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Maps | Info | Loot | Talia's Journal

Some music for the initial setting: Many Meetings

Oathday, the 12th of Lamashan, 4717 AR

Iadara, the capital of the elves of Kyonin.

Towers of silver and crystal thrust high above the treetops, and elven crafters can be seen decorating and enchanting sections of the city. Bright, glorious sunshine streams through the leaves of the trees and washes over the ground in waves of sun and soft shade. Here and there it glances off the windows of Kyonin’s graceful towers and austere buildings with exquisitely carved wooden eaves.

The ground is made up of thousands upon thousands of inlaid wooden tiles, polished and glowing the hue of a warm hearth, with designs as intricate as the most delicate gold jewelry. The sound of countless burbling fountains fills the air, and the scents of pristine woodland and delicate wildflowers grace every intake of breath.

Elves move to and fro or gather to talk in light, carefree tones, and all—from tradesmen to the elite of elven society—are dressed in elegant but functional garb and adorned with understated gold and silver trinkets of the highest quality. Elven laughter mingles with birdsong to provide a constant backdrop of nature and joy.

That backdrop is in stark contrast to the serious and humorless reason why the council of monarchs and their potential agents have arrived in the city. Dozens of candidates have arrived in Iadara, seeking to join in the Mantisbane Pact. The monarchs have been meeting for the better part of a week when they summon their chosen agents to stand before them.

Kilarra:

Kilarra arrived in Iadara a week before she was to formally meet with the monarchs. The Grand Prince himself was part of her convoy of ships. Several other candidates were onboard Kilarra’s ship. Officer Landau, much to her chagrin, was also onboard.

The Taldane government had apparently decided they didn’t completely trust Kilarra yet. Officially, Officer Landau was only onboard as an escort for all of the candidates. But given how the Officer always made sure she sat near Kilarra, it was clear she was there for the young slayer.

Once the ship arrived in Iadara, the Taldane candidates were given the week to relax and enjoy all the amenities that the elven capital had to offer. Besides the candidates from Taldor, there were also candidates from the nations and city represented by the monarchs of the Mantisbane Pact: dwarves from Highhelm, royal guardsmen from Osirion, paladins from Mendev, and – of course – elven candidates from various parts of Kyonin and other elven settlements.

When Oathday, the 12th of Lamashan, finally arrived, Kilarra was awoken by a knock at the door of her room at the inn in which she was staying. Kilarra found an elven messenger on the other side of the door. The man quickly handed Kilarra a letter sealed with Queen Telandia’s personal signet and said, “Queen Telandia and her colleagues, known collectively as the Quintumvirate, request your presence at the Queen’s palace at noon. An elven steward will meet you at the palace’s entrance and escort you in from there when the monarchs are ready to receive you. Please read that message and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll attend.”

The messenger then ran off. As he left, Kilarra saw that the messenger still carried other letters that were identical to her own.

Once the ornate seal was removed and the letter opened, Kilarra found a note in cursive handwriting addressed to her.

Kilarra,

The Quintumvirate has discussed you at length. There was much debate as to whether or not you would be suitable for this mission given your apparent murder of your father and possible association with the Red Mantis. None of us could dispute, however, that your knowledge of the assassins would be invaluable. The Grand Prince believes you have potential and the rest of us concurred. This may also be a chance for you to redeem yourself. As such, we want you to join in our mission and in our pact.

The mission we have for you is to travel to Mediogalti Island, find the assassins known as the Red Mantis, and ascertain a way to end them and their god. They are ruthless murderers, so we will not pretend this will be easy. There is a very real chance you will not make it back alive.

We do not ask this of you lightly. We have taken many months to craft a Pact that we hope you will agree to fulfill. Rest assured, you will not be alone in this effort. In addition to the full support of the Quintumvirate, you will have allies on this journey. My fellow monarchs and I believe you and your allies can succeed in helping to bring about the Red Mantis’s end. We ask that you be circumspect in this matter and not undertake it hastily.

If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will have more information for you and your future allies at the meeting we are holding at noon. Arrive at the palace’s entrance and you will then be escorted inside at the appropriate time. On behalf of the other monarchs and myself, we ask that you please consider carrying out this mission for the sake of all of Golarion.

Signed,
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin

Talia:

Talia found that the Fierani Forest was teeming with life. An elven ranger on one side. A pack of wolves on the other. A group of druids in a forest grove. A falcon perched in the trees above. All around her, the forest proclaimed life. Midnight seemed particularly pleased with their environment. Especially at night, of course.

It took Talia several weeks of slow progress to finally arrive in Iadara. When she did, it was the Moonday prior to the Oathday when the monarchs would request her presence. Once Talia arrived, she found that there were already dozens of other candidates in the city who, for one reason or another, wanted to participate in the Mantisbane Pact.

The official delegation from Taldor had arrived a few days before Talia. The Grand Prince had selected several young and athletic candidates to accompany him to Iadara. It seemed he intended for all of those selected to be from Taldor.

Still, the candidates from other nations weren’t to be trifled with. A couple of the paladins from Mendev had reportedly been involved in the final crusade into the Worldwound. And one of High King Borogrim’s dwarves had supposedly been to the Darklands and made it back to tell the tale. They and others had all found a common cause to rally around.

When Oathday finally arrived, Talia emerged early in the morning from the room one of the elves had been letting her stay in while the monarchs considered who to select. Moments after stepping out of the door of her room, Talia was greeted by an elven messenger who handed her a letter sealed with Queen Telandia’s personal signet. The elf then says, “Queen Telandia and her colleagues, known collectively as the Quintumvirate, request your presence at the Queen’s palace at noon. An elven steward will meet you at the palace’s entrance and escort you in from there when the monarchs are ready to receive you. Please read that message and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll attend.”

The messenger ran off. As he left, Talia saw that the messenger still carried other letters that were identical to her own.

Once the ornate seal was removed and the letter opened, Talia found a note in cursive handwriting addressed to her.

Talia,

The Quintumvirate is impressed that you decided to come despite the lack of a formal invitation. The Grand Prince speaks highly of your skill and knowledge. In truth, you would likely have received an invitation were it not for the fact that Stavian thought you had died at the hands of the Red Mantis. Your unique talents and knowledge, not to mention your apparent ability to avoid assassination by those who walk in blood, indicate to us that you would be a valuable asset to our pact and to the mission we have in mind.

The mission we have for you is to travel to Mediogalti Island, find the assassins known as the Red Mantis, and ascertain a way to end them and their god. They are ruthless murderers, so we will not pretend this will be easy. There is a very real chance you will not make it back alive.

We do not ask this of you lightly. We have taken many months to craft a Pact that we hope you will agree to fulfill. Rest assured, you will not be alone in this effort. In addition to the full support of the Quintumvirate, you will have allies on this journey. My fellow monarchs and I believe you and your allies can succeed in helping to bring about the Red Mantis’s end. We ask that you be circumspect in this matter and not undertake it hastily.

If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will have more information for you and your future allies at the meeting we are holding at noon. Arrive at the palace’s entrance and you will then be escorted inside at the appropriate time. On behalf of the other monarchs and myself, we ask that you please consider carrying out this mission for the sake of all of Golarion.

Signed,
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin

Talivar:

Talivar arrived in Iadara via ship a couple days prior to when his presence would be requested at the Queen’s palace. After saying goodbye to Captain Hannigan and the remainder of his crew, Talivar had a chance to meet some of the other candidates. They came in all shapes and sizes. There were guards from Osirion who had been personally assigned to protect the Ruby Prince Khemet III himself. There were a few paladins from Mendev. The look in their eyes indicated they may have seen one too many fights against the demons of The Worldwound. There was even a man from faraway Segada.

Without a doubt, it seemed impossible that all those who had arrived in Iadara would be selected for the monarchs’ mission. Two days passed and during that time Talivar was finally able to enjoy elven cooking rather than the dodgy cooking of his ship’s chef. In addition to delicious food, the elves provided him with a room at an inn at no cost. They insisted on not charging him for the food or the room when they learned why he had come to Iadara.

Just after Talivar finished eating a breakfast of elven flatbread and fruit flavored with exotic, tangy spices, an elven messenger ran up to him and handed him a letter sealed with Queen Telandia’s personal signet. The elf took a moment to catch his breath before saying, “Queen Telandia and her colleagues, known collectively as the Quintumvirate, request your presence at the Queen’s palace at noon. An elven steward will meet you at the palace’s entrance and escort you in from there when the monarchs are ready to receive you. Please read that message and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll attend.”

The messenger ran off. As he left, Talivar saw that the messenger still carried two letters that were identical to his own.

Once the ornate seal was removed and the letter opened, Talivar found a note in cursive handwriting addressed to him.

Talivar,

The Quintumvirate has heard of your losses. We mourn with you in the death of Maria. We are angered by the taking of Alayna. We share a common enemy. The Red Mantis do not discriminate in their victims, but murder and steal regardless of a person’s walk of life. We ask that you join in our Pact against the Red Mantis and see to it that they never murder or steal from anyone else again. We ask that you do this to honor Maria’s memory and in the hope of seeing Alayna again some day. As a fellow Desnan, I personally ask for your help.

The mission we have for you is to travel to Mediogalti Island, find the assassins known as the Red Mantis, and ascertain a way to end them and their god. They are ruthless murderers, so we will not pretend this will be easy. There is a very real chance you will not make it back alive.

We do not ask this of you lightly. We have taken many months to craft a Pact that we hope you will agree to fulfill. Rest assured, you will not be alone in this effort. In addition to the full support of the Quintumvirate, you will have allies on this journey. My fellow monarchs and I believe you and your allies can succeed in helping to bring about the Red Mantis’s end. We ask that you be circumspect in this matter and not undertake it hastily.

If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will have more information for you and your future allies at the meeting we are holding at noon. Arrive at the palace’s entrance and you will then be escorted inside at the appropriate time. On behalf of the other monarchs and myself, we ask that you please consider carrying out this mission for the sake of all of Golarion.

Signed,
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin

Uruelleth:
By time Uruelleth heard of the Mantisbane Pact and decided to join, he had fully integrated into elven society. By all appearances and by all accounts, he was nothing more than an ordinary elf. An ordinary elf who had killed a Gnoll warchief. As such, a certain amount of fame accompanied Uruelleth wherever he went.

The orc-turned-gnoll-turned-elf arrived in Iadara on Oathday. Queen Telandia hadn’t required her elven candidates to arrive sooner as they were already in close proximity to the capital. His arrival came with the expected amount of fanfare, but one pair of individuals in particular caught Uruelleth’s eye. A father and son approached and Uruelleth instantly recognized them as two of the people who had accompanied him on the trip across Lake Encarthan.

“The Queen asked us to personally give you this,” Elledel said as he handed Uruelleth a letter sealed with Queen Telandia’s personal signet.

The boy’s father chimed in and said, “Queen Telandia and her colleagues, known collectively as the Quintumvirate, request your presence at the Queen’s palace at noon. An elven steward will meet you at the palace’s entrance and escort you in from there when the monarchs are ready to receive you. Please read that message and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll attend.”

Elledel couldn’t help but say, “It’s good to see you again! I’m sure you’ve been busy killing a bunch of ogres and trolls, huh?”

Elledel’s father shook his head and said, “We don’t have those here, son. We’ve given him the Queen’s message, now it’s time for us to take our leave.”

The two elves smiled and nodded at Uruelleth before waving goodbye as they left.

Once Uruelleth removed the ornate seal and opened the letter, he found a note in cursive handwriting addressed to him.

Uruelleth,

The Quintumvirate has heard of your valor in Lastwall. Your many deeds have reached our ears and your latest, the slaying of Urug’dash, the Gnoll of Belkzen, has impressed us all. We have a mission of great importance that we would like you to undertake. It will be dangerous, perhaps even more so than your battles against the orcs of Belkzen. But we believe you are uniquely capable of undertaking the mission we have in mind.

The mission we have for you is to travel to Mediogalti Island, find the assassins known as the Red Mantis, and ascertain a way to end them and their god. They are ruthless murderers, so we will not pretend this will be easy. There is a very real chance you will not make it back alive.

We do not ask this of you lightly. We have taken many months to craft a Pact that we hope you will agree to fulfill. Rest assured, you will not be alone in this effort. In addition to the full support of the Quintumvirate, you will have allies on this journey. My fellow monarchs and I believe you and your allies can succeed in helping to bring about the Red Mantis’s end. We ask that you be circumspect in this matter and not undertake it hastily.

If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will have more information for you and your future allies at the meeting we are holding at noon. Arrive at the palace’s entrance and you will then be escorted inside at the appropriate time. On behalf of the other monarchs and myself, we ask that you please consider carrying out this mission for the sake of all of Golarion.

Signed,
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin

Vorya:

Vorya was not selected by Grand Prince Stavian III for the Mantisbane Pact. Nor was he selected by the Ruby Prince Khemet III. The Grand Prince had apparently favored younger candidates and ones who worshiped deities that the monarch didn’t think were frivolous. Shelynites, Caydenites, and Calistrians had all been blacklisted from consideration. The Ruby Prince, for his part, had focused on candidates whom he knew personally or that were from higher up in society.

Mallius, Vorya’s priest, was undeterred. He was convinced that the inquisitor should participate in the Pact, with or without the official blessing of a monarch. He arranged for a wizard in Oppara to teleport Vorya straight to Iadara. Mallius knew that Vorya would need to arrive early to make himself known and to make it clear that he hadn’t given up, so the priest had the wizard send Vorya to Iadara five days before the monarchs planned to make their final decision.

Once Vorya arrived in Iadara, it became clear that he was not alone in wanting to slay Achaekek. Dozens of other candidates from the domains of the five monarchs and beyond had arrived in Iadara hoping to participate in the Pact. Once the inquisitor was certain that the monarchs were aware of his presence and were at least considering him, all he had left to do was wait.

The day finally came for the monarchs to send out invitations to their chosen candidates. Vorya was just coming downstairs for breakfast at the inn where he was staying when an elven messenger ran up to him. The elf handed Vorya a letter sealed with Queen Telandia’s personal signet and said, “Queen Telandia and her colleagues, known collectively as the Quintumvirate, request your presence at the Queen’s palace at noon. An elven steward will meet you at the palace’s entrance and escort you in from there when the monarchs are ready to receive you. Please read that message and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll attend.”

The messenger ran off. As he left, Vorya saw that the messenger still carried a letter that was identical to his own.

Once the ornate seal was removed and the letter opened, Vorya found a note in cursive handwriting addressed to him.

Vorya,

The Quintumvirate was surprised when you arrived a few days ago. Your tenacity in coming despite being rejected by both the Grand Prince and the Ruby Prince is admirable. And despite what they may think, I believe Shelyn is a deity well worth venerating. We have discussed you at length. Your priest, Mallius, speaks highly of you. Perhaps even more so, your experience with the Guild of Wonders could be tremendously helpful for the mission we have in mind.

The mission we have for you is to travel to Mediogalti Island, find the assassins known as the Red Mantis, and ascertain a way to end them and their god. They are ruthless murderers, so we will not pretend this will be easy. There is a very real chance you will not make it back alive.

We do not ask this of you lightly. We have taken many months to craft a Pact that we hope you will agree to fulfill. Rest assured, you will not be alone in this effort. In addition to the full support of the Quintumvirate, you will have allies on this journey. My fellow monarchs and I believe you and your allies can succeed in helping to bring about the Red Mantis’s end. We ask that you be circumspect in this matter and not undertake it hastily.

If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will have more information for you and your future allies at the meeting we are holding at noon. Arrive at the palace’s entrance and you will then be escorted inside at the appropriate time. On behalf of the other monarchs and myself, we ask that you please consider carrying out this mission for the sake of all of Golarion.

Signed,
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin

Zeldana:

One day prior to their summons, Zeldana and Bobar arrived in Iadara after a journey of several weeks. She found that quite a few other adventurers had already arrived to answer the monarchs’ call. There were people from as far away as Arcadia and Tian Xia.

The next day, as Kitsune and bear walked through Iadara’s streets, more than a few eyes looked their way, saw Bobar, and hurried to leave the immediate vicinity. It seemed that the elves weren’t used to having black bears in the Fierani Forest or at least in Iadara itself.

Still, some of the more exotic residents of the place, hunters, rangers, and a pair of women from the Mwangi Expanse, all smiled and nodded at Zeldana as she passed by. Even in the heart of the elven kingdom, the oracle was able to find kindred spirits. One such spirit, an elven ranger from nearby Siavenian, walked over to Zeldana and Bobar with a skinned and gutted deer over his shoulder.

The elf said, “It’s good to see Queen Telandia didn’t just put out a call for the typical adventurer type. Any good party needs someone with a connection to nature. Here, take this deer as thanks for answering the Queen’s call. I’m sure your bear there can put it to good use.”

The ranger smiled at Zeldana, placed the deer on the ground near Bobar, and walked away. A moment later, an elven messenger ran up to the pair and handed Zeldana a letter sealed with Queen Telandia’s personal signet. The elf took a moment to catch his breath and stare at Bobar and the dead deer before saying, “Queen Telandia and her colleagues, known collectively as the Quintumvirate, request your presence at the Queen’s palace at noon. An elven steward will meet you at the palace’s entrance and escort you in from there when the monarchs are ready to receive you. Please read that message and decide for yourself whether or not you’ll attend.”

The messenger ran off. As he left, Zeldana saw that he didn’t appear to be carrying any letters like her own. Either she alone had been invited or perhaps she was the messenger’s last stop.

Once the ornate seal was removed and the letter opened, Zeldana found a note in cursive handwriting addressed to her.

Zeldana,

The Quintumvirate has heard of your divine capabilities and connection to nature. Your dismantling of an Okeno human-trafficking ring has also reached our ears. The magistrate in Magnimar speaks highly of your skills. Your actions in Nybor have also come to our attention. Protecting a settlement from goblins, ogres, and other dangers is no simple task. It’s your unique skills and divine capabilities that led us to ask for your aid. As a fellow Desnan, I personally ask that you help the Quintumvirate dismantle the Red Mantis.

The mission we have for you is to travel to Mediogalti Island, find the assassins known as the Red Mantis, and ascertain a way to end them and their god. They are ruthless murderers, so we will not pretend this will be easy. There is a very real chance you will not make it back alive.

We do not ask this of you lightly. We have taken many months to craft a Pact that we hope you will agree to fulfill. Rest assured, you will not be alone in this effort. In addition to the full support of the Quintumvirate, you will have allies on this journey. My fellow monarchs and I believe you and your allies can succeed in helping to bring about the Red Mantis’s end. We ask that you be circumspect in this matter and not undertake it hastily.

If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will have more information for you and your future allies at the meeting we are holding at noon. Arrive at the palace’s entrance and you will then be escorted inside at the appropriate time. On behalf of the other monarchs and myself, we ask that you please consider carrying out this mission for the sake of all of Golarion.

Signed,
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin

Assuming you’re comfortable distinguishing between in-character and out-of-character knowledge, feel free to read everyone’s introductions. In your opening post, go ahead and narrate anything else your character would have done after arriving in Iadara as well as your response to your note and your arrival at the palace’s entrance. Of course, that last part assumes you intend to undertake the Quintumvirate’s mission.


Maps | Info | Loot | Talia's Journal

Welcome everyone and congratulations! There were over 20 applications, so you had a lot of competition. Thank you all for accepting my invitations.

Please review the combat protocol when you have time. You can view it below. Let me know if you have any questions about it.

Combat Protocol:

Combat should be among the funnest parts of any Pathfinder game. I hope the guidelines below will help streamline the process.

1. Marching order should be established beforehand (preferably in the discussion thread) so that the GM can correctly place your character tokens on the map at the start of combat.

2. Initiative and Perception rolls as needed

3. Surprise round, if necessary. Each player in the surprise round who goes before the enemies will act. Player actions will then be resolved. Enemy actions will then take place and be resolved. Players acting after the enemies will act then their actions will be resolved. All actions will be resolved in initiative order.

4. Actions should be posted in everyone's "block" as detailed in step 3. This means that in-character dialogue and actions should, at least to some degree, factor in initiative order. The GM will sort NPCs into groups to better streamline the initiative order (normally just one group). The GM will post DCs for knowledge-based checks or other skill checks as needed at the beginning of combat. Players that wish to roll on such a check should do so at the start of their combat posts. If a spellcraft check comes up during combat, the GM will post the information on the spell in a spoiler with the appropriate DC. The same would apply for knowledge checks if new creatures enter the fight after the start of combat. Please only roll one knowledge check. If you’re not sure which knowledge to roll for, just roll a d20 and I’ll apply the appropriate modifiers.

5. Actions should specify standard action, move action, swift action, etc. If an action requires an opponent to make a saving throw or another kind of check, please list the DC in your post. Also, please specify what modifiers are in play when making an attack action, skill check, saving throw, etc.

6. Actions will be adjusted as needed based on actions that took place earlier in the round. As much as possible, rolls that have already been made will still be used, even if a character has to move to a slightly different location to attack or cast a spell.

7. Saving throws will be rolled by the character who needs to save. Should you need to roll a saving throw, I'll post a spoiler with the effect (should you fail the save) in the post that mentions you need to roll. Subsequent rolls to save for the same spell or effect will also be rolled by the affected player(s). Any saving throw that needs to be rolled should be rolled at the start of a player’s combat post. In the event a player needs to roll a saving throw, knowledge check, and/or spellcraft check in the same post, the saving throw should be rolled first, then the knowledge check, then the spellcraft check – all at the start of the post.

8. Keep in mind that ranged attack factors like shooting into melee and cover will be applied as normal.

9. Also keep in mind pathing when assigning move actions to your character as attacks of opportunity will happen if not purposefully avoided. Be sure to include acrobatics roll(s) if your pathing requires moving through a square that will provoke an attack of opportunity.

10. Once everyone has acted for each "block", the GM will post a summary of the players’ actions and their effects along with the action(s) of hostile and/or neutral NPCs. If a PC or NPC provokes an attack of opportunity, the GM will roll for NPCs and offer PCs the chance to make the attack of opportunity at the beginning of their next turn. Should an attack of opportunity prevent a subsequent action of a PC or NPC, that action will no longer be considered to have taken place.

11. If a character needs to select a different set of actions due to the results of an action or actions earlier in the round, the GM will change who the character is attacking or targeting, if appropriate. If not, the GM will ask that character’s player to post an alternate set of actions.

12. Simple clarifications or corrections like, “That enemy rolled a 15, but my AC is 16. Wouldn’t the attack have missed?” are fine in the gameplay thread. Please mention it if a modifier was missed or you were given an incorrect bonus on a roll. I’m perfectly fine with retroactively changing the roll, when necessary. Questions about combat mechanics or how a specific spell or effect works should be asked in the discussion thread.

13. Repeat steps 4-12 till combat is over.

As everyone gets sorted, I have a few questions for you to consider, mostly inquiries related to your builds. One general thing that I would mention is that I didn’t see anyone who took Use Magic Device. While you certainly don’t have to take it, it might be prudent for at least one of you to have a rank in it. Also, if anyone wants to make minor adjustments or refinements to their builds, please feel free to do so. If you’re not sure what ‘minor’ means, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Kilarra:
Are you planning on taking weapon finesse? I noticed you went with several odd-numbered stats. You might consider putting a couple of those stats at an even number as it may be a while before you can bump any of them up. Just a suggestion!

Talia:
I noticed you didn’t have your campaign trait listed in your crunch. I’m assuming it’s Red Mantis Historian, but you may want to make sure you applied all appropriate bonuses. Also, I noticed one of your feats was Accursed Hex. While that’s certainly fine, you don’t currently have any hexes that can benefit from it, so you might want to consider changing it. For Midnight, I want to note that I won’t target or assign damage to him as long as he is in your square/on your person. If you separate from him, though, he’s fair game.

Talivar:
Do you plan on having a mundane weapon of any kind? You may be just planning to use ray of frost if you have to, but you might want to consider getting a crossbow or light mace just in case.

Uruelleth:
You may want to double check the number of languages you have. With four ranks in linguistics, I think you should still get 4 languages, even with the low int score. And you should get elven just for being an elf.

Vorya:
You may want to double check your health. You only list it as 23 and have 3d8+8 written off to the side. You should probably have a bit more.

Zeldana:
I don’t see where you took any ranks in Handle Animal. With Bobar having an intelligence score of 3, strictly speaking, it isn’t necessary. But if you ever have to push him for some reason, you would be out of luck without ranks. I would advise taking at least one rank in that skill, just in case. Also, you may already be intending to do this, but I would ask that you include Bobar’s actions with your own in the same post. Unless you can think of a very compelling reason, I would forgo giving him an alias at all. In a face-to-face game, I would probably have you two roll initiative separately, but it’s much more practical for you both to have the same initiative in a play-by-post game. I’ll use whichever one of you has a higher initiative modifier when I roll for your initiative.

-----

Odds and Ends:
- Everyone needs to go ahead and decide who will keep track of loot. I have a basic loot spreadsheet (courtesy of Aardvark DM) for whoever does so or that person can come up with their own, if they prefer. If you make your own, it should still be made in Google Sheets, for the sake of accessibility. For those who won’t be specifically responsible for loot, I would ask that you help out by putting your starting items on the loot list.

- Everyone should also go ahead and decide the party's marching order for when I need to place your character tokens on maps.

- If you haven’t already, be sure to set up a profile and add your character’s information to it. Also, be sure to add some sort of quick stats line to display below your character’s name. It should look something like this:

Half-elf Kineticist 1 | HP 13/13 | AC14 T11 FF13 | CMD 13 | F+6 R+3 W+3* | Init +1 | Perc +7

Feel free to adjust that format slightly to suit your preferences. Be sure to include an asterisk (*) by stats that have conditional modifiers. For those of you who have spells, either include a (spoilered) line in your quick stats with your spells left for the day (for spontaneous casters) or include a list of your spells for the day (for prepared casters) in a spoiler in your first post for each in-game day. If you have some other limited resource, it would probably be a good idea to include that in your quick stats line in one form or another. Please keep your current health up-to-date in your quick stats line or in your posts for easy reference. If you receive any conditional modifiers, positive or negative, via a spell or other ability, be sure to track that as well. If a condition persists after combat, you’ll want to add it to your quick stats line until it’s resolved.

- I know we have quite a few spellcasters. If you all want to coordinate what spells you know, I’m perfectly fine with that, especially since most of you are spontaneous casters. I know it may be a bit meta-gamey, but I’m sure everyone will want to do it when they start leveling up, so we might as well do it from the start to avoid frustration.

- I’m going to try to avoid worrying about things like encumbrance and low-light conditions. If someone is carrying a ton (perhaps literally), then I’ll take that into consideration, but I would rather not get bogged down in the minutiae of a few pounds.

- Be proactive about addressing problems. If you’re not sure about how something works or why something happened, ask about it. If you’re not comfortable asking in front of everyone, feel free to PM me. Similarly, please PM me right away if you’re not happy with how things are going. I can’t promise I can fix it, but I’ll certainly try. I would rather the issue be addressed before it becomes terminal. It’ll work both ways, though. If I see a problem with a player, I’ll PM them about it to try and address it before it becomes a bigger issue.

- Please, please: let the group know in this discussion thread if you’ll be unavailable so we can move things along. One of the advantages of having six players is that we should be able to function fine as long as at least a few players have posted. It only takes two or three minutes to let us know you’ll be away. Your fellow players and GM will greatly appreciate it. If I have to be away for some reason, I’ll try to plan ahead so it’s at a time when everyone’s out of combat and can do some roleplaying in the meantime.

- Lastly, don't forget to have fun! We’ll likely all make mistakes, so let's be patient and kind to one another so this can be an adventure that’s as enjoyable as possible for everyone.

If any of you want to have connections between characters prior to arriving in Iadara, I’m open to that. There are three of you who’ve been in Taldor at one point or another, so it’s plausible that at least a couple of you would know each other. Prior connections aren’t necessary, of course, just a possibility.

I look forward to playing with you all in the years to come, so I want to get things started on the right foot. Please let me know if you have any questions about the above or anything else. Depending on how much everyone has to discuss and how many questions you all have to ask, I’ll likely get the opening gameplay post up later today or tomorrow.

Again, welcome and congratulations. Achaekek and the Red Mantis have quite the team to reckon with!


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Can mortals kill a god? A few have been chosen to find out.

The Mantis God has plagued Golarion for millennia. While we each have our own reasons for agreeing to the Mantisbane Pact, we are united in our goal. His evil must be ended. Achaekek must be slain.

We have called for a few, brave souls to help fulfill our pact. We intend to send them in search of Mediogalti Island where the defector claims that the fabled Crimson Citadel, the heart of the Red Mantis, may be found. Our hope is that those we select will find the Citadel and along with it some means to slay He Who Walks In Blood.

When gods fail to act, mortals must do so. And so we have.

From the journal of Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin
Dated the 8th of Rova, 4717 AR

Mantisbane Pact:

On this Oathday, the 12th of Abadius, 4717 AR, we, the rightful kings and queens of our respective dominions, make a pact regarding the one known as Achaekek, the Mantis God, and He Who Walks In Blood.

    He has murdered our people.
    He has corrupted innocents from all walks of life.
    He has put fears and doubts into our hearts about our families and friends.
    He has infiltrated our societies and governments.
    He has shown himself time and again to be no friend of just and civil societies.
    He has proven himself to be evil, through and through.
Because of these things, we resolve that the Mantis God and his followers must be stopped. The five of us, each a legitimate king or queen of a nation or city of Golarion, pledge to bring about the Mantis God’s death by whatever means necessary.

Signed by the rightful monarchs of Highhelm, Kyonin, Mendev, Osirion, and Taldor
High King Borogrim the Hale of Highhelm
Queen Telandia Edasseril of Kyonin
Queen Galfrey of Mendev
Ruby Prince Khemet III of Osirion
Grand Prince Stavian III of Taldor

The Story So Far:

Among the many things the elves of Kyonin found amiss after returning to Golarion through the Sovyrian Stone Gate were the Red Mantis assassins. The Red Mantis murdered as a form of worship. The very idea of such a thing plagued the noble-minded elves.

For many years, the elves took no actions against the assassins, using the excuse that they were still relearning to live on Golarion after their long absence. Finally, a year ago, Queen Telandia Edasseril, current bearer of the Viridian Crown, resolved to put an end to the Red Mantis. Having learned that the assassins refused all contracts on rightful monarchs, the queen was emboldened to take action. Yet she knew so little about the Red Mantis, their motives, and their leadership that her willingness to take action meant little.

Despite her lack of information, Queen Edasseril was undeterred. Using the magical network of aiudara or elf gates, she sent messengers who gave invitations for a meeting to the other monarchs who currently ruled on Golarion. In the invitation, she proposed that the monarchs end the Red Mantis and their god and that only those who wanted to see the Mantis God’s end should accept her invitation. Only four monarchs accepted. Travelling through elf gates located near each ruler’s nation or city, the four monarchs met in secret with Queen Edasseril in Kyonin’s capital, Iadara.

After weeks of debate and a considerable number of revisions, the five rulers finished crafting the Mantisbane Pact. The Pact made, the monarchs immediately began searching for information on the Red Mantis and where the assassins based their operations. Scrying and other methods of divination failed to turn up solid information, so the monarchs were at a loss as to how to proceed. For a time, their secret meetings ceased and it seemed as though the Pact might die a quiet death.

A catalyst finally arrived six months ago when something unimaginable happened. One of the Vernai, a member of the Red Mantis’s ruling council, defected. Word quickly spread of the defection. Queen Edasseril and the head of the Red Mantis both learned of it.

Dispatching dozens of their assassins, the Red Mantis intended to slay Vernai Lain, the one who defected, before he could divulge the location of their headquarters or any other sensitive information about their organization. Through back-channels and trusted advisors, the five monarchs of the Pact also took action. Thanks to Queen Edasseril’s arcane prowess and the divine capabilities of Ruby Prince Khemet III, the monarchs were able to track down Lain before the Red Mantis. The man did not go with the rulers willingly, so they had to take him by force.

Returning to Iadara with Lain, the monarchs worked for weeks to convince him to speak of the Red Mantis and to tell them where the assassins might be found. Though Lain didn’t say much, he did make two crucial claims. He said the home of the Red Mantis, the Crimson Citadel, could be found on Mediogalti Island. More importantly, Lain said that the Mantis God wasn’t a true god.

Though Lain provided no evidence to support his second claim, even the possibility that Achaekek wasn’t fully divine strengthened the rulers’ conviction that their Pact could be fulfilled. Since the Red Mantis were still searching for Lain with dozens of assassins, the monarchs decided to take advantage of Mediogalti Island’s weakened defenses. About a month ago, the rulers called for a few, brave adventurers to travel to the island in secret, find the Red Mantis’s headquarters, and ascertain a way to put an end to them and their god.

The story begins with adventurers arriving in Iadara via various means to seek an audience with the council of monarchs. The rulers plan to select a few adventurers who will pledge to fulfill the Mantisbane Pact and begin the long, dangerous process of the Mantis God’s unmaking.

I hesitated on including the outline below, but I decided I want people to know that I have a clear direction in mind for this adventure. There will be sandbox elements here and there, but the campaign isn’t aimless by any stretch of the word. The following (spoilered) outline gives a vague idea of the game’s trajectory. Those who are familiar with Mediogalti Island may glean a bit more information from the outline. Don’t read it if you would prefer to be completely spoiler-free. Otherwise, all you’ll see are the titles of each part of the campaign. I’ve divided the campaign into six parts in homage to Paizo’s Adventure Path format.

Campaign Outline (Spoiler Alert):
Part One - On Crimson Shores
Part Two - City of the Mantis
Part Three - War for the Jungle
Part Four - Assault on Mosquito Island
Part Five - The Cyclopes’ Secret
Part Six - Bastion of Blood

What Kind Of Campaign Is This?:

This campaign will feature jungle exploration, city adventure, dungeon delving, and political intrigue, though not necessarily in equal portion.

A significant percentage of the campaign will take place in and around the city of Ilizmagorti on Mediogalti Island. Most of the remaining portions of the campaign will take place elsewhere on Mediogalti Island and on a few nearby islands.

Players shouldn’t expect to exclusively fight the Red Mantis during this campaign. Variety is a good thing, after all. Mediogalti Island contains a multitude of flora and fauna that the party will have to face at various points in the campaign. Other than the Red Mantis, some enemies (or potential allies) that the party will face include (but are not limited to) carnivorous plants, cyclopes, dinosaurs, goblins, kobolds, lizardfolk, pirates, sharks, and undead.

There will be sections of the campaign where the current objective doesn’t involve fighting or otherwise directly dealing with the Red Mantis. That said, side-quests will relate back to the main story. Just don’t expect to always be fighting Red Mantis assassins.

Ultimately, though, the goal of the campaign – as its name implies – is to kill the Mantis God.

Expectations:

GM Expectations: I expect myself to be attentive to players’ needs and to make changes when necessary. I don’t claim to be perfect. I’m far from it. That said, I always want to improve and will at least partially rely on feedback to do so. My goal is to provide an enjoyable experience for everyone involved and to facilitate a story that everyone will remember fondly for years to come.

Speaking of years, I fully expect this campaign to take several years to complete. I’m in this for the long haul, so if I can do anything to make the experience more enjoyable, please let me know.

Player Expectations: I expect players to be able to post at least once a day during the week (Mon-Fri) and at least once on the weekend (Sat-Sun). I understand real life can get in the way sometimes and is definitely first priority, but if you don’t think you can consistently post once a day during the week and once on the weekend, then please do not apply. Play-by-posts are marathons, not sprints, so it’s important to stay consistent.

I also want players to actively engage in the story. I, as the GM, should not be the only one pushing the story along. There will, of course, be times when I push the story forward, but I would much prefer for players to take the initiative in progressing the story.

Maps, Loot, & Consistency:

Maps: We’ll be using Google Slides. One thing I do want to note for this is that players shouldn’t expect amazingly detailed maps. Since this is a homebrew campaign, I’ll be using some custom-made maps via MapTool and some generic maps. That being the case, some will be very basic. Imagination is important for most aspects of PbPs. In this case, the importance of imagination also applies to maps.

Loot: We’ll be using Google Sheets. When gold is assigned it will be done so equally. Each player who wants an item and can especially benefit from it (e.g. a sorcerer wanting an item that boosts charisma) will roll to determine who receives it unless everyone in the group agrees who should receive the item. Of course, if no one wants an item, it can just be sold for gold. Potions, scrolls, etc. will be distributed after player discussion in the discussion thread. Once players are selected, they should decide amongst themselves who will be in charge of keeping track of loot. I’ll have plenty of things to track as GM, so having someone else manage loot will help me maintain my sanity. Thank you in advance to the person who takes on this duty!

Consistency: I mentioned this above, but it needs to be repeated. If we want to finish this campaign, and do so in a reasonable amount of time (3-5 years), consistency will be our best ally. If you’re unable to post for more than 24 hours, drop a line in the discussion thread so we know to move forward with the story in the meantime. Please note that I reserve the right to bot you if you haven’t posted for more than 24 hours (48 hours on weekends).

Real life is first priority, but your fellow players and GM would greatly appreciate the courtesy of being notified if you’ll be absent for an extended period of time. I plan to be available as much as possible, but I’m sure the occasion will arise when I’m forced to be away for a bit. Communication is key regardless of whether it’s myself or someone else who must be away.

Combat:

Combat should be among the funnest parts of any Pathfinder game. I hope the guidelines below will help streamline the process.

1. Marching order should be established beforehand (preferably in the discussion thread) so that the GM can correctly place your character tokens on the map at the start of combat.

2. Initiative and Perception rolls as needed

3. Surprise round, if necessary. Each player in the surprise round who goes before the enemies will act. Player actions will then be resolved. Enemy actions will then take place and be resolved. Players acting after the enemies will act then their actions will be resolved. All actions will be resolved in initiative order.

4. Actions should be posted in everyone's "block" as detailed in step 3. This means that in-character dialogue and actions should, at least to some degree, factor in initiative order. The GM will sort NPCs into groups to better streamline the initiative order (normally just one group). The GM will post DCs for knowledge-based checks or other skill checks as needed at the beginning of combat. Players that wish to roll on such a check should do so at the start of their combat posts. If a spellcraft check comes up during combat, the GM will post the information on the spell in a spoiler with the appropriate DC. The same would apply for knowledge checks if new creatures enter the fight after the start of combat. Please only roll one knowledge check. If you’re not sure which knowledge to roll for, just roll a d20 and I’ll apply the appropriate modifiers.

5. Actions should specify standard action, move action, swift action, etc. If an action requires an opponent to make a saving throw or another kind of check, please list the DC in your post. Also, please specify what modifiers are in play when making an attack action, skill check, saving throw, etc.

6. Actions will be adjusted as needed based on actions that took place earlier in the round. As much as possible, rolls that have already been made will still be used, even if a character has to move to a slightly different location to attack or cast a spell.

7. Saving throws will be rolled by the character who needs to save. Should you need to roll a saving throw, I'll post a spoiler with the effect (should you fail the save) in the post that mentions you need to roll. Subsequent rolls to save for the same spell or effect will also be rolled by the affected player(s). Any saving throw that needs to be rolled should be rolled at the start of a player’s combat post. In the event a player needs to roll a saving throw, knowledge check, and/or spellcraft check in the same post, the saving throw should be rolled first, then the knowledge check, then the spellcraft check – all at the start of the post.

8. Keep in mind that ranged attack factors like shooting into melee and cover will be applied as normal.

9. Also keep in mind pathing when assigning move actions to your character as attacks of opportunity will happen if not purposefully avoided. Be sure to include acrobatics roll(s) if your pathing requires moving through a square that will provoke an attack of opportunity.

10. Once everyone has acted for each "block", the GM will post a summary of the players’ actions and their effects along with the action(s) of hostile and/or neutral NPCs. If a PC or NPC provokes an attack of opportunity, the GM will roll for NPCs and offer PCs the chance to make the attack of opportunity at the beginning of their next turn. Should an attack of opportunity prevent a subsequent action of a PC or NPC, that action will no longer be considered to have taken place.

11. If a character needs to select a different set of actions due to the results of an action or actions earlier in the round, the GM will change who the character is attacking or targeting, if appropriate. If not, the GM will ask that character’s player to post an alternate set of actions.

12. Simple clarifications or corrections like, “That enemy rolled a 15, but my AC is 16. Wouldn’t the attack have missed?” are fine in the gameplay thread. Please mention it if a modifier was missed or you were given an incorrect bonus on a roll. I’m perfectly fine with retroactively changing the roll, when necessary. Questions about combat mechanics or how a specific spell or effect works should be asked in the discussion thread.

13. Repeat steps 4-12 till combat is over.

And yes, I was talking about myself in the third person. See why I need someone to track loot to maintain a shred of sanity? : )

tl;dr - We’ll be using the “block” combat system, more or less.

Character Creation:

Starting Level: 4 (Note that the campaign will take characters to level 20.)

Starting Wealth: 6,000 gp. No single item should be worth more than 3,000 gp. All items should be from official Pathfinder resources. Links are appreciated for particularly obscure items.

Alignment: Any non-evil. That said, good-aligned characters will have an easier time explaining why they would want to kill the Mantis God, a LE entity. Characters with neutral alignments are fine, but will need compelling backstories to explain their motivation(s).

Races: Humans, elves, half-elves, and dwarves make the most sense given the monarchs involved in the Pact, but I’m willing to consider other races, especially other core races. As a race other than those four, you’ll need to incorporate an explanation into your backstory as to why you would have pledged yourself to a pact made between five monarchs of races other than your own. If you decide to apply with an Aasimar or a Tiefling, you may select a variant heritage without the feat. No rolling on the d100 charts, though.

Classes: Anything Paizo. Summoners must be unchained, but you may use the evolution points progression for eidolons from the base summoner. No templates, no VMC, no Gestalt, no leadership feat.

Archetypes: I won’t be banning any specific archetypes as I think bans are often arbitrary and unwarranted. Use your best judgment and don’t try to submit things that are commonly considered overpowered (e.g. Synthesist Summoner) as that will significantly reduce your chance of being selected.

Ability Scores: 20 point buy. No individual score should be lower than 7 or higher than 18 after all modifiers have been applied. Note, however, that your level 4 ability score increase is allowed to push a score to 19. No adjustments due to age.

Hit Points: Max for first level, half+1 for subsequent levels.

Traits: Two, one of which must be a campaign trait. See below for a list of the available campaign traits. You may take a third trait if you also take a drawback. Be sure to incorporate your traits and drawback (if applicable) into your character’s backstory.

Background Skills: 2 per level.

Rules (RAW/RAI): I tend to think the spirit of the law matters more than the letter of the law, but reserve the right to adjudicate disputes on a case-by-case basis.

Experience: We won’t be using the standard Pathfinder experience system. Instead, I’ll be leveling everyone when it seems most appropriate.

House Rules: No player-versus-player combat will be allowed at all. Arguments and disagreements will of course occur, but they should be resolved with words not swords. The players are on the same side.

Miscellaneous: Item creation feats may be selected and will likely be particularly useful for this campaign as some items will be very difficult or costly to obtain on Mediogalti Island. In the interest of having an equal playing field, please do not use item creation feats to reduce the cost of your starting items.

Campaign Traits:

Avenger: A close family member or friend was assassinated by the Red Mantis. You have taken it upon yourself to avenge their death by slaying the Mantis God. As such, you have done what you can to study the Red Mantis and learn how to counter their tactics. You receive a +1 trait bonus to damage rolls and rolls to confirm critical hits against Red Mantis members. Additionally, when you are flanked by a member of the Red Mantis, the bonus to their attack rolls is only +1.

Driven: Someone you love was targeted by the Red Mantis. So far, you’ve managed to keep them safe with your keen senses, but it may only be a matter of time before the assassins find their mark. You receive a +1 trait bonus on Perception and Sense Motive checks and one of them is a class skill for you. This bonus increases to +3 when searching for uniformed Red Mantis members or when sensing the motives of uniformed Red Mantis members.

Duty-bound: Because of your loyalty to your nation or city, you feel it is your duty to help bring about the Mantis God’s demise. You have either interacted at length with the nobility or government of your nation or city or count yourself as one of them. Consequently, you are well-versed in how to deal with situations in a non-violent manner. You receive a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks and one of them is a class skill for you. This bonus increases to +3 when interacting with members of races represented by the Mantisbane Pact’s monarchs (humans, elves, and dwarves).

Ex-Recruit: You were recruited by the Red Mantis and were an initiate for a short time. You learned some of the ways of the Red Mantis, but never visited Mediogalti Island. Perhaps you became disillusioned with the Mantis God and realized the Red Mantis’s goals were antithetical to your way of life or perhaps someone showed you the error of your ways. Whatever the case, you abandoned the Red Mantis to forge your own path. However, your time with the Red Mantis did impart you with some specialized skills. You receive a +1 trait bonus on Disable Device, Escape Artist, and Stealth checks and one of them is a class skill for you. When you take 20 on Disable Device and Escape Artist checks, you may do so in half the time normally needed.

Experienced Healer: You have personally treated someone wounded by Red Mantis assassins. Though you may or may not have been successful in keeping that person alive, you learned valuable information about how to treat wounds inflicted by the Red Mantis. You receive a +1 trait bonus on Heal checks and Heal is a class skill for you. This bonus increases to +3 when making Heal checks to provide first aid or to treat poison. Additionally, if you are able to detect poison, you add a +3 trait bonus to Wisdom and Craft (alchemy) checks made to identify poisons used by the Red Mantis.

Lost Family/Friend: You have a family member or friend who was recruited into the Red Mantis. They may have been forced to join or joined willingly, but they are now training to be an assassin on Mediogalti Island. You are determined to find your family member or friend and have done what you can to study the geography of the island and to learn more about the Red Mantis. You receive a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge (geography) checks and it is a class skill for you. Additionally, you receive a +1 trait bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information. What's more, in order to learn about the Red Mantis, you have taught yourself how to speak their preferred language and so receive Infernal as a bonus language.

Marked: You were marked for assassination by the Red Mantis. In order to survive, you became an expert at blending in and convincing others you were someone that you weren’t. You receive a +2 trait bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks and one of them is a class skill for you. In addition, once per week, you may roll twice for a Bluff or Disguise check and take the better result. The extra roll must be made before the result(s) of the check are declared.

Naturalist: You have lived in the wild for a significant portion of your life and only recently learned of the Red Mantis. You find them an affront to the natural order of things and feel they and their god must be stopped. You receive a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (nature) checks and may attempt Knowledge (nature) checks untrained. Additionally, you are skilled at surviving in the wild and have a natural connection to the animals of the wild, so you receive a +1 trait bonus on Survival and Handle Animal checks and one of them is a class skill for you.

Red Mantis Historian: You have done all you can to learn about the history of the Red Mantis. There is frustratingly little to uncover. You feel you’ll need to travel to Mediogalti Island both to unravel the mysteries of the Red Mantis and to see that they, their beliefs, and their god are relegated to history books. You receive a +2 trait bonus on Knowledge (history) checks and it is a class skill for you. Additionally, your specialized knowledge of the Red Mantis gives you a +1 trait bonus on all will saves made against attacks, spells, and spell-like abilities used by members of the Red Mantis.

Religious Conviction: Your religious beliefs obligate you to slay the Mantis God. Though your god and the rest of the pantheon have refused to act against Achaekek, you feel convicted to act on your god’s behalf. You receive a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (religion) checks and Knowledge (religion) is a class skill for you. You have particularly applied yourself to studying your religion and the religion of the Red Mantis, so the trait bonus increases to +3 when the check relates to your religion or to the religion of the Red Mantis.

Backstory:
I’m not a fan of lists. I want an actual story. Tell me about an episode from your character’s past – in story form. Give me a sample of what your character sounds like when interacting with others – in narrative as well as in dialogue. Please err on the side of creativity rather than legalistically following a formula.

Besides what was just mentioned, I want to offer some guidelines to aid in crafting your character’s backstory.

Your character’s backstory should include how they came to be level 4. In other words, your character may be very young or very old, but they’ve had some combat experience (or lots of experience dealing diplomatically with otherwise hostile beings), so explain how that came about. Tell me how your character came to the place they are in life and why they would be willing to risk life and limb to take down the Red Mantis and their god. The campaign trait you select should provide a good starting point for this.

Your character’s backstory should also include some explanation as to how you arrived in Iadara, whether by chance or by invitation from one of the rulers. Or perhaps your character snuck into the city just to get a chance to fight the Red Mantis. There are a variety of ways your character could have ended up in the city, so tell me how in your character’s backstory.

Your character should be willing to work with legitimate government authorities (the five rulers of the Pact, in this case). While you’re certainly free to give your character a non-lawful alignment and for them to have qualms about following the law, they should be willing to work with the rulers of the Pact when push comes to shove.

Your character shouldn’t be from Mediogalti Island, so Lore skills and other skills related to Mediogalti Island should not be selected. Knowledge (local) will work normally, but given the remoteness of Mediogalti Island and the mystique surrounding it, DCs will likely be higher than usual.

Grammar matters. While everyone will inevitably make the occasional mistake, players and myself alike should actively strive to write in good English. Just previewing your post before officially posting it can make a world of difference. Grammar won’t be my main factor in character selection, but if you misspell multiple words in a sentence, write in sentence fragments and run-on sentences constantly, or exhibit similar grammatical faux pas, I’ll be forced to think you didn’t care much when you were putting together your character.

Speaking of character, I value your character’s story, personality, and uniqueness more than their stat block. Play-by-posts succeed when they have good stories. Write a character that you’ll care about and that will care about bringing down the Mantis God and his followers. I plan to incorporate the selected characters’ backstories into the story of the campaign, so crafting a unique character will enhance the experience of the adventure for everyone.

That said, party composition will be at least a small factor in my decision. I’m open to the possibility of having multiples of one class, but I won’t be selecting four fighters just because they have the best backstories of all the submissions. Having a unique character, class, and role will increase your chance of being selected.

About Me:
I have a fair bit of experience with Pathfinder in face-to-face settings through Pathfinder Society, an ongoing Adventure Path, and a few different homebrew games. I’m also playing in a few different play-by-post games and am currently GM’ing an Adventure Path. As I’m sure many of you will be doing already, please feel free to look over my aliases to see my track record.

It’s important to note that while this is a homebrew game, it’s still a Pathfinder game, through and through. The campaign is set in the Inner Sea Region of Golarion and I will be using over a dozen different Paizo resources to help craft it. Those materials include (but are not limited to) The Inner Sea World Guide, Pathfinder Chronicles: Cities of Golarion (for Ilizmagorti), Pathfinder Chronicles: Faction Guide, Inner Sea Faiths, and the Adventurer’s Guide. Note that this campaign takes place in a Golarion where the Second Darkness and Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Paths have already taken place and where the player characters in both adventures succeeded.

I plan to select at least one player who is new (or at least newer) to the play-by-post genre, so if you’re new to play-by-post games, please don’t let that keep you from submitting a character for consideration.

Thank you to everyone who read everything up to this point! I look forward to seeing everyone’s submissions. I plan to take 4-6 players for this adventure. Recruitment will be open until October 9th at 1 pm eastern. Once recruitment closes, I’ll message the accepted applicants and verify their acceptance before posting a formal list in this thread. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.


Maps | Info | Loot

Then

Moonday, the 3rd of Arodus, 4715 AR.

The Night of Ashes. The Night when Kintargo’s relatively peaceful existence was shattered.

Jilia Bainilus, Kintargo’s former lord-mayor, had vanished three days prior to the Night of Ashes. Many feared Bainilus had abandoned the city in its hour of need. With her missing or worse, Barzillai’s power over the city seemed assured. The inquisitor, however, wasn’t satisfied with the former lord-mayor’s exit.

On the Night of Ashes, Thrune and his followers struck suddenly, trying to drive off, capture, or kill any known or suspected dissidents. A night of arson and murder, the Night of Ashes removed any doubts that noble-minded Kintargans had about Barzillai’s cruelty. Overnight, groups such as the Sacred Order of Archivists and the Bellflower Network seemingly disappeared. Many of the good deities who had once been worshipped openly in Kintargo found themselves leaderless.

The next morning, Barzillai Thrune took the position of lord-mayor. Thrune then issued seven proclamations. These proclamations were posted throughout Kintargo by town criers that Barzillai paraded through the streets.

Thrune’s Seven Proclamations:

Proclamation the First: All slayers of city pests (hereby defined as doves, mice, and ravens) who present said pests to the dottari shall be rewarded with a bounty of 1 copper piece.

Proclamation the Second: All places of public business must display in a position of prominence within the first room accessible from the building’s primary entrance a portrait of Her Infernal Majestrix Queen Abrogail II. Said portrait must measure no less than 11 by 17 inches.

Proclamation the Third: Anyone who captures, alive and unharmed, a feral dog of a weight exceeding 50 pounds is to be rewarded with a payment of 2 silver pieces upon transfer of the dog to the dottari. Such noble guardian creatures should find homes worthy of their kind!

Proclamation the Fourth: The right to wear fine embroidered clothing in public is hereafter proscribed to anyone other than agents of House Thrune or the Holy Church of Asmodeus. Exceptions can be awarded or purchased at the city’s discretion.

Proclamation the Fifth: Grain is life! Should grain be spilled in public, it must be gathered, cleaned, and repackaged within the hour. Any person who allows grain to go ungathered after a spillage shall be fined 1 copper piece per grain.

Proclamation the Sixth: The imbibing of night tea brings a dangerous imbalance to the slumbering mind. Between the hours of sunset and sunrise, the taking of tea is proscribed.

Proclamation the Seventh: The odor and flavor of mint is an abomination to the refined palate. Be not the cretin! Mint use in candies, drinks, and all manner of confections is hereby proscribed.

It was in the days after the proclamations were made that the night of the 3rd of Arodus became known as the Night of Ashes. Or, as Kintargans say, the night Kintargo’s freedom was burned into nothing but ash.

Now

Moonday, the 10th of Arodus, 4715 AR.

Even with the cobblestones of Argent Avenue and the foliage of Aria Park still wet from the morning’s light rain, dozens of Kintargans have gathered along the facade of the opera house to protest the city’s new lord-mayor, Paracount Barzillai Thrune. The city’s new leader was appointed by Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II, in the wake of the previous lord-mayor’s sudden disappearance. In a scant seven days, Paracount Thrune has instituted martial law, a curfew, and seven outlandish and polarizing proclamations.

These actions and more have called many of Kintargo’s dissatisfied citizens here on this overcast morn. There’s been no sign yet of Barzillai Thrune himself. The opera house’s doors remain tightly closed as they have since the man chose the landmark as his new home. But judging by the growing sound of the protesters, he surely can’t ignore the citizens of Kintargo for much longer.

In front of the locked opera house entrance, facing the protestors, stand a dozen Dottari guards and one of Barzillai’s bodyguards, a scowling woman named Nox. The guards appear nervous, but seem relatively calm for being required to stand guard at a protest.

As more and more Kintargans arrive at the protest, opportunities abound to interact with the others in the crowd. Five distinct groups emerge among those in the crowd: Kintargo partisans (who despise Cheliax’s tightening grip on the city and demand local rule), economic conservatives (who feel the squeeze from Thrune’s new taxes and business policies), advocates of democracy (whose greatest complaint is Thrune’s appointment instead of a legal election), anarchists (who want the protest to turn into a riot), and Chelish loyalists (who support Thrune’s actions to curb the city’s dissentious streak).

You can attempt 1 of the following actions at a time. Each action takes an hour to perform. Thus, we’ll be going in 1 hour increments (for the time being, anyway). Keep in mind your reason for being at the protest and the bonuses associated with that reason.

Listen for Rumors:
You can wander the crowd and listen for rumors to try to learn more about what’s going on in Kintargo’s new political landscape. Attempt a Diplomacy check to gather information or a Perception check to overhear something of note.

Rabble Rouse:
If you think yourself persuasive, you can attempt to better organize the protest by attempting a Diplomacy or Perform check.

Search for a Contact:
You can make a Perception check to search for a contact you may have come to the protest to find.

Silence Undesirable Elements:
You can try to silence or outshout elements of the crowd you disagree with. You can attempt a Bluff or Intimidate check to silence a particular group. You can only attempt to silence one group at a time. The five groups listed above are the groups you can attempt to silence.

Watch the Crowd:
You can choose to simply watch the crowd. If you choose to do this, you can attempt a Perception or Sense Motive check to try to notice something unusual about the crowd.

In your opening post, feel free to narrate the moments/minutes/hours leading up to your arrival at the protest. Be sure to also list your action (with the appropriate skill check) in your post. For those of you who may recognize each other, feel free to interact. Be sure to place your character token on the map where your character would be standing. Just in case you were curious, the grey/paved tiles on the map count as difficult terrain. The crowd is particularly dense in those areas. The info slides have been updated with images of Nox and a dottari guard.


Maps | Info | Loot

Welcome everyone and congratulations! There were over 25 applications, so you had a lot of competition. The six of you had exceptional submissions, though, so I’m grateful you all accepted my invitations.

I want to cover a few things before we officially start the adventure.

Combat Protocol:

I mentioned how combat would work in my first recruitment post, but wanted to formalize how my system will work. There were also at least a couple things I failed to account for in my initial post like saving throws and attacks of opportunity. As with most things, I’m open to feedback.

1. Marching order should be established beforehand (preferably in the discussion thread) so that the GM can correctly place your character tokens on the map at the start of combat.

2. Initiative and Perception rolls as needed

3. Surprise round, if necessary. Everyone in the surprise round can act. Actions will be resolved in initiative order.

4. Everyone acts, actions will be resolved in initiative order. This means that in-character dialogue and actions should, at least to some degree, factor in initiative order. The GM will sort NPCs into groups to better streamline the initiative order.

5. Actions should specify standard action, move action, swift action, etc. If an action requires an opponent to make a saving throw or another kind of check, please list the DC in your post. Also, please specify what modifiers are in play when making an attack action, skill check, saving throw, etc.

6. Actions will be adjusted as needed based on actions that took place earlier in the round. Player attack rolls will still be used, even if a character has to move to a slightly different location to attack; the same applies to spells, assuming the same enemies can still be targeted.

8. Initial saving throws (during combat) will be rolled by the GM and actions occurring after the saving throw roll(s) will be affected accordingly (bonuses, negatives, conditions, etc). Subsequent rolls to save for the same spell or effect will be rolled by the affected player(s).

9. Keep in mind that ranged attack factors like shooting into melee and cover will be applied as normal.

10. Also keep in mind pathing when assigning move actions to your characters as attacks of opportunity will happen if not purposefully avoided. Be sure to include acrobatics roll(s) if you possess the skill and your pathing requires moving through a square that would provoke an attack of opportunity.

11. Once everyone has acted, the GM will post a summary of the round along with the action(s) of hostile and/or neutral NPCs. If a PC or NPC provokes an attack of opportunity, the GM will make the attack rolls as needed. The GM will also move character tokens as needed at this point. He’ll do his best to move characters in ways that will avoid attacks of opportunity, but will move characters as each player requests in their actions posts even if there’s no way to avoid provoking an attack of opportunity.

12. If a character needs to select a different set of actions due to the results of an action or actions earlier in the round, the GM will change who the character is attacking or targeting, if appropriate. If not, the GM will ask that character’s player to post an alternate set of actions.

13. Questions about what happened in the round or any adjustments that need to be made to an attack roll, damage roll, etc. should be mentioned in the discussion thread. Please mention it if a modifier was missed or you were given an incorrect bonus on a roll. I’m perfectly fine with retroactively changing the roll when necessary.

14. Repeat steps 4-13 till combat is over.

Hopefully most of the above was already assumed, but I want to be as clear as possible. As a side note, other than (possibly) at the start of combat and perhaps in social situations, I’ll be moving character tokens for everyone. The maps will be editable, but you shouldn’t need to adjust them much, if at all, during combat after the initial placement of your character tokens. Even then, marching order should have been established beforehand in which case I’ll place your character tokens for you.

And yes, I know I was writing about myself in the third person. I’m not crazy… mostly.

Questions for the Players:

What modifications would you make to the combat protocol?

Once we get started, I want to maintain the same system, so any changes should be made before we start the official gameplay.

Do you want to experience the uncensored/unedited content or the PG-13 version?

I'm fine either way. Also, keep in mind that it’ll probably be quite a while before we come across content that has the potential to be particularly graphic or objectionable.

What connections do your characters have with each other?

Use the next day or two to establish those connections. Everyone should read over the backgrounds of your fellow players’ characters to start making connections. Some should be obvious. I’ll be using some of the time before we officially start to work on incorporating each character’s backstory into the adventure.

Odds and Ends:

- If you feel that your character should have specific knowledge about a group or a person in Kintargo prior to the start of the adventure, feel free to PM me so I can give you details as needed. Or if it’s general knowledge that every character should know, you can just ask about it here in the discussion thread.

- Please be sure to keep track of the discussion and gameplay threads as I’m fairly confident we’ll be making liberal use of both. I’ll also be posting information in the Campaign tab, so don't ignore that either.

- As much as possible, try to keep questions about mechanics and ooc clarification questions in this discussion thread. I want the gameplay thread to essentially be able to be read as a collaborative story.

- I want to maintain a steady pace. As stated before, that means 1 post a day during the week and 1 post during the weekend. During combat, if someone doesn't post for 24 hours, I’ll move the game along by botting as needed. Out of combat, I’ll likely try to move things along as well after 24 hours. I may not bot out of combat unless it’s essential. Rather, I’ll just move along the story. Of course, it’ll be more like 48 hours over the weekend. For clarity’s sake, that means I reserve the right to GMPC a character 24 hours after my last post during the week and 48 hours after my last post over the weekend. If we're able to post at a bit faster rate, I’m okay with that, but also want to be mindful of those who can't post multiple times a day. If things get going too fast, I might slow it down so no one is left behind.

- During combat, it’s probably best to stick with a rhythmic posting regimen. For example: the GM posts initiative/perception and other relevant details at the start of combat, the players post their actions for the 1st round, the GM posts a summary of the 1st round, the players post their actions for the 2nd round, and so on. Out of combat, you all shouldn’t feel the need to maintain such a rigid system. It’s perfectly fine if a few characters have a back and forth conversation before other characters chime in. I don’t want the story to feel wooden.

- Please, please: let the group know in this discussion thread if you’ll be unavailable so we can move things along. One of the advantages of having six players is that we should be able to function fine as long as at least a few players have posted. It should only take two or three minutes to let us know you’ll be away. Your fellow players and GM will greatly appreciate it. If I have to be away for some reason, I’ll try to plan ahead so it’s at a time when everyone’s out of combat and can do some roleplaying in the meantime.

- Links to maps, game info, the loot list, and the rebellion sheet will be posted just underneath the campaign title as each becomes relevant. Also, I decided to go with google sheets for the loot list and rebellion sheet as it should be easier to track everything that way. There’s also an app for google sheets and google slides, so mobile users should be able to view everything posted to either. Props go to Aardvark DM (Gregor) for letting me use and modify his loot list from his Mummy’s Mask campaign. Andrew Hoskins is responsible for the rebellion sheet we’ll eventually be using.

- I’m going to try to have everyone keep their own loot list up-to-date. I’ll have a master list of loot that you all find, but you should each keep track of what you individually possess. At least a few of you need to make sure that your items and gold are correct. Remember that you only have 200g to start. I’ll have quite a bit to track as it is, so I’ll be grateful for your help in keeping your loot list up-to-date. It’ll also be nice for your fellow players.

- If you haven’t already, be sure to add some sort of quick stats line to display below your character’s name. It should look something like this:

Half-elf Kineticist 1 | HP 13/13 | AC14 T11 FF13 | CMB+2 CMD 13 | F+6 R+3 W+3* | Init +1 | Perc +7

Feel free to adjust that format slightly to suit your preferences. Be sure to include an asterisk (*) by stats that have conditional modifiers. For those of you who have spells, include a line ( preferably in a spoiler) with a list of your spells per day for each spell level along with how many and/or which ones you have left. Include a line with any other particular limited resource as needed for your character. Please keep your current health up-to-date in your quick stats line for easy reference. If you receive any conditional modifiers via a spell or other ability, be sure to include that in your posts during combat. If a condition persists after combat, it should be added to your quick stats line until resolved.

- Since Paizo’s website can be finicky sometimes, if possible, write your posts in google docs or a similar word processor before trying to post them. It can be really frustrating to lose a long post, so taking precautions to avoid putting yourself in that situation can (hopefully) keep you from having to post something of a lesser caliber. Alternately, you can periodically copy what you’ve written so you can paste it back if the messageboard tries to eat your post. (Don’t let it win!)

- I’m going to try to avoid worrying about things like encumbrance and low-light conditions. If someone is carrying a ton (perhaps literally), then I’ll take that into consideration, but I would rather not get bogged down in the minutiae of a few pounds. Also, most of the campaign locations will have ample lighting. For those that don’t, as long as at least a couple of you have a light source, you should be fine (assuming the group sticks together…).

- Be proactive about addressing problems. If you’re not sure about how something works or why something happened, ask about it. If you’re not comfortable asking in front of everyone, feel free to PM me. Similarly, please PM me right away if you’re not happy with how things are going. I can’t promise I can fix it, but I’ll certainly try. I would rather the issue be addressed before it becomes terminal. It’ll work both ways, though. If I see a problem with a player, I’ll PM them about it to try and address it before it becomes a bigger issue.

- Lastly, don't forget to have fun! We’ll likely all make mistakes, so let's be patient and kind to one another so this can be an adventure that’s as enjoyable as possible for everyone.

I look forward to playing with you all in the years to come, so I want to get things started on the right foot. Please let me know if you have any questions about the above or anything else. Again, welcome and congratulations. It's about time to see if House Thrune can be taken down a notch.


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Kintargo, The Silver City.

It is here that a few potential heroes find themselves when evil descends. With the Glorious Reclamation beginning far to the south, the Silver City is forced to receive Barzillai Thrune as its new lord-mayor. The inquisitor tyrant Barzillai has the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune and the Church of Asmodeus as his allies. How could a few adventurers and would-be rebels hope to stand against such a person? The city’s fate will hinge on the actions of only a few brave heroes and victory is anything but assured. Who will answer the call to free Kintargo from tyranny?

About me: I have a fair bit of experience with Pathfinder in face-to-face settings through Pathfinder Society, an on-going Adventure Path, and a few different homebrew games. I’ve also had the opportunity to play in a few play-by-post games. This will be my first time GM’ing a play-by-post game, so I’m very open to correction and suggestions. On that same note, I plan to select at least one player who is new (or at least newer) to the play-by-post genre, so if you’re new to play-by-post games, please don’t let that prevent you from submitting a character for consideration.

I plan to keep the campaign at a PG-13 rating or less in terms of its content. Consequently, I may have to make some adjustments to specific parts of the adventure. Keep this in mind when creating your character and for what to expect during gameplay.

Expectations:

This section is entitled expectations because it applies to me as the GM just as much as it applies to you as the players. I think a few basic expectations are important to the success of any role-playing game regardless of whether it is face-to-face or play-by-post.

GM Expectations: I expect myself to be attentive to players’ needs and to make changes when necessary. I don’t claim to be perfect. I’m far from it. That being said, I always want to improve and will at least partially rely on feedback to do so. My goal is to provide an enjoyable experience for everyone involved and to facilitate a story that everyone will remember fondly in the years to come.

Speaking of years, I fully expect this Adventure Path to take several years to complete if we hope to do even a little bit of justice to the story. I’m in this for the long haul, so if I can do anything to make the experience more enjoyable, please let me know.

I have read through the Adventure Path, so I’m aware of where things are headed and may make changes here and there to hopefully make things more unique. The great thing about this Adventure Path is that its structure is very flexible and is essentially an urban sandbox during many parts. Paizo has done a great job with this Adventure Path, so I don’t want to change it in any fundamental way. I’m thinking more along the lines of occasionally making slight changes if I feel a situation warrants it.

Player Expectations: If selected, players should be able to post at least once a day during the week and at least once on the weekends. I understand real life can get in the way sometimes and is definitely first priority, but if you don’t think you can consistently post once a day during the week and once on the weekends, then please do not apply.

I also want players to actively engage in the story. I, as the GM, should not be the only one pushing the story along. I’m sure there will be times when I have to push everyone along, but I would much prefer for players to take the initiative in moving the story forward.

Please read and reread the player’s guide found here. We’ll be using the rebellion system listed there, so it’s very important that players understand how it works and be onboard with using it prior to applying.

I want everyone to assist with keeping track of the loot. There are several different systems to keep track of throughout the Adventure Path and loot seems like the kind of thing players should be taking a personal interest in anyway. We’ll be using Google slides for this, as well as for maps, and general game information.

On the topic of loot: When gold is assigned it will be done so equally unless all the players agree otherwise. Each player who wants an item and can especially benefit from it (e.g. a sorcerer wanting an item that boosts charisma) will roll to determine who receives it unless everyone in the group agrees who should receive the item. Of course, if no one wants an item, it can just be sold for gold.

Consistency: I mentioned this once or twice above, but it needs to be repeated. If we want to finish this Adventure Path, and do so in a reasonable amount of time (2-5 years), consistency will be our best ally. If you’re unable to post for more than 48 hours, drop a line in the discussion thread so we know to move forward with the story in the meantime. The same thing applies during combat. Real life is first priority, but your fellow players and GM would greatly appreciate the courtesy of being notified if you’ll be absent for an extended period of time. I plan to be available as often as possible, but I’m sure the occasion will arise when I’m forced to be away for a bit. Communication is key regardless of whether it’s myself or a player who must be away.

Combat:

In my opinion, combat is the most complicated part of play-by-post games and can get convoluted very quickly if everyone isn’t careful. With that in mind, I want to detail upfront what system I will use for combat.

I’ll roll initiative for everyone. I’ll also roll perception for everyone if there’s a chance to participate in a surprise round. Everyone will be able to see their initiative rolls, but should feel free to post in any order for any given round. If a player has a companion, eidolon, etc., the player and companion share the same initiative. Once everyone has posted for one round of combat, I’ll post the results of the round. Each character’s action(s) will be resolved in initiative order at that point. In the event an enemy has already died, I’ll try to redirect a player’s attack to the most logical nearby enemy when applicable. If there’s not a straightforward action for a player to take (such as an alternate move action to get in range for a corresponding melee or ranged attack), I’ll ask the player(s) in question to post an alternate action.

While every play-by-post combat system has its advantages and disadvantages, I want everyone to feel the flexibility to post when they are available, so I hope this method will allow combat to move along as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We’ll be using google slides for maps during combat. At the start of combat, I’ll try to allow everyone to place their player tokens on the map as they see fit. At that point, I’ll move players as appropriate to correspond with their actions in any given round. Most maps will have a compass indicating cardinal directions, so make sure you use that to designate where you want your character to move. Indicating where you want your character to be based on their proximity to individual enemies and allies will also make things clearer. When moving near an enemy, I’ll always try to place you next to an enemy in a way that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity if it’s at all possible. Plan your moves ahead of time with this in mind.

For each post during combat, plan to use Move Action, Standard Action, Swift Action, Immediate Action, and Free Action to designate what you’re doing for any given round. Be sure to be as specific as possible for readied actions so I’ll know when they’ll be triggered. If you think you’ll want to use an immediate action, specify under what circumstances you would activate the action. In extreme situations (such as when it would prevent a character’s death), I might activate an immediate action for you.

Combat can be one of the most fun parts of any Pathfinder game, so I hope the above guidelines can help streamline the process.

Character Creation:

Starting Level: 1

Starting Wealth: 200g

Alignment: Any non-evil

Races: Core races, Aasimar, Tiefling, and Tengu. I’m willing to consider other races, but you’ll need a very compelling backstory to explain why you would stay to fight for Kintargo.

Classes: Anything Paizo. Summoners must be unchained, but you may use the evolution points progression for eidolons from the base summoner. No templates, no VMC, no Gestalt, no leadership feat.

Archetypes: I won’t be banning any specific archetypes as I think bans are often arbitrary and unwarranted. Use your best judgment and don’t try to submit things that are commonly considered overpowered (e.g. Synthesist Summoner) as that will significantly reduce your chance of being selected.

Ability Scores: 20 point buy. No individual score should be lower than 7 after all modifiers have been applied. No adjustments due to age.

Hit Points: Max at first level, half+1 for subsequent levels.

Traits: Two, one of which must be a campaign trait. You may take a third if you also take a drawback. Be sure to incorporate your traits and flaw (if applicable) into your character’s backstory.

Reason to Protest: Pick a reason to be at the protest from the Hell’s Rebels Player Guide.

Rules (RAW/RAI): I tend to think the spirit of the law matters more than the letter of the law, but reserve the right to adjudicate disputes on a case-by-case basis.

Background Skills: 2 per level.

Experience: We won’t be using the standard Pathfinder experience system. Instead, I’ll be leveling everyone when it seems most appropriate.

House Rules: I would hope this goes without saying, but just to be sure everyone is on the same page: no player-versus-player combat will be allowed at all. Arguments and disagreements will of course occur, but they should be resolved with words not swords. This is a rebellion, but not against each other. The players are on the same side.

Backstory:
I’m not a fan of lists. I want an actual story. Tell me about an episode from your character’s past – in story form. Give me a sample of what your character sounds like when interacting with others in narrative as well as in dialogue. I don’t want to put too many specific requirements on a character’s backstories as I’m afraid it’ll stifle creativity.

Besides what was just mentioned, I only want to offer a few general guidelines.

Grammar matters. While everyone will inevitably make the occasional mistake, the players and myself alike should be actively striving to write in good English. Just previewing your post before officially posting it can make a world of difference. Grammar won’t be my only factor in player selection, but if you misspell multiple words in a sentence, write in sentence fragments and run-on sentences constantly, or exhibit similar grammatical faux pas, I’ll be forced to think you didn’t care much when you were putting together your character.

Speaking of character, I value your character’s story, personality, and uniqueness more than his or her stat block. Play-by-posts succeed when they have good stories. Write a character that you’ll care about and that will care about Kintargo’s well-being. I plan to incorporate the selected characters’ backstories into the greater plot of the adventure path, so making a unique character will enhance the experience of the adventure for everyone.

With that said, party composition will be a factor in my decision. I think GMs are being dishonest if they say this isn’t at least a small factor in selecting characters. I’m open to the possibility of having multiples of one class, but I won’t be selecting four fighters just because they have the best stories of all the submissions. Having a unique character, class, and/or role will all increase your chance of being selected.

If you read everything up to this point, thank you! I look forward to seeing everyone’s submissions. I plan to take 4-6 players for this adventure. Recruitment will be open until 6/22/17 at 1 pm eastern. Once recruitment closes, I’ll message the accepted applicants and verify their acceptance before posting a formal list in this thread. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.