It's dark...pitch black in fact, and cramped. You're coming to, and the last thing you remember was the electric bullets pelleting you into unconsciousness.
Those of you with darkvision can see you're inside of a crammed, metal box - roughly fifty feet long, twenty feet tall, and thirty feet wide. All around you are bodies - some unconscious, some, by the smell of them, long dead - some, coming to, just like you are.
You can feel the vibrations - this box is shaking - moving somehow. By the sounds of it, you can hear the engine of a train, one of the modern innovations of the Nexorans. So the conclusion is easy...for some of you, you were captured. For some of you, this is a transfer.
You can barely move, the box is so packed with creatures. Some are howling out, each in their own racial language - common seems nearly unheard of in the tight, packed area. And on you move...the heat of the bodies countered by the cold chill in the air outside of the container. Wherever you're traveling to, it is somewhere frigid, because you can feel the bite of the cold on your flesh even through the metal of this makeshift prison - even through all the warm bodies around you.
You're not sure how long you've traveled since you've been conscious - minutes? Hours? But finally it comes to a stop, and you can feel the entire container begin to tip to one side, as the side of the boxcar - yes, that's what it is, you can see it finally when the side opens, and the light pours in all at once, and the entirety of you are dumped ingloriously from the train...it's a huge drop, at least fifty feet, into a pool of water.
We will, for story's sake, ignore the fall damage for now and say more than a few other people broke your fall
When you manage to make our way to shore, you notice...at least 70 to 75% of the others in the boxcar with you are dead, whether having died before their imprisonment, during the cramped ride, or from the fall of having so many others land atop them in the drop to the water...very few of you are alive...ten at most. You look around...fifty foot walls line the yard of this prison camp, with towers manned by humans wielding weapons you don't recognize. The train itself lies on one of the walls - this prison camp was apparently built into the side of a mountain, and the train runs along it's wall, conveniently "dropping off" new arrivals before moving on to it's next stop.
The air is, as you expected earlier - cold. Quite cold, in fact, but the high walls seem to stop most of the chill from the wind. You see tents of all sizes, made of stitched together rags and discarded clothes, and some other creatures peek out of them to see new arrivals. Humans in heavy armor wielding powerful weapons - those guns that won the Nexorans so many wars - pace the floors, but tend to keep free of large crowds. Most of the other non-humanoids don't even bother to look up, however - as they're too busy picking up broken pickaxes and moving dejectedly towards a cave that empties into the mountain, as humans yell at them, kick them, or worse.
You can read it on the wall - well, those of you who understand common can - "Forthax Camp - Facility 72". A human - one of five awaiting your new arrival - chuckles at your arrival, spits on the floor near you, and points a gun in your general direction. "Welcome to your last home, monster."
Nexorus is a nation on the rise. While not the most magically inclined, nor the most technologically, they have taken their gift for hybridizing there arts and used it to push their military to heights the world has not seen. The primarily human nation has been swallowing up competitors, and pushing non-human humanoids, such as dwarves and gnomes, to a position of servitude and serfdom - while outright "monstrous" races such as kobolds and orcs are put to the sword by the hundreds - usually after they are worked nearly to death in camps.
A few nations resist the Nexorans, but most cow to their bullying to remain independent, as the humans of Nexorus swallow up competitors.
You are one of those monsters. You begin in one of those camps...and what happens next...is up to you.
The game's theme is maintaining your "humanity," as it were, when the world around you is monstrous. There are meant to be parallels between Nazi Germany and the Nexorans.
I have amended the list of races to choose from compared to the original interest thread, so please pay attention. Do not ask me to play another race. These races were chosen for a reason. Other races either a. don't exist in this homebrew world, b. are not right for the theme of the game, c. I am not familiar enough with to make a judgment. I don't want to analyze a bunch of races I'm not terribly familiar with for balance and...look, I've given you 23 to choose from.
I reserve the right to make alterations if I find a race is absolutely wrecking the game, or turning one player into Superman while everyone else is Aquaman. It's supposed to be fun for everyone, though, so that would most likely result in me souping up the Aquamen.
I'm looking to tell a story here - your story, obviously, but my point is this isn't about just wrecking stuff as a monster (though obviously there will be wrecking stuff as a monster, because duh). It's about thinking outside the box - what use is that gold chest you found, when every town in miles will murder you if they see you? How do you survive when you're hunted on all fronts? Will you turn into the monster they think you are, or are they wrong?
House Rules/Character Generation for this game:
I. 20 point buy with 2 traits
1) Traits can be from any campaign/setting/flavor, but the "no two from the same category" rule still applies.
II. No feat requirements for item creation, but skill rolls and other prerequisites are required.
1) Can take feats to further reduce item creation costs, if desired.
III. Allowed Material:
1) All Pathfinder official Paizo material allowed (except Mythic and a few exceptions listed below).
A) Prestige classes can be taken even if not in the group, as the Forgotten Realms don't have “Red Mantis Assassin” and other specific groups unique to Golarion. However, something similar must replace it. I.E. if you want to play a Winter Witch, you should spend a lot of time in the cold to justify it, even if you aren't in Golarion's Irrisen or a member of that specific group.
B) Any base class is allowed, but you need story justification. If you're playing a barbarian and want to eventually multiclass a few levels in wizard, that's fine, but justify it by spending time in libraries and practicing before you take your levels.
C) Summoners and Rogues must be of the Unchained variety.
D) Barbarians and Monks may be Unchained or original.
E) No Leadership. Just...a headache I don't want to deal with.
2) No 3rd Party or 3.X stuff. I learned a lesson in my last recruitment to not open that can of worms. Please don't ask.
IV. All alignments will be allowed, but I will have NPCs (including other monstrous races react according to your reputation as individuals and as a group. “But nobody saw me murder that homeless woman!” Remember, Divination magic, scrying, and Speak With Dead are all low to medium level spells.
1) No PVP allowed. I don't care what you say about "but my character would..." - Change your character if that's the case. You must get along as a group when it comes down to it. Come up with reasons as a group; I don't care what reasons you have, as long as they hold up.
V. The economics use a base copper system, not gold.
1) Starting gold is in copper, not gold.
2) Equipment is available in lower tiers:
A) Rusty:
i. Rusty/warped equipment is -1 attack for weapons, and +1 AC penalty for armor and shields.
ii. Rusty/warped equipment is ½ cost.
B) Broken:
i. Broken equipment is -2 attack for weapons, +2 AC penalty for armor and shields.
ii. Broken equipment is 1/10th cost.
VI. E6 System: This means the level cap is 6.
1) After 6th level, experience only earns additional feats.
2) This means that some races, such as trolls, will be capped at lower levels, due to their CR adjustment.
Race List:
Boggard (Bestiary I page 37)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 2 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
C) “Terrifying Croak” ability DC increases by ½ per class level.
2. Bugbear (Bestiary I page 38)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 2 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
3. Cyclops (Bestiary I page 52)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 5 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
4. Dire Corby (Bestiary III page 80)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 1 negative level until you balance out the levels.
C) “Screech of Doom” ability DC increases by ½ per class level
5. Gargoyle (Bestiary I page 137)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 2 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
6. Goblin
A) Standard rules
7. Gnoll
A) Use the Advanced Races Guide version on page 225.
B) No negative levels, level adjustment, or other penalties as a result.
8. Grippli:
A) Standard rules
9. Hobgoblin:
A) Standard rules
10. Kobold:
A) Standard rules
B) May take one alternate racial trait without giving up one as a result of weaker power.
11. Lizardfolk
A) Use the Advanced Races Guide version on page 226.
B) No negative levels, level adjustment, or other penalties as a result.
12. Minotaur (Bestiary I page 206)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 4 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
13. Nagaji
A) Standard rules
14. Ogre (Bestiary I page 220)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 3 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
15. Orc
A) Full orcs only, not half orc
B) Standard rules
16. Ratfolk:
A) Standard rules
17. Sahuagin (Bestiary I page 239)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 2 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
C) 3 negative levels/CR3 if you choose 4-armed variant.
18. Strix:
A) Must take the “clipped wing” variant.
B) Otherwise Standard Rules
19. Tengu
A) Standard rules
20. Troglodyte (Bestiary I page 267)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 1 negative level until you balance out the levels.
C) Stench DC goes up by ½ per class level.
21. Troll (Bestiary I page 268)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 5 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
22. Vanara:
A) Standard rules
23. Yeti (Bestiary I page 287)
A) Use “Monsters as PCs” rules from Bestiary 1, page 313.
B) 2 negative levels until you balance out the levels.
C) “Frightful Gaze” DC increases by ½ class levels.
I have one spot already saved for this game - I will choose 3-4 other players. I keep a pretty quick game - I expect a minimum 1/day posting rate. I choose my players based upon a combination of factors, from how fast they post in other games, to their writing style (analyzed by reading other games' posts), character backstory/personality, and team synergy.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will be running this recruitment until November 10th at 5pm EST, and I expect I will have my decisions shortly after, probably the next morning at the latest.
This is an interest check in a campaign idea I've had for a while. It is partially inspired by the Goblins comic, but I take it from a different route. Home brew world using E7 variant Pathfinder rules.
Nexorus is a nation on the rise. While not the most magically inclined, nor the most technologically, they have taken their gift for hybridizing there arts and used it to push their military to heights the world has not seen. The primarily human nation has been swallowing up competitors, and pushing non-human humanoids, such as dwarves and gnomes, to a position of servitude and serfdom - while outright "monstrous" races such as kobolds and orcs are put to the sword by the hundreds - usually after they are worked nearly to death in camps.
A few nations resist the Nexorans, but most cow to their bullying to remain independent, as the humans of Nexorus swallow up competitors.
You are one of those monsters. You begin in one of those camps...and what happens next...is up to you.
Trailsend isn't quite like you expected it to be, but it certainly meets expectations: the advertisements for adventurers on every tavern wall, the booming marketplace, and the crowds bustling through the main thoroughfares are fare more indicative of a larger city than this. It took you some time to find it, but you're almost certain you arrived. The house before you certainly matches the address in the letter you were sent.
You still have it on your person, and whether or not you choose to re-read it, it says exactly the same thing it did when the exhausted courier pressed it into your hands a couple of days ago. The handwriting is small and precise, written by a person clearly taking their time to carefully form the letters, as if they were not used to or comfortable with the written word. The ink is smudged, as if the letter were folded before it had plenty of time to dry, but you recognized the wax seal on the outside as matching the symbol of the signatory:
"My friend,
I write with an opurtintyopertoontie chance of a lifetime that just reached my ears today. A bounty has been placed with payout I haven't seen in all my years! The prize and job I will share when I meet you, for fear some other reads this letter than intinted I want. Meet me at my home in Trailsend. I will leave direkshunsderektuns the way there on the back. Time is of the essence! I paid great expense for eckscluseve to be the only one allowed to know of this hunt for three days, so I need to see you by the day after you read this letter, at the latest! Also, the trail may grow cold with time. Do hurry!
Flarghin Ironstone"
The home is not modest, but not extravagant; a stout building of brick and mortar, two stories, with a large den from the look of it. You can see smoke billowing from the chimney, and the smell of hot venison is perceptible from the front door, as is that of footsteps running around inside. The building is shut up tight from the cold air that blows around you, it's solid oak shutters and door shut tight. It's the tail end of fall, and in the Cold Lands of Damara, that might as well be the dead of winter for the rest of Faerun. The sun is still up in the sky, but it's clearly on the decline, as the blues turn to purples and Selune begins her rise. The moon's thin crescent seems unusually bright and white, as if it's fighting with the sun for it's chance in the twilight sky.
Greetings fellow gamers. It's your pal, TGTG, and I'm back from a PbP hiatus, because, well, I finally got all my ducks in a row, and have regular time to dedicate to this stuff again.
The itch has hit me to GM, and I dug up an old adventure I've been working on and off for a few years, and I present it to you:
"Of Gods and Death"
(Yeah, I know, I could probably do better on the title...)
The year is 1373, the Year of Rogue Dragons, in the nation of Damara. Each of you has been summoned by an old adventuring partner, Flarghin Ironstone, a semi-famous retired dwarven adventurer you've been on a trip or two with in the past, who has sent for you at urgent speed to help him chase a bounty he was offered an exclusive head-start on. It seems the prize is too big for him to ignore, so he's gathered the closest (geographically in this case, as time was an issue) allies he could find to get to work!
This game begins a simple adventure, but as it continues, you will find yourself drawn into a rabbit hole of plots, planar travel, time travel, and even mythic ascension before a conclusion planned to, long down the line, end in potential deicide. This is somewhat inspired by Chrono Trigger, with a twist of Clash of the Titans mixed in, and of course my own personal designs.
HouseRules/ChargenRules/etc:
TheGreenTeaGameMaster's Personal House Rules:
House Rules for "Of Gods and Death"
-25 point buy with 2 traits.
-Traits can be from any campaign/setting/flavor, but the "no two from the same category" rule still applies.
-No feat requirements for non-custom item creation (at market cost), but skill rolls and other prerequisites are required.
-Can take feats to further reduce item creation costs, if desired.
Allowed Material:
-All Pathfinder official Paizo material allowed.
-Prestige classes can be taken even if not in the group, as the Forgotten Realms doesn't have “Red Mantis Assassin” and other specific groups unique to Golarion. However, something similar must replace it. I.E. if you want to play a Winter Witch, you should spend a lot of time in the cold to justify it, even if you aren't in Golarion's Irrisen or a member of that specific group.
-Any base class is allowed, but you need story justification. If you're playing a barbarian and want to eventually multiclass a few levels in wizard, that's fine, but justify it by spending time in libraries and practicing before you take your levels.
-Summoners and Rogues must be of the Unchained variety.
-Barbarians and Monks may be Unchained or original.
-Leadership feat is not allowed
-3rd Party or D&D 3.5/3.0 material available only upon GM pre-approval. Assume an automatic “NO” to any material that has been updated to Pathfinder (such as the 3.5 version of Samurai, Swashbuckler, etc.), but a possible yes for things that have no counterpart (such as the third party “Priest” class that is a squishier version of the cleric). Overall I prefer nothing non-Paizo official. It just makes less research for myself. If you have a concept that just can't be done without it, I will try to work with it, but odds are I can think of a PF alternative. Things are just simpler this way.
-All alignments except CE will be allowed, but I will have NPCs react according to your reputation as individuals and as a group. Simply messed up behavior will probably result in bounties being placed on your head and people hunting you down, targeting you over the less ill reputable members of the group in combat, etc. “But nobody saw me murder that homeless woman!” Remember, Divination magic, scrying, and Speak With Dead are all low to medium level spells. You've been warned.
-No PVP allowed. I don't care what you say about "but my character would..." - Change your character if that's the case. You must get along as a group when it comes down to it. Come up with reasons as a group; I don't care what reasons you have, as long as they hold up.
-Death of a character results in either:
1. A storyline resurrection, which is entirely possible, but not something you should depend upon.
2. A character-driven resurrection, in which the players work through a quest to earn a resurrection from a powerful ally, or to find a magic item to raise you, or perform a powerful ritual, etc.
A) If this is something you just buy, it probably will not be cheap.
B) During such a quest, you can play an NPC the party has met, cohort, or animal companion temporarily.
3. Conversion to undead, which may result in the GM taking your character, or not, depending on the situation.
4. Creation of a new character to replace it, if you absolutely must. The method of mythic ascension makes this incredibly inconvenient for me, so this is a last resort.
The game begins in the "Forgotten Realms" setting, circa 1373 DR (12 years before the Spellplague, 1 year after the 3rd Edition timeline), the Year of Rogue Dragons.
Clerics, Druids, Hunters, Inquisitors, Paladins, Rangers, Warpriests, etc, must choose a single god from the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms pantheon as their patron for spells.
If you desire a domain/subdomain that didn't exist in D&D 3.5, simply choose a god that it makes sense for. I'll likely be okay with any choice you desire.
You CANNOT be a follower of Cyric or Shar, for story reasons. It would be beneficial, if you are a holy character, to be a follower of one of their enemies, but not necessary.
Oracles and Shamans must choose a group of deities based on a theme to follow and receive their spells from - example "the Dwarven Pantheon" or "the gods of good", etc. Oracles are still divine casters, even though they are blessed by a group, and Shamans still gain power from spirits, which are servants of deities.
The game will begin in the nation of Damara, at the town of Trailsend. All of you are former companions of a dwarf named Flargin Ironstone, who has summoned you to help him track down a huge bounty, of which he will explain more when you have gathered.
Starting level is 5th. No Mythic Tiers to start (...yet)
Starting gold is 10,000gp - No single item worth more than 2,500gp. No custom magic items to begin.
Allowable races:
1. Aasimar
2. Changeling (Flavor-Wise are referred to as "Hag-Touched")
3. Dhampir
4. Dwarf
5. Elf
6. Gnome (Flavor-Wise are different than their Pathfinder counterparts. Please read up on them if you wish to play a gnome.)
7. Half-Elf
8. Half-Orc
9. Halfling
10. Human
11. Ifrit (Flavor-Wise are referred to as "Fire Genasi" and not Ifrits.)
12. Orc (Must be from Many-Arrows, or another "civilized" orc land, or otherwise not the rape-pillage-kill-everything type)
13. Oread (Flavor-Wise are referred to as "Earth Genasi" and not Oreads.)
15. Suli (Flavor-Wise are referred to as "Genie-Touched")
16. Sylph (Flavor-Wise are referred to as "Air Genasi" and not Sylphs.)
17. Tiefling
18. Undine (Flavor-Wise are referred to as "Water Genasi" and not Undines.)
What am I looking for in a player?
Consistency and Frequency of posting (minimum 1/day, and I'll allow for a slowdown in weekends, but more is always nice - I won't hold you to more, though since I personally can't guarantee more than 1/day right now)
Good writing
Understanding how to play the game (I am not going to be holding hands like I did for my Savage Worlds game with a bunch of home conversions - this is Pathfinder in the Paizo site - you should know how the game is played).
A cool backstory (that isn't a novel in of itself - a couple paragraphs will do). You're a fifth level character, so you can say a bit about yourself.
I've got some pretty grandiose goals with this game, so I need some pretty epic players to pull it off. I look forward to the submissions. I'll decide when to close submission based on how fast people apply, but I'm looking at a week or two, potentially. I am not a fan of super long recruitments.
If you played the classic Final Fantasy games, you know what I'm talking about. They had spears. They wore HEAVY armor. They jumped an ungodly height and came to rain death on their enemies.
I first thought dragoon fighter would do the job - I mean, in FF4, the American version translates Kain's "Dragon Knight" class as "Dragoon", and this archetype gets spear specialization with double the damage bonus...but...
...what the hell is this "mounted focus but no actual mount" crap?! No, no, no, no, that will not do at all. Unless you count the occasional Chocobo, these folks did not do mounted combat.
So I'm trying to figure if I wanted to build a lancer type, how would I do it?
I almost think a regular fighter would do it, using armor training to eliminate the AC penalty in heavy armor or get it as low as possible, and regular weapon training to boost spear damage, snag Death From Above, take Skill Focus (acrobatics) and Acrobatic or anything else that boosts jump, grab boots of striding and springing ASAP, and maybe power attack/furious focus?
Another route I've seen suggested is scout rogue, for the sneak attack on charges, but...no heavy armor that way. :-/
This is a really dumb idea. I wouldn't ever do it, because it's ridiculous, but the thought popped into my head, and I just had to ask in case anyone's tried it:
Imagine a scenario:
There is a sprite (diminutive),
who uses a brownie (tiny) as a mount with a custom saddle,
who in turn rides a gnome (small) as a mount with a custom saddle,
who rides a human (medium) as a mount with a custom saddle,
who rides an ogre (large) as a mount with a custom saddle,
who rides taiga giant (huge) as a mount with a custom saddle,
who rides rune giant (gargantuan) as a mount with a custom saddle,
who rides a great wyrm red dragon (colossal) as a mount with a custom saddle.
Imagine all of them (except the dragon) have Mounted Combat.
1. Is this physically allowed?
2. How far down the chain can the Mounted Combat feat be used to avoid hits?
2a. Can the Rune Giant still roll for the Dragon, even with all the other stuff?
2b. Can others in the middle roll for the step below them, even though the dragon is doing the movement? For example, can the human roll to make sure the giant avoids an attack?
2c. Can you roll further down the chain? Could the sprite roll for the dragon?
If I wanted to make a character who relied on the versatility of the shadow spells (shadow conjuration/shadow evocation/the new shadow enchantment, etc), what do you think would be the best way to do it?
Obviously, Shadowcaster comes to mind for it's 10th level ability, but I was wondering if that's the best route to go? I'm not usually crazy about prepared spellcasters as I always prepare something stupid, and I never have enough time to take advantage of leaving a slot empty (obviously shadow spells help mitigate that). I definitely 100% want a full 9-level caster for this potential character. Here's my ideas so far:
Classes:
Arcanist - I like the arcanist, but I can't seem to find a way to make him as good as a wizard at this particular game. Considering he has less spells, I would probably go with a wizard in this instance, but, if you can think of a work around...
Cleric with Darkness domain - Probably not. Good twist, but lacks both shadow evocation and enchantment.
Oracle with Deafness curse - would love the "always silent spells" but sadly, I can't find a mystery that adds those spells to this list.
Sorcerer with the Shadow bloodline - Great bloodline powers, but no significant bonuses to the shadow type spells themselves. Umbral doesn't seem quite as useful, but maybe I'm wrong?
Witch with the Shadow patron - Hexes are wonderfully limitless, but this doesn't have access to Shadow Enchantment.
Wizard (shadowcaster) - that 10th level ability - love it. 5th? Not so much. I mean, yeah, if I don't have darkvision already, I guess, but otherwise, meh. 1st level is nice, but no nicer than arcane bond.
Races:
Human - So boring. So good at everything.
Gnome - whole lot of illusions going on, so they kind of make sense.
Fetchling - sadly, not allowed. GM says 15 or less RP races.
Samsaran - seems to be a way around not having certain spells on your list, but I hate their theme, and if I chose it, it would be purely mechanical...which I think would lead to problems in the long run as I try to enjoy the character.
Tiefling - my favorite race in the game! I also think kytons would fit, thematically, with this type of character, sine they're usually chilling in the shadow plane.
Wayang - seems to fit the bill perfectly, but I can't find their RP number, to see if they're allowed.
Anyway I'm 100% sure I've missed some stuff. Suggestions? Arguments for one path in particular? Help? General tips? Please?
I am a HUGE fan of the 6-player conversion for Kingmaker that's stickied in that thread, and I was wondering if anyone has undertaken an attempt for that with this game? We will be starting this AP this weekend with some friends, and the GM wants to add a sixth player, but doesn't want to unless she can find a conversion similar to the one in Kingmaker (she's a relatively new GM and just doing all that herself would be a handful). I told her I'd hit the boards and ask around...
Started Kingmaker yesterday. We will have six players regularly, so I used the six-player conversion. One player didn't show up, and I asked if they wanted to go with the 4 or 6 player version, and they asked for the 6.
They handled defending Oleg's place pretty easily, and then decided to head straight to the Thorn River Camp, but they decided to explore each hex along the way. Their very first hex was a random encounter, and I rolled a werewolf! I decided not to murder a brand new party of first level folks and rerolled for a worg, which they took out, but it nearly destroyed the rogue in two rounds as it surprised them. They headed back to heal, and then had the same issue with the giant spider and the ranger.
As a result, they arrived right after the 3-day limit to catch the bandits unawares at Thorn River Camp. Between a prepared camp and the 6-player conversion being used for 5 players, and them not having leveled up at all, and 3/5 players being brand new to Pathfinder, it didn't go well.
I'm not one to pull my punches on my players, but it was their first game, and as I said, most of them were brand new to tabletop altogether, and so I didn't really want to TPK on the first session. So when 3/5 of the team were unconscious but stable and bleeding out, and the samurai was completely and utterly surrounded, I had Kressle demand their surrender. The samurai (reflavored as a knight) was a bastard of a noble, and actually well favored by his noble father, and so I figured they'd want to ransom him. You see, the missing player is a barbarian orc with the brigand trait, and chaotic evil (but the player has sworn and promised to be a team player on threat of being forced to play NG if he causes trouble) so I figured he could be one of the bandits, betray them, and offer to help them escape if they made it worth their while next session.
Well, the rogue surrenders, and the samurai agrees to and sheathes his weapon - but the samurai was a sword saint. It was all a ploy to try one last iajitsu against Kressle. When he rolls a 2 on the die, it doesn't go well, and he gets stabbed more than Julius Caesar during the Ides of March.
So, I need to figure out three things:
1. Why are they taking them captive instead of ransoming them? Maybe once they see the charter they realize these people could be worth something to the Swordlords?
2. The Thorn River camp is pretty open, and wouldn't make a great spot to keep captives, but the Stag Lord's fort is way too strong a place to be taken to and escape from at level 1. Is there a good spot you think they'd take them?
3. The new character is going to be a paladin. An angel-blooded aasimar paladin with a halo and the whole shebang. I'm thinking of how do I introduce him? Nobody knows the party is missing, so my initial idea "coming to rescue" is unlikely. "Happens to be attacking the bandits while they're trying to escape" is the best I have, but I can't think of much better...
Like someone with memory problems, I hit this forum up again looking to see if there are any groups looking for players in Jacksonville, and I wonder if anyone actually is looking for players in the whole city.
I've hit these forums, and so many others, looking for a group. I've been to the PFS events, and the games in Borderlands, Cool Stuff, Hammerhall when it was open, and many of the shops in town - I know there's plenty of RPG players in Jacksonville, but it seems like everyone either already knows everyone else and is cliquey, or just isn't really looking for new players, or for some reason are only interested in society games and don't want to meet with regularity.
I have found a few groups on the local Meetup site, but that thing hasn't been maintained or updated in months, and the few people that trickle in through that have been on the other side of town. When you know your town has a couple hundred people rolling 20s and yet you only seem to interact with like - seven - it's a little annoying.
I just want to play some Pathfinder again. I'm free on the weekends. I'm punctual, I like both RP and combat, and if I'm gonna miss a session I'm considerate enough to shoot out a text, email, etc. I ask the same from the people I play with. I prefer to play, but can GM if nobody else feels like it...but my preference is definitely as a player.
I can give more info, but considering the last three times I put an ad up here I got zero responses, I think I'll wait until a question is asked...if it is.
Had a single player drop out of one of my two Savage Worlds Fallout games. They take place in Florida, between part 4 and New Vegas on the timeline.
I'm willing to open up for one...maybe two...players, but understand this:
WE POST FREQUENTLY!
This is why our player left. 1/day will not cut it. Average seems to be 2-3 times a day, some more, sometimes less for holidays, but if everyone else has posted, I don't like to leave players waiting, so after 12-24 hours if it's a combat and we're waiting, you'll be botted.
I have a whole set of rules I made for SW to convert Fallout. It's been a labor of love, and my players seem to love it.
Here is the game you will be joining if you are selected. Since you obviously won't be Vault Dwellers like the rest, I have opened up Super Mutants and Ghouls as playable options in addition to humans
I want concepts, post frequency, and how you think you can fit in the team before I want builds. I'll help you with that if I choose you.
Feel free to ask any questions. If you didn't make the game before, this I your chance!
I mean, it's after midnight GMT now, so I should say: to those of you who celebrate it, have a very merry Christmas.
To those of you who don't, I still hope you have a wonderful day off work.
To those of you who have to work on the holiday because you're firefighters, medical personnel, police, or other emergency workers, God bless you for working on a holiday.
To those of you who have to work who AREN'T emergency workers...well, I'm sorry that your boss is clearly a greedy jerk.
Similarly to the other game, I need, before we begin, two sets of rolls from the players before we begin:
1) A straight d6 roll, modified by your charisma, to see if you happen to know or are friends with any of the escorts before we begin. This CAN ace (explode), and you do get your wild die, but it cannot be Benny'd, as this is not a skill roll or attribute roll. This is pretty much pure luck, and charisma only modifies it because charismatic people are more likely to have more friends in the vault altogether who have been chosen.
2) A Stealth roll to determine if you managed to hide anything when you were searched at the gate. For every success and raise you managed to hide anything roughly the size of a standard Snickers bar on you. (In my RL game and my other PbP, examples of things people have taken have been a mulitool, a stick of dynamite, a small box of bobby pins, a stimpak, and a switchblade...but you are not limited to that.) This CAN be Benny'd and as usual with skills, you get your wild die. Bennies used will be deducted from your scene 1 Bennys, so be considering that...
If you get snakeyes on hiding something, then you tried to hide something sharp, and it didn't go so well...
The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.
But war never changes.
In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.
In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.
A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Your family was part of that group that entered Vault Two. Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a city of concrete, more than one generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world.
But Vault Two was not without its faults. Birth control, a luxury so taken for granted before the war, was purposefully removed from the halls of Vault Two, a horrid experiment on overpopulation by the programmers of Vault-Tec, who not only removed any of the materials necessary to create suitable and reliable chemical or physical contraceptives, but any and all data on the databanks and books present.
As the years went by and the original Overseer passed and was replaced, and the confines of the Vault grew less habitable, the new Overseer knew he had a decision to make, and a tough one. He learned of the fault in Vault Two from the previous Overseer, and even knew of the failsafes that Vault-Tec had programmed into the system that would occur should they insert contraceptive education into the databanks, and so he devised a plan to save as many lives as possible. Rather than let war break out within the Vault when capacity was breached and supplies were diminishing, he decided they would hold a lottery each year and exile those who's name were drawn...A number of dwellers equal to those born minus those who have died...So that they would retain a zero population growth.
Yes, it was cruel to think of their fate, but it was better than death, or war, horrid war that had already destroyed so much of humanity breaking out in the one place that was supposed to be safe from war.
So every year a number was chosen, and the day was never the same. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, sometimes it would be during the work day. The only way the people would know would be the speech the Overseer gave the next day, 'saluting the bravery of those who sacrifice so that we may live.'
Well, I am just really enjoying GMing my Fallout Savage Worlds conversion. So much so, that I'm opening up to a second group to walk the wastelands of post apocalyptic Florida.
If you were in the interest check that turned full recruitment, this is your second chance. If you never heard of it, well, its been awesome, and you can check the game to see yourself my style.
Here's some stuff from the last recruitment, copied here for your convenience:
Crunch:
I have been working on a conversion for about...well off and on two years, but with long breaks, so probably six months of work. I've converted most Perks to Edges, converted almost every item, almost every chem, almost everything from every game that isn't part 4, since that only recently came out and I haven't gotten to play it much yet. I've also added shields (since why wouldn't you take a police riot shield or a trashcan lid or such if you have a free hand), and I feel the SW rules will add a few nice twists to Fallout, like dual wielding or whatnot. My document is about 90 pages so far, but that counts the Bestiary and GM notes for my home game I'm running. I've been leaking data on discussion page as needed, but the full rules won't beout until my wife, a pro graphic designer, can get time to PDF it up all nice, so I can host it on my own site for credit so someone doesn't steal all my work (not to pat my back but this is seriously in depth). We have been hitting significant delays with that, so I will copy and paste what you need for brand new characters here.
Flavor:
The game would take place in Florida, and would be a sandbox style. The players would all be exiles from Vault 2, in Miami (which was hit HARD by the nukes). This vault like so many had a flaw: this vault's flaw was a lack of birth control anywhere...no education, no materials, and no videos or data files with any information on it. After the vault hit capacity, the Overseer's solution was to calculate the number of people born in a year, subtract those who have died, and exile that amount of people from the vault by pure lottery. This is how the players are thrust into the wasteland. Further, every year those making the drop are chosen at random as well, and drop locations are never in the same location twice, all to prevent people from finding their way back to the vault (which would he difficult in any case; exiles are suited in a radiation suit on the way out because Miami is still pretty dense with the rads, and are left with no gear when they reach the drop point. After all, that's precious supplies the dwellers remaining could use!)
On group actions:
My thoughts are to have the actions of both the RL and the both PbP groups affect the world, and possibly have to deal with the results of each other's actions...but that may be hard to pull off due to time differentials. Still, so far its been a blast.
What's happened in Florida:
In the Fallout universe, you ask? I won't tell it all, but...
Daytona has become a deathrace colliseum, where slaves are forced to race mad max style psycho fusion powered vehicles in a Mario kart on crack style entertainment for the masses.
Saint Augustine is a good three feet underwater, as are most coastal regions, and oversized gators with petrified scales roam the waters, but there is treasure to be found in its buildings, or so they say.
Tampa has become a Tortuga-like pirate's haven, with no law, and five gangs living in uneasy harmony having agreed to a peace treaty. They align for ourside threats, but otherwise keep their distance. Anything and everything can be found on their black market, but you might get stabbed on your way there.
Orlando is a haven for feral ghouls, a collection of ruins and rubble, but in its center lies Kingdom. Did you know below Disney lies a secret city connecting all of its parks? A few people know that, but fewer still know that in the future it becomes a Vault-City like example of safety and technology. Still, non-citizens have to pay outrageous ticket prices for entry, and so a shanty town has sprung up outside of its gates.
Jacksonville? Mutants in NAS Jax and Brotherhood scouring Mayport for weaponry. Usually the Brotherhood keeps to their base doen south in Kennedy Space Center, though, where they've set up a makeshift base as they siphon it for tech.
...And much more. I just thought I'd give you an idea, though. Oh, and don't go near the everglades if you value your life. I warned you.
Old friends include Deathclaws, Geckos, variant Cazadores, Geckos, Ghouls, Centaurs, and more! I have finished just about everything but tunnelers. New friends include the Palmetto Radroaches, Janus Panthers, Boomer Frogs, and other Florida wildlife gone Fallout style!
I post mostly off my phone, so we've been free form combating instead of map based. I don't like it as much, but I can't find a decent way to do maps on my phone. Take a look at the gameplay if you need details.
What am I looking for in a player?
Consistency. Character development. Role-playing. Pushing. Actually posting regularly. I got very lucky that my other group is all of that.
So, if you're interested, I want to know a few things:
1. Familiarity with Fallout and it's incarnations. (Moderately important.)
2. Familiarity with Florida (not very important, but it will let me know how much detail you need about where things are located, etc).
3. Your PbP history and posting habits. (Rather important, but if I have any newbies, I will give preference to at least one, if not a couple, because we've all been one once.)
4. Your character concept. You are human vault dwellers being exiled at random lottery draw. This gives you a built in alliance to begin with.
5. Things you'd like to accomplish. This is sandbox, so I will try to build around your desires, but I will also push to get the game moving at times. It's easier to push with a goal or ten.
6. If you want to throw a quick build together from some of
the new characters conversion stuff:
Here's a few brief snippets from my conversion that will be useful for character generation:
Hindrances (new)
The following hindrances are available in addition to the standard hindrances in the core Savage Worlds book. Any of the originals can still be taken, however, and none of the following are required.
Chem Resistant (Major): The character’s metabolism doesn't react to chemicals very well. For a chem to have any effect, the hero has to make a Vigor check
Fast Metabolism (Minor): The character’s metabolic rate is twice normal, which causes him/her to be less resistant to poison and radiation, but heal faster. -1 penalty to Rad Resistance checks and to Vigor checks when afflicted by poison; +1 to natural healing checks.
Edges (new)
The following Edges are available in addition to the standard edges in the core Savage Worlds book. Most of the originals can still be taken (see the “Removed Edges” section), however, and none of the following are required.
Novice Edges
Adrenaline Rush (Vigor d8): Get a bonus to damage rolls with fighting weapons equal to the number of wounds you're suffering.
Black Widow/Lady Killer/Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme: Pick a gender; receive +1 damage versus humans of that gender; also receive +2 to charisma with human members of that gender if they are attracted to members of your gender. All four edges are mutually exclusive.
Cannibal (Vigor d6): May eat human flesh to gain a soak roll on a preexisting wound, even after the golden hour has passed. Requires a full meal from a fresh body. Will result in -4 charisma if discovered and possibly aggression from those who witness.
Child at Heart (Charisma 0+): +4 charisma when dealing with children
Entomologist (Smarts d6; Science d6): +1d6 damage to mutated insects with any attacks.
Flower Child (Vigor d6; Spirit d8): +2 to chem addiction checks, withdrawal time is halved.
Heave, Ho! (Strength d8; Fighting d6 or Explosives d6): Double range of thrown weapons that you have at least d6 skill in.
Hunter (Survival d6): +1d6 damage versus animals and mutated animals.
In Shining Armor (Repair d4; Science d8): Metal or power armor you wear gains an additional +2 armor versus lasers.
Light Touch (Agility d8): When wearing light armor (armor that has no pace penalty) or no armor, you get +1 damage on raises with your attacks, and enemies get -1 damage on their damage with raises against you. Regular hits are unaffected.
Rad Child (Vigor d8): +2 to vigor rolls when resisting Radiation effects
Snakeater (Vigor d6): +2 to vigor rolls when resisting Poison effects
Removed Edges
(Basically, if it involves magic or power points, it's out. Also, money-based traits, for this particular campaign's purposes, but they could work in the setting in general.)
- Adept
- Arcane Background (any)
- Arcane Resistance /Imp. Arcane Resistance
- Champion
- Gadgeteer
- Holy/Unholy Warrior
- Mentalist
- New Power
- Noble
- Power Points
- Power Surge
- Rapid Recharge / Imp. Rapid Recharge
- Rich/Filthy Rich
- Soul Drain
- Wizard
Some stuff you might not see there (Run and Gun, for example) are a bit more powerful on Savage Worlds than Fallout the way I made them, and are a bit higher level.
There is further stuff added, but given that you are only Novice to start, and will be without equipment to begin* (probably...I'll get to that when I choose a group), equipment isn't necessary, and I can show you the higher level stuff when you get closer to it. Should anyone get turned into a Ghoul or Super Mutant I'll share the stuff for their races at that point.
The only other thing you should know is that Radiation is a third path towards incapacitate, similar to Wounds and Fatigue, and much like how Wounds and Fatigue stack with one another for penalties but not for determining if you are incapacitated, Radiation stacks with both for penalties but not determining if you are incapacitated.
Chem Addiction is resisted with Spirit with a modifier depending on the Chem. IF you start with a chem addiction in character creation with the Habit Hindrance whether major or minor, then you are mentally addicted to that Chem, not necessarily physically, and a doctor cannot cure you (though you can buy off hindrances with leveling up through the usual rules)
...Well, you're welcome to do so if you wish, but it isn't (yet) required...though it certainly shows enthusiasm. Deluxe Explorer's edition is the core set I'm using.
Once I announce the players, I will have two rolls you guys will need to make here before the game begins. I'll let you know then, as they're dependent on your stats.
The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.
But war never changes.
In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.
In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.
A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Your family was part of that group that entered Vault Two. Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a city of concrete, more than one generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world.
But Vault Two was not without its faults. Birth control, a luxury so taken for granted before the war, was purposefully removed from the halls of Vault Two, a horrid experiment on overpopulation by the programmers of Vault-Tec, who not only removed any of the materials necessary to create suitable and reliable chemical or physical contraceptives, but any and all data on the databanks and books present.
As the years went by and the original Overseer passed and was replaced, and the confines of the Vault grew less habitable, the new Overseer knew he had a decision to make, and a tough one. He learned of the fault in Vault Two from the previous Overseer, and even knew of the failsafes that Vault-Tec had programmed into the system that would occur should they insert contraceptive education into the databanks, and so he devised a plan to save as many lives as possible. Rather than let war break out within the Vault when capacity was breached and supplies were diminishing, he decided they would hold a lottery each year and exile those who's name were drawn...A number of dwellers equal to those born minus those who have died...So that they would retain a zero population growth.
Yes, it was cruel to think of their fate, but it was better than death, or war, horrid war that had already destroyed so much of humanity breaking out in the one place that was supposed to be safe from war.
So every year a number was chosen, and the day was never the same. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, sometimes it would be during the work day. The only way the people would know would be the speech the Overseer gave the next day, 'saluting the bravery of those who sacrifice so that we may live.'
Okay, so in talking a little online about the Fallout conversion for Savage Worlds I've been running, I got Rynjin excited to play in it as a PBP. The last PBP I tried to get in as a player fell apart, so I figured I'd test the waters here since this isn't really Pathfinder at all, which is popular here, and see if I did this if I'd actually get interested people.
Crunch - I have been working on a conversion for about...well off and on two years, but with long breaks, so probably six months of work. I've converted most Perks to Edges, converted almost every item, almost every chem, almost everything from every game that isn't part 4, since that hasn't come out yet. I've also added shields (since why wouldn't you take a police riot shield or a trashcan lid or such if you have a free hand), and I feel the SW rules will add a few nice twists to Fallout, like dual wielding or whatnot. My document I about 90 pages so far, but that counts the Bestiary and GM notes for my home game I'm running, so the portion I'd have you guys use. This game wouldn't be until I have my wife PDF it up all nice, so I can host it on my own site for credit so someone doesn't steal all my work (not to pat my back but this is seriously in depth). So...yeah...thus the interest check and not recruitment yet.
Flavor: the game would take place in Florida, and would be a sandbox style. The players would all be exiles from Vault 2, in Miami (which was hit HARD by the nukes). This vault like so many had a flaw: this vault's flaw was a lack of birth control anywhere...no education, no materials, and no videos or data files with any information on it. After the vault hit capacity, the Overseer's solution was to calculate the number of people born in a year, subtract those who have died, and exile that amount of people from the vault by pure lottery. This is how the players are thrust into the wasteland. Further, every year those making the drop are chosen at random as well, and drop locations are never in the same year twice, all to prevent people from finding their way back to the vault (which would he difficult in any case; exiles are suited in a radiation suit on the way out because Miami is still pretty dense with the rads, and are left with no gear when they reach the drop point. After all, that's precious supplies the dwellers remaining could use!)
My thoughts are to have the actions of both the RL and the PbP group affect the world, and possibly have to deal with the results of each other's actions...but that may be hard to pull off due to time differentials.
What's happened in Florida in the Fallout universe, you ask? I won't tell it all, but...
Daytona has become a deathrace colliseum, where slaves are forced to race mad max style psycho fusion powered vehicles in a Mario kart on crack style entertainment for the masses.
Saint Augustine is a good three feet underwater, as are most coastal regions, and oversized gators with petrified scales roam the waters, but there is treasure to be found in its buildings, or so they say.
Tampa has become a Tortuga-like pirate's haven, with no law, and five gangs living in uneasy harmony having agreed to a peace treaty. They align for ourside threats, but otherwise keep their distance. Anything and everything can be found on their black market, but you might get stabbed on your way there.
Orlando is a haven for feral ghouls, a collection of ruins and rubble, but in its center lies Kingdom. Did you know below Disney lies a secret city connecting all of its parks? A few people know that, but fewer still know that in the future it becomes a Vault-City like example of safety and technology. Still, non-citizens have to pay outrageous ticket prices for entry, and so a shanty town has sprung up outside of its gates.
Jacksonville? Mutants in NAS Jax and Brotherhood scouring Mayport for weaponry. Usually the Brotherhood keeps to their base doen south in Kennedy Space Center, though, where they've set up a makeshift base as they siphon it for tech.
...And much more. I just thought I'd give you an idea, though. Oh, and don't go near the everglades if you value your life. I warned you.
Old friends include Deathclaws, Geckos, variant Cazadores, Geckos, Ghouls, Centaurs, and more! I have finished just about everything but tunnelers. New friends include the Palmetto Radroaches, Janus Panthers, Boomer Frogs, and other Florida wildlife gone Fallout style!
Anyway, yeah so...if you like the idea, let me know, and I'll try and hurry with the PDF to this. It's all on a giant Word file atm.
I'm part of a Sunday group that meets every week in Jacksonville, FL, near Southside and Beach Blvd. We were playing Pathfinder, but we're switching over to Savage Worlds in a couple weeks with a new campaign - a Greyhawk-like fantasy is what it is looking like. We just had a player leave, and another announce she's leaving soon, so we're opening up to new players.
We play 3:30-7:30, sometimes as late as 8:30, but usually only until 7:30. Our youngest player is about 20, our oldest about 50, so we're pretty open to most folks, as long as you're an adult. Most of us are pretty punctual - if we're gonna be late or miss a game, we try to communicate ASAP about it. Life happens, we're all adults, and we respect that - but we ask the same respect in turn by not ditching last minute if you can help it.
Our style is about 1/3 RP, 2/3 kill stuff.
If you're interested, drop me a line here or as a message, and I'll float your info by the rest of the group. We will start the new campaign on Sunday August 23rd.
All right, sailor! You have shown yourself a pretty mean creator when it comes to parody aliases. You've got enough aliases to get a job with the KGB, boy!
Well, I aim to get you over 9000, and let me tell you if I don't see Nappa on page 1 of this thread exclaiming in a suprised manner about that number, then you're not the man I thought you were.
Your assignment is to push the limits of the server with aliases, and we, the good people of the Paizo community are here to help, with suggestions that we feel will get more use than "Captain Yesterday Alias #4721".
People will appear, they will give suggestions, and by order of the President, will stick around to interact with them, Dangit!
Boy, I want to see more aliases than posts on James Jacobs' thread! That is an order, sailor!!
EDIT - Since this thread has replies, I can't delete it. The captain has thus refused his assignment, and we should let this fade to obscurity, I suppose...
I'm part of a Sunday group that meets every week in Jacksonville, FL, near Southside and Beach Blvd. We were playing Pathfinder, but we're switching over to Savage Worlds in a couple weeks with a new campaign - Deadlands (weird west) is what it is looking like. We just had a player leave, and another announce she's leaving soon, so we're opening up to new players.
We play 3:30-7:30, sometimes as late as 8:30, but usually only until 7:30. Our youngest player is about 20, our oldest about 50, so we're pretty open to most folks, as long as you're an adult. Most of us are pretty punctual - if we're gonna be late or miss a game, we try to communicate ASAP about it. Life happens, we're all adults, and we respect that - but we ask the same respect in turn by not ditching last minute if you can help it.
Our style is about 1/3 RP, 2/3 kill stuff.
If you're interested, drop me a line here or as a message, and I'll float your info by the rest of the group. We will start the new campaign on Sunday August 23rd.
I figured we need a thread to fill with answers and/or links to obscure references given on the boards. Often I see people questioning the same things over and over again.
My contribution (since it's referenced often and always questioned when it is): The Stormwind Fallacy was a post put up on the Wizards 3.5 CharOp boards by user Tempest Stormwind that can be neatly summarized as "Roleplaying and optimization are not mutually exclusive. Being good at one does not necessitate being bad at the other. There is no such thing as 'roleplaying vs roleplaying'".
My first request - what is up with the "drinking my milk" line?
My players in my Kingmaker group are one member short of a full group, so I've been letting them have a swappable NPC companion roam with them to fill out a full party, choosable from any NPC they get up to helpful disposition that feels like traveling with them for a while (although only ever one at a time). I'm leveling these NPCs up with the party to remain relevant, but building them weaker to avoid stealing their spotlight: the real PCs are 20pt buy, the NPCs are 15pt buy (or for non-standard races, like the captured centaur or Garuum the boggard, the usual "add pc levels to the race with a level adjustment of the CR" and the +4, +4, +2, 0, -2 stat adjustment from the bestiary), the PCs have three traits, the upgradable NPCs will only have two, and the NPCs will only have heroic NPC gear instead of PC gear.
So far it's mostly been Mikmek (whom I've made a bolt ace) and Jhod will be available when they reach his level, as they just finished his temple quest and made him quite happy. But the PCs made friends with Tyg and Perlivash, and upon seeing his picture and learning about how he liked to sit in hats and do loops in the air, etc, the party oracle (and future Baroness, and girlfriend of the party's de facto leader) squealed and said she "totally wants one!" Needless to say, I'm thinking Mikmek might take a hike for Perlivash soon.
I'm wondering how I should advance him. The ideas are either draconic or fey or crossblooded both sorcerer, or increasing racial HD.
The rules for adding class levels are pretty simple to understand, and from what I can understand by reading Nyressia's stat blocks in book 6, it seems class levels add to natural spellcasting, so I am guessing a level of sorcerer would make him a 4th level caster, given his three racial HD, and otherwise have the effects of a first level sorcerer in regard to bloodline, etc. (Please let me know if I'm wrong about that.)
Alternatively, and preferably if it works like I think, I would add racial HD. It wouldn't come with the attribute bonuses adding class levels does, or simplicity, but I'm wondering if it will increase his basic abilities. The problems with that are a) I don't want to increase his size. It ruins his cuteness. The bestiary rules do say you can ignore that side effect. b) The HD increasing rules don't say it affects your spellcasting. If it doesn't, I'd like to stick with class levels for him, but if it does, I think this option is better. c) Does it affect the formula for his breath weapon DC? I think it's a nice ability, but the usefulness will drop with level if it doesn't scale. Most similar abilities go off of HD or 1/2 HD, but his entry only specifies that it is Con based.
I know as the GM I could hand-wave all of this, but I'm trying to make it a specific power level...worthy of joining them, but not outshining. (All his spells, for example, will probably remain nonlethal deterrent type stuff to remain part of his personality and theme).
If anyone can help answer these questions or offer suggestions, I'd appreciate it.
I'm also tagging this in the Kingmaker section in case that is more appropriate.
My players in my Kingmaker group are one member short of a full group, so I've been letting them have a swappable NPC companion roam with them to fill out a full party, choosable from any NPC they get up to helpful disposition that feels like traveling with them for a while (although only ever one at a time). I'm leveling these NPCs up with the party to remain relevant, but building them weaker to avoid stealing their spotlight: the real PCs are 20pt buy, the NPCs are 15pt buy (or for non-standard races, like the captured centaur or Garuum the boggard, the usual "add pc levels to the race with a level adjustment of the CR" and the +4, +4, +2, 0, -2 stat adjustment from the bestiary), the PCs have three traits, the upgradable NPCs will only have two, and the NPCs will only have heroic NPC gear instead of PC gear.
So far it's mostly been Mikmek (whom I've made a bolt ace) and Jhod will be available when they reach his level, as they just finished his temple quest and made him quite happy. But the PCs made friends with Tyg and Perlivash, and upon seeing his picture and learning about how he liked to sit in hats and do loops in the air, etc, the party oracle (and future Baroness, and girlfriend of the party's de facto leader) squealed and said she "totally wants one!" Needless to say, I'm thinking Mikmek might take a hike for Perlivash soon.
I'm wondering how I should advance him. The ideas are either draconic or fey or crossblooded both sorcerer, or increasing racial HD.
The rules for adding class levels are pretty simple to understand, and from what I can understand by reading Nyressia's stat blocks in book 6, it seems class levels add to natural spellcasting, so I am guessing a level of sorcerer would make him a 4th level caster, given his three racial HD, and otherwise have the effects of a first level sorcerer in regard to bloodline, etc. (Please let me know if I'm wrong about that.)
Alternatively, and preferably if it works like I think, I would add racial HD. It wouldn't come with the attribute bonuses adding class levels does, or simplicity, but I'm wondering if it will increase his basic abilities. The problems with that are a) I don't want to increase his size. It ruins his cuteness. The bestiary rules do say you can ignore that side effect. b) The HD increasing rules don't say it affects your spellcasting. If it doesn't, I'd like to stick with class levels for him, but if it does, I think this option is better. c) Does it affect the formula for his breath weapon DC? I think it's a nice ability, but the usefulness will drop with level if it doesn't scale. Most similar abilities go off of HD or 1/2 HD, but his entry only specifies that it is Con based.
I know as the GM I could hand-wave all of this, but I'm trying to make it a specific power level...worthy of joining them, but not outshining. (All his spells, for example, will probably remain nonlethal deterrent type stuff to remain part of his personality and theme).
If anyone can help answer these questions or offer suggestions, I'd appreciate it.
I'm also tagging this in the Homebrew subforum of the Pathfinder RPG section in case that is more appropriate.
I'm derailing another thread a little talking about tea, me being a leader, and other fun topics. This is me attempting to be a good forum member by bringing a new thread up for the subject (and, quite obviously stoking my own ego with a thread about me, but that's beside the point).
Right now I'm enjoying a peppermint herbal tea with a blend of stevia and sugar, having just finished a plain black with the same. Work is in the morning, or I'd probably have some more of the caffeinated stuff.
Aside from the coolness factor of binding an outsider to your will and/or a contract to do your bidding, there's a few things that just don't make sense to me about it.
Primarily, given the level of outsider you are capable of calling with any specific spell being rather limited by that spell, and the availability of that spell being limited by your personal level...what real advantage does calling an outsider have? I mean, how useful is a 6HD at level 10? It doesn't even seem to your advantage until you have the greater versions. (I'm choosing the spontaneous caster levels because they have higher charisma and are more likely to succeed at their respective spells' deals) If it were more powerful than you, I could see going through all the trouble these spells require...gifts, magic circles, dimensional anchors, the chance of a demon busting out and eating your face for the insult of calling him...but something I could probably solo if it came down to it? Seems...iffy. Especially if you have to pay the guy on top of blowing a high level spell just to say hello.
Don't get me wrong, it's really cool...but...
Well, I know I'm probably wrong, and there's applications I'm just not thinking of that make it actually worth all the fuss, but I'll be darned if I can figure out what they are.
It's so much easier to wrap a story around a set of characters that stay the same throughout a campaign...to figure out what would motivate those characters, and to design encounters and situations that cater to the strengths of, or occasionally weaknesses of, a static group.
But everyone has had that guy/girl in their group. (I've been that guy,but I'm recovering.) The one with the revolving door of characters. Story continuity be damned, they're bored with an elf wizard, and they just discovered dwarf brawler, and they want to switch! Two sessions in, that's not for them, so now a gnome bard joins the party. I literally had a girl in my group who played 7 characters in 9 weeks! I kept joking she was the same doppelganger every time.
Not only is it a pain for the GM to readjust conflicts for the new make up of the group, but you have to write the old character out, introduce the new character (often in the middle of a long dungeon, island adventure, or other locale where wandering into a random halfling thief not only doesn't make sense, but leaves the players having to suspend disbelief for a while to explain why this paranoid group of adventurers suddenly trusts a shifty guy hanging out in a dilapidated temple of a fallen god.)
Obviously you can say no switching, but there's a balance to be struck. After all, sometimes a character idea seems really cool in theory, but sucks in practice, and nobody wants to be stuck playing a character they don't like.
I think the best way to prevent this is to tie the character into the story somehow, make it intrinsically dependant on John the Great Killer, not Generic Human Fighter #37. However, this tends to be a little more difficult in APs, where the plot will occur regardless of the combination of four humanoids you throw at it. And don't even get me started on the party pillaging the dead players for loot, burning the body, and welcoming a new fully geared compatriot suddenly the next day...
I'm considering, for an upcoming game I'm preparing for, giving a sliding power scale for characters presented, not only to encourage preservation and stick-to-it-ness, but to give the characters an OOC reason to pay the money and temporary stat penalties for a rezz instead of just rolling up a new guy.
It's the Kingmaker AP, which is designed for 15-pt buy. I am doing 20-pt buy, and if they prepare their characters and backstory in advance and run it by me so I can tie it in to the AP with a little modification, they get 3 traits instead of 2. From then on any new characters made are 19-pt, then 18-pt, etc. I have also worked in that given the importance of their mission to Rostland, the Swordlords have put in a retainer at the temple of Abadar in Restov for one resurrection for each of them (though they do have to drag the body all the way there).
Do you think that's reasonable? What do you guys do to prevent the revolving door campaign cast?
I'm statting up an 11th level character, already in the thick of arcane archer (elf ftr1/wiz5/ek3/aa2), and a few questions popped up that I couldn't find answers to in a cursory search of the boards.
Now onto the questions:
1. Metamagic feat recommendations? I get a bonus at wiz5 I can't decide on. I'm roughly a spell level behind an equivalent sorcerer, so I don't have A lot to play with, high-level wise. I almost just grabbed quicken to sit on it until it's actually useful.
2. Given that you can't combine imbue arrow with full attacks, are rapid shot and multishot worth it for this guy. The build has enough spells where it could conceivably arrow-cast every single round. I could see using full attacks BEFORE imbue comes online, but starting at 11th, that's not an issue.
3. If not those two, what feats would you use? So far I have point blank, precise shot, weapon focus (all prerequisites), deadly aim, and arcane strike, with 2 more to choose. I just barely qualify for weapon specialization at 9th, if I wanted to add another +2, nickel-and-diming my way to decent per-hit damage with deadly aim and arcane strike mixed in. I also considered stuff to be more mobile, since imbue is a standard, it can be a very mobile character (I was also considering the air elemental schoold for at-will levitation from the five wizard levels, so I could keep floating higher and raining arrows down from above each round). I also considered vital strike, but I don't think that combines with imbue, so maybe not...
4. I HAVE seen this one asked before, but, hey, a lot of new spells have come out since then - what spells do you recommend at each level to tag on imbue? Obviously the classic is antimagic field, but it's gonna be a while until that's an option. What's some good stuff with some crappy range? Bestow curse, silence, and AMF come to mind off hand.
It is widely believed on these boards that summoning is pretty much the apex tactic at mid and higher levels for powerful characters.
I have a game coming up (not for a while, but I'm a plan ahead kind of guy), wherein my most experienced player has told me he wants to play an Occultist Arcanist with a summoning focus. The other players are either moderately experienced or are being coached by one of the ones who are experienced, so this will be a savvy group, especially in optimizing.
I will be running an AP, and while I don't mind tinkering a little, I don't want to twist every enemy to have dismissal at will or anything like that. I also don't want to metagame that every enemy automatically knows who is the major threat.
So how then do I prepare for this kind of challenge, specifically the arcanist? I know mindless, animal intelligence, or otherwise non-tactical enemies shouldn't alter their behavior, but how can I realistically justify the intelligent ones making a b-line for him?
Furthermore, what are some tricks I can have up my sleeve I might not have thought of the average enemy can try? Shattering or greasing spell component pouches came to mind, readying actions for ranged attacks to interrupt spellcasting as well.
Let me know if you have any tips or tricks as a GM to make the game more challenging, but NOT outright nerf the arcanist.
So I had an idea the other day for a thread - What's your "real" alignment? What do you think you are...and does it match up to others' perspective of you?
So here's my idea:
-----
"Your real alignment" -
Poster starts "IRL I think my alignment is X, because (give a reason or two)...but based on my posts on these forums, you think my alignment is:"
Next Poster - "Y, because (Cite an example or two from the previous poster's history)...IRL I think my alignment is..." and it repeats through as many posters as we can get.
------
I'll start - In real life, I think my alignment is Chaotic Good, because despite being generally curmudgeonly, I try to let my actions be upstanding and helpful to others, when I can at least, but I have a strong distrust of organized groups, even ones who's missions and goals are in line with my beliefs, and I have a penchant for randomness and an inability to organize that is maddening to my thoroughly Lawful-Good-with-a-capital-L wife.
...but based on my posts on this forum, you think my alignment is...
So, I was looking over gunslinger archetypes, and I noticed that Wyrm Sniper and Siege Gunner not only stack, but seem to compliment each other pretty darn well.
So I got an idea for a guy who specializes in canons!
True, it's nowhere near a viable option at low levels, due to cost, logistics, and the like, but what about around tenth level? Is it possible, even not a horrible idea, to have a guy who somehow drags a Canon around and blasts people?
Major problems I see:
1. Logistics. How to move that bad boy around? Shrink item from another team mate is an option, I suppose, but if this person can be independent that would be better, so a wondrous item that can do it, etc, is best (but if I have to take UMD with like a wand or something to this happen it's better than nothing).
2. Crew. Skeleton Crew comes online at 11th, which helps some, but how else to deal with it? Unseen Servant? Or would they not really do the job? Leadership I suppose can be an option, but followers aren't likely to adventure with you, and...Well, a build that REQUIRES leadership isn't really viable IMO.
Is it possible to make this concept work when not bound to a vehicle such as a ship?
So I was looking at the ways reach weapons increases where you threaten, and it seems like they increase threatening squares by the natural threat range of the tall version of the baseline creatures - small or medium adds 5', as their natural range is 5', large adds 10', huge 15', and so on... if wielded by the appropriate sized creatures.
But where I'm a little lost is what if you're wielding an inappropriately sized weapon, say you're a titan fighter, a tiefling with the oversized hands variant, or a titan mauler with a GM who doesn't hate you and goes pre-nerf? I was told by one person that it is in the hand of the wielded, since small reach weapons can be wielded one handed at a penalty for the same threat zone...BUT small reach weapons have the same threat range in small wielders, too, as small creatures have the same threat zone as medium anyway.
Where it gets confusing is when you get to large sized stuff. A large creature with a large reach weapon has +10' for a 15-20' range...So would a medium creature with a large reach weapon have +10 for 15' range? Or the usual +5' for 10' despite it being a bigger weapon?
Just something I'm toying around with for the moment.
I like the idea of a martial character oriented around combat maneuvers to do battlefield control with great reach, combat reflexes, and the combat feats to pull it off.
I figure for the concept it requires a) a reach weapon, preferably trip and/or disarm type, b) lunge feat, c) four levels of aberrant bloodrager for the increased reach, d) access to enlarge person, preferably as a swift or shorter action - which IIRC bloodrager can provide. This gives about 25', which is respectable. If we could work in Whirlwind Attack that would be even cooler!
A small snag is that our GM uses 15-pt buy. This is a potentially MAD build, though, as Combat Expertise requires 13int, Combat Reflexes requires as much Dex as possible, and Bloodrager is a Str/Con based class...especially Str for pulling off combat maneuvers...and using it to access spells will need a modicum of Cha as well. Seems hard to be exceptional at anything with that combo :-/
I could go with swashbuckler dipping to use cha for combat expertise, but most of its other benefits are wasted...or preferably a brawler to ignore the prerequisite int altogether and get martial flexibility.
I don't like wasting abilities, so an archetype that trades out unarmed strike for something more useful would be nice.
Also, any other means of extending reach I might not have thought of would be nice...classes, items, feats, etc...but very preferably full BAB so as not to lower potential CMB. Also, the person this is aimed for does not like casters, so minimal spellcasting would be nice.
Let's say this would be about 10th level. How would you pull it off?
My first thought, just spitballing, is like brawler2/bloodrager4/fighter6 for maximum feat access, but I'm sure this can be done better.
I know there's a roaring debate in general if a healer is needed. I, for one, was in the "wand of infernal healing is enough" camp, but...
Well, last week my group's shaman swapped out for a monk, leaving us without a healer. We grabbed a wand of infernal healing and a wand of CLW, gave it to the sorcerer and rogue respectively, and just tagged up between battles. It...kinda worked. We are tenth level, so we burned charges like they were quarters in an 80s arcade, going through about 1/5 a wand after each battle. Also, we had no means to combat status conditions, negative levels, ability damage and drain, and stuff like that.
So, my bloodrager got eaten by a megaladon, because 120hpoint goes fast when you're getting bitten for 40 damage, swallowed, and digested for a good chunk more each round, and nobody can heal you for more than nine HP at most.
I have volunteered to return as a divine caster, to shore up our weaknesses (We also have a goblin monk with an agile amulet, a human rogue/fighter, and a gnome sorcerer). I started another thread asking what's the best healer, and it seems the consensus is spirit guide life oracle with FCB to boost channeling from aasimar or half-elf using elf FCB. So, now I know the answer to that question, I'm wondering if that's overkill. So now I'm wondering...what do we NEED? You know, minimum?
Clearly, for our party at least, post-battle CLW is not going to cut it, as emergency megaheals are required. Also, ever since about eighth level, status attacks and ability damage have been an occasional factor.
So, what do you think I should make sure I'm able to cure? How do I make sure I have, at minimum, Pathfinder's version of FF's "esuna"?
TL; DR? - What spells/abilities will cover all my bases for healing any possible status alignments, ability damage, drain, negative levels, etc, that bad guys can throw at us, using the minimum resources possible, at 10th level?
Pretty much as the title says - healing falling into the range of hit point renewal, status recovery, resurrections, removal of curses, and the whole gamut of "white mage" style magic.
Which is the flat-out best? Among them, which archetypes, spirits, domain combinations (limited to listed Golarion deities and demigods), mysteries, hexes, revelations, and other choices would you recommend? How about feats, traits, or races, if any of those is an impact?
Obvious contenders seem to be a life oracle with lifeline, energy body, and channel, or a life shaman with channel, heal hex.
Assume a 15-point buy, so MAD vs SAD is a factor, which may offer an advantage to an Oracle.
Versatility is a bonus, but not the point of the exercise; it is better to be able to do more than healing alone, however the point of the question is whom is the best healer, so versatility is an afterthought, almost a tie breaker, really.
I've been looking at the white-haired witch, and it's got some pretty spiffy grappling abilities, which considering it gives up hexes, it better darn well be spiffy!
But the thing is, even with using INT for grapples, given the awful BAB of a witch, is it really an option at higher levels? I mean, at low levels you're only a point behind, but by level 10 that's a huge disparity from another grapple-focused character, such as brawler, monk, fighter, or barbarian...
My wife -might- join a game I'm in where we're 10th level, and I thought this would be a fun archetype for her to play, but if it's main draw is pretty much obsolete by the level we're at...well... :-/
I'm not terribly familiar with the witch's spell list, but it doesn't seem heavy with self-buffs to compensate for the low BAB (more of a control/debuff list from my previous experience). Am I wrong?
I dunno, does a grapple-focused white-haired witch seem like a good idea, mechanically speaking? I already see it is cool thematically, and this is really just brainstorming at this point.
Well, I got the crunch, and thanks to an earlier post, I got a nice backstory, but now I'm having a hard time figuring out how to roleplay my latest character.
He's a duergar untouchable and primalist bloodrager, arcane bloodline. He's lawful evil, and his mental stats are 7int, 15wis, 3(!!!)cha.
First off, the duergar are a puzzle to me. They're a LE society that serve a NE god who makes his home in the CE abyss. That alone is just weird. They barely have any flavor text, also, so there's not a lot to work with there.
Next, I have a hard time figuring out how to represent the mental stats. Very below average intellect and absolutely abhorrent charisma, but surprisingly wise...what is that? The best media representation I could think of for low int high wis was Forest Gump, but he's absolutely dripping with Charisma, so that's not exactly a perfect representation (plus, he's pretty clearly lawful good). I can think of a few dumb villains, but most of them were not wise as well, so I'm having an extremely hard time painting a mental picture of this guy and his personality.
I had a session with this character, and I played him gruff and quiet, with enough sense to realize he wasn't bright and therefore deferential to other's opinions. But, really, it was a combat heavy session, so I didn't have much chance to develop him as a character, and I'd like to know what direction to take this kind of guy in the future.
A long while back, when ACG came out, I put together a sweet build for an arcane bloodline bloodrager with the primalist and untouchable bloodrager archetypes, designed to be a nasty mage slayer.
I have an opportunity to play such a character now, at tenth level, and I figured who better than a duergar, mechanically speaking, to top off all the mage slayer abilities?
Only now, I need to make this guy make sense. Magic is literally in his blood, via the arcane bloodline, and yet he is superstitious, a witch hunter, etc, via rage powers, and has specific training to kill spellcasters, via feats like disruptive. (He also has many sundering feats to compliment spell sunder, but they're useful in the traditional manner too, so there's that to think of). He can't cast spells himself, due to the untouchable archetype, which makes sense. So how would he have ended up this extremely focused magic hating wizard killer, given he's probably descended from a family of casters?
Also, there's the duergar thing. They don't exactly have a lot of fluff text. Their entire culture is based around working your butt off until you die, and they seem to be jerks. Other than that it's not really detailed like, say, standard dwarves, or the other "dark version of an otherwise good race", drow. They don't seem to adventure often, and are not exactly often on the surface.
I was planning on having this guy be lawful evil, or a hard-line lawful neutral at most, because I'm not into making him Drizzt with a beard, the lone exception to his people, blah blah blah, garbage.
Also, it's for skull and shackles, and we're up to
Spoiler:
the point where you win your own island and have to clear out the cyclopses and other monsters from it
, so in also going to need to explain why he's not only on the surface, but in a weird island on the Shackles, as well.
I'll make this short and sweet. Say a Master Summoner already has Augment Summoning, Superior Summoning, and Evolved Summoned Monster...what's a better choice, to grab Summon Neutral Monster, or to get Evolved for every feat over and over again?
Also, what can you do with Summon Neutral Monster's list that you can't do with the regular list? (I know there's a whole list of monsters added you can summon, but why would I choose them instead of the standard?)
Playing in a Skull and Shackles game. I started as the tank. I played a barbarian, and when he died, an antipaladin. Later, when the AP died, and we lost our wizard player, I decided to run a wizard, as the party didn't have another arcane caster.
It was exceedingly powerful, as well run wizards tend to be, but I HATED the prep work, so after a few sessions I "downgraded" to a goblin firebomber alchemist. Still frickin' powerful, but again, a bit more homework and prep work than I like. Plus, fire resistance makes me cry. But, that's beside the point. With stink bomb I'm effective, but I'm kind of a one trick pony, and I really dislike the extract mechanic. (I guess I just dislike being a prepared caster).
Anyways, we later got a sorcerer, so I feel my role as the non-divine caster is no longer strictly necessary.
So, now I'm fishing for simple, but effective and not one dimensional character ideas that will fit in with the rest of the group.
We have - an undine shaman with a swashbuckler one-level dip, a human scout/knifemaster rogue with a fighter one-level dip, a drow sorceress, and a vanilla human crit-fisher fighter who wields a falcata two-handed.
I dislike bards for the most part, I've found prepared casters to be too much of a headache, and if I do go full tank, I'd like to not outshine the pure fighter too much in straight DPS, as its her thing, she's a relatively new player, and she is enjoying being useful and having a defined niche (all of them are pretty much that way...one more reason I'm not wanting to stick with the alchy is he's outshining the rogue as the resident sneaky guy and he's a new player too I'd like to get some spotlight).
I love me some kobolds, but mechanically, they're...well... kobolds.
I was just wondering, is there anything a kobold can do that no other eace can do as well or better? Their racial archetypes aren't bad, but they aren't really exceptional, and the kobold bloodline seems kinda...meh.
Note - I still will play a kobold, sometimes, even if they are subpar. I'm just wondering if there's anything they can really excel at.
