Considering the shackles consists primarily of islands a standard mount probably isn't ideal.
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@Mabelode. As long as you don't mind having submitted yourself to invasive examinations and tests you could certainly tie your background into mine! See below for more info :p @Thron. Sounds like it would be an uncomfortable ride Yeah Crusty, a group of Hellknights as refugees makes a lot less sense :p I was thinking we were the vanguard/reinforcements for a new Hellknight position in the Shackles and most of our stuff (and any senior Hellknights sent along with us) was lost/damaged in a wreck. Would change the direction of the campaign somewhat I suspect but shouldn't affect the initial circumstances too much. AS to my own character looking at the prereqs for the two hellknight prestige classes he doesn't really qualify for either without multiclassing and largely giving up on Alchemist abilities. I'm not really sure how the Hellknights would feel about him as a whole... Given the new campaign focus I'm thinking maybe he's trying to become Fiendish/Half-Fiend instead of a full Lycanthrope... He doesn't terribly mind how he gets it, he's just all about unlocking the secrets of transformation for self empowerment. Originally this would have been through enhancing his lycanthropic blood to become a full werebat, or some other form of lycanthrope, but after he fled Ustalav he ended up in Cheliax instead and his studies turned towards infernal creatures which brought him to the attention of the Hellknights. I think his goals would align most closely with the Order of the Pike, but by the same measure I'm not sure how ambivalent they'd be about his own monstrous nature :p Any thoughts on that Crusty or Rob?
Karzoug (the Reclaimer? or is that someone else's title), Runelord of Greed emerged... about 8 years ago now I think in RoP chronology. So he's a Hellknight servant then?
I kind of like the coalition idea. Makes me think of the Deathwatch RPG (not that I've played that, but have read the rulebook)
Alright, I could work with the Hellknight Order, shouldn't have to change too much to keep my Alchemist idea. I'm not sure about the Order of the Coil however, it doesn't sound like something my character would be interested in, and I think since we'd be coming from Cheliax anyway we don't necessarily need an established order in the area. Rather I think that we could be sent by one of the other Orders (or perhaps a coalition of different orders if we want some variety) to establish a new location/castle/beachhead (or maybe our own order) to bring order to the chaos of the shackles now that Cheliax has a foothold there. Looking through the orders on the wiki some suggestions... Order of the Chain - Manhunters and enforcers of social order.
Those are my suggestions anyway. There are also two similar sounding ones which hunt down witches, heretics, forbidden knowledge and things like that which sound interesting, but not sure how well they'd work in the Shackles.
Preliminary Stats! (Still a number of details to fill out.) No real background for the character yet, but thinking he's from a clan of werebats and/or Bloodmarked from Ustalav who he had differences with and left to pursue his own interests. Possibly also issues with Whispering Way etc. Pursued alchemy as a way to enhance his natural abilities and enhance his physical prowess. Bloomarked/Werebat-kin Alchemist: Alchemist
Werebat-Kin Skinwalker (Bloodmarked) Alchemist (Internal Alchemist, Vivisectionist) 5 NE Medium humanoid (shapechanger, skinwalker) Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8 -------------------- Defense -------------------- AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (+1 Dex) hp 38 (5d8+10) Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +2; +4 vs. disease, +4 bonus vs. poison Resist disease resistance, poison resistance -------------------- Offense -------------------- Speed 30 ft. Special Attacks sneak attack +3d6 Spell-Like Abilities . . 1/day—obscuring mist, speak with animals Alchemist (Internal Alchemist, Vivisectionist) Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +9): -------------------- Statistics -------------------- Str 15, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 8 Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16 Feats Brew Potion, Extra Feature, Power Attack Traits highlander (hills or mountains), soaring sprinter Skills Acrobatics +8 (+10 to keep balance or jump), Appraise +10, Climb +5, Craft (alchemy) +12 (+17 to create alchemical items), Disable Device +6, Fly +3, Heal +12, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (nature) +12, Perception +8 (+10 at night), Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +10 (+12 in hilly or rocky areas), Survival +8, Swim +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Fly, discoveries (chameleon, feral mutagen), alchemy, highlander (hills or mountains) Languages Common, Hallit, Necril, Polyglot, Varisian SQ animal-minded, breath mastery, change shape (+1 natural armor), change shape (+4 perception), change shape, change shape (bite), change shape (falls), change shape (scent), fast poisoning, mutagen, poison use Combat Gear Feral Mutagen: +4 STR, -2 INT, +2 Nat AC -------------------- Special Abilities -------------------- Alchemy +5 (Su) +5 to Craft (Alchemy) to create alchemical items, can Id potions by touch. Animal-Minded +2 to Perception checks at night. Breath Mastery At 1st level, the internal alchemist can control his breath and the flow of vital energy within his body. Without preparation, he can hold his breath for a number of minutes equal to his Constitution score (after this, he must begin making Constituti Chameleon (Su) An alchemist with this discovery can shift the colors of his skin and equipment to blend in with the surrounding terrain. He gains a +4 enhancement bonus on Stealth checks. At 10th level, the bonus on Stealth checks increases to +8. Change Shape (+1 Natural Armor) (Su) You chan choose to gain +1 natural armor when shifting into bestial form. Change Shape (+4 Perception) (Su) You can choose to gain a +4 racial bonus to Perception when shifting into bestial form. Change Shape (5/day) (Su) Shapeshift into bestial form, granting animal-like powers. Change Shape (Bite) (Su) You can choose to gain a bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage when shifting into bestial form. Change Shape (Falls) (Su) You can choose to treat falling damage as 20 feet less while bestial form. Change Shape (Scent) (Su) You can choose to gain scent with a range of 30 feet when shifting into bestial form. Disease Resistance +4 (Ex) +4 to save vs. Disease. Extra Feature Gain additional feature in bestial form. Fast Poisoning (Move Action) (Ex) Apply poison to a weapon as a move action. Feral Mutagen (Su) Mutagens grant claw and bite attacks, and a bonus to intimidate. Highlander (hills or mountains) +1 to Stealth checks, Stealth is always a class skill for you. Double this in hilly or rocky areas. Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail. Mutagen (DC 16) (Su) Mutagen adds +4 to a physical & -2 to a mental attribute, and +2 nat. armor for 50 min. Poison Resistance +2 (Ex) +4 to save vs. Poison. Poison Use You do not risk poisoning yourself accidentally while poisoning a weapon. Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage. Sneak Attack +3d6 +3d6 damage if you flank your target or your target is flat-footed. Soaring Sprinter +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks to keep your balance or jump. Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Ahhh... yes hadn't thought of the voyage and afflicted. Hmm, well I'll think about it.
So Crusty, are you happy for me to play a wererat? Looking at an Alchemist with something along the backstory I mentioned above. Not entirely sure what his goals and mission will be but I like it...
If I get to play a lycanthrope then they'll be evil, yeah.
I think they may even be a bit weaker than Tieflings and Aasimar, they are statted as a 10 RP race compared to the 13 or so of the others? No resistances is the main difference I think. I'd kind of prefer to play a full lycanthrope if possible though. Even with the afflicted lycanthropy, (or especially because of it) it would be an interesting roleplaying challenge. Would have to give him a good Con... That's a lot of Dragons...
Ahh right, forgot you said Aasimar. I think adulthood for them is 60-80 from memory so that could work :)
Yeah I figured there'd be a level adjustment. Blood of the Moon is a pretty interesting read, the skinwalkers are basically the lycanthrope equivalent of tieflings and aasimar, they can take on bestial features and there's a base, generic version and 8 were-animal kin to match the 8 lycanthropes focused on in the book. Afflicted eh? Interesting... The book does have some feats and items to help mitigate that. Ooh, okay I've got a bit of an idea brewing now. My character was sent (or snuck) on board the ship to prepare the way for some sort of sinister organization of lycanthropes that wants to relocate to, and take over the shackles. They have his sibling held as collateral and inflicted him with lycanthropy to further ensure his loyalty/silence. Thinking a rat, or maybe bat... wait no, you said no flying. I'd really like to play a weretiger but I think they'd end up being a bit too similar to Saranaja for this campaign (alternate idea for Saranaja perhaps?) Uhh Magnus, the eye formed about 107 years ago I do believe with the death of Aroden. I guess you could always blame the delay of his descent to Golarion on heavenly bureaucracy...
After considering my options I couldn't really come up with anything I liked better than Saranaja, so I'll probably just be levelling her up unless inspiration strikes me in the meantime. Blood of the Moon has gotten me wanting to play a skinwalker (or if Crusty was especially nice a full lycanthrope), but the options in the book didn't really seem to fit with what crusty has detailed so far.
Hmm, maybe not all arcane, but all Caster party at least :p Hmm, well I'm not too familiar with the rules for seige engines, but it looks like you'd need leadership to play a decent Seige Mage... Still tempted though.
All Arcane Party! Crusty's talk of seige engines has gotten me considering that wizard archetype. There is indeed an arcane spell that allows you to construct cannons, don't remember what level it is. hmm...
Hmm, I guess I'd probably change characters; I'm not sure how well a slutty/ambitious pirate wench would do in a more survival oriented game. I guess if we're still taking to the high seas however then that would be fine... hmm.
heh, sudden unexpected reality shift? Sounds like fun :p Saranaja would like to be captain of her own ship though...
Man that took a while...
Day 5:
Saranaja awakes hungry, but otherwise satisfied for the day ahead. She scoffs down the biscuits, and awaits her assignment, finding it more or less acceptable. She could do it easily enough, and usually managed to keep up a good pace, but she finds that as the day wears on it becomes hard and harder to maneuver the heavy ropes. Attempting to distract herself she turns to conversation. She finds herself working with the tengu, Blackjack. He wasn't really her type, his appearance a little too unusual--she really couldn't imagine kissing that beak--but even so she was stuck up here on rope duty with him, so she may as well talk to him. Despite her best efforts he proves distant and distinctly unfriendly, not even responding to some of her best stories. When she is finally done she leaves the bird frustrated and sore, and not in the good way. ______________________________
Though she heads down with the others she sits listlessly against the walls, refusing the attention she normally craves. Curse that stupid bird-man. Even when Plugg came down, leading a mountain of a man she couldn't seem to perk up at the prospect of the fight to come. As the two are squaring off she retreats into the quietest spot she can find and passes out from exhaustion.
Day 6:
Despite a miserable day previously Saranaja awakens once more feeling relatively optimistic. That optimism is severely squashed when Plugg assigns them their duties. The bilges! Her face clouds over with anger, and she is forced to bite her tongue hard enough to taste a coppery tang in order to stop herself from informing the mate of her thoughts on his choice of duties for her. She wasn’t quite so foolish as to lose control however, not just from that anyway... As soon as she opens the hatch to the bilges she wants to be sick. The scent of stagnant water, and all the horrible things that thrive in such environments sends her looking for aid, calling upon the strong young Jack to do her work for her, while she runs into the muscled Halfling woman scrubbing the decks. She couldn’t focus all her attention on the menfolk she supposed... she hadn’t quite been in an environment like this before—her Uncle’s ship had been quite different after all—but she knew how women tended to react to her. If she hoped to... reorganize things on board the ship she couldn’t ignore the women... So she spends some time chatting with Rosie, finding out who won the fight the previous night, gossiping about Plugg’s ‘pet’, and occasionally venturing down into the bilges to take a turn, thankfully by that time Jack has gotten rid of the worst of it, and the rain up above means what is pooling now is relatively fresh. She sends Jack back to his own work; she didn’t want him to get in trouble for not doing his work after all... ______________________________
Despite having enough energy for it tonight, Saranaja forgoes putting on the costume again; it didn’t pay to over excite your audience, always keep them wanting more... Instead she mingles through the various diversions on offer until she finds a likely target for the night. The hobgoblin, ‘Ears’ Ortov... the necklace was gruesome, but he looked strong...
Day 7: Saranaja's eyes narrow as she received her assignment again. Plugg would feel the sting of her blade, Calistria must surely see to that... It is a long time before she can move from the spot, and longer still before she relinquishes her grip on her dagger. J'Zarrgo is the lucky sap selected to help her today, she was slightly more reluctant to enlist his aid. She felt closer to J’Zarrgo, his outlook nearer to her own, but she couldn't run poor Jack into the ground, and Ortov wasn't ready just yet... Looking at her options, which is to say swabs working below decks who aren’t outright hostile to her, she singles out the enigmatic Shiv, the only human amongst the bunch...
Frustrated by her attempts with Shiv Saranaja snags Ortov and drags him away to a secluded spot. ______________________________
Wow the dice are not with Mabelode. will post when I can. Too much stuff keeping me busy...
For such a small crew there a lot of runners the next few days :p Also: bilges? I don't think so... :P This could be a problem... Hmm, she's going to be looking to swap jobs with somebody, or else get someone to do the work for her. Any suggestions Crusty? It's not really covered by the current options, but she can be quite 'convincing'. She'd probably try to convince Zenu to swap with her on day 7. She could probably do his jobs without the swap being noticed. Not so much on day 6 when everyone is a runner :p so she'll have to convince an NPC to do it for her. Looking at the attitude sheet you seem to have made Shirtless Shag helpful to her instead of Jack. She'll probably be calling on the enamored Jack to swap jobs with her, and she'll help him 'wash up' afterwards.
Saranaja will remember this... *stares daggers at Caerlei*
Once again, let me know if I'm going too far with my descriptions of Saranaja's actions. Trying to keep it lewd but not too dirty. It's a bit odd but I am having fun with her :p
Saranaja--well practiced by now at making a quick getaway--lingers as she realizes Scourge's intent, ready to step in if necessary. Sandra proves that she can handle herself however, and once the disagreeable officer leaves Saranaja gives her an approving nod. It seems that the moment for their 'fun' has passed however, leaving Saranaja somewhat frustrated at having been interrupted.
Saranaja ferrets out a quite spot after their grog ration and dinner is done, carrying with her a small pail of water, and a few items from her own bag. When she emerges a half hour later she is freshly bathed and groomed, her hair arranged simply but artfully atop her head, and wearing clothes more suited to a 'performer' in a low-class tavern than a pirate. Once she has drawn a sutiable amount of attention she takes an open space enough to move around in and begins to dance, hips swaying slowly. A few moments later she starts to sing, her voice sultry and soft, inviting her listeners to lean closer to hear better. The song is not one many would have heard in the shackles before, telling the tail of the prince of the rabbits. Interest starts to wane, but she recaptures it quickly enough as the tale turns to evocative descriptions of the princes debauchery--the accompanying dance leaving little to the imagination... The song is over all to soon--it's underlying 'message' inevitably lost on her audience--and to the disappointment of many--if not all--she retires from her impromptu stage to obtain refreshment and hold court to her potential suitors. Some time later she slips away with a lucky crew mate, after having suitably impressed upon other interested parties her requirements in her partners. _________________________
Losing some detail is better than losing the campaign, so by all means take whatever means necessary :) The humdrum everyday activities aren't the important stuff after all. Saranaja will just be sleeping her way through the crew that measure up to her standards and generally trying to do as little work as possible while establishing a power base for herself ;)
Saranaja awakes refreshed and relaxed from her night's sleep, most of the aches and pains from the shipwreck thankfully faded. She is disappointed to find herself alone in her hammock, but rolls out of it after only a brief sigh to track down some food and ready herself for the day. Her task is marginally better than the previous day's, giving her a chance at some sunshine and distancing her somewhat from the vermin below-decks. After a few hours of manhandling ropes however she finds her limited willingness to perform menial tasks waning and heads off in search of her companion from yesterday. When she manages to track him down she 'invites' him to help her reenact the tattoo on her shoulder depicting a tiger being bitten by a snake, unnecessarily lowering her blouse to show it off. Eager to complete her conquest however, her efforts at finding a discrete spot are somewhat lacking perhaps... ____________________
My post won't be for a day or so. Sorry for procrastinating :s
excellent! Though now I'll forget what everyone's races are :p
Saranaja frowns at finding herself stuck with dealing with the ship's vermin. It's a relatively easy job for her, but anything to do with such filthy creatures makes her skin crawl. When she spots a bipedal rat clambering around in the rigging she is almost tempted to send a dagger his way. It wouldn't be quite so bad as having a ghoul on board the ship, but it would be close... She heads below decks, lazily skewering a few bugs and rodents that she spots, but otherwise avoids them as much as possible. Instead she chats up her rescuer , and directs him to the collection of the corpses rather than risk touching them herself. She plies Robinton for as much information as she can about the crew, shipboard politics, available diversions, and anything else about the current situation she can extract from him, while sizing up her fellow crewmembers. ____________________
Saranaja is pleased when the ship turns to more pleasant pursuits at night time, but even with the ale watered down, after the previous day and night she finds herself struggling to remain awake. She reluctantly gives into the call of her hammock, and collapses into it early during the night, exhaustion claiming her.
As a heads up I am working 34 hours over the next three nights, so my posting ability is likely to be limited until Mondayish. Feel free to bot Saranaja as necessary
"You too." she greets Zenu simply, but with a warm smile. As far as what she was, she doubted many would even have heard of a Vishkanya this far west; that's assuming they even noticed her fine scales. The eyes and the strange skin-tone were something of a giveaway though... "Wormwood... I've heard of it." she murmurs, eyeing the ship in a new light. She snorts when Caerlei suggests cutting rum with water. "Don't worry, I can hold my liquor..." a bold statement given her slim, lithe figure, but she was actually pretty tough, and she'd drunk more than her fair share of swill despite her age. When Caerlei introduces herself Saranaja frowns, in the commotion she'd forgotten whether she gave her name already or not. "Uhh, Saranaja."
Saranaja doesn't both to respond to Osir's insults, closing her eyes for a few moments now that she can rest safely. When they reach Trevor she opens them again, sitting up a little straighter to peer ahead through the mists. She wasn't ungrateful for the rescue, or particularly lazy, she did her work when she had to, but she really wasn't in a good condition to do anything right now once the adrenaline of the fight faded. "Hey, it's Zenu." she says with a smile. He was probably the best part of serving aboard the Ghoul's Grasp and being a fellow worshiper of Calistria they'd had some fun. "The Ghoul's Grasp, and you just said it." she belatedly replies to Osir, meeting his gaze should he care to direct it her way. "They're Chelish, they don't normally need much convincing to go after pirates. What they're doing this far south I don't know." When the Wormwood comes into sight Saranaja remains silent, growing a bit more serious as she starts to assess the new situation she finds herself in. She clambers up on deck as gracefully as she can manage and looks the crew over for potential, giving particular attention to the person doing the talking, presumably the one in charge; a mate or bosun or the like.
tracking XP for PbPs has always seems a little odd to me, so no problem changing at all :)
"As long as there aren't any ghouls on board..." she mutters, shuddering. When Caerlei tosses the oar in her direction she just looks at it for a few moments, before looking back up at the tiefling, not moving from where she is laying sprawled against the side of the boat. "Yeah I've never been great at manual labor to start with, and I've been lying on a chunk of wreckage all night after my ship exploded and I blacked out. Unless you want to go round in circles again like those guys were I'd say you should pick that back up."
"Well from the sounds of fighting from your ship," she waves her hand vaguely, having lost track of it's position since the noise stopped. "he wasn't." She gives a lazy shrug. "I heard Trevor shouting before, I couldn't really hear the other one to know. As far as where..." she gestures again, in the opposite direction this time, the outline of the flaming ship still visible in the fog. "Some enormous chelish bastard blew us up. If it hadn't meant drifting around waiting for rescue I'd have thanked em. The captain and mate were filthy bastards." she shudders. "Be thankful for the fog though, I dunno what your ship's like but I doubt it'd be a match for for them. Now are you going to rescue the others or keep poking dead things with your mighty spear?"
Saranaja lets out a relieved sigh as the Sahaugin tumbles onto Robinton. She starts to sit down before her legs give way, leaving her sprawled somewhat in the bottom of the boat. "He's a what now?" she asks, watching as Robinton tries to get the creature off of himself. She lets him flail around for a few moments while she sheathes her weapons, before grabbing hold of the fishman's armor and tugging him off, setting about searching him. She is disappointed with the haul she finds, and leaves it all on the corpse. If the others haven't gotten the boat moving to rescue the others yet then she will provide 'encouragement' by belittling/abusing the menfolk; Caerlei on the other hand seems to have made a reasonable impression on her.
Saranaja recoils as the horrific creature claws it's way aboard beside her. "Whatever you are, the skin jacket does nothing for you. Now F$!$ OFF!" she yells, attempting to run it through with her Gladius and open some veins with her Kukri.
Wow, that sucks Thron. Talk about bad timing...
Saranaja grins unpleasantly as her blade finds it's target, her efforts rewarded with the water around the beast darkening with it's blood. With both her weapons now to hand and buoyed up by Roninton's tune and her success, she lashes out at the nearest surviving shark. _________________________
"Oh yeah sure. Ignore the mind controlled sharks. Excellent idea." Saranaja responds, rolling her eyes at the dhampir. She shifts her weight on her feet, trying to get her balance as she draws another blade, before lashing out at the shark again.
Hasn't he been working aboard a ship for some time now aboard the Ghoul's Grasp?
PS - My character while an Aasimar, has the trait Scion of Humanity. An aasimar with this racial trait counts as an outsider (native) and a humanoid (human) for any effect related to race, including feat prerequisites and spells that affect humanoids. She can pass for human without using the Disguise skill. As such, it shouldn't be too clear that he isn't human. Heck, he considers himself human as well, more or less, just descended from legendary/celestial stock. Ahh fair enough, I haven't gotten around to reading everyone sheets and/or background, so I usually make fairly broad assumptions on appearance :p
heh, no worries :p Yeah those look much more reasonable. The whole use of 'from land' is a bit ambiguous too, but I digress
"Yeah? No kiddin'?" she asks sarcastically when the angelic descended one observes that the sharks aren't behaving naturally. She hauls herself to her feet, reaching for her bow before shaking her head; the string would be useless after the night in the water. She draws her sword instead, and stabs down at the nearby shark. The sudden movement causes her head to swim and she stumbles, almost dropping her sword overboard, causing the boat to rock as she catches herself.
The telltale sound of oars dipping into water and rattling in their oarlocks precedes the jollyboat hoving into view. Saranaja sighs in relief, tucking her whistle away in her pouch again, allowing herself to rest her head as the boat paddles towards her. She knew she should be taking a read on her rescuers, but even if they were slavers, well... enslaved was better than dead. People escaped slavery... When the boat began to pull up alongside she finally looked at the motley lot crewing it, only a single human amongst 'em. That made her smile, revealing some pointy teeth, to go with the fine scaled skin, and the inhuman eyes. The four would likely not have seen Saranaja's like before, but then she hadn't seen Caerlei, or Osir's kind either, and she wasn't sure about the other pale fellow. "Thank ya for the rescue." she says, pushing herself up on the wobbly chunk of debris. Her arms wobbled with the effort, but she managed to keep herself balanced, and rolled into the boat with a fair amount of grace considering the circumstances. "You're a damned site better looking than the sharks or those Chelish c$$&s."
She simply sprawls against the side of the boat then, not even bothering to take a seat, just glad to have something a little sturdier beneath her than the precarious flotsam.
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