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Hello everyone! I thought I would take a hand at DMing one of these PBP games. Mostly because I want to run a campaign from the wonderful Paizo guys that is very dear to my heart and I never got to finish, being the first campaign I ever read from Paizo.
I would like to run the Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign for those who are interesting. I will be accepting character submissions for about a week or until I believe I will not be getting anymore submissions. This should also be enough time to hammer out details on character ideas and concepts. I understand that as an older AP some people will have probably already played or even finished it. Towards that, I would like you to state if you have already played the AP in your submission. Having already played the AP will in no way impact your acceptance into the PBP. I am mostly looking for good, well-written backgrounds and character concepts right now, and my preference will be towards articulate, well thought out backgrounds that fit well into the story setup for the AP.
Spoilered below is the crunch of the campaign along with anything else I can think of.
Basics
-Allowed books: Pathfinder Rulebook, Bestiary 1 & 2, Advanced Player’s Guide, Adventurer’s Armory, Curse of the Crimson Throne’s Player’s Guide, Pathfinder Player Companion: Inner Sea Primer.
-Please keep in mind that this AP is mostly a city crawl and try to build characters accordingly. However, for those who have not played ahead, there are whole sections of the campaign that deal with outdoors type adventures so if you really want to play the outdoorsy types, you won’t be left out of the loop completely.
-Finally, I plan on using my Photobucket account and updated pictures to represent battle maps were possible, in any place that doesn’t allow for such, I will attempt to be as descriptive as possible as to the layout of the battle situation.
Character Creation
-You will be making 1st level characters using the book list presented in the previous spoiler. Material from other Paizo products will be allowed in with approval, but in the interest of keeping my need to regulate balance issues to a minimum, I will not be allowing 3PPs or 3.5 material.
-Ability scores will be done by point buy to keep everyone on even footing, but you will have 25 points (epic fantasy) to spend.
-Races Allowed: All standard core races plus Aasimar, Tiefling, Dhampir, Ifrit, Oread, Slyphs, and Undine
-Classes Allowed: Any of the classes from the Core Rules or the APG are acceptable. Until its a little closer to finished, I’m not looking to play test the Magus in a long term game at this time.
-Skills and Feats will be done as normal, each character will also be allowed to select two traits of their choice, but one of the traits must be from the Curse of the Crimson Throne Player’s Guide. Please try to work the Gadren Lamm subplot into your story as it makes several party interactions easier for the campaign as a whole.
-Each character begins with average starting gold.
-I would strongly prefer not having any evil characters but your characters do not need to be particularly heroic. A streak of patriotism would also be very preferable.
That looks like about everything I can think of to put up. I hope there is a good amount of interest. For those interested, I am a relatively experienced DM in RL campaigns and a few PBPs on these boards as a player. I am greatly looking forward to hearing your responses and running this campaign.
Thank you for taking the time to read all of those and I hope you are interested.
Greetings dude. I finally got some time for a break so here is the wizard I worked up. Please let me know what you think and if he needs any changes.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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I'd love to throw a hat in the ring. Would you allow the Gunslinger from the Ultimate Combat playtest? I'm thinking a former Lamm's Lambs member who apprenticed to a former pirate named Saltwater Sal. When Sal died, he left my character a brace of pistols and a charge to use them in the defense of the common folk. Unbeknownst to the character Sal was a confederate of Blackjack.
Caveat: I own this path, but I'm able to separate DM and player knowledge.
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Hello James Martin. I am sorry I did not include this in the post but it slipped my mind because of the newness of the Ultimate Combat classes.
As I do not wish to playtest the Magus at this time I also do not wish to do so for the Gunslinger, Ninja, or Samurai. While I do like the new classes I do not wish to potentially spoil the PBP with any changes or rules revisions/interpretations that may prove to be wrong or distasteful to players down the line.
I hope this does not remove your interest in my PBP and that we can maybe work on a concept that will remain interesting to you.
P.S. I loved your Poisoner's Retort. :)
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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No problem!
Hmmm.. Let me ponder. How about a Barbarian with the Drunken Brute archetype? A Shoanti who came to the city, got overly indulgent and is now a shadow of his former self. He's seen a drinking companion murdered by Lamm and now he's seeking vengeance and a return to his honor?
I would certainly be interested in this :-)
I would like to present Byron Radanavich, a Half-Elf (Varisian) Rogue 1
Byron also dabbles in Harrow, and usually has his favorite deck somewhere about his person.
Byron washed-up on the island of Old Korvosa, and for the next few years, struggled to survive; begging, stealing, doing the occasional odd-job, and trying to avoid the cities predators, both the day and night varieties...
The only real relief he had was watching the antics of the city's pseudodragons; the tiny, winged creatures embodied a carefree freedom that was sorely lacking in his own life. Over time, he was able to befriend some of them, and life became a little more bearable.
As he grew older, he was attracted to the church of Desna; living life to the fullest, and enjoying the journey, rather than focusing on a particular destination, embodied a sense of freedom that appealed to a young man who had been cast adrift in life and had had to make his own way in the world.
For now, Byron is happy: He has a new extended family both draconic and human, and while the destination of his life's journey is unclear, he plans to enjoy the trip.
Byron is generally quite softly spoken, keeping a careful eye on what goes on around him, and gently 'nudging' events in the direction he wishes them to go. However, on any issues that affect the city's Varisian population (and by extension, the rest of the lower classes), he is quite passionate and outspoken in his desire to make sure that they receive the best deal possible.
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Hi Kiradia! This sounds like a lot of fun and I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. I'll have time to whip up an actual character tomorrow along with a background to go along with it.
Right now my thoughts are for a cleric of Cayden Cailean, more focused on the light hearted and freedom aspects than the drinking ones. Having been held almost as a prisoner by Lamm when he was young he does his best to push back against both cruelty and oppression in others.
Hi Kiradia. Here's a possible fighter for your game. His background is spoilered on the character sheet. In answer to your question - I have neither played nor read Crimson Throne, so the adventure is entirely new to me. :)
Thanks for giving him a look-see!
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And adventure path through a PBP game? Cool!
I'm very interested and experienced in PBP games (I'm running a game here in the boards, and running 5 games in an spanish PBP comunity).
If I'm allowed into the game, I could be:
-human monk.
-human universal wizard.
I hope we could have fun in your game.
Hey Kiradia.
I've also never done a PBP, or any of the adventure paths for that matter, but did read the Players Guide. But if accepted I'd love the chance to try it out, and certainly can guarantee a 1-2 post per day submission.
As for a character, I was thinking either a human paladin/cavalier (possibly a member of a minor noble house who lost his wife to Gaedren Lamms' group). Either that or a human wizard (graduate of the Academae, a one time or even current shiver addict).
Hey Kiradia, any interest in letting me run a cavalier with the houndmaster archetype from Round 2 of Superstar?
I'll pitch a character regardless, but I've been really intrigued by that one. And I've never played Crimson Throne. I'd love to be involved in a PBP as a player that goes beyond a page.
Here is Kur-Awk, drunken Shoanti barbarian with an interest in killing Lamm because he killed Kur-Awk's lover.
I would like to apply with Orlando Vissini, spellsinging investigator.
Human Sorcerer 1 Fey Bloodline
Chaotic Good
Orlando was two when his parents emmigrated from Cheliax. When he was eleven they were killed by red mantis assassins. Noone, certainly not Orlando, ever knew why they were targetted although it is well known that the red mantis never makes mistakes. His father was a cloth merchant. His mother a singer, a soprano with a voice so pure and true that some swore it was an enchantment. They were kind people and their loss hit Orlando hard.
He went to live with less wealthy relatives in Old Korvosa. Filled with an anger he could neither adequately express or discharge he begain to run with the local children, groups of chels playing out running battles with the varisians, the fights of their parents in minature.
Always an affable and likeable boy, his powers manifested with puberty. He found that with his knack he could hum or sing songs that could affect the people around him, even influence and control them if he concentrated hard enough. He used this with little thought to the consequences, forging a little band with himself as the titular king. Unfortunately, he was sufficiently succesful that he brought the attention of underworld groups including a petty crimelord named Gaedren Lamm. The corpses of two friends later, his group was shattered and he was forced to reap the bitter fruit of his actions.
He ran the streets no more but the events provided a focus for his anger, the criminals of Korvosa. Leeches sucking the lifeblood of honest people like his cousins. Criminals like the people who took his parents away. This time he took a different approach, a smarter approach. This time he used his knack to gather information instead of followers and much of what he found he passed on to the guard. It was a small step from information gatherer to sometimes agent although this is known to very few.
Now twenty, Orlando has managed to develop his "knack" into a formidable magical talent. He casts his spells by singing or humming different tunes depending on the spell (this is functionally identical to incanting spells as normal). In his public personae he is well known among the people of the city as a finder of lost things and especially people. However he can't bear to take money from people who can't afford it (that of course being the majority of his clients). Accordingly, financially at least he has little success as a detective. The majority of his income either comes secretly from the guard or from selling information to other sources. He is used on occassion by the groups whose downfall he seeks. He is careful in those instances to reveal no part of his true intent.
Physically Orlando is non-descript although that is partly intentional. He is of slight build a clue to his distant heritage although he has no idea as to the source of his power. His most distinguishing feature is a brillant smile which we uses to good effect in his work. He normally dresses in slightly shabby clothing although he has a different range of outfits for different purposes.
While outwardly cynical Orlando is a patriot and deeply protective of Korvosa and its citizens. Throughout the years he has kept his ear to the ground for news about Lamm but without success.
I have not played the AP although I flicked through some of the earlier chapters a while back and know the "big" reveal.
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Alright, here is a quick make up of my character. Its just thrown together in notepad at the moment. I'll get it all formatted(probably will run it through herolab to have a neat statblock) tonight, assuming he is in the running.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks
-Tarlane
Character
Richter Denezio
CG Human Cleric 1(Cayden Cailean)
Str 11
Dex 12
Con 12
Int 10
Wis 18
Cha 16
HP 9
Fort 3
Ref 1
Will 6
Concentration +10
Skills
Bluff 8
Diplomacy 7
Sense Motive 8
Spellcraft 4
Spells
0th 3
1st 3+1
Feats
Simple Weapon Proficiency
Light Armor Proficiency
Medium Armor Proficiency
Shield Proficiency
Combat Casting
Selective Channel
Traits
Fast Talker +1 bluff, always class skill
Unhappy Childhood- Religious +2 Concentration
Class
Aura: Chaotic Good
Channel Energy: 1d6-6/day-DC 13
Domains: Charm(Charming Touch 7/day), Travel(+10ft base move, Agile feet 7/day)
Gear
8gp 6sp 6cp
Morning Star
Dagger
Chain Shirt
Light Wooden Shield
Sling- 10 bullets, 10 silver bullets, 10 cold iron bullets
Backpack
Chalk
Flask - Caydenbrew
Oil
Piton x4
Rations x4
Hemp Rope 50ft
Waterskin
Torch x5
Wooden Holy Symbol
Explorers Outfit
Shaving Kit
Spring loaded Wrist Sheath
Background
The excitement at being adopted quickly fell away when he saw what was before him and his young life was a misery, tricking people to pay attention to him while the more nimble children picked their pockets and living in the cramped quarters of whatever slum housing they curently stayed.
By his early teenage years, Richter had become quiet and subservient to Lamm. He knew better than to resist the man, had seen the beatings and knew that sometimes one of the other children would go missing after misbehaving. It all changed for him though when he was out trying to rob a coin box from a small chapel and was caught. The priest didn't threaten or punish him, instead they simply spoke.
The man talked to Richter casually, telling him of his beliefs and those of the temple. What they stood for and rallied against. The ideas of individual freedom, resisting oppression were wild ones to him. Things to be dreampt of but not real facts of life. As he left the shrine, the man slipped the boy some coin so he would not be punished for returning empty handed and bade him to return again sometime.
Richter did come back, more and more frequently as the idea that this freedom could be real grew within him until finally he made the difficult decision to leave what he had known and study with the church. It should have been a time of fear for him, knowing that Lamm wasn't one to let his children slip away and could strike at him at any moment, but it wasn't. If he let terror wash over him, Lamm would still control him in a way and that wasn't something he would allow anymore.
Now, just reaching his twenties, Richter's studies are over and he is a true priest of the faith. He does what he can for the city, focusing much of his attention on the less fortunate who may be in situations similar to his own earlier life, though he pushes against any manner of oppression he may find in the ways he can, using the speaking skills he picked up illicitly to champion those who woul would otherwise be held back.
As I'm in the mood for following themes, here is my submission, given inspiration by Wulfgar.
As near as he can gather, his heritage would seem to be from some infernal ancestry, given that his flesh seems always in the first stage of frostbite, having a persistent blue tinge, and though his features are human, his compound eyes make his suspicions more than just simple guesses. The other half his heritage shares is Cheliaxan. His build is that of one for which physical activity was always a second choice, his fingers long and articulate, though their blackened tips are somewhat off-putting to some. As a result, he has taken to covering himself in cloak and clothes, speaking into a scarf to hide the vapor that falls from his mouth, as if speaking on a cold day.
He was taken in by a wise-woman from an orphanage and as such, she employed all manner of fascinating measures for things that he had never seen done before, but through choice or chance, she was targeted by Lamm. The accusation of murder stripped all unofficial support that she had been garnering from nobles and others in helping those of her community, and her health took a decline after her purpose had been stripped from her. He aims to fix that.
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Definitely interested, I would love to run a female Summoner - to be clear I am a guy. Any objection to either the class or me running a girl? I am, trying to get some experience at writing women.
I am going to take a look at the players guide to get a feel for the immediate area and see if inspiration strikes, never played or read the AP.
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Please consider Briar the Lesser for entry into CotCT.
It is not easy to the lesser of two sibings, even though most people will politely overlook the obvious disparity. Sadly, Briar was keenly aware of his inability to measure up to his brother, Thorne, aka the self proclaimed "greatest mage of his generation" and it made him uncomfortable to no end. No one was overtly rude or demeaning to Briar, but it was clear that everyone felt that he was simply 'inferior' to Thorne.
It doesn't matter that Thorne was as arcane as a tindertwig or as bright...his legend was bought and sold among his people like water or food. Briar was happy when his brother left for Korvosa to prove himself. That happiness did not last too long...for not a year after Thorne's leaving, he was rumored missing...or, sometimes, dead.
While Briar hasn't had much exposure outside his homewoods (in Nirmathas), anything, even sitting on the crack of the Worldwound itself, would be better than staying at home while his people moped the loss of this brother. Packing his books, his special ring, bow, and minimal gear, Briar left as quickly and silently. He wonders briefly if anyone would miss him...probably not.
Within a week, he was gone and moving towards Kovosa. His people say that Korvosa is an interesting and dangerous place...but here, maybe he would find his brother and create a legend of his own.
It didn't take long to link his brother's disappearance to Gadren Lamm. Of course, one of the more notorious crime lords would be linked to Briar's brother...Thorne was working for him?! Briar finds that as hard to believe as no decent elf would do what rumors have Gadren doing. As it is his only lead, Briar feels the need to investigate further.
Briar the Lesser usually dresses in his dusty green traveling cloak with a small backpack, belt, and many pouches at his waist. It is heavy for him (he is not strong), but it is all the possessions he has the world, so he keeps them closeby.
Briar has the brown hair of his father, the green eyes of this mother. Briar, when not hearing tales of the greatness of his brother, is smart and funny and quick to laugh, though he does have periods of melancholy and sadness when things remind him of his former home-life.
Briar tends to be quite curious, even dangerous, when it comes to opportunities to make a name for himself or learn more (so that he may someday match his brother). He is not shy with new people, finding the opportunity for sharing knowledge or stories to be a worthwhile experience.
This build is mostly set, but might tweak things a bit more (especially spell selection and skill appointment).
Briar the Lesser
Elf Wizard 1
Neutral Good
Diety: Desna (feels good to wander under her stars)
Str: 8
Dex: 18
Con: 10
Int: 18
Wis: 14
Cha: 10
Feat: Improved Initiative (tentative)
Traits: Missing Sibling (CotCT), Focused Mind
Skills of Note:
Know Arcana +8
Know Local +8
Know Nature +8
Know Religion +8
Perception +5
Profession (Scribe) +6
Spellcraft +8
Spells: TBD
Equipment: TBD
I place character and roleplaying well above class and build in every game I play.
I will be a frequent poster to the group.
My posts of note:
How to Coordinate Pathfinder Society games
How to be a better Pathfinder Society Judge
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Name: Taisha Arkona
Race: Half Elf
Class: Summoner
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 20
Appearance: Slightly horsey, with short cut hair, a tomboyish dress sense, and not touch of makeup and Taisha is still stunningly beautiful. Her half elven heritage shines through lending her features a nervous grace, and her shimmering blue green eyes are large and almost luminous. Her movements are graceful but nervous, and she has a dancers lithe build.
Personality: Taisha is polite to a fault, literally cannot bring herself to swear, and tends to be nervous in her mannerisms. She does not like her personal space invaded, and is an incurable romantic. However, despite her meek exterior there is a surprising core of steel to the young noble woman, and she is both tenacious and persistent.
Background: Taisha's mother was an elven woman who was captured alongside two others by her noble father, Elorio Arkona, and his cronies during a hunting trip to the Mierani Forest.
Elorio was captured shortly after by a force of elves, but by that time Taisha had already been conceived. Elorio was taken released, but all of his party were executed - the choice having been given to the women they had hurt. This left Elorio with an abiding hatred of the elves, and himself.
Some two years later the elven ambassador to Korvosa, Perishial Kaliisreavil, arrived unannounced at the Arkona Mansion carrying a swaddled babe. He spoke with Glorio Arkona, Elorio's father and Patriarch of the noble family, at length before leaving. At which point the furious Glorio stormed into his sons quarters and thrust the half elven babe at him demanding that he raise the "changeling freak" he had whelped or be disowned.
So Taisha was raised by a father who hated her, but dared not fail in her upbringing. Safe, but unloved, and well aware of her father's loathing. She had the finest tutors, and governesses, and was provided with beautiful gowns and generally attired like a perfect little porcelain doll. In particular she would be trotted out once a week for the visits of various elven dignitaries who took an interest in her well being, but not in her.
In her early teens she rebelled against her awful fake existence, refused to wear anything that she had not chosen herself - which tended to be distinctly improper attire and began sneaking out or simply running away whenever the pooprtunity presented itself.
I would love to run a female Summoner - to be clear I am a guy. Any objection to... me running a girl? I am, trying to get some experience at writing women.
I'm assuming that this question was at least partially addressed to your potential fellow players as well. The answer from me would be "Hell no, I don't have a problem with that." :) I play female characters quite frequently on this board and IRL.
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Hello everyone! I am very happy to see so much interest in my PBP and I would like to say that I have enjoyed reading the submissions I have recieved so far.
Also, for those who may have missed it, I am bringing two friends from my gaming group into the campaign as they wish to participate in this AP. One of them is Rolan Anguson who has already posted up his character in the first reply to my opening post. The other should be making his post fairly soon with his character concept as well. I am not entirely sure what he will be playing but I would like to mention that party balance is a secondary concern for me compared to a well told and interesting story. So, if we do happen to go slightly heavy towards arcane or fighter archtypes I promise to consider changing a few encounters based on such a group composition.
Now, I would like to ask those who have pitched nearly completed character concepts a few questions and get down into the brass tacks of character creation. :)
[spoiler=Tarlane]Hello Tarlane! Fancy seeing you here. :) As for Richter, I think he is well designed and ready made to fit into the concept and motivations of the AP. Does your character hold any grudges towards Lamm now that he is a cleric? Does he wish revenge, perhaps as the last stain on his soul or some other similar concept? How does he feel about Korvosa in general and the orphanage in particular for giving him such a crummy life? Other than those little bits that flesh out the character I just want to say your character is well done, and being the only cleric so far does earn you some party balance points.
For those who posted after I finished writing this up, as of 3:04PM PST, I will get to you in a few hours, now it's time for class!
I'm posting to indicate my interest. I'll post a character as soon as I'm able to. I'm leaning towards a human monk, probably going with the Monk of the Four Winds archetype. Will be hailing from Tian Xia and will probably be pretty heavily influenced by old martial arts films. Given the archetypes for fitting into the backstory I'm thinking my character will probably be the minimum human starting age of 15 and fall into the "unhappy childhood - tortured" and will have been one of Lamm's enslaved orphans and after escaping somehow learned martial arts and became a badass out for revenge. It will make a lot more sense when I put together the backstory, you'll see :)
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Kiradia
As for your questions-
I don't think he would hold a direct grudge against Lamm himself, he doesn't want to allow the man any power over him any longer and even hating him rather than fearing him would allow him that. However, I do believe he would have great regret knowing that the man was still out there and doing the same thing to other children who might not have the chance to get out he did. When he first escaped he wouldn't have been trying to maintain contacts with those from the streets as he moved away from that life, so he probably wouldn't know how to find Lamm any longer, but if he could free the current batch of Lambs and prevent any more from being taken, he would.
I think he would have much dimmer views on the orphanage than he does the city. Being given to Lamm made the headmaster little more than a slaver to him. While he isn't going to do something vigilante that may cause the orphans more harm than good(like try and have the orphanage closed, ect) he probably would go so far as to have the headmaster ousted or even blackmail him to resign if he was still in charge, so a better candidate could take his place.
For all the trouble he's had however, Korvosa is his home. He's lived on its streets and seen its people, both from the view of an urchin and that of clergy. Its where he belongs and he would prefer to use the talents he does have, debating politicians, rallying people, arguing for help for the needy, rather than go anywhere else.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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So, if we do happen to go slightly heavy towards arcane or fighter archtypes I promise to consider changing a few encounters based on such a group composition.
Oops, uh, I made a typo with my first submission. I typed 'wizard' when I clearly wanted to type 'Druid'. It's these damn ogre fingers. {bluff =8}
Below is a re-tooled Briar the Lesser as an Urban Druid, fit for back up healing, gathering info, tracking and general merrymaking within Korvosa.
It is not easy to the lesser of two sibings, even though most people will politely overlook the obvious disparity. Sadly, Briar was keenly aware of his inability to measure up to his brother, Thorne, aka the self proclaimed "greatest mage of his generation" and it made him uncomfortable to no end. No one was overtly rude or demeaning to Briar, but it was clear that everyone felt that he was simply 'inferior' to Thorne.
It doesn't matter that Thorne was as arcane as a tindertwig or as bright...his legend was bought and sold among his people like water or food. Briar was happy when his brother left for Korvosa to prove himself. That happiness did not last too long...for not a year after Thorne's leaving, he was rumored missing...or, sometimes, dead.
While Briar hasn't had much exposure outside his homewoods (in Nirmathas), anything, even sitting on the crack of the Worldwound itself, would be better than staying at home while his people moped the loss of this brother. Packing his books, bow, and minimal gear, Briar left as quickly and silently. He wonders briefly if anyone would miss him...probably not.
Within a week, he was gone and moving towards Kovosa. His people say that Korvosa is an interesting and dangerous place...but here, maybe he would find his brother and create a legend of his own.
It didn't take long to link his brother's disappearance to Gadren Lamm. Of course, one of the more notorious crime lords would be linked to Briar's brother...Thorne was working for him?! Briar finds that as hard to believe as no decent elf would do what rumors have Gadren doing. As it is his only lead, Briar feels the need to investigate further.
Briar the Lesser usually dresses in his dusty green traveling cloak with a small backpack, belt, and many pouches at his waist. It is heavy for him (he is not strong), but it is all the possessions he has the world, so he keeps them close.
Briar has the brown hair of his father, the green eyes of this mother. Briar, when not hearing tales of the greatness of his brother, is smart and funny and quick to laugh, though he does have periods of melancholy and sadness when things remind him of his former home-life.
Briar tends to be quite curious, even dangerous, when it comes to opportunities to make a name for himself or learn more (so that he may someday match his brother). He is not shy with new people, finding the opportunity for sharing knowledge or stories to be a worthwhile experience.
Briar the Lesser
Elf Druid 1
Neutral Good
Diety: Desna (feels good to wander under her stars)
Str: 7
Dex: 16
Con: 10
Int: 12
Wis: 18
Cha: 14
Feat: Additional Traits (I love my trait flavor)
Traits: Missing Sibling (CotCT), Focused Mind, Reactionary, Fast Talker (bluff)
Skills of Note:
Bluff: +7
Diplomacy: +6
Heal: +8
Perception: +10
Sense Motive: +8
Survival: +10
Spells: TBD
Equipment: TBD
Thanks.
-Pain
Your probably going to miss your edit window but you included a spoiler for Tarlane in mine.
Alright, here's a more generalized background. A summary of Thaniel, the possible character to be.
Native born but of Chelaxian background, Thaniel was the son of a city watchman and so grew up with a sense of pride of the city. A shining beacon of civilization in the face of an untamed land, a point of view only helped along by listening to the sermons of priests of Abadar. He grew to see Korvosa as a city of striking potential full of passionate people, and perhaps with time and training he too may become one of the Guard and do his part for the people who had only been good to him.
Using a great deal of the coin he was saving, Thaniel had a ring commissioned and proposed to his love Nessa (a servant girl of House Ornelos), who said yes. Soon after, her body was found not far away from her family's home. Stabbed, and robbed. Sharing in the family grief, the outstanding detail of how she was found to Thaniel was how that ring was missing from her finger.
Since then, Thaniel has hardened somewhat. His belief in the innate good nature of people has begun to shake, as he scoured the city for where that ring went. Eventually, it turned up in some shop dealing in "previously owned" items. While he was not able to get the ring itself back, the knowledge that it was sold to him by a Gaedren Lamm.
Unfortunately, no one Thaniel would talk to would help. Not the Ornelos family, not even the Guard he so respected. His anger and faith struggling, it was then that he decided that if justice was to be done... he would have to go after Lamm himself. Just to prove there is some fairness left in the city.
Hopefully that helps somewhat. Parts can be changed if need be.
Your character concept is fleshed out very well and fits the traits you have picked nicely. I am wondering how your character feels about Korvosa and it's people as a whole? Being a Varisian you probably would have been on the recieving end of descriminitory remarks by the Chelaxian sectors of the city. Also, why exactly do you think Isolde was murdered by Lamm? If you wish to leave that up to me I can certainly work with that, but if you had a specific concept in mind I would like to hear it.
You ask interesting questions... color my intrigued. :)
Alynbrand sees Korvosa as somewhat emblematic of his experiences with his uncle and his own people. There are good, bad, and apathetic people everywhere. While he may harbor a grudge towards his uncle (bad), he really can't blame his people (good/apathetic) for not supporting him... particularly since he didn't exactly wow them with his 8 CHA. :) Most people will 'go along' with the crowd because it is just easier. Expecting normal folks to buck the prevailing leadership is not reasonable. So, while Alynbrand would dislike being discriminated against, he wouldn't blame the 'followers' so much as the leaders within the Chelaxian community who 'set the standard'. His thoughts would generally be something like "The people are probably mostly fair-minded. If we could change their leadership we could change how they behave." Under his very pragmatic warrior veneer, Alynbrand is a closet Don Quixote, willing to do the right thing despite the odds. That's why I went with Lawful Neutral with Good tendencies. Having said that, there is only so much abuse he'd take from Chelaxians before he'd start snarling at them. He isn't a full-time "turn the other cheek" kind of fellow. :)
I'm happy to leave the Lamm mystery to you. I run and play in mostly sand-box style games so I'm happy to adapt to whatever plotlines you throw my way. One idea that might be interesting... is that Isolde was one of Lamm's children or associates. She could have hidden that fact from Alynbrand possibly because she wanted to start a new life with no ties to her sordid past or perhaps fear that Alynbrand's feelings for her would change if the truth ever came out. If you want to make her actions REALLY heinous, she could have used her position as a cleric to find kids to 'pimp' to Lamm. If she decided that she wanted to turn over a new leaf and called off their arrangement, Lamm might have been tempted to kill her to keep her silent.
My only 'firm' thought on Alynbrand and the mystery of Isolde's death is that he will pursue the matter to the bitter end to discover the truth. He doesn't expect it to cast Isolde in a bad light, but if it does, he will still follow the lead to uncover what happened and why.
Switching gears here, I was thinking about Rellen/Taisha's comment about male players/female characters. I do have a female character, similar to Alynbrand in terms of skills, that I can offer as an alternative if you'd like to mix up the party more. She was built as an edgy, slightly bitter, Paladin assigned to a crappy city to 'teach her humility'. I think, with just a bit of tweaking, she could fit into Korvosa and your adventure. If you like the Fighter angle more than a Paladin, I could swing her that way as well. Her name is Udaya Udas and I'll drop a link to her in the thread so you can take a look at her backstory and particulars. If you sample the 'recent posts' on her character sheet, you can get a really good feel for how I play a 'tom boy'. If she appeals to you, just let me know and I will tune her to the standards of your game, drop her level, and tweak her to fit.
Oh, one final thing, just answering a question you had at the top of the thread. I am a very regular poster - at least once, but as often as 4 or 5 times a day depending on how busy work is. Also, I'm not new to PbP. Thanks again, very much, for considering my character(s) for your game! And sorry for the Wall-o-Text!
Per my spoiler comments... a (yet to be modified) alternate character for your consideration.
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If we tie Lamm in to our backstory can we take both traits from another source, or at least the pathfinder version of the trait offered? I find I much prefer the Pathfinder versions of traits to the 3.5 ones presented in the players guide - unsurprisingly perhaps as the PF versions are generally much better.
For example getting a +1 bonus to Bluff and Bluff as a class Skill is generally better than simply +2 to Bluff.
Taisha' rather long - sorry - backstory is complete and in my profile. I will post it here in a spoiler for convenience.
Elorio was captured shortly after by a force of elves, but by that time Taisha had already been conceived. Elorio was taken released, but all of his party were executed - the choice having been given to the women they had hurt. This left Elorio with an abiding hatred of the elves, and himself.
Some two years later the elven ambassador to Korvosa, Perishial Kalissreavil, arrived unannounced at the Arkona Mansion carrying a swaddled babe. He spoke with Glorio Arkona, Elorio's father and Patriarch of the noble family, at length before leaving. At which point the furious Glorio stormed into his sons quarters and thrust the half elven babe at him demanding that he raise the "changeling freak" he had whelped or be disowned.
So Taisha was raised by a father who hated her, but dared not fail in her upbringing. Safe, but unloved, and well aware of her father's loathing. She had the finest tutors, and governesses, and was provided with beautiful gowns and generally attired like a perfect little porcelain doll. In particular she would be trotted out once a week for the visits of various elven dignitaries who took an interest in her well being, but not in her.
In her early teens she rebelled against her awful fake existence, refused to wear anything that she had not chosen herself - which tended to be distinctly improper attire and began sneaking out or simply running away whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Her father eventually snapped and beat her to within a inch of her life, the first time he had ever truly touched her. And the next day she was sent to the Acadamae even as Elorio was dispatched to Cheliax to take care of the families interest there.
At the Academy, despite being younger than all her peers at fourteen, Taisha thrived. She was obviously not the same as her class mates, but she was not the only Summoner at the school and her talents were soon recognized. Not only that but she was also a huge hit with the largely male student body who were more than half in love with her - she replaced Mistress Diggins the rotund elderly House Keeper as the object of most of their affections.
After a few years she fell in with a crowd of the suaver young mages and began heading out with them at nights to the seedier areas of town for nights of drinking and witticism. Eventually they discovered Shiver and tried it to be "delightfully naughty". Things went wrong from there.
Taisha and a number of her friends became addicted, their work at the Acadamae suffered and they were in danger of loosing their places. But their dealer Gaedran Lamm kept the credit easy and the Shiver was good.
Things soured when Lamm called in their tabs, and a young Wizard charmed him and had the old man dance and caper for them all before sending him off and telling him to bother them no further.
Some nights later they were joined by one of the Masters at what was now their usual bar room above a backstreet bar. He asked to speak with taisha alone regarding her work and her companions agreed readily enough heading out to seek more shiver. The Master, Gladlow Bandridge, then threatened to see her drummed out of the Academy if she did not sleep with him.
Taisha refused horrified, but alone in the room Bandridge refused to take no for an answer and cast a spell which held her in place. She tried to cry out for help, but found herself wholly bound by the magic, but in her mind she cried for aide - and it came.
Just as Bandridge was about to lay his sweaty hands upon her an equine creature with claws in place of hooves appeared from nowhere and tore into the mage with tooth and fang, tearing him to bloody pieces. Then Tiasha fainted.
When she awoke, to the pounding of boots, she found herself soaked in blood and gore and saw the mangled corpses of her friends as well as Bandridge scattered around her. The strange clawed horse was nowhere to be seen, but her friends had been savaged by an animal to. Then the guard arrived and she was arrested as a murderer.
The tavern keeper claimed that he had seen her beast ripping the students apart. But he was vague on the details and by the time the case was brought to court Taisha had become familiar with how her eidolon - for that was what the horse was - could and could not do.
She asked the bar keeper to describe the creature and not having seen it he failed spectacularly. When she produced her eidolon the Academy was able to verify that it was clearly not the beast descried and that she could not have been responsible for such a creature.
Truth magic verified what had happened, so Taisha did not face prosecution, but nevertheless she was dismissed from the academy and forced to return to her grandfather's house. Glorio Arkona had never been cruel to her, but he was hardly loving, and he saw her as an asset despite her heritage. He hopes to marry her off to advantage with her beauty outshining her elven blood.
Taisha has different plans though and has set out on the trail of her friends true killer. A thorough interrogation of the bar keeper - at horse point - revealed the name of the killer - Gaedran Lamm.
If you want a reference game check out DM Barcas's Kingmaker I play Verik. I am also in a number of games as DM and player on EnWorld to - just let me know if you want links. :)
Alright, I present Bao Xu, human monk and drunken master. I ended up deciding a drunken master fits more with the crummy life Bao ended up with and also makes for more of an urban monk. Everything is in my profile (still have a little formatting and proofreading to do) and I'll post his background here. I'm imagining this character as if Sammo Hung played a drunken master and was really young and an orphan turned drunkard barroom brawler.
As for me, my name is Kacy, I'm a generally cool dude who posts rather regularly on here. My current games are:
DM Barcas' Kingmaker (playing as Zander)
SdF's Cyrpt of the Everflame (playing as Helios)
My Savage Tide (as GM)
Noone's Rise of the Runelords (as replacement GM)
The Master's Forge - (playing as Hoppin' Robbo; just joined this one recently)
Though severely injured, the now 12-year-old Bao survived the beating and lived for some time on the streets and back alleys of Korvosa, begging for coppers by day and rummaging for scraps of food by night. After three years of living like this, he was able to find work as a dockside laborer, but squandered most of his pay in the many bars dotting the Korvosan waterfront. Having lived with violence throughout his adolesence, Bao was quick to swing a fist and participated in many a barroom brawl, usually coming out on top during such encounters due to the half-remembered training he had received from his father as a young boy. In the darkest hours of the night when his workday was through and the bars were closed down, he often drunkenly trained in his flat, remembering the old forms and improvising new ones, honing his skills for the day when he would track down old Gaedran Lamm and seek his revenge.
EDIT: Also, as he just mentioned, I play with Rellen in Barcas' Kingmaker game and can thoroughly vouch for him as a great player!
Kur-Awk is proud of his heritage, but shamed by the fact that he was sent into the world without undergoing his adulthood rituals. In the eyes of his tribe, he is still a boy. He uses the alcohol to numb the pain of being seen as a child. He would dearly love to redeem himself and return home, but part of him is fascinated by the city. It's alive in a whole new way that he's never seen before. As for discrimination, he's really not that perceptive to notice most discrimination, but when push comes to shove, literally, he solves his problem by smashing them over the head or throwing a chair at them. He's not a subtle man. ;)
Hope that clarifies!
Two years earlier:
Alexieca's stomach cramped with hunger as the quiet girl huddled outside the window of the Three Fiddler's Fife. It was the young urchin's favorite inn to stake out, not only because it was an easy place to pick up the occasional coin she needed to take Gaedrenn Lamm to avoid beatings, but she could listen to the bards while she waited for her opportunity.
Perhaps it wasn't as popular as some other spots, but she was less likely to be chased away, as happened at the Marbledome and even sometimes the Bard's End, or accosted, as happened near the Exemplary Execrables. Sometimes some of the patrons even tossed her a few coppers, which meant she didn't have to find some other way to get their money.
On this night, she had actually gotten a few copper from one bard -- it was enough to satisfy Lamm, but she still hoped for a few more, so she might use some of the money on food. She was still trying to decide whether she should buy dinner now and hope for a chance to get more for her cruel master.
As she waited and agonized over her choices, she watched the musician who given her the copper pieces head to the stables with one of the doxies who hung around the tavern. She was sure he would be given the "good night kiss," a drug used by some of the women to knock out men and take their coin, but she knew if she said anything, she'd suffer for it.
She was still waiting a short time later when the fire broke out in the stable. She watched as the wench slipped out and then with growing horror as the fire spread and the bard didn't emerge. Finally, unable to bear the idea that the singer would burn to death while she watched, Aleixica spraing into action, running into the burning barn. Finding the bard unconscious, she began dragging him to the exit.
She was nearly there, her throat raw from the smoke and her screams for help, when a burning beam fell, pinning her to the ground. She blacked out, her last thoughts of how unfair her too-short life had been.
So she was surprised when she woke in a clean bed, her burns healed though scars remaind on her left arm, side and temple. She later learned that others had heard her screams and were able to rescue her and the bard. Impressed with her bravery, the bard had made sure she had gotten proper care. He took her under his wing, taking her out of Korvosa and teaching her how to play instruments and work an audience as well as how to protect herself while on the road.
Now, Aleixica, having adopted her mentor's surname Tas'Vere, has returned to Korvosa where she hopes to make her own mark on the city. And if that means possibly righting some of the wrongs of her childhood, so much the better.
Aleixica is a talented young performer, gifted with natural grace, intelligence and charisma. An attractive redhead, she's self-conscious about her scars, keeping her left side covered, often including a long, flowing sleeve to cover her hand, and her hair or a bandanna over the left side of her forehead. She has a streak of independence and bravery that belies her humble origins on the streets and tends to prefer finding a peaceful way to solve conflicts, though she's become more proficient with weapons, especially the bow, which she discovered she had a natural aptitude for.
She's a human bard, obviously. I'm picturing her as chaotic good, though the rest is still up in the air. (And can be tweaked pretty easily if it turns out you like the character but would rather have another class.)
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Growing up on the streets, Byron had few friends, beyond some casual friendships with a few street urchins. However, he did run with one boy by the name of Feldryn fairly frequently over the years, as he was the only other Half-Elf that Byron ever came across amongst the street urchins. Although they were not exactly brothers, they did keep an eye out for each other, and engage in a few elaborate pranks.
However, that all changed when Feldryn became addicted to Shiver. Byron watched as his friend gradually lost his grip on reality, eventually over-dosing in a back-alley drug den. Understandably, Byron was furious, and moved mountains to discover who had led his friend so badly astray; the name that he turned-up was Gaedren Lamm. When he also learned that Gaedren was responsible for preying on many of Korvosa's street kids over the years, Byron was filled with a cold fury, and vowed to bring an end to Gaedren's existence...
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Also, a quick perusal of the Player's Guide reveals that the Faith of Sarenrae is particularly favored by the common people of the city, so given Byron's general outlook, it would probably make sense for him to be a follower of the Dawnflower.
Let me know what you think :-)
As his mind drifts to the subject of his heritage, logically, he has to admit that there are positives and negatives to his outward appearance, though he has little time for those that would simply flee because of it. Disguises never struck him as practical things before, though magic could do many things.. Of late, it has served him well to figure out, without emotion, the benefits and drawbacks of a course of action in regards to what he desires.
As for Anyel, Lamm's accusation of murder hurt her. He fully intends to see the favor repaid, and her status restored.
I heartily endorse the following players: James Martin, Rellen, and smashthedean. I've played with them in my campaigns and found them to be excellent. Read my Star Wars or Kingmaker campaigns for their styles. You won't be disappointed with them.
Udaya is now tweaked to fit your campaign.
Ohh man, I just realized that there is a Barbarian Drunken Brute in the running. I'm imagining that a Drunken Master and a Drunken Brute would have some rather interesting times together! Also, thanks Rellen and Barcas for the recommendations :)
Also, here's a random probably uninteresting moment in the life of Bao Xu as an extra example of my writing and an attempt of my own to get a feel for the character. He's starting to remind me of my drunken college student/dropout nephew-in-law and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Standing before him across the entrance to his flat is Jerik Kaemlis, the landlord of Bao Xu's tenement here in Old Dock. Seeing the familiarly furious face of the grizzled old man, Bao Xu backpeddles, "Oh, sorry Mister Kaemlis, I didn't realize it was you, heh."
"You're late with your rent Zoo." says the cranky old fellow in a flat and rattley voice.
Wincing at the old-timer's mispronunciation of his name, Bao Xu replies, "Is it that time again? Hold on a sec, let me find it." Turning away, he scans his room, his eyes passing over the piles of empty bottles and eventually settling on a wooden dresser in the corner. Moving over to the dresser, he rummages around a bit before producing a small pouch of silver pieces, which he brings back around to the door. "Here you go Mister Kaemlis, sorry about that, I lost track of the days I suppose." he says as he brings to bear a sheepish grin.
The old man snatches the pouch out of Bao Xu's hand and turns to leave, calling out over his shoulder, "I don't have time to babysit you, Zoo. If you want to keep living in this flat, I expect you to pay your rent on time from now on!"
As Bao Xu closes the door behind the cantankerous codger, he thinks to himself, 'I need a drink.'
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Goodness, where does all this time fly off to. Well, I must say that I am extremely surprised and delighted to have received so much of a response from everyone. I am still considering several things about all of your characters and no one is out of the running yet. I just wanted you all to know I do plan on asking more questions and am formulating them. I am not sure when I will be able to post them today (Wednesday) as I hang out at my local game store for most of today so we will see what happens.
Also, while I have been pondering everybody's characters, I do have to admit it has been extremely tough to even try to narrow the list down to 5 people. Everybody has pitched excellent characters. So, I am going to bring this up to the table for everybody's consideration.
How would all of you feel if I bumped up the size of the party from 6 to 8? I know there are a lot of logistical problems with such a large party and the size and scale of the combats would also be bumped up quite a bit. But at the same time, I began my D&D carrier with the Dragon Lance novels and really large parties have always appealed to me because of that. So, I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on the idea.
6-8 people sounds ambitious, but it might make the roleplaying more deeply involved having that many additional personas interacting. I recommend you go for it, because I'm a fan of ambitious ideas.
For what its worth I think six is about the upper limit of what is manageable for a pbp format. Diaglogue is fine but the real challenge is combat. If combat drags then the momentum of the pbp is lost and a death spiral of disinterest and death seems to follow closely on its heels. Six pushes this sometimes and I think eight is too many.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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The thing about PbPs is that you're going to lose 25-33% of your players. It's no one's fault, but things come up and you lose them. If you go with 8 and you think that's too much after a few posts, then you can always split the party into two and run two PbPs.
It's up to you, but go with your gut and see what happens. There's no mistake so final that it can't be undone. Except for death. And I'm working on that!
MWAAAA HAA HAA!
Did I mention I just took a level in alchemist?
I don't have enough experience with PBP to have a real opinion on eight players. I am DM'ing one campaign (took over in the recruitment thread when the DM bailed before we even got started) and six is definitely the most I could do. For what it's worth, I find the hardest part is indeed picking the characters you like, since there are so many and they usually all sound good.
That said, in my limited experience, I've also seen players constantly drop out, so you could probably start with eight and actually have the optimum five or six actually playing when everything shakes out. : )
Though I am afraid to say so as I don't want to risk my spot, I'll have to agree that 6 is probably the most I'd recommend going with. That said though, if you are feeling super ambitious the running two games thing sounds like a grand idea to me.
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How would all of you feel if I bumped up the size of the party from 6 to 8?
I think it will work out fine.
With the caliber of players wanting in, I can't see the roleplaying being dampened, nor our enthusiasm quelled by having so many voices.
That said, since I'd want in for the long haul, I think natural attrition would eventually get things to work out.
And besides, in the spirit of adventure, I am willing to see how it all turns out.
-Pain
aka Briar the Lesser
Ooh, I missed it earlier, but I can also vouch for Tarlane as a great player. He plays in my Savage Tide campaign as Lerith :)
I have only anecdotal evidence to offer but...
I'm playing in one group with 8 players right now that jumped up from 6. The slow-down in terms of action, cross-talk, and combats has been very pronounced. Ironically, I think the RP has also taken a hit. Due to the general slow-down, people watch the thread less and interact less hoping that the DM can speed things along. I'd say the game is 'languishing' though that is certainly due to a variety of factors not just the group size. There definitely seems to be a point where the logistics of running X players starts to impact the DM's ability to play NPCs and flesh out the world in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, you're going to have to figure out what X is for you. I know I can't run 8 players. I find 3 or 4 the right number for me. Your mileage will no doubt vary. :)
If this is your first go at running a PbP, I'd suggest starting with a size you feel confident you can manage. It is quite a bit different than running an IRL game. But if you really feel like taking a swing at 8 players, I'm happy to play along. It seems like there are enough DMs in this group that if you need assistance with some of the thankless logistical tasks, we can lend a hand.