If you can find the time, I do appreciate the input. If not, I still understand. Thank you!


I am looking at a witch. Very much a "support from the shadows" concept.


I love it! Interest dot and some rolls...

4d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 6, 5) = 18

Hey! That's pretty good! 18 16 15 15 12 8 before racials.

I shall ponder on this.


You're looking for human toons only? I got lost in the barrage.

My original submission is a halfling pally.


All right. You folks have fun!


GM Mokmurian wrote:
NotEspi wrote:
Hey, GM, quick question. I'm confused as of to what is missing from my (updated) submission? Could you clarify? Thank you.

Well, as I mentioned before in my previous character index, I'll largely be making my decisions based on the RP questions submitted, but ideally, I'd also like a stat block - it's liable to be a difficult decision process, and how well each character fits in mechanically with the others will be a consideration. A party comprised entirely of monks, irrespective of the roleplaying skill of the players themselves, is unlikely to last long with the sorts of challenges Rise of the Runelords throws at them at even moderate levels.

If I missed yours, I apologize, but it seemed that your posts re: backstory/questionnaire are so far the entirety of your submission - don't get me wrong, they're very well-written, but I'm having a bit of difficulty understanding what exactly Buttons would do (in terms of combat situations, that is) if she opened a door and found a handful of zombies standing behind it, for instance. Does she hang back and pepper them with arrows? Charge in and scatter them with a battleaxe? Freeze them solid with spells? Take control of them with dark necromantic magics? While it's not necessarily a death sentence if your character doesn't have a ludicrously optimized build, I would like at least a sense of what role your character will fill in the party.

Alright. Well, if it is a statblock you require, I shall provide.

As for a character role in the party - a moral compass standing in the fray to smite whoever wants to reach the backrank. It's a dex-based melee paladin, so there are options for ranged weapon use, if needed.

Block:

Baanritiu 'Buttons' Mistcreek

LG Small Halfling Virtuoso Bravo 1;

Init 4; Senses Perception: +4

Defense
AC 18, Touch 15, Flat-footed 14
HP 12
Fort 6, Ref 6, Will 3

Offense:
Speed 30 ft.
Melee Unarmed strike +5 (1d4+1) B
Dagger +5 (1d3+1 19-20) P/S
Ranged Sling +5 (1d3+1) B

Statistics:
Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 16
BAB +1; CMB 4; CMD 15

Feats:
Agile Maneuvers; Improved Grapple; Improved Unarmed Strike;

SQ:
Aura of Good; Bravo's Finesse; Bravo's Smite; Code of Conduct; Detect Evil; Smite Evil;

Skills Knowledge (religion) +5; Perception +4; Sense Motive +3; Stealth +9;

Background skills:
Knowledge (history) +3;
Linguistics +7;

Traits:
Fate's Favored (Faith)
Seeker (Social)
Scholar of the Ancients (Campaign)

Languages:
Cyclops, Gnome, Halfling, Taldane, Thassilonian

Inventory:
Sling
Sling Bullets
Dagger

Leather Armor
Buckler

Backpack
Bedroll
Mess Kit
Waterskin
Flint and Steel

Belt Pouch
Bandolier

Journal
Holy Text
Ink
Inkpen
Chalk
Holy Symbol (Silver)
Outfit (Traveler's)

Remaining gold: 83.05


Hey, GM, quick question. I'm confused as of to what is missing from my (updated) submission? Could you clarify? Thank you.


Alright, extra material for Buttons. The 20 questions remains the same, but I added some chitter-chatter for you. Not sure if you want to consider it a backstory, but there's not really much to tell in that department. She just reads books her whole life, then found work translating and rewriting old ones before they fall apart.

20 questions:
What is your character's name?
Baanritiu Mistcreek. It's a real tongue-twister, so she allows people to call her 'Buttons'.

How old is your character?
23

What would somebody see at first glance (i.e. height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, physique, race, and visible equipment)?
Baanritiu is a fairly athletic halfling just a smidge above 3 ft in height with beige skin tones. Her straight chestnut hair is in a ponytail most of the time, but if she lets it flow, it goes down to her shoulder blades. A thin, elevated nose rests between her inquisitive brown eyes and above her narrow lips. Her clothing of choice is usually a dark gray, flowy robe that ends at her elbows, from which point on her hands are tightly wrapped in cloth up to the fingers. As most halflings, she is fond of walking barefoot. Above the robe, she wears a bandolier and a belt. Affixed to the belt on her waist is another leather strap that usually holds a few books for her to read in her free time. The waist belt and bandolier are also decorated by... buttons. Buttons clearly not of the same make. As a matter of fact, each one is clearly unique on the dress. Either by colour, shape, or texture. A buckler is strapped to her left forearm, but there are no visible weapons on her person.

What additional attributes would be noticed upon meeting the character (i.e. Speech, mannerisms)?
Spending most of her time translating or reading books, Baanritiu is a slow speaker. She frequently fiddles with the buttons on her bandolier when in thought, to a point when she tears a button off. A situation she attempts to fix as soon as possible. Due to this, the bandolier had to be fixed several times in the area covering her sternum.

Where was your character born?
She was born on the Jittery Snail, a Bellflower tiller ship that was moving Baanritiu's mother and older brother from Kintargo to Varisia.

Where were you raised?
Sandpoint.

By who?
Mother, aunt, older brother.

Who are your parents?
Mother - Lunthelut
Father - Trobemar

Are they alive?
Mother is alive, living in Sandpoint with Baanritiu's older brother, Deafarais. Father's state is unknown. As far as the family is aware, he is still enslaved in Cheliax.

What do they do for a living?
Mother is a baker in Sandpoint. Father unknown. See above.

Do you have any other family or friends?
Brother - Deafarais - works for House Scarnetti in Sandpoint
Aunt - Sisoedgit Skavner - owns a book shop in Magnimar

What is your character's marital status?
Single.

Kids?
None.

What is your character's alignment?
LG

What is your character's moral code?
Complicated, but very briefly: Oppose and/or eliminate slavery and subjugation (due to her family history). Support and protect your family, friends, and community (from the teachings of her faith). A little mischievous fun in life is good, as long as it does not cause harm or suffering to others.

Does your character have goals?
A few.
-Baanritiu would very much like to find out what happened to her father after the rest of the family escaped from slavery. If he is still alive, find a way to remedy that situation.

-Ever since she was a little girl, she had been fond of reading. And she read a great many tales of heroes facing villains. She currently works as a scribe, but dreams of a life of adventure.

Is your character religious?
You could say that, yes.

What are your character's personal beliefs?
See moral code.

Does your character have any personality quirks (i.e. anti-social, arrogant, optimistic, paranoid)?
She's been sheltered for a long time. Removed from the world because their mother was hiding both her and her brother. So she is a bit socially awkward. The fact that she makes a living closed in a room and translating books does not help much. But she tries. She is also a history buff and studies languages.

Why does your character adventure?
She doesn't, really. She would like a taste of that, however. That said, I imagine that something like a goblin attack on her mother's and brother's town could trigger something in her.

How does your character view his/her role as an adventurer?
If Baanritiu would work with a group of heroes, she would make sure they are all working together as a team and enjoy their time together. At least that's what she thinks would happen. Or hopes, rather. Role-wise, ya girl would charge into the fray to be nearby if her friends need help.

Does your character have any distinguishing marks (birth-marks, scars, deformities)?
Fuzzy feet tops, I guess.

How does your character get along with others?
She tries to. But she doesn't quite have the social skills. On the other hand, she's good with languages, so she offers to interpret anyway.

Is there anything that your character hates?
Slavers, oppressors, and bullies.

Is there anything that your character fears?
Actual social isolation. As in, being prevented from interacting with her friends and/or family.

RP/Backstory-ish text:
A bell rings as the creaking door underneath it opens to tap the lip somewhere in the busy streets of Magnimar. The halfling man looks at the bell for a second before entering the shop, and the bell rings again as the door closes behind him. The glass panes usually let in enough light from the exterior to lighten up the front of the room, but these are the wee hours of the early day. And a cloudy one at that. Instead, illumination is provided by a single stone hanging on a chain above a series of small tables, each with two chairs next to them. One for the smaller folk, one for you standard human. The walls are lined from floor to ceiling with filled bookshelves of various ages. After all, what else is there to be found in a store called Skavner's Fine Tomes? The halfling sniffs the air, getting the smell of books both old and new as a satisfied smile appears on his face. His moment of serenity is interrupted by a loud thud and a welcoming voice of an elderly woman. "Yes? Good morning." the voice asks as a halfling woman with a wrinkled face appears above the counter to look at the potential customer. "What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, auntie!" one can hear the smile in the man's voice as he sees her and starts to approach. "Wasn't even hoping you'd be open at this hour."

The woman wrinkles her brow and starts reaching for her glasses. "Farais? Is that you dear?" she finally puts her glasses on and smiles once she confirms the visitor's identity. "Come here and give me a hug, you rascal!" she starts moving around the counter to meet the nephew. They embrace each other, smiling, and patting each other's backs. "You hungry? I got some sun-dried apple slices somewhere."

'Farais' shakes his head. "No, thank you. I already had breakfast. Is Baan here yet? "

The shopkeeper fakes a frown, but her eyes keep smiling. "But what about a second breakfast? But yes, I think she is upstairs. You go see her, I'll be here. With some slices."

Reluctantly, the man nods and heads up a set of rickety circular stairs near the back of the room. On the upper floor, the man finds an L-shaped table with a single chair. Two open books, several inkwells of various colours and a few quills rest on one part of the tabletop. Disorganised sheets of paper with scribbles are either on the other table section or the floor underneath. A younger halfling woman is sitting on the chair with her legs resting on the table. Her black-haired head slumped over the backrest. Drool slowly stretches down her cheek as she snores with every few breaths.

The halfling man smiles and creeps closer to the table to lean over to the woman. "Boo!" he shouts next to her ear. The female halfling opens her eyes as her hands flail around. She loses balance and slumps face-first onto the floor with a loud thud. Farais lets out a hearty laugh while the girl composes herself. The girl doesn't get up just yet. She just turns around without using her legs and looks at Farais. Once her eyes are finally able to focus, she slumps her head onto the floor again. "Ow... You stay over there. My legs fell asleep, but when that fades, you'll see." Farais seems only emboldened by this and is forced to lean against the table to not end up on the floor. A few seconds later, he composes himself and walks over to the girl, offering to help her on her feet. She just waves her hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Just give it a moment." she sighs as she massages her cramped neck.

"Long night?" Farais attempts to initiate a conversation when the girl finally stands up. "I suppose. I need to finish this before the festival." she briefly looks toward the table and the two opened books on top of it. "Hi, Farais." they exchange gazes and end up in a hug. "Good morning to you as well." he responds. "So, sister... what are you working on?" he reaches for the books on the table but is slapped on the wrist before retracting his hand. "Don't." Baan stops him with a calm but stern warning as she wiggles her finger in the air. "You need gloves to handle these tomes. They are old and sometimes mouldy. Quite delicate. And boring. Just some registry of newborns from the last century."

"Well, I'll be. And you fall asleep with such fine literature in hand? Ow!" Farais chuckles, but stops as his sister slams her fist into his shoulder jokingly. Not a strong punch, but it hits the right spot. "I warned you." she laughs. "Anyway - what's up? Wait..." she comes closer and sniffs at his shirt. "Is that-?" she sniffs some more and a smile creeps to her face. "You sly dog! Strawberry... Lemon... Roses?" she chuckles "When will you introduce us?"

Blushing a bit, Farais scratches his arm. "Yeah, I met someone yesterday. Simple as that. I need some advice." Baan nods as she stretches her sore neck some more. "Okay, shoot." Farais claps his hands and starts walking around a bit sheepishly. "Yeah, um - I'll introduce you at the festival. But I'm looking for a nice present for the occasion." he pauses. For a long time. "Okay..." Baan understand the queue. "Well, you know I'm not an expert on this, and you're not giving me much to work with, so... What are they like?" she starts moving her hands in a turning wheel motion in front of her, gesturing for her brother to continue.

"Well, she is a gnome, is into alchemy and also likes to make perfume." he smiles "So I wanted to know whether you have some interesting alchemy formulae or fragrance recipe books? Or something of the sort."

Smiling ear to ear, Baan claps her hands a few times and taps her feet while remaining stationary. Then she throws herself at her brother. "I'm -SO- happy for you. I'll find something, don't worry. I'll find a nice empty book and rewrite it into a new one. Make it look nice. What's her hair colour?" She runs to a stacked shelf filled with new-looking leather tomes, all in varying colours. She runs her finger across the spines until Farais stops her with a quick gesture. She pulls out a tyrian purple cover and flips the pages to confirm they are empty. She looks at the colour again, smiling. "Sooo... Regal." she quickly runs to another shelf, pulls out a ladder, and climbs up. Tapping her fingers on the titles, she pulls out one that piques her interest, puts it under her shoulder, and climbs down to run back to the table. She tosses picks up the notes from last night, puts the stack on the floor, and drops the blank book and the other one on the table. "This should be a recipe book compiled by an Opparan alchemist. It's pretty rare in these parts. I'll translate and rewrite this book" she puts her palm on the dusty tome "into this one" she puts her hand on the purple leather bound blank "and bring it to you one day before Swallowtail? And you will keep me fed throughout the festival in return." Baan smiles mischievously.

"You want to ruin me? I have saved almost enough for a house, and now I should start again?" Farais chuckles and he pats Baan's belly, but is left surprised. "Damn, are you even eating? Apple chips diet?" he points towards the floor. They both look at each other for a while in silence. "You know, because you were pretty plump a few months... Ow!" he is interrupted as his sister playfully swipes at him.

"Just get out of here, you twerp! I'll bring you your book. I need to work." Baan turns her brother around and gently nudges him towards the stairs. Farais waves over his shoulder, and shouts "Thank you!" as he runs downstairs. He picks a handful of apple chips, kisses his auntie on the forehead and heads out into the street as a bell chime announces his exit.


Alright, here is my submission, a Halfling Paladin, devotee of The Calamitous Turn. Scribe living in Magnimar, visiting her family in Sandpoint for the Swallowtail Festival.

Let me know if you need a stat block or more information.

Questions:

What is your character's name?
Baanritiu Mistcreek. It's a real tongue-twister, so she allows people to call her 'Buttons'.

How old is your character?
23

What would somebody see at first glance (i.e. height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, physique, race, and visible equipment)?
Baanritiu is a fairly athletic halfling just a smidge above 3 ft in height with beige skin tones. Her straight chestnut hair is in a ponytail most of the time, but if she lets it flow, it goes down to her shoulder blades. A thin, elevated nose rests between her inquisitive brown eyes and above her narrow lips. Her clothing of choice is usually a dark gray, flowy robe that ends at her elbows, from which point on her hands are tightly wrapped in cloth up to the fingers. As most halflings, she is fond of walking barefoot. Above the robe, she wears a bandolier and a belt. Affixed to the belt on her waist is another leather strap that usually holds a few books for her to read in her free time. The waist belt and bandolier are also decorated by... buttons. Buttons clearly not of the same make. As a matter of fact, each one is clearly unique on the dress. Either by colour, shape, or texture. A buckler is strapped to her left forearm, but there are no visible weapons on her person.

What additional attributes would be noticed upon meeting the character (i.e. Speech, mannerisms)?
SPending most of her time translating or reading books, Baanritiu is a slow speaker. She frequently fiddles with the buttons on her bandolier when in thought, to a point when she tears a button off. A situation she attempts to fix as soon as possible. Due to this, the bandolier had to be fixed several times in the area covering her sternum.

Where was your character born?
She was born on the Jittery Snail, a Bellflower tiller ship that was moving Baanritiu's mother and older brother from Kintargo to Varisia.

Where were you raised?
Sandpoint.

By who?
Mother, aunt, older brother.

Who are your parents?
Mother - Lunthelut
Father - Trobemar

Are they alive?
Mother is alive, living in Sandpoint with Baanritiu's older brother, Deafarais. Father's state is unknown. As far as the family is aware, he is still enslaved in Cheliax.

What do they do for a living?
Mother is a baker in Sandpoint. Father unknown. See above.

Do you have any other family or friends?
Brother - Deafarais - works for House Scarnetti in Sandpoint
Aunt - Sisoedgit Skavner - owns a book shop in Magnimar

What is your character's marital status?
Single.

Kids?
None.

What is your character's alignment?
LG

What is your character's moral code?
Complicated, but very briefly: Oppose and/or eliminate slavery and subjugation (due to her family history). Support and protect your family, friends, and community (from the teachings of her faith). A little mischievous fun in life is good, as long as it does not cause harm or suffering to others.

Does your character have goals?
A few.
-Baanritiu would very much like to find out what happened to her father after the rest of the family escaped from slavery. If he is still alive, find a way to remedy that situation.

-Ever since she was a little girl, she had been fond of reading. And she read a great many tales of heroes facing villains. She currently works as a scribe, but dreams of a life of adventure.

Is your character religious?
You could say that, yes.

What are your character's personal beliefs?
See moral code.

Does your character have any personality quirks (i.e. anti-social, arrogant, optimistic, paranoid)?
She's been sheltered for a long time. Removed from the world because their mother was hiding both her and her brother. So she is a bit socially awkward. The fact that she makes a living closed in a room and translating books does not help much. But she tries. She is also a history buff and studies languages.

Why does your character adventure?
She doesn't, really. She would like a taste of that, however. That said, I imagine that something like a goblin attack on her mother's and brother's town could trigger something in her.

How does your character view his/her role as an adventurer?
If Baanritiu would work with a group of heroes, she would make sure they are all working together as a team and enjoy their time together. At least that's what she thinks would happen. Or hopes, rather. Role-wise, ya girl would charge into the fray to be nearby if her friends need help.

Does your character have any distinguishing marks (birth-marks, scars, deformities)?
Fuzzy feet tops, I guess.

How does your character get along with others?
She tries to. But she doesn't quite have the social skills. On the other hand, she's good with languages, so she offers to interpret anyway.

Is there anything that your character hates?
Slavers, oppressors, and bullies.

Is there anything that your character fears?
Actual social isolation. As in, being prevented from interacting with her friends and/or family.


Aldizog wrote:

I'm very interested in this but probably will not bring my poor wizard who slogged through four years to get half of Book 1 done.

Thinking a rogue-type, but still not sure which class or archetype, and that in turn will influence personality.

I do see from NotEspi's post above a mention of a hydrokineticist; are Occult classes in use?

Oh. I assumed it was included in base classes. Did I misinterpret?

If that is the case, pally it is.


Alright. Thank you for that. I'm looking at either a frontline pally or a hydrokineticist for artillery support.

Toying with backstories to see which I fancy more. I should have something ready throughout the weekend.


Interest dot. I'll do some cooking and see what I come up with.

Bonus question: Since you are using elephant, how would you treat classes that provide weapon finesse in their base kit?

I'm a sucker for dex when it comes to martials, so just wondering how to proceed if I go for such a class.


Alright, everyone. I recently got accepted into another game, putting the number of tables I am in at a fairly high number. I will not be applying here. Good luck, everyone, and have fun!


GM Thrune wrote:
NotEspi wrote:
Is that something you can work with, GM?
Yeah, all of that sounds good. Do note, however, that if you go with tiefling that Cheliax will not view your heritage as a positive thing. I'm sure you know cause you mentioned it but Chelish loyalists will see your existence as a weakness in dealing with Hell, not a benefit.

I did consider that, but thank you for pointing it out. Tiefling with a good aura running around Cheliax? It's like I'm a piece of bread and guards are hungry seagulls.

The thing that bothers me more is that there are already two other tieflings in the submissions. While I get the appeal, given the setting, a full tiefling party running around MIGHT turn some heads. I'll make a different race version just in case, and have that as a backup within one submission, if that is fine.


I am contemplating an unarmed strike paladin of Ragathiel. A little monk-ish, but out for vengeance against the current establishment. A slave on the run, so either halfling or tiefling (since Cheliax and all that) with a bone to pick with the Thrunes and their lackeys.

They would be from the Redroof district, hiding there and chilling with their community.

Since the concept is a pally, if I gowith a tiefling, it will probably be a div-spawn for the racial stuff.

Last resort would be a half-orc because half-orcs are the shiz.

Is that something you can work with, GM?

Beorn the Divine wrote:
Everyone should be a bard!

I am also down for this if there is a consensus. A traveling punk band to stir up trouble. Sign me up!


GM Thrune wrote:
I’m fine with people who have played parts of it, as long as they separate in character and out of character knowledge.

I like to think I can do that. Besides, it was a while ago and is a little hazy.

I'll try to cook something and see where that gets us.


I have played this AP for a hot second, but that was ages ago. We got to the end of book 1, I believe? Not too far, that's for sure.

If that is okay with you, I would be interested in dusting off my 1E drawing board.


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.

In terms of tone, so far we have:
-good high fantasy. I like horror elements and political intrigue
-high fantasy campaigns and can do a little bit of political intrigue campaigns

In terms of theme, we have:
-Naval-centric campaign

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.


breithauptclan wrote:
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".


breithauptclan wrote:
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.


Good luck, indeed.


As a side note, Kork will be able to provide nonmagical healing from the get go. Level 3 is when it kicks into gear.

Assuming I get in and we get to level 3, that is.


Expert gives level + 4.

You're probably thinking trained.


My submission. Old Kork, goblin thaumaturge.

Questionnaire:

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

Skills Acrobatics +6, Arcana +3, Athletics +5, Lore: Esoteric +7, Lore: Goblin +3, Lore: Scouting +3, Medicine +2, Nature +2, Occultism +3, Religion +2, Stealth +6, Survival +2, Thievery +6

Str +2, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +0, Wis -1, Cha +4

Studded Leather AC 18
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +4

HP 19

Implement's Interruption
Speed 25 feet

Ranged Boomerang +6 (Uncommon, Recovery, Thrown), Damage 1d6+2 B

Exploit Vulnerability (Esoterica, Manipulate, Thaumaturge)

Additional Feats Additional Lore, Dubious Knowledge, Goblin Lore, Scroll Thaumaturgy, Unbreakable Goblin

Additional Specials Esoteric Lore, First Implement And Esoterica (Weapon), Implement's Empowerment, Weapon Initiate Benefit


Not the elixir modified variety, if that's what you're asking.

Other than that, what would you mean by normal?


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Deep backgrounds, let's go! Going for a 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.


Interest dot. Will go through your files and see what I can come up with.


Hey, all! I got invited here as a replacement for one of your missing characters.

I'm talking to the GM to iron out some details, but I wanted to drop by and say hi to the table.


Runelord_GM wrote:
Two days left in Recruitment....

Good luck, everyone! Fingers crossed for a fun run.

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