Rotolutundro's page

2nd try:
4d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 6) = 14 12
4d6 ⇒ (1, 5, 4, 3) = 13 12
4d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 2, 2) = 7 6
4d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 4, 1) = 11 10
4d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 6, 5) = 17 15
4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 1, 6) = 16 15
...I'm not sure how many points a 6 is worth, but with a 7 that's 24 point buy. I guess I'll be going with 25 point buy. :P

Vargdan is the son of Ulfdan, son of Ulvdan, who once struck the killing blow against a necromancer, and passed the sword that ended the wicked mage's life down through the generations. All proud warriors of the Tree Ghost Uthgardt, they also have kept a terrible secret: when the necromancer's black blood tainted that blade, it became infused with a terrible awareness. Now, dark secrets of magic are passed down the line of Ulvdan, and they wander the North in search of the undead and their masters, to prove that despite the touch of magic in their blood, they remain dedicated Tree Ghosts.

Elaboration (along with possible adjustment, to see if I can fit some more hooks and drama in there) and crunch to come!

STR 13
DEX 16
CON 10
INT 17
WIS 12
CHA 13

Concept:
A fire-hearted troublemaker from Oregent in Andoran, Jorianikka believes wholeheartedly in the spirit of Andoran - Truth, Justice, and the Andoran Way - she's passionate, but a wee bit naive. Meaning to spread this good word in Galt, where she had heard they could use the help, she was traveling up the Sellen when she ran afoul of river pirates. Traps, she's good with - ambushes, not so much. Those dirty river rats survived her bombs AND left her in the water! A kind trader family fished her up downstream and tended her wounds aboard their boat, but they were headed to Belhaim, not Galt. Joriannika means to repay their kindness... somehow.

Skills:
Appraise +7
Bluff +1 (+2 to lie)
Craft: alchemy +7
Disable device +8
Diplomacy +1 (+2 to persuade)
Knowledge: arcana +7
Knowledge: nature +7
Perception +5
Sleight of hand +7
Use magic device +7

Traits:
Accelerated drinker
Pragmatic activator
Student of philosophy
Trap finder

Feats:
Additional traits
Fast learner (bonus human)
Throw anything (bonus alchemist)

Combat:
Init +3
hps: 9
AC: 17/13/14

Melee +1
Ranged +3 (+1 splash weapons)

CMB +1
CMD 14

Saves:
Fort +2
Ref +5
Will +1

Equipment:
chain shirt
rapier
dagger

MW backpack
bedroll
2 sunrods
rations x4
waterskin
9 sp

1. DMPC party informs us that we're going to take a quest, or else. Are they forcing us? No, other than tying our characters up and gagging them when they protest. But they're really nice DMPCs, we should love them and do as they say. And they can kick our asses, so we'd better do it. That's one kind of character hook, I guess...

2. DM rules that something our characters tried and failed at (bribing a supposedly friendly NPC with pie, which it's been established that this NPC will do anything for said pie - and the NPC is the only one that can help us out of our prison, but currently "doesn't feel like it") - with no rolls - is automatically successful when their DMPC does it, immediately after our failure ("Do you want pie, NPC?" "Pie, yay!" *fetches the key to our cells for the DMPC*).

3. We come upon a canyon full of evil fire giants who plan to destroy us and the outside world. For some reason their canyon is dry, despite being a few yards from a huge underground lake. My character wants to use the Dig spell to dig a furrow that will lead the lake into the canyon, flooding it. No "it can't flood it fast enough." No "that's not a good idea, for these reasons." No "the stone floor is too hard," or anything of that nature. Just, "you can't do that." Apparently the spell can't even be cast. So we all are forced into melee with the fire giants, during which we're captured and (of course) our bacon is saved by the DMPC party.

4. The DM informs us that we're actually NPCs in a game she's playing with some other people, who are the DMPCs. That's why we couldn't be allowed to have any effect on the campaign, NPCs or surroundings. She believes this information should make us proud to have been allowed to play with these characters.

Yeah, I had to ragequit after that.

1. His main favorite move was "you lose control of your character, he does terrible things. Now you're back in control." Used sparingly, this might not have been annoying. As a regular event, it left me wondering why, when he had the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD to play, he felt compelled to control my character, too. My "favorite" example of this was when he said that due to being infected somehow with some kind of seed of evil/demonic possession, my character turned into a horrible demon and raped his girlfriend. And enjoyed it. That last detail is pretty much the final straw.

2. His second favorite move was "it was all a dream." Again, used sparingly, it wouldn't have been so frustrating. Used so often that basically half of everything my character did was annulled, though, it was... aggravating. (Note: the event above was not one of those times. Not that it would have been okay if it was.)

3. I actually really liked his NPCs... back when that's what they were. They were living, thinking beings reacting to their world in an interesting way, with interesting personalities. Then they became DMPCs. The difference, to me, is that NPCs are there to make the game interesting for the player. DMPCs are there to show off how cool the DM thinks he is, usually via nerfing, belittling, and/or beating up the PC(s). Towards the end, it seemed like he'd have been happier writing a book about his DMPCs - and, it seemed, casting my PC as a rather unpleasant sidekick.

4. Finally, this DM loooved to make short statements, then make you fish for more information or try to play off the complete lack of information he'd given you (we played online). He would post a short sentence someone had said, without mentioning who. He would have his characters mock plans I made based on what he had told me, because the truth was something else - which my character should have known, but didn't. Because... actually, I have no idea why. I think he was just a prick. This got really old, really fast, but he didn't seem to know what I was talking about when I asked him, politely, to tell me what my character would know about any given situation. From the environment, to which of the NPCs he knew well was talking to him, to basic knowledge about the world that anyone should know, to specific knowledge that only my character COULD know, and absolutely should... either getting more info was like pulling out teeth, or I got smacked down in-game for acting on incomplete information.

5. OK, bonus round: Towards the end, my character couldn't do anything right, despite being (supposedly) high-level. He could just about handle what an 8th level fighter could (he was a gish-type character); everything else either failed, was made irrelevant, or was impossible for whatever reason. I couldn't affect the world or the story at all, which I'd be less annoyed with if it were some railroad module game. But it was a freeform game. Turned me off them, for sure. At least if you're following a ruleset, the DM has to make an effort/explanation to nerf you, rather than waving his hand and doing it by fiat.

I guess he wouldn't have changed, anyway. He was, self-declared, proud that he'd never played in a game. Not one, in any system OR freeform. I'm not sure how ignorance of half the table experience is a virtue, but to him it is, I guess. It sure explains his DM faults (at least, they're faults in my eyes). I'll always wonder how that game's story would have ended, though. It was pretty entertaining, despite everything.

Appearance:
Alennil

Alennil's hair falls in dark curls to her shoulders, and her brown skin suggests that her ancestors hailed from the Southlands. She has a warm smile, but more than a hint of sarcasm when dealing with those she feels are not that bright (such as men). Despite this cultural chauvinism, Alennil isn't as bigoted against men as most of her countrywomen. There is a determined glint in her eyes, warning that she will let nothing stand in the way of her goals. Educated and clever, she is a terror with a bow. She is outfitted for war, and stalks with the grace of a predator.

Background: Tragedy!
Alennil grew up a proud Perunalian, steeped in all the traditions and education that the country had to offer. Working as a respected bowyer in the countryside near the border, though she trained with weapons in order to defend the country, she never expected to have an exciting life; she married and settled down, and became the proud mother of a baby girl.

When her daughter, Shivya, was 8 years old, tragedy struck - a raiding party of slavers from across the border invaded her small town in a surprise nighttime raid, and overwhelmed all the defenders, including Alennil. They kidnapped a number of children, Shivya among them, and disappeared back over the border before the defenders could recover.

Furious, and frightened for her daughter's life, Alennil girded herself for war. She caused a scandal by leaving her home in her husband's hands rather than her sisters', and set off to track down and rescue her daughter and the other children, and bring them home.

Religion:
Sif

Languages:
Trade tongue, Nurian, Ankeshelian (read magic 1/day)

CLASS: fighter ( weapon master) 1
Str 13
Dex 17 (+2 race)
Con 10
Int 14
Wis 13
Cha 12

SENSES Perception +6

DEFENSE
AC 17 Touch 13 FF 14 (Dex +3, chain shirt +4)

CMD 15

HP: 11 (1d10+1 fc)

SAVES
Fort: +2
Ref: +3
Will: +1

OFFENSE
Init: +3
Speed: 30'

Melee
longsword +2 (1d8+1, 19-20) S
dagger +2 (1d4+1, 19-20) P/S

Ranged
dagger +4 (1d4+1, 19-20) P/S
shortbow +4 (1d6, x3) 60' P

BAB: +1 CMB: +2

Traits:
Armor expert (combat)
Seeker (social)

Feats:
Fast learner
Point blank shot
Polymath (Guide to the crossroads): +1 to all Knowledges, all Knowledges class skills

Skills: +2 fighter +2 Int +1 human +1 fc= 6
Craft: bowyer +2
Knowledge: geography +7
Knowledge: local +7
Knowledge: nature +7
Knowledge: nobility +7
Perception +6
Survival +5

Worn equipment:
chain shirt
longsword
dagger
shortbow
arrows x40

Carried equipment:
bedroll
silk rope 50'
backpack
waterskin
rations x7
flint and steel
torch x4
hooded lantern
oil x3

Appearance:
Jhaele
theme song

Jhaele has the typical good looks of the Magdar people, with long black hair and sparkling green eyes. She is quick to smile, but equally quick to stand up against what wrongs she finds. Never preachy, she hopes to inspire others with her example. She doesn't know when to quit, and her determination to see things done right is dogged.

She carries the white-and-yellow plumed helmet and blue cloak of the Order of the Undying Sun, though she has no horse. While she is humble enough to walk, she is proud of her calling, and seeks to show those who would slight her Order or Khors of the error of their ways by being everything a paladin is meant to be - kind, gracious, and righteous. However, she also has a tendency to drink a bit too much.

Background: Childhood dream come true.
Jhaele was born to a family of vintners in Zsigistad, and raised on stories of the righteous valor of Khors. They sparked a flame in her young heart, and she dreamt of joining the knights of the Undying Sun, though she knew it was only a foolish dream. Still, she strove to live by the tenets of Khors as she understood them, using her unusual strength to defeat bullies and defend the other children from any perceived wrongs. It seemed as though Khors smiled on her, for she never got into trouble worse than her ability to solve, despite her sometimes reckless ways.

Her family took their barrels of wine to a Kingsmeet for sale, and she quickly made friends among the children of Cronepisht. They would try to reach vantages to view the tournaments, clambering up inside the tribunals to view the knights between the feet of the mighty. One such noble took offense at the children climbing about "above their station," and would have beaten one that he caught, but Jhaele's strength surprised him, and she forced the noble back with nothing but a stick to serve as a staff. She didn't beat the man in return, but shamed him by asking what good hurting those weaker than him could serve.

Her actions drew the notice of one of the knights, who had seen the exchange. One thing led to another, and soon he had spoken with her parents, and taken her on as a squire. Jhaele was stunned; it was a dream come true! She said her tearful goodbyes to her family there at the Kingsmeet, and left with the knight to train at Khorsburg.

Beyond her innate sense of right and wrong, Jhaele also had a taste for the wine her city had produced. She liked it a bit too much; it was a struggle to keep from overindulging. Though she passed the knight's test, she shamed her mentor with an unfortunate bout of drunkenness. Penitent, she vowed to roam Midgard as a knight-errant, righting wrongs until she had earned a place at her mentor's table, and forgiveness.

Still, the wine was so good...

Religion:
Khors, Lada, Mavros-Perun (and St. Bacca, demigod of wine)

Languages:
Trade tongue, Magdar, Enochian

CLASS: paladin 1
Str 16
Dex 14
Con 10
Int 13
Wis 10
Cha 16 (+2 race)

SENSES Perception +0

DEFENSE
AC 16 Touch 12 FF 14 (Dex +2, chain shirt +4)

CMD 16

HP: 11 (1d10+1 fc)

SAVES
Fort: +2
Ref: +2
Will: +2

OFFENSE
Init: +2
Speed: 30'

Melee
falchion +4 (2d4+3, 18-20) S

Ranged
nothing at the moment

BAB: +1 CMB: +4

Traits:
Armor expert (combat)
White Knight (Magdar, regional): You have traveled the world as a knight-errant in search of adventure. You gain a +2 trait bonus to one of the following: Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), or Knowledge (nobility) checks. Your chosen skill (picked when you take this trait) is a class skill for you (Knowledge: local)

Feats:
Fast learner
Power attack

Skills: +2 paladin +1 Int +1 human +1 fc= 5
Diplomacy +7
Heal +4
Knowledge: local +3 (untrained)
Knowledge: nobility +5
Knowledge: religion +5
Sense motive +4

Worn equipment:
chain shirt
falchion

Carried equipment:
none

Appearance:
Armored in polished brass and bronze, Baerloth's eyes glow a dark red, as though from internal fire banked to coals. Runes are engraved in his massive horns and shining hide, and the quiet clicking of his ever-turning gears can be heard when all is silent. Huge and hulking, Baerloth has smooth grace for one so large, and is surprisingly intelligent to those who expect little of either a gearforged or a minotaur. When at rest, he stands perfectly still, content to observe the world around him without such living quirks as looking around or shifting his weight.

Background: Amnesia
Baerloth's earliest memories are from being repaired in Kyprion; the memory gears concerning his origin had been knocked loose and lost somewhere in the past. Naturally curious, the tauric engine delayed seeking out the past, instead repaying the minotaur who had repaired him by fighting in the arena, winning bets for his presumed rescuer. When the minotaur grew old and died, Baerloth considered his debt paid, and departed (much to the consternation of the minotaur's grown children, who considered him a, so to speak, cash cow).

Possessing nothing but his name and weapons, he evaded their misguided attempts to recapture him and set out to track down his missing memory gears, or at least learn of his past. Hints drew him toward the city of Zobeck, but his natural curiosity and lack of the pressure of time often sidetracked him along the way.

Religion:
Rava

Languages:
Trade tongue, Rue-Thothka, Machine Speech, Dwarvish

CLASS: fighter (clockwork warrior) 1
Str 18 (+2 race)
Dex 14
Con ---
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 10

SENSES Perception +0, darkvision, low-light vision

DEFENSE
AC 18 Touch 12 FF 16 (Dex +2, natural +2, chain shirt +4)

CMD 17

HP: 11 (1d10+1 fc)

SAVES
Fort: +2
Ref: +2
Will: +0

OFFENSE
Init: +2
Speed: 30'

Melee
greatsword +5 (2d6+4, 19-20) S

Ranged
none

BAB: +1 CMB: +5

Traits:
Adamant: +1 natural armor (combat)
Charger (regional)

Feats:
Power attack
Rust-proof armor (Guide to the crossroads): +2 to Escape artist, rust attacks reduced by 1d6, DR5/acid

Skills: +2 fighter +2 Int = 4
Craft: clockwork +8
Escape artist +4
Intimidate +6
Knowledge: engineering +6
Survival +4

Worn equipment:
chain shirt
greatsword

Carried equipment:
belt pouch
alchemist's fire

Appearance:
Taller and sturdier than a Varisian, but smaller and more slender than an Ulfen, Malgrivner enjoys the benefits of his good looks - with dark hair and green eyes, he was an unusual sight in the North, less so among southerners, but with his brimming confidence and wolfish grin, he is rarely lonely. He speaks with no accent, but his cloak is the pelt of a wolf, complete with wolf's-head-hood, and his shortswords bear the runes and wolf-head pommel of Ulfen blades. He wears his chain shirt comfortably, but does not have the look of a mercenary; his black boots are worn from long travels.

Background:
Born in the Thanelands, Malgrivner was marked an outsider from birth. No blue eyes and fair hair to share with his father or mother, it was whispered that his mother had trysted with a Varisian from a passing caravan, and as he grew, both his body and nature seemed to confirm it. Where an Ulfen man was towering and sturdy, he was merely tall and slender (though not so delicate of build as a Varisian). Where the Ulfen boys were concerned with strength and honor, Malgrivner was relatively weak and quick to grab what advantage he could - in fact, he was quick and agile like no other in his homestead, and his tricky ways often landed him in hot water. If a pie was stolen, or someone had been convinced to jump off a roof with two fistfuls of chickens in an attempt to fly, or someone's boots had been greased before a wrestling match, or the children had been frightened by a story of giants and trolls, you had to look no farther than Malgrivner's easy grin to find the culprit.

No warrior he, but ever a troublemaker; he counted on his mother's weary pleas and, later, his rugged good looks to get him out of any scrapes, but his lack of good sense eventually got him into trouble with the jarl himself, whose daughter's bed he was caught in - a daughter betrothed to another man, from another clan. Things looked grim for him, but his best friend, Thigrymner, convinced the other youths to go on a raid that very day, and they took Malgrivner with them. Once their looting was done, Thigrymner put a hand on Malgrivner's shoulder, and apologized. "You can't come back. The jarl will kill you. I'm sorry." Then he cold-cocked Malgrivner, leaving him behind in the south countries to save his life.

Malgrivner was bitter about his fate, but not at Thigrymner - no, it was the jarl whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way! Unjust that it leave Malgrivner far from all that he knew. Rebelliously, he joined a caravan of Varisians in their travels, and learned to be even more clever than he'd thought he already was - and to love wandering the open road. It was like he'd never breathed free before he'd been evicted from the Thanelands. Every new sight was an epiphany; every new city an adventure.The caravan led him far and wide, eventually to the far southern kingdom of Taldor...

10-minute background:
-Step 1: Write at least 5 concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind.
- Concept: A sly troublemaker is seeking a glorious fortune, so he can return home triumphant.
- outcast from the Ulfen clan he wishes to return to
- insufferable, but in a good way
- a mix of Ulfen and Varisian blood, giving him his unique blended physique - and a sad excuse for facial hair, by Ulfen standards
- Carries Ulfen shortswords, and never fights fair if he can avoid it

-Step 2: List at least 2 goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
- PC: to return to his clan as a gloried hero
- Player: to develop friendships and play the insufferable rake

-Step 3: List at least 2 secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!
- Unknown: Malgrivner's father was a skinwalker.
- Known: While sneaking about the homestead (and into Sterk's chambers), Malgrivner overheard Sterk praying to a demon lord for his strength, and the strength of his men. Perhaps that is why Sterk always wins his challenges... and his raids are always successful.

-Step 4: Describe at least 3 people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. <- Unlike other games, this AP makes it difficult to use character-tied NPCs (won't say why not to spoiler anything) so this is optional.
- his mother, Hilde: After having embarrassed Malgrivner's "father" with the boy's birth, he divorced her, and she raised the boy alone. Forever chasing after him to behave, despite his lack of concern for a slap or smack, she is long-suffering but never ashamed of him, and she loves him fiercely. She likely had something to do with Thigrymner's idea to take Malgrivner out of harm's way.
- his best friend, Thigrymner: A stocky, fair-haired man who enjoys Malgrivner's pranks (except the ones on him), he has stepped between Malgrivner and harm more than once - a brother in all but blood. Unlike Malgrivner, he always does as he thinks is best, rather than what he thinks is fun.
- the jarl, Sterk: Named for his strength, Sterk is a traditionalist who has no patience for boys who will not fight fair or young men who ignore custom and propriety. He has tolerated Malgrivner until now, but on the matter of his daughter there can be no doubt - should Malgrivner return, he will surely be killed.

-Step 5: Describe at least 3 mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
- Malgrivner has a full-blooded Varisian's wanderlust, and chafes at staying in any one place for long.
- Arrogant as any Ulfen, or Taldan for that matter, Malgrivner is an incurable showoff.
- Malgrivner loves stories, and has memorized all the ones he's heard.
- A loyal friend, but a smart-ass.

Languages:
Common (Skald)
Common (Taldane)
Giant (extra from trait)
Varisian (extra from Linguistics)

Str 12
Dex 16
Con 12
Int 13
Wis 10
Cha 13

SENSES Perception +4

DEFENSE
AC 17 Touch 13 FF 14 (+3 Dex, +4 armor)

CMD 14

HP: 10 (1d8+1 Con +1 fc)

SAVES
Fort: +1
Ref: +5
Will: +0

OFFENSE
Init: +3
Speed: 30'

Melee
shortsword +3 (1d6+1, 19-20) Weapon finesse
dagger +3 (1d4+1, 19-20) Weapon finesse

Ranged
dagger +3 (1d4+1, 19-20) 10'

SA: 1d6
TWF: -2/-2

BAB: +0 CMB: +1

Traits:
Armor expert (combat)
Restless wayfarer (campaign)

Feats:
Two-weapon fighting
Fast learner
Weapon finesse

Skills:
Acrobatics +6
Appraise +5
Bluff +5
Diplomacy +5
Disable device +7
Escape artist +6
Knowledge: geography+6
Knowledge: local +6
Linguistics +2
Perception +4
Sleight of hand +6
Stealth +6
Use magic device +5

Carried equipment:
backpack
waterskin
bedroll
winter blanket
sunrod x2
trail rations x10
gold remaining: 4gp