Welcome to GM Barrister's recruitment for the Serpent's Skull AP. As there was a heap of interest generated with the check, I will be running this version, as well as a gestalt version, found here.
Recruitment runs until 13-Feb, and I'll pick the players on the 14th, when we'll promptly start.
About the GM:
I have been playing table-tops for around sixteen years, starting with 3.0 and moving through to PF. I was fairly active in PbP on the old WotC site as well as Enworld and a few others for about ten of those years, and had home games, D&D Encounters, and smattering of other d20 systems for seven years. I enjoy the mechanical aspects of gameplay, but take greater interest in the roleplay.
I know there are qualms about someone new to the boards hosting a full-length AP; two at once is just ridiculous. But if taken as individuals, removing the fluff, new monster stat blocks, and quirky other materials from the books, the adventure itself is quite small. PbP slows down the pace quite a bit, and for me, that is advantageous to running the campaign, as I have far more time to figure out what is going on than in real time at the table.
There is also the matter of commitment, but it falls on both player and GM. Having little history with the site, neither could prove themselves reliable, other than by being so. I won't be looking your profiles or post count when making my decision on who participates.
I will be accepting 4-5 PCs for this version, and 3 for the other. You are welcome to apply to both, but no one will be selected for more than one; if you choose to make a character for each, please note if you have a preference for either game. I would also prefer players who have not yet had the opportunity to run the AP, so please note if you have done it before in your application. I won't necessarily base the decision of who is accepted on this, and I appreciate honesty.
Crunch:
Point Buy: 20; no stats below 10 before racial mods.
Alignment: Any non-Evil. However, bear in mind that I view "Chaotic" as chafing under authority and/or generally not caring about restrictions. I do not expect a PC to behave as though he is possessed by Rovagug, so if you play Chaotic (particularly CN), be sure to tone it to this level. Likewise, you can be "evil-ish," but we won't be murdering children or otherwise vehemently evil (and inappropriate to the forum) acts.
Race: Core, Featured, and Uncommon races only, as listed on the d20PFSRD.
Class: Any Paizo. uRogue and uSummoner are the new trends, uBarbarian and uMonk are at your choice. Any archetype. Fractional Bonuses will be in effect when/if you choose to multiclass. No ABP, No Variant Multiclassing, No Words of Power or other alternate methods of casting aside from what is presented directly in a class.
Skills: Background skills are in effect, minus Lore.
Feats: No Sacred Geometry or Blood Money. This list is subject to increase if I find something I've forgotten.
Traits: 3, one of which must be from the Player's Guide. No Rich Parents; if you take the "Boarded" option that gives 200gp, this gold can only be spent on "mundane items," which do not include potions, scrolls, or weapons and armor. May take 1 drawback for an extra trait.
Max HP at 1, we'll use half+1 after that. 200 starting gold.
NO 3PP, NO Homebrew, NO Exceptions.
Background:
This is a level one start, so you likely haven't done much before now. However, I find a well-thought background makes it easier to act as the PC, and in a PbP RP, "being" your character is nearly the most important aspect. I don't have any particular requirements, other than I expect to have a good idea of who your character is from reading this. Your traits, alignment, and mechanical choices, however, should all be reflected in your history, so provide me as much as it takes.
In addition to your character, please also post a roleplay sample, either from a former/ongoing campaign or new one generated specifically for this.
You are free to make your character in whatever engine you choose, but I want your statistics to appear on-site. Take a look at one of my aliases-
-for a good idea of how I'd like yours to look. It doesn't have to be exact. Dividing individual sections into spoilers makes, for me, a much cleaner read.
I have a particular post style I like as well, and feel that if everyone posts in the same manner, there will be fewer instances of confusion. If you're accepted into the campaign, please be willing to format your posts in this fashion:
”GM Barrister” wrote:
This text describes GM Barrister's actions, emotions, reactions, and quirks.
”This is GM Barrister's speech, in Common.” Name of Any Other Language: “This is GM Barrister's speech in the named language.” ”These are GM Barrister's thoughts.” ”This is GM Barrister saying Cure Light Wounds, and then saying something else.” ”This is GM Barrister using Telepathy.”
Checks/OOC:
Hiding dice rolls-
Prof:Barrister:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37
-and Out of Character comments behind a spoiler keeps Gameplay clean and our heads in our characters.
Remember: a round does not occur in a turn order. Everything that every NPC and PC does happens simultaneously in a span of six seconds. I will roll Initiative and pre-combat checks for the PCs and NPCs in the GM post, as well as NPC actions and checks. Players will then post their actions and checks, and I'll follow up with a recap of the round and we'll go on.
As much as I like to hear myself talk, I don't like to read my own typing; in the Discussion tab, I've provided convenient links to all of the Skills. Check the common DCs, and then preview your rolls to see if you've accomplished this before you compose the actions of your posts.
Yes, I want you to preview. The Gameplay thread should read like a story, and the narrative is interrupted when checks are independent of the flavor. I realize that means people can cheat; those whose enjoyment of the game is based so narrowly on being the best will do it regardless. Please don't cheat.
Please post your entries below, along with any questions/comments/concerns.
Welcome to GM Barrister's recruitment for the Serpent's Skull AP Gestalt. As there was a heap of interest generated with the check, I will be running this version, as well as a non-gestalt version, found here.
Recruitment runs until 13-Feb, and I'll pick the players on the 14th, when we'll promptly start.
About the GM:
I have been playing table-tops for around sixteen years, starting with 3.0 and moving through to PF. I was fairly active in PbP on the old WotC site as well as Enworld and a few others for about ten of those years, and had home games, D&D Encounters, and smattering of other d20 systems for seven years. I enjoy the mechanical aspects of gameplay, but take greater interest in the roleplay.
I know there are qualms about someone new to the boards hosting a full-length AP; two at once is just ridiculous. But if taken as individuals, removing the fluff, new monster stat blocks, and quirky other materials from the books, the adventure itself is quite small. PbP slows down the pace quite a bit, and for me, that is advantageous to running the campaign, as I have far more time to figure out what is going on than in real time at the table.
There is also the matter of commitment, but it falls on both player and GM. Having little history with the site, neither could prove themselves reliable, other than by being so. I won't be looking your profiles or post count when making my decision on who participates.
I will be accepting 3 PCs for this version, and 4-5 for the other. You are welcome to apply to both, but no one will be selected for more than one; if you choose to make a character for each, please note if you have a preference for either game. I would also prefer players who have not yet had the opportunity to run the AP, so please note if you have done it before in your application. I won't necessarily base the decision of who is accepted on this, and I appreciate honesty.
Crunch:
Point Buy: 25; no stats below 10 before racial mods.
Alignment: Any non-Evil. However, bear in mind that I view "Chaotic" as chafing under authority and/or generally not caring about restrictions. I do not expect a PC to behave as though he is possessed by Rovagug, so if you play Chaotic (particularly CN), be sure to tone it to this level. Likewise, you can be "evil-ish," but we won't be murdering children or otherwise vehemently evil (and inappropriate to the forum) acts.
Race: Core, Featured, and Uncommon races only, as listed on the d20PFSRD.
Class: Any Paizo. uRogue and uSummoner are the new trends, uBarbarian and uMonk are at your choice. Any archetype; ask me if you see something that doesn't make sense in a gestalt, and we can work out what to do about it. Fractional Bonuses will be in effect when/if you choose to multiclass. No ABP, No Variant Multiclassing, No Words of Power or other alternate methods of casting aside from what is presented directly in a class.
Skills: Background skills are in effect, minus Lore.
Feats: No Sacred Geometry or Blood Money. This list is subject to increase if I find something I've forgotten.
Traits: 2, one of which must be from the Player's Guide. No Rich Parents; if you take the "Boarded" option that gives 200gp, this gold can only be spent on "mundane items," which do not include potions, scrolls, or weapons and armor. No Drawbacks.
Max HP at 1, we'll use half+1 after that. 150 starting gold.
NO 3PP, NO Homebrew, NO Exceptions.
Background:
This is a level one start, so you likely haven't done much before now. However, I find a well-thought background makes it easier to act as the PC, and in a PbP RP, "being" your character is nearly the most important aspect. I don't have any particular requirements, other than I expect to have a good idea of who your character is from reading this. Your traits, alignment, and mechanical choices, however, should all be reflected in your history, so provide me as much as it takes.
In addition to your character, please also post a roleplay sample, either from a former/ongoing campaign or new one generated specifically for this.
You are free to make your character in whatever engine you choose, but I want your statistics to appear on-site. Take a look at one of my aliases-
-for a good idea of how I'd like yours to look. It doesn't have to be exact, but as that one makes clear (and other examples {complete ones, too; I never finished her, so pardon the mess} probably do even more so), higher level gestalts have a lot of information. Dividing individual sections into spoilers makes, for me, a much cleaner read.
I have a particular post style I like as well, and feel that if everyone posts in the same manner, there will be fewer instances of confusion. If you're accepted into the campaign, please be willing to format your posts in this fashion:
”GM Barrister” wrote:
This text describes GM Barrister's actions, emotions, reactions, and quirks.
”This is GM Barrister's speech, in Common.” Name of Any Other Language: “This is GM Barrister's speech in the named language.” ”These are GM Barrister's thoughts.” ”This is GM Barrister saying Cure Light Wounds, and then saying something else.” ”This is GM Barrister using Telepathy.”
Checks/OOC:
Hiding dice rolls-
Prof:Barrister:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 20 = 39
-and Out of Character comments behind a spoiler keeps Gameplay clean and our heads in our characters.
Remember: a round does not occur in a turn order. Everything that every NPC and PC does happens simultaneously in a span of six seconds. I will roll Initiative and pre-combat checks for the PCs and NPCs in the GM post, as well as NPC actions and checks. Players will then post their actions and checks, and I'll follow up with a recap of the round and we'll go on.
As much as I like to hear myself talk, I don't like to read my own typing; in the Discussion tab, I've provided convenient links to all of the Skills. Check the common DCs, and then preview your rolls to see if you've accomplished this before you compose the actions of your posts.
Yes, I want you to preview. The Gameplay thread should read like a story, and the narrative is interrupted when checks are independent of the flavor. I realize that means people can cheat; those whose enjoyment of the game is based so narrowly on being the best will do it regardless. Please don't cheat.
Please post your entries below, along with any questions/comments/concerns.
Is what it says. I'll probabaly start in about a month, possibly sooner if there's sufficient interest and I can get all of Soul's ready to go.
I have the AP on paper, and without shredding my copies I don't have an easy way to get the maps on a site. I'll probably draw up something simple for combat encounters (think X's and lines). If I have enough in the entertainment budget and I like how everything goes, I might just swing for the PDFs; if not, consider it "theater of the mind."
Thinking 25 PB, gestalt. No variant multiclassing, automatic bonus progression, or Occult Adventures materials. Background skills would be okay, but let's leave out Lore. Artistry is fine; Bob Dylan put plenty of points in that, but not quite enough into Perform...
No 3PP, no homebrew. Not sure on races; this in an interest check though so I'd say it's okay for now, but I'm leaning to Core only. I'll probably hand pick a few extras that I'll allow between now and the actual recruitment thread.
Probably 3 players since it'd be gestalt. Posts every 1-2 days, again I'll make it more clear on the actual recruitment, but I won't go below one post/2 days barring RL incursions.
If there's super, super interest, I could possibly run 2 concurrently; wouldn't have to do a terrible amount extra if it's the same AP.
Everything else is pre-made, so I think I got everything covered.
Oh, and my personal preference is for players who have not done the AP. I'm not a fan of people replaying things they've run to death, as it gets increasingly difficult for said people to mitigate metagaming and stay IC. Having played it before isn't an auto-exclusion, but my preference stands.
I dig these. I'm sure there are ways to exploit them, but if no one in your group is really looking for that, it isn't really a problem.
I've always kind of felt AoOs got too much love; if I have 3 attacks, a 16 Dex, and Combat Reflexes, then in a perfect 6-second round I get 6 attacks. Tack on the TWF tree, and that's really pretty ridiculous; I don't mind if, using your system, a character gets higher AC vs AoOs. They -should- miss more.
Just in game, he could use the Wiz/20 discovery, and later on, Mythic/10 does the same, FYI.
==Aelryinth
Why thank you. I hadn't delved that far into it, to be honest.
That still begs the question, though, of why it is never mentioned. "Aroden was an immortal descendant..." is usually the best we get, and it just seems a bit open-ended. God of Taldor (and Cheliax) [and all of humanity] who created/harnessed the only current known way of ascending mortals to divinity, walked Golarion itself after his ascension, blah blah awesomeness, should have had a large chunk of lore attributed to him. It's only been a little more than 100 years since his death, so it wouldn't be as though records of his deeds had been lost to time yet. And surely some one of his companions (either from after his raising of the Starstone or prior to) would have said, "Hey, Aroden ol' chap, how is it you're at least 5200 years old anyway?"
The Archer archetype of Fighter, Trick Shot ability, lists feint. I've tried searching for this with no avail (most threads are over 4 years old anyway): Feint does not use your CMB to determine success, and is not technically a combat maneuver, so is there no penalty for using it with a bow, or does the -4 apply to your Bluff check instead?
This needs to be a post to the rules forums so it can be FAQed. I'd just ignore the mention of feint in my games.
I did (I think), and went to change it when I noticed I was in the wrong place, and then learned of the edit/delete time limits on the posts, etc., etc.
But here's a question more suitable for your expertise (and this topic): Aroden's immortality.
Unless there's a particular bit I'm missing (as well as the pfsrd and any other site/post/whatever I've found during my searching), you state that Aroden was an immortal descendant of the Azlanti, and yadda yadda did stuff for thousands of years until finally raising the Starstone and becoming a God.
What I don't see clarified, or expounded upon, or mentioned any more than this passing bit, is that Aroden was immortal long before he achieved divinity. With Nex and Geb, there's at least a blurb of elixirs and ungents and the like; similarly with the Sun Orchid Elixir. But no mention of how Aroden became immortal, which seems like it should've been a point of intense interest among his (former) worshipers.
So...any details regarding his immortality before his apotheosis?
