Character Generation for DM Tanner's Red Hand of Doom PbP
5th level, 10,500 gp in gear
25 point buy
Gestalt. See rules here. Any classes from core rulebook or APG. No combination of full-caster classes.
2 traits
No evil characters
Number of players: 5
Characters for the game will be chosen Sunday evening.
Reposting so I don't have to go looking for it.
I know her Diplomacy checks have been very useful. Her Knowledge checks have, too. But once combat starts, all she can do is sing/dance, stay out of the way, and try not to drown. We've made alliances with the Twistusks and the elves; hopefully the messengers made it to the dwarves. How many more people can there to be to cajole into helping us?
I'm not opposed to another charming character; I'd just prefer one with a little more of an edge. Adele was such a Girl Scout. I thought an elf from the settlement we just came from might be a reasonable new recruit. I'm thinking either Witch/Ranger (Guide) or Witch/Rogue (Sniper). Either way, she'll have a bow to provide some ranged attacks besides Shalani's wands.
If you do decide to switch it up, Joana, I think a witch would be a great addition to the party. I love that class to fill out a 5 person party, to add a touch of divine and a bunch of arcane...I used to prefer the bard for the 5th, but the witch has taken its spot in my eyes.
It's a good thing you are starting a new PC, because that last lizardfolk ninja dove underwater and stuck a few quieting needles into Adele's body. ;)
Feel free to come up with any race option you would like, Joana. The invasion has displaced the entire western half of the vale and any number of races and creature could be encountered as refugees or travelers; aasimars, tieflings, or even something exotic like the new races from the Bestiary 2. Especially since you are in a forest/swamp, your PC could be a Grippli, or a Sylph, or an Undine if you like.
Kalderaan, glad you find our misadventures entertaining. ;) I was trying to remember where I'd seen you on the boards before; you've got that Star Wars game that's been going for almost a year now. Well done! It's hard to find a DM that reliable.
@Jonana, Mybee if you tried a fighter/bard combinaton and selected a medium creature for a race? That way you could still be the voice but get all the nifty feats from the fighter class. + you could go for arcane duelist as a bard and actually use you armor proficiencies...
Today was hectic; tomorrow might be slightly less hectic. I'll try and have a new PC ready by tomorrow evening. Sylph is a possibility, but I'm still leaning toward an elf from that tribe whose name I don't remember, someone who's decided to head out on her own to fight the Red Hand or catch up to the Silversong Champions to join up.
Don't forget, Adele, to modify your level and equipment wealth accordingly. :)
7th level and Wealth By Level, DM?
Yes. 7th level and wealth by level. Although I'm going to have to skimp on treasure for a bit to balance out Adele gear suddenly becoming party property.
The elves are the Tiri Kitor.
Sorry; busy weekend, and man did it take forever to get this character made. :P I've got most of her mechanics up here. Might still move around some skill points or switch out a hex.
Alright, everyone, let's all take a look at our newest friend and make sure everything is correct. ;)
Your PC sheet looks good to me so far.
I assume you are going to be a native of the Tiri Kitor? If you are, I have some more information for you about the lizardfolk situation.
The only thing I see is that Joana has both the Fly hex and the fly spell known. That might be on purpose so that Feek and Narses have to stop spending for Fly potions, but I just wanted to make sure that was the case...
Gerald: Yeah, I thought it might come in handy for some of the rest of the party members to be able to fly, especially if potions have been already used or aren't available. It was fairly late last night when I finished her up, so I'll take another look and see if there are any last-minute changes I want to make.
That's a great backstory. It gives you a perfectly good reason to be following the trail of the Silversong Champions; to help them take revenge for the death of your paramour.
Now for a little information on the Tiri Kitor. The elves of the Blackfens have been defending their forest homes for years against the predations of the lizardfolk. The elves patrol vigilantly to repel raiding parties, young rangers and spellcasters cut their teeth hunting lizardmen, and children are scared to bed at night with stories of reptilian boogeymen. The elves stand as a bastion of goodness and decency against the onslaught of the barbaric lizardfolk.
This is what they tell themselves. It started out this way, several decades ago, but now times have changed. Half a century of elven superiority in magic and woodscraft have left the lizardfolk a shadow of their former strength. They are no longer a tribe of brave savages. They flee in terror at the sight of Tiri Kitor and call their riding owls 'Hungry-Shadows.' Lizardfolk 'raiding parties' are usually simply hunting packs that are cut down without quarter or mercy. Young elven warriors usually cannot tell the difference between one lizardfolk and another and sometimes end up butchering reptilian women and children, thinking they are facing raiders. Several attempts at peace by the lizardfolk have been met with violence. They live in constant fear of elven arrows and swords, spilling their blood in silent raids at night.
So to you and your fellow villagers, what you do is noble, brave, and in the defense of your hearth and home. To an outsider observer, though, it would look like capricious, brutal victimization.
PLEASE DO NOT TELL THE PARTY. I plan on revealing this tidbit if the Silversong Champions can manage to take a prisoner and interrogate him.
I think the PC sheet looks good for now. There are a few little things left, but they are nothing really big. I think we can get started again once everyone is ready to go.
ALEX, let us know when you are back and we can get started again. :)
Utterly crestfallen at the fate of his allies, Maysalkirii kneels slumped over, sobbing softly over Adele's body. The goblin had sought to escape the smoke clouds and kill the attackers swiftly in order to save his friends, but his blades had not been swift enough. While he respected Shalani and was fascinated with her abilities with fire, he had not known her as long as Adele; the only member of the group he had ever felt truly at ease with. She had often made him forget he was a goblin. Lifting his head up, his eyes widen.
You can save one of them Dragox? I... I feel awful for saying it, but please... Save Adele...
Way to make me feel guilty for killing her. :P
IC, Dragox in particular (as her fellow LG party member) would know that Adele would be quite distressed to know she only lived at the cost of another person's life. As a paladin, her whole schtick was to die to spare others; as such, she would be pleased to know that the rest of the party survived. She could have tried to swim for shore but stayed behind to protect Shalani (not that she did a good job of it), so she wouldn't be happy to know that Shalani died so she could live.
I guess if it made Feek feel better, you could cut off her pinky or something and take it with you so you could spring for a resurrection somewhere down the road ... although paying out that much coin to bring her back would be the true test of Feek's devotion. ;)
DM, I'll get Tahllana's character sheet cleaned up tonight and add her background.
Switched out a few prepared spells, added the spells stored by her familiar, and wrote up her background. Let me know if everything passes muster, Tanner, or if there are any changes I need to make.
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Okay, this is a off-topic, but I thought I would invite you all anyway.
I have been seriously trying to get a Dragon Age game going, but the last time I held an open call, no one responded. Or if they did, it was with a rather negative bent. Would any of you be up to learning a familiar and yet exotic roleplaying game?
I'd like to say yes but I'm stretched thin as it is so no, sorry.
Sorry, stardust; I'm not familiar with the mechanics and not interested in trying to learn a new system now.
Tanner, I almost never run a character with a companion or familiar, mostly because I generally end up forgetting about them. (Witness V in OotS.) Is it reasonable to assume that Tahllana's owl familiar, being nocturnal, would spend the daylight hours inside her backpack resting unless called upon to act? I don't really know what to do with it....
The High Singer is a keeper of lore, preserving culture and tradition for the Tiri Kitor.
I've had the same experience with familiars as well. I tend to ignore their existence until I need them. Just think of it like an item that you can stow away until needed.
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That is so interesting. I have only played one character on the boards with a familiar, but I always had Elimnarel out. Most of the time, she was just another roleplay element, someone to help express the character's emotions as she perched on his shoulder or staff. He would talk to her quite often, so it seemed as though he was talking to himself a lot of the times.
And in combat, she would ready actions to act after the enemy combatants, usually with distracting attacks, or otherwise aiding the wizard.
On the plus side, we're only dealing with 3 lizardfolk right now, while you guys have the bulk of them on your half of the screen. :)
I felt bad backing off and leaving Shalani, but I think Tahllana's more valuable with a bow than a rapier in her hand. (Here's hoping, anyway.) If the lizardfolk hate the elves so much, maybe some of them will chase her instead of ganging up on Shalani. And if they don't, she can stand and full-attack.
Tanner, if I'm reading this right, Focused Shot is a standard action but Deadly Aim is not, so she can use both on the same attack, right? I've never played an archer PC before and am not very familiar with all the options.
Yes, you can. Focused Shot is a standard action, meaning you only get one attack for the round. Deadly Aim does not state that it uses an action to activate, so it is a virtual free action.
I had a hard time deciding whom to go assist, but I figured Shalani and Tahl would be able to take out the three without too much mess.
Yes, you can. Focused Shot is a standard action, meaning you only get one attack for the round. Deadly Aim does not state that it uses an action to activate, so it is a virtual free action.
That's what I was thinking. I ended up rolling a 1 on that attack, so it didn't matter, but I thought I'd go ahead and confirm the rule before it came up again.
Hi guys. I'm down with then infuensa right now, just mesured at 39.6°C, can't think straight so I'm gona have to ask you to either play me or skip me. Thx.
I'll make sure Narses stays with the group. Take care of yourself.
Feel better soon, Sigz. Don't end up in the hospital like the DM. ;)
Slept for 16 hrs and the fever is down to 37.2. Normal for me is 36.5. So I'm feeling better, here's hoping I stay better ;)
When back under last night, went to work and came home worse than I was so I'm taking it easy for the weekend. Don't know how I'll be at posting so don't wait up, at least not for too long...
Narses and Dragox enter the large tent. As their eyes grow accustomed to the darkness, they see dozens and dozens of oblong eggs, roughly knee-high, anchored with mud on the floor of the platform.
Aliens anyone? (You all just thought they were lizard people!) ;)
I'd say maybe Adele was the group's good-luck charm, only the 4 PC deaths mean she wasn't doing that good a job!
EDIT:
It's a surprise round; we're all firing in about 3 seconds. We probably don't even realize we missed yet -- except maybe Narses on the fumble. It would be great if the fireball would start burning the wooden walkways anyway, but they're floating in water so probably hard to catch on fire.
As summarized in this post, Tahllana acted on initiative 19 to move behind concealment; on initiative 3, the lizardfolk were able to act based on what she had done and follow her around the bush to attack. They did not have to stand there and throw javelins at an empty square or move toward where she had been instead of where she was now.
If everyone has to declare their actions at the beginning of the round, without regard to what foes before them in initiative do, that should go for the NPCs, too. Tahllana has now placed herself farther away from the ogre she's trying to kill because she's not allowed to know what it's already done before committing to her action.
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I can cope with it either way and I hate being a naysayer or critiscising people in any way- but the initiative system where everyone declares actions at the start of the round was from 2E and didn't work great even then, let alone when the enemy are able to react to things that happen and we aren't.
If the Ogre's were on the same initiative, it would go 'Us block 1', 'Them', 'Us block 2'- this isn't always possible and I appreciate you don't want to update turn by turn like I do as it takes longer, but initiative blocks in skirmishes like these should work well.
@Joana - I'm sorry for the inconvenience. If you like, please announce two rounds worth of actions and I will retcon Tahllana for the previous round.
Also, for the sake of simplicity, I will separate initiative into 'Us' and 'Them' to speed things along.
Sorry for being a little short. I came in cranky, having gone out to do 2 errands that should have taken an hour and a half tops and instead ended up wasting four and a half hours of my afternoon having to sit and wait everywhere I went. I came online to check up when I walked in and posted snippy.
Another option I've seen in games where the DM likes everyone to post their actions for the round before the wrap-up is the DM "tweaking" posted actions as the situation on the ground warrants. In this instance, seeing as Tahllana wanted to attack the ogre she had "marked" with her Ranger's Focus, the DM might have assumed she would move after the ogre until she could get her shot off. Of course, that way can lead to misunderstandings as well, if the DM makes assumptions about what a PC would do that the player doesn't agree with.
In this case, if we can just assume Tahllana double-moved after ogre 1 along with Dragox and Narses, that would be great. I'm sure we're walking into an ambush of some kind, but don't we always?
Hey, AK, is your project done now?
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Yes- 61 pages and 13,000 words; mostly generated in the last three days and submitted today. Add to that the software my study ran on crashed due to insufficient testing by the computer science monkeys I was assigned.
I am mentally and physically drained but I think its a good piece of work. I'll be announcing my triumphant return to PbP tomorrow and update all my games.
I'm pretty sure traffic in the PbP forum slows down considerably when your games are on hold. ;)
There's also Starsong Hill if you want to make an elf, and we know of a dwarf enclave around here somewhere Brindol's trying to hire mercenaries from. I hope you can build another character as deadly as Feek, though, or Tanner's going to kill us all without even trying. ;)
I am sure. I have been thinking about it for some time, since... since Adele really.
Which was all of two days ago, maybe three, in-game time. Feels a lot longer than that, though, out of game. I think Shalani died twice in 48 hours!
Yeah, but what an amazing 48 hours that was! I think I blasted 16 lizardfolk with fireballs, got at least 1 heavily armored ogre, and did some further damage to the other one. It would have been helpful if my fireball damage rolls were higher than 1s and 2s, but whatever.