I can't seem to find this addressed anywhere, though my Google-fu isn't quite what it used to be.
The main feature of a Herb Witch is Herb Lore (Ex), which does a few really neat (imo) things including making use of Profession (herbalist).
Herb witches are masters of herbalism, and can use their herbs to duplicate many of the effects of alchemy, as well as craft tinctures of their own. An herb witch can attempt a Profession (herbalist) check in place of any Craft (alchemy) check and gains a bonus on Profession (herbalist) checks equal to half her class level.
Alright, pretty straight forward.
The archetype also forces you to take the Cauldron hex at second level. Again, pretty straight forward.
So, here's where I cringe a bit: the Cauldron hex grants an insight bonus to Craft (alchemy), which is essentially replaced by Profession (herbalist) for Herb Witches.
I get that Cauldron still gives a feat (Brew Potion, for those unfamiliar with it), but it also means you're getting forced into a hex you can only partially utilize. While I definitely like fluff of it all, I do hate being forced into something I can only partly use.
Am I missing something somewhere? Or is this worded as intended?
On a side note, if I am reading this right, would it be acceptable for a player to request that the +4 from the Cauldron hex applies to crafting potions with Profession (herbalist) instead?
I want to do a thing. A very specific thing. Therefore, I should just run the thing myself!
— My thoughts going into this.
Alright, so bear with me as I ramble a bit to try to explain what I want to do here.
The Concept
I'd like to start running some modules in no particular order as the party of brave adventurers make their way across Golarion. We'd be starting in the S&M country of Nidal with the Midnight Mirror module. Fitting as we approach Halloween, no?
Now, I'm also looking to run these at a starting level of somewhere between level 10 and 15 because that's typically when the fun stuff starts coming in. And lets face it, in a PBP, leveling seems to take forever. I want some instant gratification here! It also means some extra work on my part because some of the modules we may run are going to be made for lower level and I'll have to do some CR adjusting.
It's also important that you understand that this is going to be VERY roleplay focused. No murderhoboing. Nothing takes longer in a PBP than combat. I'm hoping to adjust combat to last no more than 2 to 3 rounds. Maybe 4 or 5 if it's like, a super BBEG.
The idea is that we do light adventuring between modules as we make our way from one town to the next. This would be things like navigating through a twisted forest, figuring out how to cross a big chasm, maybe picking up a bounty or two and getting a little girl's kitten out of the tree. And of course, all the while you'll be creating inter-party bonds! I'm also thinking about bringing in Factions to hand out some other side quest objectives. We'll see.
What I Get Out of It
Okay, now here's the catch: I want to play, too. Yup. I'll be whipping up a character to go with the party. She's going to be something of a summons/planar binding gone wrong and be a tag-along. My partner will be playing the part of her unfortunate summoner (though I don't think he's actually playing a summoner, but I do believe he's going arcane, but don't quote me on that). I figure it lets me RP with you all as more than "just another NPC" without feeling like I should/shouldn't be steering the party in any particular direction.
I just wanna live in the world I help create, man D:
What I Need
I'm looking for two players to join us on this adventure. I'm not too worried about filling roles, but I am looking for some variety in characters. If there are two people who are just perfect, but both opted for the same sort of character, I'll message both and see if anyone's flexible on that sort of thing.
Recruitment should be open for a few days (three to five-ish?), but may close sooner or later depending on how recruitment goes!
Application Requirements:
Tell me why this campaign concept appeals to you Just so I know that we are all looking for the same kind of things. All the better to avoid disappointment down the road >.>
Include a basic character concept with level 10 crunch I'm not set on level yet, but it won't be lower than 10. I figure it's easier to level up than it is to level down.
Write a BRIEF character info segment A wall of text is painful. Anything more than three paragraphs is probably going to make me groan. I called it character info rather than a background because I don't want a detailed history. I'm more concerned about who they are now rather than who they were. As a tip for appealing to me: I really don't give two sticks about your character's parents or childhood. I want to know what they've done recently!
Show me you're good people I'm also kind of judging on who you are. I'm not looking to get into a game with an asshat, no matter how good their writing is. I mean, don't give me your life story, but it wouldn't hurt to let your own personality come through in some way.
Character Creation Guidelines:
25 point buy You're welcome MAD classes.
Level 10 As mentioned in the Application section, I'm not set on this being the starting level, but it's easier to level a character up than down.
Any race under 18RP But I warn you, I'm biased towards core races. Oh, and no alien races or androids. And no drow. I rain on all your parades.
Most class and archetypes are pretty okay Barbarians, rogues, and summoners should all be unchained. Monks can choose to be unchained or not. No gunslingers or any other tech/gun classes or archetypes. None of those what is it... Saurian druids? Anti-Paladins are being changed from CE to LE and will be smiting chaos and what not to keep them viable. I hate classes with an Asian theme, but I'm not flat out banning them.
Don't play stupid alignment You can be any alignment, but don't play stupid alignment. That probably means don't play CE, but hey, if you can make it not stupid, power to you.
HP is max at first level, average every level after A d6 gets 3.5, d8 gets 4.5, d10 gets 5.5, and d12 gets 6.5. The .5 is rounded down, but not lost, so you get the extra 1hp every other level basically.
Automatic Bonus Progression is in effect Make sure your character reflects that. I like this because it fosters more variety in slotted items. Read up on what magical items are no longer allowed in this game!
Starting wealth of 31000gp Half of the usual due to the automatic bonus progression rules. No more than half of that can be spent on any single item.
Two traits, or three with a drawback No campaign traits unless you beg me or something. Better have a good reason, too.
Background skills are a go I have a few changes I make though. Perform skills are considered to be adventuring skills for bards, Handle Animal is an adventuring skill for players that take an animal companion, Craft(alchemy) is an adventuring skill for alchemists.
Feat Tax Fixes are being implemented Please review the feat changes. No one likes huge feat chains.
No leadership feats I'm a big meanie pants.
"What about XYZ 3rd party material?" Eh... Depends what it is. This is not 3PP consent. This is "well, if you can convince me without being an argumentative ass about it then maybe". I'm already considering using Spheres of Power because I found it massively fun to tinker with, but I'm not sold on it yet. Build as if I'm going to say no, but just know that there is no harm in asking because I might say yes. Oh, but don't ask about psionics or godlings because those are a flat no.
Other Bits of Info:
Making Crafting Work is a document I'll be using It makes mundane crafting viable.
Downtime Activities will be discussed Probably use some of it, maybe not all of it. I want a house, don't you?
Daily posts are mandatory, but please be prepared to keep up with the post rate of the group, regardless of what it is Weekends, week days... One per day. Preferably more. Not every post needs to be a novel and sometimes a conversation requires only a line or two. If the rest of the group is putting out more, do your best to keep up. That said, if two characters are having a convo and posting every 5 mins, your character doesn't necessarily have to participate.
Game duration I'm hoping to carry this game out for a decent chunk of time. That's why i want to focus on roleplay. Much easier to maintain than a mad scramble for mechanics and stat blocks. Hoping to get through a handful of modules at the very least.
Maps on Google Draw Probably. I might swap over to Roll20, but for now, let's imagine they will be on Google Draw.
Alright! I think that about it! I'm hoping there are some people around here who might be interested in this sort of thing.
Bonus points awarded to people who break down their math and numbers for me, so I don't have to!
Dot this thread, use it for chit chat and what have yous. Dot the gameplay thread, too, while you're at it.
So, here's the deal: you all have homework. Three whole homeworks, actually.
Homework 1
I need you all to change your stats. Yup. I'm sorry. I 100% f*!$ed up the stat rolling, but it's okay because I think this actually benefits most of you. You are going to be changing your stats to a focus and foible system. You will set one stat to 18, then another to 8. Then you will have 10 points to spend on your remaining four ability scores. You cannot use points to change the static 18 or 8, but you can lower and raise any of the remaining four ability scores as you see fit.
It comes to a 25 point buy total.
Homework 2
Read the Skull and Shackles Player's Guide and make sure you are familiar with the setting and your selected trait. You should consider exactly what it was you were doing the night before you awake on the Wormwood based on the campaign trait you've selected. There's always some room for a flavor wiggle, but do your best to stay true to the theme of the trait!
Homework 3
Continue reading the Player's Guide and go over ship to ship combat. It's detailed and a long read, but you have a good chunk of time before you really need that info. I'll give some notice before it becomes super important.
Now, some things to consider:
Do we want to start the campaign awaking on the Wormwood, or would you like a chance to perhaps interact the night before at the Formidably Maid?
Did anyone have any changes they wanted to make to their characters? It's assume that your general focuses will stay the same, but I'd accept changes to race, gender (dear god we got a lot of female human pirates here), and perhaps archetypes.
Are there any requests, concerns, or anything else you may want to pipe up with before we get started?
And lastly, I'm going to be hijacking/replacing one of the NPCs and using her a little more actively within the campaign. Primarily she'll act as a tour guide, because I hate those moments of limbo when you just have no clue where to go because you missed a plot hook somewhere. I can only imagine it's twice as bad when things take longer like they do in PBP.
“Slaves, ev’ry one of ya! Any Shackles pirate’s worth ten o’ you poxy devils, an’ ev’ry Free Captain commandin’ a sloop’ll keep sailin’ circles around any bloated Chelish frigate you send at us. We’ll go on raidin’ yer sea lanes, stealin’ yer silver coins with Abrogail’s pouty gob stamped on them, an’ we’ll cart it all back home, where we’ll sing an’ drink ’til the sea swallows us all! I’m ready to do my dance with Besmara; no regrets for a life lived free on the waves. The worms’ll be better company than you ugly, dung-eating devil’s slaves anyway!”
—Last words spoken by Free Captain Wilihem Wache, moments before his public hanging in Macini for piracy
You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters.
On the treacherous seas surrounding the Shackles, only the cunning and swift survive for long. Fat merchant vessels sail the waters of Golarion, bursting at the seams with treasures aplenty for those bold enough to reach out and take it. But there's more than one pirate ship on the sea, and sinking the competition is common practice among the denizens of the Shackles. In these cutthroat waters, will you find yourself swept under, or will you manage to keep your head above the rising tide?
Avast ya scurvy dogs! I be seekin' out a few fresh faces ta join me crew
I'm looking for three to four players to join me in running the Skull and Shackles AP. Specifically, I'm looking for players who are knowledgeable, somewhat experienced, and keen on seeing this AP through to the end. I'm going to be basing character selections off of backstory, post history, and crunch. New the the PBP forums so not much post history? No problem, just let me know and I'll take that into consideration when I'm going over your character.
Now lemme tell ya what we be lookin' for in a new shipmate:
Ability Scores You have two options for generating stats: either you can use a 20 point buy, or you can let me roll your stats for you. If I roll, you get a guaranteed 18 in one stat, and random in the other five. No rerolls unless you are severely under or overpowered.
Races Most races published by Paizo are acceptable, but know that more common races are likely to be looked at first. I'm trying to avoid a party full of rarities, but if you impress me with your app, almost any race is possible. Races that are a flat "no" right from the get go are things like androids, drow nobles, kasatha, and wyrwoods.
Classes Much like races, most Paizo published classes and their archetypes are up for grabs. Unchained classes are allowed (and are the only summoners I'll even consider), as well as the new classes from Occult Adventures. Due to my dislike of guns and modding APs to include them, gunslingers are out, and due to alignment restrictions paladins and monks are also off the table. As a side note, unless you're giving me the vigilante playtest pdf (I missed my chance to DL it like a buffoon), those are not allowed.
Alignments Your characters are pirates, and they want to be pirates (or at least don't mind the thought of being one). That means lawful alignments are a no go. Chaotic evil is also a no because no.
HP Max hp at first level, half +1 every level after.
Traits Two traits, one which must come from the Skull and Shackles Player's Guide. You can opt to take a drawback that has to be approved by me and take a third trait if you wish. Traits can be reflavored to an extent, but once again, it must be approved by me.
Starting Gold Average starting gold for your class.
Skills We will be using the Unchained Background Skills optional system with a few minor tweaks. Perform is considered an adventuring skill for bards, and Handle Animal is an adventuring skill for all classes with an animal companion.
Guns and Technology None. No guns, no tech. That means no archetypes, classes, races, items, anything that is at all related to advanced technology.
3PP This is a bit of a grey area for me. If you want something third party, you should have a darn good reason for why you want it and why it isn't going to be a balance issue in the future. Anything third party has to be readily available on the d20pfsrd. No third party spells will be considered, Paizo has enough as it is. Psionics are a no.
An' now we lay out the rules o' the ship:
Posting Frequency At least one post per day is expected, but more is perfectly acceptable and encouraged unless we are in combat. In combat, it's expected you post in initiative order. To keep things moving along, I will GMPC your character for any round that has been held up. Please include a note on how often you think you can post per day.
Roleplay What I love about PBP is the ample opportunities for roleplay and character development, and this AP plays right into that. I expect players to build relationships with the other PCs, NPCs, and even their environment. It shouldn't be up to me to push your characters along! It is expected that you roleplay out your combat unless you're in a time crunch (ie, at work). Just tag it with an ooc comment that says "work" or whatever else to let us know what's up.
Rolls Passive Perception rolls will be handled by me, but if you are looking for something specific, those are handled by you. Same goes for Sense Motive. Things like Disguise and Stealth will be rolled by me so you have no idea how much confidence to have going into any clandestine situation. Linguistics will similarly be rolled by me so you have no clue how accurate your translations or forgeries may be.
Handling Rules Disagreements Sometimes I may do things for the sake of a storyline. Sometimes those things may bend the rules. In general, I like to stick with the rules. If there's an issue in a mechanics ruling, then feel free to make a brief and polite ooc note with a link to the rule included. I usually won't retcon unless it's a life or death situation for a PC, but it will help moving forward!
Handing Personal Disagreements In whispers, and if you can't figure it out, come to me to mediate before you start letting it seep into the game. Also, don't be a dumbass.
Same Team APs go better when the party is willing to work together. This means that creating enemies within the PC group is a bad idea, and that playing the "lone wolf" is just as bad. Don't get me wrong, all your characters don't have to be friends. Nothing wrong with a good rivalry (like Gimli and Legolas!) but end of the day, the goals are the same. And I hate lone wolf syndrome.
No Anime I don't watch or like anime, but I can sniff out most of those all too popular anime-based characters. Please steer clear of those tropes entirely. If I smell them, I'll overlook your character in favor of another.
Recruitment will be open for a week or so, or until I find the right players!
Stand up straight ya welps! Captain's on deck!
This will be my first time GMing a PBP campaign, but not my first time DMing in Pathfinder. I'm a bit of a rules lawyer myself, but don't think that means I'm a total stick in the mud. I'm more here for fun than to crush your dreams of pulling a Jack Sparrow maneuver. I can promise I'll put forward my best efforts as long as my players do, too. Now, there may come times where I'm like "Wow, I need a break!" (primarily during exams) and I'll set you all off on downtime activities where you, the players, take the lead and I just come on to make sure everything's gravy. Then I will come back refreshed and ready to slaughter you once again!