Dot. I've always wanted to play evil. I'd go for a Tyrant Antipaladin that's a no-nonsense judge, jury and executioner, as well as a fearstriker. And I'll re-read the Evil Overlord list in case I'm chosen.
I'll add the rest of the stuff later, for the moment here are the questions.
Questions:
1. What is your opinion of the Order of the Godclaws failure at Isger?
"Their syncretism of beliefs was their downfall, letting doubt infiltrate them. No unit can function efficiently if their minds are not in unison."
2. Where do you see yourself in the high echelons of Cheliax's tangled web of government?
"Lictor of the Order of the Scourge, taking care of criminals and subversives."
3. You have captured the loved one of a hero. What do you make them do in exchange for their safe return? Will you keep their word of feast on the tears of absolute sadness?
"Consign themselves for dignified, but secure, imprisonment for both. Refuse, and it's their head. And of course I will keep my word."
4. You are transporting a cartload of contraband in a public street when a pair of bored guards stop you talking about passage fees, potential fines and a requirement to search your cart. What do you do?
"Trick question. I would not be transporting contraband."
"Oh, it may be in enemy territory. If so, I would pay the proper fees, explain the urgency and secrecy of the delivery to some powerful people who would not take kindly to delays. And I will say so with a hand on the sword."
5. Someone powerful you fancy has invited you into their bedchambers. However there are many unpleasant rumors to the fate of their partners. What do you do?
"Prepare a quick way out, alerting allies and purchasing, if possible, magic ways of escaping."
6. Your lifes nemesis is at your mercy. Give me your villain speech.
"Villain speeches are timewasters while reinforcements arrive or the enemy looks for a way out. I would just kill them on the spot and gloat later."
7. Without describing their job, name, or appearance tell me who your character is.
"Commonfolk are too inept to have a voice in how the world is run. I will make it better with as much of an iron fist as needed, and it will all be for the greater good."
I'm feeling some impostor syndrome, but my Eberron craving needs release and I may have more spare time in the future.
I'm slightly inclined towards build a changeling or a warforged, but just in case, would the plot be more suitable for a faithful and respectable member of a Dragonmarked House, or a renegade one using dragonmarks for personal profit?
Two coppers on religion: Would the other races have their own racial god or goddess? Would they have separate pantheons? Or would they get from the Greco-Roman ones (as in, Vulcanus could be revered by Dwarves, Diana and Apollo by Elves, Vesta by Halflings and so on)?
Also, how would Pera Altus be organized? Completely militar, ruled by an officer, and not much more than a military outpost with some services? Or a city with higher-than-average defenses and a significant garrison, or something in between? Would there be Burghers, city equivalents of Steadholders (which basically have barony rank)?
Finally, how much power should the school of magic hold? Could an influential institutional mage take the role of the noble players should describe?
I'd have to read up on Spelljammer, but I have a 5e itch that needs scratching. I remember that there was a 5e conversion for Age of Worms floating around, and I've heard good things about it.
Other than that idea, I'm down for anything.
I'd like to dot. I may be struck by the muse and make a Liberator Champion, or maybe an Alchemist, or something else entirely.
Or I may disappear from the thread, because those are unusually busy days for me and fatigue may claim my creativity.
I have a few concepts on how to rebuild Vadi (for the moment I'm keeping the name, I'll decide later if I want to change): one is a Black Powder Brawler fighting with blaster and fisticuffs, another a Vector to aggressively use Telekinesis.
Although I am also tempted by Hasted Blade, Technician and Prodigy.
So, I have an idea that I've been dying to play in Strange Aeons, and can only fit there, but will absolutely need GM approval.
My plan:
The most important part is the Elder Mythos Cultist cleric, specifically a cultist of Hastur. The narrative behind would be that he was an actor, who was unwittingly seduced by the King in Yellow play, and started living life only according to narrative. I can believe that he never bothered to think about where his powers came from. I'll extend more about that when I write (rewrite, sigh, I lost the file) his background.
I know that the Great Old Ones will be a significant enemy later, so that's why I'm asking for permission. We can cross that bridge when it comes to it, I wouldn't be averse to my character being made into an NPC, for example. Also, he would likely be Chaotic Evil, but not a party wrecker. More of an egotistical anarchist, really.
The other half of the Gestalt would possibly be Bard, to fit in the background as an actor, but a Dark Tapestry Oracle could also be appropriate.
As for race, I thought of a gnome originally, but now I'm thinking Kitsune: who better to represent an entity focused on narration and losing oneself in one's role than one who can take on many faces?
I missed the interest thread, but I'd really like to try this one.
As for characters, I can pick up what's left, giving priority to those who signed up in the interest thread. I don't know anything about baseball, so Brad and Eugene would be a bit hard, but I speak perfect Italian, so between the two Eugene would be the best.
So, as fascinating as this game sounds, I find myself having more games than anticipated on my plate, and I feel I'd be overreaching, so I'll step down. Good luck to all!
Oh dear, Spheres and Steampunk. I may go for a Storm Herald Skald, or a Nightblazer Investigator, or even a Prodigy... It would be great to play with the new Tech Sphere, but I'll have to check that I wouldn't be stepping on Jean's toes.
For the role of the Cheerful Companion, I'd like to submit Wilster Maddas, a Virtuous Bravo paladin of Chaldira. The idea is to be happy-go-lucky and lighthearted.
I think I may go for a druid, but before I make up a crunch and fluff I'd like to know if the Druidic Herbalism alternate Nature Bond is acceptable.
Druidic Herbalism:
Druidic Herbalism Nature Bond Variant (Optional)
Source PZO9446
Druidic herbalism is a nature bond option that can be taken by any druid at 1st level except those with archetypes or alternate class features that alter or replace nature bond or mandate a specific nature bond choice.
Instead of granting access to a domain or an animal companion, a druid’s bond with nature can take a third form: access to druidic herbalism.
A druid who chooses to learn druidic herbalism can use combinations of nuts, berries, dried herbs, and other natural ingredients along with appropriate containers to create herbal concoctions or magic consumables that function like potions. This acts like the Brew Potion feat, but only for spells on the druid spell list. Herbal concoctions are typically thick and sludgy, and their creation time, caster level, spell duplication capabilities, and all other variables and properties are identical to those of potions created using Brew Potion. Herbal concoctions created with herbs that cause special effects when ingested retain those effects as well as the appropriate spell effect.
A druid can create a number of free herbal concoctions per day equal to her Wisdom modifier. Additional concoctions cost the same as creating an equivalent potion using Brew Potion. Druids can sell their herbal concoctions just as if they were potions (though NPCs unfamiliar with druidic herbalism may need some convincing before purchasing these wares).
At 4th level, a druid’s increasing skill with herbalism means that she can disguise the effects of her herbal concoctions. When a creature attempts a Perception or Spellcraft check to identify one of the druid’s concoctions, the concoction appears to be a different herbal concoction of the druid’s choice unless the creature exceeds the identification DC by 5 or more. The druid must designate this false result when creating the concoction. If a creature exceeds the identification DC by 5 or more, it correctly identifies the concoction, though not that the druid tried to fool it.
Additionally, at 4th level, when the druid creates additional concoctions, she need pay only half the normal cost to create them. It takes her only half the normal time to create her concoctions, and she can create concoctions of spells from any spell list, as long as she can cast the spell.
At 7th level, when the druid creates concoctions with potential false identification results, a creature attempting to identify the concoction must exceed the identification DC by 10 or more to determine the concoction’s true identity.
Additionally, at 7th level, a druid can create any herbal concoction in 1 minute. She can also create a special concoction of any spell higher than 3rd level that she can cast, but to do so, she must expend a spell slot of the same level. These special concoctions do not cost her anything to create and function like extracts created by an alchemist with the infusion discovery.
Here is Ellena Garvaneel, Charlatan Warlock. D&D Beyond does not allow me to share description and background, so I'm copying them down here.
Traits:
Personality Traits
- Flattery is my preferred trick for getting what I want.
- I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment.
Ideals
- Independence. I am a free spirit—no one tells me what to do. (Chaotic)
Bonds
- I fleeced the wrong person and must work to ensure that this individual never crosses paths with me or those I care about.
Flaws
- I’m convinced that no one could ever fool me the way I fool others.
Backstory:
Mistshore is not a safe place for a street kid to grow up in, but if, for a stroke of luck, you happen to join one of the varying small communes of people sharing adverse fortunes, it may be not that bad of a childhood.
Ellena, an abandoned human given a halfling name and an elven surname, grew up among people who had to scrounge every copper nib for every meal. She learned to pick a pocket as soon as she managed to walk, and she was taught to lie as soon as she could speak. Before the age of 16 she had learned most of the tools of the trade: confidence tricks, no confidence tricks, selling almost legitimate Philosopher's Stones, the Impoverished Heir gambit and all sorts of ways to sell glass as diamond and brass as gold.
When an opportunity that was too good to be true presented itself, in hindsight, she should have known that it was, indeed, too good to be true. But the chance to enter the good graces of Baron Vorel tempted her too much. She fashioned herself as a food merchant, infiltrated the network of suppliers, and within a month she had managed to get herself an audience with the lord. Her plan was to sell a non-existent cargo of Rashemeni food, then disappear in the shadows.
Then it all went wrong.
When she woke up, she was in the Misty Forest, and from a distance she heard dogs and yells. Her blood chilled when she recognized the cries as calls to Malar. Night-blind, she ran away until an arrow hit her leg, sending her to the ground. Up in the air was Baron Vorel, flying and grinning as he nocked an arrow. She commended her soul to any god who could find it, and to her surprise something answered. Lurue, foe of Malar, had decided by some whim to grant her some measure of power, and Ellena quickly accepted the pact. The Eldritch Blast knocked the Baron unconscious.
As he fell, she stole the magical boots that were allowing him to fly, and quickly fled to the familiar shores of Waterdeep, hoping that he would never track her down.
Nowadays, she's still running some petty coins and swindling those who would swindle others, but she can always feel the tingle of magic, often giving her the upper hand. Many times has she wondered what Lurue might ask from her in exchange for those powers, and as many times she has found no answer. It doesn't seem to be worship, Ellena is no cleric. For the meantime, she's just keeping herself in the game, running cons long and short, taking money from those who have too much, and helping those in the commune, as she herself was helped. And recently there are voices of new clues leading to Dagult's vault...
I took Winged Boots as my object, tell me if it's too strong.
I've coalesced into an Asmodean Advocate/Hidden Priest cleric of Asmodeus gestalted with a Phantom Thief Unchained Rogue: same classes as Phalera, wildly different implementation. He'd be built for intrigue, skills, social conflict, trials and intimidation, and I'm building a law firm for him. Of course, he'd be the Reliable Statesman.
The idea would be a middle-aged to old survivor of the first Revolutions (I'll have to crunch the dates, but I think he could have been a student at the time). Never actually renouncing his religion, he became a fearsome lawyer with the hope of, one day, restoring Galt to an ordered, lawful society.
Lawful Evil with an emphasis on Lawful, ready to work with any other alignment for the ultimate goal of a new, stable government.
A few nitpicky questions:
1) The Phantom Thief, by background, should be some sort of idle noble. Is it ok to instead be a (possibly retired) professional and politician? Having my own law firm would mean outsourcing the work and leaving me free to pursue a political career.
2) The sum of the archetypes I'm taking allows me to push Profession(barrister) and therefore Bluff and Diplomacy into low orbit. I'm already planning to take it with non-background skill points, but in case you feel that it's too much I'm ready to dial it back (selecting different skills with the Phantom Thief's Refined Knowledge, for instance).
3) Can I take two campaign traits? Both Barrister and Secret Practitioner would fit perfectly in the background. I can take a drawback for free as a balancing factor, if you want.
4) If I take the Pass for Human variant tiefling race trait and roll for alternate SLAs, do I still need to get the alternative physical features?
5) Phantom Thief allows me to "select a vigilante social talent instead of a rogue talent, except for social grace and vigilante social talents that would require her to be a craftsman or professional. For the purpose of vigilante social talents, a phantom thief does not have a vigilante identity and is always considered to be in her social identity."
Is there a way that I could get my Rogue level to count as Vigilante level, at least for the purpose of the Renown talent chain? It's sort of foggy whether it's automatically counted as such, but I'm willing to sacrifice a feat to make it stack, if necessary.
This sounds amazing. I'd like to compete with either a Pharasmin Inquisitor/Gunslinger(Bolt Ace) as a Distressed Prelate or something paired with a Bard(Wit) to be a Reliable Statesman. Or maybe a Wizard/Rogue(Phantom Thief) Criminal Mastermind... So many ideas, so few characters!
Considering the amount of boasts in this thread, I hereby propose the following battle rule:
Every battle gives both challengers two free rounds that can only be used for posturing/flyting/rap battle.
I think I have a good one about kineticists and burn.
Hmm, well the Cavelier comes into mind, I'd like to see the wizard try to tank a charge from a Cavelier....
Flight, the aforementioned mirror image, grease, caltrops, summoned monsters, invisibility, exploition the mount's weak Will save, exploiting the cavalier's weak Will save... There are some tips and tricks that could work.
I'm going to build one of those unsufferable spellcasters, indeed.
Question: would I be allowed to start as a middle-aged character?
Dot, as I was in the other interest check.
Although it comes to my mind that I have no idea what I actually want to play. Might go monk, might go arcanist, might go alchemist, might go druid, might head for the draconic disciple. I have to think about it.
You have faith in Malice's judgement, but what would you rather be doing instead of maintaining the furnaces?
"Research. I am educated, I understand math and I'm good at logic. It feels irrational to assign me to menial labor when I can be more effective gathering knowledge."
BastianQuinn wrote:
The only human you interact with on a regular basis is a strange teen who hides among the pipes. Are they a constant nuisance, stealing materials you'll have to replace, or do you help keep them hidden, for fear you'll be left alone with the knocking pipes?
"What you call a nuisance is merely an opportunity that hasn't been exploited yet. Theodore's penchant for scavenging means I have to factor an additional 5% in material costs and time investment, but in exchange he keeps the airflow channels clean and free from parasites, which would require a more significant time investment. It's mutually beneficial, like symbiosis."
BastianQuinn wrote:
What is your relationship with your Yokai? They don't seem to bother you as often as you've heard others complain about their own yokai. You get the feeling they flunked out of re-education more than once.
"Iktomi is excitable, wild, active. Often exceedingly so, considering how repetitive my job is. There hasn't been a singular occurrence of her telling me I couldn't do something, or reporting me for anything. Although I guess I'm not the most rebellious of the group."
Iktomi is named after a Lakota spider spirit of trickery. I see her as a shape-shifting spider.
I'm drafting up a spider-girl as a Stranger, loosely based on Entoma from Overlord and the Queen of Blades from Starcraft. She'd likely be working for Malice, and have an alien, rational, insectile mind (I'm thinking of a swarm as her Transcended form) because of some past emotional trauma. As for the obligation, precise background, and abilities, I'll have to think about it too.
It could be someone's promise to her to bring out her human side, which exists but is buried under layers and layers of repression.
What kind of time traveller would you potentially be interested in playing?
I'm not sure: Solarians sound awesome but harder to blend in, so maybe I'd go for a Technomancer or an Operative. I'll study the rules for character creation in the next days, things are a bit hectic ATM.
I've not managed to make sense of a warrior monk without going Templar, so I started making an Ecclesitheurge, then realized your first cleric had this archetype. Would that be a problem?
Dot, I missed the other recruitments and I'm a sucker for historical fantasy.
I was thinking of a monk from Donegal, maybe Clonleigh Monastery. Would you accept a Sacred Fist Warpriest (basically a monk/cleric) to make a Friar Tuck-inspired brawler?
Otherwise I'll go with a more austere cleric with the Lawspeaker and Evangelist archetypes, an itinerant preacher.
Not trying to be obnoxious, but I have a doubt about the timeline: if it's 1981 and the school year just started, the war won't be over for two months, no? The Potter were killed at Halloween.
Here's Serafina Bones, Hufflepuff.
I went with the idea of Amelia having graduated from Hogwarts already, but if you'd still prefer Amelia being Serafina's younger sister, her role in the background can be taken by Susan Bones' mother/father (who would be necessarily older, as Susan is in Harry's year).
Also, I went with the Tussle Hardened perk as a result of siblings squabbles, but if you'd have Amelia being older and still attending Hogwarts, then I Owe You One would also make sense.
Serafina Bones:
Serafina Bones
Finesse: 1
Intelligence: 1
Power: 3
Spirit: 2
Background: Wizard-Raised Halfblood
Mastery: Dark Arts Master, Research Expert (+1 to Dark Arts, count Intelligence as 1 higher when counting time for study or research)
Flaw: Potion Master (-1 to Potions)
Wand: Apple, Dragon Heartstrings, 12.5" (+1 to Healing and the Stunning Spell)
Perks: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, Tussle Hardened (+1 time block per week, can take 1 extra medium wound before losing Power)
Skills Skill (Attribute): Credits + Attribute + Bonus = Total
Jelly-Legs Jinx (Locomotor Wibbly)
Dark Arts 1 (Automatic) [7]
Jinx
Makes the target's legs wobble uncontrollably making standing difficult and walking impossible.
Full Body Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus)
Dark Arts 1 (Automatic) [7]
Curse
Causes the target person to become completely rigid and unable to move for 10 minutes plus 1 minute for
every 1 over the Difficulty.
Equipment
Three Sets of Plain Black Work Robes
One Pointed Black Hat
One Pair of Protective Gloves
One Black Winter Cloak w/ Silver Fastenings
One Wand
One Size 2 Pewter Cauldron
One Set of Glass Phials
One Telescope
One Set of Brass Scales
One Text Book for every class except for Flying
2 Galleons, 4 Sickles
Background
Serafina Bones was born on the 18th of February, 1970, fourth of four. The Bones Family was relatively influential, though far from pureblood, and her parents were loving, if somewhat stuffy and austere. Her life changed completely when her oldest brother, Edgar, and his whole family were murdered by Death Eaters in 1981. Shell-shocked, Serafina closed into a morose silence, devastated by the death. It was her sister Amelia who shook her. As angry and worried as she was sad, Amelia took it upon herself to give Serafina the means to protect herself, and put her through a rigorous homeschooling in curses and counter-curses, giving Serafina some more purpose. Something of the cheerful girl who liked cinnamon and daffodils had died with her brother, but the training kept her occupied. When she went to Hogwarts she was Sorted into Hufflepuff, as most of her family.
Appearance
Serafina is rather short, with straight dark blond hair and an angular face. She has large, brown eyes.
Personality
Serafina is generally cheerful, kind and nice, classic Hufflepuff qualities. She has something of a sweet tooth, and is prone to daydreaming, but she took her sister's attitude towards hard work. She doesn't mind getting her hands dirty with handiwork, finding it relaxing to solve problems without the use of a wand. Deep inside her, she hasn't really come over the murder of her brother, sister-in-law and nephews, and mentioning them (or worse, taunting her about that) is sure to get her wand out for a curse.
She is manly modeled after Molly Weasley and Cedric Diggory.
I think (according to the Fandom wiki) Hestia was born before 1978, but on second thought I'd rather not have a character that can't die without messing up the continuity.
For Amelia, I thought that since she was in a high position in 1996, she would have been born around the fifties-sixties. The relative age is not too important anyways.
I posted this question in the wrong thread, of course, so I'll repeat it here.
1) What's your policy on(minor) canon characters? I have ideas for Hestia Jones, whose age fits quite precisely the timeframe, and a younger sibling of Amelia Bones.
2) Can we choose our wands? If not, 3d10 ⇒ (2, 2, 9) = 13 Apple, Dragon Heartstring and 12ff". Pretty nice.
I'm in Nikka's campaign, and I'd like to apply similarly, but with a different character. Likely a Varisian Pilgrim Cleric of Desna, or an Eldritch Archer magus.
I'd like to throw my hat in the ring with an Ex-Cleric, using the Channeler of the Unknown archetype. I'm thinking of a Chelish-raised ex-Asmodean priest whose morality shifted gradually towards neutrality as he was assigned away from Cheliax.
