In an insignificant, insignificant galaxy, there was an insignificant, insignificant star. And around that insignificant, insignificant star, there orbited an insignificant, insignificant planet. It's name was Golarion, and over the course of it's aeons, it had withstood many perils. Comets strikes. Devils invasions. Wish-craft wars. Alien Techno-Monsters. All horrors with names and faces. And each time, the perils were turned back at the last moment by groups Golarion's wandering, legendary heroes. But in 4716 AR Golarion faced a nameless horror. And the small band of heroes who faced it remain unsung. For the cost of just seeing it alone cost them their minds. For...
They saw the dark universe yawning where the black planets roll without aim, where they roll in their horror unheeded, without knowledge, or luster, or name. -H.P. Lovecraft
4716AR is 1921 on earth, the year Lovecraft penned Call of Cthulhu. Spooky! Feel free to dot in so you won't miss the start.
Hello everyone! I've been on pbp sabbatical for nearly a year while I worked on my personal RL mental health. But I'm back, feeling much better, and ready to play again if you guys will have me!
So the atmosphere of the Strange Aeons AP is “Lovecraftian Horror”. If you’ve never read any Lovecraft you should at LEAST read Call of Cthulhu, found free here. You won’t be disappointed. Unless you ARE disappointed. In which case you probably don’t care about Strange Aeons! We will commit to Book 1, then see if we are still having fun. In order to create the atmosphere, here are the guidelines…
Creation:
Level 1; 15pt buy. No stats below 10.
Races: You should be a Human from Ustalov. I might allow a single PC to be an alt race. I’d like a mixed gender party just in case humorous PC-PC or PC-NPC romances want to develop, that’s always fun:)
Classes: should fit the atmosphere. So it’s your chance to play an Occult Adventures PC instead of another Barbarian. No Ninja’s, Samurai, Monks or Summoners please.
Posting: I will post 1/day on weekdays, and you can do the same or more. I won’t bot PCs, it’s too much work. You’ll just stand there soul-lessly until you get back, haha!
Statblock will live on your character profile, and Vitals in the Class/Level input box. I don’t really want to bounce to Mythweavers to get a Ref save number, I gotta keep GM workload within reason, and every click counts!
Personality: Strange Aeons characters begin as amnesiac asylum patients, so you do not need a backstory. Instead, give us a Personality blurb. I only ask that you not create a “grim” character, ‘cause they never post anything:( I do not like characters that just say “Herbert grunts and says nothing” and “no i’m here, it’s just that my character doesn’t say much in these kinds of situations”. Boring!
Alignment: It’s unusual to say so, but I think any alignment will work, even E, in this AP. I can see a LE occult-artifact collector or even a CE schizo patient, as long as you are creative enough to go along with G party goals.
We’ll take up to 7 players as 2 always drop out after the first month. Never have figured out why. I mean, it can't be me that's the problem, right? haha!
Hello everyone! This year I took a sabbatical from pbp games for some personal reasons. But my mental state has improved and I'm thinking about jumping back in with an offering of Strange Aeons!
My question is about a dillema that just KILLS me as a GM in pbp. It seems like there would be infinite time in this medium, and therefore easy GMing. But that's not what I find. And the workload makes the games unfun after a few months. At a table I can roll some dice and say "Hey Quantos, what is your AC?" and get an instant response. But in pbp I have to it all and it sucks.
Here is the dillema:
ON THE ONE HAND In order avoid bogging down Combat to where people will lose interest I must check all the sheets, roll all the inits, resolve every little action, look up everyone's ACs, roll all the saves, double check everyone's feats, roll damage, check for modifiers, advance initiative, ect. ON THE OTHER HAND, in order to avoid losing interest in the game because this is such hard work I must NOT do all those things myself. I must post things like "okay everyone roll will saves", and "Okay, the monster attacks 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (1) + 22 = 23. Does that hit you, Quantos?"
The result is that many complicated combat posts, especially above level 5, just take hours to write. I have tried all the clever excel tracking sheets and macros and even C# console apps to make this easier, but the fact is, it's just too much.
Does anyone have any suggestions that can solve my dillema?
Hey! We are in Molalla, Oregon (that's about 20 minutes South of Oregon City, 40 min South of Portland). Looking for a weekly or bi-weekly group. We have some interest in the Serpent Skull AP, but nothing's settled yet. Would also GM D&D 5e or Call of Cthulhu if that's what the group wants.
No experience needed, just peeps who will show up faithfully, take a turn bring Taco Bell once in a while, and have a good time. Venue is looking right now like it will be conference room of Grace Lutheran Church here in Molalla (IF we get the group together). Gm (me) cannot leave the area as I have 5 kids and this is all I can get my family to agree to!!!
While we wait for the printed version of 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu to be released, let's pass the time... Brush off your velvet top-hats and grab your brass goggles 'cause we're gonna play Cthulhu by Gaslight
[whisper]I have a secret thing for steampunk which I cannot explain, haha![/whisper] So even if you don't want to submit a character, by all means post here and tell us what you love about Call of Cthulhu, Lovecraft, the 1890s gaslight setting, or steampunk/dieselpunk!
What are you offering?:
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This will be the excellent adventure called The Machine King by Geoff Gillan and Dean Engelhardt for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game...
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What does this Adventure have in store for me?:
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The Machine King takes place in London around 1890. We begin in a very realistic historical setting. But as the madness takes you and the dreamworld spills into reality the Investigators will find themselves in a Steampunk world of Involute Gears and Grinding Brass Metal!
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What kind of fun will I get?:
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Although RPGs like Pathfinder are super fun, the Promise of Call of Cthulhu is a just a totally different experience. Instead of playing a character like this, you play one more like this, or this, and powergamers be warned! Combat is usually pretty deadly and insanity is not uncommon. After all, your character will be uncovering the truth of the cosmic Lovecraft-ian horror lurking just behind the veil. So if your the kind of player where the GM can describe,
...the red velvet seats and gold trimmed balconies of the London Opera house where the body was found!
and you can actually post something, this might be for you! But if you need,
...okay, guys, begin round 19 now.
before you post, this might not be your cup-a-earl-grey.
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But how do I know the game will be fun?:
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The promise is backed up by this: Call of Cthulhu is in its 7th edition and the folks over at Chaosium have been publishing role-playing games since 1975. The 7th edition quick-start rules will be sufficient for our game and are available FREE from the Chaosium here. And here is a link to a beautiful 3rd party gaslight themed character sheet by the folks over at cthulhureborn.wordpress.com to get you started.
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How many players will you be taking?:
I would like an open ended world with lots of players so this game can feeding our steampunk/Cthulhu cravings. So I'll take 8 to start with, and I reserve the right to add more later!
What's the deadline for character submission?:
This depends on the interest we get (*Oh please oh please don't let me be the only steampunk geek on these boards*) but assuming there is interest, lets start with recruitment until Jan 5th, 8pm PST
Will you take Call of Cthulhu Newbies?:
YES!!! I'm pretty new myself, so just PM me if you need help cause it's no trouble at all!
Hello Everyone! Back from a few months break in gaming and ready for some action...
This is an oldy but goody. It's a perfect PBP module, and I'm not sure it's ever offered on the boards before! Carvival of Tears...
It's for 5th level and you don't have to bother creating a character yet if you don't want to. We can do that later on discussion board. Just tell me who you are and what you think would make this module fun for you?
Hello? Can anyone help me? My top level alias, MayDay, is not showing the campaings my child alias' are in. I think this happened when a thread I started: "Hadassa's Legacy of Fire" was given to another GM, then I rejoined the game as a player. Now nothing matches up, and campaignes for any given alias only appear for that alias. I love pbp on Paizo so much that this may actually be the worst thing that's ever happened to us - my alias' and me, haha!
I hope someone can help in that excellent IT dept of yours. BTW, this site is the BEST. You guys have playtested and thought this whole thing through so well. Long live paizo.
Before the rise of Azlant, before the coming of the starstone and the salvation of man from the children of the cold- hearted, shifting lord of coiling poison, before the continents we know had taken shape, when the mountains and waters had names long forgotten, the masters ruled empires outside the wildest imaginings of humble, frail humanity. In the dark below the earth, they sleep in dreamless holds. Waiting. They were once the undisputed masters of Golarion...and in the coming of unknown epochs, they will rule again. —from the unexpurgated journals of darklands explorer Krimaldi Blake
Hi everyone! Me (the GM) and my friend The Emerald Duke (PC numero uno) would like to present Serpent Skull AP.
Required Posting habits:
Min 1-2 posts per day, but we intend to do some Friday/Saturday evening sessions: basically loose meetup times online where we can fly through a dungeon or something after about 9pm pacific standard time. These sessions will be pre-scheduled, and are intended to help with that Friday/Saturday night pathfinder craving...you know, when you check your campaigns 30 times but no one is posting because they are all out partying!
Application Deadline: Saturday Night 11/15. You don't need a full crunch done, just your idea and a bit about yer-self.
Characters:
-lvl 1.
-20pt buy
-300 staring gold
-Core races. Serpentfolk are the BAD guys in this adventure so you can't BE one. Unless you want to kill PCs with me.
-Gunslingers are okay, but no technology characters please. Old school baby!
-Although we start out on a deserted island in the shackles the AP warns that this will NOT be a pirate themed game.
-I would like a mix of new players and veterans, which I think makes for kick@ss fun. So tell us how long you've been playing and what you like in your games, okay?
Check out my past games and posts to get an idea who I am and my style:)
-Will take Qty4 16th lvl characters (mabe 5 if you guys beg!)
-300,000gp
-Newer players especially welcome. Don't be intimidated by high level...You can just pick a stat block from NPC codex, worst case:)
-Any race/class
-I am rules lite, role playing is what I like
-Fair warning: I am busy at work, so I'm thinking 1 post per day. But I can't shake my pathfinder itch:(
-Dudes and dudettes, this module is killer...
-PCs will be accompanied by a bookworm NPC named Nixie. She could be a prior acquantance or blood relation to you if you like. She won't be useful in combat.
CN Medium Humanoid Female; Bard (Dervish Dancer 1); Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +2; AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12; hp 10 (1d8+2)
Katapesh is a land of magic, and no magic is more potent than wishcraft. When wishes are abused, reality itself shudders as destiny is forced to reweave along paths it was never meant to take. One such manifestation of ruptured fate is the Legacy of Fire, a series of events set into motion centuries ago by an efreeti prince named Jhavhul that only now are nearing their explosive end.
The camels groan underneath your soar tushies. It's been a long trip, but you are nearing your destination where Garavel, the grave Cavalier who hired you, will introduce you to Princess Almah. It is said she is beautiful as the desert sage flowers of spring. But she will have little time for romance! Lady Almah has been given an important mission by the rulers of Katapesh: liberate the Gnoll infested ghost town Kelmarane in order to reopen trade with Osirion on the other side of the Brazen Peaks. You have been hired to help. And you are getting close! In the distant haze to the west, you can just make out the immense outline Pale Mountain looming over the mid-evening horizon like a tombstone.
Garavel encourages you from the lead camel: We are almost there, my new friends. Tonight you will dine in the tent of the Princess! And tomorrow we begin the liberation of Kelmarane.
Nothing like a pleasant camel ride to get to know eachother before sh&t hits the fan, lol! GAME ON!
Hello my name is Hadassa and I would like to GM...
Legacy of Fire, Book 1
...with recruitment open till Wednesday
character builds:
Min 1-2 posts per day, I post in the Pacific time zone.
lvl 1. We will take 8 players.
15pt buy, Min 8 Max 18 after modifiers.
300 staring gold
Core races - no Gnolls for gosh sakes!
My style? Well, I'm NOT a rules lawyer. I do bring R rated themes to the table at times. I like atmosphere, and players who are not afraid to post and who get creative. By creative I mean a "standard action" to them is more than 1d20+9 and a damage roll:) I like RPGing much better than combat. Although we will have plenty of Combat;)
My goal for the game is to meet new people and have fun, no more or less.
How to apply? It would go a long way if you would link to your favorite pbp GM and tell me why you liked their game so much. Or if you are new to the boards, tell me what you like about Pathfinder. That will tell me alot about you. How does this sound?
Final note: I might change my avatar, so don't fall in love with her, lol!
The game begins at a dive in the red-light district of Magnimar. The Leather Goddesses of Castrovel (The Lashunta Race) are just finalizing their plans for the invasion of Golarion. The PCs have been abducted by the Leather Goddesses for the final testing of the plan which will enslave all of humanity. Unless this nefarious plan is stopped, Golarion will be turned into these twisted vixens' pleasure dome. Despite the PCs possible motives, this outcome is considered unfavorable.
That's right! A classic interplanetary space opera.
specifics:
This will be an "old school" game - and rules lite; meaning combat downplayed. Emphasis will be on player interactions with eachother, the monsters, their environment; on exploration, and on story. If you've played with me before you know these things are what I think makes a great pbp game!
I will be doing very few maps. Players may make maps of our progress or post maps for combat, I will accept the maps any player posts as if I posted it myself. But if no one has time to make maps, then I don't either, and we can play out the action in our imaginations just like in the old days:) This works just fine in pbp if done right.
15pt buy, and please, no attribute can exceed 20 after all modifiers, to start with. Min/Maxers and powergamers, I'm sorry, I just don't have the stamina to run a game like that! I expect this to be 80% rpging, 20% combat.
Start with fighter max gold. I will lvl you when it's time and treasure will be handled on a "after this encounter your total wealth should be XYZgp." basis. You can buy or own anything in the books accept unique items, which you must ask for. I will then drop them in the game...ifyou can pry them from the leather goddesses hands!
Any race/class is fine, although I might axe something like anti-paladins. If you decide to be a summoner you will track all that crap yourself! I won't do it!
Although the title sound lusty and the themes will certainly be there, we will keep this game Rated "Pathfinder Messageboard Friendly." The theme will be nothing more than innuendo and joking. A normal minded femenist should feel comfortable in our game.
CN Human Bard 1 (Street Performer); AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 Dex); hp 10/10; Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3
Nixie's Skulls & Shackles Discussion.
1. Level 1; 20pt buy. No stats below 10 (racial modifiers can take you below 10)
2. Characters must wanna be pirates!
3. Starting Gold = fighter max.
4. Your characters know eachother, you all came to Port Peril together. I can assist with group backstory if needed.
5: Traits: 2, +1 campaign
6. Posting: 1/day min
7. Please don't make characters that are so grim as to be boring. Characters should be colorful, talkative, lively, and humorous in their own way!
8. I can be a gritty GM at times. Expect the game to be rated 'R'
9. Expect me to deviate from the AP!
Nixies standing order is: if you are not having fun you MUST tell me. You must tell me before you drop out or your post rate falls to government shutdown levels! I CAN fix anything about the game to make it fun. But only if you PM me!
Male Robot Fighter 1; Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0; AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 Dex) hp 16 (1d10+6)
The rain patters on the streets outside as we all gather in the creaking dining room of the old house. Someone flicks the lights off and DM nightshade lights a solitary candle in an ornate silver candleholder. "Let's get started" she says. Silence falls, accept for a sputter as Dave pops open another Keystone Lite and Antoni's crinkling bag of Doritos...This is Pathfinder/D&D at it's finest! And with that, the DM starts us off:
Last week you each received a telegram. Each simply said:
Request you attend funeral, Petros Lorrimor *STOP* Last will and testament of the deceased requires your presence *STOP* meet 7 days hence at dusk, intersection of ANCESTOR'S WALK and THE DREAMWAY, Restlands Cemetary, Ustalov. *STOP* Regards, Kendra Lorrimor.
Now standing at this very intersection you find you are not alone. There are at least 5 others, including:
a full blooded Orc,
a young girl with fire-red hair,
a female warrior in glorious armor,
a gravely arcane looking individual,
a dwarven ranger with a greatsword,
and even a rare Oread rock-man...
Are all these individuals here for your old friends' funeral too? How the hell did he know so many unique creatures and people? Perhapse it is worth these last few moments of before dusk, under Ustalov's cursed sky of perpetual grey clouds, to get to know who these other attendees are...
Greetings! I am your humble and merciful DM: Night-Shade! a few pals of mine and I are about to start Carrion Crown. We'll take a few more! Here are the special rules we like to use for pbp...
1. 20 pt buy, any race/class fine as long as it's in the PRD online. DO NOT post your character background. Reveal it to us in-game by role playing! Accept that your character must have a reason to be attending the funeral of a certain NPC. Read the player's guide here
2. We don't roll initiative. First to post goes first. If the monsters stats obviously should have initiative I will simply post their actions first, so initiative still does mean something.
3. Everyone gets 2 actions per round instead of 1. You can post them both at once, or space them out. This lets faster posters post fast, and slower posters can still keep up by posting both actions at once. Familiars/Pets/mounts/slaves/whatevers get 1 action.
4. Players will track their own HP, stats, ect. I won't tell YOU when you get knocked out...you must tell ME. Dumb GMs like me can't do everything:)
5. I may choose not to post monster stats, HP, ext. There are lots of reasons for this. I will tell you if something is bloodied or otherwise status effected so you can decide how your skills/feats/ect work, but I just reserve the right to keep stats secret. Look monsters up in the PRD if you really really wanna know...
6. All players post their relevent stats (AC, ref, frt, will, CMD, and HP) in that little grey bar above your posts. It's the RACE field on your character profile.
7. I will not NPC your character. If you can't post, we'll just assume your PC stands there. I do promise not to kill them. But I won't play them AND GM. My wife will divorce me if I spend that much time online playing pathfinder:)
8. Our games usually die due to loss of players, so only come in if you intend to stay!
9. I may post combat maps and I may not at times. Sometimes it's okay to go old-school!
Whew, long post. Thanks in advance for your interest.
Male Robot Fighter 1; Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0; AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 Dex) hp 16 (1d10+6)
Mauristatia, home of unscalable peaks clad in ice and snow, obscured by great swathes of freezing mist. The air is cold and damp, and you are huddle into your furs to keep out the chill, heading north towards Motvania. As you arrive at the little coaching village of Leverhelven at murky twilight a thick winter fog is drawing in. The tavern is small and hardly luxurious, but the food is hot and the mulled wine is spiced and refreshing. The local people wary of such a strange group that includes an intelligent-eyed bear, and a suspicious looking goblin, talk little. But the land of Allansia is full of strange folk like you...there is more to their trepidation than that, you are certain.
After you enter the tavern door is barred, the windows shuttered. The place has a strange name: the Hart's Blood - but this doesn't look like hunting country, except for those seeking bears or wolves for their pelts. One of you ask the tavern-keeper how the inn got its name, and a deathly hush descends in the room. He turns away, refusing to speak to you. You wonder how a polite and innocent question made him react in such a way. What's more, a man sitting by the fire turns round and spits at your feet!
I ran ROTRL last winter but when my twins were born I just couldn't keep going...I think my players left happy though:)
I've got some time now though, for a rules lite version of Fighting Fantasy. If you don't know what that is, here is a link to an awesome short adventure called 'the love cure'. This is the same gamebooks series that birthed the amazing 'house of hell' by Steve Jackson, the book the scared me half to death when I was about 13.
The rules are basically 1 page long. Any and all character concepts are fine.
The game will be heavy on Role-Playing. Lite rules should make it a fun fill-in between your more serious games. Players will basically resolve combat themselves as described in 'the love cure' and I'll referee, bumping up or toning down challenges via story intjection, ect. We'll throw out lots of cool artifacts to make your characters more powerful as you go, instead of the standard 'leveling' concepts.
We can run any kind of game you want: horror, fantasy, gritty, sci-fi...players decide! Dot in if this sounds like your bag.
