I kind of like the half way myself, but I can see why it might frustrate some.
One thing that might be cool is if they had something other RPGs have done where they do 'two options' for every NPC. A lot of GMs are going to tweak things anyway, but it might save them time if some 'Or you could go this way' options were built in.
You run into a kindly merchant into the road, nice option- this guy is just grateful to encounter others as he is now hopelessly lost and he's a great source of information. Not nice guy option- While warm and frieindly, not only is this guy lying about not being lost, it maybe discovered he is paid by far off Cheliax to report the locations of escaped slaves or any members of the Bellflower network.
That sort of option built in, and of course, the GMs can tailor them further from that.
Let's see
Ancestry Half Orc
Family Size:1d100 ⇒ 68(using small as he is half orc)
So Two family members (Int or Wisdom)
Homeland:1d20 ⇒ 2 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 ⇒ 14 Meet a Fantastic Creature (Add Recognize Spell Feat to background options)
Influential Associate:1d20 ⇒ 7 The Dead One One of your greatest influences was a sapient undead creature, such as a ghost, lich, graveknight, or vampire. Add a Constitution ability boost to your background options.
Inspiring Relationship:1d12 ⇒ 4 Homelessness At a time when you were both living on the streets, you taught this character valuable pointers to survive. Add the Streetwise skill feat to your background options. (Someone is welcome, I guess ;) )
Challenging Relationship:1d12 ⇒ 1Accidental Fall This character once inadvertently shoved you off a ledge or balcony. You’re mostly certain it was a mistake, but the fall was terrifying, and you’ve resolved to never be caught unaware like that again. Add the Cat Fall skill feat to your background options.
Relic Aspect:1d12 ⇒ 4 Death
Relic Aspect:1d12 ⇒ 3 celestial
You know, it may sound crazy, but I think I might go with a Half Orc Wizard with a Necromancer specialty, not because he was evil, but using that 'Dead one' as an excuse for tutoring. My time for edits is almost up so I'll try to get a more detailed idea soon.
OPEN RECRUITMENT!
Priority is given to those I have played with, and a few suggestions I've received from my friend; others will be carefully selected after the fact. Your place is not guaranteed, of course.
Have you played Second Edition? Only once, in a Torment and Legacy one shot where a GM steinkrug was kind enough to introduce us to 2nd Edition . We used the Pre made characters. I played the cleric.
How comfortable are you with Second Edition?
Still a rookie at best but happy to trust the GM. Character creation is different but I do have the 2nd Edition Book for same.
How comfortable are you with the Play by Post format?
I'm very grateful for PBP. My rl table top group hasn't met in years. So PBP has been a great opportunity for me.
What kind of character are you willing to play?
Whatever you need though Alchemists are still a mystery to me. I actually like Circuses as settings so I've had time to think about this. Options that came to my head included-
1)An Acrobat (Monk or Rogue) who was used as a second story man but has escaped that criminal past and now works happily on the high wires and trapezes.
2) A Sorcerer with the Elemental Fire or Red Dragonblood line who acts as a fire eater and pyromancer for the crowds entertainment and is some what at odds with his family for either embracing his 'freakish' nature, or for not using it as they intended.
3) A roustabout of immense strength, who didn't like the abuse at his last job and got himself and a child (Perhaps related, perhaps just a ward by choice) out of there. Possibly the 'strong silent type' until pushed too far.
But I'll try anything you need.
Tell me a bit about yourself as a player. I enjoy watching friendships and banter spring up in the party in RP when possible. I like it when the party makes a difference, not just 'save the world' but leaving NPCs better off than they were before because the characters had met them. I can be weak at details like keeping track of inventory etc. :o
Tell me a bit about your favorite character ever.
Only one? I'll narrow it down to three. For an AD&D game, there was Urnst the Unlikable, a fighter/cleric dwarf who by die roll decree ended up with a terrible charisma. I ran with it, was undiplomatic in character at all times, and soon the party was ready to tackle him rather than let him have any part in diplomatic moments. Great fun. Another was a wild mage who was called "The Mad" but kept assuring everyone he was rarely got angry... on a more edgy area, I had a justice seeking mind controller in a champions game that was kind of my answer to the question "what if Batman was a mentalist?" he turned out to be a lot of fun for all his brooding ways and held to a code of ethics.
And lastly, what do you enjoy most about Pathfinder?
In addition to the usual (Fun times to be had with other people etc), I actually like a lot of aspects of the official setting. The quest for the sky that lead to dwarves hitting surface, Andoran's crusade against slavery, the blending of various human cultures done in a logical way, and bits of the mythology like Shelyn stealing her brother's glaive for his own good darn it.
Sometimes I end up in games where things are so exotic (And more power to players who love such I guess) that I almost feel rebellious playing a more 'typical' race class combo.
Game master-"Let's see, we've got a centaur acrobat, an Tiefling Oracle whose soul is tied to the abyssal chorus, and a gillman sorcerer with an elemental fire bloodline...we could use some melee type I guess but feel free to make annnnything you ..."
Me- "Dwarf fighter- With an axe."
Followed by gasps of what I can only assume is admiration for my hipster like choice of old school retro.
;)
But I DO have a thing for half orc bards and wizards.
I have a fondness for Draconic and Fey both with Demonic/Abyssal a close third. More for the character background ideas that come to my head than the mechanics involved.
IMO Chaotic Good maybe benevolent, but benevolence takes a lot of forms. Patronizing as it might seem; the elves might see 'sharing' some magic akin to leaving a firearm in an orphanage full of snot nosed kids. Heck, elves might even fear that their culture might naturally dominate those of shorter lived races and lean isolationist in a kind of 'Pointy ears Prime Directive' meant to give the weaker cultures time to evolve and catch up.
Individual non-elves might be worthy of trust and playing with the big magics while Nations and other whole institutions are distrusted. Elves trust persons, not peoples if that makes sense?
At least that's a possible take.
But with a Lich soon to rise up again (100 years is soon), and with the kids err... non elves having proven to be a bit more mature than the elves thought (World Wound success), a lot of elves now re-evaluate. And generously are more willing to openly be the stellar role models the non-elves need.
Regardless, Pharasma's quite good at sorting that all out.
"Mmm, difficult, difficult, plenty of lawfulness I see...not a weak soul under there, you had drive, and ever sought to improve your liveliehood, but where to put you?" Pharasma pondered
"Not Asmodeous" the soul whispered
"Not Asmodeous, eh? Are you sure? You were at times very proud, you know, and while you never took on a slave you did love a sneaky contract"
"Not Asmodeus"
"Well, you did follow the rules, and not just because you were afraid of someone more powerful, I want to be sure... better be..." Pharasma announced,"ABADAR'S!"
If you wanted to double dip into Nimrathas, well, with all the Refugees from Lastwall I can see a small city booming by permission or accident with a very fortress like set up.
That would actually be really unique way to make settlement/city building AP ._. I think presumably in that one you would have to start as thorp or hamlet though since I'd assume paizo doesn't have this kind of AP already planned out(since they ARE adapting kingmaker next year) so it would take in game years before they would hypothetically make this kind of ap over there. I do think its plausible for refugees to remain homeless for years without permanent residence(so when you start growing the small town that is friendly to refugees, they could start to move there), though presumably after couple years no survivors left in Gravelands anymore.
Probably too late to say spoilers but just in case:
I've only listened to about four episodes of the first season of the Knights of the Everflame (Though it's quite good) but I could easily see something building from that to enhance and boost Kassen from small town to small city.
Another option might be to take the area where once Phaendar stood, and have a storyline where it becomes Neutral ground by agreement of the three nations Oprak, Nirmathas ,and Molthune... and handed over to the refugees of Lastwall who might be seen by all involved as a trust worthy third party...or at least more trusted than each other.
The Lastwall refugees would want this yet to be city to be a new home, and a way to have the other nations put aside their 'petty' squabbles lest their fate turn out to be like Lastwall's.
Molthune would hope to use it to spy on their northern neighbor, but would be divided as some of their officials absolutely agree the Whispering Tyrant is the big threat , others would think this is all the more reason to encourage ...by diplomacy or otherwise, the other nations to join under Molthune's banner for a better chance of survival. A conquest of diplomacy will be hard after Molthune's ambitions have been laid so bare, but never say die.
Nirmathas would love a buffer state of sorts as an ally to keep both Oprak and Molthune off their backs. They trust neither Oprak nor Molthune, and for good reason but they also realize that with the Gravelands on their north, they're the ones most likely to bear the brunt of a new wave. The expertise of the Lastwall survivors is something they don't want to throw away. Besides, they're not heartless. In typical 'in your eye' fashion, they may insist the new City have a monument/memorial to the fallen of the first town which will serve as a reminder of Hobgoblin assault, and Molthune's loss of control that empowered it.
All hall New Phaendar! City of... unity?
Alliance?
Lots of angry folks glaring at each others while ambassadors rub their foreheads?
I honestly thing Paizo should buy the rights to the never completed Fire Mountain product - Throne of Night. Then, take all the good bits from it (and there were lots) and incorporate into a really solid Darklands AP for Golarion.
Sure, it would show up as a 2E product at this point, but, that would even tempt me into buying, despite being a 1E devotee.
I would be all for that, though buying it might lead to some obligations Paizo doesn't want to deal with. :( If it could be done, it would be awesome and a lot of frustrated people would consider Paizo heroes for taking up that neglected baton.
If you wanted to double dip into Nimrathas, well, with all the Refugees from Lastwall I can see a small city booming by permission or accident with a very fortress like set up.
Oh what the heck... I'll go off the cuff for one. (Pardon typos, grammar errors, Wall O text etc)
When you were a child, the name of the land was Sargava. You grew up in its smoldering stew of cultural and economic divides, and yet despite the hatreds and short-sidedness, you had made friends and more with those different than yourself.
Two years ago, the revolution burst through Sargava and could have been a wildfire of hate, but thanks to the youth like you, that fire was turned from an action of destruction to one of recreation! There would be no Galt here. The worst of the oppressors were the targets, and even their sons and daughters would not be lumped in with them. Sargava died that day, and from it's ashes sprung Vidrian! And you and a handful of others found yourselves praised as the Children of that Phoenix.
It has been two years, and you grew from boys and girls to men and women, while you learned where your gifts lay. It would be a lie to say Vidrian has had it easy. Old tensions die hard among older generations, and the new representative council seems pulled a hundred different ways on how it should best rule. And, as always, there are concerns on where the money is going to come from when each faction suspects the other is hiding their fair share? Who can be a symbol of trust?
It turns out, the Children of the Phoenix (our PCs) might just be the symbol the government needs. Out of the dozens that took part, you and a handful of others have been selected to become living symbols on a grand tour and census of the land, beginning in the renamed Capitol Anthusis, you must wake way as envoys of unity and peace in every major city and town in Vidrian.
Of course, the government officials who travel with you will use you for show while they take care of the real accounting and politics. Your task is an easy one of adoration.
Until it all goes wrong.
...................................
Basically the idea is a group of first levelers were 'child stars' of a revolution that could have been much worse. Because of this, some consider them touched by the gods, or just plain lucky and the government decides to use them, now that they're older, as living banners to stir patriotism while the practical work gets done.
But the assassination and ambush which threatens to stir old hatreds turns out to be an outside force after all, and it's up to the PCs not only to find out, but escort the only diplomat who is respected enough by all to get it done. They can't just turn back, there's a time table and a vote to return to after the tour.
Each town they go to seems to have a different challenge, a different concern, and the PCs may just be for 'show' in the original plan, but it rapidly progresses beyond that as how the Player characters help, and act, and what they do shapes not just the success of the census, but the nature of the country to be (perhaps even influencing it's collective alignment).
Some of the challenges to be faced?
A clash with the Rivermen's Guild who seek to sway the Diplomat and the pCs with him into cementing their monopoly on the waterways.. and if they cannot be convinced, well, people drown all the time.
The reclusive Song'O seem willing to join the nation formally, but there are tests the PCs must take to show their respect for the customs of these halflings, a gauntlet that is difficult under the best of times, much harder when an outside force seeks to make it lethal.
On the far east reach of the kingdom, a woman claiming to be a living goddess and the sister and rival to Walkena , a boast that might make a threat of war with Mzali and its god king a certainty!
A 'noble' who bought his lands under the old regime bargains with evil powers to keep it in defiance of the new government.
And , of course, the mystery of just who the heck arranged that ambush in the first place.
I'm just throwing darts here but off the top of my head...
I think one angle might be to play up the Shamanism aspects, and the idea that the megafauna there are both hunted and honored. The Zoic Fetish angle could be tweaked so that at a young age, a kellid youth of these lands might be expected to seek out a particular animal spirit by collecting the needed things to make the fetish.
If some young kellid woman sees a white eagle flying through the cold heights, she's might decide that's it, that's the power she wants to emulate and invite into herself.
So she looks for dropped feathers, finds where it's ayrie is and climbs up there to take a single prize strand from its nest. She mixes it with twigs, grass, the bone of an enemy (or the animal depending on her tribe) and goes through a ritual or spirit walk where she asks the great mother of all White Eagles to bless the fetish, and accept her.
Should it happen, she returns to her tribe with great honor, and seen more as an adult, akin to the first blooding of a hunt.
This also gives the GM opportunities for strange dreams as story hooks, signs of good or badluck , or even advice... like witch's patrons but more honest ;)
For that matter, maybe these spirits are borderline gods, laying low so not to attract the attention of the more powerful deities?
There's a mention of 'rumors' of dinosaurs and warm green patches hidden in the land. That could be worthy of a goal, or, you could expand it.
What with the changes in the setting, it's always possible something set off a volcano and it just happened to de-ice a large valley and even thaw out dinosaurs that were some how suspended until now.
Green land is rich land but which tribe or even Following is strong enough to claim it when you have raptors and T-rexes awake and hungry after a few centuries?
Meanwhile, the World Wound has had it's change, leaving a lot of crusaders trying to decide what to do. Go help fight against Treerazor? Maybe save lastwall refugees?
NAH, let's go convert those savages who ride on mammoths next door ;)
Heck with it, I don't want to dawdle. Unless the other player really wants her, I'll play Kyra the Cleric after all.
I like clerics, and without them? What do we have, godless healing? Gadzooks no, that leads to wayward youth and dogs and cats living together.. mass hysteria
Ok. So, we heard from 1 more on table 1 and have Ridge and Hayato Ken expressing interest. We can keep two tables as long as Ridge and Hayato Ken both stick around.
On table 1 we've got: Fighter, Alchemist and Cleric.
On table 2 we've got: Wizard, Champion and Rogue.
No overlap in class, so that's nice if we have to consolidate.
We'll start tomorrow either way.
Woot. Thanks for the PM
Hayato Ken wants to play rogue, and I'm feeling flexible as I'm equally ignorant on all claseses with PF 2 ;) so fine by me if Hayato Ken goes with the rogue spot on table one. I guess I go to table 2 and fill in whatever they think they need
Thanks for giving me a chance
I imagine it would vary, you might get some in a rant like "Irori is a traitor to all mortal kind gaining godhood like that! For all intents and purposes, he joined the enemy and became one of the divine that would enslave us all!"
Others might be like "Good on him, now if idiots would just stop worshiping him"
I'm mediocre player of PF 1 (But still like it) maybe I'll be a better player for PF2 ;)
If you have an opening still I'd be interested. I'd take any spot you need for this demo. I'm leaning towards rogue because it's been awhile since I played one in any game, but be happy to fill any niche needed
This could be very useful to me as someone who loves Andoran. While there's some debate over how many magical schools Andoran has, apparently whatever ones they have aren't impressive enough to be mentioned. There is, in short, a gap in a magic arms race between they and Cheliax. It might be interesting to see them try to build a new academy, only to find help from a source they didn't expect.
There are no listed magical schools in the Cheliax book either. And looking at high level spellcasters in the respective books, Andoran actually looks to have an advantage in Wizards, if anything.
In fact, the Almas University Provost is a 17th level Wizard. Which, to me, seems to indicate that Almas University, though not primarily or exclusively a magic school, probably has a fairly robust magical curriculum available to students who are interested.
Which is not to say that the Magaambya's aid wouldn't be both useful and appreciated, but there's no real evidence of the disparity in resources you're citing here.
I was thinking of the Egorian Academy Infernal Binder School chiefly.
I think it's mentioned in the Inner Sea Primer
But to be fair, that is the only one I can think of by name so I maybe reading too much into it and some of the players guides to Cheliax based APs :o Wouldn't be the first time I've earned a silver in jumping to conclusions
I rather like the idea of starting the party out as students at the Magaambya and then sending them on a mission elsewhere.
Why in the world would you want to leave?
Paizo Blog He's a Magic Man, She's a Magic Man! wrote:
In addition to their heavy presence in the Mwangi Expanse, the Magaambya has begun setting up satellite colleges to the north—after the explosion (many times literal) of arcane events and anomalies that have occurred in Avistan, from the closure of the Worldwound to the appearance of New Thassilon to the destruction caused by the Whispering Tyrant, the scholars of the south have decided it’s about time they go see what on earth is happening up there!
This could be very useful to me as someone who loves Andoran. While there's some debate over how many magical schools Andoran has, apparently whatever ones they have aren't impressive enough to be mentioned. There is, in short, a gap in a magic arms race between they and Cheliax. It might be interesting to see them try to build a new academy, only to find help from a source they didn't expect.
Imagine a small town on Andoran's coast about to be chosen as the site for a new Magical University, but the main wizards advising (and maybe teaching) are a Kyonin elf (Hoping to prepare a buffer against the Whispering Tyrant in a generation), a Korvosan Academae professor (Who teaches a more ruthless and perhaps selfish style) and a Magaambya magician (Who thinks the Andorans need to make sure the wizards adapt an attitude of community minded wizards rather than soldiers or ladder climbers).
With PCs hired as bodyguards for wizards during construction and their own actions helping influence which professor/adviser has the biggest influence.
Satellite magic colleges could be the gift that keeps on giving no matter what country you base things in :)
I've said this elsewhere, but I just love the whole philosophy of the school with an emphasis being on as much what you do with the magic as being as important as the magic itself.
As long as we don't have a sudden reveal where Iomedae finds Aroden in the shower only to learn it was all a horrible dream and he's alive after all!!
:)
More seriously, I have to wonder if Aroden somehow failed to take Groetus into account and this lead him vulnerable. Maybe Aroden died willingly at the last moment, a suicide when he saw what would come AFTER his golden Age?
The Shining Kingdoms has one of my favorite setting countries, Andoran which I admit I kind of NEED to see a positive take on democracy in these times... consortium troubles aside :) However, I see a war brewing for them eventually... Cheliax seems weaker than it was (key word seems) and that might be tempting for a young republic that has lived in fear of a devil plagued country that still considers them a wayward province.
It could get ugly.
And it looks like Kyonin and the Five Kings Mountains are opening up... and I always thought they really needed more development and definitely more interaction/influence with other countries around them. Honestly, these two non human ruled nations getting a breath of fresh air intrigues me. The Elves are rightly spooked by the return of the Whispering Tyrant, and about tired of Treerazor. Former knights of Mendev have come to help with the latter, while the Kyonin elves go out beyond their borders to play diplomat and seek alliances because of the former could be great stuff. Heck, I'm half way through playing in Second Darkness and boy do the elves need a redemption angle ;)
I see loads of potential here, and while I'm as rar rar 'human potential' as the next fantasy lover, the idea of the elves and dwarves taking the lead on some things intrigues me.
Runner up for me meta region wise would have to be the Mwangi expanse.
A new nation breaking the chains of it's former oppressive colonial identity and seeking to forge a new identity? Go Vidrian! This could be a homeland worth fighting for!
Nantambu I knew little of, but the short blurbs I have read recently make me love the place. The Magaambya Academy teaching wizards with an emphasis not just on the magic, but "Who can I aid with this magic?" is wonderful. I'm a sucker for knights of the round table stuff at times, and this might just be the arcane version of that but wrapped in its own rich culture. So that's two nations in one meta region that hook me.
The Child God of Mzali freaks me out, but that's a GOOD thing.
After that, it fragments even more in preferences.
Poor Nirmathus in the "Eye of Dread" Meta region WAS one of my favorite settings for a group but I'm going to have to drop back and think on what to do there. Poor place is now getting it from ALL sides.
Out of the Shining Road countries, I am intrigued most by Qadira and more specifically the empire east of it... but that's leaving the regions listed.
Odd. I don't like deserts but I love the old 1001 tales stuff
I'm not that versed on the Darklands, but with Serpentfolk, Cyclopses, and Purple worms and the like I'm pretty sure the Mwangi expanse has a lot of trouble under the surface it may not know about... save in legend.
I want to see the Kelishite Empire have a few satrapies/Nations to show the variety that can exist within it even if it's all more or less under the same Emperor.
I mean, sure, everyone pays tribute, and there are threads of common culture laced through said empire, but we could have things like:
A Demihuman majority nation/Satrapy that fears losing it's identity to "human ways" but it is thriving so so be it.
A Satrapy where a god/goddess is seen as Sarenrae's consort and equal (And is certainly popular with the locals), thus threatening to cause religious turmoil and accusations of heresy.
A Satrapy ruled or at least heavily influenced by a family with Blue Dragon heritage who either serve their draconic great grandsire, or are the best defense against him, or both!
A frontier area where the Empire is expanding, with in addition to the regular great armies, some criminals are allowed a second chance at life and reform by taming it and thus finding redemption in Sarenrae (And some Kelish Prince's) eyes.
And, of course, that obligatory Satrapy that's THIS close to rebelling/breaking away :)
Sarenrae- "The Dawn Will Come" -Dragon Age Inquisition
Shelyn- "What a Wonderful World" Louis Armstrong
Cayden Cailean -"The Wind of Change" The Scorpions
Erastil- "The Garden Song" ala John Denver
One would think with its strong number of wizards, Nex would rank among rule by High Intelligence scores but it is described as something of a bureaucratic nightmare IIRC :)
After fighting your way through challenges that would make an arch devil blanch, and possibly lay low a dragon, and getting past tricks and traps that defy the very laws of nature and mystify the wisest men, finally you approach the Starstone and a voice rips through your soul and demands....
"What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
Since CaptainFord put forth the initial pitch, I would not want to step on their toes, so they have the final say.
That said, I would be willing to GM this.
If I did, I would use Pathfinder rules and definitely allow everything on the Pathfinder Reference Document while considering other options on a case-by-case basis.
