I've got the itch to DM again, but the co-DM of my group is running us through Rise of the Runelords at the moment. I've also been dusting off a homebrew campaign of mine and reviving it with Pathfinder goodness. I figured I'd make use of the forums here to run a game. So here's the deal:
1)I'm a 29 year D&D veteran, DM for about 27 of those years. However, this is my first pbp attempt. So, if any players have suggestions to better expedite the experience in this format, feel free to provide suggestions.
2)I'd like a party consisting of 4-6 relatively experienced role-players. Pathfinder Beta rules will be used, until such time as the official rules are released. Characters will be built using the epic fantasy (25 points) point buy. Special rules regarding races and classes will be used, as explained in the gazetteer. Character concepts and backgrounds are encouraged, and I'll gladly help make them fit into the scenario with additional background information. Right now, acceptable races and classes are different as standard as follows:
Standard Classes: Barbarians won't be used; clerics will have differences depending on whether they are followers of the "true" god Baal, or one of the pagan religions; paladins will require a different type of roleplay from the standard, as they will be rebels and outlaws; all wizards are specialists and to start they will likely be limited to Warders (abjuration), Seers (divination), and Vision-makers (illusion).
Races: Common: Dwarves, gnomes, halflings, humans. Uncommon: Half-elves. Rare: Elves, half-orcs. Non-standard races allowed: Plane-touched (aasimar, genasi, tieflings, etc.) Bear in mind that among the suspicious and paranoid people of the Iron Marches, those that are different are often feared...
3)The Wounded Earth is the brainchild of myself and a longtime friend. He should be emailing me a document that contains a gazetteer for the area I'll be running the game in, but here's a general overview for those that might be interested:
The Wounded Earth is a world suffering from the aftermath of an epic catastrophe. Much of the world contains strange phenomena caused by the apocalypse: a section of the ocean boils; a huge portion of the southern continent is a great, stinking morass; a massive glacier cuts through the mountains of the north, breaking up in an icy, inland sea; across the ocean to the south is a malign forest where the trees are said to devour trespassers, and they bleed when struck...
The exact details of the catastrophe aren't known to many, beyond what is written in the sacred book of Baal, the Iron Father. It is known that a massive influx of fiends was the catalyst. In order to save the world from destruction, Baal brought down the Interdiction, which closed the world off from incursion from the fiendish realms. Those already here were trapped, and are systematically hunted and destroyed by those loyal to Baal.
The campaign takes place in the Iron Marches, an area ruled by the dwarves. Their jarls rule individual areas of mountains and valleys. Humans are in thrall to the dwarves who protect these wards in the name of the great god Baal. Baal is the one true god; all others are malign influences whose power has been stamped out in the Marches. The dwarves patrol regularly, their warriors keeping their demesne safe from monsters out of the wilds, marauding humanoid bands, demonic and fey influences and others that may harm the inhabitants. Sorcery is considered the product of bloodlines polluted by fiendish influence. Its spontaneous and uncontrolled nature makes it something to be feared.
Wizards are mostly known and respected, mainly because their powers are constrained by arcane study. Since the Interdiction, summoning magics that bring things of fiendish nature from the realms beyond no longer function. In fact, such magic and their practitioners were scourged from existence by Baal's inquisitors. Conjuration magics draw unwanted attention. Most wizards specialize in magic which helps the community, such as abjuration, divination, and illusion.
Humans are a subjugated race. They are limited in their ownership of property and their use of weapons and armor, under the watchful eyes of their dwarven lords. Elves are things of suspicion and mystery, lurking in their forest realms south of the mountains, though occasionally they find opportunity to dally with humans that catch their fancy, or wander too far from the Marches. Gnomes and halflings eke out a living in scattered settlements, or live with the dwarves or humans, respectively.
So that's about it. If you'd be interested, let me know. I'll try and get things together and have the party complete and ready to play ASAP.
Looks interesting, I like the idea of an outlaw paladin. when you mentioned the gazetteer, do you mean the Paizo one or the one your friend has? Count me in.
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This sounds like a great game and I'd be very interested to join in.
I would most likely be interested in playing a human paladin(being hunted and looked down upon while trying to keep up your morals sounds like a lot of fun, kind of a jedi in the troubled times thing). If the team has a need for it, I'd also love to play an illusionist. Probably a gnome, but that would be more up in the air until I read the gazateer and such.
I can give a bit of a resume for myself if you'd like one, or answer any questions you might have about me. Either way, I just wanted to put my name in the hat.
Edit: Ninja! Unless there is some idea for a group of outlaw paladins, I would probably lean towards my Illusionist idea then.
Looks interesting, I like the idea of an outlaw paladin. when you mentioned the gazetteer, do you mean the Paizo one or the one your friend has? Count me in.
The gazetteer is one my friend wrote up. He should still have it on file and is supposed to email it to me in the next day or so. I'll add in any pertinent changes or needed new information before I post it. He managed to get some great flavor text in there that gives the feel of the Iron Marches area.
This sounds like a great game and I'd be very interested to join in.
I would most likely be interested in playing a human paladin(being hunted and looked down upon while trying to keep up your morals sounds like a lot of fun, kind of a jedi in the troubled times thing). If the team has a need for it, I'd also love to play an illusionist. Probably a gnome, but that would be more up in the air until I read the gazateer and such.
I can give a bit of a resume for myself if you'd like one, or answer any questions you might have about me. Either way, I just wanted to put my name in the hat.
I'm not looking for anything in the way of a resume (I save that for my in-home games...). I'm just interested in character design, so I'll consider you both on the player list. Once I get the necessary racial and character info up we can get to it. Any backstory you want to bring in can probably be fit in well enough, so long as it goes with the campaign setting. (For example, a human noble wouldn't work, but a dwarven one would be fine.)
The Jedi comparison to the paladins is an apt one. They're part of a secret society known as the Hand of Jorin, a group dedicated to the restoration of human sovereignty.
hi!
i would be interested!
not sure what i would want to play yet
(we could all be paladins! i know! bad party balance!)
Rav
Hi, Raven. You'll make party member number three. Yes, bad party balance, but workable. I've never had a party where all the members were the same alignment before.
Another option would be to have a more balanced party, but have you all affiliated with the Hand of Jorin. That would make for a fairly focused group with similar beliefs and goals.
True to his nature, my friend has misplaced the gazetteer. It's likely burned onto a CD somewhere. I'm going to look around today for a hardcopy and transcribe it if I find one. Otherwise, I'll just post stuff as I go.
When I originally started this campaign, I had the strange idea that aarakocra would be a fine race to allow PCs to use. Boy, was I wrong...so terribly, terribly wrong.
This sounds like fun. I wouldn't mind playing a paladin, or a paladin/sorcerer. Or just a sorcerer who dreams of being a paladin but is too physically weak to pull it off.
I'd love to play - perhaps maybe a cleric, sorcerer, bard, or wizard. Halfling most likely for all three classes. This setting sounds really, really interesting! :D
Cool, So are paladins still lawful good kinda figured they would need to be chaotic to go against the rule of law, unless of course the law was and is unjust?
Greetings,
If it's not too late, might I throw my hat into the ring? I've been working on a particular character for a while now, and would like to see if I could find a group to play her in. She's a bardic warrior, whose overall advancement I've loosely planned from the Pathfinder Beta, the Complete Arcane, and the Fiendish Codex, with some spells from the Spell Compendium. You mentioned that tieflings were allowed; are fey'ri? (I realize their ECL might be too high.) Of course, given the direction of the other characters being proposed, I can see why a character who combines elven, demonic, fey, and sorcerous influences might be alarming! If that's too weird, I'll withdraw with best wishes for your campaign. Sounds like fun!
-Q.
This sounds like fun. I wouldn't mind playing a paladin, or a paladin/sorcerer. Or just a sorcerer who dreams of being a paladin but is too physically weak to pull it off.
I'd love to play - perhaps maybe a cleric, sorcerer, bard, or wizard. Halfling most likely for all three classes. This setting sounds really, really interesting! :D
Black Tom, Dave, good to have you on board.
Heh. Hiya Shadowborn. I would be very interested in this as well. How does a kobold rogue trying to see the light sound?
Sounds like he'd be shot on sight before ever making his intentions known. As much as I love oddball characters (in the first 3.0 game I ran one of my players had a kobold paladin) this isn't the setting to showcase them in. Paranoia and distrust are the watchwords here. To the folk of the Iron Marches, monster races are just that: monsters. No leeway, no second-guessing, just attacks or fleeing while calling for the watch.
I'm happy to have you on board if you can come up with a character concept for the approved races I've posted above.
Greetings,
If it's not too late, might I throw my hat into the ring? I've been working on a particular character for a while now, and would like to see if I could find a group to play her in. She's a bardic warrior, whose overall advancement I've loosely planned from the Pathfinder Beta, the Complete Arcane, and the Fiendish Codex, with some spells from the Spell Compendium. You mentioned that tieflings were allowed; are fey'ri? (I realize their ECL might be too high.) Of course, given the direction of the other characters being proposed, I can see why a character who combines elven, demonic, fey, and sorcerous influences might be alarming! If that's too weird, I'll withdraw with best wishes for your campaign. Sounds like fun!
-Q.
Sounds like an interesting character concept. However, yes, the ECL is definitely a factor. With Pathfinder, I'm fairly certain that I can get away with no level adjustment for aasimar, tieflings, and the genasi. However, this character would fall under the "kill on sight" category of monster. Also, in the grand scheme of the entire campaign world (and unknown to the isolated Iron Marches) the fey'ri have a presence on the Wounded Earth. That's all I can say, because it's simply spoilerific.
Sorry it won't work; I'm sure you'll be able to find a game she'll fit into with a little legwork (eyework) on the boards.
Cool, So are paladins still lawful good kinda figured they would need to be chaotic to go against the rule of law, unless of course the law was and is unjust?
Now you're catching on...
I'm trying to work up a generic background so that I can flesh it out with details once more about the world is known. Is there anything special about gnomes I should know?
And how are characters being built? 1st level I'm guessing. Point buy at what value? Standard starting gold?
Point buy was covered under my second point in the original post: epic fantasy (25pts). Gold will be covered later. Given the social strata, some races are going to be limited on available funds and starting gear, where others may have a bit of a bonus. I'll try to have all the needed info posted later today so that people can get as much done as possible.
Lessee...I'll need to first cover paladins, clerics, wizards, and sorcerers...halflings and gnomes...
Success! Here's some flavor for you:
“Baal preserved us, passing to us—through His might—the Divine right to rule.”
Through Baal’s cunning and strength, the Dwarven people survived the great wounding visited upon this Earth. They emerged from their subterranean strongholds to carve a great kingdom from the northern mountains. So the Iron Marches were formed.
“The land was forged, hammer to anvil, and the gifts of Baal were hidden within His creation.”
The Iron Marches are a vast expanse of mountains that encompass approximately 300 square miles. The region is riddled with valleys and lowland rivers that provide fertile land well-suited for growing wheat and other grains. The slopes of the vast mountains are well forested. Boar, deer, game birds, and other wild game are abundant, as are bears, eagles, and great hunting cats. The latter can be a danger to the sheep and stout highland cattle that free range on the slopes. The mountains themselves hide great veins of metal ore and gemstones.
“The will of Baal is the hammer of his faithful and they shall reap the rewards and riches of His creation.”
The Iron Marches are the ancestral homeland of the Dwarves. They live deep below the earth in fastnesses carved from the living rock. These fastnesses and Baal’s cunning allowed the Dwarves to survive the Wounding with little effect upon their communities. The humans that lived upon the surface did not fare as well. Baal led the dwarves to the surface and bestowed upon them the protectorship of the human race. As such, the Dwarves rule with benefice over their human charges, providing for them the word of Baal and the chance to get as close to the true god as a non-dwarf can be allowed. The Dwarves rule as Jarls and feudal Thanes over the humans, who till the land and herd sheep and cows. This is the will of Baal.
“And He shall bid His faithful: ‘Destroy the blasphemer, and put to the flame he who opposes My word.’”
The word of Baal is law. Outsiders are not to be trusted. The Dwarven regulars are called upon at times by the Jarl Moot to defend the Iron Marches from incursions by the Narok, barbarians from the Plain of Moving Ice to the northwest. Likewise, they patrol the border along the Dreaming Vales and the Everhaunt, mysterious and wild forests, to keep the taint of the fey from their lands. The Inquisitors conscript those humans that give themselves to Baal. This is the hand of Baal; ever vigilant, they ferret out blasphemers who follow dark fiends and wish to harm human and dwarf alike. The fires of the Inquisition will cleanse the Iron Marches of any infection that comes from the Sinking Lands to the South and of the taint of the fey-folk that dwell to the South and East. The Inquisition will embrace those who show no sin and no corruption, bringing them to swear fealty before the Jarl Moot.
And now some crunch:
Standard Races: At this point, no changes to the rules. Use the racial profiles provided in the Beta. Flavor-wise, halflings can be either sedentary or wanderers. Gnomes, despite their connection to the fey, are not distrusted or despised, due to long relations with the dwarves that extend back before the Wounding.
Standard Classes:
Clerics of Baal: The Voice of Baal (Ex): All clerics of Baal gain a +2 competence bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks. Intimidate is considered a class skill for clerics of Baal.
"Pagan" Clerics: Bluff, Disguise, and Stealth are considered class skills.
Paladins: Bluff, Disguise, and Stealth are considered class skills. Ironically, many of the human paladins in the Iron Marches revere Baal. They point to their granted abilities as proof of Baal's favor.
Wizards: As stated, there are no universal wizards; all are specialists, trained according to a distinctive teaching methodology. Warders (abjurers), Seers (diviners), and Visionmakers (illusionists) are accepted members of society in the Iron Marches and readily accepted in human villages. Dwarven Shapers (transmuters) are fairly common, and occasionally a loyal human who shows ability is taught the ways of this school. Necromancers are universally shunned, enchanters are looked upon as subversive, and Conjurers are unheard of.
Conjuration spells: Work as normal, unless it is a Summon Monster spell. Summon Monster spells will not be immediately available at the start of the campaign, due to their rarity. This portion of the art has been systematically wiped out by Baal's followers. Anyone seen utilizing such summoning spells is under immediate suspicion. Due to the Interdiction, evil outsiders cannot be summoned by these spells, unless the caster learns proper modifications that will allow him to summon a specific evil outsider already present on this plane. This requires access to the being's true name, among other things.
Some house rules to be aware of:
Weapon sizes: I find the rules as written to stretch my suspension of disbelief beyond its limits. A "small longspear," being smaller than a "medium longspear" should not be able to grant reach to a creature of Small size. A tiny warhammer amounts to nothing more than a sling bullet on the end of a pencil. Face it, a small greatsword isn't all that great. Therefore, I simply rule that light weapons can be wielded one-handed by small characters. One-handed weapons require two hands. It simplifies things and doesn't warp reality for the sake of "game balance."
Squeezing rules: The generic application of squeezing rules is just silly. I've seen horses move down a five foot wide avenue without having to slow to half speed. They can even canter with no problems. Squeezing rules will only apply when specifically indicated by me.
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Hmm. A gnome illusionist still sounds like a lot of fun, but with that as the backstory I am starting to lean towards a human rogue, especially if we have someone who is thinking to go sorc.
It sounds great having a rogue who, rather then being the classic thief or dungeon crawler is more of a Robin Hood type, wanting to help defend against what he sees as tyranny where he can. Not necessarily trying to overthrow all dwarven rule(that would obviously be disruptive and get him killed quick), but to try and defend those who are downtrodden. In this world that sounds like its often humans.
He'll probably be a bit of a dexterous fighter and more of a smooth talker.
After some thought I've chosen to go with a Halfling Seer, a caster with specialization in divination. When more information on either wizards or halflings is posted, I'll report on a concept. =]
Oh yeah...
Hit Points:I'll be using the racial hp rules from the Beta.
Weapons and Armor:Given the situations in the Iron Marches, there are restrictions on available weapons and armor available, at least at the start of the campaign. Dwarves, being the lords and masters of the Marches, have no restrictions. Humans and halflings are limited in what they can wear and wield. Unless a human (or halfling) is specifically under the authority of the dwarves and specifically given armor and weapons to wield (i.e. as a conscripted member of a patrol or militia), they are limited to those things that serve a dual purpose, such as a farming implement, or a weapon that can be used for hunting. Weapons that are easily concealed are also available. Limitations to starting equipment are as follows:
Armor: Heavy armor is restricted to dwarves only. Gnomes have normal access to all light and medium armors. Halflings and humans may purchase padded, leather, studded leather, or hide. Scale or breastplates can be had if a character background would give the PC specific access to such materials (i.e. a fighter in the village militia, or a blacksmith's daughter).
Weapons: Again, dwarven access is unlimited. Gnome access is unlimited. Humans and halflings have access to the following:
Simple melee weapons: Dagger, punch dagger, light mace, heavy mace, sickle, morningstar, quarterstaff, shortspear, spear
Simple ranged weapons: dart, sling, javelin
Martial melee weapons: Throwing axe, light hammer, handaxe, light pick, sap, light flail, heavy pick, trident, warhammer, heavy flail, glaive, guisarme, greatclub, ranseur, scythe
Martial ranged weapons: shortbow, longbow
Exotic weapons: bolas, halfling skiprocks, hand crossbow, shuriken, net, whip.
Hmm. A gnome illusionist still sounds like a lot of fun, but with that as the backstory I am starting to lean towards a human rogue, especially if we have someone who is thinking to go sorc.
It sounds great having a rogue who, rather then being the classic thief or dungeon crawler is more of a Robin Hood type, wanting to help defend against what he sees as tyranny where he can. Not necessarily trying to overthrow all dwarven rule(that would obviously be disruptive and get him killed quick), but to try and defend those who are downtrodden. In this world that sounds like its often humans.
He'll probably be a bit of a dexterous fighter and more of a smooth talker.
Either one will work just fine. The rogue freedom fighter has definite possibilities. Once I have an idea of individual concepts we can work on developing links between PCs, so we can start with a cohesive unit of 1st level characters and not just go with "You're all hanging out at the local tavern when an old, bearded man walks in..."
After some thought I've chosen to go with a Halfling Seer, a caster with specialization in divination. When more information on either wizards or halflings is posted, I'll report on a concept. =]
Like I said, halflings go by the standard write-up in the PF Beta. In the Iron Marches they're under similar conditions as humans, but with a bit more freedom due to the fact that they aren't as rebellious, nor as apt to dabble in unlawful magics or beliefs (at least visibly).
A seer's abilities to detect hidden and unseen dangers, and sometimes bestow those gifts to others, are considered to be a great boon to citizens of the Marches. There is usually at least one Seer and one Warder living in any sizeable settlement. The Seer school is not so much a school as it is a tradition handed down from individual practitioner to apprentice, often within a particular family line.
I'll be starting the group off in the village of Three Oaks, where the local Seer is a halfling by the name of Zachary Steadwatch. He is also the village Speaker (mayor/headman), which is a rarity in a predominantly human settlement.
Any other particulars you'd like to know?
The "Introduction to the Iron Marches" was part of it, as were the weapon lists. I managed to scrape up a hard copy and just transcribed it, editing what I needed to. The rest of the introduction had a lot of stuff that was for the 3.0 edition and wasn't necessary (Including the stuff about using the aarakocra as a race... *shudder*). I even dug up my rough map of the Wounded Earth. Dave had actually crafted a wall-sized poster map, but that was ruined in an unfortunate accident. I'll see about scanning the map to give you an idea of the layout. This will be metagame knowledge mostly, as the majority of Iron March residents aren't privy to the actual layout of the world, knowing most things through hearsay.
Most of the spoilers are contained in our combined DM notes, so they're safe from unintended player discovery.
Sounds good. I'll be posting basics on the nine major gods of the campaign, and brief notes on lesser deities and "small gods," which are something else entirely.
ok I will play a human paladin
part of this order who want to restore human sovereignty (what exactly are their aims and practices, obviously we dont go and slaughter every dwarf we meet!!)Rav
In the whole of the Marches, humans outnumber dwarves by a ratio of 6 to 1, though individual populations may vary. However, dwarves have a power advantage due to superior weaponry, armor, and of course the temples of Baal and the inquisitors--a specific order used to investigate cases of illegal magical and fiendish activity--so direct confrontation is doomed to failure.
The Hand of Jorin work behind the scenes, using covert and guerrilla tactics to undermine the dwarven power base and ready the population for an eventual uprising. They raid dwarven supply caravans, disrupting trade and gaining resources. They search the area for old ruins and abandoned outposts from which to gain resources and information. Close tabs are kept on the political situation of the Iron Marches, watching who the Jarls are, who their successors will be, and who amongst the humans are the key supporters of the dwarves.
Of course, on top of that, they also do the standard defense of the townsfolk against evil. Sometimes the dwarves cannot respond quickly enough to monstrous incursions and the like.
They know that not every dwarf is evil, but also that every dwarf is likely their enemy. It's a fine line they have to walk in order to secure humanity its sovereign birthright.
I am thinking human paladin also. So can you still be a part of Jorin as well as serve in the militia as a cover?
I was thinking the same thing. It will be difficult to align situations like that while keeping the code of conduct. Unless our code of law is higher than the local rule of law, meaning not so much good vs evil but freedom vs tyranny. Might be a cool house rule to change detect evil and smite evil to apply to an order or group of people like dwarven oppressors, I found this somewhere before though cant remember where maybe Complete Champion. Just a thought.
I once started a game with a true paladin and a paladin of freedom from unearthed arcana and we ended up playing backgrounds similar to Luke and Han from Star Wars, very cool dynamic! I have started my character and was looking at a more finesse based paladin though the weapon choices have made me rethink that a little. Maybe unarmed strike...
http://paizo.com/people/IllianaLanar
still in flux as rules and background come to light.
This is Leya, the halfling seer. I'll be writing up her background, spells, and other fluff after work. Glad to be in the group with all of you. =]
Do we have a start date for the campaign or is it all up in the air?
I am thinking human paladin also. So can you still be a part of Jorin as well as serve in the militia as a cover?
Absolutely. Not only would that provide you with a good reason to be places most humans shouldn't be, it gives you the ability to wear weapons and armor that would otherwise arouse suspicion.
Note the lack of swords on the available weapons list. I'm always so glad when I reach the part in a WE campaign when a paladin gets their first blade.
i can see a lot of trouble for a paladin, i assume alot of dwarves are neutral but opposed to us, we have to fight them without violating our aligmnent! imagine, what do we do if we capture a dwarf (who is not evil) but could get us in trouble with the authoities if we let him go, the non lawful good will say kill him!! and the paladin will not be able to,
This will be fun!!it will be good to have two paladins in the party!
Ravi
I tend to temper my alignment rulings with a generous amount of pragmatism. If you're facing neutral foes who are using deadly force, it does not violate alignment to respond in kind. That's war. If they surrender, then you have entered the situation you just described. At that point, you'll be able to play it out.
I was thinking the same thing. It will be difficult to align situations like that while keeping the code of conduct. Unless our code of law is higher than the local rule of law, meaning not so much good vs evil but freedom vs tyranny. Might be a cool house rule to change detect evil and smite evil to apply to an order or group of people like dwarven oppressors, I found this somewhere before though cant remember where maybe Complete Champion. Just a thought.
I once started a game with a true paladin and a paladin of freedom from unearthed arcana and we ended up playing backgrounds similar to Luke and Han from Star Wars, very cool dynamic! I have started my character and was looking at a more finesse based paladin though the weapon choices have made me rethink that a little. Maybe unarmed strike...
http://paizo.com/people/IllianaLanar
still in flux as rules and background come to light.
Looks good, but you'll want to review the list of allowed weapons. At this point, rapiers are off limits.
As for the paladin dynamic, I'm going to stick with the good vs. evil paradigm. This is mainly because Baal is a LN god. There are tyrannical followers of his, and they are of LE alignment. Much of the oppression humans face is due to dogmatic teachings that have caused social norms that most dwarves don't even think about; they're second nature. The fun (and hardship) comes from dealing with the fact that not every dwarf that supports the current hegemony is evil, they simply consider it right because it dominates their society and religion.
This is Leya, the halfling seer. I'll be writing up her background, spells, and other fluff after work. Glad to be in the group with all of you. =]
Do we have a start date for the campaign or is it all up in the air?
Basic stats look good. You raised my eyebrow a few times with the list of equipment though. The magnifying lens is 100gp and the spyglass is 1000gp.
For all players:For starting equipment, I'm going to say that each person has average starting wealth, rather than go for dice rolls. Most of this will be in the form of equipment that has been collected over the course of your life, donated to you by wealthier individuals, or possibly stolen depending on your character.
Once you have all the starting equipment you think you'll need, drop any money you have left over. I'll assign each character an amount of coin based on their origin in the campaign world.
As for a starting date, I'm still waiting to hear back from Black Tom and Scylorian. If they're both still in, then that gives us five players. I'll take the weekend to look for replies from them and any other interested individuals. Once I've got between 4 and 6 PCs "ready to role" I'll start a thread in the PbP and also a discussion thread, where I'll repost all the pertinent campaign notes for easy reference.
So, hopefully, we'll be ready to roll on Monday. I'd like at least 4 people in the party, but if we have no-shows I can always supplement you with an NPC.
Looks good, but you'll want to review the list of allowed weapons. At this point, rapiers are off limits.
I started her before you gave the weapon rules and I just have not updated yet. May rethink the dex pally now the weapon rules are out. Should be done this weekend for sure.
So if I am in the militia do I have access to all weapons that I can afford or still just access to the human list above?
Looks good, but you'll want to review the list of allowed weapons. At this point, rapiers are off limits.I started her before you gave the weapon rules and I just have not updated yet. May rethink the dex pally now the weapon rules are out. Should be done this weekend for sure.
So if I am in the militia do I have access to all weapons that I can afford or still just access to the human list above?
Stick with the human list. The other goodies will come in later. Being in the militia just means you won't be looked at twice walking around armed and armored on a regular day.
In retrospect, I'll be adding kukri to the list of available weapons as well. Seems like a good fit.
o_o
Uh, yeah, my bad. I play in a campaign where we have unlimited starting gold, as long as we don't have any when we start off, and I'm used to that way of thinking.
Also... I didn't realize how expensive those were, sheesh. Sorry about that. D:
Major Deities of the Wounded Earth
Baal LN
Areas of Concern (AoC): creation, crafting, the forge, kingship, oaths
Domains: Artifice, Fire, Law, Nobility, Protection
Favored Weapon: Warhammer
Daena NG
AoC: the moon, freedom, hope, wonder, lunacy
Domains: Charm, Glory, Good, Liberation, Luck
Favored Weapon: Shortbow
Erda LG
AoC: the earth, fertility, birth, life, the harvest
Domains: Community, Earth, Good, Healing, Plant
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Kurnan CG
AoC: beasts, hunting, cunning, journeys, the wilderness
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Strength, Travel, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Longbow
Mimir N
AoC: knowledge, wisdom, language, history, magic, wells, gatekeeper of the afterlife
Domains: Knowledge, Magic, Repose, Rune, Water
Favored Weapon: Unarmed Strike
Mitra LE
AoC: raptors, the wind, vengeance, retribution, oathbreakers, conflict
Domains: Air, Evil, Law, War, Weather
Favored Weapon: Spear
Null CE
AoC: blackness, emptiness, entropy, dissolution, despair
Domains: Darkness, Death, Destruction, Evil, Madness
Favored Weapon: Scythe
Ran CN
AoC: the ocean, waves, typhoons, sea beasts, travelers at sea
Domains: Animal, Chaos, Protection, Water, Weather
Favored Weapon: Trident
Umbra NE
AoC: the night, shadows, secrets, temptation, hidden things
Domains: Charm, Darkness, Evil, Knowledge, Magic
Favored Weapon: Shortsword
o_o
Uh, yeah, my bad. I play in a campaign where we have unlimited starting gold, as long as we don't have any when we start off, and I'm used to that way of thinking.
Also... I didn't realize how expensive those were, sheesh. Sorry about that. D:
Not a problem.
So at this point we've got one, soon to be two, paladins, and a seer. Depending on what Black Tom goes with, we may have a sorcerer.
Oh! I was going to let you folks know that I'm throwing this little gem of a feat in from the Advanced Gamemaster's Guide by Green Ronin:
Mentor (General)
You have attracted a loyal mentor to train and guide you.
Benefit: You have a mentor who is appropriate to your chosen path and who gives you training and advice. The mentor's level is determined by your student rating.
This gives you the benefit of a trainer that can provide small favors for you, occasionally major ones, and provide training that can give you benefits like feats and spells not commonly available. (i.e. a sorcerer's/wizard's mentor might give access to an arcane version of detect evil.)
I'm liking the mentor feat a lot. I think I just might take it.
Now, I do have one question. Would it be alright if Leya uses water spells? Strictly? As in the damage type done by her spells would always be cold (either a benefit or a hinderance) and asthetically it would be liquid. So instead of, say, Burning Hands emitting a cone of fire, it would unleash a cone of water. Same effects of the spells, just a different type.
Not really important, but it would make a unique touch and a fitting story element for a seer if you allowed it.
Alright, here is the outline of my character, should have the overall flavor of him though I might adjust him a bit before we get start. I'll get his background up as soon as I can.
Looks like I'll be following Daena, that seems to work well for my character. Liberation and all that.
Quick question though, are there any common humanoid monstrous languages around? I know they are generally 'kill on sight' but I have one more language to pick up and I was thinking something like goblin or orc or the like.
I'm liking the mentor feat a lot. I think I just might take it.
Now, I do have one question. Would it be alright if Leya uses water spells? Strictly? As in the damage type done by her spells would always be cold (either a benefit or a hinderance) and asthetically it would be liquid. So instead of, say, Burning Hands emitting a cone of fire, it would unleash a cone of water. Same effects of the spells, just a different type.
Not really important, but it would make a unique touch and a fitting story element for a seer if you allowed it.
Hmm...
Yeah, I'm fine with that. Since it's a one-time permanent change, there isn't any real problem with it.
the diety stuff looks good
it looks like a choice of three dieties for the paladins
is that right? (i assume we have to pick LG,NG or LN aligmnet dieties)
Daena looks particularly approriate (shame she has a naff favoured weaopon!!, which is ofcourse important for a paladins weapon bond ability!)
Ravi
Those would be the main choices, yes. There are other minor deities, many of which aren't even fleshed out, they've only been named. There are also "small gods," which aren't even gods, per say, but actually creatures of CR5 or higher that have collected worshippers. They have disciples that function much like clerics, but without the benefit of domains. The upside is that direct intervention by their "god" is much more likely to occur.
That said, if any of the players would like to draft an idea for a minor deity to use, I'd be open to it. I've designed the world so that there are many of them, often regional, to provide the necessary flexibility for the campaign world.
Important Note:I'm willing to be flexible about the rules for divine bond. I don't see that a paladin should be confined by a deity's favored weapon. If you'd like to worship Daena and take the weapon bond ability and use it with another weapon type, that would be fine by me.
the diety stuff looks good
it looks like a choice of three dieties for the paladins
is that right? (i assume we have to pick LG,NG or LN aligmnet dieties)
Daena looks particularly approriate (shame she has a naff favoured weaopon!!, which is ofcourse important for a paladins weapon bond ability!)
Ravi
I totally hadn't read the weapon bond bit yet. So realistically we get a horse, warhammer or 1/4 staff, or is there any movement on this rule in this setting Shadowborn?
-edit, missed your reply above, thanks
Alright, here is the outline of my character, should have the overall flavor of him though I might adjust him a bit before we get start. I'll get his background up as soon as I can.
Looks like I'll be following Daena, that seems to work well for my character. Liberation and all that.
Quick question though, are there any common humanoid monstrous languages around? I know they are generally 'kill on sight' but I have one more language to pick up and I was thinking something like goblin or orc or the like.
There are plenty of humanoid tribes in the mountains beyond the boundaries of the Iron Marches, so any of the common ones would do. Ogres are also fairly common, so Giant would be another language option.
Character looks good. The sooner I can have backgrounds, the sooner I can work on incorporating them and tweaking them to be more campaign specific. I'll keep you updated on any major changes I'd like to make. That said, I'll start the Off-Topic Thread sometime later this evening to provide specific setting information on Three Oaks and the surrounding environs, along with some recent history of the Marches so you have more information to incorporate.
here is my character so far
here is my character so far
Looks good, Rav, but I think his bonus to hit from the smite evil ability should be +2, not +3.
Good background, I can work with that. In addition to being a militia member, I'll have you doing another job. Since you don't have points in craft or profession, you'll likely be doing grunt work on one of the farms or for one of the merchants in town, loading and unloading cargo.
Questions for my players:
1)I still haven't heard anything from my 5th volunteer, and no other players have stepped forward. Right now the party stands as follows:
Erius Shadowbane, male human Pal1
Illiana Lanar , female human Pal1
Therin Ulric, male human Rog1
Leya Brackleberry, female halfling Div1
Are you comfortable with the party lineup as it stands, or would you like an NPC cleric? I can work either way, so let me know what the party decision is.
2)I'm rather fond of the traits system that has been done for the PF adventure paths. Would you like to use those here?
3)What times are you able to post regularly? I'd like to know when we can do faster progression, and when we'll be crawling, so I can pace things to suit availability.