Welcome everyone! Please be friendly and try to resolve any disputes in an exceedingly lovely fashion. It is fine for your characters to rub each other the wrong way, but keep it civil out of character and chat about how you can make your conflict interesting and avoid disruption, etc.
Posting expectations are one post per weekday, and 1 on the weekend, by which I mean either on Saturday or Sunday, not both. Feel free to post more.
I would categorise myself as a rules heavy GM, feel free to dispute rules and decisions that do not seem to fit within the rules - I would be a massive hypocrite if I minded :) Generally we will not retcon unless it puts a PC at great risk in some way. Please do so here in the discussion thread.
If you do post out of character in the gameplay thread, usually to explain actions please ensure it is in OOC tags and thus shows up blue. Or if you are posting information about an ability, or spell, put it inside a spoiler, as seen below.
Move to move, cast Burning Hands to catch goblin 3 and 4, swift action to draw dagger from spring loaded wrist sheath.
Burning Hands DC 15:
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Effect
Range 15 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes
Description
A cone of searing flame shoots from your fingertips. Any creature in the area of the flames takes 1d4 points of fire damage per caster level (maximum 5d4). Flammable materials burn if the flames touch them. A character can extinguish burning items as a full-round action.
Regarding loot, my usual preference is to set up a google spreadsheet and keep detailed notes, but I appreciate that seems a bit rigid to some people. Let me know how you would like to handle it and we will discuss it as a group and come to a consensus.
Oppara is Taldor's thriving capital — a shining monument to the grandeur and majesty once common to the entire Taldan empire. Seated on the black cliffs of the River Porthmos in Opparos Prefecture, Oppara bears all the gravitas and extravagance that 6,000 years of history have conferred upon it. The roofs and domes of Oppara were once plated with gold, earning it the nickname "the Gilded City," and though past rulers stripped the gold away long ago to pay for the empire's follies, the wealth and decadence of Taldor's capital keep the spirit of that name alive.
Oppara serves as Taldor's primary trade center, with traffic coming both from Taldor's interior via the River Porthmos and from the steady stream of international vessels sailing in from the Inner Sea. It is also the home of Taldor's government, hosting both the Imperial Palace of the grand prince and the polished marble halls of the senate. As the economic and political hub of Taldor, Oppara is the beating heart of the empire and the center of Taldan culture. Twin harbors provide goods to the city’s thriving marketplaces and restaurants, and they're often so crammed with ships that the river cannot be seen. Public fountains and marble statues can be found at many major crossroads and plazas. Columned villas and grandiose temples from every age of Taldor's history line the streets, and even the humbler merchant districts are holdovers from an unparalleled age of glory. Most of Oppara's buildings are made of carved stone, and the roads are paved with either intricate mosaics or well-fitted cobblestones. Much of the city's advanced public works have withstood the test of time, including its labyrinthine sewer system and the network of stone gutters that keep the streets clear of summer rain. The Grand Bridge of the Empire, emerging from the southeastern shore of the city's heart to cross the massive Porthmos, remains one of the most ambitious and impressive engineering marvels in the Inner Sea. Two magically animated lion sculptures stand sentinel atop Oppara's main gate, offering a glimpse into the greatness that currently lies dormant within the empire. At night, the city is lit with tens of thousands of lanterns, causing it to shine like a beacon in the darkness.
Every year, the empire of Taldor celebrates the Grand Day of Exaltation. On this prestigious day, the Grand Prince is empowered to elevate a commoner to the ranks of nobility. The event itself is the embodiment of formality, with the elevated commoner selected months or years in advance. What makes the day truly special is that the preceding week is a holiday throughout the empire. Nobles, senators, and hopeful petitioners fill the capital city of Oppara for galas, performances, and parades. To the nobility, the week before the Grand Day of Exaltation is a time to conduct important business deals, issue noble proclamations, and hold private parties. With so many prominent politicians arriving from across the empire, the Taldan senate uses Exaltation Week to vote on matters of nationwide importance.
Visitors flock to Oppara in the days leading up to the Grand Day of Exaltation. The populace of the city doubles during this time, making Oppara larger than any other city in the Inner Sea region, save Absalom. The self-importance of the already prideful Taldan people swells in equal measure. Street vendors sell traditional Taldan foods—anchovy skewers, anglebobs, canal crossings, clamguards, jubilee pie, honeyflake, long wine, yonder tarts, and more—including regional delicacies from separated provinces such as Andoran mince and Chelish raven cake. Family banners and provincial flags drape the sides of most buildings, with merchants hawking heraldry ranging from replica banners of the old Armies of Exploration to wooden swords and handheld Taldan flags for children. Taverns offer themed drink and food, with varying bars adopting well-known nobles from the long history of the empire as their mascot or self-declared patron.
Alongside all the pomp and circumstance filling Oppara is a noteworthy moment in history: the imperial senate is poised to hold a historic vote to end primogeniture. The potential end of the millennia-standing law of succession is the talk of the town. Streets and taverns are abuzz with conversations; some wish to see the law thrown down to pave a way for Princess Eutropia to ascend to the throne, while hardliners (especially elder nobles) believe the vote to be another wound in the great history of the empire, allowing not only the rabble-rousing Eutropia to inherit family power, but every ill-deserving woman. Regardless of the outcome, both sides of the debate agree that life will go on, and despite the serious ramifications of primogeniture's potential end, the streets of Oppara hold no signs of unrest during the jubilant celebrations of the Grand Day of Exaltation.
Each of you has another reason to be excited for the Grand Day of Exaltation. You have each been contacted by Lady Martella Lotheed, the illegitimate daughter of the prestigious Lotheed noble family and a burgeoning spymaster. She has hired you to serve as her covert agents at the Grand Day of Exaltation festivities at the senate buiding. She has promised each of you 150 gp the next day for completing your missions, in addition to the extraordinary access and prestige granted by attending one of Taldor's most exclusive and high-profile political events. She has also provided each of you a 30-gp line of credit at her favorite tailor shop, Thread Rare.
This is enough to acquire a courtier's outfit at no cost, or you can provide the remaining 45 gp for a noble's outfit for the senate festivities; in either case, Martella also arranges the loan of enough high-quality costume jewelry to complete each outfit.
The Grand Day of Exaltation has finally arrived! Martella has asked that each of you meet with her an hour before the Exaltation Gala to familiarize yourselves with your fellow agents and to answer any remaining questions you may have. The meetup is to take place at a small cafe several blocks from the senate building.
Before you head to the meetup, you can shop or handle any business you wish to. You may make either Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), or Knowledge (nobility) checks to learn more about your employer or the political scene in Oppara. Any given player character may roll only once for each given subject. The available subjects are: the Grand Day of Exaltation, Grand Prince Stavian III, Martella Lotheed, and Princess Eutropia.
You may also each attempt a DC 15 Diplomacy check to gather information and hear a rumor that is currently circling throughout Oppara.
Intro post copied from DM Brainiac's with his permission, because it was excellent and I get lazy sometimes ;)
Taldor was once a vibrant and vigorous Empire that dominated the Inner Sea region, but no more; For six thousand years Taldor has withered to become a place of stagnation, where tradition trumps innovation, and where decadence has replaced drive. On the eve of a historic senatorial vote to overturn the rule of primogeniture, or not, and allow the progressive Princess Eutropia to become heir to the throne, the very Empire's future seems to hang in the balance...
AP Background:
Crownfall wrote:
This year’s Grand Day of Exaltation is poised to mark a historic shift in the governance of the empire. Princess Eutropia, daughter of Grand Prince Stavian III, has forged a powerful coalition of noble bastard children, reformers, and—perhaps, most importantly—senators to vote down the ancient law of primogeniture. The law states that royal power can pass only to a male heir — a succession that cannot be enacted due to Eutropia’s status as the current Grand Prince’s sole heir.
Rumors have circulated about the princess’s quest to strike down
primogeniture for years, and the nation remains divided on the vote, with several nobles viewing it as a shameless power grab by Princess Eutropia. Others see Eutropia as a stabilizing force that could unify the empire and usher in a new golden age for Taldor.
Princess Eutropia is the firstborn child of Grand Prince Stavian III. She stepped forth into the political arena only following the death of her younger brother 20 years ago. Prince Carrius II, like Eutropia, was beloved by the people of Taldor, and many hoped the boy would succeed his ineffective father and usher in an era of change. When the prince died in what was reported as a riding accident, Eutropia’s grief uncovered a deep well of empathy. More understanding of death and suffering, she became a crusader for the poor and for the basic rights of every Taldan citizen. As her work repeatedly ran up against the old-fashioned values of Taldor, Eutropia became a crusader for women’s rights as well.
What to Expect:
Crownfall wrote:
Welcome to the War for the Crown Adventure Path, where the safety of the world, or even just a single nation, isn’t necessarily at stake. Instead, the PCs will help shape history and determine the political course for Taldor, one of Avistan’s oldest modern nations. Slowly suffocating under the weight of its own past glories and blind adherence to tradition, Taldor has ignored its internal problems for far too long. Crumbling infrastructure, a stagnant bureaucracy, and a ruling class steeped in the racism and sexism much of Golarion began discarding long ago—these all weigh down what was once perhaps the most ambitious, innovative, and tenacious nation of the Inner Sea. And now our heroes have a chance to change the course of that nation.
The PCs are the agents of change, battling the status quo. If they fail, no dark overlord arises—just another grand prince who pushes the same agenda of clinging to relevance. And maybe war. But war has hardly been the end of Taldor in the past.
War for the Crown assumes that the PCs want to see Taldor improve, not merely endure, and that they’re the sort of nontraditional thinkers who can love their past while acknowledging the ugly warts. Since her first introduction in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting a decade ago, Princess Eutropia has been the figure poised to reform Taldor and bring it into the modern world—a symbol the PCs support in their own quests to help their homeland.
I will be running the War for the Crown Adventure Path, and I am looking for 5 more players with 1st level characters to join us. Based on an agreement with another GM, the 6th seat is already filled, by a character yet to be determined.
Characters must meet the assumption of the AP, which broadly is to support the revitalization of Taldor, and specifically support Princess Eutropia - or at least have no objection to doing so when it comes up.
Rules:
-Post once per day, or give instructions for botting your character if you require an extended absence.
-Bold your speech.
-Italicise your thoughts.
-Try to put as little OOC commentary as possibly in the gameplay thread - and ensure it is in OOC tags when you must.
-High is good for all percentile rolls.
-If you have immediate action interrupts you must give me a brief summary of when you will use them. This is to discourage them being used or not used depending on the roll. Swashbucker's Parry and Riposte, or Charmed Life being good examples.
-Don't be a jerk.
Character Creation Guidelines:
-Select your ability scores using a 20 point buy, with maximum hit points at first level.
-Choose your race from among the following: changeling, dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, halfling, half-orc, human.
-Choose your class, equipment, feats, skills, any archetypes, etc. from any Paizo source, using the optional Background Skills system (for 2 extra select skill ranks per level), and with maximum gold for your class to start.
-Choose 1 campaign trait and 1 other traits (following the standard rule of no more than 1 from a single category). You have the option of taking 1 additional trait if you choose a drawback, but the traits and drawbacks should all be closely tied in to your character's backstory. War for the Crown Player's Guide
-Provide a written backstory in your own preferred format. I want a feel for your character, and for them to be specifically and distinctly Taldoran. As mentioned above they also needs to conform to the assumptions of the AP, which are to want to improve Taldor, and support progressive ideals - like women being able to do stuff that does not in some way involve flowers.
What to Expect of your GM:
I will use Google slides to handle maps, post NPC pics, and tally loot.
I will try to post multiple times a day, and will do all within my power to finish each part of the AP. But life being what it is and circumstances changes I will take a brief period to access before starting each part of the AP - though I certainly hope to finish it.
I try to stay as close to the rules as possible, but encourage you to correct me if I am wrong - which I frequently am :)
I will make many rolls for the players in the interests of keeping the games pace as brisk as it can be for PBP. For example, initiative, perception, and saves will be rolled by me. Knowledges will generally be in spoilers with the listed DCs so you may check if you meet the roll.
Welcome everyone! Please be friendly and try to resolve any disputes in an exceedingly lovely fashion. It is fine for your characters to rub each other the wrong way, but keep it civil out of character and chat about how you can make your conflict interesting and avoid disruption, etc.
Please remember as far as posting expectation go, you are expected to post at least once a day, and your posts are expected to average about 2 paragraphs. It is fine to make a quicky post if necessary, but you need to give me something more substantial later and it cannot become a habit. But even a quicky post need to have a bit of description on it.
I would categorise myself as a rules heavy GM, feel free to dispute rules and decisions that do not seem to fit within the rules - I would be a massive hypocrite if I minded :) Generally we will not retcon unless it puts a PC at great risk in some way. Please do so here in the discussion thread.
If you do post out of character in the gameplay thread, usually to explain actions please ensure it is in OOC tags and thus shows up blue. Or if you are posting information about an ability, or spell, put it inside a spoiler, as seen below.
Move to move, cast Burning Hands to catch goblin 3 and 4, swift action to draw dagger from spring loaded wrist sheath.
Burning Hands DC 15:
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Effect
Range 15 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance yes
Description
A cone of searing flame shoots from your fingertips. Any creature in the area of the flames takes 1d4 points of fire damage per caster level (maximum 5d4). Flammable materials burn if the flames touch them. A character can extinguish burning items as a full-round action.
Loot Rules:
We will be handling loot distribution with a split based upon sale prices. The split can either be between the party, or between the party and a group fund for items like cure wands, etc. I will throw up a google spreadsheet and update it each time I award treasure. This is mainly a way of ensuring that characters who are not suited to the APs loot do not miss out. PCs can choose to "buy" items you find at half price which comes out of their share and it is perfectly fine to go into debt for more than your share. If two players want the same item roll for it, but if you are in significant "debt" please consider giving up the item.
Almost all of Trunau’s seven hundred odd citizens have gathered in the Commons, the large amphitheater in the centre of town. The merriment is already under way with several long wooden tables heavily loaded with food and drink - being genially guarded by four off duty guardsmen.
Jubilation fills the evening air in contrast to Trunau's normally staid atmosphere, for it is the twelfth birthday of the Chief Defender’s youngest daughter, Ruby, and the townsfolk have been preparing all day for the ceremony and festivities to follow. The throng of cheerfully noisome spectators quiets as the weathered town leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, takes the stage and begins to speak.
“Thank you all for joining us this night. I take immense pride in my responsibility as Chief Defender, especially when it comes to the honor of the hopeknife ceremony. It is always a great privilege to bequeath Trunauan youths their hopeknives as they come of age.” Halgra stops speaking long enough to open an ornamental case and retrieve a slender, ornately decorated dagger hanging from a silver chain.
“But tonight is a special occasion, for the recipient of this hopeknife is none other than my youngest daughter.” Once again, Halgra pauses, but this time she turns to talk to the child beside her.
“Ruby, by the traditions of our town, you have come of age. This hopeknife represents your responsibilities as an adult and defender of Trunau. You must be willing to use it on yourself, your fellow Trunauans, and your family — even me, should it come to that. It will be a far quicker death than that which the orcs will offer, and providing it is your duty. Do you swear to guard Trunau from all comers, and to use your hopeknife only for its intended purpose?” Ruby — dusky skinned, black haired, and painfully shy — nods her head in response to her mother’s question.
“If the orcs come, and there is no other option, this is where you cut — here, here, and here.” Halgra demonstrates which arteries to sever while Ruby watches. When she is finished, Halgra sheathes the hopeknife and places the necklace around Ruby’s neck before turning back to address the crowd.
“Tonight, Ruby becomes a full member of our community! Let us welcome her, and celebrate her passage into adulthood! Trunau forever!” The crowd echoes Halgra’s last words in unison, signalling the end of the ceremony. Once Halgra finishes her speech, the townsfolk waste no time transitioning to the ceremony’s more light-hearted festivities
Rodrik and Kurst Grath, accompanied by four guards drag a thick rope up onto the stage and Rodrik steps forward pointing an accusing finger at Ruby and bellowing melodramatically, "Not so fast! If you want to prove yourself to be a worthy citizen of Trunau you will need to prove yourself to us the dashingly handsome townsguard in a tug-o-war!"
Up on the stage the guardsmen are mugging for all they are worth making muscleman poses and blowing kisses, with the exception of Kurst who is covering his face with a hand and shaking his head. The crowd boo and hiss them in a good natured fashion, and it is clearly a familiar and much loved tradition.
Rodrik bellows, "You may choose five people to help in your inevitable defeat!" Despite his theatrics, and dark tone Rodrik clearly cannot keep the grin from his face, and the nervous Ruby smiles back at him before turning to search the crowd,
Almost all of Trunau’s seven hundred odd citizens have gathered in the Commons, the large amphitheater in the centre of town. The merriment is already under way with several long wooden tables heavily loaded with food and drink - being genially guarded by four off duty guardsmen.
Jubilation fills the evening air in contrast to Trunau's normally staid atmosphere, for it is the twelfth birthday of the Chief Defender’s youngest daughter, Ruby, and the townsfolk have been preparing all day for the ceremony and festivities to follow. The throng of cheerfully noisome spectators quiets as the weathered town leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, takes the stage and begins to speak.
“Thank you all for joining us this night. I take immense pride in my responsibility as Chief Defender, especially when it comes to the honor of the hopeknife ceremony. It is always a great privilege to bequeath Trunauan youths their hopeknives as they come of age.” Halgra stops speaking long enough to open an ornamental case and retrieve a slender, ornately decorated dagger hanging from a silver chain.
“But tonight is a special occasion, for the recipient of this hopeknife is none other than my youngest daughter.” Once again, Halgra pauses, but this time she turns to talk to the child beside her.
“Ruby, by the traditions of our town, you have come of age. This hopeknife represents your responsibilities as an adult and defender of Trunau. You must be willing to use it on yourself, your fellow Trunauans, and your family — even me, should it come to that. It will be a far quicker death than that which the orcs will offer, and providing it is your duty. Do you swear to guard Trunau from all comers, and to use your hopeknife only for its intended purpose?” Ruby — dusky skinned, black haired, and painfully shy — nods her head in response to her mother’s question.
“If the orcs come, and there is no other option, this is where you cut — here, here, and here.” Halgra demonstrates which arteries to sever while Ruby watches. When she is finished, Halgra sheathes the hopeknife and places the necklace around Ruby’s neck before turning back to address the crowd.
“Tonight, Ruby becomes a full member of our community! Let us welcome her, and celebrate her passage into adulthood! Trunau forever!” The crowd echoes Halgra’s last words in unison, signalling the end of the ceremony. Once Halgra finishes her speech, the townsfolk waste no time transitioning to the ceremony’s more light-hearted festivities
Rodrik and Kurst Grath, accompanied by four guards drag a thick rope up onto the stage and Rodrik steps forward pointing an accusing finger at Ruby and bellowing melodramatically, "Not so fast! If you want to prove yourself to be a worthy citizen of Trunau you will need to prove yourself to us the dashingly handsome townsguard in a tug-o-war!"
Up on the stage the guardsmen are mugging for all they are worth making muscleman poses and blowing kisses, with the exception of Kurst who is covering his face with a hand and shaking his head. The crowd boo and hiss them in a good natured fashion, and it is clearly a familiar and much loved tradition.
Rodrik bellows, "You may choose five people to help in your inevitable defeat!" Despite his theatrics, and dark tone Rodrik clearly cannot keep the grin from his face, and the nervous Ruby smiles back at him before turning to search the crowd,
Fee Fi Foe Fum, if you like Giants here they come!
I solemnly swear I am up to not good... And that I will do my damndest to complete at least the first part of this AP. Given the time frames inherent to PBP I will likely take time to reaccess before, hopefully, continuing on to part 2, likely after a short break of a week or so.
Please do not apply if...
* You cannot make at least one post every day, including weekends.
* You are not prepared to make your average post substantive. 2 paragraphs should be the target. I do not care if you are just making a quick roll, etc. try to add in a little witty banter or internal monologue - I believe this serves to form characters more fully.
* You are not a fan of following the rules to the letter; because outside of Craft Skills I will - and I am happy to hear if I have gotten rules wrong and correct accordingly.
What I am looking for
1. Substantive characters. By which I mean I want to feel I know your character and have at least a decent guess how they would react to scenarios where there are two obvious diametrically opposed choices. This does not mean your character needs a long melodramatic backstory, though that is not necessarily a problem, a well written farmers son will trump Captain McBadass the Dragontickler every time.
2. Clear signs that you have read and digested the Players Guide, it is a free download HERE. Your character should be strongly routed in Trunau somehow, if you are from somewhere else you need to come up with a convincing link and attachment for the town.
3. Mid to high powered characters - but we can work on that if chosen and I am worried, so it is not too big an issue. The first part of this AP is fairly brutal so on a power scale of 1-10 I am probably after 6-8.5s, no one man parties, but tough customers all. Please bear in mind that characters who are weak at low levels, looking at you 1st level Wizards, will want to choose their abilities carefully to negate that weakness as much as possible. Being viable over multiple, possibly even double digit, encounters per day will be important.
4. A range between five hundred to a thousand words to give a very rough guideline. I leave the format to you, but I should get an idea what your character looks like, what has happened in their life so far, how they typically behave, attitude, etc., who are the people most important to them. Please try to space things out one way or another so it is not a solid wall of text.
5. Extra brownie points if you link me to an in character post in a game you are particularly proud of; Or if you are not in any games you can produce a "dummy post" for me to look at.
Character Creation Guidelines
* 20 Point Buy (place as you wish, but be sure to justify especially low scores in your write-up and play your character accordingly.)
* Max HP at 1st level high average thereafter, so 4 for d6, 5 for d8, etc.
* All Paizo sources allowed, but in all honesty I am not familiar with the various Occult classes so might be a bit inclined against them - give me a nice write-up and a brief explanation of what I can expect your character to do and you should be on equal footing.
* Background skills are in effect. So you get extra 2 skill points per level to spend on Craft of Profession skills, and a few selected Knowledges, etc.
* Please note we will be using alternate crafting rules found HERE you need to scroll down to Making Craft Work [Alternative Crafting Rules]
* I am strongly considering giving Unchained Crafting to everyone for free at 5th level, but need to explore the possible ramifications before I lock it in.
* I know there was quite a bit about crafting there, but do not necessarily expect to have a great deal of time for it.
* Starting gold is average for your class +30gp.
* 2 Traits one of which must be a Campaign Trait, and a 3rd trait if you take a drawback - drawbacks must be at least alluded to in your writeup, and cannot effect things you would never do; Your 5 charisma Dwarf cannot take Dependent, for example, as it is unlikely he would ever make a diplomacy check.
I will be using Google Slides for Maps, every combat will have a map, I will use your character avatars as tokens so please select them carefully.
Most of the time I will post your opponents vital stats so you can accurately include descriptions of hitting, killing, enspelling, etc. If I do not either I forgot or there is reason, like they are concealing strengths, or disguised as something else, etc. Please try not to abuse this by say, noticing you are not going to hit the high AC guy and changing your attack to the low AC guy.
Recruitment will run until Sunday Morning April the 8th at 10 AM GMT. I will make selections the same day.
When I attempt to select the sign in link at the top of the page on my android phone it does not work simply highlighting the words, etc. The same occurs with the My Account link on my android tablet - I do not want to logout. Any advice appreciated.
