The Pale King's page

"Less talking, more killing!" Locke calls to his new companions as he prepares to rush in and help Drancis.

Ein hesitates at seeing Marius fall, but finally settles into the fight. His hands cease shaking and determination fills his eyes. He goes after the Hobgoblin he had previously studied with a vengeance.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Critical Confirmation: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (4, 4) + 6 = 14

Hope that makes up for my absence!

I love this archetype. Anything that gives a more magic feel to the Rogue is a win in my book! I still have never played a Rogue in Pathfinder (which is odd because it's one of my old standbys), but when I do it'll either be this or an Eldritch Scoundrel.

I should be able to actually make up a submission in seven days. I feel like Pathfinder has so many options these days that I can't keep any of it in my head and just have to relearn all my options every time I want to make a character, haha.

I am not a guide writer normally, the amount of options in PF makes it way too intimidating, but I have been considering writing one for Starfinder since I could update it as things were added to the game. For Solarion or Mystic maybe?

Odd scores being almost useless is frustrating. So many times when stating up a character I end up with a point remaining and never have any idea what to make odd without it being useless.

Collaborative narrative is one of the best kept secrets of PbP. It's something that can be done better in PbP than any other format of roleplay, yet I see it done only rarely. Count me interested.

I was wearing my hoodie that says SOLDIER 1st Class on the back of it when I opened this thread. It's obviously a sign.

Hi everyone! As Zed said, my life is back in order and I am interested in rejoining the game. I am bringing Locke up to the right level and catching up with the game, looks like it won't be long before I can rejoin!

Zed: Can Locke have access to a bit of money somehow so he can get some proper armour and maybe a two handed weapon?

I am not really a fan of wild shape in Pathfinder, so slightly disappointed that we are just getting wild shape the class instead of something new, but it could still be fun depending on the options and how it all works together.

Razmiran Priest does seem like the ideal way to do Mystic Theurge. Less confident that it's a better fit for Sorcerer than the Sorcerer class, though... do you think it could do a good job capturing all of the standard Sorcerer tropes?

I suppose it's not flat out better at being a Sorcerer, but you lose very little to give your Sorcerer divine casting, so in that way I think it is Sorcerer+. Plus the idea of Sorcerers emulating divine magic makes a lot of sense to me, they aren't trained, they are born, so having less restrictions on their casting seems to fit lore very well to me.

Razmiran Priest is a better Sorcerer and the best Mystic Theurge we have, you get to be a Sorcerer but also cast divine spells.

There are also classes that do a different class better with an archetype that emulates it. Like Daring Champion and Virtuous Bravo to the Swashbuckler or Sanctified Slayer to the Slayer or Sacred Huntsmaster to the Hunter.

It's been a few months since I've been on the message boards and I have really missed this place.

I have felt awful these past months knowing I left behind several games. I am sure based on my last post in those games that the people playing them knew I had a mess of things going on in my life, but I still apologize to everyone for disappearing like I did. Things have very much mellowed out and my life is on a better track.

I hope to get back into the rhythm of playing PbP and maybe even try my hand at GMing a game on these boards for the first time. Has anyone else ever taken an extended leave of absence from the forums? How did you handle your own return?

I would probably be a former Paladin who became a Lich and the ruler of an entire world.

I hadn't really realized it before, but the Bloodrager class with its bloodlines and archetypes covers a lot of design space that was missing or weak before it. Yes many of these come online a bit late, but it's impressive all the same:

Draconic Bloodline gives a Dragon Disciple-esque character that works.

Arcane Bloodline gives something of an Arcane Paladin feel.

Shadow Bloodline gives you something like the Shadowdancer.

Celestial Bloodline lets you make something of a non-lawful Paladin.

Id Rager gives the closest thing we have to a Psychic Warrior outside of 3rd party.

etc.

I would put Alchemist in arcane personally.

@JosMaritgan: You have some good ideas and I definitely want to do the unexplored continent thing. Somewhere where 'adventurers' travel to and come back with trophies stolen from the civilizations there and stories of fighting 'cannibals' or what have you.

The Halflings=Romani is definitely a connection I was considering and I would like to do something like that. I was also thinking of a high number of jobs where deft hands are needed have become dominated by Halflings as they will take less pay.

As for Gnomes, my thoughts were that their natural curiousity and preinclination to mad science would lead to a reputation as important but dangerous. Gnomish scientists would be highly prized in research teams but require extra safety precautions.

@Vatras: Thanks for the list of sources, some I've been looking at already, but some that are entirely new to me!

@Indagare: Deities would be a fad to some and a way of life to others. They would not be like most D&D settings where they definitely exist, but when confronted with divine power even the most practical of minds may revise their thinking. I like the idea of a lamplighters association which is a cover for a large religious organization that worships a god/goddess of light.

@Indagare and Daw: Definitely going for what Daw said when it comes to Elves.

As the title says, I am in the process of brainstorming for a gaslamp fantasy setting for tabletop RPGs. Inspirations include classic stories such as Dracula and Frankenstein, Lovecrafts works, Stardust by Neil Gaiman and video games like the Shadow Hearts series and Dishonoured. I know there are settings that have some or all of these themes in some respect, but I have my own ideas I want to explore. Current status of brainstorming:

-Cobblestone streets lit by gaslamp are sandwiched between overhanging Victorian style buildings. The lamps keep shadowy creatures at bay that prey on those who wander into the dark alleyways at night.

-A gravekeeper union run by Dwarves that is rumoured to support the practice of necromancy and robbing of graves. Waste not, want not.

-Dirty civilization encroaches on the Elven way of living. They get back at the other races through Elven run opium dens and the magical engineering of opiates and other drugs. Addiction is their curse on the mortal races.

-Many Elves have fallen into their own trap, addiction begets addiction.

-Mad science runs rampant.

-Creatures such as vampires, werewolves and the undead included in some respect. Demons willing to make deals around every corner.

Feel free to toss ideas my way, I will be adding to this post as I brainstorm more.

I have my crunch finished and responded to the scene. I plan to create an alias before I head for bed, but may not get the chance.

Hey again. Just an update. I've made it to my new apartment in Ottawa and have been unpacking and building IKEA furniture furiously. Internet will be installed tomorrow and I'll get back to posting regularly. Sorry for the delay!

"Like a cleric’s deity, an inquisitor’s deity influences her alignment, what magic she can perform, and her values. Although not as tied to the tenets of the deity as a cleric, an inquisitor must still hold such guidelines in high regard, despite that fact she can go against them if it serves the greater good of the faith."

I can see a lawful good inquisitor using threats to keep order and people alive.

The Pale King wrote:

Currently part of a PbP on these very boards that is playing Legendary Planet and I am loving it. By far my favorite play by post experience so far! Though that is also because of our wonderful GM, Rednal of course!

Ahem!!! Rednal rocks a great Legendary Planet for sure... but last time I looked, Locke Lestrange was in GM Zed's Legendary Planet!!!

Haha, sorry Zed. I had just been reading Rednal's game and got mixed up.

Currently part of a PbP on these very boards that is playing Legendary Planet and I am loving it. By far my favorite play by post experience so far! Though that is also because of our wonderful GM, Rednal of course!

I need my Space Druids and Space Bards

I think Bards in Space actually has huge room for a fun and interesting niche. The setting so far described seems like a place where knowledge and tales of other worlds could demand prestige and perhaps even a high price.

I just want it to stick strongly to the genre choice James used in the blog post 'space fantasy'. I don't want hard sci-fi, I don't even want Star Trek, I want Star Wars or Warhammer 40k or more specifically Pathfinder in Space with some interesting tech, much of which I hope to be powered by magic or the like.

I am incredibly excited for this James! You know how much I liked your Distant Worlds supplement, so I know this is going to be right up my alley.

I hope to see a plethora of exciting worlds with interesting flora and fauna to inhabit them. I have no worries this will be the case though with James in the role of Creative Director. His Distant Worlds supplement is probably my favorite for all of Pathfinder for exactly those reasons.

I plan to make a young man who is a psychic. I am going to Earthbound this adventure path!

I finished (crushed) the last final of my undergraduate earlier today! Much rejoicing!

Here is my submission! He is not 100% complete as he lacks a second trait, a second language and a theme song.

I always appreciate your theme choices for your guides N. Jolly, but this time I think I may just explode from the smile on my face! Gurren Lagann is my jam, I am going to go build a Warpriest now.

I am so excited to start traveling other worlds!

I am very much excited to start world hopping!

I think considering a recruitment that fails to get off the ground a troll is jumping the gun a bit. I personally posted an interest check thread for a game I've been working on for a long time, but reality hit when school started again and I found out taking six classes wasn't going to be easy. I feel bad about drumming up people's interests, but I certainly wasn't intending to troll anyone, and as I graduate this year I'd like to come back to the idea in the future. I feel that some of these recruitment threads are people not realizing how much work GMing a PbP can be, just sorting through the applications is probably daunting for a lot of new PbP GMs. I don't deny that troll threads probably exist but... I'd like to think better of people than that.

"I'm so sorry for your loss Milda, your husband was a good man. There is obviously something sinister happening in this village and we hope to get to the bottom of it. You may be right that you were overcome with despair, but with how the other villagers are acting... I worry that you may be affected by whatever is going on here." Locke offers the woman an encouraging hand on the shoulder while at the same time examining her for traces of magic. "Still, if we can give you a clean bill of health then you can either stay here and rest up and we'll do our best to take care of you and solve this mystery, or we can help you cross the river, though I dread you taking the journey alone by foot."

Detect Magic on Milda

There is actually a line in the Elves of Golarion that mentions how joyous the elves were to return to Golarion and feel how in tune they were with nature. Or something like that. Considering where they come from it's strange how apparently they are more in tune with the nature here than there, but it is what it is.

On another note, I think I am going to make an Elf Druid or Hunter archer with my next character. Though I am now tempted to make him a 'plague' druid because of you guys.

There are a couple of builds I am really partial to.

One is the Archer Paladin, something about smiting things at a distance with a bow just seems so right. It's not a difficult build either, just take all the archery feats you can and shoot the enemy.

Another is the generalist Alchemist introduced in N. Jolly's Alchemist guide. That was quite possibly the funnest character I have ever played, though he ended up dying to an exploding chandalier.

What about you?

You know the Unchained Rogue can still use a lot of the old Rogue talents right? Plus a lot of their new talents are really cool and the debuff attacks are incredibly flavourful and awesome.

The new Barbarian is kind of a toss up, some of the new rage powers are some of the coolest they've ever had, but I do miss some of those that are gone now.

The Summoner goes a long way to balancing an incredibly powerful class so obviously that's a good thing.

The only one I am a little iffy on is the Monk... It is better than the old base monk, but with archetypes the old monk is still probably the better class. I hope the unchained version gets some archetypes of its own.

A bit of info about some of the core races to keep things interesting:

Humans: Unlike many parts of the world, the humans as a race are the oldest inhabitants of the Veldt. With the possible exception of the Gnomes, who are too damnedly mysterious to tell anyone when they got there. However, what is know is that when the other races arrived in Veldt they found it already inhabited by many human tribes. Much of the rich heritage of these tribes has been forgotten in the current age of near industrialization. Humans of all colours, shapes, sizes and temperments have found their fortune and happiness in the peace and prosperity of Veldt. The Prime Minister of Veldt has been a human for several decades now and other races are known to complain that politics have become overrun with, and unfair in favour of humanity.

Elves: Veldt hosts one of the longest coastlines in the world and the Elves have a near monopoly on it. Fishing, oversea trade and searching for treasure in shipwrecks are all considered very Elven things to do. Sea travel allows elves to satiate their innate wanderlust without feeling they are abandoning the strict order their culture abides by. Elves are also known for their mastery of directions and cartography. Elven maps are the finest in the world, only rivaled by those of the Drow. Elves have gained some notoriety for only trusting other elves to do a good job of things, but they are also known to have a soft spot for Halflings.

Drow: In the Veldt regular Elves and Drow are two sides of the same coin, one lives in a structured society, the other is more akin to nomads. All Elves suffer from an immense wanderlust, but Drow give into it and never settle. In fact, a Drow who settles is usually no longer considered a Drow by other Drow. So it is more of a long term social divide than a racial one. Both can have light or dark skin, though Drow tend to darker colours. Drow have a bit of a bad reputation for being flighty, when a band of Drow travels through a town said town is often left with less coin, young women who thought they could tame a Drow that are left forlorn and even missing some people who take up the Nomadic life style.

Dwarves: Known for their ingenuity and craftmanship. Dwarves have control of most of the railways in Veldt and own some of the largest private businesses and banks. Unfortunately a somewhat dark past for their race leads many a citizen to distrust them. Dwarven society originally stood on a foundation of necromancy, to them it wasn't unusual to keep a body working, even after death. While no souls were harmed in their rites and rituals and bodies were simply animated it left a bad taste in the mouths of the other races. Which was on exacerbated by the fact that Dwarves didn't believe the dead could claim ownership of items and so took treasure from graves with no remorse. A short civil war led to necromancy being outlawed, but Dwarves still have a reputation for undeath and grave robbery.

Halflings: For quite some time Halflings in the Veldt were enticed into the country by dreams of prosperity and then used as servants that were so underpaid it was akin to slavery. One day every Halfling in the country dropped their tools and walked away, eventually after a long and wordy struggle with the government they won themselves equal rights. Now Halflings have several of their own settlements and live throughout the settlements of other races. The richest person in Veldt is a Halfling who made a fortune from writing several famous books before starting a publishing house. This has led to the Halflings having a reputation for quality fine arts.

Gnomes: The gnomes of the Veldt are mysterious. They live deep in the still untamed forests of the northern county and keep to their fey ways. Strange bobbles, trinkets and magickal technologies find their way out of the forests of the gnomes and into the hands of the other races for high prices. The magical lighting systems of most major cities were constructed by more industrious Gnomes who left the forests behind. It seems that Gnomes that move outside of the forest are not so easily welcomed back.

A simple way of putting it is that sometimes when you level up your new powers might not be from the gods you expected. This could mean getting access to different domain spells or revelations, but losing out on others. There would always be multiple options to choose from in this case, but it could certainly be offputting if your character is based on getting a very specific set of things.

While there will be a few specific gods to choose from I should put a HUGE asterisk here. If you choose a class with divine magic it may have unexpected consequences on your character in the future. Anyone set on doing so will be given a bit of extra information before making their final class decision. I don't want to give too much away, but I don't want to have anyone feel like they were lied to about their own character.

Gunslingers may see some house rule tweaks before making it to playable status, that is if anyone has an interesting enough Gunslinger concept, but Alchemists are allowed.

In the Veldt regular Elves and Drow are two sides of the same coin, one lives in a structured society, the other is more akin to nomads. All Elves suffer from an immense wanderlust, but Drow give into it and never settle. In fact, a Drow who settles is usually no longer considered a Drow by other Drow. So it is more of a long term social divide than a racial one. Both can have light or dark skin, though Drow tend to darker colours. Drow have a bit of a bad reputation for being flighty, when a band of Drow travels through a town said town is often left with less coin, young women who thought they could tame a Drow that are left forlorn and even missing some people who take up the Nomadic life style.

I can say that it is entirely possible that a mounted character would have access to all kinds of strange mounts and flying isn't out of the question, magic users all get to fly eventually after all. As a lover of the Cavalier class there would also not be often where the mount would need to be left behind.

Veldt is a prosperous nation. Its expansive grasslands has led to a large and strong farming trade. The central city of Yeldem and the powerful Adventurer's Guild based there act as both a hub and a place where those in need may get help, for a price. It is a land that seems to have a simple kind of peace. But darkness is brewing right in the heart of the nation and a young group whom aspire to be Adventurers may be the key to thwarting nefarious plots.

I am interested in running a game here on the forums. It is something of a test play of what I hope to become a complete adventure path one day. The game will be a dark one and not for the faint of heart. Inspirations include Berserk, The Southern Reach Trilogy, The Mother Trilogy, Dark Souls and the Iron Kingdoms. A friend will be helping me out, he will mostly be supplying art, but he might jump in once and a while if I am busy. We are still in the process of getting everything together, but I thought I would see if there was any interest.

Some features/rules:

1. There may be somewhat drastic, but usually positive changes to your character that are not entirely of your own choosing. If this bothers you, this probably isn't the game for you. By the same token your characters may gain 'traits' through the story, but you may also lose them. Characters will never have less than two traits. I will also have campaign traits to choose from at level 1.

2. I won't be using third party material and in fact may restrict the first party material a bit, however I will be allowing the Deadly Agility feat from Path of War as I think it is much to difficult to play a dexterous warrior with a weapon that you want to use.

3. I like to make saves against all of your ability scores, I also like to give multiple options for saves if it makes sense to do so, so this doesn't really affect your characters ability to make saves often, it's just a fluff thing that I enjoy. Anything against one of your ability scores that does not have a related save will be scaled appropriately to makes things fair.

4. This is not a sandbox adventure, while I will attempt to give options where they make sense you will be on a quest with a singular purpose.

5. Wacky, crazy, surreal things will happen. Sometimes such things will supersede rules and be more narrative or may even be house ruled.

6. Dungeons will contain puzzles, the appropriate checks will give you hints, but will not solve them for you unless you roll very high. Otherwise after some hints you will have to solve them for yourselves. Of course if the game is dragging I may supply more hints.

7. Character creation may use a stat array, I like having a solid knowledge of what everyone will have for stats. Otherwise it will be standard 20 point buy.

8. There will be a strong narrative component to this campaign, therefore it may not always be required for everyone to make a post a day. However, once combat hits it would be preferable if everyone could post more often.

For a hint at things to come, here are the planned names of the different parts of the adventure:

Part I: The Evil that Slumbers
Part II: The King of the Dead
Part III: Once more into the Breach
Part IV: Where Gods Fear to Tread
Part V: Into the Eye of the Dragon
Part VI: Of Lost Souls and Broken Silhouettes

I know this is a very ambitious project and some of you may be wary of that, which I understand. I can't promise anything, but I do plan to see this through. We have a general outline of the entire adventure, quite a few of the encouters planned and most of the first part complete. If we were to open recruitment it will be a bit yet because I am going on vacation. Plus I still have to write the player's guide.

I am happy to answer any questions.

Oh! One more thing. Here is the first sketch for the game done by my friend.

I've had this idea since mythic became a thing.

Game starts with PCs as level 3s or something, but they are the most powerful of heroes in their world. They are about to enter an ancient temple where an evil Baron is cooped up and performing a dangerous ritual. When they make their way through the towers they find the Baron is gone and there is a room with strange towering 'statues'.

Cue the room blasting off into space, the players finding themselves on another planet and what they thought were statues are actually mecha suits. This is when they gain their first mythic tier. As long as they are inside the suit they are mythic, outside of it they are not. The new world they are on is incredibly dangerous and full of giant creatures. Also the Baron must be here somewhere!

You're going to ban a class because of a capstone? Does your group do a lot of max level play?

Kineticist: One of my favorite classes in the game, also one of the most versatile classes you can get without being a spellcaster.
Could do with some more low level talents and MAYBE single target damage (I'm not convince on this yet).
9/10

Medium: In the right campaign this class could be incredibly fun, it's also mechanically powerful. Just wish spirits weren't dependent on the area you're in.
7/10

Mesmerist: I feel like they aren't quite the perfect anti-bard (a class which I would give a 9/10). They just aren't quite as versatile. But what they are is an amazing debuffing class and one of the best ways to make a character who focuses on debuffs.
8/10

Occultist: I love the idea, I love the theme, but I am not in love with the implementation. Perhaps I'll change my mind once I have seen them in play.
6/10

Psychic: Probably one of the better full casters as far as flavour goes, but ends up feeling kind of basic and bland.
6/10

Spirtualist: My favorite rendition of the summoner, not too powerful and incredibly flavourful.
7.5/10

My least favorite class that's first party is definitely the Gunslinger.

My favorite is harder to decide, I really like 6th level casters though.

If I made a psychic how much of a rebuild would I be allowed to do when the book came out? For example, they are adding Disciplines, would I be allowed to change if one fit my character concept better? Or perhaps if I wanted to tweak my concept a bit to fit one I liked better? If so would I be allowed to change my stats a bit if it had a different phrenic pool?

I'll most likely be posting a character Monday or Tuesday, I have been away from home for a week. Still thinking Psychic who wants to make giants feel small with his mind powers.

I am thinking a psychic who hates giants due to some childhood trauma, and ever since discovering his powers has felt the need to make the giants feel as small as he did, but with his vast and powerful mind. Sound interesting?

This has to be one of the more messed up areas I've read about in a respectable RPG. The mutations, the skinless pus-oozing monsters, the fact that the planet is alive, the loving place *shudder*

Part of me wants to know more and go adventuring there, part of me wishes I hadn't even read about it. This is how I could see horror working in Pathfinder, even the bravest adventurers would be afraid to be on a distant world so messed up.

Kudos to Paizo for this one.