Seer of Shadows's page

Allowances for First and Third Party Material: Most first-party content is cleared for use. Exceptions include: the Leadership and Sacred Geometry feats, anything that utilizes technology more advanced than that which could be found in the Victorian Era, and anything that requires a deific patron. Classes like the Cleric and Witch can be reskinned to fit with a little work, but something like the Obedience feats could not be. Firearms are heavily discouraged, but not outright denied.

Third-party content will be more limited in this game. Spheres of Power, Spheres of Might, Spheres of Champions, Path of War, Akasha, and the Legendary Classes are generally okay in my book and require no special clearance. Psionics and Spheres of Guile are banned, as are the Sage class from Spheres of Champions, Deific Talents, Oaths, Aristeia feats, and the following Spheres: Alchemy, Equipment, Leadership, Tech, Technomancy, and Trap. All other third-party content must be requested separately by listing the content's name, the name of the book it can be found in, and the exact page number it is located- or a simple link to the requested content in a legal SRD source like d20PFSRD or the Spheres of Power Wiki- in order to be considered. A single appeal can be made in the event that I do not rule in favor of a request.

Note that it is Psionics- the sort produced by Dreamscarred Press- which is banned in this game, not psychic magic from Paizo. This clarification is added in case there was any confusion on the matter.

No homebrew is allowed save for that produced by Paizo Fans United and this must still be cleared as if they were third-party content using the method listed above.

Whether first or third-party, no effect that brings the dead back to life will be allowed. Other creatures can be raised as undead, but no resurrection magic is possible in this game. Dead is dead and not even the otherworldly power of Dreamwalkers can change that.

Level: Players will awaken as 7th-level gestalt characters.

Ability Scores: Point buy (25 points). Following the point buy, choose one ability score as your primary stat and two others as your secondary stats; primary stats gain a +4 untyped bonus and secondary stats gain a +2 untyped bonus. No score may be above 24 or below 10. Point buys can be anathema a number of gestalt builds. The untyped bonuses are my way to alleviate this problem while also giving those with tighter and more streamlined builds something extra.

Races: Because the PCs are from Earth, everyone must select Human as their race. Upon Awakening as a Dreamwalker, however, they become something both more and less than human as a result of their connection to the Dreaming. This translates into 13 RP worth of extra racial abilities. Racial abilities that fundamentally alter their physical form in ways that would make them appear inhuman, such as wings or horns, are not allowed.

Classes: Reference the first section in this spoiler for more details.

Hit Points: Maximum plus one per HD; PCs apply either their CON or CHA modifier to their HP, whichever is higher. Charisma is the black sheep of the ability scores and doesn't provide a lot of benefit outside of social builds or those who have it as a casting stat. The idea of a person pushing through damage with nothing but the sheer force of will is an appealing one and helps provide some small bonus to CHA-dependent builds. This option does not invalidate CON since it still provides important bonuses to fortitude saves.

Traits:Three; a fourth may be taken in exchange for a Drawback.

Alignment: Alignments have been done away with completely, as I don't feel like they have a place on either Earth, where ethics and values can be grey and muddled, or the Twilight Worlds beyond the Dreaming, where things like morality are little more than personal affections or elaborate stageplay. Words and deeds alone shall speak for one's morals and ethics in this game.

Abilities that rely on alignment to work will be determined thusly: allies and bystanders are affected favorably by these abilities, while enemies or otherwise hostile targets are affected unfavorably. Example: A PC engaged in a brawl at a fey court casts Holy Word. The PC, their allies, and members of the court not participating in the brawl are unaffected, while those of the court who have engaged the PCs in combat are affected as if they had evil alignments.

Players who choose classes which have an alignment requirement will not be forced to abide by those; instead, they will need to work with me on a code of conduct, which features both moral tenets and strange fey compulsions in equal measure. Example: A PC chooses the Paladin class, which normally requires a Lawful Good alignment. Such a PC might need to abide by an Arthurian code of knightly chivalry while also being unable to enter a building with an iron lantern hanging above it's door uninvited or wear the color black.

Gear/Wealth:This is one of the more complicated sections and will cover things that go beyond what is immediately necessary to build a character. The reason for this is because it fundamentally changes how all gear and treasure is handled and, therefore, needs to be covered as soon as possible.

Players will begin with no combat gear whatsoever. They are, after all, attending a gala thrown by an acquaintance of theirs. Whatever clothes they are wearing or currencies they are carrying are ultimately irrelevant beyond superficial impressions.

Once PCs Awaken as Dreamwalkers, they will gain the full benefits of Automatic Bonus Progression.

While Dreamshifted, PCs can manifest special weapons and armor known as the Faerie Regalia. These are tied to their very souls and manifest immediately upon Dreamshifting, although they may be dismissed as a free action. These can take nearly any form imaginable and usually take on otherwordly appearances, such as a full-plate armor made of stained glass or a greatsword made out of glittering ice. Any ranged weapon that requires ammunition produces an unlimited amount of basic ammunition from thin air when needed. Disarmed or sundered weapons vanish immediately, as do thrown or projectile weapons without the Returning property after they hit their mark or miss. Resummoning weapons or armor is a full-round action. The form of any piece of Faerie Regalia may be changed at will, enabling a knight to change their greatsword into a longbow to target a fey dragon flying beyond the reach of their blade or to morph their full-plate into padded armor when they need to swim across a raging river. Each piece of the Faerie Regalia gains enhancement bonuses and abilities through Automatic Bonus Progression and these cannot be changed; magical properties that are incompatible with new weapon types simply do not function while in that form.

Certain beings in the Twilight Worlds have particularly strong essences that condense into glittering crystals known as Wyrdstones upon death. These are some of the most highly-valued items in the world beyond the Dreaming and hold many powers based on the essence of the being whose death produced them. Wyrdstones can be fused with weapons and armor as a full-round action to grant magical properties, some of which go far beyond those contained in rulebooks. They can also be morphed into truly unique items with wondrous- and terrible- powers. Unfusing a Wyrdstone from a piece of Faerie Regalia or reverting it from it's item form back into a crystal is a full-round action. Wyrdstones are completely weighless and are generally small enough to fit within the palm of one's hand.

When PCs first Awaken as Dreamwalkers, one item on their person becomes infused with faerie energies and becomes a Curio. These are unique legacy magic items that count as minor artifacts and hold a total of 25,000 GP worth of Wondrous Magic Item abilities, split however you desire. The floating GP pool worth of abilities grows larger as players level and, at 20th level, the Curio will possess 300,000 GP worth of Wondrous Magic Item powers. Any unused "GP" is carried over and players should feel no compulsion to use all of it as soon as it is acquired. I am very well aware that the Curio's starting GP pool of magic item abilities is actually way higher than it should be and that is intentional. Because PCs will not be able to shop and outfit their character as easily as want, as specifically as they want, this is to provide a starting boost to help alleviate that in the early portions of the campaign

One last topic bears mentioning when it comes to wealth and gear. The Faerie Regalia, Curios, and Wyrdstones mentioned previously are not the only treasures in this campaign. Strange and wonderful magic items, magical folk ingredients such as Unicorn Horns, and more lie scattered throughout the Twilight Worlds, nestled in the hoards of foes, and bartered for in the shadowed stalls of fae markets. It pays to have a shrewd mind and a penchant for wise haggling when dealing with fey merchants, for their alien tastes and inclincations could lead to a number of requests: a lock of hair from the sixth daughter of a sixth daughter, an apple pie baked by a loving mother and stolen from a sunlit windowsill, or the customer's own emotions taken and placed within a gilded birdcage are all within the realm of possibility. One would do well to carefully examine the words of any bargains that are struck or oaths received, for fey are fond of trickery and honoring the letter of the bargain rather than the spirit it was struck in.

Crafting: It should go without saying that there will not be crafting in this game considering how gear and wealth will be handled.

Class Companions: All class companions receive the Fey-Touched Creature template. These companions appear normal while on Earth, but often take on supernatural aspects while in the Twilight Worlds.

Feats: Feats are gained every level rather than every other level.

Languages: In place of the normal Pathfinder languages, only Earth's languages are initially available. Since most of the (relatively small) Earth section of the game will take place around England and Scotland, English is effectively "Common". Upon Awakening as a Dreamwalker, you will gain the ability to comprehend and speak all the languages of both Earth and the Twilight Worlds; more on that under the Dreamwalker Template section.

Templates: Apart from the Dreamwalker template provided in a later spoiler tab, no templates may be acquired save through class features. Even then, I would advise people to stay away from any class features that give them an undead template.

House Rules: Background Skills, Elephant in the Room Feat Taxes, Fractional Base Bonuses, Skill Unlocks, and Stamina and Combat Tricks will be implemented. In the case of Stamina and Combat Tricks, they are are free for Fighter and can be acquired via the feat for any others who wish to take them. In the case of Skill unlocks, they are free for both chained and unchained Rogues and can be acquired via the feat for any others who wish to take them.

Description: Every submission must include details on your character's appearance and personality. These do not need to be elaborate or exhaustive, but they must be more detailed than "John Wicket is like a muscular Keanu Reeves but with salt-and-pepper hair."

Background: There are three essential components to a character's background that will need to be included in their profile. The first is simply listing where they are from; country/province is the bare minimum for this, but further detail is appreciated. The second is their general history; you don't have to do a full Ten-Minute Background for this, but a well-written background that gives the audience a feel for the character is always appreciated. And the final component is an account of your first meeting with either the jovial English scholar Duncan Ainsworth or his elegant Scottish wife Bonnie Fraser Ainsworth who often accompanies him in his travels; one or both of them are close acquaintances with each PC and have invited them to a gala at the Ainsworth family estate.

The Dreamwalker template can be added to any Humanoid (Human).

Type: The Dreamwalker's type does not change, although they do gain the Feyblooded special quality.

Senses: Dreamwalkers gain Low-Light Vision.

Defensive Abilities: Dreamwalkers gain a +2 bonus to all mind-affecting effects and 5 resistance against one of the following: fire, cold, electricity, acid, sonic, or negative energy.

Dreamshifting (Su): A Dreamwalker may draw upon the energies of the Dreaming and their fey Othersoul in the Twilight Worlds beyond it as a full-round action to enter a state known as Dreamshifting. While in this state, a Dreamwalker may use any of the other abilities granted by this template that require an action at-will. Dreamshifting lasts until it is dismissed as a free action, the Dreamwalker falls below 0 HP, or they are in contact with cold iron for more than one round or are dealt more than 15 points of damage from a weapon composed of cold iron. Even being near a Dreamwalker in this state is enough to induce Dementing in normal humans.

Dreameating (Su): Everything that lives touches on the Dreaming and those that die leave behind Animus, fleeting fragments of a being's essence touched by their memories and the energies of the Dreaming that hover a few inches over their corpse. A Dreamwalker adjacent to a deceased being may take a full-round action to consume the Animus, gaining access to the memories and emotions within that are experienced as if they were the deceased (GM's choice what memories are held within the Animus). A corpse whose Animus is consumed is immune to further Dreameating attempts.

Wyld Shape (Su): Tied to the Dreaming is the Wyld, the very essence of nature unrestrained by civilization or reality. Dreamwalkers are tied to this essence and may, as a full-round action, change into the shape of a single animal, functioning as Beast Shape II. They also gain the Fey-Touched Creature template and a 10-ft. increase to all forms of movement speed while in this form, but may not use any class features that require activation or concentration. The beast form provided by Wyld Shape is clearly unnatural in origin and cannot be mistaken as normal no matter the distance; a wolf Wyld Shape might have six eyes that glow an unnatural blue, a coat of white, and curving horns and claws of gleaming crystal, while an Owl Wyld Shape might appear covered in black feathers that reflect a starry night sky and with eyes that appear to glow with white moonlight. Despite being clearly unnatural and tied to the Twilight Worlds, a Wyld Shape form does not immediately provoke Dementing in normal human beings, although it may provoke fear or violence depending on the individual.

Faerie Regalia (Su): The source of Dreamwalker power lies within their fey Othersoul reflections on the other side of the Dreaming. When Dreamshifting, this energy can assume a variety of forms, but is most commonly manifested as the Faerie Regalia, armor and weapons formed from the essence of the Twilight Realms themselves. While Dreamshifted, PCs can manifest special weapons and armor known as the Faerie Regalia. These are tied to their very souls and manifest immediately upon Dreamshifting, although they may be dismissed as a free action. These can take nearly any form imaginable and nearly universally take on otherwordly appearances, such as a full-plate armor made of stained glass or a greatsword made out of glittering ice. Any ranged weapon that requires ammunition produces an unlimited amount of basic ammunition from thin air when needed. Disarmed or sundered weapons vanish immediately, as do thrown or projectile weapons without the Returning property after they hit their mark or miss. Resummoning weapons or armor is a full-round action. The form of any piece of Faerie Regalia may be changed at will, enabling a knight to change their greatsword into a longbow to target a fey dragon flying beyond the reach of their blade or to morph their full-plate into padded armor when they need to swim across a raging river. Each piece of the Faerie Regalia gains enhancement bonuses and abilities through Automatic Bonus Progression and these cannot be changed; magical properties that are incompatible with new weapon types simply do not function while in that form.

Essence of the Othersoul (Su): Dreamwalkers and a fey from the Twilight Worlds are reflections of each other and share a bond that crosses even the Dreaming. Dreamwalkers who have awakened begin to gain power from their Othersoul. How this manifests is unique to each Dreamwalker and is determined by the GM, but it commonly manifests as lesser versions of the Othersoul's special abilities or qualities; a Dreamwalker with a pixie Othersoul might gain wings or the ability to conjure magical dust that induces sleep, while one bound to a Rusalka might gain an enchanting song or the ability to breathe underwater.

Walking the Twisted Way (Su): Faerie rings and convergences of leylines, among other things, serve as locations where the Twilight Worlds and Earth are particularly close. Dreamwalkers adjacent to these liminal points can move between worlds to another connected point as a standard action.

Twilight Tongue (Su): Dreamwalkers constantly touch upon the Dreaming by their very existence and this connection enables them to speak and comprehend all of the common languages spoken by the humans of Earth and the fey of the Twilight Worlds. Secret languages such as Druidic, the languages of beasts and plants, and nonverbal languages that use body language are not covered by this power, nor are written forms of any language beyond Sylvan.

Feyblooded (Ex): Dreamwalkers count as both Humanoid (Human) and Fey for the purposes of both spells and abilities.

Cold Iron Weakness (Ex): In addition to the potentially disrupting Dreamshifting, as mentioned under that ability, weapons made of cold iron deal double damage to Dreamwalkers.

Dreamwalkers and Othersouls: Dreamwalkers are humans born with a connection to a fey from the Twilight Worlds known as their Othersoul. The two are not so much random individuals bound by some unseen thread of destiny as they are reflections of each other in different worlds, with the Dreaming serving as a sort of mirror that separates them. It is this connection that is the source of a Dreamwalker's power and, once Awakened, not even the death of their Othersoul can rob them of it since most fey are simply reborn as new beings with the essence of the old after some time.

The Awakening: There are a few thousand Dreamwalkers on Earth at any given time, but the overwhelming majority of them are dormant and little different than a normal human being. Those who become exposed to the energies of the Twilight Worlds, however, unwillingly Dreamshift and gain access to their powers during a process known as the Awakening. The process is euphoric, exhilerating, and terrifying in equal measure and feels as if their mind and body are melted down before being remolded into perfecction.

Dreamshifting: A Dreamwalker's power resides on the other side of the Dreaming in their Othersoul. When Dreamshifting, they reach out and touches the Dreaming to bridge the gap and draw that power into themselves. If one wishes to use a modern analogy, the Dreamwalker is a lightbulb, their Othersoul is a source of electricity, and the Dreaming is the circuit that allows the two to connect.

Animus, Dreameating, and Mnemocytes: Every being has an inner essence known as Animus, the force that gives life to their body, structure to their thoughts, and drive to their soul. This essence brushes upon the Dreaming when a being sleeps and, when they die, fragments of this Dreaming-tinged essence remain behind that reflects their thoughts and emotions. Dreamwalkers are able to faintly perceive Animus and can choose to absorb it in a process called Dreameating. This process causes the Dreamwalker to experience fragments of the deceased's memories as if they were there on, along with all the emotions and sensations that come with it. Occasionally, beings whose Animus lingers for some time after death attract Mnemocytes, alien creatures that resemble barely-perceptible jellyfish who devour the Animus. Slaying a Mnemocyte releases the Animus contained within.

Wyld Form: The Dreaming contains many things and the energies of the Wyld, primordial nature wild and unrestrained by reality, is one of these. Dreamwalkers are tied to the Dreaming through their connection and can invariably take the form of a primordial spirit beast infused with this energy. The beast form provided by Wyld Shape is clearly unnatural in origin and cannot be mistaken as normal no matter the distance; a wolf Wyld Shape might have six eyes that glow an unnatural blue, a coat of white, and claws and fangs of gleaming crystal, while an Owl Wyld Shape might appear covered in black feathers that reflect a starry night sky and with eyes that appear to glow with white moonlight. Despite being clearly unnatural and tied to the Twilight Worlds, a Wyld Shape form does not immediately provoke Dementing in normal human beings, although it may provoke fear or violence depending on the individual. The reason this form does not induce Dementing is because, in essence, the natural world already contains trace amounts of the Wyld and they are insulated against it's energies.

Cold Iron: Most humans would agree that Earth is a place of hard laws and set realities, a place of cause and effect where similar actions always produce similar results. The protean unrealities of the Twilight Worlds, however, are the opposite and function according to alien rules that may be shifted according to the whims of the Fey Sovereigns or the Twilight Worlds themselves. Cold iron, whose form is in some way a physical representation of Earth's set reality given shape, is anathema to both fey and Dreamwalkers. To the fey, who are a power unto themselves, it shreds through their defences and impedes their ability to shunt power to heal their wounds. To Dreamwalkers, however, it temporarily disrupts their very connection and can immediately knock them out of Dreamshifting. Moreover, an Awakened Dreamwalker's body rebels against the metal, greatly exacerbates injuries caused by cold iron weaponry.

Personality Bleed: The connection between an Awakened Dreamwalker and their Othersoul can sometimes cause fragments of their personalities to blend and bleed into each other, although this is not a hard rule. The way it manifests and the extent to which it does so is always different for each Dreamwalker; a devout Scottish housewife with a Redcap Othersoul might begin to grow surly or even develop a joyfully sadistic streak. Othersouls are not immune to this either; in the previous scenario, the redcap may begin adopting incomprehensible religious dogmas or have a fondness for 'housemaking' with the severed limbs and entrails of its victims.

Application Deadline: One month from the time of posting this recruitment. As with my Kisarta recruitment, I may shorten or lengthen it depending on a number of factors.

Campaign Style: This campaign will be somewhat closer to a traditional AP's structure, albeit one of the ones with closed sandbox elements. You will regularly have clear-cut objectives dictated by the plot, but you may approach them however you wish. There will be a nice blend of combat, roleplaying, and exploration with some investigations and puzzles thrown into the mix for good measure, so there is something for everyone.

Twilight Worlds to Earth Ratio: Most of this campaign will be focused within the Twilight Worlds and will occupy around 80-85% of the campaign. Segments on Earth will occupy the remainder.

Post Rates: A post a day would, in a perfect world where everything went off without a hitch, be ideal. Reality does not always work that way and so my expectation is for everyone to make five-plus posts a week. That should account for the random happenstance that occurs in people's daily lives. Advance warning for prolonged absences would be appreciated and I am willing to pilot someone's character for them temporarily. I will take temporary control of any character whose owner neither posts nor communicates for a five days. After a month of piloting characters whose owners have not communicated in any fashion, measures will be taken to phase them out of the plot in as organically as possible and recruit a replacement. I am flexible on this, however, and prefer gently nudging the game along.

Encounters: Both combat and social encounters will feature in this game and I will endeavor to make them uniquely challenging and rewarding. Out of the box thinking and clever strategems are things I very much appreciate and I build my encounters to allow for a great deal of player expression.

Initiative, Perception, and Sense Motive Rolls: I as the GM will roll each of these for PCs as necessary.

PC Selections: It is my plan to accept four players for this campaign. Like my Kisarta game, however, an abundance of exceptional submissions may inspire me to up the number of players I accept.

Earth: The game begins in a fictional village in the English countryside known Waldenshire. The date is June 21st, 1886 and that falls on the Midsummer's Solstice on the astronomic table. The glories of the Victorian Era have yet to fully tarnish and the world has yet to experience the horrors of the Ripper murders or World War I. It is a time of innovation and uncertainty, of sleepy olden times and the natural world slowly giving way to the frenetic energy of industry and the future it reaches for. It is a world where many nations, once largely separate, have begun to intermingle and cultures have begun to blend and clash. The supernatural exists, but is hidden from the perception of all but the most well-informed or unlucky of mortals.

The Dreaming: The Dreaming is an in-between world, a veil that separates the realities of man and fey. Both realities border on it's ephemeral shores and the minds of slumbering mortals touch upon it briefly, spawning dreams or nightmares.

The Twilight Worlds: The Twilight Worlds are the lands of the fey and the unrealities of each are unique and beautiful, wondrous and terrifying. They are akin to pearls strung along a planar latticework known as the Twisting Way or the Faerie Roads that winds and wends it's way through the empty spaces of the multiverse.

Nature of the Fey: Many would say that the fey are simply inhabitants of the Twilight Worlds. But that definition is imperfect, for many inhabitants of the Twilight Worlds are not fey and not all fey make their homes in the Twilight Worlds. To try and classify the fey is folly: some are born to fey parents the Twilight Worlds while other emerge wholecloth from their homes as if they were always there; others are the souls of the dead given new forms or dreams molded by mortal thought and incarnated into impossible forms. More information on fey subtypes can be found within the preview document linked in this post.

Faerie Rings and Leyline Convergences: Faerie Rings and leyline convergences form where Earth and the Twilight Worlds are closest together. While the former always appears as a circle of mushrooms, the latter is invisible to the naked eye. Witches, Mages, and Dreamwalkers across the ages have taken to building markers denoting where one may find a leyline point, however, and can appear as many things: circles of monoliths like Stonehenge, stone doors that lead to nowhere within cairns, and torii gates hung with charms just to name a few.

The Twilight Worlds and Time: Time flows oddly within the Twilight Worlds and, in many cases, ceases to flow at all. Dreamwalkers can often journey into the Twilight Worlds for days or months before returning, with only mere minutes having passed on Earth.

The Dementing: The energies of the Twilight Worlds are anathema to the minds of regular humans. Exposure to these energies can cause the mind to snap, splinter, or completely disintigrate. Symptoms of the Dementing can range from delusions and homicidal mania to suicidal depression or catatonia. Dreamwalkers who are Dreamshifting emit particularly high amounts of these energies and pose an immediate danger to the sanity of all normal humans in their presence. It can take months or years for someone to recover from the Dementing and some never do.

Allowances for First and Third Party Material and Fan Conversions: All first-party Paizo content is allowed without exceptions. Characters with a class that has both chained and unchained variants may select from either one.

All third-party content must be requested separately by listing the content's name, the name of the book it can be found in, and the exact page number it is located- or a simple link to the requested content in a legal SRD source like d20PFSRD or the Spheres of Power Wiki- in order to be considered. A single appeal can be made in the event that I do not rule in favor of a request.

Pathfinder fan conversions of content for Dark Sun, Eberron, and other campaign settings count as third-party content for the purposes of this game and are subject to the same clearance process.

3.X, PF2e, and any other content outside of Pathfinder 1e will not be allowed under any circumstances.

Level: PCs will awaken as 8th-level gestalt characters, irrespective of their power in life.

Ability Scores: Point buy (25 points). Following the point buy, choose one ability score as your primary stat and two others as your secondary stats; primary stats gain a +4 untyped bonus and secondary stats gain a +2 untyped bonus. No score may be above 26 or below 07. Point buys can be anathema a number of gestalt builds. The untyped bonuses are my way to alleviate this problem while also giving those with tighter and more streamlined builds something extra. I have wanted to use this for some time since I was first clued in to the idea and have only had cause to use in this game.

Races: All first-party races are allowed; third-party races are subject to the clearance process. I will not allow custom races or the addition of RP to existing races.

Classes: All first-party classes are allowed; third-party classes are subject to the clearance process.

Hit Points: Maximum plus one per HD; PCs apply either their CON or CHA modifier to their HP, whichever is higher. Charisma is the black sheep of the ability scores and doesn't provide a lot of benefit outside of social builds or those who have it as a casting stat. The idea of a person pushing through damage with nothing but the sheer force of will is an appealing one and helps provide some small bonus to CHA-dependent builds. This option does not invalidate CON since it still provides important bonuses to fortitude saves.

Traits: Two; a third cannot be obtained by taking a drawback. Not every drawback would make sense in Kisarta.

Alignment: Players can choose from any of the nine alignments. Evil characters must be team players and avoid falling into outright villain tropes during the campaign. Waking from death into a world that defies all that someone has been told about the afterlife has a way of changing people. Heroes may sour and harden into Byronic figures or outright antiheroes. Villains may see the error of their ways and begin the long and arduous climb out of damnation. Banning certain alignments would prevent the exploration of these rich and heady themes and I will not allow that.

Starting Gear/Wealth: Characters awaken on Kisarta with 33,000 GP worth of gear that replicates what they possessed in life to some degree; no one item may have a value above 13,200 GP. Any leftover gold will be near-useless in this campaign.

Crafting: Crafting is possible in this campaign, but you do not possess any pre-crafted gear at the game's start.

Class Companions: Companions granted a class feature or archetype are assumed to make the journey with their bonded PC due to the nature of their link surviving death itself. Kisarta's complete disconnection from the normal time-space of the infinite multiverses means the exact order your character and their companions died do not matter and they both arrive at nearly the same time.

Feats: Feats are gained every level rather than every other level.

Leadership, Cohorts, and Followers: Unlike class companions, cohorts and followers gained by the Leadership feat do not make the journey to Kisarta with the PCs. You may take Leadership at a later level, but only once PCs have made a sufficient name for themselves and that is going to require exceptional accomplishments in a world like Kisarta. This rule is in place because there are certain ways to get Leadership earlier than normal and being popular enough to attract a cadre of devoted followers as soon as you awaken is something I can't accept.

Monster PCs and Templates: I'm going to rule against both of those. The 'no monster PCs' rule is only referring to monsters that are primarily represented by CR and doesn't apply to monstrous racial classes like those in Rite Publishing's In the Company of Monsters series.

House Rules: Background Skills, Elephant in the Room Feat Tax, Fractional Base Bonuses, Psionic-Magic Transparency, and Stamina and Combat Tricks.

Description: Every submission must include details on your character's appearance and personality. These do not need to be elaborate or exhaustive, but they must be more detailed than "Krogan Armripper is a muscular orc with long black hair and a surly personality".

Background: There are three essential components to a character's background that will need to be included in their profile. The first is simply listing where they are from, including the region and world's names (e.g. Golarion's Katapesh region or Eberron's Sarlona region). The second is a generalized history of their days and deeds among the living that establishes them as a character, even if you do not intend for them to remember any of it. And the final component is a description of their death and their final thoughts as they exited the mortal coil. If you want to add more details than this, you are more than welcome to, but it is not required.

Application Deadline: The plan, which may be subject to change, is for the recruitment to be open five weeks. There are a lot of moving parts to the game and I understand that people have lives outside of internet. In the event that there are are a number of incomplete applications around the deadline, I will consider extending the deadline. Conversely, I may close the thread up to a week early if everyone has finished their application by that time.

Campaign Style: This campaign was designed from it's inception to be a semi-sandbox experience. From the moment players awaken and climb from their graves in the Cemetery of Lost Souls, they can follow whatever goals they so choose. I as the GM will provide plot hooks, but it is up to the PCs whether they choose to bite them or not. The "semi-" part of semi-sandbox comes into play because I want the party to stick together throughout most of this campaign. Exploration and discovery will no doubt a larger role in the campaign than combat, although there will likely be plenty of that as well.

Post Rates: A post a day would, in a perfect world where everything went off without a hitch, be ideal. Reality does not always work that way and so my expectation is for everyone to make five-plus posts a week. That should account for the random happenstance that occurs in people's daily lives. Advance warning for prolonged absences would be appreciated and I am willing to pilot someone's character for them temporarily. I will take temporary control of any character whose owner neither posts nor communicates for a five days. After a month of piloting characters whose owners have not communicated in any fashion, measures will be taken to phase them out of the plot in as organically as possible and recruit a replacement.

Encounters: I will strive to ensure that both combat and social encounters will provide a challenging, but ultimately fair experience. Exceptions exist and characters who overreach in exceedingly foolish ways may get to experience Kisarta's unique resurrection effect in short order.

Initiative, Perception, and Sense Motive Rolls: I as the GM will roll each of these for PCs as necessary.

Knowledge Skills: There are two very important things to note about Knowledge skills. The first is that Knowledge skills will not yield ANY results about Kisarta-specific topics unless a PC can acquire tomes in-game or they have spent sufficient time within the Dominions. Because Kisarta exists outside the bounds of the infinite cosmologies, it is impossible for a freshly-awakened soul to have acquired any of that knowledge. The second is that DCs to learn about things from other cosmologies- such as a wizard from Golarion rolling a Knowledge: Arcana check to learn about a magic item with Athasian origins or a druid from Eberron rolling Knowledge: Nature to learn about a fey creature unique to Faerun- will be higher than normal.

PC Selections: Four characters will be picked to participate in the campaign. I have no objective criteria that I use to judge PCs and what works in favor for one might not work in favor for another.

Bodies on Kisarta: Nearly every soul on Kisarta has a body formed of solid aether that appears identical to the one it possessed in life, both in form and function. This means that many of the normal rules of life also apply in Kisarta: most beings must eat, drink, sleep, and breathe to sustain their vital functions.

Commerce:Traditional currencies are generally only accepted by craftsman who desire their component metals or eccentric collectors, as condensed aether powder, aether shards, or the minted aether coins are the tender of the realm. Barter is an acceptable form of trade as well and some of the more exotic vendors within the Shadow Markets will only accept the most esoteric forms of tender.

Language: While the root cause is unknown, all beings on Kisarta mentally interpret spoken words in their native language regardless of the language actually being spoken, even though the words themselves may still sound foreign to their ears. This universal understanding does not apply to the written word, nor to the ancient language occasionally spoken by the Black Circle and Kisarta's oldest inhabitants.

Death on Kisarta: Death is not the end within Kisarta's Dominions. A being's form will gradually dissipate into the aether upon death before reforming elsewhere, usually somewhere that holds some significance to them. Each death damages their soul somewhat and they lose both a portion of their memories and their very essence (called Soul Points for game purposes). Those who die enough times will find that their soul shatters, turning them into an undead. Most of these unfortunates are weak beings known as the Hollowed and are one more death away from the complete oblivion of the True Death. Some of the most exceptional individuals whose souls shatter under the strain of their repeated deaths instead regain pieces of their former selves and become malicious undead of great power, such as dread vampires or devourers. Suffice it to say, death is not cheap in this world and it will always cost you more than you are willing to pay. Divine casters with access to Breath of Life will be a godsend, as this spell will halt the dissolution process and provide it's normal effects.

Limbo: Limbo is the first Dominion most souls experience as they awaken within the Cemetery of Lost Souls. The Dominion and the City of the Dead that spans nearly the entirety of it are both referred to by the same name and they collectively house the largest concentration of Kisarta's population within countless buildings, avenues, and parks. Cultures from a million disparate cosmologies exist incongruously alongside each other in the City of the Dead and form a strange tableau of beliefs, celebrations, and customs. The nigh-infinite city is the hub of Kisarta and palace-sized gates to each of the other seven Dominions, as well as numerous pocket realms, can be found throughout. Limbo has no Guardian and is instead ruled by the lords of Kisarta known as the Black Circle, who see all from within the Alabaster Tower that rises miles above the city.

The Howling Forest: If Limbo can be seen as a deathly reflection of civilization, then the Howling Woods are death's reflection of nature. Breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying scenes of natural splendor sprawl throughout this plane beneath the twin lights of the Pale Sun and the ever-full moon: dark forests, fetid mires, misty moors, frozen taigas, steaming jungles, and towering mountain ranges largely untouched by mortal hands can all be found here. The kingdom of the knight-queen Rowena was founded here eons ago and it's citizens must compete with the realm's unnaturally cunning predators and bloodthirsty nature spirits for survival. Yuul the Primal Fear, a primordial spirit of bramble and bone birthed from nature's dark heart and the nightmares of mortals, is the Guardian of this realm and wishes nothing more than to observe the weak being culled by the cycle of predator and prey's endless savagery.

The Ocean of Souls: Unfathomably deep seas, whose benighted waters lap melancholically at the shores of stony islands and sheer cliffs, comprise the Dominion known as the Ocean of Souls. Life in of the island-bound communities within the Ocean of Souls, at least on the surface, is unusually sedate and peaceful compared to that found in other Dominions. But arcane secrets and forbidden truths as deep and dark as the sea itself lie submerged beneath the placid waves and Grecian athenaeums, guarded by slumbering antediluvian horrors of a lost age that creation itself strives to forget. Lyriash the Mistress of the Motionless Tides is the beautiful Guardian of this Dominion and her tempestuous once-human heart has been claimed by the tides of a depthless melancholy that mirrors her sleepy domain.

The Nameless Abyss: The Nameless Abyss is an infinite void dotted with expansive floating islands, each of which house strange and wondrous creatures, magic, and technology from a million worlds. It's most distant reaches are filled with twinkling false stars formed from the last remains of dead gods from the infinite multiverses. Abandoned kingdoms and futuristic arcologies of great import, ruined temples that house the relics of long-dead gods, and the realm's innumerable eldritch anomalies are all sought after by those seeking adventure. Explorers and pirates alike sail the starry void with vessels of living wood that fly on sails of magic or, more rarely, interstellar starships that are piloted by ensouled AIs. Ylluvethar the Eternal, the Guardian of this land, is a dispassionate being of living energy and cosmic might who largely ignores his realm and it's inhabitants in favor of divining the unfathomable secrets of creation itself from the false stars of lost divinities.

The Whispering Desert: The endless sands of the Whispering Desert house deceptive splendors, seductive mysteries, and treacherous beauty. The gleaming, bejeweled cities that rise from the trackless desert house some of the most cultured and sophisticated souls in all of Kisarta and the countless bazaars and souks to be found here hold treasures that rival even those found in Limbo's Shadow Markets. Half-buried ruins resplendent with the glories and treasures of forgotten ages dot the landscape and the waters of the realm's shimmering oases faintly reflect the arcane runes that flow over the surface of the illusory sun. Few things in this Dominion are as they initially appear, however, and even the most innocuous of objects and creatures conceal hidden dangers. Mal-Val'ahm the Keeper of a Hundred Misleading Truths is the Guardian of this land and she weaves plots and intrigues like a massive draconic spider, entangling all within webs of deceit and intrigue.

The Radiant Citadel: The Dominion known as the Radiant Citadel does not seem like it belongs in Kisarta at first glance. Lush valleys and gentle streams sweep through ranges of majestic mountains. Idyllic cities nestled within this elysian land are lit by the golden light of a false sun and law-abiding citizens support the causes of order, light, and righteousness espoused by the Guardian. But a shadow creeps throughout this radiant Dominion and servants of an ancient darkness known as The Old One hide in places where the false sun's golden rays do not reach. Cyrthiur the Shadowless Light is Guardian of this realm and his merciless purity suffers no darkness to dwell within his Dominion, purging all that is deemed corrupt with faith, flame, and the sword.

The Crucible of the Damned: The Crucible of the Damned is a place of incomprehensible desolation, suffering, and damnation. The land is perpectually trapped within the upheaval of a never-ending apocalypse and it's blasted wastes, burning mountains, and lakes of bitter acid lie beneath a perpetually storm-darkened sky that shrouds the light of the Pale Sun. Resources are near-nonexistent and souls who find themselves within this land of eternal torment suffer the ceaseless cruelties of Kisarti fiends, warlords, and the Dominion itself until their very being shatters in this hell of hells. Malphaas the Ruiner of Realities is the infernal Guardian of the Crucible and every torment inflicted, every life destroyed, and every soul ruined beyond repair brings a sliver of dark joy to his empty heart.

The Pit of Eternity: While particularly brave souls may choose to throw themselves at the Crucible of the Damned for glory or justice, few ever journey to the Dominion known as the Pit of Eternity by choice. The realm is a maddening maze of underground tunnels, noxious bogs, fungal jungles, and ramshackle stalactite cities that all lead ever downwards into the Pit. An underlying decay suffuses every inch of this terrible place and seeps into the minds, bodies, and souls of those who have the misfortune of living here. Disease, mutation, madness, cannibalism, and corruption are common sights and grow ever more prevalent the further down one goes. No one has ever seen the Pit's Guardian, The Devourer, although it's whispers sometimes haunt the fevered dreams of the diseased, mad, and utterly depraved, promising tantalizing horrors and blasphemous decadences to those who seek it out down below... always just a little further down below in the eternal darkness.

Kisarta: Kiss-arr-tuh
Yuul: Yoo-ull
Ylluvethar: Ill-oo-veh-tar
Mal-Val'ahm: Mal-vale-aam
Lyriash: Leer-ee-ash
Cyrthiur: Surth-ee-ur
Malphaas: Mal-fass