It is summer. It is the afternoon. And it is very warm, so very warm.
After a whole year performing tricks to lonely farmsteads and small villages — really, most were no more than a handful of families — the members of the Circus of Wayward Wonders finally feel ready for their first performance for a sizeable public: that of the town of Abberton (which is also rather small, but, still, one needs to start somewhere).
For a whole week now the Wayward Wonders have been going around the main square promising a night of daring deeds, lively laughter and enrapturing emotion.
“The largest show in Abberton!” Lily, the halfling barker, yelled. And, truly, she was technically correct — the best kind of correct, in her opinion.
The townspeople, weary with bad harvests, prowling wild animals and disappearing neighbours, drank her words like nectar. A chance to forget their worries, finally. They gathered around, asked about the acts and left giddy with excitement.
Tomorrow is the big night.
Today, this afternoon, all the work is done. Everything that could be rehearsed, prepared, assembled and said has been rehearsed, prepared and assembled.
Thanks for joining this campaign. The idea is that we will play through Extinction Curse’s first book and then, once we’re done or about done, decide whether to continue or to make it a single shot. The way the adventure is structured makes it fairly easy to wrap things up so the story feels reasonably whole, so either way I believe we can have a nice experience.
We are currently at four players, but a couple more people might join soon. Since some of us are rather new to PF2, I will add rules explanations when relevant.
Meanwhile, character creation guidelines.
Background:
The initial story beats are centred on Abberton, a small town in the Isle of Erran (Isle of Kortos’ smaller sibling.)
Your characters are all members of the Circus of Wayward Wonders. This circus is very new; less than a year ago, several performers in Mistress Dusklight’s Celestial Menagerie in Escadar — likely including the heroes — grew tired of their heartless ringmaster’s cruel ways and quit to form their own circus.
Not every character needs to be a full-time circus performer, but whether they are barkers, magicians, clowns or something else they do need to consider the Circus of Wayward Wonders to be home, and their fellow circus members to be friends or even family.
For a bit more info, you might want to take a look at the Player’s Guide and this document with some of the NPCs. It’s a lot (we’re talking about two circuses worth of NPCs!), so don’t feel like you need to read everything. Just pick and choose whatever, if anything, tickles your fancy.
Crunch guidelines:
Class: All Paizo classes allowed;
Ancestry: All ancestries and heritages allowed;
Background:Extinction Curse backgrounds strongly recommended but not mandatory. No rare backgrounds;
Alignment: Quoting the EC Player’s Guide: “The most important elements of the characters’ outlook are that they must be willing to work together and be invested in protecting the Circus of Wayward Wonders.” If your evil character can do that, go for it;
AP-specific: you have access to all circus weapons (Bladed Diabolo, Bladed Hoop, Fire Poi, Juggling Club, Poi, Scorpion Whip, Throwing Knives) and archetypes (juggler, animal trainer, staff acrobat);
Other: anything common is allowed as well as anything uncommon/rare that you get access to because of feats, class features, etc.
Circus life:
If your character is a performer, they need to have a signature trick. To keep things short: you need to design a trick based on either a skill or a saving throw.
This can be anything: making your pet ferret dance, throwing knives against a target, swallowing swords, etc. The trick becomes more effective and complex as you level, so it’s a good idea to start with something simple that can be built upon.
If your character is not a performer what is their role in the circus? Be aware that they can change roles between shows: perhaps your acrobat sometimes doesn't perform and instead helps selling tickets or fill-in for a sick clown, for instance.
Some character options are tagged as uncommon or rare. Your character does not have access to them by default.
Generally speaking, these require you to either have something that gives you access to it (a class feature, for instance) or ask for GM permission.
Example #1: I explicitly stated that all ancestries and heritages, including rare, are allowed. Likewise, I wrote that rare backgrounds are off the table.
Example #2: a monk with the Monastic Weaponry feat can obtain Fighting Fans even if they’re tagged as uncommon; meanwhile, even though fighters are proficient with all weapons, they do not have access to Fighting Fans.
Content warning:
I believe that most of what happens in the story itself is fairly standard Paizo stuff: there’s some violence, one of the monsters is a bit gory, plus a bit of betrayal, intrigue and etc.
A fair bit of the background revolves around the Celestial Menagerie, which ticks off a lot of boxes on the “circus from hell“ list: animal abuse, mockery of bodies deemed exotic or flawed, worker exploitation, to name a few. I do not plan on emphasising any of that, but references to mistreatment do come up sometimes.
If there are any situations or themes you’d like me to be particularly careful, please, let me know either here or via PM.
Amidst a darkness that feels thick with anger and pain, visions begin to materialise: fragments of a truth that is clawing its way back into daylight, that screams to be heard after years of being choked silent. In this haunted pocket of half-consciousness, there is no possible way of resisting the intrusion of depraved apparitions into one's mind.
Talienda:
A clack of wood on wood is followed by a whip crack of rope drawing taut. The crunch of vertebrae echoes off the walls. A man’s booted feet twitch freakishly as his last breath rasps from his ruined throat in a choking death rattle. You suddenly realize the man is you, and you look down in horror at your own twitching legs. The crowd jeers with delight, throwing rotten produce at you and laughing as life begins to escape your body.
Skurly:
A thin elven woman is hunched over in this dark dreary corridor of cold flagstone, her back to you. Her right hand works feverishly, sawing away at something unseen with a blood-slick shortsword. She laughs and gibbers:
"Show me the way, my dear, you can do it! Use your love to show me out of here. I love you. I love you so much. Don't you love me? Just please show me the way!" With a final wet snap of sinew, blood pools at the elf’s feet and she hefts the gory head of a woman. "Thank you, dear, thank you, thank you! I love you."
The elf throws her belt pouch and her sword on the ground, laughing and crying at the same time as she kisses the cold and sticky lips of the disembodied head. She moves forward, thrusting the head forward like a lantern.
Mylok:
A cloaked figure enters a small attic. A woman with dark features and a beautoful red scarf sits in a rocking chair, swaying as she hums and knits a sweater for a small child. She looks up, an expression of disgust on her face. The figure closes in, its back to you as it advances toward her; the woman's expression slowly changes to defiance and then horror.
Rissi:
You see two women, one elven and the other human. The elf is holding a small metallic object with an ember inside. "Hurry, it's getting colder. I think they're nearby," says the human who holds a shortsword in one hand and a small vial on the other. "This will work, it has to," replies the elf as she opens a tiny bag of cloth with multicoloured beads of resin inside. The human suddenly shouts "Gods have mercy on us, they're here, they're both here! Behind you!" You hear a croak coming from behind the women and a dark shape stirring in the darkness to the right.
Sinésiel:
You are lying down in a bed that is not yours, seeing with eyes that are not yours and hearing from ears that are not yours. The voice of a whimpering man echoes in this bare room: "Sveth, my only friend! Please! Help us! Ten years, she says, ten years. The true murderer must hang! Or everyone else, all of them who condemned us, it doesn't matter. I croak, she screams, she is so angry, injustice, injustice and revenge! She hates that entitled maggot, Sveth, please…the true murderer must hang…the true murderer must…hang…" The voice fades away in a croak. You feel this person crying and nodding, their hands stretched out towards the ceiling.
Talib:
The courtroom buzzes with nervous anticipation. Dozens of eyes, from the crowd behind and the jurors' box across the aisle, focus on you. The expressions range from contempt to pity, but there is no forgiveness in their faces, only a barely concealed hunger for blood. The magistrate slams down his gavel repeatedly and snarls for silence. The murmur of the crowd relents as the stocky magistrate draws up to his full height, smoothing a partially silver beard with one hand as he sets down his gavel.
"Jarbin Mord. For the brutal and savage slaying of your own wife and son, it is the verdict of this jury, with which I concur wholeheartedly, that you shall hang by your neck until dead. May the gods take mercy on your blackened soul, for we won't."
Welcome all! Thank you for your submissions and congratulations =)
I need a few days to make the last preparations for the module, but we should be able to get started soon.
In the meanwhile, feel free to dot in, ask questions, talk amongst yourselves or make any adjustments you deem necessary now that you know who your companions will be.
As you probably understood from the final recruitment thread post, you have been snatched by someone/thing. Rest assured, you will all wake up with your full equipment and no side-effects of your kidnapping. This does mean you won't have the chance to buy anything once we start, so make sure you have finished all your purchases and etc.
One thing you can start doing is setting up your vitals on your profile. I personally like this template: https://pastebin.com/raw/v39rPhFN, but use whatever works for you as long as it has similar info (saves, perception, current HP). Remember to keep them update once things get going.
Amnesia may well be the highest sacrament in the great grey ritual of existence. Absalom, shining jewel of the Inner Sea, has partaken in this activity countless times during its long history, forgetting the crimes and the cruelties enacted within its walls almost as soon as they happened. Today is the ten-year anniversary of one such injustice, one as grievous as it is forgotten; an injustice that started from unreciprocated lust and ended with the cruel and senseless murder of more than one innocent.
A crazy, unbounded screaming rattles an abandoned attic; a hangman's noose, floating mid-air, knots and unties itself repeatedly; a broken-necked croak echoes in the empty gallows. Through a miasma of despair, resentment and malevolence potent enough to sink a whole district, a pair of dark mad sentiences which can neither forget nor forgive stir awake once again.
---
Hello all,
I am going to run an old Paizo module, Hangman's Noose, for 4-6 PCs. Without spoiling too much of the story, the adventurers will find themselves locked in an old building at dusk and will have to survive through the night. There will be elements of horror and mystery, with a lot of opportunities for interaction with the NPCs that are in that building with you, as well as a fair amount of combat.
This will be my second attempt at running a PbP game here. Differently from my first attempt, I am going to set a faster pace -- roleplaying is more than welcome and added flavouring is fabulous, but they will have to happen as we move the action forward.
Character creation crunch:
Starting level: 1;
Ability scores: 20pt-buy;
Classes/archetypes: paizo content only, unchained versions preferred;
Races: core races make the most sense for this story, but I'm open to anything up to and including 15 RP;
Gold: max for your class;
Alignment: any (evil characters will have to convince me of their willingness to work with the group, though);
Traits: 2 traits, no drawbacks;
Guns: emerging;
Extra rules: background skills, Feat tax
Character creation fluff:
Please, write a short description of your character's background, appearance and personality, plus a few words on the intended role you plan your character to have in the group.
There are only two requirements as far as background goes:
1. Your character must be in Absalom when the module starts;
2. Your character must have had a relative who lived in Absalom 10 years ago and is now deceased.
Also, two small requests:
1. I would like to know how many games you're currently playing in the forums. It's not super important, but if more than 6 people apply I'd like to try and include at least one person who's been having a hard time getting into games here;
2. What is your timezone? Very unlikely to have any impact on selection, but it can be good to know when planning when to post.
Deadlines and schedule:
Recruitment deadline: 2018-08-21
Recruitment results (If there are more than 6 submissions): 2018-08-23
Gameplay start: 2018-8-26
Expected game duration: 3 to 4 months
Posting:
Given my desire for fast pacing, it is required you post once a day on weekdays. Please, take that into consideration before submitting.
Of course, things happen, RL comes knocking without warning and etc: in that case, let the group know as soon as you can and we'll deal with it.
Whenever a player does not post, I will simply assume they have not taken any actions, both in combat and exploration.
Whether or not we post on weekends is a decision I'd like to make together with the group once recruitment is done.
Maps:
We will use google slides for exploration/tactical maps.
Progression/future:
You will start the module on level 1 and should advance to level 3 if the mission is successfully completed.
As it stands, I am committed to finishing this module. Once we are done, we can see if we are all interested in continuing playing, but given how often games peter out, I'd rather not make a promise I don't know if I can keep.
Etiquette:
I wish this went without saying, but past experiences made it clear it's needed. Be polite with your fellow players and keep conflict IC. There is no lenience here: if you disrespect someone and fail to apologise after being made aware of it, you might be asked to leave.
Trigger warning:
The story mentions sexual assault. It does not go into any detail, but the subject is alluded to in a couple of places.
Also (no relation with the previous item): this is an adventure with clear horror themes, so expect some graphic imagery.
Credits:
The first sentence of the intro is a rip-off from a Thomas Ligotti short story called A soft voice whispers nothing.
Ok, I think that's all. Let me know if I missed anything and feel free to ask any questions, either on the thread or with a PM.
I'm wondering if there would be enough interest in playing paizo's Hangman's Noose module. For those not familiar, it's a horror-themed adventure from quite a few years back. Players wake up locked up in an abandoned building together with a few NPCs and basically need to survive the night.
It would take 4-6 PCs from level 1 to 3 (if they survive and solve the main mystery surrounding the building), last between 3-4 months and hopefully offer a good mix between roleplay, exploration and combat.
I'm almost done with all the preparations, so this thread gets enough traction I will start recruitment next week.
The whole village sat still. Tall trees hung over all present, heavy with the ripened fruit that was the source of the sweet yet vaguely savoury smell that permeated the village and the whole region known as the Embrace.
People looked nervously at the parriarch, waiting for the village leader's pronouncement. The genderless, veiled figure stared at the crystal pit – a bottomless hole filled with a shiny viscous pink liquid. With transfixed eyes, they muttered incomprehensible, half-formed words and their veil was illuminated by the pit's purple-tinted light. In reply to the parriarch whispers, it emitted a buzzing not unlike a swarm of glass mosquitoes whose beating wings were words which always barely escaped intelligibility.
Suddenly, drums broke out in a frenetic rhythm.
"I have heard the Heart!" The parriarch's thin voice echoed. "It told me a new Beast is arisen." Cries and lamentations broke out immediately.
"But the Heart has a soft soul full of kindness and wisdom! It has asked for three hunters to enter it tonight, seek its centre and purify the Beast they find within; if these brave souls accomplish their task, we shall be forgiven. Yes, we shall be forgiven and saved, my children!" Shouts and ululations of joy ensued; once they faded away, the parriarch continued. "The Heart said only these three people are allowed to enter it tonight. It will be a dangerous and unfair task, but the law of the Heart is our law and our law is holy."
The parriarch's helpers lit pieces of fruit on fire and began walking around the villagers, who all hummed the same melody and marked the rhythm by shuffling their feet on the humid dirt. The robed figure walked amongst the people and then stopped and bowed in front of the first hunter chosen by the Embrace.
Extremely important: since we will be on a fixed-time game, everyone needs to commit to at least one post per day.
I'll leave this recruitment up for at least a week, possibly two. If you need more time, let me know, I won't be too strict on this before we start the actual gameplay.
After that, we'll have about a week to finalise everything and decide on game aspects.
Setting:
* Game is set in a circular valley known as the Embrace;
* People who live there mainly eat the fruit that grows on the strange trees that exist only within the Embrace;
* At the centre of the valley lies the region known as the Heart;
* Villagers are concerned with the news a Beast is in the Heart;
* The nature of this Beast is completely unknown;
* The leader of those who live in the valley is a veiled and robed figure known as the parriarch, who has never been seen uncovered by anyone;
* Though people are at a fairly primitive point of technological development, they are surrounded by remains of countless and much more advanced civilisations;
* The relationship with these remains is a mix between awe and fear;
* Is this shiny pebble going to disintegrate every human being in a 20km radius if we handle it the wrong way? Who knows! Should we call it a god, put it on the central square and pray to it? Absolutely.
These are pretty much set in stone. Everything else is yours to define: have there been other beasts in the past, what the village/trees/people look like, how many inhabitants, society, what people believe the Beast is/will do to them, etc.
Fate Rules:
Mechanically speaking, we will focus on overcome and create advantage skill rolls, plus challenges, turning contests and conflicts into simple overcome rolls.
Stress is out, but we will keep consequences as a damage indicator (say, if you fall off a chasm or something).
At the beginning of each scene I will post generic difficulty levels for possible actions. For example, in a scene with a dragon and a cliff, I might list the dragon as +5 and the cliff as a +2; thus charming, attacking or getting information from the dragon are all difficult +5 actions. The same procedure would count for the cliff, though charming it might be a bit harder to explain. This way, when you roll you already have what's necessary to resolve the action, whether you failed, succeeded with minor/major consequences, etc.
Character creation:
Not many limitations here, but you do need to be able to pass as a human in public situations (disguises, shapeshifting, etc are all valid).
For first-timers, the Fate SRD is here: https://fate-srd.com/fate-core/character-creation
### Aspects
1. the main idea behind your character (aka the high concept). Examples: the village sage, the visitor from the desert;
2. something that your character struggles with (aka the trouble). Examples: hearing voices, being covered in sores;
3. the logic behind the Embrace's decision is unfathomable, but your characters believe they know why they were chosen (similar to phase trio #1). Examples: I am an amoeboid being disguised as a human, I have literally just arrived and these people want to kill the foreigner, I have dreams about the future;
4. a piece of unique equipment your character has. Equipment here can be understood in a fairly general sense. Examples: a collar with 153 gods/ancient devices, a collection of alchemical vials, a mutating arm;
5. free aspect to further compose your character. You can delay taking it until we're further into the story.
For the sake of simplicity let's just start with +4 and +3 skills, plus one or two stunts. We can fill the remaining slots as we go, when and if necessary.
I am perfectly fine with taking very liberal interpretations of skills. Say, using rapport to convince a machine/animal/plant/particularly intelligent stone to do something, contacts to go all disney princess on something, etc.
### Background
Also a paragraph or two describing the character and relevant background bits.
Due to unpleasant past experiences I also want to emphasise that I do require people to be polite and respectful towards each other at all times (when OOC, of course) and will be very strict about it. You'd think this would go without saying, but, alas.
TL;DR
Is anyone interested in a quick Fate Core session? Something along the lines of a slightly grittier numenera setting, but following Fate rules.
------------------------
The idea behind this is to do a quick and simple narrative-focussed scenario.
## Time commitment
The scenario would last precisely 30 days, plus a week or so to reach an agreement regarding game aspects and etc. My goal with this is to avoid the sad experiences I've had with nice campaigns losing momentum after a certain time due to RL and dwindling interest. I also think it might be nice to be in a session where the time investment is a known quantity.
My aim would be to have 3 players for this scenario. We would all post at least once per day during the 30-day run.
## Setting
The setting, as mentioned on the tl;dr, would be inspired on the idea behind Numenera but with a Samuel R. Delany vibe. Thus, primitive people unknowingly living amongst the remains of countless civilisations, though in this case I picture the characters being much more scared of and weirded out by the world that surrounds them. A bare minimum of lore for the introduction and the beginning of the adventure aside, we would make the specifics as we go along.
## Rules
We would use Fate as a basis, but most likely focus on passive opposition and Challenges and avoid Conflicts and Contests in order to cut back on too much back and forth.
Combat, if it happens, would either be a Challenge or a simple overcome, depending on how dramatic the situation is.
## Disclaimer
This would be my first time playing Fate and my second time GMing a PbP game (though I have GMed plenty of offline games in the past).
Happy to hear any suggestions and thoughts you might want to share about this idea.
The Sapphire Sage walks towards the group and welcomes them personally with a hug followed by a kiss on each cheek: ”Lord Wyllt, what a pleasure to finally meet you. Nenet spoke so highly of you and yet I believe she has barely made you justice. I trust you had a pleasant journey? Ms. Altaw’am, pleased to meet you after Madam Miri’s recommendation of your skills, although she certainly forgot to mention how graceful you are. Badhru, sir, I know you have a package for me, but that can wait for now, please, humour this old man. Unas-Ankh, my friend, how nice to see you again! And you, lovely Ms. Khonsu! You can be at ease, my dear, you are amongst friends here. Please, take a seat by our lovely messenger, recently arrived from Eto and before then all the way from the Expanses.”
After each greeting, he gestures towards a cushion on the ground. "Please, I beg of you, make yourselves comfortable! It is such a pleasure to have so esteemed and young company in my humble residence. I am so terribly sorry for summoning you on such short notice. And you came to my aid anyhow! I am not worthy, the gods are too kind to me!"
After everyone has acclimatised themselves, he begins to personally pour saffron tea to each one of his guests: "now, as you might know, I am the sole known member of an ancient Osirian order, the Jewelled Sages; all other members have not been heard of for quite a few centuries. Though it has long been my desire to look for them, I could do little as an advisor to the Ruby Prince Khemet – too many eyes, too many responsibilities, so little time." He finishes pouring the tea and sits down before continuing. "The situation has…changed now and thus not only I have the time for seeking out my colleagues, but have also found my first lead significant lead in years. Shu-kri here has brought me a letter from an information broker implying he might know the whereabouts of the Diamond Sage. Alas, I cannot go to meet him in person as I still have matters to oversee in Sothis and he is currently stationed in Eto, which has thus left me in need of your generous assistance.” He stops speaking and looks at each person around the table, lingering on each for a few long seconds. Though the silence is not exactly pleasant, no one can bring him or herself to utter a word.
As if on cue, you hear the matron’s bell ringing in the distance. The sage claps his hands in celebration and nods at Nenet. “Perfect timing! The matron might forget many things, but whenever it’s related to food, she’s impeccable. We will be joining the others once we have finished our business, effendis, but that’s no excuse for skipping molokhiya.” Nenet walks to the stove, brings the pot and places it on the ground at her side, where there are 8 small bowls. She begins to serve a green, slimy liquid inside the bowls. The bitter smell of molokhiya combines with the saffron lingering on the air to form a pungent yet pleasant perfume.
Hello all! Thanks again for taking part in this adventure. I am very excited (and a bit scared) about GMing for you and can promise I will do my best to make this a fun and interesting game.
As you know, this will be my first time GMing a PbP and the first time GMing something in over a year. Adding to that, I simply could not leave any of you out and decided to go with 6 party members (instead of 4 as I initially had in mind), which requires me to rebalance some of the encounters I had planned. So I will probably make (quite) a few mistakes along the way. I thank you for the patience in advance and am happy whenever you (politely) point it out.
I will also try to be very open to any sort of feedback you might have, so let me know if things seem too slow/fast, too silly, too deus ex-machina, etc.
But enough about the GM. Here are some things to discuss before I open the gameplay thread:
* I have updated the campaign info with general instructions on how I intend to run the game. Nothing unusual there, I believe, but try to take a quick look and ask me anything that is unclear;
* Also in the campaign info tab there are two things I need on your sheets besides crunch and background: vitals and botting instructions;
* I’d recommend you decide early on how to deal with loot (division, tracking, who’s responsible for updating it, etc). Let me know if you want me to add a link to a tracking document to the campaign links (together with the XP tracker and maps);
* We need to decide how we want to approach posting on weekends. I guess it would be nice to have at least a post for saturday/sunday, but I prefer we do something we can all reliably commit to instead;
* I understand you might want to review aspects of your build now that you know who you will be playing with. You are free to tweak your character until you leave the Sage’s residence (when that will happen depends on how long we take with the audience and the feast).
It is late afternoon in Sothis and you are walking through the Malhitu Bazaar, on your way to the residence of the Sapphire Sage Amenopheus. The messenger had come to you just two hours ago, breathless and with no more information than “Master Amenopheus sends for you, effendi. The sage would be honoured to have an audience with you at his residence by the time the fourth door of the bazaar closes.” It did not matter how well you knew the sage: one cannot simply ignore a request from a former advisor to the Ruby Prince himself. You press forward, walking among stalls and tents of every manner of artisan and merchant, taking in smells, sights and sounds: cinnamon and dried fish, haggling merchants, raw beef and saffron, a man advertising slaves, hibiscus and cured leather. A few minutes later you exit the market. The Black Dome looms behind you as you enter a gated garden.
The lingering sensorial tempest of the bazaar clashes with this lush, humid and peaceful corner – almost unnerving in how it is simultaneously foreign and Osirian. You stop to enjoy the palm trees, daffodils and trilling wheatears, until a servant stumbles out of the two-storied villa at the end of the garden. His surprise at seeing you is soon replaced by a deferential bow: ”A thousand welcomes to you, most honoured guest. Please, go in; the matron and the others await.” After another bow, he leaves the garden.
Inside, you are welcomed by the unexpected sight of more than a dozen people, some standing and some sitting on cushions. All are nibbling on fruit and wine while looking either confused and annoyed. Close to the room’s exit, a plump, olive-skinned woman in her late thirties – certainly beautiful when not hissing like an exasperated harpy – gives orders to servants in an angry and deep voice. Other people enter the room, but your attention turns to two whispering men nearby.
One, dressed in blue, complains. “Had I known the sage was so impolite, I’d have sent my stablehand and a donkey in my place.” The other, garbed in white silk looks at him leans closer. “Do you know why he sent for us? I heard it’s related to a request from the Ruler of Rulers!” The one in blue scoffs. “My friend, your ideas are more absurd than a lamia mating with a scorpion…my hunch is that it relates to an unopened letter with the seal of a burning torch,” the one in red replies with a knowing grin. “The Torch? Surely you jest? The Sage would never have anything to do with the likes of that backstabbing baboon with boiled meat for skin! No matter what information that viper might have, the price is too high—“ Your eavesdropping is interrupted by the ringing of a bell.
The matron, barely hiding her fury, puts the bell away and clears her throat. “My most honoured guests, I am terribly sorry for this…confusion. The messengers were given the wrong list of names and summoned far more people than they should. As the matron of the house I am not worthy of eating the dirt beneath your feet. I prostrate myself and beg your forgiveness,” she says, still very much standing. A servant girl gives the matron a ceramic tablet. “But of course the Sapphire Sage is generous and apologetic. We would be humbled by your generosity if you joined tonight’s feast, to begin very shortly.” She looks at the tablet and back at the crowd, searching. “Now, please come with me, my illustrious guests.” she continues shortly before reading the names written on the tablet aloud.
General:
Thanks for giving this a chance. As I mentioned in the interest check thread, I want to give PbP DM a try. More specifically, I want to see how it is to have a “table” where we can invest time in creating interesting stories together.
My proposal is to start with something based on Destiny of the Sands, Part 1: A Bitter Bargain and see where that leads us. The story is set in Osirion, where you will be helping a sage in securing information regarding other members of his order. I say “based on” because I don’t plan on following it very precisely, but feel a bit reassured in having a main plot line to fall back on and some of the crunchy bits balanced out for me.
## Expectations
* At least one post/day during weekdays – weekends to be agreed upon by the whole group once we get started;
* My main focus is roleplay, so I expect posts to go further than dice rolls. As in, please no “I swing my sword 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12” posts.
Let me know if I have missed anything (which I probably have). Also, feel free to post/PM me any doubts/ideas/etc you might have.
Character creation guidelines:
I am very liberal when it comes to this. The two main things to have in mind is that: 1) I want interesting characters, not perfect builds; 2) I trust you to make decisions that you believe will be fun for everyone.
## Crunch
1) 20 Point Buy;
2) Max HP at 1st level;
3) Classes/Archetypes: all paizo sources allowed (though some are obviously a bit of a hard sell on an Osirian setting, like ninjas and samurais);
4) Races: core/standard races (1-10RP);
5) Alignment: any non-evil;
6) Strongly biased against 3PP, but I can be convinced otherwise for relatively minor things (like a witch’s patron or an oracle’s curse);
7) 2 traits, no drawbacks. As far as campaign traits go, I’m willing to consider anything you propose as long as you can hook it back to the setting (for example, Legacy of Fire’s Earning your Freedom depends on a specific deal to liberate a village in Katapesh in exchange for your freedom; I’d be ok with you choosing that trait if you replaced said deal with something that directly hooked into the adventure). No [whatever] of the Society, though;
8) Background skills.
## Fluff
* Background: besides the basics (birthplace, relations, important events/people in their lives), you might want to cover this: How/why did they come to Osirion? What are their connections to this land? Who do they know (besides the sage)? Feel free to build up on my intro;
* Appearance: so I know how to describe you when needed;
* Personality: so we can get an idea of how you usually react to things/people/situations;
I was wondering if there would be interest in a short, roleplay-heavy adventure by a first-time PbP GM.
My idea is to start with something small like one of Paizo’s scenarios. Ideally, if we are all having fun – and I haven’t completely failed at being a PbP GM – we would continue after that, but I’d rather commit to something I’m sure I can finish before promising a full-blown homebrew campaign in a custom-made world with lore so deep you’ll fall asleep after the second page of the “required reading” list.
About the game
My initial idea would be to run a very loose “Destiny of the Sands, part 1.” By loose I mean that I would use the scenario as a main plot line, but would rather be flexible with the specifics. As corny as it may sound, my main interest is telling an interesting story together with other people and within the constraints of Pathfinder; if the story we end up telling is radically different from the original source, so be it. The scenario is there to give me a good backup plan in case I go a bit too much over my head (also, it’s easier to improvise when there with a few pre-generated monsters and npcs). It goes without saying this won’t be PFS.
I haven’t completely decided on the specifics of player requirements and such, but right now I’m thinking of going with anything published by paizo. As long as I can be convinced the concept makes narrative sense and is not a total minmax fest, I’ll probably be cool with it. If there’s interest, I’ll put up a proper recruitment thread next weekend (so, around 2018/04/07).
About myself
Though I have started playing RPGs some 20 years ago (original D&D!), it’s been an on and off thing, with long periods of both being completely away from them and very much immersed in them. More recently I started participating in PbP, but was forced to take yet another extended break due to the dreaded RL (mostly to finish my MA) This would be my first attempt at GMing a PbP, which is one of the reasons I want to start with something small, not too complex and that I’m sure I can finish (provided there are interested players).
How does all that sound? Happy to hear any feedback you might have (and of course, any demonstration of interest in doing this).
