1. Fighter-Cad. Wasn't the best mechanically but I loved the "lightly armored, fights dirty" feel
2. Barbarian- Mooncursed. Different ways of expressing rage is cool and it's hard to beat turning into a tiger or your animal of preference
3. Paladin- Divine Hunter. Archer paladins are cool and the ability to heal allies from the back of the fight instead of tanking hits from the front while still being "paladin-y" is pretty sweet.
4. Druid-Swarm Monger. It's one of the archetypes I tell people about when I try to convince them to switch to Pathfinder, and I love how unique it is
5. Bard-Mute Musician. Cool roleplaying opportunities mixed with Elder Mythos powers, what's not to love? I personally really like archetypes that can be "lost" by breaking a rule or stricture.
Alright, here's my submission for Brigid! Even if I don't get picked for the campaign this was a fun character to build.
Background:
I was found in a basket by a confused drunk and her husband. They fed me and clothed me, most of the time. Sometimes they even told me they loved me, and that I was their daughter. Mum spilled the beans when I was still a tot, slurring that I was their little "blessing" that the gods had left, supposedly a sign of good fortune. My 'mother' and I got really sick around the same time, not long after that. Weren't no healers we could afford and while I got a little better, she just sort of wasted away.
After that it was Dad who started drowning in the ale. I think he tries his hardest to keep it together, but even though she was a drunken old hag she was still the love of his life, and losing her snapped him in half like a twig. He's a good man, but I think a part of him still blames me for what happened, even though he'd never admit it. I take care of him as best I can still. I get sick alot tho which makes it that much 'arder to try and play housekeep fer a full grown man.
His condition's not all bad. The pub by the river, where Dad does all his drinking, is where I met the rest of my family. The sailors there took me in as one of their own, looking out for me and making sure I stayed fed and taken care of. One time, a few o the neighbor's kids beat me up and started calling me all sorts of terrible names. I didn't understand why and I remember just crying all the way to the pub, where a bunch of ol' river dogs took turns singing to me and calming me down, telling me it'd be alright. They taught me all sorts of songs growing up. They taught me to sing when you were happy, or sad, or when you were drinking or something bad had happened. Now I've got a shanty for all sorts of occasions.
The Man with the Scar just sort of showed up at the pub one day. I don't know why he took such an interest in me. I was just there to made sure my Dad got home safe, but I guess I do sortof stand out in the average crowd, being paler than the first snowfall and having eyes like a feral cat. There was a band playing that night, but he just all of a sudden took to the stage and started, uh, performing. Wasn't like the shanty's and drinking songs that usually went on. That night sort of blends together in my head, but I think he sang some sort of aria. There may have been some poems he read, too. I think he also danced? It sounds crazy, but I swear not a man in that bar could take their eyes off him. I think we all ended up crying a bit too, but while he performed he never took his eyes off me once. After he was done there was no applause, just a long bit of silence until finally everyone started returning to their conversations again like nothing had happened. That's when he came and asked me my name, and I told him.
He never told me his name, but he taught me new things every time he came to visit. On my 13th name day (gods know when my birthday is) he gave me my first blade, a nicely polished rapier, and told me to practice with it. On my 14th name day, he said he had a different sort of gift for me. That's when he told me about what I was, a changeling, and what to expect to happen as I got older. I'm well past my 20th name day though, I suspect he might've been lying about that whole "call" thing.
My name is Brigid. I get sick alot. I like singing, sword-fighting, and drinking. I like changing my face to blend in. And I'm damn good at magic.
Deformity: 12- The pupils of your eyes resemble a cat’s, and beasts cannot abide your presence. You take a –2 penalty on Handle Animal and Ride checks.
Campaign Trait: River Child- You have grown up on the banks of the Lyme River, and frequently interacted with halfling boatfolk making their way to and from Castorhage. You gain a +2 bonus to Swim checks a +2 bonus to all checks for Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Perform when interacting with boatfolk, and gain Profession (sailor or boatman) as a class skill. You also gain River Cant as a bonus language.
Oracle Mysteries: Assumed form (Disguise Self at will)
Quote:
"King Louis was the king of France before the revolution,
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
And then he got his head cut off, it spoiled his constitution,
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Way, haul away, we'll haul away together
Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!
Way haul away, we'll haul for better weather
Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!" - Haul Away Joe, A traditional Sea Shanty
Sounds good to me! Was going to keep ranks in stealth as well myself, I like dusk knight themes even though the actual archetype isn't the greatest. Love the idea of popping up behind someone unseen in a full suit of full plate shadow armor.
Hope you get over the brain zaps soon! I imagine that can suck quite alot.
Wizard sounds good to me Tundran! As an mtg player I love the inspiration.
Any thoughts on the type of wizard? Are you leaning towards a blaster, a buffer, or something else?
I think....I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Paladin (holy guide). I just love the idea of a heavily armored were-crocodile riding around on a hippocampus throwing out the occasional smite.
Gahrul, could be cool if you were still open to being brothers as were-croc kin, but no worries if you aren't interested. If you want to we can adjust backstory stuff as necessary
With that in mind, I'll work on writing up the crunch of it.
Backstory: A shaman or witch archetypal character from a small swamp community. His sense of honor and duty put him out of place among their kin (although his powers earned him respect and fear), but his racial curse kept them from being accepted by society at large.
Worked as both a religious healer and monster hunter, though he was never the brightest tool in the shed. Still, his heart was pure.
When the waters began to come, he was at first unalarmed. Then when they didn't stop coming, on of his tribe members finally convinced him that these new waters were dangerous and he would have to abandon his home. Eventually among the chaos, he was separated from much of his kin. He's now adrift in vessel among many strangers, tired, confused, and afraid.
Don't have any experience with the last three, contacts would be interesting though. Don't really feel strongly either way.
As for disease and poison, I've found them alot smoother than normal rules in most cases (though for some things there is some guesswork for conversion from the normal rules), and I'd be fine with using those.
GM responded in the recruitment thread, "No PF deities, spells will function normally but come from a mysterious source" in response to a question about deities
Chaotic good people can and have (Or at least I have) Threatened innocents in the past in order to scare them away from trouble/danger.
A paladin would have to smite said CG person for this and personally I find that RUDE or lose their powers.
At least if we are being literalists who demand the most out of a Paladin's code.
I saw Tyrant and I'm glad that that was made an Archetype to drag Anti-paladin away from the position of CE...I just never felt that was right unless there was an archetype that allowed paladins to be beacons for the greater good IE CG and just be people who embody their gods tenets and not the "paladin code"
(I see a Paladin still attempting to believe his god could never truly die and that their ideals and code should still be honored...but that's my interpretation of the class.)
It's true that we don't have to get along necessarily, but I feel that given that Skinwalkers don't exist outside their respective bloodlines (They don't just happen as some divine accident or fiendish accident....they have to have a Skinwalker parent to receive the 'curse') and that they are fairly tight nit communities that don't let people just walk away and start their own community....that we grew up thinking that abandoning others for our goals in life is something not to be scorned...but that if you want to have a family that gets along and doesn't leave the other to die...they should have somewhat of a common goal even if it varies just ever so slightly.
Hmmm, good points for the Skinwalker culture. I too would imagine the groups would be fairly tight nit.
And yeah, Paladin codes are always GM dependent like you pointed out, although I'm so far lucky to not have any super-demanding GMs or players who push it so far as "The paladin must attack the party member who just intimidated the witness or they lose their powers and have to go pay 2,500 gold to get them back" .
I could get behind staying true to a Paladin's god code though like you said.
Andoletta, Kurgess, Ragathiel, and Yuelral all have interesting Paladin codes, you can find them on archive of nethys if your interested.
A Paladin of a LN god like Anubis, Imbrex or Magdh could be potentially interesting.
I also wouldn't mind working with you and the GM to come up with a custom code appropriate to the campaign.
If only the Gray Knight archetype didn't suck! I would love a Paladin version of the Insinuator or Tyrant archetypes that stood for the "greater good" and didnt lose practically everything that makes Paladins good in the first place lol
So for everyone, has there been any sort of consensus on alignment yet? Even those without full characters yet, what are your thoughts on party alignment restrictions.
I ask because I could potentially go Anti-paladin (LE Tyrant/Fearmonger fear based build) instead of Paladin, but I don't want to cause any overwhelming party conflict.
Also @Gahrul or anyone else, if we did end up both being were-crocodiles from the same family, that doesn't mean that we have to get along necessarily.
Quote:
"I am not sure I could follow a paladin brother (Lest we come up with a god's ideals we both could agree to and the GM agrees that as a Paladin you need to be LG towards the ideals and virtues of your god not the ideals and virtues of your land)."
Sounds good to me if we do end up going that route! Though I believe part of the worldsetting in general is that the gods have largely abandoned this flooded world. The basic code of conduct for Paladins isn't nearly as strict as most people treat it (though that might just be my interpretation)
"A paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly commits an evil act.
Additionally, a paladin's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents."
Idk, I've always just thought of that as being very interpretive. "Legitimate authority" I think is one that especially trips people up, as two paladins could have wildly different definitions for what legitimate authority might constitute.
Anyways, sorry for the semi-off topic rant.
To bring it back a little, bloodrager would be absolutely fantastic for these stats, though I'm not sure which bloodline to pick and whether to build a natural-weapon build or go classic two-handed.
Bloodrager came to mind for me as well as an option, but since its a hybrid Im keeping it on the backburner for now.
Good to know the two builds you have so far, thanks for posting those Gahrul.
Tundran, bard seems like it could be very fun, but don't play anything out of a sense of duty! It'll be more fun if everyone plays what they want, even if its a suboptimal team composition.
For Paladins I typically like to subvert the more common tropes, for example a skinny, heavily-tattood paladin of Vildeis filled with rage and vengeance was an idea I was entertaining.
If I did end up going monk, it might be fun to go with an intimidate-build, which the high charisma and scaled fist archetypes would really help compliment. Were-croc kin even start out with scare once a day, which would have a pretty high dc.
Either build would also probably benefit from eldritch heritage for some utility.
With the Magus, Oracle, possible Inquisitor-huntmaster, and possible gunslinger or cleric, one of the Frontline options is looking good to me. So either paladin or monk then...
Also Gahrul, they erratad werecrocodile in inner sea races to give extra con instead of int, so keep that in mind.
I think skinwalker-crocodile would be nice as a race for myself as well. Could be interesting to be from the same family if anyone else ends up choosing the same race as me. Still keeping options open though, trying to decide if swim speed is better than an even higher charisma bonus.
I think bloodrager-bloodrider/primalist would be really cool!
Make sure to double check with @Winterwalker first though, recruitment thread says we needed to ask for permission for anything not on the core, base, or alternate class lists (I know Occult classes were already called out but I don't remember reading anything one way or the other for Hybrid classes)
Thanks for the feedback on the classes. I think I'm going to wait to see how it goes and whether we end up with needing more frontliners or casters. Either way I'm sure it'll be a blast to play!
Moving here because its less cluttered than Recruitment (hope that's ok) but here are the general concepts I have so far I'm struggling to choose from
- A Monkey Goblin Paladin. This one is least optimized but I've always thought it would be fun to have a Goblin Paladin. I'd imagine them climbing up to be the lookout from the crows nest, etc. Would probably take the Virtuoso Bravo or Holy Guide (for favored terrain~ water) archetype.
- A Dragon Blooded sorcerer -> Dragon Disciple Blaster/Switchhitter(Race undecided, but likely something that gives a bonus to Cha), with a focus on either Bronze or Brine dragon for the aquatic flavor
- An Unchained (Scaled Fist) Monk. Gnoll would probably be the race, and for the aquatic theme tie-in I'd go for one of the new fighting styles from aquatic adventures or blood of the sea. Would also pick up the water sprint ki-power at level 6
It trades out heavy armor proficiency for a hippocampus mount you get at first level.
If you have Aquatic Adventures, there's also a cavalier archetype in that that gives you a choice between a special sea-horse and a special orca, both of which start at large at level 1
So from what I can glean for the other players so far:
189birds- Possible Summoner
Kevin OR- Oracle or Bard
Tundran- "bloodrager/paladin/cavalier or possibly just like a slayer w/face skills....maybe a cleric"
Umbungo- Human Armored Magus
Jing-to be determined. Also @Jing don't forget that Winterwalker linked a custom stat roller that adds an extra d6 to any 18 results, and rolls the stats in order*.
As for me, it looks like we have 3(!!!) very good charisma based folk not even including myself.
With this group I think it may be interesting to go Dragon Sorcerer -> Dragon Disciple if everyone stays close-ish to their classes, its been awhile since I was a blaster. Could go either Bronze or Brine dragon for the water-flavor.
Open to discussing backgrounds with the other people who were picked as well!
"You don't survive in the Hagwood as long as I have without being a bit jumpy."
Physical Description: Athanasius has a tall and slender build, about what you'd expect from an elf, accompanied by freakishly long limbs. He has shoulder-length dark hair with hints of forest green. His eyes are bright green, and his complexion is very pale. His armor is always adorned with various furs, including a wolf pelt he wears across his shoulder.
History:
Born to the northern City of Farondar, Athanasius was a perfectly average child who did his best to honor his bloodline. He showed mediocre magical prowess and was to receive further training as a blade dancer when he was accused of a curious crime by a major bureaucrat. In a Kafkaesque twist of fate, the details of the crime were never revealed to him, and he was found guilty in a sham trial when he was forced to defend himself against a crime he knew nothing of. He was thus permanently exiled from his home as a child at the age of 28.
Stripped of the scholarly duties he had known all his life, Athanasius wandered south, many times taking to begging and relying on the kindness of strangers in order to feed himself. Near the city of Frostfall he met the person who would change his life, a human woman called Elsie.
Elsie found him along the main road, emaciated and begging for scraps. She accused him of being lazy and stupid, and promised that he would never have to beg again if he accompanied her. Elsie began to teach Athanasius the ways of the forest, how to set traps and live from the land.
That was over 40 years ago. The two became inseparably close friends, and built a small cottage deep in the Hagwood. The pair took to trading furs as their main source of income for necessary supplies, though Elsie has always been careful to avoid revealing her face to others. Elsie's hair has grayed and she can no longer stalk the woods as she once could. She relies on Athanasius to hunt much as he once relied on her. Most days, she sits on a rocking chair on their front porch, though even at her old age she is never out of arms reach from her bow and arrow.
Meanwhile Athanasius has begun experimenting with weaving magic into his arrows, mixing his classical training with Elsie's teachings.
As of late, Athanasius has found himself returning home earlier and earlier before dusk each day. The strange fog has him set on edge, and the scratching at the cottage door each night grows louder and louder. Elsie recently said what both were thinking out loud "Something is stirring in the Hagwood."
Stats/Crunch:
15 Str
16 +2 Dex (18)
14 Con -2 (12)
17 +2 Int (19)
10 Wis
10 Cha
Traits:
Savage (social)
Arcane Temper (magic)
Paranoid (drawback)
Mythweavers sheet here ~ https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1267920
Quick question~ as there appears to be many more than the maximum 5 interested at the moment, when will you be planning to randomly choose the players?
So a charismatic type with decent strength, dex, and con....I'm thinking paladin maybe? Or perhaps cavalier. I like the Pearl Seeker Paladin from Aquatic Adventures.
This sounds like alot of fun!! Just had my previous pbp end so I'm now freed up and I've been wanting to play in an aquatic campaign for awhile (especially just having received aquatic adventures). Would love to play if a slot is free.
Edit: For a character concept, I think it would be cool to play some sort of ranged/stealthy character, or a knight-archetypal character (perhaps somewhere in between flavorwise?), but before I narrow it down I would like to know more about the character creation process as has been asked before, but I think the script idea does sound really cool!
