Sorry about the delay! I was completely expecting there to be internet service up in Yosemite, but they recently changed a few cell towers from AT&T to Verizon so I didn't have any form of reliable internet.
I'm on my way home now, with intermittent internet, especially since I will be doing most of the driving. I'm going to change things up slightly, so could you only post in the discussion thread for now and not the gameplay thread yet.
I will be taking Reflin, Malachi, Frepply, Izoif, and Erol. Yes this is a large group but there is a strong lack of martial applications. Also there will be group splitting fairly often, which is much much easier to do with PbP.
Thank you everyone for applying. Again sorry for the delay, I very much anticipated internet while I was gone.
Oops the forums didn't catch my edited post. Basically...
This is a more laid back campaign with posting only every other day (mostly because they will be longer and fuller) with a max of 72 hours between any two posts. If you are gone for 96 hours I will take over for you and after a week (with no notice) you will be replaced.
Secondly, what is your opinion on the other submissions? Who do you want to interact with and whose story do you want to see unfold? You three have my favorite for the potential, but the others all are about even. So I want your opinion one who to go with next.
You all get your full skill allotments, I'll decide the two bonus points.
You also get full attribute points, but I want to see both the 17pt and 25pt builds because I may change a thing or two. (not likely)
Suggest what additional trait you want and why you have it.
I'll give you the bonus feat which may be customized and as such subject to changes should it become broken.
Additionally I go on a week long camping trip tomorrow. You'll be able to interact with each other (except Trusk, sorry) in the holding cells. I'll lay out the guidelines for that later. We'll finalize all builds when I get back and then really kick this thing off.
Trusk, the Warchild
Phrr, son of Phrrush
Riley Thorne, 9th in line for the throne
Please respond in the discussion thread, thanks.
I'm still considering quite a few possibilities. I wish I could give more feedback for you guys, but I can't I have too many ideas floating around that I want to incorporate that I just can't pinpoint what to say about your characters. Each and everyone of them offers something unique and intriguing that I want to see play out.
Congratulations to those of you who have made it. Let's get started. As I stated in my introduction, this is my first time as a DM, and I based on the style of other DM's I have played with in the past and read, I want to run this game a certain way. Establishing a level of consistency during the campaign that I don't always see in other campaigns is paramount. That said, I need all of your help. This has to be a group effort. Past experience has shown me that I won't be able to do it on my own. So for each of you selected, I need you to be able play off each other. Introduce your own plot threads (or suggest them to me in the discussion thread, and I can introduce them). As a heads up, I don't plan to use map tools unless absolutely required. I think a pbp can work without them, and it makes the players use more imagination, *but* if I'm not clear on something, let me know. I appreciate feedback, and I want this to be enjoyable for all of us.
Some guidelines:
1. I roll Initiative for everyone to save some time. As long as you don't skip any enemies, you can take your turn anytime. (Example: Allies Bob, Henry, Fred, and Steve are at 20, 15, 10, and 5 respectively. Enemy goblins are at Initiative 13. At the beginning of the round, Bob and Henry can go. The goblins go next at 13. Following the goblins, all four of the characters can go in any order because no enemies would be skipped.)
2.I also roll passive checks. I'm not going to be asking for that Sense Motive check or that Perception check. It takes up time and an unnecessary post. You can however make the checks yourself as long as you are posting it before hand.
3. Everyone rolls their own to-hit and compares it to the AC of the target. The same goes for saves. Both will be provided for all enemies, as will hit points. This puts a lot of responsibility on you to write good combat narratives and not rely on me to do so. The description is a common-sense sort of thing; 3 hit points will not cause the enemy's head to explode - but 30 might if it puts them in the negatives. This is also very trust-based. I expect that if someone gets something they don't like on the preview, they'll have the integrity to leave it there instead of modifying it based on the roll.
3. With my in person group I play by the rule "Heroes never die." This basically means I won't be actively trying to kill you, and as a matter of fact tend to bend things helpfully. I don't like bad rolls to spoil the fun. This however does not exempt stupidity and bad tactics. Heroes are not stupid (with some exceptions but I don't think anyone here has mental dump stats) and bad tactics are just that, bad. Sometimes retreating is the best option.
4. At the beginning of any in-combat post, I expect everyone to include the round/initiative count, current hit points, current AC, current saves, and remaining spells or resources. (By current, I mean following whatever action is in the post.) After that section, I like a section breaking it down into standard/move/swift/whatever actions with appropriate rolls. This way, I don't have to go hunting for that information and check if it is right. Here's an example.
===========EXAMPLE===========
Round 1, Initiative 20
hp 10/12; AC 14/12T/12FF; CMD 14
+4F/+2R/+2W
Bardic Performance: 5/6
The narrative would go here. In this particular case, the bard begins playing the stringed instrument to inspire the others. (This roll is technically extraneous, but I've always done them on my bard type characters.) He then makes his Acrobatics check to move while avoiding attacks of opportunity. With a 25, he succeeds and ends where he intends to go.
=============END EXAMPLE=============
Anyone have any questions or feedback?
Also, I want your opinions on who else you want to play with. Who do you think has a great story you want to see unfold?
Congratulations to those of you who have made it. Let's get started. As I stated in my introduction, this is my first time as a DM, and I based on the style of other DM's I have played with in the past and read, I want to run this game a certain way. Establishing a level of consistency during the campaign that I don't always see in other campaigns is paramount. That said, I need all of your help. This has to be a group effort. Past experience has shown me that I won't be able to do it on my own. So for each of you selected, I need you to be able play off each other. Introduce your own plot threads (or suggest them to me in the discussion thread, and I can introduce them). As a heads up, I don't plan to use map tools unless absolutely required. I think a pbp can work without them, and it makes the players use more imagination, *but* if I'm not clear on something, let me know. I appreciate feedback, and I want this to be enjoyable for all of us.
Some guidelines:
1. I roll Initiative for everyone to save some time. As long as you don't skip any enemies, you can take your turn anytime. (Example: Allies Bob, Henry, Fred, and Steve are at 20, 15, 10, and 5 respectively. Enemy goblins are at Initiative 13. At the beginning of the round, Bob and Henry can go. The goblins go next at 13. Following the goblins, all four of the characters can go in any order because no enemies would be skipped.)
2.I also roll passive checks. I'm not going to be asking for that Sense Motive check or that Perception check. It takes up time and an unnecessary post. You can however make the checks yourself as long as you are posting it before hand.
3. Everyone rolls their own to-hit and compares it to the AC of the target. The same goes for saves. Both will be provided for all enemies, as will hit points. This puts a lot of responsibility on you to write good combat narratives and not rely on me to do so. The description is a common-sense sort of thing; 3 hit points will not cause the enemy's head to explode - but 30 might if it puts them in the negatives. This is also very trust-based. I expect that if someone gets something they don't like on the preview, they'll have the integrity to leave it there instead of modifying it based on the roll.
3. With my in person group I play by the rule "Heroes never die." This basically means I won't be actively trying to kill you, and as a matter of fact tend to bend things helpfully. I don't like bad rolls to spoil the fun. This however does not exempt stupidity and bad tactics. Heroes are not stupid (with some exceptions but I don't think anyone here has mental dump stats) and bad tactics are just that, bad. Sometimes retreating is the best option.
4. At the beginning of any in-combat post, I expect everyone to include the round/initiative count, current hit points, current AC, current saves, and remaining spells or resources. (By current, I mean following whatever action is in the post.) After that section, I like a section breaking it down into standard/move/swift/whatever actions with appropriate rolls. This way, I don't have to go hunting for that information and check if it is right. Here's an example.
===========EXAMPLE===========
Round 1, Initiative 20
hp 10/12; AC 14/12T/12FF; CMD 14
+4F/+2R/+2W
Bardic Performance: 5/6
The narrative would go here. In this particular case, the bard begins playing the stringed instrument to inspire the others. (This roll is technically extraneous, but I've always done them on my bard type characters.) He then makes his Acrobatics check to move while avoiding attacks of opportunity. With a 25, he succeeds and ends where he intends to go.
=============END EXAMPLE=============
I think there was a slight misunderstanding since I didn't communicate very well. The last "Fenrir" spoiler posted by the Keeper doesn't change from show to hide, and won't expand. Doesn't look to be a browser or cache problem, I think the site just hates me. I can open every single other spoiler except for the last "fenrir" one. :<
Could you PM me the stuff in the spoiler?
Also my spoiler doesn't have anything in it. I was just checking to see if the spoiler tag would change from show to hide, which it does.
Sorry about the lack of communication. Life has been throwing curve balls and deciding who to put into the party is a lot hard than I thought it would be. Definitely underestimated that difficulty. I've got 3 people I am almost positive I want, but the last few spots are super hard to pick. I'll give an update with things tonight, tomorrow at the latest.
You have so much interest that I wonder if you'd consider two games.
Perhaps two groups that are tossed into the extraplanar pit around the same time....
Same scenarios but very different characters/personalities.
That really depends on my time constraints. School starts up in the fall and I am taking 17 credits plus work. I don't want to say I would do it then fall through. But in a couple months should time permit I may open another recruitment.
Phrr, Trusk, Riley, and Yuki:
Since you are relatively new to the boards and have a low post count I can't really look at your previous posts to get an idea of how you play. I want to see your characters in action, know what they think, how they see the world. Like I said in the first post this campaign focuses on the quality of what you post, two to three sentence posts will be few and far between, I am more looking for two to three paragraph posts.
Also I like to roll for my players fairly often when it comes to passive rolls. It helps keep the immersion and speed present rather than stopping he story to ask for a roll then waiting for me to get back to you. Typical rolls are perception, knowledge, sense motive, appraise and spell craft. I also will roll active checks if you did not and I think it is necessary for whatever task you were doing. Do any of you have a problem with that?
Can you give me a writing sample of entering a city/town. Or you can continue on from here and make up whatever you want.
Passing through the rotting gates of the small town, the Human guard sneers at you with an upturned nose, obviously showing arrogance. He has a broadsword belted to his waist, one hand resting atop the worn hilt, waiting for one wrong move. The Half-orc on the other side of the gate keeps a straight face, his lower canines protruding up from his lip almost up to his nose, hair tied back in a ponytail. He holds no weapon that you can see, but his long dark cloak could hide something from your eye.
Immediately inside the gate, a small building with a cloth for a door sits on the right side, the building obviously in need of repairs from the sagging roof and missing door, the hinges holding a small sliver of wood. Across, to the left, is a small alleyway, horse dung fills the air. Peering down the alleyway you can see a wooden fence and hear a horse eating some grain. Much closer however, sits the stable, a hole in the one of the pens shows this place to be in even worse repair than the shack on the right.
Deeper into the town, a few lights from windows give just enough illumination to navigate the rocky road without stumbling. Just at the edge of your vision you see a hanging sign, this building gives off slightly more light than the surrounding ones, but you still quite cannot make out what is depicted on the sign.
Erol:
Is this your first PbP? I see you have been on the boards for several years now and done a few publishings. Which leads me to believe you are a very capable writer. I like to feel immersed into your character. I want to know what he is thinking and seeing, how he is feeling, the little random thought that popped into his head, or his thought process in figuring things out. Would you be able to do that? Like I said earlier I emphasize quality over quantity.
Also I like to roll for my players fairly often when it comes to passive rolls. It helps keep the immersion and speed present rather than stopping he story to ask for a roll then waiting for me to get back to you. Typical rolls are perception, knowledge, sense motive, appraise and spell craft. I also will roll active checks if you did not and I think it is necessary for whatever it is you are doing. Do you have a problem with that?
Iliante:
Looking at your posting history, you are clear and concise when it comes to your posts. However I like to read posts with a bit more flourish to them as it inspires me to give you a better story with quality posts. Are you willing to fill out your posts with how you character sees the environment, his thought process when engaged in new situations?
Frepply:
Looking at several other of your campaigns I notice you start semi strong with the posting but then tend to lose steam as the campaign progress, in terms of quality of posts. Would you be able to keep up the longer posts describing how your character feels and how he experiences the world?
Izoif:
Looking at your past campaigns you tend to have posts that are a few sentences with some longer ones here and there. I like to know what your character is thinking, what he is seeing. Would you be able to up your posts to consistently post immersive responses? I do understand short posts happen from time to time, but most of the time they should be filling out with flavor.
Also I like to roll for my players fairly often when it comes to passive rolls. It helps keep the immersion and speed present rather than stopping he story to ask for a roll then waiting for me to get back to you. Typical rolls are perception, knowledge, sense motive, appraise and spell craft. I also will roll active checks if you did not and I think it is necessary for whatever it is you are doing. Do you have a problem with that?
Also , I assume whatever reason caused you to drop all your previous PbPs a year ago is no longer an issue. Correct?
Reflin & Malachi:
Unfortunately work was not too forgiving today and I ran out of time before I had a chance to look over Malachi’s story and your posting history. I’ll get to you two next.
Recruitment closes on the First. However I am very likely to pick characters before then. I already have a few I am considering.
I'm currently looking over the "completed" characters right now and I'll have in depth feedback for you in the upcoming days. And by completed I mean full back story.
Hordshyrd:
I drew lots of inspiration from the game you are probably thinking of, but I also changed a lot of things as well. Drawing inspiration from other sources too.
Oops, I am very forgetful this week. I forgot to put in the explanation.
This is the race you would use as the failed transformation. This is due to the Empire experimenting with the fundamentals of biology (similar to the shifter). Since some people have natural psionic abilities the Empire has been seeking them out for tests believing they could use that natural mind power to overcome the natural laws of the world. Basically mind over matter experiment. Since this expirementing is still rather new, true elans do not exist, and you are one of the first to actually survive the process, though a failure, to obtain immortaility.
You could be a failed test subject no long of use, Maybe you found out something you shouldn't. Perhaps you were angry/resentful of the testing and fought back.
Here is some feedback that I have on my first initial look through of the characters. Just some small suggestions and/or question based on the once over I did on the character.
An overall suggestion is to show off your characters skills in an anecdote. Write about what skills he has acquired and how he uses them (this is how you get the bonus skills and possibly feat). Why does your character have that skill? Why does your character have that feat? If you want to maximize your bonuses tell me why your character would have that bonus in a story about their past.
Yuki Tsune | Rogue | Kitsune | Seth86:
The Abriged history is solid, can't really give feedback on it. Though she is very young, but is a level 2 trickster. You could expand upon her experiences to give your back story more substance.
Phrr | Ranger | Catfolk | Hordshyrd:
Good so far, not much I can really say until I have a better idea of who I want in the game. Perhaps expand on a few people that Phrr knew, friends or teachers. People you would like to see in the future. What school did he go to, who knew him at school?d
I like the thought of executing dangerous criminals in The Prison. However why would they care? The only people that the Empire would care about exectuing down there (at least from my POV) are the ones with the potential to find an escape. Secondly, there won't be a stronghold of the Empire down there, though they very well may have hidden contacts to keep an eye on things down below. Which is how they know about these potential escapees.
I am assuming that the last part of your story is after you have been in The Prison? That is fine, however it hasn't occured yet. You will be starting out as a convict about to be thrown in. Perhaps you missed your second or third rendevous? Maybe expand upon your mission and what steps they want you to take.
Izoif Alamancar | Expert1/Sorcerer1 | Human | Shane Gifford:
Solid story so far. A couple questions, when and how did Izoif get infected? What is his opinion of the Empire? How strong do you plan on having the Cordyceps be?
Instead of being there for several years, we can keep the same premise and just have James come and seek you out once he knows you are in The Prison. How does that sound? Otherwise the party probably wouldn't be meeting you for quite some time. Naked would get you to a reformatory, but I’m positive a tribal person would probably attempt to fight back if restrained in unknown territory.
Zeherin Kune | Sorcerer?/Magus? | Elf/Tiefling | Viluki:
What bloodline where you planning on going? That archetype has the potential to be overpowered, especially considering you are replacing knowledge pool for 3 feats plus extras.
I suggest you Expand upon what kind of deals your family made, and are you an elf or a tiefling? Elves rarely have noble families, how is yours different?
Keston Bane | Ranger/Wizard | Elf | Bloodwoven:
Not sure what you mean by right fit. In terms of mechanics any character can fit. Since you don't really have a background I can't really tell if he would fit but Betrayal is always something that could get you into The Prison.
Synthia | Summoner | Fetchling | Algar Lysandris:
Good start so far, though there are a lot of loose ends in your ten-minute background that could be tied up quite nicely. Also you could expand upon those murders and dark crimes she has committed in the past.
What is her take on the Empires tolerance acts? Does she want to support laws that promote equality, or does she see it as a cover to gain peoples trust and not actually doing anything? Or does she see it some otherway?
Johhny Adams | Barbarian | Human | Loads of Goblins:
First, you say he is young but a level 2 Barbarian. Expanding upon his experiences will help me understand why he is so powerful next to other older more experienced people. Johnny is a good comical character concept. We'll see where he goes after a few more of his exploits have been revealed.
Since he doesn’t seem to play nice with others how do you think he will get along in a party of “criminals”?
Iliante | Ninja | Drow | Jubal Breakbottle:
A pretty solid concise background. A few questions though, by empress did you mean the Sovereign? Or did you mean somebody else lower in power, perhaps the equivalent of a duchess?
How is your character going to play with others? So far it seems as though he is a quiet begrudging individual. How do you see that playing out underground with a party? Where do you see this character going at later levels?
I like the involvement of how you are sent with other dwarves. Though they won’t all be going in at the same time as you. You aren’t sure if you are the first or last or somewhere in between but you know that several other kinsmen were caught as well.
The steel bracers work as your initial spellbook, under the conditions that they are somehow fused to you. Otherwise they would have been confiscated unless you were a level 1 prisoner, which you are not.
What are your thoughts on the ring and its significance within the prison?
Cruven the Craven | Dread | Halfling-Elan | Edgar Lamoureux:
Halfling-Elan
+2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Str
Small: Halflings are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
Slow Speed: Halflings have a base speed of 20 feet.
Aberrant Nature: Although human in appearance, elans suffer from a nature slightly off from the rest of the non-elan society. They suffer a -1 penalty to Charisma-based skill checks when dealing with non-elans.
Naturally Psionic: Elans gain the Wild Talent feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. If an elan takes levels in a psionic class, she instead gains the Psionic Talent feat.
Resistance (Su): Elans can use psionic energy to increase their resistance to various forms of attack. As an immediate action, an elan can spend 1 power point to gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws until the beginning of her next action.
Keen Senses: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Sure-Footed: Halflings receive a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb skill checks.
Repletion (Su): An elan can sustain his body without need of food or water. If he spends 1 power point, an elan does not need to eat or drink for 12 hours.
I doubt age will come into factor but if it does I think aging 50% slower sounds reasonable.
Riley Thorne | Paladin | Human | Communist:
Good set up for being thrown into The Prison and good explanations of your past. Though there are still those that support the Empire underground, how will that play out for your character? What is your opinion on other “lesser” races?
Tie My Shöelace, If you'd like to copy this list and say which characters are sufficiently prepared for submission and which still need work, go right ahead. :) (Edit: As in, which characters have met your bare minimum and/or have correct crunch)
Thanks for the list. As for crunch that is unimportant to have at this point. The main reason is for people (like me) who start with the crunch and fill out their character then create their back story.
Trusk, the Warchild wrote:
I have to say, I'm seriously hoping I can get at least my full skill points if I get picked. Being a druid with only 4 skills at level 2 feels kind of wrong. I'm pretty sure I can pull off my character concept just fine without them, but it will probably take me longer to be that "all-knowing druid of the caves" that I was kind of hoping I'd come off as.
Everyone usually gets their full allotment of skill points. The purpose is to write about how you got those skill points, which you did so you'll definitely see those coming to you.
Communist wrote:
Before I go ahead and write up a whole royal family or what-have-you, I'd like to know if the fluff idea is acceptable, or otherwise.
Go for it! Remember create NPCs who you want to see and scenarios you'd like to see played out.
Frepply wrote:
Humm good idea, I think maybe being caught with holy symbols of an outlawed deity or something of that nature might work. Something that gives obvious grounds for imprisonment, though I am not certain in this campaign world what contraband would lead to conviction that quick.
Anything and everything is contraband if you are unlucky. However since the Sovereign has been preaching tolerance they won't stop you based on race (at least they won't say they did) but because of the way you are acting or dressed.
Edgar Lamoureux wrote:
I didn't get an (x new) update on this thread on the list I've got running, so I didn't realize the full thread was up.
Before I continue with the character I started on, is it possible to play an Elan, as an experiment of the Empire? As a failed transformation, described in Expanded Psionics. Long story short, the procedure is a failure, and you retain 1-2 racial traits of your base race.
In either case, I will be submitting Cruven the Craven, who has deviated quite a bit from my original concept. Instead of using his fear to help him force others into submission, he'll be using his fear as a survival tool, to combat things that frighten him, and let's be honest, that's quite a few things.
He'll either be a halfling, or a Failed Transformation:Halfling Elan, depending on whether you allow it, of course.
I'll get back to you on the Elan thing this weekend after I have looked over it and formed a preliminary ruling.
I feel like I have seen this campaign thread before somewhere... Excellent template Tie My Shöelace
Indeed, I loved your formatting for your recruitment, made me want to join before I even knew exactly what the campaign was about. Though I am unsure how you did some of your formatting.
YoricksRequiem wrote:
Tie My Shöelace wrote:
I will be taking applications until Sunday, 8/1/13.
Not sure if you meant Sunday 8/4/13, or Thursday 8/1/13.
Well now, isn't that a mystery! I doubt recruitment will go on that long anyway, so highly unlikely we will have to worry about that.
Lecky wrote:
What's the verdict on druid animal companions?
Do'h! I feel dumb now, I forgot to flesh out the druid and ranger section since those were the largest sections after the witch. To answer, you likely won't start with your animal companion unless you find a clever way to get it inside. But you will be able to get one in the cave after some time and checks.
wolfman1911 wrote:
Finally, a question, would I be able to use the adopted trait to get either toothy (half orc alternate racial trait) or maw or claw (tiefling alternate racial trait). It strikes me as kind of dodgy to do something like that, but since the shifter race is basically a mad science experiment gone horribly right, I figure it's more plausible than most cases.
You'd probably be better off just grabbing the Extra Shifter Trait feat and getting a bite that deals 1d6, plus an extra round of shifting. plus 1/2 shift times/day. So the return questiong; Why do you want the trait instead of the feat?
Special Note: I don't think I made myself very clear about how the crunch would work. Here is what I more or less wanted to say. Also I forgot to do HP as well since we are starting at level 2.
Each character will start at
17 pt-buy
one trait
half skill points (after int bonus, racials unaffected)
Half HP+1 per level (full level one)
THEN Then we will go through your background and add the bonuses in based on what you have written for you character upto:
additional 7-9 points to work with on point buy
bonus trait
2+max skill points
bonus feat
E.G. A fighter starts with 15 str, one trait, 2 skill points.
You write about how he doesn't know his own strength and sometimes breaks mugs in taverns. I'd say up the strength to 16 or 17.
You write about how he was trained to react fast to situations and respond with retaliatory strikes. Bonus trait reactionary, bonus feat combat reflexes.
You write about how he worked in a bakery and got a burn across the side of his face and now he always looks angry. Bonus skill profession (baking), bonus skill (intimidate)
Disclaimer: I do not guarantee these bonuses, the more you have written about your characters life, the more chances you have of getting the bonuses. The more well written the life is, the higher the chances of getting the bonuses.
Hope that makes sense. I'll be providing detailed feedback soon. And by soon I mean eventually.
I'd said earlier that I wanted to hold off on my crunch since the Point Buy system was pretty dependent on how you felt about the background. Given that's the case, do you still want crunch submitted with the "bare minimum" in mind, or is it cool to just keep providing race/class/background and hold off on the crunch until one is accepted and given their Point Buy, hrm, allowance?
That is indeed answered in the Official post. which just so happens to be...
"We're almost to the gate, sir. How are the prisoners doing back there? It'll be just a few more moments to the accouterments and weapons station."
The voice echos through the dim windowless carriage as Agent Francis glares at the convicts enclosed with him. His gaze lingering on a short little gnome caressing a broken arm and a unusually hair man for longer than the rest.
"Alright now listen up, as I said before, I don't care about a damn thing you say, whether you did it or not. The Jury found you guilty and gave you your sentence. I got my list right here so there won't be no funny business about how you got jipped on anything. Now when we stop you all are gonna stay right here, no funny business or you'll end up like the little dumbass over there with the arm."
The carriage rumbles to a stop and a small elf enters the carriage from behind Agent Francis, "Berenbur Zookwinkle, come with me."
The gnome clumsily gets up and whispers a curse under his breath as he passes Agent Francis. "Same to you buddy."
A few minutes later the woman returns, "Alright next is..."
The Prison Intrigue of the Empire
Hello and Welcome friends to The Prison.
In this adventure, your characters have been convicted for various crimes against the Empire or broken laws laid out by the Sovereign. In The Prison you will be fighting for survival and possibly making an escape back into the world above for vengeance. Your faith and reason for living may be tested but those who make it will only be stronger.
Before we get into the details of the campaign, I would like to lay out my expectations. In The Prison you have the chance to play an unusual sort of character. You will play as a group of convicts sent to The Prison -- someone who will take this new and challenging experience and turn it into wisdom and strength and possibly be the ruler of the underworld or the savior of those wronged above.
Any alignment falls into play, even lawful good, because the Empire is not a wholly lawful society and often gets rid of those in their way. This does not mean that your alignment gives you the right to make this into a free for all. As a matter of fact this will likely test your alignment and those who do not wish to cooperate with eachother will find themselves drowning very quickly. Those free for all campaigns exist elsewhere and if they are what you are looking for, perhaps you are in the wrong place. This is a campaign about surviving and succeeding in hidden desires. Someone mentioned a fantastic way to represent this type of campaign, remember the movie Alien well that is definitely a great way to describe the feeling your characters will have in the setting. I am looking for characters with interesting backstories, who would mesh well together. Good luck getting your "Ultra evil torture everything for fun" character into this campaign. Characters should be three-dimensional with personality, desires, and flaws. Disagreement between characters should be a natural occurrence based on strongly-held beliefs and philosophies, although they shouldn't derail the game.
For the ever important mechanics, Characters will start at level 2 to give your back story a little more umph, NPC classes are acceptable and slightly encouraged for your first level since it makes a bit more sense story wise. Characters will start with a 17 point-buy. But why such an odd number you ask? Read on and you'll see why. I strongly disfavor stat dumps without appropriate story justification. And if you do have dump stats, expect there to be consequences for them. One trait generic trait is allowed. All classes and archetypes published in Paizo books are allowed, I will also allow the psionic classes (but not races). All races found in the Advanced Race Guide are allowed. Also all characters will start with half (rounded up) their starting skill points per level. WHAT! GM you are so mean. Yes, but I haven't told you why yet, keep reading. These stats are the minimum that your character will start with. Once you have your character and back story written we will then go back and adjust your mechanics up to (could still be less) a 25ish point-buy, two traits, a bonus feat, and max skill points +2. This is to encourage you to write a full back story and incentives you to fill out your character so she can be the best she can be.
Here is a player's guide for you to get acquainted with the setting a little more and help flesh out your character. I strongly urge you to create NPCs and Organizations and Cities that interest you since I will be pulling from those to immerse you into this game. A great example of that is Trusk Warchild created by Unruly.
Here is the players guide on the forum for those that cannot access google documents. I warn you though this is not formatted for the forum and therefore is messy.
Unformatted Player's Guide:
GENERAL INFO
This campaign is firstly a survival campaign emphasizing the lack of resources on the party. There is also the limiting factor of magic. There are magical deadzones and places called twisters which warp magic in unpredictable ways.
Players are thrown into The Prison for committing a crime against the Empire, very little is known as fact to the common person about The Prison though there are several rumors about the place but cannot really be confirmed.
There will likely be a lot of downtime for the party as they travel about trying to initially survive, and gather resources to survive the upcoming Flood. Which means lots of opportunities for crafting and community building.
Eventually they can settle in a town and start building their own kingdom, or they can try to find a way to escape back to the surface for some ulterior motive.
The Surface Empire
The Human Empire first came to power 600 years ago and has since expanded to cover most of the main continent, slowly assimilating all in their way. They were harsh and strict showing high favoritism to the higher races, and treating the lower races as slaves. Many races are now extinct from genocide on the main continent because of Human greed for power. However the last two Sovreaigns, Chaundler and Eigen has shifted away from that bloodlust. They realize in order to expand their territory further off the main land into the world beyond they will need the help of the other races.
About 150 years ago, Chaundler made the move towards a fauxdemocracy where races are “equal” and those who committed crimes were given a trial by their peers. These trials were often rigged with threats and bribes, clearly innocent people being executed and murderers getting off free with many questions asked.
About 80 years ago at the end of Chaundlers life, the Empire discovered a magic portal leading to a HUGE underground cavern. The first initial explorers where not heard from and they assumed it to be a one way portal, so they sent in a top military group consisting of several very experienced magic users and fighters. Though they were able to communicate with this group some, the magic was very distorted and eventually after a few years of not figuring a way out the portal was “converted” into a prison.
This allowed an easy way to deal with criminals and members of society who were useless and unproductive. Since the cost of keeping them was the transport to the portal. About 50 years ago there was a revolt with how many people were being convicted and basically given a death sentence even though they were “guilty” of minor “crimes.” In response to this Sovereign Eigen implemented different types of sentencing with varying levels of equipment people would be given to survive.
The Empire has a strong hold on the justice system and can swing any case in their favor. They tend not to get involved in minor squabbles between the common people. These cases not of interest to the Sovereign are done by legitimate trial by peers with little sway on either side.
Sentences
Reformatory
People that have committed minor misdemeanors such as a bar fights, public drunkenness, involuntary property damage are sent to a local Reformatory. Here they are put into a bare cell and fed awful food for a certain amount of time relating to their crime. Once they have served time they are then released back into society. (Basically like a normal penitentiary)
Level 1 Conviction
People that have been sentenced to Reformatory multiple times without showing any signs of becoming a productive member of society are given this sentence. People who are medical hazards are also given this sentencing.
Given a survival kit and allowed to take in whatever they own up to 200g
Level 2 Conviction
People who have caused a decent damage to private or public property accidentally are given this sentence. This could be from an over the top barfight, or an accidental home laboratory fire that spread to others houses. This level also includes those who have stolen. This can be as minor as stealing a piece for food from a bazaar vendor as long as there is proof to convict. Other ways of earning this level of conviction is through public slander of the Empire. This is relatively easy to prove and only requires an employee of the Empire and two other witnesses (which can also be employees) to put their word forth. This can also be disproved by the same method.
Given a survival kit; choice of leather, studded leather, Lamellar cuirass, hide, scale mail, Four-mirror armor; choice of any simple or martial weapon under 40g, Choice of Limited spell component pouch or Light wooden shield
Level 3 Conviction
People who have cause purposeful large destruction of somebodies property such as arson, or intentionally destroying a vendor stall are sentenced here. Large scale stealing and stealing form the Empire also falls under this level. Lastly conspiring against the Empire, e.g. hiding a fugitive, trading with known terrorists will earn a person this sentence.
Given Survival kit; choice of leather, FRAGILE studded leather, Lamellar cuirass, hide, FRAGILE scale mail, FRAGILE Four-mirror armor; choice of any simple or martial weapon under 20g or choice of any simple or martial FRAGILE weapon under 40g, Choice of Limited spell component pouch or Light wooden shield
Level 4 Conviction
Those convicted of murder and those convicted of terrorism are under this category. Terrorism includes fighting against the Empire, sabotaging Imperial equipment, slowing Empire expansion among other things.
Given Lesser Survival Kit; Choice of Leather, FRAGILE studded leather, or hide armor; Choice of simple or martial weapon under 15g or choice of simple or martial EXTRA FRAGILE weapon under 30g.
Level 5 Conviction
This is the highest state and only given to serial/mass murders, those who commit treason (e.g. giving out secrets, betraying the Empire) and murdering an Imperial agent.
Given a water skin and 2 days’ worth of rations
(Extra) Fragile Weapons and Armor
Any time you confirm a critical failure with a fragile weapon it gains the broken condition. Extra fragile weapons are broken on a single natural 1. Fragile armor is broken whenever someone confirms a critical hit, however you only take normal damage for that hit (Exceptions apply).
Limited Spell Component Pouch
Any time a spell is cast with with a nonpriced spell component pouch there is a 10% chance the component is missing (this can be checked for before spells are prepared). From then on that spell component is permanently missing until replaced. For every two times the spell is cast the percent increases by 5%
Organizations
This is open to you. You can pretty much create any organization you want for your backstory. They will probably get tied into the game at some point. Create your character into something that you would love to play through and it could very well happen.
Important NPCs
Sovereign Eigan: Eigan began her reign about 50 years ago and her life looks to be coming to an end. She is human and about 90 years of age, though she looks more like someone in their 70s, which doesn’t say much since that is still very old.
Agent Francis: He oversees all prisoner transportation. He is a relatively nice guy and usually tries to have a conversation on the ride with the convicts. He also oversees the equipment partitions before the convicts are throw in making sure everyone has what they want as best he can, though is strictly follows the customs of each level. However, Francis is not a person to be tested, he is not afraid of giving a few injuries to those who get out of line, even going so far as to break a few bones if necessary.
OTHERS: Make your own NPCs that may make an appearance later on. They may have gone down into the prison before you, or are coming after, or even be awaiting your return from below. Help me tell you a story you want to hear and be involved in, the more you want to interact with the people surrounding your character the more attached you become and the better story I can tell.
The Realm Below
The Rumors: Every few years there is a flood where horrors come in great numbers to feast upon the convicted. To date no one is known to have escaped. Magic functions strangely or doesn’t work at all under the ground which is why it is so hard to get information to the surface and making it impossible to escape. The Prison was created by Sovereign Chaundler as an easy solution to getting rid of all who opposed him.
The facts: Magic to the surface is heavily distorted, the only magic know to work reliably are sending type spells. This has been the only way to communicate to people of the surface and then it isn’t reliable due to only pieces being coherent to the receiver. There is native fauna and plant life below, how it got there is up for debate. There is a supply of water down below, again its origins are highly debated, There are light sources from bioluminescent mushrooms that grown in abundance in certain areas of the cave.
Resources: Certain resources don’t exist down below and people have used substitutes to good effect, while some have no known substitutes. Other resources are rare and thus much more expensive, while some are even more bountiful than the surface. This also includes spell components and other expendable resources for classes.
Magic: Arcane magic uses magical currents that flows around the world, the cavern below the surface is sometimes outside the normal flow of magic causing deadzones, other times magic gets twisted up into a highly concentrated area, and magical effects can get very distorted. Divine magic is a direct connection to the gods above who are granting some of their power. However, the connection to the gods is much weaker down below for some reason and sometimes the gods don’t respond to their followers, other times you may get the wrong god granting you power through some strange mistake or misunderstanding.
RACES
Humans
Humans only came into power in the last 600 years on CONTINENT. Extremely power hungry and hostile Humans have taken land from the other civilized races to create large cities and fertile farms. Only recently however have then be a lot more tolerant and even accepting of other races. Under Sovereign Eigen Human rule has expanded faster than her previous five Sovereigns, mostly due to her policies dealing with nonHumans.
Humans are the most populous civilized race in the region. In The Prison there are relatively less of them compared to monstrous races, though they still are the most populous.
Elves
Elves used to rule the land before the Humans started taking everything over. They have an innate dislike of Humans but have relented to the fact that Humans aren’t leaving anytime soon. Since Sovereign Eigen’s new policies have come into effect more and more elves are moving into the city to take advantage of the comfortable living arrangements and to avoid undue prosecution of being a drain on society.
Elves are also not as long lived as in standard fantasy, living only slightly longer than Humans, with an average lifespan of 100 years. Their children mature at the same rate as Humans as well.
Gnomes and Halflings
Prior to the Human era of history these races were nomadic and excelled at trading. Even before Sovereign Eigen came to power they had already integrated into Human society as politicians and traders. These two races have integrated so seamlessly that interracial marriages are not uncommon.
Dwarves
Dwarves and Humans have a cordial relationship. Prior to Sovereign Eigen’s rule were hired to help build cities or undertake other massive construction projects in Human cities, and then were returned to their homes and not welcomed to live in what they built. Recently Sovereign Eigen has actually been encouraging Dwarves to settle in the cities to help make better weapons and stronger buildings.
Half-Orcs and Half-Elves
With Humans expanding their territory at such a fast rate interracial breeding was a non-question. At first they were considered dirty and given all the bad jobs around the city. Now it is not uncommon to find forth and sometimes even fifth generation half breeds in the city, even in prominent positions.
Aasimars and Tieflings
Tieflings are mostly found in the noble houses whereas Aasimars are usually found in middle class families, though a few can be found in prominent positions in the hierarchy. Seeing Tieflings populating so many noble houses has spurned unspoken rumors among the other races that the reason Humans have come into power so quickly is due to pacts with powerful fiends long ago.
Tieflings are more common than Aasimars on the surface, though nearly equal in number in The Prison, due to Aasimars having an obscenely high conviction rate compared to any other race.
Catfolk, Ratfolk and Other Civilized Races
The less common civilized races have been assimilated in Human society as they expanded. Though they are not unwelcome, the other races have not mixed in with society and often keep to the selves working and staying out of trouble. Each having their own little distinct district in the major cities.
Orcs, Goblins and Other ‘Noncivilized’ Races
Originally conquered as slaves and used as such for nearly 500 years, they have been freed under Sovereign Eigen. Though most still work for coppers a week, several of the smarter ones have successfully started their own businesses. They still face an uphill battle for identity and are usually grouped all grouped as Laborers by most Humans regardless of their actual race.
Shifters
There are a very few shifters in the world, they are not natural and are experiments of the Empire within the last 50 years. Generally keeping their secrets to themselves after the Empire has abandoned them, there are few cases known to the public. Those that are known have already been killed, mistaken for lycanthropes.
STATS:
Humanoid Type (Shapechanger Subtype)
Medium Size
Base Speed: 30'
Attribute Modifications: +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 to Cha
+2 racial bonus to Acrobatics and Climb.
Low-Light Vision
Shifting (Su): A shifter can tap into her lycanthropic heritage to gain short bursts of power.
At character creation, a shifter chooses one of the following traits. Once chosen, this trait cannot be changed. Natural attacks while shifting qualifies as a natural attack for prerequisites, as does special powers or movement rates, even though they are not always available. However, the benefit to attributes does not count for such prerequisites. If a feat requires a Strength of 13, you must have a Strength of 13, without shifting, to qualify.
Beasthide: +2 racial bonus to Constitution and +2 natural armor bonus to AC.
Cliffwalk: +2 racial bonus to Dexterity and gains a Climb speed of 20'.
Dreamsight: +2 racial bonus to Wisdom and affected by the Speak with Animals spell. Shifters with this trait also gains +2 racial bonus to Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks even when not shifting.
Gorebrute: +2 racial bonus to Strength and gains a natural attack (gore) for 1d6 (bludgeoning).
Longstride: +2 racial bonus to Dexterity, are always considered to have a running start when jump while shifted, and a +10' racial bonus to your land speed.
Longtooth: +2 racial bonus to Strength and gains a natural attack (bite) for 1d6 (piercing).
Razorclaw: +2 racial bonus to Strength and gains two natural attacks (claws) for 1d4 (slashing). These claw attacks always involve the hands and thus cannot be used anytime the hands cannot be used.
Swiftwing: +2 racial bonus to Dexterity and gains a fly speed of 30' (clumsy). This fly speed is provided by the arms and hands transforming into wings, which means anything that is held or wielded is automatically dropped. Likewise, the shifter cannot take actions that involve her hands, including attacks.
Truedive: +2 racial bonus to Constitution and a swim speed of 30'. Shifters with this trait also can hold breath for 4x Constitution score even when not shifting.
Wildhunt: +2 racial bonus to Constitution and the scent ability. Shifters with this trait also gain +2 racial bonus to Survival even when not shifting.
Winterhide: +2 racial bonus to Constitution, a +1 natural armor bonus to AC and cold resistance 5. Shifters with this trait also gain a +2 racial bonus to Fortitude saves to resist environmental effects of extreme cold.
Natural attacks while shifting qualifies as a natural attack for prerequisites, as does special powers or movement rates, even though they are not always available. However, the benefit to attributes does not count for such prerequisites. If a feat requires a Strength of 13, you must have a Strength of 13, without shifting, to qualify.
Shifting can be activated once per day as a free action that does not provoke and lasts for a number of rounds equal to 2+the shifter's Con modifier (After Shifting). It can be ended prematurely as a free action and is automatically ended anytime the shifter goes unconscious or dies.
Shifter Feats (Many monster feats listed can be taken by shifters and count as a Shifter Feat)
For each Shifter Feat taken by a shifter, add 1 round to the duration of your shifting ability. These additional rounds stack with other increases to the duration of your shifting ability.
For every two Shifter Feats taken, add 1 to the number of times you can shift per day.
Shifters must still qualify for these feats normally.
Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc and Sylvan
Favored Class Options:
Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian's total number of rage rounds per day.
Druid: Add +1/4 to the druid's total number of Wild Shape per day.
Fighter: Add +1 to the fighter's CMD when resisting reposition or trip.
Ranger: Add +1 hit point to the ranger's animal companion. If the ranger ever replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
Rogue: Add +1/5 of a new rogue talent.
Witch: Add +1/6 of a new witch hex.
Age:
Adulthood: 20 years
Intuitive: +1d6/Self-Taught: +1d8/Trained: +2d8
Middle Age: 40/Old: 60/Venerable: 80
Base Height & Weight:
Height: 4' 7" (male) or 4' 5" (female)
Weight: 100 lbs (male) or 85 (female)
Modifier: 2d8 / Weight Modifier: x7
Shifter Feats
Shifter feats are only available to shifters and often only to those with the appropriate shifter trait. Almost all of the shifter feats also add rounds to the duration a shifter's shifting ability. These additional rounds stack.
Beasthide Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Beasthide shifter trait
Benefit: The natural armor bonus provided by the Beasthide shifter trait increases to a total of +4.
Cliffwalk Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Cliffwalk shifter trait
Benefit: The climb speed provided by the Cliffwalk shifter trait increases by another +10'.
Dreamsight Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Dreamsight shifter trait
Benefit: While shifting, you gain a +5 racial bonus to Perception and can see invisible creatures and objects as if you under the effect of the See Invisibility spell. This is considered part of your shifting and cannot be dispelled or suppressed unless your entire shifting is dispelled or suppressed.
Extended Shifting [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, at least 1 other Shifter feat
Benefit: Add 3 rounds to the duration of your shifting ability. These additional rounds stack with other increases to the duration of your shifting ability.
Special: This feat can taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, it's effects stack.
Extra Shifter Trait [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter
Benefit: Choose an additional shifter trait from the list detailed in the shifter race description. When you shift, you take on all shifter traits except the racial bonus to your attribute from the shifter trait chosen by this feat. For example, if you took Longstride as your primary shifter trait and choose Razorclaw as your shifter trait granted by this feat, when you shift, you would gain a +2 racial bonus to Dexterity, a +10' bonus to your land movement, are always considered to have a running start for jumping and would have two natural attacks (claws) for 1d4 damage. You would not gain the +2 racial bonus to Strength. The swiftwing and truedive shifter traits are mutually exclusive. You may not choose one if you already possess the other.
Gorebrute Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Gorebrute shifter trait
Benefit: You gain the powerful charge special ability, but only for the gore attack provided by your Gorebrute shifter trait. The total damage is your powerful charge ability is twice the normal amount of damage from your gore attack.
Great Bite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Longtooth shifter trait, +6 BAB
Benefit: The critical range on your bite attack from your Longtooth shifter trait improves to x3. This does not stack with other effects that increase the critical multiplier, but does stack with other effects that increase the critical range.
Great Rend [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Razorclaw shifter trait, +4 BAB
Benefit: You gain the rend special ability, but only if you successfully with both claw attacks granted by your Razorclaw shifter trait. This usually equates to an additional 1d4 + 1-1/2 Str modifier damage.
Greater Shifter Defense [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Shifter Defense, three other shifter feats.
Benefit: While shifting, the damage reduction provided by the Shifter Defense feat improved to a total of DR: 4 / silver.
Healing Factor [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Con 13
Benefit: While shifting, you gain the regeneration (1) special ability. Damage caused by silver overcomes this regeneration. Since going unconscious causes any shifting to prematurely end, this regeneration cannot help you if you go below 0 hit points unless you are normally capable of acting in such circumstances.
Longstride Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Longstride shifter trait
Benefit: The bonus to your movement rate granted by your Longstride shifter trait increases to a total of +20'.
Longtooth Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Longtooth shifter trait
Benefit: Your bite attack deals 1 Con damage on successful hit while shifting.
Razorclaw Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Razorclaw shifter trait
Benefit: You gain the pounce special ability, but only when using the two claw attacks provided by your Razorclaw shifter trait. Both of these claw attacks use your full base attack bonus and both gain the +2 benefit from charging. If you have the rend special ability and successful hit with both claw attacks, the rend damage is also applied.
Reactive Shifting [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Improved Initiative
Benefit: You can use your shifting ability as an immediate action, even when flat-footed or surprised.
Shifter Acrobatics [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with either the Cliffwalk, Longstride or Swiftwing trait, 5 ranks in Acrobatics
Benefit: While shifting, you gain a racial bonus to your Acrobatics skill equal to the number of Shifter feats that you currently have, including this one.
Shifter Agility [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with either the Cliffwalk, Longstride or Swiftwing trait
Benefit: While shifting, you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC and a +1 untyped bonus to Reflex saves.
Shifter Defense [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, two other shifter feats
Benefit: While shifting, you gain damage reduction equal to DR: 2 / silver.
Shifter Ferocity [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, Wisdom 13
Benefit: While shifting, you gain the ferocity special ability. This will allow you to remain conscious if brought below 0 hit points.
Shifter Magnetism [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter, wild empathy class feature
Benefit: You gain a racial bonus to your Handle Animal skill and wild empathy checks equal to the number of Shifter feats that you currently have, including this one. This bonus applies even when you not shifting.
Shifter Instincts [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter
Benefit: While shifting, you gain a +2 competence bonus to Initiative and a +1 competence bonus to Perception and Sense Motive checks.
Shifter Savagery [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with either the Gorebrute, Longtooth or Razorclaw shifter trait, +6 BAB, ability to rage
Benefit: While shifting and raging simultaneously, the critical threat range of all of your natural attacks increase to 19-20 and the base damage improved by two steps, as if your size had increased by two size categories. This increase to the threat range does not stack with any other effect (such as Improved Critical), nor does the base damage increase stack with any other source that does not actually increase your size category. This leads to the following progression: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6.
Shifter Stamina [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with either the beasthide, truedive or wildhunt shifter trait, Endurance
Benefit: While shifting, you are immune to nonlethal damage and any fatigue or exhaustion effect is suppressed. When your shifting ends, any fatigue or exhaustion effect that has not already expired during your shifting affect you normally.
Shifter Stealth [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with either the Cliffwalk, Longstride or Swiftwing trait, 5 ranks in Stealth
Benefit: While shifting, you gain a racial bonus to your Stealth skill equal to the number of Shifter feats that you currently have, including this one.
Swiftwing Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Swiftwing shifter trait.
Benefit: The fly speed provided by your Swiftwing Elite shifter trait improves to a total of 40' and the maneuverability improves to good.
Truedive Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Truedive shifter trait
Benefit: The swim speed provided by your Truedive shifter trait improves to a total of 40'. Also, you do not take penalties for fighting underwater.
Wildhunt Elite [Shifter]
Prerequisite: Shifter with the Wildhunt shifter trait
Benefit: While shifting, you gain blindsense 30'.
CLASSES
Alchemists
Above: Alchemists are commonly employed by the Empire to create cheap potions to heal as well as to increase production on various tasks. Many own their own shops/labs to try and find new and better ways to create potions.
Below: Alchemists are much harder to find underground since there is a lack of supplies to create their potions. Many Alchemists take up a new profession once underground. Several join with the druidic sects underground because they tend to have a small supply of common ingredients. There are a lucky few who have adapted their practice to use what materials they can scrounge from the underground.
Recommendations: Due to the lack of resources early in the campaign this class will be extremely challenging to play, but may be a boon to a party later on once established.
Barbarians
Above: Barbarians are extremely rare on the surface, mostly because they are quickly throw into The Prison for some outburst or another.
Below: As a conjugate to the above, Barbarians are fairly common below due to being thrown down there so very often and join one of the established barbarian tribes. Most tribes do some amount of raiding on other settlements, though there are a few that tend to keep to themselves.
Bards
Above: Theater is the most common form of entertainment in the Empire and many of the tropes travel from city to city. The bigger cities usually have at least one stationary troupe. Bards tend to stay away from anything mentioning the Empire or ancient civilizations as those topics tend to get their fellows a case of disappearing.
Below: Bards are welcomed in most areas and settlements. They are one of the few classes that do well economically since entertainment is scarce and in high demand.
Cavaliers
Above: Almost all Cavaliers have a military background, though a few are athletes that participate in the Garganmoth games every few years to show off their skills.
Below: Not many trained military officers make their way down into The Prison, mostly due to being smart enough not to mention anything about the dictatorship being run by the Sovereign. Those that do end up do end up down below sometimes get recognized if they are prominent. Most end up adapting their skills towards domesticated Giant Spiders and Giant Lizards.
Recommendations: Mounts likely won’t be accessible early on in the campaign, so several class features will be collecting dust until such a time that mounts are accessible. But perhaps riding a giant spider is worth the wait. So make sure you are able to survive the early game well enough to get to that point.
Clerics
Above: The Empire has allowed religion to exist under strict circumstances, which more or less forces many clerics to become healers. Those that wish to be more involved with their god and carry out their will must do so secretly for fear of repercussions.
Below: Clerics are also a well-respected class that can fit in anywhere due to their innate healing. However they are much farther from their gods so sometimes they won’t respond (they are still affected by the magical deadzones that populate The Prison). Unlike the surface people are much more openly pious and several settlements revolve around certain faiths.
Druids
mostly against the empire, have set up an underground network for people.
Thrive below but keep to themselves, prefer to be imprisoned away from oppressive empire, help out certain settlements who return the favor
Fighters
Above: People fight everywhere, in the military, in the bars, in competitions. The world belongs to fighters (metaphorically).
Below: See Above.
Gunslingers
Above: The Empire has put a lot of research into creating a triggered explosive powder but has not revealed its secret to the world yet. Most people that a gun shoots out a small round metal ball at high speeds, but they do not know why or how it does so. Guns are strictly military issue and used to keep the “peace.”
Below: Guns are scare down below, but not unheard of. The rare wielder of such a weapon is generally respected for fear of the damages it can cause. Explosive powder is extremely hard to come by and is hoarded by settlements lucky enough to have some.
Recommendation: Since supplies are hard to find, a secondary weapon is likely necessary. A smart gunslinger will be able to make use of her environment though.
Inquisitors
Above: Inquisitors are find themselves commonly out of a job due to the Empire’s tyrannical ways of enforcement. Some work in the bounds of the law, while others secretly move behind the scenes.
Below: Inquisitors are slightly more common below ground, but the link to the gods is weak and as such they have a harder time upholding their faith because sometimes their faith isn’t there for them.
Maguses
Above: Masguses are elite military trained combatants. It is rare for one to seen in the major cities due to usually being out on special operations for the Sovereign. Not much is known about what they do and those that do talk to them don’t get much information out of the encounter.
Below: Even more rare that seeing them in the city is seeing them in The Prison, and those that are found are instantly assumed to have committed treason against the Empire.
Monks
Above: Monks have slowly assimilated into the current culture of the Empire. They used to be in remote locations away from prying eyes and civilization but Human expansion has changed all of that. Those that didn’t put up a fight were welcomed. Those that did not are no longer around.
Below: Fighting against the Empire is a surefire way to get thrown into the Prison, and that is how most monks ended up down there. Usually the entire clan was thrown in there and they tend to stick together.
Ninjas
Above: Another of the Empires elite forces. They are similar to Maguses except without the innate magical talent.
Below: See Magus
Oracles
Above: Oracles are one of the more free classes on the surface since they tend to not be affiliated with any politics like other divine casters. That being said they still populate the churches as well as the government and everywhere in between.
Below: Though Oracles don’t need a divine connection like other casters, they still need to touch into the arcane magic to be able to cast at will and are subject to both divine and arcane magical effects from the world, but to a lesser extent than others.
Paladins
Very rare above since the empire has such a strong lock on interpreting the law. And even then they are highly hypocritical.
Usually fighters that have converted to a faith down below
Rangers
Similar to the druid but more open in protest of the empire also more along the lines of diplomats for the druids in the settlements
Favored enemies: Human, Humanoid (general), aberration, animal
Rouges
Above: Typically Rogues are scouts or guides for the various areas. The iconic thieving rogue is very uncommon due to a highly law abiding regime. But that does not mean there aren’t those skilled enough to get away with such things.
Below: Rogues are much more common down below, especially because of the dim light and darkness everywhere giving them the edge in surprise. Thieves are also fairly common due to a generally lawless environment.
Sorcerers
Above: Sorcerers are people with extremely high emotions capable of controlling the magical force and bending it with those emotions. Generally feared for their explosive personalities and fits of destruction many are unjustly shunned by society for their gifts. Few of the more powerful one are recruited by the Empire for testing.
Below: Sorcerers generally find themselves the most powerful magic class in The Prison due to not needing nearly as many resources as the other magical classes since they bend magic by sheer force.
Summoners
Above: Sorcerers that displayed an acute understanding of magical beasts were sought after by the Empire. From there they were trained to attune their magical abilities to summon creatures from all over and keep them under control. The Empire also experimented with bonding these creatures to a host, though many died in the process a few lived and now have a beast connected to their very nature.
Below: Summoners are even rarer than Maguses and Ninjas because of the Empires investment in them. The few cases are people naturally gifted in the way of summoning and these are few and far between since there are no real mentors to train them in the world above.
Recommendations: Since the Eidolon is itself partially magic as well as bonded by a magical link they are also effected similarly to how regular magic is.
Witches
Above: Witches are all but nonexistent in the Empire. The Empire sees them as a threat since they spend so much time in isolation and are usually unwilling to help them in their quest for expansion. Only recently have they not been exterminated on sight when discovered in their hidden abodes. Now they are being captured and studied by the Empire, trying to learn their secrets of magic.
Below: Witches are found in the dark corners of the caves sometimes, and often times people never return from seeking them out. There are a few stable places of magic in The Prison and this is where witches tend to set up home since their magic relies so heavily upon preparing their spells and then casting them.
Recommendations: Witches not only have to cast magical spells but also have to communicate with a higher power through their familiar to gain spells. Most familiars will not be going into the cave with their master since they will have been confiscated by the Empire. To make things slightly easier on the Witch. The Familiar will keep ¾ of the previous days spells stored so the witch will have some spells to prepare in case she cannot communicate that days to gain new ones. Hexes are innate supernatural magical effects and thus are less a subject to the magic distortions of The Prison.
Wizards
Above: Wizards are the most common form of magic users on the surface world due to the vast knowledge the Empire has surrendered to the public about magic. Many are on good terms with the Empire because they know that they will be without a spellbook should they ever be convicted.
Below: Contrary to the situation above, wizards are few and far between. Since it takes such a long time to gather the resources to make another spellbook and then even more to fill it up to something worthwhile many wizards retire into another roll that can help out in settlements that offer them protection.
Recommendations: Wizards will be without a spellbook and limited spell components. Keep that in mind as you create your character and try to find possible solutions to this problem.
Psionics
Psionics will be played like magic. Though not nearly as common as magic, psionics are known well enough that the common person has at least heard about the abilities and it is more than a rumor at this point.
This will be my first campaign DM in a pbp. I have played D&D/Pathfinder for eleven years. Players who make it into this campaign will be expected to post once every 48-hours, and I will uphold that same posting activity. Some days there will be more posts than others, but this campaign will be run at a leisurely pace. If you do not post once within 48 hours during combat, actions will be taken for you. I reserve the right to eject from the campaign anyone who has not posted in 72 hours without prior warning of absence. I do emphasis Quality of Quantity. I don't care if you can post five times a day, if it isn't of substance it doesn't count as a post in my book.
I expect players to engross themselves in the roleplaying element and contribute interestingly to the story.
I do not use map tools unless required. And there should be very few times that happens. I will be taking applications until Sunday, 8/1/13. I have not decided how many players I will be taking, but the total will be between 4 and 6, depending on the exact needs of the party. As a warning, I also tend to select players over the course of the application period. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. If you don't have a posting history, I'm still happy to consider you but I may ask for a writing sample.
Algar are you mixing two different archetypes for your character? I didn't think that was generally allowed.
From my understanding, the Shadow caller does not effect the eidolon mechanically, it is just a flavor effect. Unless I am mistaken I don't see why a shadow could come up and fuse with its owner. Would make for a very interesting spectacle.
Frepply wrote:
I would appreciate feed-back if you get a chance.
I'll give some in depth feedback on it in the actual recruitment thread once it is up.
Slayer Dragonwing wrote:
As far as spellbooks go is it an issue with them being made of a flimsy material or them being confiscated by the Empire? I can think of fluff ways around either one, but it is up to you. My character concept is pretty strongly for a standard wizard, both because of the backstory and because I really want to avoid multiclassing if possible.
If this is a serious problem let me know and I will start considering other options.
Firstly the spellbook would be confiscated. Secondly, it is exactly flimsy material retriction, but materials to make a spellbook would be hard to come by.
YoricksRequiem wrote:
I don't see if you decided that Psionics came about as a result of the Experiments that created the Shifters, or if it's from elsewhere?
I decided psionics is a natural, yet rare, part of the world. That doesn't stop you from being experimented on though. The Empire has their hands in everything.
Well what the secret is, is the kind of thing I'll let the GM decide but I'm happy to help you work it out if you want. I did have the idea though that the information is hidden on the backs of some of the letters, the writing covered by magic which will be revealed by passing through zones of antimagic and magical turbulence during travel.
We'll talk more about that in the recruitment stage, good idea for sure.
Shadowtail24 wrote:
I don't know that you ever said the starting level?
I have a back story and character set but I'll wait to reveal it until actual recruitment.
Also, how do you feel about accepting a pair of players? I'm trying to play in a quest with a buddy of mine.
Probably starting level 2, which should help give your background substance, but I haven't finalized that decision yet.
I'm fine accepting a pair, would it be under the terms of you both get it or neither? Also when creating characters people sentenced for the same crimes are separated and delivered to The Prison separately to make transporting easier. So if you wanted to be coconspirators keep that in mind.
Shane Gifford wrote:
Alright, time to write out a backstory! :) The following is for Iozif Alamancar, the Verdant Sorceror.
** spoiler omitted **...
I like the take on a being thrown into the prison because of a disease. Would probably make you a Level 1 Convict in terms of starting equipment.
Slayer Dragonwing wrote:
So far I am thinking of playing a dwarf wizard with a specialization in either Transmutation (and possibly the Enhancement sub school) or the earth elemental arcane school.
My very rough idea for his backstory is as follows, I will provide names and the like later:
** spoiler omitted **...
Magic users won't be full liabilities. They will be at some parts and boons during others.
However, I recommend away from a classic wizard. You aren't likely to be starting with a spellbook. There are several ways around it but you'll have to work that into your back story somehow.
Algar Lysandris wrote:
Here is my submission for
Female Fletchling Summoner (Synthesist Shadow Caller)
choosing a 17 point + bonus (will do crunch if selected)
Good start so far. Though I beg the question of what society does Nives think is unaccepting of Nonhumans? I can see a small village not directly under the Empires eye might, but the Empire as a whole has moved towards tolerance, with Humans being the clear number one.
So I will provide some general feedback, and it will probably stay that way until official recruitment when I will give more detailed feedback. Especially since not everything is set in stone.
Slayer Dragonwing wrote:
I am quite interested in this game, and I was wondering how large a role crafting and community building will play in this game, as I am looking for a game that favours those elements right now.
For crafting I would say low to high. I said before I wont punish the group for not crafting but it could help you out and speed things along sometimes in the right situations.
For Community building probably medium to high. At the bare minimum the party will need to build ties to at least one settlement and its community. At the highest you could play Kingmaker in The Prison.
YoricksRequiem wrote:
So, yes. Human Vitalist, focused on Healing. Here's the background, from his point of view, written as kind of a Diary Entry / Deathbed Confession sort of thing. Apologies, it is a bit long / wordy. I'm guessing it's about a Level 4 Conviction, but I'm not positive. Either way, I'd love to hear feedback on it.
** spoiler omitted **...
Good start on everything. For proving the murder; they don't have to, they'll convict you anyway because they can.
Also I have been thinking on the same lines with psionics being experiments as well. If I do decide to go with that you might have to change the background a bit since they will know you were previously experimented on, or you might have some clever way of hiding it.
Frepply wrote:
The Ten-Minute Background (I didn’t name it, I think it takes longer than 10 minutes all together)
Rough draft.....
** spoiler omitted **...
That is an interesting way to start as a prisonborn. But just to let you know you will probably be facing fierce competition for that spot. Unless everyone else acquiesces to you. I'll let you expand on your idea a bit before giving you feedback. Though one thing I see already is the conflict between his goal and the fact that the conspirators haven't informed him of their plan... How does he know there is a way to escape? How does he know that he belongs on the surface?
Hordshyrd wrote:
Alright, well I'm going to hold off on the crunch side as well but I have some character ideas set out into the format suggested (more or less)
** spoiler omitted **...
I like it so far. We'll have to develop what is in those letters and what secret your father found out. I have an idea right now, but I'm going to sleep on it, just to make sure that it isn't over the top.
Unruly wrote:
Depending on the answers, I may have to do a decent amount of revision for my character background.
I skimmed over what you sent me and you won't have to change much if at all. Very excellent so far. I'll get back to you more in depth tomorrow on a few things.
- I really like the idea that your conviction level affects what you start with for gear, but it doesn't seem like you get anything for the tradeoff? I mean, if I choose to have Conviction Level 5 and someone else takes Level 1, I'm at a pretty immediate equipment disadvantage. Is there any reason aside from Fluff to have a higher conviction level?
- The additional racial modifiers that the Shifter gets (Beasthide, Winterhide, Wildhunt, etc), am I right in assuming that those are only "active" during the use of the Shifting special ability?
I really love this idea, I hope I can come up with a half-decent character.
That more or less sets up for the crunch building bonuses. Sure you can create a level 1 conviction character, but you likely won't get all the stat bonuses and other things, unless of course you have somehow created a super awesome story about a drunk. The more power to you.
Also it allows you to create connections to NPCs that may have been in The Prison already, or for later stories if you figure out how to escape.
The shifter bonuses for the trait are only during shifting.
I also forgot to put in the shifter feats. >.<
Life still hasn't eased up yet. I know I said I would have it out now, but it is not quite finished yet. I'll post what I have though since it is mostly complete, just not very fleshed out. I thought I would share it now just to let you guys know I am still working on it.
I wont be able to finish it this weekend since I have an in person game tomorrow and busy tonight.
Here is is for those of you that can't access it, though it is not forum formatted.
Player's Guide (WIP):
GENERAL INFO
This campaign is firstly a survival campaign emphasizing the lack of resources on the party. There is also the limiting factor of magic. There are magical deadzones and places called twisters which warp magic in unpredictable ways.
Players are thrown into The Prison for committing a crime against the Empire, very little is known as fact to the common person about The Prison though there are several rumors about the place but cannot really be confirmed.
There will likely be a lot of downtime for the party as they travel about trying to initially survive, and gather resources to survive the upcoming Flood.
Eventually they can settle in a town and start building their own kingdom, or they can try to find a way to escape back to the surface for some ulterior motive.
The Surface Empire
The Human Empire first came to power 600 years ago and has since expanded to cover most of the main continent, slowly assimilating all in their way. They were harsh and strict showing high favoritism to the higher races, and treating the lower races as slaves. Many races are now extinct from genocide on the main continent because of Human greed for power. However the last two Sovreaigns, Chaundler and Eigen has shifted away from that bloodlust. They realize in order to expand their territory further off the main land into the world beyond they will need the help of the other races.
About 150 years ago, Chaundler made the move towards a fauxdemocracy where races are “equal” and those who committed crimes were given a trial by their peers. These trials were often rigged with threats and bribes, clearly innocent people being executed and murderers getting off free with many questions asked.
About 80 years ago at the end of Chaundlers life, the Empire discovered a magic portal leading to a HUGE underground cavern. The first initial explorers where not heard from and they assumed it to be a one way portal, so they sent in a top military group consisting of several very experienced magic users and fighters. Though they were able to communicate with this group some, the magic was very distorted and eventually after a few years of not figuring a way out the portal was “converted” into a prison.
This allowed an easy way to deal with criminals and members of society who were useless and unproductive. Since the cost of keeping them was the transport to the portal. About 50 years ago there was a revolt with how many people were being convicted and basically given a death sentence even though they were “guilty”
of minor “crimes.” In response to this Sovereign Eigen implemented different types of sentencing with varying levels of equipment people would be given to survive.
Sentences
Reformatory
People that have committed minor misdemeanors such as a bar fights, public drunkenness, involuntary property damage are sent to a local Reformatory. Here they are put into a bare cell and fed awful food for a certain amount of time relating to their crime. Once they have served time they are then released back into society. (Basically like a normal penitentiary)
Level 1 Conviction
Repeat Reformatory Visitors
Given a survival kit and allowed to take in whatever they own up to 200g
Level 2 Conviction
Property damage, Stealing, Empire Slander
Given a survival kit; choice of leather, studded leather, Lamellar cuirass, hide, scale mail, Four-mirror armor; choice of any simple or martial weapon under 40g, Choice of Limited spell component pouch or Light wooden shield
Level 3 Conviction
Property destruciton, manslaughter, conspiring against the Empire
Given Survival kit; choice of leather, FRAGILE studded leather, Lamellar cuirass, hide, FRAGILE scale mail, FRAGILE Four-mirror armor; choice of any simple or martial weapon under 20g or choice of any simple or martial FRAGILE weapon under 40g, Choice of Limited spell component pouch or Light wooden shield
Level 4 Conviction
Murder, Expansion Espionage,
Given Lesser Survival Kit; Choice of Leather, FRAGILE studded leather, or hide armor; Choice of simple or martial weapon under 15g or choice of simple or martial EXTRA FRAGILE weapon under 30g, Choice of Limited spell component pouch or Light wooden shield
Level 5 Conviction
Treason, Mass Murder, Murder of an Empire agent
Given a water skin and 2 days’ worth of rations
The Realm Below
The rumors: The flood occurs every few years bringing horrible menaces, there is no way to escape, magic functions strangely or doesn’t work at all, it was created by the Sovereign.
The facts: Magic to the surface is heavily distorted, there is native fauna and plant life, there is a supply of water, there are light sources
Resources: some resources don’t even exist down below some are rare and some are even more bountiful than the surface. This also includes spell components and other expendable resources for classes
Magic: Arcane magic uses magical currents that flows around the world, the cavern below the surface is sometimes outside the normal flow of magic causing deadzones, othertimes magic gets twisted up into a highly concentrated area, and magical effects can get very distorted. For divine magic the connection to the gods is much weaker down below for some reason and sometimes the gods don’t respond to their followers.
RACES
Humans
Humans only came into power in the last 600 years on CONTINENT. Extremely power hungry and hostile Humans have taken land from the other civilized races to create large cities and fertile farms. Only recently however have then be a lot more tolerant and even accepting of other races. Under Sovereign Eigen Human rule has expanded faster than her previous five Sovereigns, mostly due to her policies dealing with nonHumans.
Humans are the most populous civilized race in the region. In The Prison there are relatively less of them compared to monstrous races, though they still are the most populous.
Elves
Elves used to rule the land before the Humans started taking everything over. They have an innate dislike of Humans but have relented to the fact that Humans aren’t leaving anytime soon. Since Sovereign Eigen’s new policies have come into effect more and more elves are moving into the city to take advantage of the comfortable living arrangements and to avoid undue prosecution of being a drain on society.
Elves are also not as long lived as in standard fantasy, living only slightly longer than Humans, with an average lifespan of 100 years. Their children mature at the same rate as Humans as well.
Gnomes and Halflings
Prior to the Human era of history these races were nomadic and excelled at trading. Even before Sovereign Eigen came to power they had already integrated into Human society as politicians and traders. These two races have integrated so seamlessly that interracial marriages are not uncommon.
Dwarves
Dwarves and Humans have a cordial relationship. Prior to Sovereign Eigen’s rule were hired to help build cities or undertake other massive construction projects in Human cities, and then were returned to their homes and not welcomed to live in what they built. Recently Sovereign Eigen has actually been encouraging Dwarves to settle in the cities to help make better weapons and stronger buildings.
Half-Orcs and Half-Elves
With Humans expanding their territory at such a fast rate interracial breeding was a non-question. At first they were considered dirty and given all the bad jobs around the city. Now it is not uncommon to find forth and sometimes even fifth generation half breeds in the city, even in prominent positions.
Aasimars and Tieflings
Tieflings are mostly found in the noble houses whereas Aasimars are usually found in middle class families, though a few can be found in prominent positions in the hierarchy. Seeing Tieflings populating so many noble houses has spurned unspoken rumors among the other races that the reason Humans have come into power so quickly is due to pacts with powerful fiends long ago.
Tieflings are more common than Aasimars on the surface, though nearly equal in number in The Prison, due to Aasimars having an obscenely high conviction rate compared to any other race.
Catfolk, Ratfolk and Other Civilized Races
The less common civilized races have been assimilated in Human society as they expanded. Though they are not unwelcome, the other races have not mixed in with society and often keep to the selves working and staying out of trouble. Each having their own little distinct district in the major cities.
Orcs, Goblins and Other ‘Noncivilized’ Races
Originally conquered as slaves and used as such for nearly 500 years, they have been freed under Sovereign Eigen. Though most still work for coppers a week, several of the smarter ones have successfully started their own businesses. They still face an uphill battle for identity and are usually grouped all grouped as Laborers by most Humans regardless of their actual race.
Shifters
There are a very few shifters in the world, they are not natural and are experiments of the Empire within the last 50 years. Generally keeping their secrets to themselves after the Empire has abandoned them, there are few cases known to the public. Those that are known have already been killed, mistaken for lycanthropes.
STATS:
Humanoid Type (Shapechanger Subtype)
Medium Size
Base Speed: 30'
Attribute Modifications: +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 to Cha
+2 racial bonus to Acrobatics and Climb.
Low-Light Vision
Shifting (Su): A shifter can tap into her lycanthropic heritage to gain short bursts of power.
At character creation, a shifter chooses one of the following traits. Once chosen, this trait cannot be changed. Natural attacks while shifting qualifies as a natural attack for prerequisites, as does special powers or movement rates, even though they are not always available. However, the benefit to attributes does not count for such prerequisites. If a feat requires a Strength of 13, you must have a Strength of 13, without shifting, to qualify.
Beasthide: +2 racial bonus to Constitution and +2 natural armor bonus to AC.
Cliffwalk: +2 racial bonus to Dexterity and gains a Climb speed of 20'.
Dreamsight: +2 racial bonus to Wisdom and affected by the Speak with Animals spell. Shifters with this trait also gains +2 racial bonus to Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks even when not shifting.
Gorebrute: +2 racial bonus to Strength and gains a natural attack (gore) for 1d6 (bludgeoning).
Longstride: +2 racial bonus to Dexterity, are always considered to have a running start when jump while shifted, and a +10' racial bonus to your land speed.
Longtooth: +2 racial bonus to Strength and gains a natural attack (bite) for 1d6 (piercing).
Razorclaw: +2 racial bonus to Strength and gains two natural attacks (claws) for 1d4 (slashing). These claw attacks always involve the hands and thus cannot be used anytime the hands cannot be used.
Swiftwing: +2 racial bonus to Dexterity and gains a fly speed of 30' (clumsy). This fly speed is provided by the arms and hands transforming into wings, which means anything that is held or wielded is automatically dropped. Likewise, the shifter cannot take actions that involve her hands, including attacks.
Truedive: +2 racial bonus to Constitution and a swim speed of 30'. Shifters with this trait also can hold breath for 4x Constitution score even when not shifting.
Wildhunt: +2 racial bonus to Constitution and the scent ability. Shifters with this trait also gain +2 racial bonus to Survival even when not shifting.
Winterhide: +2 racial bonus to Constitution, a +1 natural armor bonus to AC and cold resistance 5. Shifters with this trait also gain a +2 racial bonus to Fortitude saves to resist environmental effects of extreme cold.
Natural attacks while shifting qualifies as a natural attack for prerequisites, as does special powers or movement rates, even though they are not always available. However, the benefit to attributes does not count for such prerequisites. If a feat requires a Strength of 13, you must have a Strength of 13, without shifting, to qualify.
Shifting can be activated once per day as a free action that does not provoke and lasts for a number of rounds equal to 2+the shifter's Con modifier (After Shifting). It can be ended prematurely as a free action and is automatically ended anytime the shifter goes unconscious or dies.
Shifter Feats (Many monster feats listed can be taken by shifters and count as a Shifter Feat)
For each Shifter Feat taken by a shifter, add 1 round to the duration of your shifting ability. These additional rounds stack with other increases to the duration of your shifting ability.
For every two Shifter Feats taken, add 1 to the number of times you can shift per day.
Shifters must still qualify for these feats normally.
Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc and Sylvan
Favored Class Options:
Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian's total number of rage rounds per day.
Druid: Add +1/4 to the druid's total number of Wild Shape per day.
Fighter: Add +1 to the fighter's CMD when resisting reposition or trip.
Ranger: Add +1 hit point to the ranger's animal companion. If the ranger ever replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
Rogue: Add +1/5 of a new rogue talent.
Witch: Add +1/6 of a new witch hex.
Age:
Adulthood: 20 years
Intuitive: +1d6/Self-Taught: +1d8/Trained: +2d8
Middle Age: 40/Old: 60/Venerable: 80
Base Height & Weight:
Height: 4' 7" (male) or 4' 5" (female)
Weight: 100 lbs (male) or 85 (female)
Modifier: 2d8 / Weight Modifier: x7
Classes
Alchemists
Above: Alchemists are commonly employed by the Empire to create cheap potions to heal as well as to increase production on various tasks. Many own their own shops/labs to try and find new and better ways to create potions.
Below: Alchemists are much harder to find underground since there is a lack of supplies to create their potions. Many Alchemists take up a new profession once underground. Several join with the druidic sects underground because they tend to have a small supply of common ingredients. There are a lucky few who have adapted their practice to use what materials they can scrounge from the underground.
Recommendations: Due to the lack of resources early in the campaign this class will be extremely challenging to play, but may be a boon to a party later on once established.
Barbarians
Above: Barbarians are extremely rare on the surface, mostly because they are quickly throw into The Prison for some outburst or another.
Below: As a conjugate to the above, Barbarians are fairly common below due to being thrown down there so very often and join one of the established barbarian tribes. Most tribes do some amount of raiding on other settlements, though there are a few that tend to keep to themselves.
Bards
Above: Theater is the most common form of entertainment in the Empire and many of the tropes travel from city to city. The bigger cities usually have at least one stationary troupe. Bards tend to stay away from anything mentioning the Empire or ancient civilizations as those topics tend to get their fellows a case of disappearing.
Below: Bards are welcomed in most areas and settlements. They are one of the few classes that do well economically since entertainment is scarce and in high demand.
Cavaliers
Above: Almost all Cavaliers have a military background, though a few are athletes that participate in the Garganmoth games every few years to show off their skills.
Below: Not many trained military officers make their way down into The Prison, mostly due to being smart enough not to mention anything about the dictatorship being run by the Sovereign. Those that do end up do end up down below sometimes get recognized if they are prominent. Most end up adapting their skills towards domesticated Giant Spiders and Giant Lizards.
Recommendations: Mounts likely won’t be accessible early on in the campaign, so several class features will be collecting dust until such a time that mounts are accessible. But perhaps riding a giant spider is worth the wait. So make sure you are able to survive the early game well enough to get to that point.
Clerics
Above: The Empire has allowed religion to exist under strict circumstances, which more or less forces many clerics to become healers. Those that wish to be more involved with their god and carry out their will must do so secretly for fear of repercussions.
Below: Clerics are also a well-respected class that can fit in anywhere due to their innate healing. However they are much farther from their gods so sometimes they won’t respond (they are still affected by the magical deadzones that populate The Prison). Unlike the surface people are much more openly pious and several settlements revolve around certain faiths.
Druids
mostly against the empire, have set up an underground network for people.
Thrive below but keep to themselves, prefer to be imprisoned away from oppressive empire, help out certain settlements who return the favor
Fighters
Above: People fight everywhere, in the military, in the bars, in competitions. The world belongs to fighters (metaphorically).
Below: See Above.
Gunslingers
Above: The Empire has put a lot of research into creating a triggered explosive powder but has not revealed its secret to the world yet. Most people that a gun shoots out a small round metal ball at high speeds, but they do not know why or how it does so. Guns are strictly military issue and used to keep the “peace.”
Below: Guns are scare down below, but not unheard of. The rare wielder of such a weapon is generally respected for fear of the damages it can cause. Explosive powder is extremely hard to come by and is hoarded by settlements lucky enough to have some.
Recommendation: Since supplies aer hard to find, a secondary weapon is likely necessary. A smart gunslinger will be able to make use of her environment though.
Inquisitors
Above: Inquisitors are find themselves commonly out of a job due to the Empire’s tyrannical ways of enforcement. Some work in the bounds of the law, while others secretly move behind the scenes.
Below: Inquisitors are slightly more common below ground, but the link to the gods is weak and as such they have a harder time upholding their faith because sometimes their faith isn’t there for them.
Maguses
Above: Masguses are elite military trained combatants. It is rare for one to seen in the major cities due to usually being out on special operations for the Sovereign. Not much is known about what they do and those that do talk to them don’t get much information out of the encounter.
Below: Even more rare that seeing them in the city is seeing them in The Prison, and those that are found are instantly assumed to have committed treason against the Empire.
Monks
Above: Monks have slowly assimilated into the current culture of the Empire. They used to be in remote locations away from prying eyes and civilization but Human expansion has changed all of that. Those that didn’t put up a fight were welcomed. Those that did not are no longer around.
Below: Fighting against the Empire is a surefire way to get thrown into the Prison, and that is how most monks ended up down there. Usually the entire clan was thrown in there and they tend to stick together.
Ninjas
Above: Another of the Empires elite forces. They are similar to Maguses except without the innate magical talent.
Below: See Magus
Oracles
Above: Oracles are one of the more free classes on the surface since they tend to not be affiliated with any politics like other divine casters. That being said they still populate the churches as well as the government and everywhere in between.
Below: Though Oracles don’t need a divine connection like other casters, they still need to touch into the arcane magic to be able to cast at will and are subject to both divine and arcane magical effects from the world, but to a lesser extent than others.
Paladins
Very rare above since the empire has such a strong lock on interpreting the law. And even then they are highly hypocritical.
Usually fighters that have converted to a faith down below
Rangers
Similar to the druid but more open in protest of the empire also more along the lines of diplomats for the druids in the settlements
Favored enemies: Human, Humanoid (general), aberration, animal
Rouges
Sorcerers
Summoners
Witches
Wizards
Psionics
Psionics are okay, but I may have to change something here and there in the future so just keep that in mind.
You are more than welcome to start making characters, but this isn't the official recruitment thread so I will have to ask you to make sure you post on the actual thread when it pops up.
You have been sentenced to The Prison and have just arrived at the portal about to be tossed in with your items.
Usually I am a mean GM and have my players start at:
-17pt buy
-half skill points
-one trait
which then they can bonuses up to:
-25ish point buy
-full+2 skill points
-2 traits
-bonus feat
if they give me a good backstory. My players hate it but it definitely attaches them to the character.
I would recommend using the
Ten-Minute (but not really) Background:
The Ten-Minute Background (I didn’t name it, I think it takes longer than 10 minutes all together)
Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile, a prized possession…whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum…more elements are encouraged!
Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him or her but that he or she is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character.
Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.
Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don’t have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
And fleshing out as many NPCs and cities as you want and Organizations you want.
I'll just let you guys decide on how you want to build your characters up to the max stats. You can decide on your own bonuses or you can build the bare minimum and let me choose your bonuses. Though if you try to use the max of everything without a good story your chances of getting picked drop a bit, I recommend building on the side of caution. I try to pick feats and skills that you have woven into you're story.
Any race, any class (including psionics). You may choose to start off you character as a Prisonborn, however I will likely only pick 1 MAYBE 2 if I do a large party. And they gain other benefits as well as a few downsides (notably they tend to be weaker physically and mentally, I haven't decided yet how I will implement this, likely -1 to all stats or something). So build you character and story as a Prisonborn then we will work from there.
I still have been wanting to play an underground grippli.
I think he fits. Check him out in his profile.
I haven't put out any character creation rules yet, You'll probably have to modify him to fit the world a bit. But he is not outside the realm of possibility.
I expect modifications, I have to ask about crafting rules, because it sounds like I may have to craft the Bow, nets, etc to have gear.
Crafting will probably play a large role in the party, but I won't punish you for not having it, or in other words, you won't HAVE to take it.
I do have a question regarding available classes. Are you open to 3rd party classes?
If so, I have interest in playing a Dread, which, though I may be wrong, I feel could fit in quite nicely in the prison. Someone who pushes his weight around and using the fears of those around him. Definitely not a good guy.
I've been going back and forth on whether to allow psionics or not. A few of the classes might be overpowered in this setting. I am not opposed to it, however if I find it to be too strong I'll ask you to change something.
Frepply wrote:
I still have been wanting to play an underground grippli.
I think he fits. Check him out in his profile.
I haven't put out any character creation rules yet, You'll probably have to modify him to fit the world a bit. But he is not outside the realm of possibility.
Okay, he's some more details I've come up with for my character.
I like this character concept, we'll have to see how everything works out once I finalize character creation boundaries.
Unruly wrote:
I've started working on my character concept and background as well. Going for a deep-kin half-orc cave druid who was born into the prison. For my background I'm making a handful of assumptions -
- Something similar to the idea of a group of helpful/diplomatic druids has made its way into the campaign.
- There are at least a few small settlements of native underground creatures in the caves, such as orcs, deurgar, kobolds, etc.
- That the portal into the prison leads to a set place within the prison rather than spreading people randomly throughout the caves.
- That with the rise of settlements there are sections of the caves that are considerably safer and more tame than others due to constant activity in them. Likewise, some settlements are probably best avoided because of their relative danger.
If none of these assumptions are correct, then I'll revise my background as needed. But the character concept as a whole probably won't change much. I'm going to reserve posting more of the background until the actual recruitment thread comes up though. No sense in posting it twice when things are likely to change.
Several people have expressed interest in being born already in The Prison. While that will work, the space will be more limited for those type of characters. A party full of Prisonborn would kind of defeat the themeatics I was going for.
As for your assumptions.
- The underground druid sects have made their way into the setting.
- There are no civilized native species to the underground... basically no intelligent creatures have been there for at least the past several thousand years.
- The portal drops people off at approximately the place give or take a few thousand feet.
- Correct on the last point.
I am afraid I just can't come up with a compelling story for what I want to play. And I don't want to turn in a half filled character. Perhaps I'll find inspiration in time for my Half-Giant ridiculous weapon wielding Barbarian/Psychic Warrior.
I would doff my proverbial cap to take a slot as a Rakshasa-Spawn tiefling Fey-bloodline sorcerer (physical traits are minimal, permitting him to travel among humans, as long he does not remain long) who is a complete dandy with fiendish luck.
Well, as much a dandy as one could be in prison, which might not be a great place to be man-pretty.
Well Tieflings, while not common, are much more accepted in this society.
Player's Guide (WIP) wrote:
Aasimars and Tieflings
Tieflings are mostly found in the noble houses whereas Aasimars are usually found in middle class families, though a few can be found in prominent positions in the hierarchy. Seeing Tieflings populating so many noble houses has spurned unspoken rumors among the other races that the reason Humans have come into power so quickly is due to pacts with powerful fiends long ago.
Tieflings are more common than Aasimars on the surface, though nearly equal in number in The Prison, due to Aasimars having an obscenely high conviction rate compared to any other race.
I tend to migrate towards games with more of a roleplaying flavour than roll-playing fixation, what will be the focus?
What would be the posting expectations?
<crosses fingers and hopes to hear "once per day, minimum">
More of a focus on the roleplaying, though I will be asking for the appropriate skills checks often enough. (So you can't dumb mental stats and get away with it.)
For posting it will be once a day, with the exception of quality of quantity. So you could get away with long posts every other day, except during combat, because a long post during combat is cool and all but it slows things down. I'll go into more detail in the recruitment post.
Hordshyrd wrote:
It may not be what you were thinking of, but with the release of Ultimate Campaign I've been thinking about it a lot, this could be a really good basis for doing a settlement building campaign. Setting down roots somewhere and declaring independence from the corrupt empire, or somesuch.
That depends on the players. It could very well move in that direction.
Your thread reads interest check: Are you still just looking for interest, or do you want fully fledged backgrounds and/or crunch?
Still Just an interest check, though it has moved passed that into the Stealing Ideas phase. I have taken a few things people have mentioned and am currently working those into workable things for the world. I have also gotten a few fantastic inspirations from some people. There is enough people interested for me to begin the real work of putting ideas onto paper. Plus I am hoping to get a few more bites once everything is laid out in a real post.
I'm going to be writing everything up over the next few days to put together the beginning introduction as well as information you will need to build characters.
I tried to answer everything you guys asked, if I missed something or you want it clarified ask away!
Specific Responses to questions:
Grand Moff Vixen wrote:
So, what level did you have in mind?
I haven’t decided on that. Leaning toward level 1, but I may go higher, especially if others express interest in it.
Grand Moff Vixen wrote:
Any race and class?
Indeed, though no High Power races (unless I start off higher than level one), and the less common races/civilized races will have to be explained as too why they are even involved in society. As for class, again I emphasize the lack of resources and magical deadzones/twisters.
Gilthanis wrote:
I assume Pathfinder rules/gods.
Correct. Though I may cut out a few gods, but for the time being all are fair game. Note: If I do cut out gods it won’t affect domains in anyway and their “beliefs” will be split among the other gods.
Gilthanis wrote:
How are half-elves viewed?
Half-Elves, in general, are viewed as normal in society, as well as most other races. There are also people who dislike them as well, seeing them as half-breeds and incompetent. Down below each settlement is a little bit different. Some places may see them as necessary allies, others with contempt.
Gavmania wrote:
Will there be opportunities to sneak hidden weapons in? or could a sympathetic guard slip him a weapon to give him a chance?
The Sovereign, to keep face, allows everyone sentenced to the prison a certain amount of gear to help them get started and defend themselves. You aren’t likely to get any extra gear from a guard, if they were caught they would also get thrown down there. (You could always write out a back story where you are best friends with a guard transporting you. If it is good enough I will definitely consider it.)
Gavmania wrote:
I assume that we will be able to pick up makeshift weapons or otherwise get hold of something.
I have several ideas I need to mechanize for makeshift and new* weapons.
*both flavorwise and mechanicwise.
Nidoran Duran wrote:
So yeah, let me know if that fits into what you had in mind, I guess.
That absolutely could fit in. I can add it to my list of active organizations.
Unruly wrote:
Are we to assume that we'll start out as "free" citizens who then get locked up, or is it possible to be a prison-born character?
Original intentions where everyone was a “free” citizen, but we could work something out where you were born in the cave. There is definitely a long enough timeline for that to happen.
Unruly wrote:
…but could also be a bit overspecialized if we're taken out of the dark caves.
That all depends on where the party goes with the story they want to take. The later levels and story are strongly dependent on what you decide to do early on in The Prison.
Unruly wrote:
There could even be a group of Cave Druids who are basically the neutral party of the prison. Rallying defenses during the Floods, helping rebuild, and trying to broker peace among settlements. Maybe a bit like the medieval Catholic church in terms of people wanting to send their kids off to become druids. Not only because it's a way for them to a better life in a hellish situation, but also because having a cave druid in the family can mean your whole situation is improved.
I really like that idea. Thanks.
Proioxis wrote:
Are there other prisons? Not underground ones, but regular prisons. I can't imagine every single criminal gets tossed in here.
Yes and No. There are places called Reformatories, where drunks or people late on their taxes go for a while. These are still productive members of society. Anyone deemed a threat or waste of resources is sent to The Prison.
Proioxis wrote:
And does the Sovereign know of the presence of this underground society?
It is heavily rumored that there is a society below, though it hasn’t been confirmed to the citizens.
Proioxis wrote:
Is it common knowledge that the worst criminals get sent here?
Yes, absolutely. The worst criminals are made as a show, sort of. They get sent underground without any supplies, which basically means the death penalty. At the same time it is common knowledge that other “criminals” are sent to The Prison as well.
Gavmania wrote:
The thought just occurred to me that we are most likely to be sent into the caves together (those that are not born there), which means that we are probably being tried together; which suggests that we are part of the same conspiracy. Is there anyone else who would be likely to be part of a conspiracy that I could join or who could join me?
You are indeed going to be sent at the same time, though not likely for the same crimes. The Sovereign usually splits up co-conspirators to make transportation to the Prison easier.
General Questions and Answers:
What Level? Leaning towards 1, may go higher if people express interest.
Any race?! No worldly restriction on race. It is up to you to tell me how you ended up going to The Prison.
Any Class?! Guns are emerging, but good luck with finding resources down below. ( I might be nice if you impress me. Also do keep in mind magical deadzones/twisters.
How are certain races viewed? The large majority of races are accepted on the surface, as long as they are productive members of society. Down below each settlement has different views, and likely each race will be accepted somewhere and shunned elsewhere.
Can we start out underground? That is to be determined… BY YOU!!!
I had an idea for a campaign a long time ago but never had anyone to play it with. I recently dug it up during one of those nostalgic moments where you go and look at all your old stuff. But I digress, so let me get to the point.
This is just an interest check to see if enough people are interested. And since School is coming to an end I thought I would start working on this campaign and fixing it up. Assuming it gets a good response
Rough Basic Background Stuff:
Currently the country is run by a totalitarian “democracy.” Meaning that the common people believe there is a choice; they get to vote, trial by “peers,” capitalist economy. However everything is handpicked by the Sovereign, and her Advisors. And any Troublemakers(Read: YOU) are sent to The Prison.
Troublemakers are any people the Sovereign and her Advisors do not like. Could be anything from a puppet politician outlasting his usefulness, to a beggar on the street at the wrong time, to a member/leader of an underground cult, to a member/leader of a church with views not aligned with the Sovereign, even ex-advisors gone “rogue.” The Sovereign isn’t all bad though and will allow certain people to go in with equipment to “help” them out down there.
The Prison is a magic portal to an extremely large underground network of caverns that was discovered almost a century ago. To date no one is believed to have escaped, as far as anyone can tell there is no entrance or exit to the underground. Even magic has a difficult time penetrating the surface as recorded by the first explorers (which never made it out) and the people they communicated with on the surface. There are magical deadzones as well as twisters which can cause various effects on magic (amplifying, backfiring, twisting).
Down in the prison there are many small settlements in the area that prisoners have established. They have their own economic system and alliances/enemies and hierarchies. They also have semi-permanent light sources through bio-luminescent mushrooms that grow down there.
The most notable part of the Underground though is the Floods.
The Floods occur every few years and with them come all sorts of aberrations and other predators of the dark. During this time many of the settlements will bond together for more power to drive off the beasts and then go back to rebuilding their homes until the next flood.
This is the very basic idea of what I am willing to say so far. I want to gauge interest before I flesh everything out. Which means I’m not looking for any crunch because I have no idea what I want to do… Well I kind of do, but I may change my mind. If you REALLY want to do that just go the basic route of 20pt buy, 2 traits, 100 gold, Any race, Any class (Hint Hint: Resources could be scarce down below). However, if you want to start doing fluff that would be AWESOME because it would help inspire me in creating this world and filling it with other awesome people like you.
Ask any questions you want, except crunch related stuff, about how the world works. Feel free to create NPCs and everything, in fact I encourage you to. If enough people respond with interest I’ll have an official recruitment thread up next week (hopefully Thursday at the latest), with all the crunch stuff and a much much more in depth description of the world and how it works.
There are quite a few possibilities for the back story. Still solidifying the crunch so I know how I want him to grow and what his potential is before I create the story for it. Also I haven't touched Eberron for years so I have been reading lots of stuff on it trying to get back into things. Hopefully should have a halfway decent backstory for you tomorrow.
I feel super dumb now, I just saw your Master Inquisitive archetype. which looks really nice. I might have to go with that since it is slightly better than urban ranger (for this campaign). Though I may decide to do a Urban ranger/Falconer combination still. Not sure if I want to bond with the city or a bird. :p
I have a sort of crunched up (lvl 1) wizard that I plan on applying with.
Judeau Rickert: I just need to change a trait to Hunter's blood, bring him up to 5 and get the fluff all working for this setting. I just haven't had time with year-end going on at work (today is the last day thankfully). Mountains of paperwork is not good for the creative mind. Haha
Just clarification on the number of rounds I can shift per day.
PF Version wrote:
Shifting can be activated once per day as a free action that does not provoke and lasts for a number of rounds equal to the shifter's character level
ARG Build wrote:
1 / day as a free action, gain the benefit from that trait for 1 minute
3.5 wrote:
Choose one shifter trait. 1/day as a free action, gain the benefit from that trait for 3 + shifter's modified Con modifier in rounds.
The rounds = level seems very underwhelming for the first three levels. Is this how you want to have it or Can I go off the ARG build and get it for one minute?
Woooooow. Ever run into one of those little details that you somehow completely missed at first, but now that you see it, it completely derails an entire project?
Yeah, just found one. Ranger's trophy hunter archetype. Basically gives you a firearm combat style, and some nifty features to go with it, but NO PROFICIENCY WITH FIREARMS. Unbelievable. May have to rethink my submission.
I believe the intent was to have that archtype for when guns are common place. Nonproficiency is only an issue with emerging firearms. When firearms are commonplace they are considered martial weapons and therefore the trophy hunter has proficiency with them.
Well seeing a lack of full arcane here I'll have to go with wizard. An elf wizard. Trained as a battle mage to fight the legions of unspeakable horrors.
Just a quick quick question though, can I use Hunter's Blood trait? But reflavor it to the unspeakable horrors that are terrorizing the land?
