Welp. Taking that second set. 18/18/17/14/14/13. I could make anything with that!
How do you feel about 3rd party drawbacks? I find many of the official ones uninspiring.
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Razmiran/False Priest is definitely the best purely from a power/versatility upgrade stand point. I have yet to meet a GM who would let me play one despite how cool it can be lore-wise.
I am mostly interested in Pathfinder and 5th edition. I love the L5R setting, but it is incredibly intimidating to actually roleplay in.
GM, are you okay with the Sylvan Trickster or Eldritch Scoundrel archetypes for Unchained Rogue?
I need to refresh myself on Faerun. It was one of my favourite settings when I was younger, but I have gotten away from it as an adult.
How long ago was their hall taken from them?
I find in-character RP during recruitment to be an odd phenomenon. I see players post in those multiple times a day, but when the actual game gets started and they are accepted they post once a week then drop off the face of the earth. I wonder if these boards just need a tavern RP thread for those kind of players to hang out in. How you use the subthreads is totally your call. I'm in one game where there are two parties, one party posts in Gameplay, one posts in Discussion, and both use Recruitment for comments. That is a pretty cool setup. Have players ever jumped from one party to the other?
The Rolls:
Initial Roll
Rerolls 1
Rerolls 2
Rerolls 3
Final stats: 18/16/16/16/13/12 A 12 and a 13! *gasp* Might as well give up now. I have no idea what to do with a 52 point buy haha, but I will give a character some thought.
I vote for the dwarves as well.
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.
Or they made a pact with a patron to gain powers and are a Witch. You are very much right! Pretty much any class could be used with right thought put behind it. I think if the character learned it on their own it would make more sense for it to be arcane as they want to be as much like their family as possible. If they bargained for power in a desperate situation though... Now that makes anything free game. I am now considering the possibility that their attempts to follow in their siblings footsteps were failing when their village was attacked so they made a pact with an unsavoury being to gain the power to protect their people. As a by product finally putting them on their path to surpassing their sibling, just not in the way they wanted.
I have a concept brewing (briefly: a younger sibling whose much older sibling is an adventurer and powerful sorcerer naturally gifted in the arcane arts. My character spent their childhood dreaming of the day they would unlock similar powers like their sibling and the rest of their family but that day never came, so they decided they would make it happen through hard work and cheating whenever possible instead) but my difficulty comes from the fact that the concept has resulted in Wizard being the most obvious class to choose. I really haven't enjoyed my experiences playing Wizards in Pathfinder in the past. Perhaps I will look at archetypes and builds to see if I could make a Wizard that I would enjoy. If not I am sure I can re-purpose another class. Perhaps their talents were more martial in nature, but their obsession with arcane might has led them down the path of a Magus or Alchemist or even Investigator? Or their talents were musical instead and found themself attending Bard College and becoming a Bard. Or perhaps an Arcanist to show the willingness to cheat and exploit magic to reach the same level as their sibling. Or they made a pact with a patron to gain powers and are a Witch. Okay, so Wizard might not be my only option. :P
I know this has probably been asked, but it is a big thread and I don't have the book yet. How much has the wood element for Kineticist been improved?
I love 5E and the game idea. I do with Xanathar's Guide to Everything was an option. I've been reading it and LOVE the character options, it has given me so many ideas. I will see what I can come up with the core though!
The first set and the second set are both great, but the question is, a 20 at level 1? Or at an 18 and two 16s. Probably the second one.
Are the Tiri Kitor the only Elves in the region?
I have a character partially made but can't finish it until later tonight. So I suppose I won't be in the running. Have fun all!
I changed my mind. I am going with the Fiend Keeper archetype Medium. This is the single coolest archetype I have ever seen and it fits where I wanted to go with my character.
Welp... I have been fleshing out my character's backstory, but have yet to get to his actual birth! :P WiP Backstory: On the outskirts of Wicken nestled amongst a copse of birch and maple sat a simple but cozy cabin. The cabin was home to a widower on the verge between middle aged and elderly. This man called Saith was the seventh child of a once reknowned adventurer. His other siblings -being much older than he- had mostly passed on. Though rumours persisted that one of his siblings had become a powerful and vile Lich. The rumour was denied by Saith, but a sly eye may have noticed the man tense at the mere mention of it. The man has six children himself, all had long since left home and become well known in their respective trades, crafts and fields. He could not be prouder of his children. Saith was once an adventurer himself, a cleric of Shelyn known for his beautiful paintings, moving songs, and powerful divine healing. The people of Wicken trusted him to take care of them when they were sick or injured and that suited him just fine.
One eve as he was positioning his easel and preparing his paints he heard a crash on his porch. He rushed outside to find what had caused the racket and discovered a gravely wounded and unconscious Elven woman. She was quite lucky she had collapsed on that particular doorstep as her wounds were so severe that anyone but a cleric of Saith’s skill would have been at a loss to save her. He nursed her back to health and they found a powerful kinship between them. Her name was Ysabella. She had no interest in speaking of her past and he did not dig into it. He was more than happy to have her there with him in the present. Ysabella was as vivacious as she was mysterious. Her lust for life rivaled that of any follower of Cayden Cailean, though she professed to worship no specific god. She instead put her hope and conviction into the small but mighty light in the hearts of all mortals. The two married within the year. It was not long before she had become loved by the people of Wicken as deeply as Saith. The duets the couple sang in the local tavern were attended not just by the people of Wicken, but those from nearby hamlets as well.
Fair enough. I was thinking one of the less nature-y archetypes. My second thought right now is the Phantom Blade Spiritualist. It's a bit oddly worded though. Where do you land on how their spell combat and spellstrike work? Some people have argued it should work for any weapon not just one handed melee ones. Which makes sense to me with how occult spells work. It seems like the creator of the archetype wanted it to function with all weapons, but by RAW it seems unlikely that it should.
Is it fine to have the hook that my character's mother may have been from Castorhage and likely has returned there for unknown (and probably dangerous) reasons? Or is that too great a tie to the city pre-game? She kept it a secret so he still knows nothing more than the typical rumours about the city. Awesome! Thanks for answering my questions Zed. I am fleshing out my background and trying to decide on the class. Thinking I want something on the spooky side of things to fit with his mysterious mother and the odd circumstances of his birth. Maybe an occult class. On the other hand, his dad was a cleric, so he could always have a bit of divine in him. I wish the Shifter was available during recruitment, it might be worth checking out.
Is it fine to have the hook that my character's mother may have been from Castorhage and likely has returned there for unknown (and probably dangerous) reasons? Or is that too great a tie to the city pre-game? She kept it a secret so he still knows nothing more than the typical rumours about the city. Also, on the Seventh child of the seventh child campaign trait: do you as a GM find it fun to work little oddities in like it suggests? If it isn't something you are interested in doing I can always take a different trait.
Character idea forming: An old cleric who was the seventh son of a famous adventurer lives just outside of the hamlet of Wicken. He had six children with his late wife and most of them had left home on adventures of their own. One evening he found a mortally wounded Elven woman at his door, he used his powers to save her life. Over her recovery the two fell in love and eventually had a child. The seventh son of a seventh son. Their son was an odd child with innate talents beyond what either had expected. The cleric lived a long life due to his connection to the divine, but as his last child grew into a man, illness eventually came to him. He died surrounded by all of his seven children returned to his bedside and his Elven lover as well. It was not long after that the Seventh Son's mother decided to leave in the night. She seemed panicked and even burnt her many research notes before leaving. The only scrap that remained unburnt contained a single word: 'Castorhage'. The Seventh Son knew nothing of the city, but it looked like he was about to find out a whole lot more.
I am so very much in Zed! Hopefully I will get a character up an working in the near future.
I have been having an incredibly tough time with the site for sure. I have my character's crunch ready, but haven't actually been able to create an alias for it!
With feats like Flexible and Extra Shadow Jump and the Slayer class I feel like Shadowdancer should be in a good place. What does everyone think? What are the best entry classes and builds? How many levels are worth taking?
Wow. I just realized all of your are faith based characters. That's fun! I guess I will be the party foil. I am starting to feel better, so I will get to character building. I am going to stat up a Slayer and an Eldritch Scoundrel and see which I like more.
I've went and caught a nasty flu that has me bed ridden and mostly sleeping. I'll get my character set up as soon as I am a bit feeling better. Sorry for the wait! I have no idea how my teachers were there nearly every day as a kid, ever since I have started teaching as part of grad school I get sick all the time.
Sounds good, characters that worship Shelyn are some of my favourites! I have so many ideas how to accomplish the scout with past magic training thing that it's making it tough to decide! Do I do Ranger or Hunter? Or do I do Slayer into Shadowdancer? Or do I do Eldritch Scoundrel Rogue?
Thanks for the invite! I am excited to play with you all. I will likely stick with my character background from Motteditor's game as well, but I have yet to decide which class he shall be. I want him to be a tracker, scout, and hunter. So any of the three nature themed classes (Ranger, Druid, or Hunter) could work, but so could Slayer or certain archetypes of other classes. I would be happy to tie my backstory in with any or all of you as well. Backstory: Deep within the Fangwood there was once cozy little hut surrounded by all manner of gardens. A constant stream of traffic from the nearby hamlets traveled to the hut. An injured man, a pregnant woman, parents with their sickly child, each would knock and be allowed entry. Within the hut they would find not a hunched old witch, but a beautiful elven woman of an age indeterminate to all who met her. They knew she had resided there since before they were born and would likely be there long after they died. Some said she was once a great adventurer reknowned across the Inner Sea, though she never confirmed nor denied such whispers. Her remedies and cures turned her a a tidy profit to keep her gardens and stores well stocked. That Elven Hedgewitch was my mother. I grew up in that hut, tending its gardens and assisting in the healing of the weary. My mother wished nothing more than for me to learn her trade and become a curer of ails, but it was not to be. I wished for dangerous adventures and exotic places. Many an argument had begun with my mother finding me daydreaming when I should haven been -in her opinion- working and learning. I know not what my mother had against adventurers, but the only patrons to which she was ever rude were those who live such a life. She kept her secrets close to her chest and spoke little of her past to me. I know that she had a small ornate box she kept under her bed. I once spied her pouring over it in the night, eyes filled with tears. One night I left my mother in her trance and snuck out to the woods. It hadn’t been unusual for me to do so, I found solace under the leaves and the stars: tracking animals, gathering berries, or going for a night swim. Unfortunately, that night was to be different. The Darkblight came for us, for the surrounding hamlets and for the hut I grew up in too. By the time I reached my home the blighted Fey and their aberrations had destroyed it utterly, naught was left but ash. Of the Darkblighted creatures only one Fey remained. I attacked it in a rage and it toyed with me, its laughter played through my mind and amplified my hatred and fear until there was nothing left but a gibbering madness. I awoke the next morning, the Fey had not killed me, though I knew not why. It did leave me with a blighted scar across my throat that will never heal. Of my mother I found no trace, it is likely she died there, but I often lose myself in thoughts, wondering if she is out there somewhere, the slave of some twisted Fey. Elves live a long life and I have heard it said that if that life becomes one filled with regrets it can become a slow death instead. I believe that is how my mother felt, wasting her days away in that little hut. I can only hope she found her peace that day, because with the blighted Fey her slow death would become an eternity. I wandered out of the Fangwood in a daze and eventually a hunting party from Phaendar found me. One of the hunters, a man named Benjamin who had frequented my mother's hut took me in. Even as a child I knew he carried a flame for my mother and I saw that he grieved for her too. He nursed me to health and then accepted me into his home. With the hunters, I found training and work that allowed me to fulfill my urge to roam and to continue to learn in the memory of my mother. It was impossible to continue to brood and lament when these hearty people offered me nothing but smiles and companionship. My scars may never heal, but I have found a home and a purpose here in Phaendar.
There's already quite a few good Varisian characters. Maybe I will change up my idea, or maybe we should just form a caravan of Varisian misfits.
Quick idea that I haven't fleshed out yet: Varisian Kapenia Dancer Magus. His caravan and family were killed in a giant/goblin/orc attack or something similar. He was in training to be the next lorekeeper of the caravan by the caravan wizard at the time. After the the incident he turned his arcane learnings to more martial use combining his spells with his kapenia as his weapon of vengeance against evil.
I am a pretty big fan of The 13th Age though I haven't played it since near its release.
It always impresses me how many applicants AP PbPs get.
I have played few old school adventures. Is it mostly fighting and puzzles/traps, or are there chances to interact with creatures/people too?
Application: My character idea is a Half-Elven Ranger, Hunter or possibly Druid named Ein Silverkin. Backstory
That Elven Hedgewitch was my mother. I grew up in that hut, tending its gardens and assisting in the healing of the weary. My mother wished nothing more than for me to learn her trade and become a curer of ails, but it was not to be. I wished for dangerous adventures and exotic places. Many an argument had begun with my mother finding me daydreaming when I should haven been -in her opinion- working and learning. I know not what my mother had against adventurers, but the only patrons to which she was ever rude were those who live such a life. She kept her secrets close to her chest and spoke little of her past to me. I know that she had a small ornate box she kept under her bed. I once spied her pouring over it in the night, eyes filled with tears. One night I left my mother in her trance and snuck out to the woods. It hadn’t been unusual for me to do so, I found solace under the leaves and the stars: tracking animals, gathering berries, or going for a night swim. Unfortunately, that night was to be different. The Darkblight came for us, for the surrounding hamlets and for the hut I grew up in too. By the time I reached my home the blighted Fey and their aberrations had destroyed it utterly, naught was left but ash. Of the Darkblighted creatures only one Fey remained. I attacked it in a rage and it toyed with me, its laughter played through my mind and amplified my hatred and fear until there was nothing left but a gibbering madness. I awoke the next morning, the Fey had not killed me, though I knew not why. It did leave me with a blighted scar across my throat that will never heal. Of my mother I found no trace, it is likely she died there, but I often lose myself in thoughts, wondering if she is out there somewhere, the slave of some twisted Fey. Elves live a long life and I have heard it said that if that life becomes one filled with regrets it can become a slow death instead. I believe that is how my mother felt, wasting her days away in that little hut. I can only hope she found her peace that day, because with the blighted Fey her slow death would become an eternity. I wandered out of the Fangwood in a daze and eventually a hunting party from Phaendar found me. One of the hunters, a man named Benjamin who had frequented my mother's hut took me in. Even as a child I knew he carried a flame for my mother and I saw that he grieved for her too. He nursed me to health and then accepted me into his home. With the hunters, I found training and work that allowed me to fulfill my urge to roam and to continue to learn in the memory of my mother. It was impossible to continue to brood and lament when these hearty people offered me nothing but smiles and companionship. My scars may never heal, but I have found a home and a purpose here in Phaendar. Character development
Posting Times
RP Experience
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 love the idea of needing to win your charter. It only makes sense, especially as level 1 characters. I'll be considering this one.
PbP is the perfect (and probably the only reasonable) situation to have a player play as more than one character. This seems especially useful to me when a GM already has a few players in mind that they know they work well with. That way they don't have to add extra players to pad out there party that might not even work out. It could be especially useful when a game loses a player or two and needs more characters to fill out the party and the GM is already happy with the remaining players. So why don't we see it happen? Is it the worry of placing too much import on single players?
Not sure I will have the time to create a submission before the deadline, but I have an idea for a Half-Elf. His human family is obsessed with their supposed Azlanti heritage (that they can't prove) and his elven family is from a line that traces themselves back to being the greatest enemies of the Azlant Empire. This combination has made his upbringing difficult and confusing, but also has made him incredibly interested in Azlant. Two questions: 1. Is VMC allowed? 2. Would you allow spells to be cast with hands armed with a Cestus? Dual wielding cestus and spell casting Eldritch Scoundrel is the idea here.
Sorry for the late reply, I have gone and caught a nasty cold from my students. As for which of the Eldest I was thinking of as Hector's patron... Any of them could work considering the fact that they can manipulate their surroundings on a simple whim and so could show a mortal whatever they desired. I am leaning towards Magdh, Shyka or The Green Mother. Magdh because of her inclination to fate and prophecy, Shyka because of the many forms and time manipulation (perhaps Hector is not this 'Lost One' but will be one day? Or is the descendant of them?), The Green Mother of course fits the seduction angle and is the most sinister of the bunch. I wanted to leave it open to an extent so you could play with it, but if you want me to make a definitive choice I certainly could. Hector's class has been decided as well. He will be an Oracle unless I have a sudden wave of inspiration for another class. There is time left in the recruitment, so it is definitely possible!
WiP Backstory:
"Hello?!" He called out into the surrounding Darkness. An echo that sounded less and less like His own voice was the only reply, Hello hello hello. He shivered despite the lack of any discernable temperature or even stimuli in the Darkness. He found His feet taking one step in front of the other before His brain had caught them and it was only then that He felt floor beneath His feet. He decided that even if he walked into some terrible trap or unspeakable creature in the Darkness that it would be better than standing still and waiting forever. He continued for a time with no change and for more time past after that before He realized at some point sound had begun to return to Him, here in the Darkness. He noticed His footsteps against what sounded like marble at first, but then the Music drew his attention. It was soft, but grew increasingly louder, as though He was drawing nearer to it. It was a song He had never heard before played by an instrument wholly unknown to Him, and yet it was strangely familiar. He noticed He had begun to run toward the Music and that His steps were now bringing Him upward at an increasing incline. The Music filled Him completely as he reached the Top. There was a Voice that joined the unknown instrument, and that Voice was the most beautiful sound He had ever heard. With the Voice came the Rain. It rained light. Like a thousand tiny suns falling from unknown heavens hidden in the Darkness. The Rain was warm against His skin. With the Rain came vision. He stood atop a hill covered in blood red flowers, no marble floor to be seen. From the hill, the flowers stretched for eternity and a sky of rolling blue and pristine clouds hung overhead. At the center of the hill was a tree, the tree was ancient and gnarled and obviously on its last legs. In a circle around the tree the flowers were a pearly white instead of crimson. At the base of the tree there were two chairs. The Music ceased, yet the owner of the Voice sat there, watching Him. She was striking, inhuman, yet beyond human. Her features were sharp as if cut from diamond, Her skin as pale as the flowers about her feet, Her flowing dress as crimson as the flowers beyond. It was Her eyes that truly startled Him, they were as blue as the sky above from sclera to pupil. She gestured for Him to join Her and He did so without hesitation. The chair was comfortable and made of a material He could not discern. "You are fated to die at the hand of an assassin long before you even wake from this dream," She said, an amused smile quirking Her lips. He swallowed dryly and looked for the words to reply, "Yet you sit here speaking to a man who will soon be dead?" She laughed and reached out to grasp His hand in Hers. She was cool to the touch. "Fate does not bind one such as I, nor will it bind you much longer." He considered those eyes of the sky and considered Her words as though they made perfect sense. "You would offer me a reprieve from my demise?" He asked. "I offer you not just that my Love. I offer you freedom and the power to keep it." She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. Her touch was cool, but her lips were as hot as the desert sun. "You were mine once and I lost you, but never again." He knew what She said defied all reason. He was no consort of this ancient creature, and he certainly had not lived long enough to have forgotten one such as Her, yet Her words fell on His ears with a ring of truth. "Who are..." He dared not ask the question and instead asked another that came from His lips before He could reel it back, "Who am I?" "You were The Lost One, but I have found you my Love." She climbed to Her feet and pulled Him with Her. "Let us make a Pact under the Lantern Tree. A kiss for Freedom." He looked up and found the tree's branches were filled with glowing lanterns of an endless number in shades of colour the like He had never seen before. How had He not seen them before? He turned back to Her. He pulled her toward him and their lips met hungrily. In that singular moment, his mind expanded with infinite possibilities, He thought things beyond all that He had ever known. Slowly His mind contracted again, yet it seemed to stop well before where it used to rest. He was different now. She let Him go and the colours started to fall away into the Darkness again. Through the Darkness Her last words echoed, "Stand tall my Love. Stand tall and shake the Heavens." She was gone, yet He could feel Her with Him. He knew that He always would now. He closed His eyes and he dreamt of that kiss for what felt like a thousand years. Until... Prince Hector Galfrey awoke with a start. His chambers were in complete darkness. There was not a sound apart from the pattering of rain against the chamber windows, but he could feel a presence in his room. A malevolent presence. He remembered the words of the otherworldly woman in his dream. The assassin is here! The moment he came to the realization he felt a swelling of foreign power within him. Without a thought he grasped the wrist of an arm which held a dagger poised above his heart. Hector felt strength beyond that which his sickly body had ever been capable in his limbs. With a twist he bent the arm of the assailant. The dagger fell from the assassin's grasp and dropped to the side. With a shove Hector launched the assassin across the room.
You can probably tell why I was leaning toward one of the Eldest granting him power. :P
I have written my backstory up to the point where my character (who needs a name... Hmm) has to fight the assassin and realized I need to choose a class so he has the powers to face his enemy. Right now I have four possibilities 1. Caster Oracle, still sickly but it doesn't matter because divine power. 2. Battle Oracle, he is still sickly (represented by the lame curse and maybe a drawback, is there one for sickness?), but the newfound power coursing through his veins lets him fight with a blade for far longer and with far more power than he ever could before. 3. Witch, his new powers are more arcane and dangerous. He takes out the assassin by disabling them with a hex and knifing them in the heart. 4. A phantom blade spiritualist, the blade is both a manifestation of his patron's power and something of a guide and a spy on him.
The gist of my idea is my character would be the sickly son of Galfrey or Khemet (leaning towards Galfrey) and would have this crazy dream of being granted power by some powerful being (I was leaning towards one of the Eldest when writing the backstory, bceause I didn't want the being to be good aligned, but would leave it up to GM discretion) and would wake up to find himself under attack by a Red Mantis Assassin. Since he is known to be sickly the Assassin was not expecting a fight, but the dream my character had was not just a dream. He had become an Oracle (or possibly a Witch or similar class) and been granted power beyond his ken. He defeats the assassin with these new powers (a surprise to both of them). In the following days as he learns more about the Red Mantis (and is unbeknownst to him pushed in that direction by his new, unknown patron) he finds out about the Mantisbane Pact and after an argument with his father or mother decides to volunteer himself for the job. So, TL;DR sickly Prince of one of the Kingdoms participating in the Mantisbane Pact granted powers he doesn't understand by a powerful being that seems to have a grudge against the Red Mantis or perhaps Achaekek.
I LOVE everything you have here, so I am super excited. I have a rather crazy character idea for this campaign. The question I need answered is: Would the Red Mantis accept an assassination upon a Prince or Princess who is not yet a monarch? If not, what if they also weren't the heir or were even a bastard so they could never rule? Technically Stavian III only has one child so that rules him out as the parent of my character, but Khemet or Galfrey could be possible, though I don't believe either of them have children in canon. Would you prefer one over the others?
Those both sound very interesting and are not as common on these boards. I think either would be a hit! Would you run Shackled City in Golarion or keep it Greyhawk?
I have yet to have opportunity to play a Wizard, a Druid or a Rogue in 5E, so I am leaning towards trying one of those.
I have never played Pool of Radiance myself, but I loved watching my older brother play it when I was a kid. Consider me interested if I can unfog the mist over my knowledge of the Forgotten Realms well enough to create an interesting character.
I like Bard and Inquistor for making characters who can contributed to any pillar of the game and have lots of interesting options and choices both in creation and gameplay. All without being too weak or too powerful. They would be my baseline. Other 6th level casters like Alchemist and Hunter also fit.
I've always wanted to try The One Ring, is it difficult to pick up?
I see interesting roleplay opportunities in playing a Hunter since they gain their companion's animal focus if their companion is dead. Therefore my character would feel something is missing, but not know what since they have no memory.
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