SAbel's page

I have mine here if you would like to read it.

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/rpgSuperstar/general/ okayFolksSinceWeHaveToWaitForRound2PleaseTellMeWhatYouThink

Thank you to everyone whom either posted or just stopped by to take a look. I feel better after having listend and read what other people think and have to say about my work and I am happy to have had a chance from Paizo to enter the contest. I would like to wish good luck to everyone that makes it to the next few rounds & I can not wait to see what they come out with in round 3.

Sean

First off, I really enjoyed the storyesque approach to the introduction. Great flavor and a really way to pull in a reader, I believe.

I did have worries that either this would lead to Cthulhu or aliens in space ships. I was very glad that neither was made reference tom on that note I would really have loved to have an expanded section on the “lost civilizations laying out there. I would believe that the island setting would be restricting for have thousands of years of lost cultures not being discovered just due to space issues with the Islands. I love the non standard setting of Caribbean islands (my setting was to deal with an Island culture). I do enjoy how you intertwined the setting and writing abilities but I am at a loss for stats and hard game text.

I would say that your GM secrets was a bit of a let down and after looking over your setting again it really hunts me with little to no real information.

I still like this setting for a country and think that you have potential to make the top 16 but I would have like to have more game materials presented in your work. I understand that a large amount of information must be sacrificed to keep under the 1000 words but I think that as a gaming based material that needs to be here.

That all said so far out of the 5 or 6 that I have read I still put this one in my tops 5.

Good Luck and cant wait to see what you have to say later on.

Were- WHATS Elephants
Were- WHATS Elephants hang on I have to have read that wrong...... NOPE it says were-elephants wow that’s weird, I am not sure I can swallow that down but I shall have to finish reading this one twice!

Okay I am back and I must say interesting.

I believe that this is creative but as a Player or GM this is not my cup of Tea or elephant grass. I am seeing a whole new rewrite of the were templates and to be honest elephant’s man that s a big..... I like the description and I would believe that more destruction would have happened to this place when the Azul attacked the capital and all the castles. I do not like the part of the Azuls do not care how you get your 1/5 just as long as they get their share, this to me would sound very chaotic and hazardous place to be. Then you mention the Azul punish criminals and it would seem that the main punishment is to make them into zombie workers but why?

This is on the edge for me and all I shall say now is good luck.

Ok first I have read 3 other countries now both good and bad. I have this major problem with many comments that deal with adventures. This was not design an adventure it is design a country. So many people seem to be forgetting that fact in many of the entries. I had to get that off my chest.

Next I can see several nomad types mixed together, I personally feel a Native American Indian flavor, then the Mongolian and Huns seem to be present and finally painted wagons make me think of Gypsies. I enjoy the comments of Erik in regards to the leader as his name makes him sound big and nasty; I agree it invokes a real image in my mind. I can see the point where some people may get offended by the children used instead of goats, but it is unfortunate to say that this happened in our world as well, but the game did make me laugh when I read it.

I, as a GM would look to the country description for what type of monster to place but I would also think that my adventure would be based on retrieving a stolen person whom was made a slave, fight Barbarians to bring help to the river valley people or making contact at the settlement of Water Edge.

I agree that using the idea of slaves in very touchy subject but that in mind I think that it is a great way to show the “evils” of the barbarians, that harsh games that they play and the god that they worship (reminds me of something from Conan) set the feeling of the peoples that live here. Would I base an entire campaign here well I would defiantly need to see more of what is inside this country. I would look more towards the wizard Mansur and what seems be a budding or planning for conflict with him and the others barbarians.

I see several people that are “barrowing” this entry for their campaigns and I see only one answer hitting me back as to why, it is a nicely written country.

Good work and best of luck.

Now off to read a few more before I have to make dinner.

Thanks the 2d8+2 are suppose to be 1d8+2 (my goof). Now that I think about this I would change it to be cure moderate. Even after all these years we still refer to inflict as cause something I would have to have changed in editing.

I thought of the Greek symbolism behind the idea but in this way, instead of a rod and one snake I have the persons arm as the rod and used the two snakes (no wings) to complete the thought. I made the double snakes because I think of Egyptian designed armband (that’s what my mind brings up for visual reference) when only one snake wrapping around the arm.

Going back to the item, here's an option to perhaps balance it out. You say the item takes one week to attune itself, so why not force the neutral character to choose which option he would attune it towards as long as it remains on him, instead of each day?

It wouldn't be that different than asking a neutral cleric whether or not they'd be choosing to turn or rebuke undead. The main difference being that the neutral character in this situation could remove the item, and have it re-attune in another week, giving them the alternate power should they want to switch. At that point, it wouldn't be unbalanced towards neutrality since it would take a full week to re-attune it anyway, and yet another full week should they want to swap back to the previous choice.

I think that is also a great idea, and if they can not make up thier mind than it stays a simple armband. I also enjoy the idea of a party figuring out the magic items not just heres your magic ring have fun, so if in the characters dreams say they have to make a choice to either heal a dieing ___ tree or to cause harm to the woodpecker "attacking it" or to just do nothing and sit back then that would allow the item to attune itself or not.

Thank you William,

I think if this is an alignment based effect, you should add Law and Chaos abilities.

I like this idea (it would put me over the 200 word count but it is something that can now be added)

I also think for a true neutral character, it has no effect at all.
I really think this is a good idea.

Add this is a random add on question. DM, how often to you found your players (those that attempt to push the limits of rules to play the game) choose neutral as their alignment.

I have only had a very few true Neutral characters in my (rather long) career as a GM and I would say out of the 5 of them 4 really played the alignment poorly and attemtped to push the rules, that being said two of the people pushed every rule they thought that they could, it never works.

I have always had a problem personally with a pure Neutral character, thye would/should always look for balance to me. I do like and have several LN and more CN characters in my time and yes they have a wider range of choice "the best of both worlds" I force them to be tide down with only 1 each day, meaning that yes they could hurt an eniemy but then they could not help the friend until tomrrow. I do not think that the extrems "need" the choice since as part of the character development is building in the personality and inside of that is built in alignment. With that built in good/evil then I felt they would not have the choice it is "already deeply part of whom they are" and the item tunes into that where neutral is wishy walshy and swings back and forth.

So it dose give more freeedom to the neutral pc I did not think it hands them that much more power. I would watch it to see, as a GM to mkae sure that the daily restriction is used and maybe if the PC used one consitantly more than the other perhase they would "feel" a person philisophical shift happen (IE hey your alignment is outta wack)possibly.

OH wow I love these. This is another one of those items that make players remember special characters and specific events in a game that later become group and table lore passed on over years. If you would not mind I would love to add this as an item in my campaign.
The first thought that hits me is “back in the day in both first and 2nd edition” I had teeth of spell storing and boy did I have a few characters go to extremes of how they would introduce the item into the mouth so people use to get squeamish when I would describe how they implanted themselves. So heres my item for next year (maybe) LOL

Great work.

I would also like to add that due to word count I removed the dice code for spell effects, which I would normally have left in. The spell is a 2nd level cure/inflict light so it is 2d8+2 not just a 1d8+1(thanks to Exile for the idea to add that level 2 caster) I figured that would make it more worth while than a cure light potion.

SO CLOSE! I am sure this must be the worst feeling, I would believe that you preped a country in hopes and it is to bad you did not get the nod but at least you made the alt list and for that hats off to you.

I love to know what your item was either way.

Hello everyone and again thank you for taking the time to post and let me know what you think.

I just poped in before bed tonight and saw some questions I will get to all of them tomorrow.

No the upper arm is not a slot restricted area so it is "open". I thought of a single armband to be worn so if a GM wanted to make others or if a player was to wear a decrotive jewlery piece that would be fine.

It would not restrict wear but to have plate mail over the top of it would have to be a GM call, just as rings under a mailed glove ect.

I do like this item good luck in the next round.

Thanks Vic I shall vote then go back and read what everyone has to say on each topic.

I am listing my item and would like to see what my peers think of it, so be honest :P

Thank you for taking the time to read it over.

Armband of the Apothecary

This tarnished bronze armband, wrought in the form of two coiled snakes, is designed to be worn about the upper arm. This armband takes one week to attune to its wearer's alignment and provide any benefit. If worn by a good aligned character, the armband turns a polished gold hue and provides a +4 competence bonus to all Heal checks made by the wearer, and once per day cast Cure Light Wounds as a second-level cleric. If worn by an evil aligned character, the armband appears obsidian, though it retains metal properties, providing a +4 competence bonus to all Craft (Poison) checks, and once per day cast Cause Light Wounds as a second-level cleric. If worn by a neutral aligned character, the armband turns a silver hue. The neutral wearer must decide each day if the armband will provide a bonus to Heal and receive the Cure Light Wounds or Craft (poison) checks along with Cause Light Wounds as described above.

Price: 5200 gp
Slot: Upper arm
Faint Aura conjuration
Activation standard (command)
Weight: -
Prerequisites: craft wondrous item, cure & cause light wounds, know alignment
Cost to create: 2600 gp, 250 XP, 3 days.

I am wonder how the entries shall be displayed in round two? Will they be handled in the same fashion as the items; with people posting under each topic, which would be one of the 32 countries, or will they all be displayed in one post area and the public not able to comment directly into the thread area. I am not sure which is the best way to have either I like the idea of 32 country posts but I am not sure I would like to have everyone’s opinion directly involved in my thought/decision process. I am happy I do not have to make the call. I am looking forward to when the submission are cleared and posted so that I may start the review after all 32 in a few days with work and all shall be time consuming.

Just my thoughts before I go to work today.

I shall be looking for good game content as a GM looks to prep an adventure for the night. Does this first follow the rules layed out by Paizo, then does it fit into a "real" game setting. Is the country vivided enough to have players want to stay in the setting and delve deeper into the cities and NPCs, by the way as for names are they fitting for what the author is telling us, I would hate to run into samurai Bob or the great oger chief Frank. is the flavor text juicy and inviting or just drive through fast food to get the PCs to kill monsters. I am bitting at the bit but using my time (when not posting) to still work on my country which hit me like a falling piano about 3 days after I submitted my wonderous item.

Good Luck everyone.

I'll cut the suspense. Some of the comments on losing entries were brutal, and you don't want to read them.

Some, on the other hand, were really long threads (up to 14 or so posts in some cases) arguing arcane elements of rules balance or what have you. I suspect these comments would be very helpful, but no one is going to go through the 830+ losing entries to sort the helpful comments from the unhelpful ones.

The judges have been discussing putting together some sort of essay about our methodology with some anecdotes about what worked and what didn't, common themes, etc. That's probably the closest we'll get to revealing the commentary on items that didn't make the cut.

I am not "grumpy" I was disappointed that I did not make the cut, but I am happy for the ones that made top 32.

I would like to say, I for one, would not mind reading the comments made by the judges for my item. I am an adult and it is not like I would go to Gen Con to track down and cry in front of the 3 Judges that say a comment that they felt were given honestly about my wondrous item. Of course a statement such as “this is utter crap and the person who wrote it should die!” may cause some moments of pain but I, again as an adult, can handle such statements. Now maybe because I have sat through many critiques of my art work and writing in college, and I am now a high school art teacher (I receive daily critiques sometimes by the second from many people around me both positive and negative) that I possible have grown a tough hide (of the crocodile {next years item}). I would like to be able to improve my own abilities and I believe that a professional critique is a wonderful tool to help a person improve. So if the judges are worried about hurting feelings then I would for one like to say bring it! I would be very happy to see my evaluation and I do not mind if it is public or if I could somehow have a log in to the thread or an email that showed me what was thought I would find it personally helpful.

I understand that you had to look at all 850 but if the comments are just sitting there in cyber space then what is the harm for those that wish to see what professionals have to say other than some possibly unkind words instead of a loss of your time that you have already put forth. I do not want them edited to make me feel better I want to see what the thought and flaws that I made so that I may improve.

I do not like to beat this dead horse and would like to again say well done to the TOP 32, good luck in your next round. I would also like to say the judge’s thank you for the time this surely has taken from your normal work loads. Finally to Paizo, great idea and I hope that this idea works out for your company because it does have the gaming community talking a lot.

Armband of the Apothecary

This tarnished bronze armband, wrought in the form of two coiled snakes, is designed to be worn about the upper arm. This armband takes one week to attune to its wearer's alignment and provide any benefit. If worn by a good aligned character, the armband turns a polished gold hue and provides a +4 competence bonus to all Heal checks made by the wearer, and once per day cast Cure Light Wounds as a second-level cleric. If worn by an evil aligned character, the armband appears obsidian, though it retains metal properties, providing a +4 competence bonus to all Craft (Poison) checks, and once per day cast Cause Light Wounds as a second-level cleric. If worn by a neutral aligned character, the armband turns a silver hue. The neutral wearer must decide each day if the armband will provide a bonus to Heal and receive the Cure Light Wounds or Craft (poison) checks along with Cause Light Wounds as described above.

Price: 5200 gp
Slot: Upper arm
Faint Aura conjuration
Activation standard (command)
Weight: -
Prerequisites: craft wondrous item, cure & cause light wounds, know alignment
Cost to create: 2600 gp, 250 XP, 3 days.

Thank you for taking the time to do this, as I am sure this shall keep you busy for the next few days (or months LOL). I am very interested in what I have "done wrong" so that I may improve myself. I have refrained from post when I find something I do not like b/c I feel it is not proper, but I long to hear what you think and I would love to some how find out what the judges thought of my item. I must say tehy are going to miss out on my Island country, but I shall now enjoy building developing it for my own use, so from that point of view even if I am not top 32 thank you Paizo for inspiring me to keep on working.

Sean
SAbel@woh.rr.com

Armband of the Apothecary

This tarnished bronze armband, wrought in the form of two coiled snakes, is designed to be worn about the upper arm. This armband takes one week to attune to its wearer's alignment and provide any benefit. If worn by a good aligned character, the armband turns a polished gold hue and provides a +4 competence bonus to all Heal checks made by the wearer, and once per day cast Cure Light Wounds as a second-level cleric. If worn by an evil aligned character, the armband appears obsidian, though it retains metal properties, providing a +4 competence bonus to all Craft (Poison) checks, and once per day cast Cause Light Wounds as a second-level cleric. If worn by a neutral aligned character, the armband turns a silver hue. The neutral wearer must decide each day if the armband will provide a bonus to Heal and receive the Cure Light Wounds or Craft (poison) checks along with Cause Light Wounds as described above.

Price: 5200 gp
Slot: Upper arm
Faint Aura conjuration
Activation standard (command)
Weight: -
Prerequisites: craft wondrous item, cure & cause light wounds, know alignment
Cost to create: 2600 gp, 250 XP, 3 days.

I would dearly like to see the comments on mine, too.

But maybe it would be worse to see:

Clark Peterson (Publisher, Necromancer Games)
Good lord this blows - eject

Wolfgang Baur (Contributor, Ghoul Lord)
Utter trash - eject

Erik Mona (Publisher)
I feel like the last 47 seconds of my life were wasted beyond redemption by reading this submission - eject

LMAO

but I would really like to see that on mine so I could never show my face at the local game store again LOL!

I just wish I could see what the judges said about my item...

I also wish I could havesome feed back,though I understand that 818 heres what you did wrong letters would be hard to do.

Congrats CHAD!!!!!!
I have know him for several years now and also he told me that my item was better, but I knew that monkey loves runs deep and that the item is something a person shall tell and retell about at a game table(s) for years to come "remeber that character that you had with those monkey feet...." Good luck and carry the banner forward Chad!

YEA my work lets this website come in, but then I just read that the Noon time is PST not Eastern NUTS 3 more hours to find out if I have made it!!!!!! Oh well at least I can check out whats happening if I get more spare time. Good luck to everyone that entered and I plan to keep working on the other rounds even if I do not make it, BUT making it forces me to be on my toes and finish the work!

Round 2 Paizo

What I would like to have included:
1. An option for art work to go with the assignment (though I think this should be only done as a bonus not the focus).
2. How far into descriptions/depth of areas such as, Religion(s), Politics, Racial breakdowns, number of cities, towns, villages, Population limits.

I for one have placed my thinking cap on for round two since the first round, as a veteran GM I believe it is always better to be prepared. I have well over 20 years of gaming under my belt, nearly all behind the screen, so I made my approach to this as DESIGN your own country which I have started from the ground up and have been working on, just this weekend the idea of here is the generic map now make the country was presented to me and I would say this would not bother me as an option either. I would say that submission of a map should be optional, which would mean some form of Jpeg ECT would need to be allowed per entry or a choice(s) of a generic map should be included. I find that if a word limit is place, as with round one I found it hard to have a good physical description and the game mechanics all included (hence I have a drawing for my wondrous item with no way to share it at this time) after all a picture is worth a thousand words :)
I wish everyone that entered "good luck" and I can not wait to see the first round winners.

Sean

Is it possible based on the Pathfinder 2nd edition rules to swap out cantrips using the spell substitution thesis?

NOTE: I posted an abridged version of this on Paizo's Facebook feed and an even shorter version elsewhere on Facebook and the Pathfinder2e group on Reddit, but this is my first time posting my entire review of our partial first play.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My group and I started the first module of "Doomsday Dawn" a week ago. We maybe completed two-thirds of it before calling it a night (we spent much time role-playing).

Our group consisted of:

• A strong goblin barbarian of the dragon totem (AC 18)

• A wolf-stance gnome monk who loved animals (AC 15)

• A well-armored dwarf cleric of Torag (AC 19?)

• An unarmored sleazy gnome rogue (AC 15?)

• A lightly armored Irissen halfling ranger (AC 14?) with a polar bear cub (AC 12) and a longbow

I had been very nervous about it beforehand. Despite wanting to keep an open mind, the public online disputes for and against the system had been wearing on me. And my group included a variety of experience levels. I didn't want the newer players to have a bad time.

And... we had a great time. A few key points:

• The flow of gameplay was much improved over PF1

• To me, playing it "felt" like I was playing Pathfinder, even with the rule changes

• One's choices of tactics in combat seemed more meaningful

• The game seemed more intuitive to play than PF1, especially for those with little or no PF1 experience

• Most of us used and preferred the play test's dice rolling rules for ability generation, which worked fine. Two of us instead preferred the new standard play test rules for generating abilities.

• Goblins may seem an odd addition to core ancestries, and yet we enjoyed our goblin player character, who didn't seem out of place while still standing out in a good way. The party was scared of her. Of course, the way she played the goblin may have been key to our enjoyment. She was cannibalistic and aggressive, yet not actually disruptive. She was a loyal party member.

• I still think Orcs make much more sense than Goblins as a new core race, but if both were added that would be somehow more fitting than just adding Goblins.

• An ancestral Charisma boost can arguably make sense for player Goblins, but I think Intelligence would be a better and less controversial choice.

• Halflings seemed to have anemic ancestry feats. Where is one based on appreciation for food? Or demonstrating strength of will? Or at least resistance to corruption? Recall their copyrighted literary inspiration for their existence. Or forge a unique path of your own like you did with Goblins. Paizo's treatment of Halflings shows glimmers of uniqueness that never really blossoms. Look to Wayne Reynold's obsessive artwork for halfling versatile equipment to draw some ideas. Make them a grounded yet still impressive contrast to Gnomes and Goblins

• The playtest adventure seemed more cookie cutter and bare bones than normal for a Pathfinder campaign. The GM wasn't impressed

• Half of our group refused to use the Doomsday Dawn character backgrounds, preferring the general ones in the playtest core book. Perhaps modules should have the option of choosing a free background to gain in addition to the regular ones? Or maybe it is not really an issue, as players are free to refuse to use module backgrounds I suppose. It did seem, for some players, that backgrounds were chosen for their bonuses rather than their flavor or fluff. For others, the fluff and flavor mattered more or equally.

• There should be a way to gain a Signature skill outside of class choice, perhaps with a general feat.

• Resonance didn't really come up in our play as none of us tried to use anything that required it. I like Resonance in theory except for its application to potions, which is hard to swallow (pun intended). It also bugs me that wands still have uses per day yet spend Resonance. It seems to contradict the stated intention for introducing Resonance.

• We strongly liked the three-action economy, and the cleric loved the new shield mechanics, though it took us a while to figure out the mechanics of shields as damage reduction. We used shields incorrectly for most of our session, so the cleric may have enjoyed shields under a false understanding of the mechanics. I'm not sure how he felt after we deciphered the rules correctly, but he stopped letting his shield take damage for him, stating he would save that risk of breaking it for when he needed it more

• We're unsure how we would have fared if we didn't have a cleric with us as we weren't equipped with alternate healing sources until the rogue found a potion. Most of us would probably have been barely alive, and we still haven't faced the hobgoblin who we presume is the final boss. Without a cleric, I suspect a TPK would be likely in our future, but still may be as the cleric is out of healing now

• I'm amazed that our ranger, clad only in leather armor, and our rogue, with no armor at all, fared okay in the new system. I expected them to be swiftly knocked out due to the new critical hit rules. The ranger kept at a long range with a longbow, which had a penalty he didn't expect in the close quarters of the adventure, but the rogue fought frontline and did fine. He may have gotten lucky. Our goblin barbarian did drop down to 2 HP before being partly healed by the cleric, and our unarmored gnome rogue went down to 1 or 2 HP also before being partly healed. The polar bear cub likewise nearly was knocked out.

• Ranged combat doesn't seem to synergize at all for the ranger with his animal companion, but it did boost his damage at least and - to my surprise - the polar bear cub never went down

• The barbarian, cleric, and rogue seemed to perform best in damage, but the cleric used up all of his spells by the point we ended our session (two-thirds through “The Lost Star”, as noted before). The rogue, barbarian and polar bear cub came nearest to being knocked out, the monk lost half his hit points, and I’m unsure how the cleric fared. The ranger’s health was fine, sticking to ranged attacks, but his polar bear cub did most of the damage he accomplished due to poor rolls by the ranger.

• I'm unsure how well lock-picking works. The goblin got tired of the gnome rogue's attempts to pick a secret door's lock and used her crowbar twice to open it.

• Overall the new rules seemed to be an improvement on PF1, but they do need fleshing out, fixes, and refinements. The game seems unpolished and lacking in core elements. Some mechanics, in theory, look broken but I don't recall if they came up in play... I vaguely recall a couple of moments when the rules stumped us or didn't make sense, but we side-stepped the rules at those times... and I can't recall that well which rules made us respond that way. Sorry... I think one time involved how to set initiative and another time involved shield mechanics.

• I'm no longer feeling stressed about the playtest or PF2

This may sound like a dumb question, but nowhere in the playtest rules could I find it saying what proficiency tier monks had in unarmed combat at 1st level. Trained? Expert? No clue. Can anyone help?

Below is a link to a GM screen/cheat sheet set under construction by me for the Pathfinder Playtest. Others may find it useful.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XGtc1D8a-QuhpLZvVXSkKhEeEFzJm1SooiQEYR0 mxQQ/edit?usp=sharing

I have a level 3 kitsune ranger (Beast Master-Infiltrator-Trapper hybrid archetype) who is a dervish dancing scimitar fighter (yes, he has the Perform skill via a trait) with archery combat style.

1. I know it wouldn't be optimal, but is it at all possible to have a fox as an animal companion?

2. If not, what would be a decent companion(s) with good thematic appropriateness?

My general approach to roleplaying is to pursue a concept that has great style (call it the "coolness" factor) along with enough mechanics behind it that it is at least functional and decently effective.

+ + +

CHARACTER IN-GAME BACKGROUND IF IT HELPS: The character is from the GM's Diablo-inspired homebrew area that is a blend of Persian and Japanese culture. He was kidnapped by slavers and sent off overseas to a rich merchant who lives in an ashen wasteland recently devastated by magic. The merchant now wants the ranger to help the merchant on the long journey back to the kitsune's home city. Technically my character remains a slave and is unhappy with that, but he does have belongings, much autonomy, and his pet fox. Since nothing else is there, he doesn't feel he has much choice but to help. The adventure has been solo thus far, but three other players -- not NPCs -- will join next session: a druid with lions, a cleric, and unknown other character that I suspect will known arcane spells. At this point my character's class and archetypes are long set and not changeable, not that I want to change it.

Thanks to everyone who helped me create a character last week for a home campaign. This question is unrelated to that character, which I am happy with so far. But, in less than two weeks, the local Pathfinder Society group will start the new season of play and everyone will make new characters to use for a few weeks (or more if desired). That sparked this new question.

I am interested in trying to play a tank who also has versatility outside of tanking. To clarify, I don't mean a tank who can also damage. I mean a tank who has combat or non-combat utility beyond tanking, whether this is via skills, spells or combat maneuvers.

Is this possible? What would be good examples of a flexible skill tank, spell tank or tactical tank? Don't feel obligated to end this discussion after I make my character in a week or so. This is an interesting thought experiment to ponder, I think, even after that.

Anyone have suggestions for a home campaign I will be joining in two weeks?

The other players are a wizard (CG), a paladin, a cleric of civilization (LN), an uber strong half-ogre barbarian, a Lion Shaman elf druid, and a 60-year-old human rogue character with high charisma. Yes, it is a large group of friends and acquaintances. We played 3.5 before switching to Pathfinder, taking a break and then reforming.

The racially unmodified abilities I rolled were 15, 14, 14, 13, 13 and 8. I have no interest or skill in playing a full spellcaster, and generally prefer gish hybrids or versatile combatants. In this situation, though, I also want to find a niche that will complement, rather than compete with, the other party members if possible. I am more of a roleplayer than a power builder, but don't like to be useless and like to have a unique style or flavor.

I have tentatively told the group I would play a middle-eastern-type bard or monk. The setting, created by the GM, contains such a region (human) although we will probably never see it. The GM has forbidden any use of guns.

As far as my past experience with Pathfinder, I previously played a reincarnated barbarian. I have a reputation of taking supposedly suboptimal builds (like a dwarf bard or gnome barbarian) and making them functional and interesting characters that my fellow players still tell stories about. I am currently playing a gnome Inquisitor (wonderful) in Pathfinder Society.