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Under the bold and benevolent leadership of Aergoreth the Resplendent, the young nation of Xin Shalast has quickly grown in size and influence. Not only has it reshaped the Storval Plateau, and made Varisia a safer place but having a credible threat in the Kodar Mountains has caused the orcs of the Hold of Belkzen to rethink their relations with their neighbors. This growing influence for good comes at a cost though. As the god-king becomes increasingly occupied with the work of governing, his elite lieutenants, the mythic gemknights, find themselves tasked more and more often with the missions that grow and sustain the kingdom...
Please introduce yourselves as players. You don't need to divulge any personal information but let each other know about your experience with RPGs and PbP, maybe what parts of the game you enjoy the most? Please also introduce your characters: maybe give a 1-2 sentence overview of their role/build; 1-2 sentences on appearance/personality/goals/etc; and 1-2 sentences on their build and how you see them working in the party.
As far as I'm concerned, everything's still fluid with your builds right now. I'd definitely prefer nobody make any huge shifts, but as we sort of figure out how the party will work as a unit I am open to people changing archetypes/feats/whatever so that everything fits and works together. You are, of course, also perfectly welcome to leave everything as is with your character; I'm definitely not going to force anyone to switch anything! Off the top of my head, two examples of things to consider are: 1) Gavin and Indrana both have channeling phylactries- probably only one of you really needs that? 2) Jonuli, you seem to be favoring natural attacks but only get 9 rounds/day of that... if being a suli isn't crucial to your concept a pitborn tiefling has the exact same stat modifiers (with only one less resistance) and can replace their racial SLA with permanent claws?
Also, I'll open up the gameplay thread shortly with kind of a throw away post so that you can all dot and delete (if you post anything at all and then go back and delete the post the game will show up in your campaign tab, but please remember to go back and delete it until we actually start gameplay).
This is the official recruitment thread for a high powered game set in Golarion a few years after the events of Rise of the Runelords. Characters will be 11th level gestalt, with 3 mythic tiers. And each one should be built around a theme that connects somehow with a particular gemstone. The game will also use the automatic bonus progression rules from Pathfinder Unchained.
Please read the following spoilers before asking questions. I’m sure there are things I didn’t think to include but they should answer most of what you might be wondering.
Game Backstory:
(Warning: potential minor spoilers for Rise of the Runelords)
Aergoreth the Just was a baby-faced servant of Abadar with only a few small adventures under his belt when he arrived in Sandpoint. The charming and handsome paladin had a knack for inspiring people through his songs and his example, and when goblins attacked the swallowtail festival he rallied the townsfolk and drove them out. He stuck around the town afterwards and was instrumental in uncovering and thwarting several plots there. One of these plots led to the revelation of a corrupt Justice in Magnimar, and Aergoreth assembled and lead a team of inquisitors in bringing him to justice. The seemingly disparate events were united by a strange symbol which eventually led to the shocking discovery that one of the ancient Runelords of legend had awakened.
Aergoreth mustered a small army and fought against the Runelord’s minions. When it became apparent that the Runelord himself would have to be defeated, he traveled to Absalom to take the lesser test of the Starstone. He returned successful, having ascended to a semi-divine state, and lead his army to the forgotten city of Xin Shalast (in the Kodar Mountains, in the northeastern corner of Varisia) where he defeated the Runelord. He and his men purged the city of the evils that dwelt there and established it as the capital of a new nation.
A few years later, the kingdom of Xin Shalast covers most of the Storval Plateau and the giants (and other creatures) that dwelt there have fled or become mostly-compliant vassals. Aergoreth the Resplendent, as he has come to be known, rules as a benevolent god-king. He no longer serves the Master of the First Vault, but remains on good terms with his former liege. Since his ascension, his skin has turned to solid gold and his eyes are topaz. It was this appearance which inspired his naming of his chief lieutenants after gemstones. When first selected, these lieutenants are sent to the cathedral of the Ascendant Court in Absalom where they too must complete the lesser test of the Starstone; those who succeed return with a spark of divinity of their own and serve among the famed Gemknights of Xin Shalast.
tl;dr- One guy basically solo’d Rise of the Runelords and came out of it as a demi-god. The PCs are his quasi-divine, bad@ss lieutenants.
The Basics:
We’re going to go with a 25 point buy (standard pathfinder point buy sliding scale). I’d prefer no stats below 8 (even after racial modifiers) but you could go a little lower if its a significant part of your character, and done well (and let’s be honest- if you have a stat below 8 it’s going to be one of the first things people notice about you). Don’t forget: you’ll also get 2 extra stat points from leveling and +2 to one stat from mythic tiers.
For hit points: we’re going to use max at every level (enemies will be equally durable, which will help lessen the ‘rocket tag’ effect).
Everyone can pick two traits. Normal rules on one per category apply. No campaign traits are allowed.
Background skills will be used, but we won’t use the extra skills like artistry or lore.
Wealth will be standard for an automatic bonus progression game: 41,000 gold. If you’re not familiar with ABP that probably feels really low, but you don’t have to (and can’t) buy the normal ‘big 6’ items so you get to spend that all on cool/interesting stuff. ABP forces the characters to be a little more well-rounded with their equipment, which I know some people don’t really like but it helps prevent people from having glaring weaknesses that get them dead quickly (or from becoming one trick ponies). Anyone going for an unarmed or natural attack build can attune those as if using an amulet of mighty fists but that costs both sides of attuning 2 weapons (so you’d be at +1 @11th level).
Aergoreth (the god-king you serve) is lawful-good. The best alignment options for characters are LG, NG, and LN; I’ll consider CG, N, and LE applications but you should offer some explanation of how/why you came to serve a LG leader. (CN, CE, and NE are flat out prohibited)
Races:
You can play any of the core races. In Golarion humans are (by far) the dominant species, so I modify them slightly to make that more reasonable: humans get +2 to any one physical stat and +2 to any one mental stat instead of their usual stat boost (the dual talent racial variant is not available).
You can also play an aasimar of tiefling. If you do, you can choose any of the variants like angelkin or pitborn, but cannot roll on (or choose from) the big lists of variant powers.
You can play an ifrit, oread, sylph, or undine; and, their racial energy resistance is increased to 10 instead of 5.
You can also play any of the following rare races, but your background should definitely include what you’re doing serving as a ‘knight’ to a god-king on the Storval Plateau: kitsune, nagaji, samsaran, suli, or tengu.
If you have an idea that only works with a race not included you can ask and I might make an exception, but it’ll have to be pretty interesting idea. Feats and other options that bring in elements from excluded races (like the half-elf “drow magic” racial option, or the racial heritage feat) will most likely be fine but please run it by me.
Classes:
Any combination of official pathfinder classes should be fine, and I can’t think of any archetypes that I wouldn’t allow off the top of my head... except, of course, anything that requires an alignment that doesn’t fit in the game. I kind of prefer better rounded characters to ultra-specialized ones in a gestalt game but that’s not a binding rule at all. (Its tough to argue with the damage numbers a fighter/barbarian could put up, or the spell power available to a sorcerer/oracle, but those characters also usually have glaring weaknesses that someone will exploit at some point).
For classes that worship a god: you can worship Aergoreth but are not required to. He can grant spells up to 6th level (so possibly not a great long term option for clerics if we continue the game) and his domains are glory (heroism, legend), good, and law. Abadar is maybe the best alternative, but Iomedae, Torag, Apsu, Sarenrae, or Irori are all good fits, and really any LG, NG, or LN god is alright. You can pitch characters whose alignment fits the game but who worship gods one step further out (like a NG ranger/warpriest of Desna, or even a LN follower of Asmodeus) but your background needs to explain why you’re serving here.
I’m fairly flexible on unchained classes... if you’re going to play a rogue you should really use the unchained version (it’s just better). Monks you can use original or unchained as you prefer. Barbarians, I prefer the original version but if you really want to use an unchained one that’s ok. Summoners are probably balanced better as unchained, but in a mythic/gestalt game your eidolon is going to lag so either is probably fine.
I’m not banning occult classes but I will say that I’m less familiar with them than any other classes... if you play one and do something that doesn’t seem right to me you may have to look up the rules you’re using and link them for me. (Also, in the interest of full-disclosure, in the unlikely event that you and another player are tied for a slot and they’re only using classes I’m familiar with that might be the tie-breaker.)
We’re not using variant multiclassing at all. Regular multiclassing is fine but if you do please read the section on fractional bonuses carefully (and ask any questions that come up). Prestige classes are fine too, but if you try something abusive (like sorcerer/oracle up to 4th and then 7 levels of pally/mystic theurge) there’s a real good chance that you’re not going to make the cut.
fractional bonuses:
If you’re not multiclassing just close this spoiler and move on (it can be kind of confusing and doesn’t apply to you at all). If you are planning on multiclassing (including taking a prestige class) you need to make sure you understand this...
Basically, for everything that increases with level (like BAB, saves, caster level, etc) instead of gaining +1 at some levels and +0 at others you gain the same fractional (or decimal) bonus at every level of a given class... so, a cleric doesn’t gain +0 BAB at 1st and +1 at 2nd, they gain +.75 at first and +.75 at second. At every level you take whichever fractional bonus is better from your two classes, so a rogue/wizard adds +.75 BAB regardless of whether its their 4th level of rogue or 5th, a fighter/bard adds +.5 to every save whether its 5th level or 6th, etc.
This affects spell casting improvements as well... so a fighter/sorcerer 5 who picks up a level of fighter/dragon disciple gains +.75 caster level (which effectively does nothing since you always round down). If they instead took a level of dragon disciple/sorcerer they would gain +1 caster level (from sorcerer) and go up to 6th, however if they took a level of fighter/DD at 7th they would then gain the +.75 caster level at that point (and thus be at 6th either way).
Finally (and this is important), good saves increase by +.5 each level while bad saves increase by +.33 (technically 1/3 but I wanted to stick with decimals); any save that is good for any of your classes gains a +2 bonus on top of this progression, but you only get that bonus once not once per class that has that as a good save. So, a slayer/witch 1 who takes fighter/investigator for his 2nd level goes from +2 base saves to +3 instead of +4 (because the +.5 bonus increases to +1, but he doesn’t gain the extra +2 again).
Like I said, feel free to ask if/when questions come up.
Mythic Stuff:
I don’t think I have much to say here... pick one path; paizo stuff only... the dual path mythic feat is fine if you want it. Remember you can only take mythic feats in mythic feat slots, not with regular or bonus feats. You got tier 1 at 7th level, tier 2 at 9th, and tier 3 right after hitting 11th (in case any of that affects which feats you qualify for when you get them).
For most mythic stuff, we’re going to follow RAI instead of RAW (I’m looking at you mythic vital strike).
Gems:
The Gemknights, Aergoreth’s inner-circle, the elite champions of Xin Shalast, are each associated with a specific type of gem, and should have a theme connected to that gem. It’s up to each player to choose their gem and design a character/build that goes with it. I’m going to list a few gem options, along with some possible themes, but you can also request to associate with a gem not on the list (and can certainly develop a theme not in this list). However, please note: there are 3 tiers or levels of knights and the value of a gem roughly determines which tier it would belong to. We’re going to be playing the highest tier so please only suggest a gem if it’s sort of the most valuable option of its color (there is only one knight for each type of gem, and we’re not going to do a ruby knight and a garnet knight both in the top tier to allow two red themes; one knight per color, I guess).
Tier 1 gems (color; examples of potential themes)
Diamond (white; life/healing, light, purity, force)
Sapphire (blue; sky, water, cold, calming/subduing)
Ruby (red; fire, rage, courage, deserts)
Emerald (green; nature, plants, acid, vitality)
Amethyst (purple; shadows, illusion, penitence)
Black Pearl (black; you may need some imagination, I keep thinking of evil things like undead)
I know RL gets in the way sometimes but I’m really looking for people who can/will commit to trying to post 5-7 times per week (like, 4/5 weekdays and once over the weekend, or slightly more). And, I really enjoy the RP elements of the game; I expect there will be a fair amount of combat but I really appreciate when people include a little RP in combat posts (banter with allies or enemies, inner monologue on the combat or some distraction, interesting descriptions of actions, etc). I’m recruiting 3-5 characters for a self contained adventure that I’m guessing will take a few months in PbP, but if I and the players enjoy it I’ll likely work on a follow up adventure after that (and there could be cast changes in between).
To apply: I know fully developing a character at this level is a lot of work, especially for a game you might not get picked for, so I’m not going to ask for a fully completed character. I need enough background to get a feel for who your character is (and your writing style). I need your stats and a breakdown of which classes (and archetypes) you’re taking at every level. I need enough of your traits/feats/skills and selectable class features (like arcana/hexes/talents/etc) to really understand how your character will function (and be tied to your theme). I need pretty much all of your mythic stuff (that can be too much of a game changer to not know ahead of time). And, I need to know which gem you’re associated with (and why, unless it’s super obvious). You are more than welcome to give more than that (being more finished certainly isn’t going to hurt your chances) but that’s what I need to make decisions. Recruitment will run until 11:59pm GMT on January 11th, and I’ll try to have selections made by the end of that weekend.
I don’t mean this title at all as a dig, I just wanted to distinguish this idea from the really high power games that have threads going.
This basic idea is that a (good aligned) god-king has set up shop on Golarion (in northeastern Varisia) and recruited a cadre of ‘knights’ based on gemstone themes... the players would all be playing these ‘knights’ but would be free to interpret the theme. Mechanics-wise we’d probably be looking at something like a 25-30 point buy, somewhere around 9th or 11th level gestalt, with 1-3 mythic tiers. You’d each pick a gem and pitch a character that you think fits that gem. For example... you could pick the sapphire knight and then make a guy who’s sort of themed around water, or the sky, or cold, or a blue dragon, or whatever seems to fit that gem.
I would probably be looking at recruiting 3-5 players (only one per gem) for a self contained adventure. If it went well (and I had a good idea for another adventure) I’d probably keep running, possibly with a cast change if there were knights who wanted to bow out, or others that might not have been a good fit off the bat but could be later on...
Would anyone be interested in something like that?
We can talk about stuff here, or in 'gameplay' (since there's no game to play). If you want to talk about stuff in discussion go ahead and post in gameplay (if you want) so that this will show up in your campaign tab (and let you know when others have posted).
The morning of the Swallowtail Festival is much like any other inside the Turandarok Academy. Out in the streets, however, there is a flurry of activity as all manner of vendors and street performers set up to ply their wares for the anticipated crowds...
Please take a moment to introduce yourself and offer whatever brief insights you'd like about your characters.
I'm Nate. I've been gaming for about 25 years now (which makes me feel old to say). I've been playing PbPs for a little over two years now and enjoying that quite a bit, especially because I moved a few months before I started and rarely get to sit down for TT games anymore.
I don't have a character (obviously), but I do have a few thoughts on potential relationships between your characters and with some of the folks around Sandpoint that I may sure as we prepare.
So, just over a year ago a ran a recruitment for a playthrough of this AP where everyone shared a theme, and a special power, and everyone had some built in connection in their background... it's gone so well that I've decided to start another table, with a new special theme and power!
If you're not familiar with Sandpoint, this document is very much a work in progress (in that I just started assembling it now), but please read the sections on the "Late Unpleasantness" and the "Turandarok Academy" before proceeding.
What makes this game special: All of the characters will be orphans who spent most or all of their lives at the Turandarok Academy. All of them, also, will have had a terrible temper as children; this temper climaxed in "the incident" a few days before the first Chopper murder was discovered. During "the incident" several orphans (all the chosen PCs) flew into an uncontrolled rage during which they hit other children and broke Academy property until Ilsoari magically sedated them. In the years since then you will (or can) have gained control over your temper but deep within you there remains a well of magical wrath... see 'wrath-tainted' below for more details
Character Creation basics:
- 25 point buy (standard Paizo sliding scale)
- alignment: no evil (you're heroes), even CN is really pushing the limits of what I'll accept
- *NO 3pp materials*
- we will be using Hero Points; you cannot take the anti-hero option
- max HP at 1st level (1/2 rounded up afterwards)
- average starting wealth by class
races:
Humans: Humans are by far the most common race in Varisia (and most of Golarion). Ideally, I would like the party to reflect that. I also think there should be more in-game/mechanical cause for humans to be so dominant- so... Humans gain +2 to any one physical stat, and +2 to any one mental stat; this replaces their normal stat adjustments and does not alter any other racial abilities (dual talent is not available).
other races: Applicants of other races should have lifespans similar to humans (otherwise the timing gets wonky) and be relatively common in Sandpoint. Half-elf, half-orc, and halfling are all acceptable, other races will be considered on a case by case basis (and I will certainly not take more than one of them).
classes:
all paizo classes are available (see unchained section though). no high-tech archetypes. you may multi-class or take prestige classes normally.
If you choose a class or archetype with a bloodline it must match with the bloodline you choose for wrath-tainted (see below).
Wrath-Tainted:
The mystic rage that bubbles within you also serves as a source of power... select one bloodrager bloodline. You gain the bloodrage ability as a bloodrager of your character level, including the appropriate bloodline powers. This counts as having the class ability for the purpose of qualifying for feats like mad magic or blooded arcane strike.
In addition, you gain the bonus spells associated with the sorcerer version of your bloodline as spell-like abilities. Each one is usable 1/day beginning when your character level equals the level at which a sorcerer would receive the bonus spell (1st level spell at 3rd character level; 2nd level spell at 5th character level; etc). Your caster level for these abilities is equal to your character level, and the DCs are Cha based. These spell-like abilities (unlike all others) count as spells for the purpose of qualifying for feats, prestige classes, etc.
unchained:
- summoners and rogues must use the unchained versions.
- barbarians must use the standard version.
- monks can apply as standard or unchained versions.
- we are using background skills.
- no variant multiclassing. (your wrath-taint is kind of already a better version of VMC Bloodrager).
- only rogues get skill unlocks (classes or archetypes like investigator or slayer that have an opportunity to select a rogue talent may choose to gain signature skill as a bonus feat in place of any rogue talent).
- we will not be using the Stamina system (we have enough options, and enough things to track, already)
feats:
See notes in "wrath-tainted" on qualifying for certain feats
You're welcome to take item crafting feats but we're going to keep the pace of the game fairly brisk so be warned that the amount of free time you have (or don't have) will restrict how much crafting you can get done. Wizards have the option to select spell focus in place of scribe scroll at 1st level. Other classes that receive a bonus crafting feat may request an alternative.
traits:
Because your background and reason for being in Sandpoint is already tied into character creation, we will not be using campaign traits. Everyone may select two (non-campaign) traits normally. Anyone wishing to gain a third trait may select the tainted spirit drawback in order to do so.
background:
I love a great backstory as much as the next guy but please try to limit your backstory to around a page or less. You are, after all, 1st level characters with 0xp. Your starting age should be around 15-20 (so that you were 10-15 at the time of 'the incident'). Most orphans move out on their own between 16-18, so please include how you've been supporting yourself, and where you've been living, if you've been out of Turandarok's for any length of time. Please also try to convey something of your character's personality and voice in it (those things are very important in my selection process). Don't worry about connecting your backgrounds and working out attitudes towards each other right now, we'll have a little time for that between party selection and starting gameplay.
expectations:
I'm looking for players who can realistically come close to 1/day posting- like really committing to 5+ posts/week, and who are looking to play through the whole AP (which will very likely take multiple years). I'm also hoping for players who value the roleplaying aspect of the game and will invest enough time in their posts to develop their character as more than a collection of numbers, including having real interactions with each other and NPCs.
I tried to be thorough, but I'm sure I forgot stuff. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Recruitment will be open until midnight GMT on Friday January 13th! I'll post the selected 3-4 party members by Monday morning (1/16) and hopefully have gameplay running by the end of the week.
I have two very different ideas for unique versions of Rise of the Runelords and I'm wondering if there's enough interest to run both of them, and if not which one more people are interested in...
RotRL: Children of Wrath
In this game I'd probably take 3-4 players, all of which would be orphans from Sandpoint or the Hinterlands that were raised at Turandarock's (an orphanage/school in town). All of them also would have had anger issues as children... those issues came to a head about 5 years ago (right before the late unpleasantness) when all of them went wild breaking things and fighting for a day. Since then you've all gained some control of your tempers but there's still a wrath that burns within... races would be limited to those found in Sandpoint with human-like lifespans; in addition to normal class abilities everyone would select one bloodrager bloodline and gain the bloodrage ability and appropriate bloodline powers, plus the ability to use the sorcerer version of that bloodline's bonus spells as SLAs (1/day, gained at the level a sorc would gain the bonus spell).
Rise of the Furrylords
This would be a lighthearted game (though hopefully not zany) with probably 4-5 players. It would follow the AP pretty closely except that all of the humanoids of Golarion would be replaced with anthropomorphic animals. I would be using homebrewed races (created with the race builder from ARG) at right around 10 race points. Options would include: dogmen that replace humans; catfolk that would be sort of like half-orcs (they're not half-breeds but they're based more off housecats while replacements for goblin, orcs, and ogres will be based off cheetahs/lions/etc); 3 types of bovidae (cows, goats, and antelopes) that replace elves/dwarves/etc; and, raccoon people that replace halflings/gnomes.
'Ethan...' a voice rings in your head. As you open eyes and sit up in your bed you hear it again, 'Ethan...'
The voice is Kor, your magical sword, trying to wake you up. It can't speak out loud but Kor can hear and see what's around it and can send thoughts into your mind with telepathy. As you wake up it sends, "Ethan, I'm bored. Let's go do something...
A gentle breeze blows down the empty road. The fields are beginning to glow in the soft spreading light of the sun as it begins to break above the horizon. A peaceful, quiet scene, but one that is bound not to last... this is the rugged frontier and peace and quiet are in short supply here.
Welcome. I'd like to get gameplay running pretty soon, but first we need to square away everything mechanically (and establish a little bit of background).
First things first: please post here and briefly introduce yourself (both in and out of character). You don't have to reveal any personal info you're not comfortable disclosing, but a sentence or two about gaming experience and posting habits would be good (and more is always welcome).
Step Two: please audit your crunch. In particular please read the race document I linked and make sure you've used the correct racial bonuses for this game (I don't remember how many of you were culprits but I noticed during evaluation that a lot of people missed things like the third trait that humans get).
Thirdly: feel free to start discussing any tweaks you'd like to make now that you see your teammates. I'd prefer nobody make major changes like switching classes, but trading out spells known or skills (or even some feats) would be fine. You don't have to change anything if you don't want but I'm giving you the option to diversify a bit.
I'm looking to run a game that's sort of Seven Samurai meets the Magnificent Seven... a spaghetti western that instead of being set in the early American west takes place on the frontier of a generic Asian nation (Japan will probably be the strongest influence but we'll include some Chinese influence as well). And, there won't be any firearms- all those gunslinging lawmen and desperadoes will instead be deadly swordsmen. If you're still reading this you probably understand my vision; if you don't but you're curious enough to keep reading please feel free to ask questions.
I'm looking for swordmen (maybe one swordswoman). You don't necessarily have to be a martial class but you have to be decent enough with a sword that you may have a reputation as a badass. I might select one non-swordsman if someone has a really good idea (this party's version of the mysterious old indian shaman), but basically everyone should be some kind of swordsman. Ideally you should have a signature style... one generalist who's just good with whatever sword he grabs might be alright but the characters will be more distinct and more interesting if they specialize somehow. I recently ended a game and I've invited several of the players from it to this game. So far I have 2 commitments and 1 that I'm waiting to hear back from. I'm willing to take up to 7 players total (if there are enough good, distinctly different applications) so I have 4-5 open slots to recruit. I don't know yet what the pre-selected players will be building but I'll post that as soon as possible (or they will).
Expectations:
- I'm looking for a commitment of 5 posts/week. We all know RL stuff comes up but I'm really looking for people who will be able to post close to 1/day except for rare extenuating circumstances.
- Have fun and be lighthearted... true to the genre there will be certain people groups that are looked down on or mistreated and there may be times in the game when there's some stereotyping and things like that; we're all going to make a point of not going too far with it, but if that's something that's going to bother or offend you this might not be a great fit. I have no problem with a character who opposes that and hopes to curtail it, but if its something you'll feel like you'll need to address in the discussion thread every time it comes up you may not enjoy this setting.
- Be respectful of each other. There's plenty of issues that may come up in any PbP but I will insist that everyone involved be respectful of one another.
Character Creation:
No 3pp Materials.
7th level; 25 point buy.
Race: Read this VERY IMPORTANT document!
Class: see this document
Feats: Leadership is not allowed.
Traits: 2; no campaign traits, no drawbacks
Skills: we will be using background skills from unchained
Wealth: Average for level (23,500 gold)
Other: I’m sure I forgot stuff, feel free to ask questions.
Recruitment
- Recruitment will be open for just over 2 weeks, until 11:59 GMT on Saturday October 8th.
- For an application to be complete it must include all your crunch, a description of your appearance and personality, and some background (your 7th level so there should be some substance to this; it doesn’t need to be super long though and its a lower fantasy setting so try not to make it too over the top).
Good luck everyone, I look forward to your questions and applications!
***Important Edit***: I just spoke with one of the preselected players and he wants to claim the non-swordsman spot. He's planning to make a divine caster who focuses on buffs/debuffs and healing. If someone else comes up with a truly extraordinary idea for a non-swordsman that's significantly different than his I might allow a second one but you should definitely run the concept by me before you put much time into it.
So, I GM a few games and play in a few more on these boards and my son has recently become curious about my play by post habits. He says he's interested in trying it. Here's the thing though... He just finished 2nd grade. He reads at like a 5th or 6th grade level but he definitely writes like a 2nd grader, and he's never played any table top or text based games before. I'm thinking about putting something together for him to try it out and I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who thinks it would be fun to introduce a young kid to the game?
I'd probably be looking for 2-4 players who:
1) can keep everything G rated (maybe a little PG)
2) won't mind if some of his posts are hard (or impossible) to read
3) can write simply enough for him to keep up, and
4) will be patient with his noobish behavior and mistakes
I want it to be fun and exciting for him so it would probably be somewhat high powered... Probably start somewhere in the level 7-9 range, high point buy, quite possibly gestalt. I know that sounds way too complex for a kid but the idea would be to do all the mechanics 'off camera'- players would post what they want to do and then hide all their rolls and whatnot in a spoiler, for his turn he'd say what he wants to do and I'd handle all his rolls in a spoiler and tell everyone their results. I'd build his character for him and would be willing to help do that for others too if there are other new players interested.
I don't know what the posting rate would be like or how long the game would last. Anyone interested? Any other parents with curious kids maybe?
Then... a breath... breathing. The familiar, yet somehow unusual feeling of air moving in and out of lungs. And sound. Other creatures breathing. As eyelids part, light rushes in...
Welcome. Please begin to introduce yourselves to one another (ooc). If you have any questions about your mechanics, feel free to ask- I'll begin auditing everyone's mechanics tonight probably.
The gameplay thread is open, but only for dotting (posting and then deleting your post right away so the game shows up in your campaign tab). Please do not make any real posts in the gameplay thread until I say so.
As stated in the title this is an open recruitment for a sandbox game starting at 7th level. Please read this whole initial post before asking any questions. I have a big pet peeve about people not really reading posts before they post- if you don't read this post that I stress the importance of it makes me think that will be an ongoing problem.
I know this is unusual but I don't want to give away too much of the particulars of the setting for two reasons:
1) Part of the fun of the beginning of the game will, hopefully, be discovering/figuring out some of the setting.
2) I want you to make your characters free from preconceived notions about the setting. I know in many games having your character fit neatly into the setting can be part of the fun, or one of your selling points but in this game you are going to be 'fish out of water'. Plus, I want everyone to feel free to make whatever character they want... want to play a gunslinging pirate? go for it! a late enlightenment alchemist? awesome! a pre-columbian south American shaman? can't wait to see it!
What I can comfortably share: this is meta-knowledge that your characters won't have at all but the basic concept for the game is that your 'home base' is a fantastical location from which you will have opportunities to travel to a wide variety of different worlds/settings. Some of these trips might be somewhat necessary but for the most part players will have a ton of control over where you go and what you do there. If you want political intrigue in a major metropolis you'll have opportunities to do that. If you want to hunt supernatural evils across the foggy moors of an isolated state you can do that. If you want to protect a peaceful farming village from imperialist invaders (or giants) you can do that too.
If you're still reading, here are the brass tacks...
Posting Expectations: At least three times per week. Ideally once per day but I'd like the feel to be fairly relaxed and if people miss days here and there it shouldn't be a big deal.
Character Creation:
All published paizo material is fair game, but please see the specific information below. If you want to use something that does not appear on d20pfsrd.com or the Archives of Nethys you will have to provide a working link to it (and evidence it is a legitimate paizo product). I will not be using any 3pp materials (this will be complicated enough without adding rules/systems I'm not very familiar with).
25 point buy.
Average wealth by level. No single item can account for more than half your wealth. No pre-game crafting.
races:
All paizo published races are available but see the note on power levels. You may not use the race builder yourself.
Applying templates to your character is also not allowed.
classes:
All paizo published classes and archetypes are available, but see the note on power levels. You may choose chained or unchained versions as you like but you must follow the standard rules for applying archetypes. Multiclassing and Variant Multiclassing are both allowed (though I prefer you don't stack them). If you receive the same class feature from a class and VMC, follow the standard multiclass rules for stacking (e.g. a life oracle with VMC[cleric] gains two completely separate channel abilities but a slayer with VMC[rogue] stacks his sneak attack damage). A character can not use VMC to bring an ability above the normal max for either class (so a slayer with VMC[rogue] would have a max sneak attack damage equal to a rogue of his level). Unless otherwise stated, count half your character level as levels in your VMC class for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
If you choose a class that requires a god you may choose any of the Golarion divine beings, can reflavor any Golarion deity with new fluff (but the same mechanics) as a new god or philosophy, or PM me about mechanics for a different concept.
feats:
All paizo published feats are available. If you pick one that's new or obscure please include a link. Weapon styles (from melee master toolbox) count as style feats for the purpose of classes or abilities that grant free style feats, and for the combat style master feat. Combat stamina is available as a standard [combat] feat.
Wizards may select spell focus as a bonus feat at 1st level in place of scribe scroll if they prefer.
If you select the leadership feat: your cohort is built on a 15 point buy, with average wealth by level for an npc, and average hp every level (including 1st). Also, please see the comments on power level, the increased action economy and options of a cohort will be considered part of your power level.
skills:
We will be using the background skills rules. Skill unlocks are also available through the unchained rogue class or the signature skill feat. Alchemists, investigators, and slayers may select the signature skill feat as a bonus feat in place of a discovery or talent, but they must meet the prerequisite normally and it must be applied to a class skill from that class.
hit points:
PCs get max HP at first level and 75% of max at each additional level. Characters with a d6 or d10 hit die gain 4.5 or 7.5 hit points each level; these half hit points are ignored during gameplay but added at leveling so functionally they gain 4,5,4,5,etc or 7,8,7,8,etc. Animal companions, eidolons, and cohorts get 50% of max for their hit die at every level (including first).
Power Level:
I've given a great range of power levels here... that range will be significantly tighter in the final party. That's not to say I'm going to eliminate characters that are too powerful, just that when I make my selection everyone I pick will be of similar power levels. A drow noble summoner with a pouncing six-armed eidolon death machine is a valid submission but even if I loved it the chances of there being other applications of that power level to form a party from are not very good. Likewise, if you pitch a sword and board kobold fighter you're limiting the number of potential compatible teammates in the other direction. Make the character you want to play but remember if you're unusually powerful or unusually weak you may be limiting yourself some.
alignment:
Your alignment is not a set of rules you have to follow. Well, for some classes its that also, but... Really its an attempt to quantify your core beliefs- the way that you see the world. This game (as you'll see below) is unusual regarding backgrounds and because of that it will be extra important to think about your character's alignment and how you see that working in practice. I'm not going to be dogmatic about alignments but if you choose a lawful alignment (for example) it should mean that you really value rules and order and aren't just going to ignore a law because its inconvenient or seems stupid to you; or if you need to break a law it should be something you're conflicted about (and we should see that in the RP).
============================================
Complete Applications will include the following:
Crunch- all your mechanics must be in place.
No Background- you read that correctly. If its helpful for you in building your character you may think of one potential background that could lead to this character but your character will begin with no memory of where you came from or any specific people.
Personality and Outlook- this is extra important since you won't have a background. It should be clear from this section what kind of person you are. Your outlook and alignment should make sense together. Without a background this will be one of your most significant writing samples.
Appearance- this will be everyone else's first impression of you, so make it count. (Also an important sample of your writing.)
Recruitment will be open until 11:59pm GMT on Friday May 27th.
I will select 2-6 players depending on how many compatible characters really get me excited. Selection should be completed, and the discussion thread opened, by Monday the 30th.
Feel free to post questions (I usually check the boards several times a day). I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.
So, I'm thinking about maybe running something, but I'm not sure what... I want to run something sandboxy, and where I don't have to go and look up stuff like who the mayor of this town is or what happened to the last high priest of that place (so not Golarion, or at least not the canon Golarion). I'd like the game to target 1 post per day from everyone, but be laid back enough that if someone's busy a missed day here or there isn't a big deal. I definitely want the game to have a theme though... like everyone is part of a barbarian tribe, ninja clan, knightly order, military unit, or religious sect; or all came together for some specific goal (barbarians from different tribes united against an outside threat, worshippers of different related gods united against a cult, scholars coming together to discover/research something, or something along those lines)...
So, who out there is interested in a game like this? Which theme would you prefer? What kind of power level would you be into: low point buy, high point buy, free variant multiclassing, gestalt, mythic; starting level? Any kind of setting jump out at you?
I'm running a high powered variation of the Rise of the Runelords AP (in a nutshell it started at 11th level, gestalt, with 1 mythic tier). We're still in the first chapter and just lost 2 players to RL issues, both of whom were 9 level arcane casters. Like the title says, we need a Mage (a 9 level arcane caster) to replace them.
We're working on wrapping up part 2 of book 1 right now, and you can/should increase your starting gold by 6,000 to represent what the current players have earned thus far. (everyone is still level 11)
The current party make-up is:
Druid//uMonk- melee and divine casting
Paladin//uRogue- melee, trapfinding/skills, and secondary heals/status
Bard//(fighter[drill sergeant]/sorc) Dragon Disciple- melee, party buffs, secondary arcane, and skills
and we have a fourth that will be joining shortly:
Slayer[stygian slayer]//Magus[eldritch archer]- ranged combat, secondary arcane, and skills.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to post them. I'll plan on running recruitment until Monday. If you have an idea that you think might make sense to have some history with one of the current PCs feel free to PM them about it (some of them, like Rimy Jim, gained mythic power as a result of an event that other's were a part of so you could have that in common).
Father Zantus is a firm man when he needs to be, though certainly not like Father Tobyn had been.
The new High Priest of Sandpoint didn't care much for comparisons to his former mentor but as the dedication quickly approached, and turned people's minds back toward the tragic loss that marked the closing of the old cathedral, it seemed unavoidable. Like most followers of the Starsong both men were dreamers with a great love for freedom. Father Tobyn was greatly loved by the people of Sandpoint, and his fellow priests and acolytes, but he was an idealist and when the people in his charge failed to live up to his ideals he could be very stern. Father Zantus is not nearly as severe but he had learned to apply firmness when needed. Often that meant when he was under stress.
There was plenty of firmness as the autumnal equinox approached. The Swallowtail Festival was always a stressful time around the church as preparations were made and gossip shared about how large the crowds might be. This year was far more stressful as construction projects drew to a close and additional preparations were made for extra speeches and even larger crowds. For the students and acolytes living on the Cathedral grounds this meant extra projects and eventually the cancellation of their normal classes so they could focus on cleaning, and practicing the readings and songs they would participate in at the dedication ceremony. Father Zantus was often grumpy and was constantly pointing out spots where the cleaning needed to be redone, but he was also very clearly excited about dedicating the new Cathedral after five long years of work.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the final days of preparations six special students, each chosen from birth by one of the six gods worshiped in the Catherdral, work hard under his guidance but still find occasional opportunities for some time to themselves...
Please read over each other's back stories. You've all known each other for at least 6 months, some of you quite a bit longer, so you probably have heard some version of those stories. If there's anything in there you would have hidden from others please say so here so people can self-edit.
I know it's still a hectic time of year so when you check in the first time please mention if there are any days this coming week that you know you wouldn't be able to post.
This is the official recruitment for a special version of Rise of the Runelords. *Please read this entire post before asking questions or making pitches.*
What makes this special: each character in this play through will have been chosen by one of the gods- marked from birth and delivered to Sandpoint to be taught by the priests there. This must be a significant element of each character's background. And each player must select one of the 6 gods worshiped at the Sandpoint Cathedral to be the god that chose your character. More details about this are spread through various sections.
Character Creation basics:
- 25 point buy (standard Paizo sliding scale)
- alignment within 1 step of your god; no evil, even CN is really pushing the limits of what I'll accept
- *NO 3pp materials*
- we will be using Hero Points; you cannot take the anti-hero option
races:
- all core races are fine. see the special note about humans below.
- you may apply with a featured race, with the following caveats: no aasimars (it would interact oddly with a plot point); a tiefling must be chosen by Sarenrae (the backstory should include being shunned as a result, and some form of redemption); the chances that I'll accept more than 1 character with a featured race are very slim.
- no uncommon races.
Humans: Humans are by far the most common race in Varisia (and most of Golarion). Ideally, I would like the party to reflect that. I also think there should be more in-game/mechanical cause for humans to be so dominant- so... Humans gain +2 to any one physical stat, and +2 to any one mental stat; this replaces their normal stat adjustments and does not alter any other racial abilities (dual talent is not available).
classes:
all paizo classes are available (see unchained section though). no high-tech archetypes. you may multi-class or take prestige classes normally.
*Please Note*
While all classes are permitted some may have a very difficult time fitting with the theme. You are all servants of specific gods- something like a shaman or spiritualist that's gaining power from another entity (beside the god who chose you) may be very difficult to make work.
Divine Power:
each character gets to pick one domain (or subdomain) granted by their god. the available gods are: Abadar, Desna, Erastil, Gozreh, Sarenrae, or Shelyn. their domains and subdomains can be found at the Archives of Nethys.
the character gains all the granted powers of that domain, as a cleric of their character level (using Wis for DCs/# of uses/etc as normal). they also gain the domain's spells as Spell-like abilities. each SLA is usable 1/day starting when their character level is double the spell level (so they gain the 1st level spell at second, the 2nd level domain spell at 4th, 3rd at 6th, etc). The caster level for these SLAs is equal to their character level and any effect tied to their casting stat (such as DCs) is based on Cha. I understand that using 2 separate stats for the powers and spells might be tough on MAD characters, but it will help mitigate against anyone trying to super-specialize one stat like some pally or oracle builds do.
unchained:
- summoners and rogues must use the unchained versions.
- barbarians must use the standard version.
- monks can apply as standard or unchained versions.
- we are using background skills. because of your particular backgrounds, knowledge[religion] is available as a background skill.
- no variant multiclassing. (your divine power is kind of already a better version of VMC Cleric).
- only rogues get skill unlocks (classes or archetypes like investigator or slayer that have an opportunity to select a rogue talent may choose to gain signature skill as a bonus feat in place of any rogue talent).
- we will not be using the Stamina system (we have enough options, and enough things to track, already)
feats:
You're welcome to take item crafting feats but we're going to keep the pace of the game fairly brisk so be warned that the amount of free time you have (or don't have) will restrict how much crafting you can get done.
traits:
everyone gets Birthmark as their campaign trait it's normally a faith trait, but for this campaign it will count in all ways as a campaign trait. this should be reflected in their backstory, and everyone's parents/guardians/whatever should have brought them to Sandpoint because of their birthmark (at least 6 months ago, but as early as infancy if you prefer).
everyone may pick two more traits following the normal rules. no drawbacks.
backgrounds:
i love a great backstory as much as the next guy but please try to limit your backstory to 1 page or less. there are two reasons for this: you're 1st level with 0xp, you haven't been through all that much yet; and, based on the interest check I may have a lot of backgrounds to get through.
sample post:
when I evaluate applications I base a fair bit on the quality of writing and on how much the character feels like an actual character (do they have their own voice? do they seem like more than an empty suit of armor waiting to swing a sword?)- to help with the difficult job of evaluating that, I need everyone to write a sample post. the game will start on the morning of the Swallowtail Festival (an Autumnal Equinox festival on which the new cathedral building is being dedicated), but visitors and vendors will start arriving in town a few days earlier... write a post as if it were in gameplay, set in the day or two before we actually start. for this post feel free to invent a visitor or vendor, or 'unimportant' local (and to write their 'part' as well as your character's). in addition to helping me with my evaluations this post will be the first thing you put up in the gameplay thread, so it will also serve as sort of an introduction of your character to the other players.
I tried to be thorough, but I'm sure I forgot stuff. If you have any questions feel free to ask! I'm fairly busy tonight but usually I'm pretty quick to reply.Recruitment will be open until midnight GMT on December 23rd! I'll post the selected 4-5 party members on 12/26 and everyone will have until 12/28 to check in on the discussion thread.
I have an idea for a unique run through an AP and I'm curious how much interest there might be... The hitch is that Rise of the Runelords is the only AP I own (and I don't the money to buy another nor the time to familiarize myself with it)- I know there's a couple other RotRL games recruiting right now so I want to make sure people aren't burnt out on that before I start trying to recruit.
The unique thing about this game would be that everyone would be specially chosen by a god... Each player would choose one of the six gods worshiped in the cathedral in Sandpoint- instead of the standard campaign traits everyone would gain the Birthmark trait for their chosen god as their campaign trait (instead of faith) and the fluff would include having been brought to Sandpoint to live and study at the cathedral. Each player would also choose one domain granted by their god: they would gain the granted powers of that domain as a cleric of their character level, and the ability to use its domain spells as 1/day SLAs at even levels (the 1st level spell at 2nd, the 2nd level spell at 4th, the 3rd level spell at 6th, etc). We'd use background skills and Knowledge[religion] would count as one due to your specific backgrounds at the church.
I'd also use a 25 point buy and hero points because, well, you're chosen ones. This wouldn't effect the story very much but I'd have to strengthen some of the enemies and when I did so sometimes there would be a fiendish and/or evil-religion element to that upgrade. Mostly the unique flavor would just impact the roleplaying.
Characters would not have to be divine casters at all but the better their connection/tie-in to their god the more likely they are to be selected.
Word has spread far and wide of the magnificence of the Great Temple soon to be dedicated in the coastal town of Sandpoint in Varisia. Arriving, it's not difficult to see why. Before any other signs of civilization appear the white marble edifice can be seen rising shimmering to the heavens. It doesn't take long after that to see just how many people have heard that word. The typically small town is already overflowing with crowds. Great ships bearing the standards of many of the most influential families in Magnimar and beyond dot the sea below, and the fields around it have become home to the tents, wagons, and grand pavilions of the multitude of visitors who cannot be accommodated in its inns.
Performers and vendors work their way through the crowds beginning well outside the town and becoming more and more prevalent towards the festival grounds. As soon as you arrive it is clear that this will be an event to remember...
Welcome all- I'm looking forward to running this AP with you.
If you haven't already done so please start looking over each other's characters and discussing any tweaks you'd like to make or potential weak spots you'd like to point out. Like I said, we'll take a day or two to get everything situated and then get started. and make sure to post here so we can see that you got the memo; I'll open up the gameplay thread in a little bit so you can dot it.
The wilderness nation of Varisia is a dangerous land. Tribes of giants battle one another throughout it’s hills and plains, and stories abound of dragons and other legendary menaces lurking in its forests and swamps. Despite these dangers thousands upon thousands of people have traveled to the once unheard of town of Sandpoint to witness the dedication of what is said to be the most magnificent new church constructed since the height of ancient Osirion...
This is the official recruitment thread for an epic play through of Rise of the Runelords, and yes I mean that literally. In this ramped up version of the AP that started it all, our intrepid heroes are already seasoned adventurers who get swept up in a familiar but far more high powered adventure. This initial post is going to include a lot of information, please read it all before asking question- one of my biggest pet peeves with PbP is when people make posts and its obvious they haven’t bothered to read everyone else’s posts. If this recruitment explodes like some of the high powered games do, I’m not going to hold everyone responsible for catching every question that’s been asked/answered, but if you ask something that’s already been answered in this post it will be a strike against you come decision time. I hope that doesn’t seem overly harsh, I’m just trying to be honest/upfront with everyone.
the basics:
- Recruiting 4 spots. I think I have an RL friend who’s going to join as a 5th player but he shouldn’t affect recruitment. unless you happen to submit the exact same thing he makes, I suppose... he’s looking at probably playing some kind of paladin/rogue to the best of my knowledge...
- 30 point buy, following standard paizo scaling point buy. No stat above 18 or below 8 before racial modifiers
- starting level is 11... gestalt. if you’re unfamiliar with how gestalt works I’m sure someone will post a helpful link before too long. we are using fractional bonuses for pretty much everything (including caster levels), so if you need help with calculating thing don’t be shy to ask. as soon as I have time I’ll actually do a separate post on how this works. By the end of the AP you will be above 20th level.
- 1 mythic tier. By the end of the AP you should be around tier 5 (I think?).
- No 3pp stuff. I’m sorry, I know there are a few things that are very popular and allowed fairly often but I’m not familiar enough with any of them to feel good about allowing them in such a high-powered game, and I worry about how some of them may synergize too well in certain combos...
alignment:
Any Good, plus Lawful-Neutral or Neutral. The AP (at least the way I’m running it) assumes you are the heroes... good guys who will be motivated by a desire to protect people/places or to root out evil. If you choose one of the neutral options please include something in your personality and/or background that provides a solid motivation for you to risk life and limb against all odds to stop the coming trouble.
races:
Any “core” or “featured” races native to Golarion are acceptable. I will say, though, that the population of Golarion is heavily human, followed by other core races, with relatively few of the featured races and I’m hoping to assemble a party that reflects that. The good news is, I am giving an extra racial boon to each of the core races to bring them more inline with the power level of some of the featured ones.
Dwarf- dwarven resilience (Su): As a swift action dwarves can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to their level. These temporary hit points last until the end of their next turn. They can use this ability a number of times per day equal to their Con modifier.
Elf- Elves gain an arcane pool as the magus ability, with a number of arcane points equal to their Int modifier. They can use this pool to augment their weapons as a magus of their character level. An elf who takes levels as a magus does not gain any extra arcane points from this ability but does gain the ability to spend points from their arcane pool to augment a magus spell as if using the arcanist's arcane reservoir ability.
Gnome- Gnomes are are not humanoids; their type changes to fey, and spells and effects affect them accordingly. They can also choose one favored terrain available to rangers. The gnome gains all of the same bonuses in that terrain as a ranger would; this ability does not improve from leveling, however, a gnome who takes levels in a class that grants favored terrains can choose to add increases from that ability to their racial favored terrain as if it had been gained through that class.
Half-Elf- Half-elves gain fast learner as a bonus feat and can ignore its usual prerequisites. A half-elf who chooses a racial favored class bonus can still choose to gain an additional hit point or skill point as well. Half-elves with multi-talented who increase their level in both favored classes when they gain a gestalt level can choose to gain the racial favored class bonus for both classes but do not gain a bonus hit point or skill point if they do.
Half-Orc- Half-orcs gain a bonus combat feat in addition to their normal feats; they must meet any requirements normally. Once per day after meditating or practicing for an hour, they can trade that bonus feat out for any other combat feat they qualify to choose.
Halfling- Halflings gain the slippery mind advanced rogue talent.
Human- Humans gains +2 to one additional ability score of their choice. This bonus cannot be applied to the same score as their initial +2 racial bonus.
classes:
All Paizo classes are acceptable, but some require special note (see below). Almost all paizo archetypes will be okay, but please refrain from using the high tech ones. Prestige classes will be on a case by case basis, so feel free to ask. Most of them will probably be fine but ones that are just combining classes (like Eldritch Knight or Mystic Theurge) probably won’t be unless maybe you really want to go into MT as a double 6-level-caster, that I might allow...
- Anti-paladin is not allowed (see alignment section)
- Barbarians will be using the original (not unchained) rules.
- Druids will have a rough time keeping an animal companion alive and should probably consider a domain instead (unless they’re willing to devote a fair number of feats/abilities/mythic powers to it).
- Hunters will have a rough time keeping an animal companion alive (unless they’re willing to devote a fair number of feats/abilities/mythic powers to it) and may want to consider another class.
- Monks can be standard or unchained. Unchained monks cannot take any archetypes.
- Rangers will have an especially rough time keeping an animal companion alive and should probably consider bonding with their companions or choosing an archetype that replaces hunter’s bond.
- Rogues will follow the unchained rules. Rogues Edge will be the only method for skill unlocks.
- Summoners will follow the unchained rules. They will have a rough time keeping an eidolon alive (unless they’re willing to devote a fair number of feats/abilities/mythic powers to it) and may wish to consider a different class.
- Witches selecting the scarred witch doctor archetype may use the original Con based casting, provided that provide an active link to that version of the archetype in their profile.
- Occult classes... this is purely a personal preference thing but I kind of feel like these classes are a bit out of place in the mostly traditional fantasy world of Golarion. You are welcome to apply with one of these classes but in the interest of full disclosure you should know that if it comes down to you and somebody else with an equally strong application I’m most likely going to pick the one using more standard classes.
feats:
I can’t possibly cover every feat there might be questions about... here’s 2 that jump to mind:
Slashing Grace- we’ll use the pre-’errata’ (nerf*) version.
Divine Protection- both versions are bad... one’s too strong and the other’s too weak... let’s just omit this feat all together.
Oh, a third- mythic vital strike... This is very poorly written... We'll be using the commonsense interpretation: you can multiply your applicable static bonuses by the same number that you multiply your number of damage dice by. Same thing goes for Devistating Strike.
If you have questions about any other feats just ask.
traits:
Everyone gets 2 traits. Normal rules. You can select a campaign trait from the APG if you want, but not from other campaigns. No drawbacks.
wealth/gear:
We will be using the automatic bonus progression rules from Pathfinder Unchained. Accordingly everyone will begin with half of the standard wealth by level. (41,000g). Anyone who wishes to take magic item crafting feats will be given 5,000g extra for each such feat to represent having crafted some of their equipment on their own. Please note, however, that the game should move along fairly quickly and there is not likely going to be much downtime for crafting (scrolls and lesser items that could be made in a few days would probably be doable but a staff of power probably isn’t going to happen).
other unchained stuff:
I think I covered all the unchained stuff we’ll use... no stamina... the only skill unlocks will be through the rogue class feature... if there’s anything I forgot to mention feel free to ask.
what I’m hoping for:
Mechanically, I’d like to have at least one 9 level arcane caster, at least one 9 level divine caster, and at least one guy who can stand toe-to-toe with BBEG; with 4 gestalt characters that shouldn’t be too hard to do (and if we end up with only 6 level casters in one then we’ll make it work). I’m also hoping to have at least 3 different mythic paths represented, but with the dual path feat being such an attractive option in gestalt I don’t foresee that being much of a problem either.
On the non-mechanical side... I’m really hoping for a group that’s invested in their characters and as interested in roleplaying as they are in rollplaying. APs are a long investment of time and I’ve seen first hand how big a difference it makes if you’re actually interested in how your character would interact with others, react in certain situations, what would really get them excited, or angry, or sad versus just looking for the next DC to beat... So as tempting as it is to build a super-mega-powerhouse that fits what you think I’m looking for in a niche without much competition, please don’t do that unless you’re actually going to be interested in exploring his or her personality and development too.
I’m looking for a once/day minimum post rate. We all know there are times when RL gets in the way and someone has to drop below that for a while, but if you’re applying please be ready for 1/day to be the norm.
Recruitment will be open until Midnight GMT, Sunday September 20th. For an application to be considered complete it must include the following:
- complete/correct crunch
- a version of your background that’s no more than a page or two long (feel free to write more and I’ll try to read it eventually but I need a succinct version during recruitment). this should include what brings you one of the more powerful people in Golarion to this momentous dedication, and how (if at all) you are connected to Sandpoint/Varisia or the people/person/whatever there.
- a short interaction between you and somebody else at the Swallowtail Festival. The town is swollen to over 10 times its normal size, so feel free to invent an NPC or two (and write both sides of the interaction). These will also be your initial gameplay posts, so they should give some hint of your character to the other players, and/or provide a little hook that might allow one of the other PCs to connect with you.
I plan to announce selections on Tuesday 9/22 and start the game within a day or two after that (just allowing enough time for any tweaks people want to make once they see the party make up).
I've mentioned this vaguely elsewhere but this is my official interest check now that I have some more info to share...
I'm in the process of converting Rise of the Runelords so that instead of beginning at level 1 it starts at 11th level with 1 mythic tier (and ends above level 20). This is not an active recruitment, yet, but I wanted to share some relevant details and see how much interest there really is.
I plan to run it for a party of 4 gestalt characters. I will not be allowing any 3pp materials (I know some of its very popular, but it causes rules bloat and, frankly, I know the paizo material well enough to predict what the characters will be capable of but that's not true of the 3pp stuff). For races, I'd allow any canonical Golarion races that are listed as "core" or "featured" but the world is mostly human and core races and I'd prefer the party makeup to reflect that. I will, however, be adding a little buff to each core race to bring them more in line with power level of the featured races (for example, humans will get +2 to any two stats, without sacrificing anything).
I know that leaves tons of unanswered questions (feel free to ask them), but for right now I'm mostly interested in seeing how much interest there is in a game at this power level with those restrictions. If there's not enough interest I won't bother investing the time to finish converting it.
I know some of you have expressed interest in the past but I'd love to hear from you again now that more details have been provided.
Inquisitions can be selected in place of a domain by any class that gains a domain (as per this FAQ).
Can they be selected with the Believer's Boon feat?
Technically it's not a class feature so RAW the Ultimate Magic/FAQ text doesn't apply, but it kind of seems like one of those 'looks/sounds like a duck' type scenarios we keep hearing about... off the top of my head none of the inquisitions seem unbalancing to allow (given the restrictions built into the feat), but I could see something like conversion getting a lot of use (especially among dwarven diplomats).
It looks like the eldritch guardian fighter archetype might actually be able use a mounted build with flight at 3rd level... If you make a small character and take a hawk with the mauler archetype, at 3rd level it can use battle form to become medium (with around 16 Str) indefinitely, which is big enough and strong enough to bear you as a rider...
So, 2 question...
- Is there any rule that prevents this?
- Is there a feat or anything that the rider or mount can/must take for this to work?
N. Edward Lange
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
,
Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 8 aka nate lange
I've been trying to squeeze in as much voting as I can and that means voting on my phone a lot... There seems to be like half a dozen items that all used some kind of code to mimic the official layout as closely as possible, down to the lines and spacing and whatnot... unfortunately that makes the other entry nearly impossible to read!
I feel bad cause they obviously put some effort into that (or at least the one who figured it out and shared it with them did), and some of the items seem pretty decent but it's so frustrating not being able to read the other item that I end up voting them down most of the time...
Has anyone else had similar problems? Does anyone know of a simple way to get my browser to ignore that formatting?
We have a full party very early in Rise of the Runelords (haven't even gotten to the first combat yet). Our GM had no history on the boards but he put together a good party of committed players. The introductions were going really well and then he just vanished from the forums without a word (abandoned our game and another he had started as a player).
We're all really excited about our characters and this AP. We're looking for a GM who can post 1/day (or more), hopefully. And, we'd prefer someone with some history on the boards so there's no fear of another disappearing act.
we all know rogues usually aren't the greatest in combat. i myself have pointed out on more than one occasion the benefits of instead playing a ninja or vivisectionist, but is it possible that there is at least one decent combat build for rogues?
i have one possible idea, but i'm not sure how well it would really work out. it hinges on the gang-up feat. gang up makes you count as flanking regardless of your positioning (as long as two allies threaten the enemy)... flanking gives you +2 to hit on melee attacks, which is where things start to go down hill for the rogue, but what if you sacrifice that +2? if you attack at range the feat still (RAW, as far as i can tell) makes you count as flanking, so you miss out on the +2 to hit with melee attacks but astronomically increase your chance to be able to full attack with sneak attack damage! archery is (obviously) feat intensive but if you took the swashbuckler archetype you could add longbow proficiency and be able to take 'combat trick' twice (plus weapon training) to help with some of that.
the issue here is that you're still not able to address the rogue's attack bonus problems but if you're in a party where you can get a couple buffs fairly reliably it seems like it might be a pretty functional build, maybe? is there something i'm missing or would this possibly be a decent combat rogue build?
so, i've never played with a GM who makes a big deal about the class 'tiers' before but earlier this evening i was talking to a friend about a potential campaign with no full casters (no 9:9 classes but 6:9 are ok, i think that means tier 3 or lower?). like the title says, this might be crazy, but do you think there's a viable MT build in a campaign like this?
here's what i was thinking:
musetouched aasimar
bard 2 -> inquisitor 1 (fate inquisition) -> MT 2 -> evangelist (Nethys)
i know there is debate about applying aligned class to MT (or at least how many total effective MT levels you can have), but (since this is just theorycraft at this point anyway) assume the GM approves. obviously this is much weaker than a double 9:9 MT but in a campaign with no 9:9 casters would that work? how could you fix/improve it?
at this point, this is just theorycraft but i've been on a big dwarf kick lately and i'm wondering if/how you would put together an effective party of 5 dwarves... i don't have anything specific in mind for them (so you could make them at any level, though obviously builds that are viable every level are better), but if we come up with a solid party i might use them as the pregens for a future one-shot, or recurring npcs in the next campaign i run.
my initial thoughts are:
- fighter[2 weapon warrior] (starting 14/16/16/10/12/8). all the 2WF feats, power attack... start with an urgrosh and upgrade to 2 waraxes at 11th level when improved balance comes online. solid melee guy.
- ranger[guide] 2/inquisitor. Str build; take dorn dergar master feat, invest in quickdraw shield, 'switch hit' between 2 handing the chain-flail (for extra damage) or 2WF with it and the shield. decent melee guy, skill monkey, secondary divine caster.
- monk[sensei] 4/cavalier[musketeer] 1/battle herald (keep Cha 10+). use a pistol, take amateur gunslinger (quick clear for deed), take rapid reload and plan to invest in alchemical cartridges so you can iterate; wear a breastplate until/unless wisdom is +6 or more (already gave up pretty much everything that you lose for wearing armor). decent ranged attacker, party buffer, leader/face.
- cleric[forgemaster] (no need to worry about Cha, but throw a few points in Int). worship your ancestors or a philosophy/minor god pertaining to dwarven armaments and readiness for battle (whatever you end up with, take artifice for domain and longhammer for favored weapon). standard reach cleric build. full divine caster, decent melee support.
- monk[sohei] 1/sorcerer[wildblooded- empyreal] 6/eldritch knight (Wis>Str=Dex>Con, dump Int and Cha). doesn't get 9th level spells til 20th, unfortunately, but has better defense than most casters, take combat reflexes and fight like reach cleric with a longaxe (or longhammer, or dorn dergar...) and flurry against opponents that get adjacent. arcane caster, fair melee support.
assuming a 20 pt buy and all paizo books (no 3rd party), how would you build/change/replace these guys?
with it being the holiday season i thought it might be fun/interesting to think about how to build a special festive NPC or character o<):-{>
so, which holiday figure would you build and how? i'm not familiar with any applicable figures from Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, but there are definitely some differences between Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas...
i suspect that to really recreate any of these figures you'd need a high level gestalt build with mythic tiers, but what would you like to see/use that was sort of in line with the typical power level of the games you play/run but with some holiday flavor?
the one that immediately springs to mind for me would be a Father-Christmas-inspired dwarven ranger: reindeer animal companion, craft[brewing], joyful/generous- spreads cheer by passing around mugs of his own festive ales and rich spiced meats from recent hunts.
i realize that it's probably hubris to make suggestions to the professionals, but i figured that perhaps a new perspective might somehow aid in your arrival at the exceptional final product we all know you will release...
so here are my (apparently not so humble) suggestions for addressing a few of the issues raised in the class discussions. if i understand the terms of service of the forums these are now your intellectual property just because i posted them, but if that's not the case i waive my right to them and donate them to you to use as you see fight. they'll likely come to you complete with community feedback (which i suspect might not all be positive, lol)
Arcanist:
- remove the bloodline bonus spells from the spellbooks section
- replace blood focus with:
Eldritch Power (Su): An arcanist can tap into the power of her blood to create magical effects beyond her normal abilities. She has a pool of Eldritch Power she can use equal to her Cha modifier +1/2 her level. Whenever the arcanist casts a spell of the school associated with her focus, using one of her arcanist spell slots, she can expend one use of her eldritch power as a free action to bolster the spell. This adds 1 to the spell’s caster level and DC. The arcanist cannot expend more than one use of blood focus on a given casting of a spell. Once per day she can use this power to cast a spell from her spellbook which she didn’t prepare; this must be a spell she is capable of casting normally. Casting a spell this way is a full round action and costs 1 point of eldritch power per spell level; the spell cannot be modified by any metamagic feat and cannot benefit from any other use of eldritch power. The arcanist gains additional uses for this pool based on her arcane focus.
Arcane Focus: In the course of her studies, the arcanist has discovered that the power in her blood gives her a natural gift for a particular type of magic. In some cases the source of this power may be clear but, unlike a sorcerer, an arcanist is often too far removed from this source and her abilities to general to identify its origin. An arcanist must pick one arcane focus upon taking her first level of arcanist. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.
Blasting- bursts, blasts, and explosions have always come naturally to you.
Associated School: Evocation
1st level: Elemental Ray (Sp)- The arcanist can use this ability as the sorcerer power of the elemental bloodline. Each use of this ability costs 1 point of eldritch power and the arcanist can choose to deal acid, cold, electrical, or fire damage with each use.
8th level: Eldritch Blast (Su)- When casting a spell that deals elemental damage, the arcanist can, as a swift action, spend 1 point of eldritch power to convert half of the spell’s damage to untyped arcane energy.
Dark Arts- you have a knack for magic relating to negative energy and death.
Associated School: Necromancy
1st level: Grave Touch (Sp)- The arcanist can use this ability as the sorcerer power of the undead bloodline. Each use of this ability costs 1 point of eldritch power.
8th level: Bolster Undead (Su)- Any time the arcanist uses a spell to create undead she can spend 2 points of eldritch power to grant the created undead +2 Str and Dex and +2 Channel Resistance.
Deception- you have an innate understanding of magic that fools the senses.
Associated School: Illusion
1st level: Enduring Illusion (Su)- When casting an illusion spell the arcanist can, as a swift action, spend 1 point of eldritch power to extend the spell's duration by a number of rounds equal to 1/2 her level.
8th level: Shifting Illusions (Su)- At any time during the duration of an illusion spell that she cast the arcanist can, as a move action, spend 1 point of eldritch power to change the effect of the illusion; the new effect is bound by the standard rules of the original spell. Alternatively, if she successfully recognizes an illusion cast by another she can, as a full round action, spend 3 points of eldritch power to change the illusion as if it were her own; doing so requires that she succeed at a caster level check (DC = 11 + the spell's caster level).
Influence- you have a gift for magic that exerts your will on others.
Associated School: Enchantment
1st level: Laughing Touch (Sp)- The arcanist can use this ability as the sorcerer power of the fey bloodline. Each use of this ability costs 1 point of eldritch power.
8th level: Broad Influence (Su)- When casting a mind-affecting spell, the arcanist can, as a swift action, spend 2 points of eldritch power to allow that spell to affect a creature normally immune to mind-affecting effects; the creature must possess an Intelligence score and be of a type normally affected by the spell.
Protection- you excel at spells that protect yourself and others.
Associated School: Abjuration
1st level: Arcane Defense (Sp)- As an immediate action the arcanist can spend 1 point of eldritch power to gain a +1 insight bonus to AC until the end of her next turn. This bonus increase by 1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.
8th level: Arcane Resiliency (Sp)- As an immediate action the arcanist can spend 1 point of eldritch power to gain Energy Resistance 5 against acid, cold, electricity, or fire until the end of her next turn. The type of resistance is chosen when the power is used. At 14th level this resistance increase to 10.
Seeing- you see things as they are, and easily master magic to do so.
Associated School: Divination
1st level: Danger Sense (Sp)- The arcanist can spend 1 point of eldritch power to act during a surprise round as if she had succeeded on her perception check to do so.
8th level: All Seeing (Su)- When one of the arcanist’s divination spells fails due to spell resistance or a successful saving throw she can spend 2 points of eldritch power to reroll or level check or force her opponent to reroll its saving throw.
Shifting- the form of things has always seemed somewhat fluid to you.
Associated School: Transmutation
1st level: Durable Transformation (Su)- When casting a transmutation spell on a living target the arcanist can, as a swift action, spend 1 point of eldritch power to increase that creature’s natural armor bonus by +1. This bonus increases by another +1 at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter but cannot exceed the spell level of affected spell.
8th level: Flexible Form (Su)- At any time during the duration of a polymorph spell that she cast on herself, the arcanist can, as a standard action, spend 1 point of eldritch power to change to a different form allowed by the standard rules of the original spell.
Summoning- you have an innate understanding of magic that draws things to you.
Associated School: Conjuration
1st level: Rapid Summoning (Su)- When casting a Summon Monster spell the arcanist can spend 1 point of eldritch power to reduce the casting time to a full round action.
8th level: Lasting Conjuration (Su)- When casting a conjuration spell the arcanist can, as a swift action, spend 1 point of eldritch power to add her Charisma modifier to her level for the purpose of determining the spell's duration and setting the DC to dispel the effect.
Bloodrager:
- in order to further distinguish between this and the standard Barb (and possibly bring a little more balance), replace damage reduction with:
Mental Fortitude (Su): The bloodrager’s arcane heritage grants her resistance to mental effects. At 7th level she gains a +1 morale bonus on all Will saves. This bonus increase by +1 at 10th level and every 3 levels thereafter.
Brawler:
- replace martial maneuvers with:
Martial Stance (Ex): At 1st level, a brawler can spend a standard action to enter a martial stance for 1 minute. While in this stance the brawler gains the benefits of one or more feats she does not possess. This ability can be used 1/day at first level plus one additional time at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter. If the brawer activates this ability again before the duration of a a previous use has expired the first stance immediately ends before the new stance takes effect.
Each time you use this ability choose one stance from the list below. Unless otherwise stated, the brawler does not need to meet the prerequisites for any of the feats she gains.
Agile Stance- The brawler gains the use of the Dodge feat. At 6th level she also gain use of Lightning Reflexes. At 10th level she adds Sidestep to these.
Critical Stance- When initiating this stance you must choose unarmed strikes or a single weapon with the Monk property, all of the bonus feats you gain from this stance only apply to that weapon. At 8th level, the brawler gains the use of Improved Critical. At 10th level she also gains use of Critical Focus. At 14th level she also selects any one Critical feat to gain, she must meet all the requirements of this third feat (but counts the other bonus feats granted by this stance for the purpose of meeting those requirements). You must be at least 8th level to initiate this stance.
Defensive Stance- The brawler gains the use of Combat Expertise. She also gains the use of Deflect Arrows, beginning at 6th level. At 10th level she gains the Iron Hide feat. If she already has this feat she instead gains the Improved Natural Armor feat.
Enduring Stance- At 1st level you gain the use of the Diehard feat. At 6th level you gain Toughness; at the end of your stance the hit points gained from this feat are lost (similar to a barbarian ending her rage). At 10th level you gain the use of Deathless Initiate.
Flurrying Stance- The brawler gains use of the Quick Draw feat. She also gains the use of Two-Weapon Defense at 6th level and Two-Weapon Rend at 11th level, but these two feats can only be used when combined with Brawler’s Flurry.
Maneuvering Stance- Choose one combat maneuver; the brawler gains the use of the Improved feat associated with that feat (e.g. Improved Bull Rush, Improved Trip, etc.). At 6th level she gains the Greater feat as well. At 10th level she also gains the associated Strike feat (e.g. Repositioning Strike, Sundering Strike, etc.); if the chosen maneuver does not have an associated Strike feat she can instead choose another maneuver and gain its Improved feat as well.
Mobile Stance- The brawler gains the use of Nimble Moves. At 6th level she gains the use of Spring Attack. At 10th level she gains the use of Wind Stance.
Punishing Stance- You gain use of the Power Attack feat. You also gain the use of Vital Strike at 6th level and Devastating Strike at 10th level.
Shielded Stance- For the duration of her stance, the brawler gains proficiency with shields (but not tower shields). At 6th level she gains the use of the Missile Shield feat, and at 10th level the Ray Shield feat.
Sightless Stance- At 5th level, the brawler gains use of the Blind-Fighting feat. At 10th level she gains Improved Blind-Fighting, and at 15th level she gains Greater Blind-Fighting. You must be at least 5th level to initiate this stance.
Style Stance- The brawler gains the use a single Style feat; she must meet all the requirements for this feat. At 6th level she also gains the use of the second feat in that style’s tree, and at 10th she gains the final feat. She does not need to meet the requirements for the second and third feats.
Weapon Master Stance- When initiating this stance you must choose unarmed strikes or a single weapon with the Monk property, all of the bonus feats you gain are related to that weapon. At 1st level you gain Weapon Focus. At 6th level you gain Weapon Specialization. At 10th level you gain Greater Weapon Focus.
- replace awesome blow with:
Perfect Stance: At 20th level the brawler has become a true master of martial stances. She can initiate a stance as a swift action. She gains a +4 competence bonus to a single physical attribute of her choice for the duration of her stance. If this bonus is applied to Constitution the brawler gains +2 hp/hit die but the hit points are lost when she stops receiving this bonus (just like a barbarian coming out of rage). The brawler also gains the ability to switch which stance she is using without initiating a new stance. At any time during the 1 minute duration of her stance she can spend a swift action to change to a different stance and to reassign her attribute bonus if she wishes; doing so has no effect on the duration of that use of her ability and does not cost an additional use.
i've seen (and participated in) a number of discussions on the boards about the best combination of different classes for a 5 person party... it got me wondering- what would be the best class for a 5 person party where everyone had to play the same class? and what builds would you use for the 5?
i personally think that summoners are broken (a 5 person party would really be 10 characters, plus any improved familiars anyone wants to pick up)- so i'd prefer to avoid them, but i'd be interested in seeing an unusual party even of them.
it seems like utility classes (ones with a variety of abilities) like bard or inquisitor would be obvious thoughts... what do you think?
Recent rulings on half-elves and half-orcs counting fully as both human and elves or orcs (respectively) for all effects based on race has (thankfully, IMO) brought 'PC races' more in line with the type/sub-type system which governs all other creatures; this seems to beg a new question though:
Does a creature with the Human subtype who takes Racial Heritage for Elf or Orc count as a Half-Elf or Half-Orc for all effects normally affected by that feat?
They would possess both the Human and Elf, or Human and Orc, subtypes just like a member of the base race... If the answer is "yes," it would be nice to have that officially stated somewhere; if the answer is "no," it would be nice to here from one of the developers why it doesn't work that way.
has there been any official announcement yet on when the playtest for Advanced Classes Guide is going to run (besides 'this fall')?
in the past when i've playtested paizo products i tend to find out halfway through the window and then don't get to post much feedback.... is there somewhere we can sign up ahead of time or request notification? or even just a specific spot where i can periodically check to see if its up?
could start with 20 dex and rage up to 24 (with no fatigue for dropping), plus potentially get item/buff on top. Martial Versatility would let you use Dervish Dance with a Temple Sword, which means you can flurry with it!
well, this isn't actually an advice request... but, is anybody else unreasonably fascinated with the dice rolling function on the forums? i just want to find any opportunity to use it, lol.
i'm gonna start making a random character, just to roll. feel free to jump in :)
right now i'm playing in a fun (and sort of over the top) gestalt campaign. my current character is pretty optimized (a sorcerer/oracle), and i'm enjoying him, but he's a glass cannon so i've been thinking about a backup character... i think i'd like to try making a guy that instead of being great at one thing is good at everything (thus the subject line question). there are plenty of ways to get full BAB, all good saves, and decent skills (both quality and quantity), but what's the best all around build? Paladin/Ninja seems like a real contender (divine grace on top of all good saves, good Cha synergy, and great skills)... thoughts?
additional info: 30 point buy (so a little MAD isn't too bad), most of the characters are Aasimar or Tieflings, and there's no evil guys in the party (though it currently favors chaos)
N. Edward Lange
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
,
Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 8 aka nate lange
SKR posted the official critique my item thread a few days ago and said it would be unlocked on friday... has there been any word on what time they'll unlock it?
