Orannis's page

Hey everyone! Looks like Crimson Throne has it. Apologies for the radio silence, had a couple things come up. Additionally, I’m a bit of a Luddite and need to transfer the character sheets from a physical notebook to a google drive.

So! Might be a couple days before I get things moving. When I do, I’ll send each of you a PM with a link to the campaign.

Excited for some urban adventure!

I've always wondered—Orannis, is your username referencing what I think it is?

If you're thinking of something "bright and shiny" but not at all nice, then yes.:D

I've been a semi-lurker for a good while on these boards, but I've honestly been so buried in the PBP forums I was largely unaware of a lot of the drama being discussed. :-/

Add me to the chorus of "really, really miss Mikaze".

"I agree completely. I am the best. Nobody can compete with me on any level ever. Except maybe combat. BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?!?"

Thanks a bunch. I'm basing most of his behavior off of a couple of people I used to know, with some slight exaggerations

Larkspur reminds me a lot of the Yelling Bird webcomic.

Hi everyone. My girlfriend's grandfather passed away suddenly yesterday. I'll likely have some down time tomorrow to post, but if it is necessary to bot me in any capacity until I am able to do so, please don't hesitate. Apologies for the disruption.

Sully's smirk is a mile wide. He makes a point to play to the engaged crowd with superfluous gestures such as dramatic bows and blown kisses to any particularly attractive men or women in the audience.

"I'd understand if everyone else wanted to fold, but I assure you I'd be perfectly happy to be a good sportsman and play a second round. Give everyone a chance to win their coin back." His smile is devious enough to make it quite clear to everyone that he does not intend to stop losing.

I... may have prepared a small notebook of Hamilton references specifically for this campaign... >_>

It's not a perfect fit in-game, but in the "too anime to drive" AU we're building here, Beatrix is definitely the Yandere.

Well, since you asked:

My only hard no is sexual assault as set dressing/tone setting, and I prefer to avoid it as a plot device when possible.

Beyond that I am not a fan of piling on excessive layers of real-world types of awfulness in order to achieve "grimdark". However, I realize this campaign deals heavily with the drow, and I signed on knowing full well that with them you can expect a certain amount of nastiness and am not the sort that will balk the moment something appropriately unpleasant pops up.

Romance isn't really Sully's bag, but he's the sort to get "friendly" with just about anyone. (Though I am loathe to bring up Doctor Who, I used "pre-meeting-The Doctor" Jack Harkness as a basic skeleton for his personality.) Insofar as in-game (with NPCs or PCs), I'm fine with either not making that an active roleplay concern or, if it comes up, addressing it with a tasteful "fade to black".

@Meghan: This is the first time I have seen that coin shot spell and, holy hell that is a really awesome first level spell. Especially as a damaging spell for a Bard!

I also love that it's basically the classic "throw money at monsters for damage" ability that's been in the Final Fantasy games for ages. I get happy whenever Paizo releases something that is clearly a winky-nod at something from other genre media.

Also, we have one party member with a 10 Charisma, and the rest of us have 16 or higher. We're going to hilariously talk our way out of everything.

It's going to be like Enterouge, but with fireballs and Drow.

This is going to be a blast!

Also hey, hi, hello to YoLlama and Profession Smith 6 Ranks, love bumping into pals from other games!

Vitellia was somewhat surprised to hear her name called, but nowhere near as surprised as she was at hearing Gage -that insufferable troubadour- be addressed as Baron Garess!

She gives Kirby a command to remain in the common room while she follows the others into the private space in the back. The hound initially whimpers and makes eyes at her, but she tosses him another piece of chicken and he forgets his grievance.

As they enter, Vitellia sidles up alongside Gage. "I've been to my fair share of Garess formal events yet I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance until tonight. You'll have to tell me where you've been all this time." She is smiling, but the edge of passive-aggression in her voice is clear.

Once inside, they are introduced to a Half-Elven woman and Sellemius goes over the basics of the expedition. When he queries the newly christened colonists about any concerns, she allows some of the others to speak before raising a question of her own.

"Exactly how beholden to Brevoy will we be? How much autonomy will our colony, assuming we successfully establish one, have from the Dragonscale Throne?"

Wait, is Gage seriously a secret Baron!?!? Vitellia would definitely have a reaction to that, but I don't wanna say something that has to get retconned, lol...

Also the outside chance that Desna could be an Elder God playing a very long con.

@Gage: I am also just now realizing that it looks like you're building towards trip/disarm? If you have room, you may actually want to take Tandem Trip. Vitellia and both of her dogs are going to have it. Anything with two legs would hate us.

Rasmorn's spell causes the goblin Wenona was engaged with to simply collapse in a heap. The flash of patterned light engulfs two more of the creatures, but they are not affected in the same fashion. Still, it was an impressive bit of magic.

Mere seconds later, one of the goblins is on top of the gnome, wounding him badly with its crude weapon. To Wenona's relief, Isabella reacts almost immediately with a display of divine power that heals Rasmorn's wound.

And now for me to do my part, Wenona thinks as she moves into position on the other side of the goblin from Rasmorn.

"You little creeps made some poor life decisions today!", she shouts while bringing her scythe down in a overhead arc at the goblin.

Power Attack, Furious Focus
Scythe: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
CRIIIIIIIT: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
How many pieces did the goblin explode into?: 2d4 + 2d4 + 2d4 + 2d4 + 28 ⇒ (4, 3) + (3, 3) + (3, 2) + (1, 4) + 28 = 51

I was gonna include a note about how I was unsure if Rasmorn had a weapon drawn or not, as it would determine whether or not I got a flanking bonus. However in light of those rolls the issue is utterly academic. :D

Ah! Clone!

"Whale!", Wenona exclaims. "You know, in all the years I lived by the sea, I never tried whale. I'll need to fix that!"

She casually wipes the blood off of her scythe with a small piece of cloth. "Kalsgard's... up north? Isn't it? What brings you to Sandpoint? Can't be the goblin raids!" Wenona looks about to laugh at this last remark, but instead it appears to remind her where she is.

She coughs awkwardly. "Right. I, ah... Suppose we should see if anyone else needs help?"

Ariarh Kane wrote:

You're welcome, Gird. :)

@ Derra: Now that's an image: a catfolk atop a tiger in battle!

GM, I've tidied up Taenweth's fluff on her char sheet and am happier for it. Thanks again for the consideration.

Or a mountain lion. And yeah that would be something to see! A catfolk astride a big cat charging at the enemy!

Two of the same class in one game is uncommon, but I would kill for the terrible "cats and dogs" puns our characters could trade back and forth!

When the goblins appeared, Wenona's initial instinct had been to attempt to cover as many townsfolk as possible while they fled, but then one of the women she'd seen in line for the venison drew her crossbow and felled one of the foul creatures. It was quick-as-lightning, and Wenona was more than a little impressed.

Then one of the little freaks charged right at the woman and sliced her damn leg open.

Looks like we're all playing hero today, she thought to herself as she sprung into action.

Drawing her scythe as she moves into the fray, she attempts to juke just outside of the pint-sized terror's reach:

Acrobatics to avoid AOO

Dart & Weave: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

...and moving to flank the creature with silver-haired woman, brings the scythe down with every ounce of force her muscles can generate:

Power Attack, Furious Focus

Harvest Time!: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Damage: 2d4 + 7 ⇒ (3, 2) + 7 = 12

Aurex wrote:

Still here, btw, just waiting :)

Same. The waiting game is part of the fun!

I've only run RotRL in home games. I've longed to play it. The GM is really into the backstory which make me excited that our fluff is relevant.

Seconded on all counts!

Imagine the coldest, purest river water: chilling to the bone. Then imagine that water fully frozen and carved into the most exquisite pair of short blades, meant to slip between ribs and quietly end the lives of those they are directed against.

Those are the very specific icy daggers Enoby whipped her head around and stared towards Deko and his complete and utter disregard for even the Broadest Concepts of Stealth(tm).

The most truthful answer to this question, for me, would just be "Bard" ad infinitum, but in the interests of keeping things a bit more interesting:

1. Bard. Always and forever, any Edition.
2. Inquisitor. The only class I've ever even approached speculating loving as much as the Bard.
3. Ranger. 3.5ed put this class on the path to becoming the full BaB option that most closely fits my play style and Pathfinder took it the rest of the way, especially with the plethora of wonderful archetypes.

Excited to see who gets picked! Good luck, all!

Hey! Still here, sorry. Got wrapped up in real life plus home internet was having issues, keeping me off the computer for much of my downtime.

I'll do my best to have D5-X9 up by tonight!

Hey everyone! Sorry, I'm getting avalanched with personal life nonsense at the moment.

I also apologize for the general slow pace in getting this going. I decided to do it off the cuff, with little prep, so I probably should have expected it to take longer than I wanted it to.

Watch this space, and I'll be trying to have us up and going as soon as possible.

Thanks again for your patience.

Happy Halloween everyone!

(Zarz, I'll have a ruling for you tomorrow.)

Quick update:

Looking over your characters and reading the last few bits of the module. Also, still waiting for Ford to check in.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Here we go, folks!

Belhaim At a Glance

Belhaim is a sleepy Taldan backwater located on a lesser trade route between Dunholme and Wispil within the Verduran Forest near a region of the woods known as Dragonfen. A lesser tributary of the Verduran Fork runs along the southern side of the town, connected to the main road by a covered wooden bridge. Belhaim was founded in 3672 AR by Tula Belhaim, a famed dragonslayer who was awarded stewardship over the Verduran Fork and Dragonfen region for her exemplary service during the Dragon Plauge. Over the centuries, as a result of tragedy and failed rebellion, stewardship of the area eventually ended up in the hands of the Devy family, who rule to this day. A handful of human generations past, an earthquake flooded the town's limestone quarry and eliminated much of Belhaim's economic relevance.

Factions

Nearly all of Belhaim's residents belong to one of the three dominant religions in the town, which more or less define the town's political lines.

Worshipers of Abadar want to see Belhaim prosper as a trade center once again and, deprived of the limestone quarry, seek to drain the Dragonfen and use the land for agricultural prospects. They regard the Shelynites as layabouts.

Followers of Shelyn essentially prefer the town as it is: cozy, a bit remote, and far away from any real action. They view the Abadarans as greedy, overly traditional, and unable to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Adherents to the Green Faith are largely patient and even-handed, and find the town's political squabbling tiresome.

Character Hooks: Notable NPCs

Lady Origena Devy and Aarnholde Devy:
Lady Origena is the region's Baroness, and is a pragmatic woman who likes to see things running smoothly. She's also eager to see Belhaim "put back on the map". She could potentially be a useful resource or connection for PCs seeking dealings with Taldor's nobility. Arnholde is her adult son, next in line for stewardship of the region.

Balthus Hunclay:
A reclusive, sour old Wizard who moved to Belhaim a few years ago. His name is not particularly well-known in arcane circles, but he could be a useful resource for PCs seeking answers to mysteries of a magical nature.

Bassy:
The oldest resident of Belhaim, she is a gnome in her 414th year who's managed to avoid The Bleaching. She is belhaim's primary historian, and could serve as a family or social connection for gnomish PCs or player characters interested in the history of the Dragonfen, Tula Belhaim, and/or the Dragon Plague.

Character Hooks: Events and Environs

Kobolds in the Woods: A tribe of green-scaled kobolds has lived somewhere between Belhaim and the Dragonfen for some time. A peace built on mutual disinterest between the town and the tribe has been the norm for generations, but with reports of some townsfolk and travelers going missing, perhaps that has changed?

The Monastery: A long forgotten, and presumably abandoned, monastery to Irori was established in the Dragonfen not long after Belhaim was founded. The monks there vanished around 4500 AR under mysterious circumstances, but rumors the monks were researching knowledge heretical to Irori surface from time to time.

Trade Caravan: Not much trade stops through Belhaim these days, but a man named Silas Gribb offered you 50 gold just to sign on as a caravan guard on a trip to Faldamont. A princely sum for such simple work! Though you do note that Silas comes off a bit shady...

--------------------------------------------------------------------

If you have any other questions about Belhaim that would fall under "something pretty much anyone could find out by asking someone on the street" please ask! Also ask if you'd like some additional information on any of the character hooks I suggested (and feel free to combine, mix, and match those hooks!). Ideally, I'd like one of your two Traits to reflect/tie in to whatever hook you choose/create.

Feth and CaptainFord, I'll have a little extra background info to send you. And Ford, if you wan to work out some connection with the Kobold tribe in the area I'd be happy to hash that out with you.

Please chime in when you've got your characters 100% done so that I may audit them!

Hey hey everybody! Again, sorry for the radio silence, but work has been pretty intense this week and I've been absorbing all the details of the module with my free time.

The campaign info primer I mentioned will likely be up on Sunday, but possibly tonight or tomorrow night if I can catch a second wind.

I apologize this has been slow getting going, but we're almost there. The more I dig deep into the module, the more excited I get about running it.

Hey everyone! Apologize for the radio silence, personal life was pretty busy this weekend.

But! I've got the book in-hand, finally! I'll shortly have an update for you with a capsule gazetteer, a list of NPC's that make for good hooks for your character's involvement in the campaign, a list of non-NPC hooks for the same, as well as some non-spoiler-y tips about what to expect from the campaign in regards to theme, tone, and challenges faced.

Feth, I'll also have some slightly more detailed background info about Belhaim to send you, as it is a story Adagan would likely be familiar with as Taldan nobility. Any one else who starts play with a rank in Knowledge(Nobility) or Lore(Taldor) or roughly equivalent skill will receive the same extra background tidbits. Those of you who start with this knowledge can help with exposition a bit in-character! :D

Also, if any of you have any other questions/concerns that I am better able to answer now that I have the book, please speak up!

Don't worry about taking your time. I'm having a difficult time just arranging to pick up the physical book. :P

I can see it now, my magus as the babysitter..

"Put that down, we don't want to break it-"

"I SAW IT FIRST! TELL THE GNOME TO BACK OFF"

"Now, let's not fight over it. Sharing is-"

"VILE BEAST, WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE? I SWEAR BY SMIAD-"

"JUST TRY IT YOU RUNTY SUCH AND SUCH"

"Guys, please...we don't have to fight..."

"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN OVERGROWN HANDBAG-"

"RAARRRWARRARWARRR-

Please...guys...please...STOP FIGHTING! I SWEAR I WILL TURN THIS PARTY AROUND RIGHT NOW!

I can only hope! :D

My benchmark for absurd campaigns is pretty high. Way back in a 2nd ED game I ran (I am old, remember?) there was a Halfling Thief PC who, through terminal bad decision making and utter lack of impulse control ended up a sentient undead skeleton with 18 Charisma and a small duchy to rule.

Okay, folks. Here's a link to a recruitment thread for us to hash out character details:

DM Orranis' Dragon's Demand

And Kiora, if you're still checking in on this, I think it's safe to say that all of us would jump back in the saddle in an instant if you ever decide to come back to this campaign!

The Midnight Isles is pretty much a big sign saying "I am the one being, in all the multiverse, that you do not, ever, under any circumstances, f#&% with."

I'm working on a rough campaign idea for a riff on the Baldur's Gate narrative set on Golarion, and I can't help cracking up reading through the list of dead Pathfinder deities because 85% of them are the various demon lords Nocticula has murdered.

"Well, at least we know it was worth it," Soroza muses as she surveys the long line of people. However, tired as she is, the words come out a bit flat.

"Let's make sure Laurel's got everything she needs and then sleep for a year. I'm less concerned about being big damn heroes at the moment than I am with how much sooner I'm going to go grey after all of this business."

"Perhaps they will serve them at our rapidly approaching funerals!"

Soroza has never been more ready to leave one location for another in her entire life.

Just gonna take a nap right here with my throat wound while the Lawfuls duke it out.

Aw, it's like when a cute doggie jumps up on you and gives you a bunch of puppy kisses!

Except, you know, with gallons of blood and pain.

Ouch.

But maybe also some cool scars?

Oh, and don't forget an intense hatred of wolves from here on out. :P

If I was DMing and a player did that, they'd be out full stop: zero negotiation. I'd also probably never speak to them again. I have less than zero tolerance for the kind of person that plays a game, under any context, with the thought: "Hey, you know, my character should rape this person."

Thanks for clearing that up! I was trying to figure that out :(

Worked a double yesterday and then had f2f so was busy... but I'm updating now :)

Oof! Long day! Glad you made your Fortitude save! [/endawfulgamerjoke]

Soroza is perfectly willing to give up the Fire Resistance ring in exchange for a ring that keeps gross monsters from splatting all over her very nice armor. :-/

"Really? Really!?", Soroza exclaims at observing Miirik's retreat.

Soroza drops Davi's crossbow (Sorry Davi!) and quickly draws her short sword.

"Ha!", she shouts as the blade thrusts towards one of the wolves.

Short Sword vs. Wolf 2: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Confirm Crit?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Hahahahaha!

That was really pretty boss, folks.

It's going to be interesting juggling Soroza: an eccentric, fairly likable sort with strong personal convictions - and Kaziya: a surly, straightforward loner who reluctantly feels compelled to set aside her own concerns for the greater good.

I like to imagine that if they ever met they would drive each other nuts.

Soroza takes her position for the ambush along with the others. She wasn't overly fond of crossbows - too "clanky" in her opinion - but the magical bolt was simply too nice an advantage to waste. She readied herself to fire in the event the plan worked and Greypelt came bounding through the doors.

Light Crossbow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Light Crossbow Crit Confirmation: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Light Crossbow Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Hahahaha, almost!

YAY! I'm super excited someone else knows her :D :D

My first geekdom was film, and I remain to this day a bit of a movie buff.

My first two years of community college were spent as a screenwriting student, and one of my professors was more than a little in love with O'Hara, hahaha!