"Yeesh lady, for a self proclaimed pro you need to learn to go with the flow. You don't force an ultimatum on a desperate employer who is only interested in your employ 'cause of his lizard pal's supposed prophecy. You worried about a disagreement with this captain? Talk to the group getting employed don't go bringing in your own. A boat ain't the place for numbers anyway, you bring quality to a fight like that. Our foaming-animal toting ally is right girl, you're into some dark stuff, and I get how that can mess with you. Just take a breath, do the job, and see what you can squeeze out of it, some of us are from a Brelish pigsty, but at least we know how to take advantage of an opportunity..."
Alistair will finish off most of his cigarette and put out the smouldering ashes on the table, giving Avica a wry smile. He'll turn to Aubreck and say,
"For what it's worth boss the rest of us are interested, er, at least it sounded like it, so rest assured, that box is as good as yours."
"Freakin' lunatics... ya try ta let them go but no, they just gotta die... idiots..."
Grumbling mostly to himself Alistair will walk over to Micha. The normally abrasive wizard will kneel down and say,
"You're hurt, lemme help miss..."
Alistair will touch her shoulder lightly Using Share Essance as a standard, his hand faintly transparent. While Micha's wounds won't close, she'll feel a surge of strength that should help keep her feet firmly planted on Kyber.
Completely forgetting about the wild animal following the party, Alisatir will almost have a heart-attack when the furious thing goes charging past him, and he'll almost feel a bit sorry for the pirate that got it's attention.
Spellcraft:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Alistair will stare intently when another of their group casts a spell, peering with interest at the Halfling woman.
A divine spell, and no holy symbol? Interesting company I've found myself in, maybe that lizard wasn't as far from the mark as I thought...
Alistair will mimick his previous actions, pointing his dagger at the female pirate and whispering dark words But not actually casting any spell. He'll turn to her and say in a clear matter-of-fact tone,
"Welp, now your weapons are cursed too doll. So either you kill yourself, we kill you, or you get the hells outta this alley."
Yo! I have been enjoying myself for a while on these forums and I've decided to start up my own game.
Far back in the mists of the early 2000's I ran my first D&D game in highschool, and the completely spontaneous campaign began in the town of Grundy (I couldn't think of a better name for a town). Since then a town named Grundy has appeared in everyone of my campaigns, and I have had the idea to run a town centric game such as this for a while, so why not set it in my first town. While I am now an old hand at DMing, I am new to the Golarion setting, though I enjoy it quite a bit. If any of my setting information is incorrect, just let me know! This game will be a great mix of action and roleplay. I love character development, and with a lot more invested in the setting than your normal campaign, I think there will be a lot of room for it. I'm aiming for a good mix of horror, comedy, and drama, and I think this will be a lot of fun!
Welcome to the sleepy, unusual town of Grundy.
Nestled right on the border of Numeria and the River Kingdoms, Grundy was once held firmly under the thumb of the Black Marquis. Then about thirty years ago an unusual half-elf named Albert Grundy arrived and took on the responsibility for running the town. Somehow, Albert was able to remove all influence of the Black Marquis from the town and it's surrounding area, and since then the little town that was then named after it's savior has grown by leaps and bounds. Existing in a tenuous state between it's former master and the even more dangerous Black Sovereign, Grundy has nevertheless managed to carve it's own face into Golarion, becoming a popular trading hub for the rare valuable materials of Numeria and as a travel stop for warriors traveling north to the crusades.
And then it all changed in one night.
The skys alight, a meteor fell once more into the face of Golarion, just outside of this now not so little town. The cloud of dust rose miles into the air, pointing the way towards it's falling point only two miles from Grundy, in the forested hills to the east, the footsteps of Echo Wood. When the curious townsfolk of Grundy finally found the landing site, the large crater revealed a gaping wound in a large hill, underneath which were twisted metal tunnels and ancient alien chambers. An enormous structure much like the infamous Silver Mount was buried here, long forgotten but now unearthed. This immense structure collapsed around the fallen star, creating a foreboding alien labyrinth leading to what is inevitably a priceless treasure.
Within a short time this shocking event has changed the face of Grundy, with dozens of fool-hardy adventurers arriving by the hour to explore the buried hallways. Arriving within hours of the landing, agents of the Black Marquis and representatives of Numeria's Technic league began squaring off over who has the rights to so marvelous a find. As no agreement could be reached, both parties began marshaling forces, and the region may be weeks or months from open war, with forces from nearby Ustalav reportedly on the way. Of course these are only a few of the problems poor Grundy now faces, as with the unearthing of this ancient complex unusual things have been happening with no explanation. Mysterious disappearances, grisly murders, and more. While most blame it on the new influx of strangers to the town, many are beginning to doubt, and even hardened adventurers are keen to avoid wandering the town at night.
And that's where you come in.
See, the players for this adventure won't be your typical adventurers, instead you will be playing residents of this town. You won't be someone looking to brave dangers for the promise of reward, you'll be people fighting to defend your home, your loved ones, and your lively hood. Like much of the best fiction, your characters will just be people caught up in a problem, and who end up becoming heroes along the way. So while I am looking for the typical extraordinary folks of power and skill that make up your ordinary adventuring party, your characters will instead be tied to this town, trying desperately to defend what they hold dear against a myriad of challenges and foes.
So, in addition to a normal character submission, with a sheet, a background, and a description, I'll be looking for what ties you to this weird town. On this I am prepared to be very flexible, this town should be as much yours as it is mine.
Are you a sorcerous school marm?
A cantankerous cleric with small chapel and a faithful congregation?
A retired warrior seeking to teach those young pups on their way to the crusades a thing or two in your swordsmanship school?
All of the above?
I thoroughly encourage you to go crazy, come up with a family, friends, and relatives, hated neighbors and town drunks. Most of this will be ironed out before-hand with my selected players, but having a solid base to pull from will be a very good thing. I have a host of characters already posted in the campaign info section, but almost all of them are mutable, if you want your character to own the best tavern in the town, it's yours. More detailed information on Grundy is available in the campaign info section as well.
Character Creation:
Characters will be built at third level.
No evil alignments please, I'm looking for some heroes here.
Stats will be rolled in the recruitment thread, 4d6 drop the lowest with 1's being rerolled. Roll six times, and if you're unhappy with your first set you may roll again.
Standard races are preferred, but any race of 15rp or under will be considered if there's a good reason for them being in town.
Anything Paizo is acceptable, but no playtest materials please, and no third party materials.
I like to do hit-points a little wonky. Max hit die at first level, and then roll the following. D6 HD = 1d6, D8 HD = 1d6+2, D10 HD = 1d6+4, D12 HD = 1d6+6. So if you're a Rogue with a D8 hit die, you would roll 1d6+2 at each level past first, if you're a Fighter it's 1d6+4, easy.
Two traits from anything Paizo, and one drawback is allowed.
Characters will each start with 1,500 worth of gear and equipment, and will receive several hundred gold worth of “background” items (i.e. if you own a forge, a house, or a business those will be included). We'll work out the specifics if your character is selected.
I will be looking for a party of 5 people who can post at least once a day. I'm running recruitment until Friday 3/7.
I really hope this is an idea people can get behind, and I just bet it'll be a lot of fun!
Alright, here is my submission. My background is pretty long, I wanted it to be very noiree (noirish?). I can write a synopsis if you don't want to slog through all that text.
Also, is the Spell Compendium ok for picking spells?(I miss it so much).
Character Sheet:
Alistair Creed
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Wizard (Necromancer, Sin Magic Specialist: Gluttony) 1
CG Medium Humanoid (Human; Favored Class Wizard (+1 HP)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +0
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DEFENSE
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10 (+3 Dex)
HP 13
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +2
Defensive Abilities
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30ft.
Melee: Club +1 (1d6+1/x2)
Ranged: Light Crossbow +3 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks
Wizard Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +5)
1st (6/Day)- Mage Armor, Detect Undead, Silent Image, Vanish, Ray of Sickening, Cause Fear, Magic Missle
0th (at will)- All except for Abjuration and Enchantment
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STATISTICS
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Str 13, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 19, Wis 10, Cha 14 )
Languages Common, Elven, Draconic, Giant, Deep Speech, Mabran
Class Features
Arcane School
Life
Associated School: Necromancy.
Replacement Powers: The following school powers replace the power over undead and grave touch powers of the necromancy school.
Healing Grace (Su): Whenever you cast a spell that has targets, affects creatures in an area, or requires an attack roll, you may heal creatures affected by the spell a total of 1 point of damage per level of the spell. This healing may be spread out between the targets of the spell in any way you choose. If you assign any of the healing to an undead creature, it instead takes 1 point of damage for each point assigned. At 11th level, the amount of damage cured increases to 2 points of damage per level of the spell. This healing occurs when the spell is cast and has no effect on creatures that enter its area after the spell is in place. At 20th level, the amount of damage cured increases to 3 points of damage per level of the spell.
Share Essence (Sp): As a standard action, you can share your vital energy with a living creature that you touch. You take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage + 1 for every two wizard levels you possess. You cannot take an amount of nonlethal damage equal to or greater than your current hit point total; any excess is prevented. The recipient gains a number of temporary hit points equal to the amount of damage you received (prevented damage is not counted). These temporary hit points disappear 1 hour later. You may not use this ability to grant yourself temporary hit points. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. This ability has no effect if you are immune to nonlethal damage.
Sin Magic
Only wizards can truly follow the ancient philosophies governing Sin magic. The choice to specialize in Sin magic must be made when a character first becomes a wizard. Once the choice to do so is made, it cannot be changed.
Benefits: A Sin mage receives two additional spell slots of each spell level he can cast. These bonus spell slots must both be used to prepare the same spell from the wizard's school of specialization, allowing the wizard to cast that spell twice (as he has prepared the spell twice). The wizard cannot use these slots to prepare two different spells, even if they are of the school he is specialized in.
Restrictions: A Sin mage does not get to customize his choice for opposition schools—his opposition schools are determined for him when he chooses his specialization. These restrictions are more significant than those most wizards follow, and are known as prohibited schools. A Sin mage can never prepare a spell that is in one of his prohibited schools—he treats these spells as if they were not on the wizard spell list. If using a spell trigger or spell completion item to cast a spell from one of his prohibited schools, he must use the Use Magic Device skill to do so.
Eqiupment
Wizard's Kit (backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, a flint and steel, ink, an inkpen, an iron pot, a mess kit, soap, a spell component pouch, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin.) (21gp), Ink x2 (16gp), Scroll Parchment x20 (4gp), Club, Light Crossbow (35gp), Bolts x20 (2gp), Traveling Spellbook, Spell Component Pouch (5gp), 17gp
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DESCRIPTION
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Alistair is not what most people think of when they imagine a wizard, he looks more like on off-duty guardsman or a criminal with his broken nose and short scruffy brown beard and hair. He wears a large thick leather overcoat and a long scarf wrapped tight as if he's always cold, and his sunken dark eyes and permanent grimace hardly make for a welcoming countenance.
“Thing's aint as sweet as they used to be pal. Hell, for me I don’t think things have ever been lookin' up, but hey, them's the breaks as those Warforged say (heh, get it?).”
“So yeah, I grew up in Breland, on a little farm that was too close for it's own good to the Graywall Mountains. So yeah big surprise Pa, you build a farm where you ain't supposed ta, doesn't matter how good the soil is, there’s still things that manage to squeeze past those mountains from time ta time, and before I was old enough to tell him I told you so we were outta there. Most people seem to think Breland is a safe enough spot, and I suppose most of the time they'd be right, but hey I told ya things never work out for poor little me.”
“I don't know what the Host has against me, but my family's sizable caravan never made it to Sharn where my Pa had even more relatives. We were kidnapped that night on the road by bandits, only they didn't want our stuff, they wanted us. They dragged us along the ground for hours in sacks that undoubtedly held dozens more like me, into this huge underground complex lead by this lunatic Necromancer. Yeah, surprise surprise, these bandits were his undead minions and he was always looking for more materials, more blood. My family... just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. I never saw my parents again, we were separated and, Aureon forgive me I... at first I didn't care.”
“Most people recoil in horror at undead, me I stared in awe. Call me sick, whatever, I was amazed with the things. They were so... eternal, they broke all the rules in a way that made my mouth water. And whats worse was, I had this sorta... report with them. I could talk to them, nudge them in different directions, even right under the nose of this Necromancer. And he noticed, he saw in me potential, and offered to teach me for the low low price of serving him and loosing my soul. And I couldn't help but say yes.”
“It was the hardest thing I've ever done, serving that madman in his tunnels. There in the dark with the walking dead all around me, I... well I lost myself. This man, Master I called him, never learned his real name, taught me the basics of magic, of Necromancy. He was always going on about the fools in the Circle, about the power of Necromancy. He taught me old magics, that each school of magic is defined as much by what it is not as much as what it is. Sin magic he called it, well gee I wonder why. And so help me, I took it all in like a thirsty man being handed a waterskin for the first time in his life. I took all his lessons to heart, I did horrible, unspeakable things in those tunnels, all in the name of mastering the forces of life and death. I would love to tell you that one day I came to my senses, that the spell the Necromancer cast over me was broken and I returned to the innocent boy I was, but that just ain't the truth. The truth is one day I found my sister.”
“There she was, her un-lifeless corpse just standing in this dank tunnel, the light from my spell, my spell that I had cast, revealed her in all her disgusting, soul-shattering glory. And I couldn't take it. It wasn't that I realized the error of my ways, that I instantly turned a new leaf, I couldn't take her rotten eyes looking at me like that. So I ran, I took what little I had, what few things I had bleed and nearly died for, and I ran into the night and all the way to the nearest city. It took me months, literally months of begging and pleading from my jail cell to convince the guards I wasn't a nut and that a dangerous Necromancer was hiding right outside their city. And ho, big surprise, when I finally led that grumpy guard captain to the entrance of the tunnels that had been my personal Dragon Below for five years, it was gone. All of it, not even a trace of Necromantic magic remained. The Captain was angry, I wouldn't have blamed him if he just ended me right there, it probably would have been for the best, instead he leaves in disgust, and now I need to pick up the pieces."
"I suppose a lot of people would have been done at that point, would have put their books and their finger bones away and become a baker of whatever. But I'm not most people, no I'm way dumber than most people. See, I knew more than most people (except maybe those Elves on their island) the potential of Necromancy. Most people think it's all about shambling corpses and blaspheming against the gods, but it's also about life, about bolstering and helping people. So I said to myself, while I'm stuck here on the Dragon Between I might as well do some good to make up for all that bad. I moved to Sharn and set myself up as an exorcist, helping ease all the angry spirits that arouse from a city like that. I worked for some shady folks, being one of the only non-clergy willing and able to do that kind of work, and ya know it felt good to be helping folks, even if I was making a modest living helping them out. It was hard at first, real hard. While Necromancy does have some potential for good, it's true potential can only be unlocked when one doesn't care about the consequences. So I fight the urge to fall into bad habits, every day, every spell."
"Of course here in lies my current problem. See that Circle of Mages my old 'Master' was always talking about, that lovely Esoteric Order, doesn't take too kindly when you start undercutting them, unintentionally charging coppers for Cantrips. And they have a lot of influence in the city, soon enough one by one my jobs were drying up. My only choice left, if I wanted to continue doing my good deeds was to join them. Of course I thought they were joking when they told me their entrance fees. So I did some digging into where to find that kind of pocket lining, and I hear about some yahoo somewhere striking it rich with a bunch of forgotten treasure. And well, that got me thinking..."
