Blue Rose Recruitment

[stardust]

Sorcery is treated a little differently in this game... =) Sorcerous Arcana don't exist, but True Rose versions of Pathfinder spells will exist for those that take on the Sorcerer Class, and willing to make the sacrifices necessary to use it.

If you think the toughness rating is too low, I suppose we can try TR 15+modifiers. As toughness rating improves with level, however (and damage does not necessarily), it may become exceedingly difficult to harm a person if TR is too high. :(

[acidrica]

I'm still interested, I just got caught up in festivities this weekend. If Nevin is going to be going into sorcery, then I might go with a character I have that would work really well as a water shaper, if that's okay.

[Nevin]

That scaling problem exists no matter which version of the equation you pick. I haven't really looked over weapon and damage rules yet, so I'll see if they deal with it, but honestly 10+bonus at first level seems like we'd just die really fast at level one if there were combat. Avoiding combat is better, yes, but dying instantly from one hit always sucks.

Also, assuming it's not too late, I'd like to alter my stats as follows: Str -2, Wis +4.

I typo'd my Will save earlier, it's +5. If you allow the change, my stats becoming the following:

Will save +6
Concentration +8, heal +8, Survival +8
5 Body Control
5 Psychic Shield
5 Second Sight

@ Rica, I'm not going into sorcery

[stardust]

Alright then, until we decide otherwise, Toughness Rating is 15 + modifiers. The reason I want to do it this way is so that attackers can roll to hit, and damage at the same time, rather than wait for someone to roll a defensive toughness saving throw.

Although, to be honest, I dislike rolling all saving throws, and in a few of my tabletop games, I've introduced casting checks instead of saving throws.

Megan, this makes your Drake's toughness rating 14 instead of 9.

[Nevin]

Like I said, you could always roll it for us either way. I don't mind, and if someone else does they could always speak up. My toughness becomes 15 under the current rule, if you are writing these down.

[Nevin]

Seems like you can take a 10 or a 20 on a wealth roll. If you'll allow it, I'll start with a cryston, and a masterwork buckler. The funds, game-wise, would have come from saving up garments and proceeds from his leatherworking skill. This will reduce my wealth to +0. This is basically years of work, so these, and the clothes on his back (that he made himself) are all he owns.

My backstory will be incoming in the next day or two.

[Megan Robertson]

Thank you. Maybe he's been working out... (dissoves in fit of giggles at the image of a drake-sized weights bench!)

[Nevin]

I have a question for you; I'm trying to make my Rhy-bonded companion, and I was wondering, I'm supposed to pick a class for him, right? Should I just ignore class starting feats like armor training, since he is a Rhydan? Also, I don't want to crash your party, but it looks like Rhydan wealth starts at 0 (base Rhydan stats, page 57).

Maybe I should just write an NPC into my backstory? The goal isn't to actually have like...a follower, it's just important backstory stuff. Perhaps a non-combat npc you control or something? I don't actually want to play a second character.

[stardust]

You might also ask Megan if she'd be willing to have her Drake give up a feat to be Rhy-bonded with you.

Megan, Rhy-bonded are always in mental contact. If broken by outside arcana, mental contact is reestablished as soon as possible. You would basically be really, really close friends with Nevin's character if this is something you both might be interested in.

I'm allowing that particular rule to slide for Megan's drake. (the wealth I mean). Other Rhydan will of course have a starting wealth of +0, but I see Drakes as creatures for which wealth actually has a social meaning. :)

[Nevin]

I think I'll go through with it, I was looking to be bonded to a rhy-wolf. I'll make sure he's written into my backstory, and give a little background on the territory he and his pack come from too.

[stardust]

In the Great City of Galasthin, a number of Rhy Wolves act as city guard during the night, patrolling in small groups. The captain of the guard is actually a black Rhy-wolf named Thedral.

[Nevin]

Do I need to be from the primary city? I was going to be from a hamlet somewhere and let you name/do whatever with it.

[stardust]

Most of the Vata live in the city. Due to a defensive measure against the Sorcerer King Crelgaus about 100 years ago. Vata from outside the city are regarded as barbarians. But... you might be out on assignment, perhaps even as a diplomat for a human settlement.

Why don't you tell me your full character idea and I'll see how I can fit it into the campaign... :) You can tell me in spoiler if you want to keep it secret from other players.

Most of the "Aldean" racial bonuses are restricted to Vata and humans from the City (Aldean should actually be translated to Galasthinean) In any case, the game begins in the City of Galasthin, so you should at least be a little familiar with it.

[stardust]

To help you with your character ideas, I'll be posting some things about the City of Galasthin, and other properties of the Campaign, in the OOC Discussion. Here is the link. :)

[Nevin]

For everyone: My character is a young, skinny Vata'an boy, wild and unkempt, dressed in what looks to be surprisingly well made leathers. He is (mostly) clean, with the usual white Vata hair, and unusual golden eyes - like that you'd think his large Rhy-wolf companion would have - except the Rhy-wolf's eyes are blue. He looks wiry or sinewy in physique, seems easily startled, is extremely quiet, and looks somewhat underfed.

So here's what backstory I had so far, it's kind of rough, but I am still fleshing it out. For the others, please don't read, you'll find out some or all of it as the game progresses.

Spoiler:

Athos is still a young Vata'an, more wild than civilized. He hails from a small Aldean hamlet on the borders of plains and forest, with a larger than normal number of Rhydan roaming the area (but still not populous, by any means).

Athos is a natural Shaper, manifesting a multitude of abilities from a very young age. Unfortunately, the Aldean hamlet he was born in took a dim view of his abilities, not only because they were out of his control, but also because he was one of the naturally gifted Vata, and the local Aldeans had to struggle to obtain teaching for their gifted children, or send them far away to apprenticeships. They resented the ease with which his power came to him, and his foreign blood.

His gifts having made him outcast, Athos wandered the outskirts of the fields and a small ways into the forest, stealing or foraging what food he could as a child, and often going hungry. Perhaps the only person to show him kindness was the village priest, a devout man who believed in (your pick of local god). He would give Athos food and a warm place to sleep; his involvement in Athos' life would grow later on.

When Athos was ten or so, he wandered farther into the forest than he usually did (he was as leery of it as the villagers were, it being something of a forbidden place that the villagers feared, for reasons he didn't understand), because of some farmers from whom he'd stolen a midday snack. Lost, he tramped aimlessly through the undergrowth, making a great deal of noise, until he stumbled upon a clearing by sheer luck - where he saw, to his terror, surely the largest wolf in existence.

His fear got the better of him - and of his powers. He nearly set the clearing alight in his panic; but the wolf, a Rhy-dan guardian of the forest, sent to patrol by his pack, calmed him with soothing words projected directly into his mind, and a hearty wolfish grin and lolling tongue to set him at ease.

Soon after, the forest became more of a haven and a home to Athos than the little hamlet he'd grown up in. Conlan, the Rhy-wolf who'd found him trespassing, became his first and only friend; it was at Conlan's urging that Athos first began to master his gifts. The Rhydan, sadly knowing more of the world than even the boy, sent him back to the village priest's small library for what instruction he could obtain. He quickly learned to read and write, and after one disastrous occasion in which Athos nearly ruined a book and the priest yelled at him, made sure to care for the books that he took from the tiny library - usually without asking. The priest tried in vain to teach him the concept of asking for what he needed, but he had little respect for material possession, and even less respect for the other villagers.

Athos spent years with Conlan, practicing his abilities, eventually being introduced to the Rhydan's entire pack (though treated with respect, never truly welcomed as one of them), and to a few of the Rhy-horses of the plains and one or two lone Rhy-cats in the forest.

Athos has grown up mostly feral, educated as best the priest and Conlan could provide, but is horrendously inept at social interaction with non-Rhydan, for whom he has almost no respect - though he has yet to encounter another Vata. He is tremendously uncomfortable around humans, though he speaks basically every language he could learn, and is hesitant even among Rhydan; something akin to being the lowest member of the pack. Only Conlan treats him as an equal, and sometimes not if Athos does something especially stupid.

What little Athos possesses, he has made, or traded for with what he made. At Conlan's urging, he saved years of efforts worth of money from garments he sold, in order to buy the cryston and buckler he currently possesses (to what end he was entirely unsure, but he trusts Conlan completely). He marks little importance for wealth beyond using it to get what he needs without making people angry (and it took him a while to grasp that concept too). He has taken, since buying the cryston, to using it to stun small animals as a less fatiguing method of hunting dinner. To Conlan's credit, or perhaps Athos' extreme naivete, Athos does not really understand conflict from a human perspective. He understands vying for dominance, and hunting for survival, but not war for an ideal, or greed, or maliciousness.

From an entirely OOC perspective, Athos is incredibly naive and has some shatteringly disturbing things to learn about the world, as well as some wonders. Currently, Conlan has finally convinced Athos to go to the capital to experience life among his people (though Conlan hasn't explained what he means by 'his people' and Athos just assumes more Aldeans) and to obtain formal training in his innate Shaping and Healing talents. Despite his lack of real-world immersion, Athos is also a very intelligent and driven young man. He loves to understand and learn - but finds this difficult to do with people. He's also hyper-aware of being an outcast, and is very touchy and easily hurt by this, though he struggles never to show it.

Storywise, my goals for Athos are for him to experience the culture-shock of immersion in a large city, train, and move toward becoming something like a Rhydan emissary and mage protector of the forest near his original home. Conlan's developement I will leave entirely to you, with the last tidbit that the two are closer than brothers, and the love they bear for each other would cause them to tear the world apart to keep them safe. I'd recommend not killing Conlan, as it would probably render Athos unplayable, but kidnapping or magical illnesses or the like will result in Athos immediately trying his hardest to fix whatever the problem is - he doesn't have enough interest vested in anything else to care...yet.

Also, I have no idea yet why he's from that village in particular...but neither does he, so I might just leave that to you to weave into a plot twist. Here are more finalized stats for myself and my Rhydan companion:

Athos
Vata'an Aldin Adept 1, Twilight Aligned, Conviction 3
Calling: The Empress [Protection of Nature], Light Nature: Resolute, Shadow Nature: Depressed

[Race]
Vata'an: Medium, 30 ft, +2 to damage recovery checks, low-light vision, 1 free arcane talent
Aldin: Favored Skills - Diplomacy, Knowledge (Nobility), Language
Favored Feats - Fascinate, Jack of All Trades

[Statistics]
Str -2, Dex +2, Con +0, Int +5, Wis +4, Cha -3
Defense: 20 (5 Canny Defense, 2 Dex, 2 class bonus, 1 buckler), flat-footed 13, touch 19
Toughness: 15
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +6
Base Atk +0, Wealth +2, Reputation +1
Cryston: +4 Nonlethal, +4 to hit, 500 ft range

Favored Skills: Acrobatics*, Concentration*, Craft (any), Diplomacy [Aldin], Heal*, Knowledge (Any), Language [Aldin], Survival*
Feats: [Shaping Talent] (free), Wild Talent(Shaping Talent), Rhy-Bonded (Conlan), Canny Defense, Healing Talent
Skills: Acrobatics (+6), Concentration (+8), Craft (Leatherworking) (+9), Heal (+8), Knowledge (Arcana) (+9),
Knowledge (Nature) (+9), Survival (+8)

Equipment: Cryston, Masterwork Buckler
Gear: Bedroll, Soap, Sewing Needle, Waterskin

[Arcana]
5 Body Control (10)
6 Cold Shaping (10)
6 Earth Shaping (10)
6 Fire Shaping (10)
6 Light Shaping (10/20)
6 Manipulate Object (10)
6 Move Object (10)
6 Plant Shaping (10/20)
5 Psychic Shield
5 Second Sight (10/20)
6 Water Shaping (10/20)
6 Wind Shaping (10/20)

______________________________________________

Conlan
Rhy-wolf Warrior, Light-aligned, Conviction 3
Calling: The Empress [Protection of Nature], Light Nature: Devoted, Shadow Nature: Pugnacious

[Race]
Rhy-Wolf: Medium, 50 ft, low-light vision, limited manipulation, cannot speak, no armor or weapon training, no wealth, +4 to survival when tracking by scent
Favored skills: Notice, Survival
Favored feats: Crippling strike, Rage, Surprise Attack, Weapon Focus (Bite)

[Statistics]
Str +1, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0
Defense: 18 (5 dex, 3 class bonus), flat-footed 13, touch 18
Toughness: 19
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0
Base Atk +1, Wealth +0, Reputation +0
Bite: +3 Lethal, +6 to hit, melee; Howl: +4 to intimidate for 1 round; Scent; Trip

Favored skills: Acrobatics*, Craft (any), Intimidate*, Jump*, Notice, Search*, Sneak*, Survival, Swim*
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Rhy-Bonded (Athos), Uncanny dodge, Arcanum (Body Control), Track (free), Psychic Talent (free)
Skills: Sneak (+9), Survival (+4)

Equipment and gear: None.

[Arcana]
4 Body Control (10)
1 Mind Touch (10)
1 Psychic Shield
1 Second Sight (10/20)

[stardust]

For Athos:

It is slightly different on this continent. There is no Hart, for example, or anything similar to it, although Unicorns are still considered the most sacred Rhydan, and when Unicorns speak, generally everyone listens.

I think we can make your character a foundling. Perhaps he was the survivor of a shipwreck from a sea journey undertook by his parents. The priest would be one of the 7 Gods of Light (there are two pantheons), who decided to raise you himself rather than take you by way of long journey to the corrupting City of Galasthin. (The City is a bit more morally relativistic).

However, we would have to remove the Aldin racial benefits, since those are now Galasthinean, and come up with some from the village you were raised in.

I am thinking Sea Child, making Acrobatics, Swim, and Survival favored skills, and granting you the Perceptive trait (since survival-minded folks are a little more perceptive anyway), which grants a +1 trait bonus to Notice and Sense Motive skill checks instead of the favored Feats.

Let me know what you think.

[Nevin]

@stardust

Spoiler:

I wasn't particularly attached to the skills or feats for Aldins, I just thought I needed to choose a specific human background as one of the Vata'an. His origins aren't particularly important to me, as he is unaware of them, unless you wish to make them into a significant plot point later on for him to discover. Your favored skill selection is fine (I'm not going to bother redoing my skills, I'm satisfied as they are now, since the goal was to match his backstory; however, I am going to forgo the Sense Motive bonus you're suggesting, precisely because of his background. In fact, I intend to RP away his wisdom bonus when it comes to diplomacy, sense motive, and other social abilities when dealing with humanoids, because of his near total lack of humanoid contact. Rhydan interaction (whether in Galasthin or elsewhere) I will RP normally, and apply my stats normally. If you want to change the bonuses because of this, go ahead, but I'm fine just trashing the humanoid background stuff entirely, since it's unimportant to him character-wise.

If you don't want to do that, perhaps something more Rhydan-focused would be in order? He's spent something like 9 or 10 years (he's around 19ish now) basically living exclusively with Conlan wandering the borders and depths of the forest most of the time, so him not having human-y skills is in character barring the ones he went out of his way to learn (Heal). Everything else is basically real-world knowledge, and the odd book he stole/borrowed from the priest.

[stardust]

Athos:

Ah, in that case. Try this on. Its unlikely you would have been completely isolated in the wilderness. The forests of the continent are well inhabited by humans and organized Rhydan, and there is generally free contact between them. I imagine you would have a similar background to most of the Forest humans, so we'll try it this way.

Forestborn: +2 to Survival checks in the forest. Survival, Climb, and Sneak are favored Skills. Choose one of the following traits: Ghost in the Green (take 10 on Sneak checks in forest at any time, even during combat or stressful situations) or Tree Runner (+2 trait bonus to Climb skill checks and retain dexterity bonus to defense when climbing)

Even if you had desired to live a life of complete isolation, I'm sure your Rhy-wolf would have invited you to run with the pack, and enter (at least somewhat) into the Rhy-wolf population. Not that there's anything wrong with isolated living, during the formative years of your life, the Rhy-wolf would have wanted you to remain safe as possible.

[acidrica]

Quick question: Does shadow shaping from the Companion exist?

[stardust]

No... Its a sorcery. Sorceries have been replaced by Blue Rose versions of Pathfinder spells. I'll probably detail the Sorcerer class on the OOC thread a little later on. Most likely that particular arcana can be imitated by the darkness spell and its cousins.

[acidrica]

Alrighty then. I think I'll play my water shaper. He might still go into summoning or sorcery, but I think he'll work a lot better in a group, and fits the flavor of the game a bit more.

Here's what I have so far:

Kale Porter
Human Aldin Adept 1, Twilight aligned

[Race]
Human: Medium, 30 ft, One bonus known skill at 1st level, One bonus feat at 1st level
Aldin: Favored Skills - Diplomacy, Knowledge (Nobility), Language
Favored Feats - Fascinate, Jack of All Trades
[Statistics]
Str +0, Dex +1, Con +0, Int +5, Wis +0, Cha +0

Favored Skills: Concentration*, Craft (any), Diplomacy [Aldin], Sense Motive*, Knowledge (Any), Language [Aldin], Survival*, Swim*
Feats: Shaping Talent, Arcane Focus (Water), Widen Arcana, Empower Arcana, Arcane Training (Cold Shaping, Water Shaping)
Skills: Concentration (+8), Diplomacy, Knowledge (Arcana) (+9), Knowledge (Local), Sense Motive, Survival, Swim

[b][Arcana][b]
6 Cold Shaping (10)
6 Water Shaping (10/20)

[Nevin]

Stardust:

Spoiler:

That is pretty cool! I will go with that, and Ghost in the Green. Are you making these up, or are they in a book I don't have?

[stardust]

Nevin wrote:

Stardust:

** spoiler omitted **

Nevin: Yep, they are modified from Iron Heroes.

Acidrica: Change out the word Aldin for Galasthin and you're looking good.

[Nevin]

Hey Rica, I just noticed something; your shaping skills are trained, so they actually have +3 each. They should both be at +9 total

[Nevin]

@ Rica again, I found something else for you. Arcane focus applies to an entire talent, so it would be Arcane Focus (Shaping) for you. It's +1 to any shaping skill's DC when you use it on someone, whether water, cold, or something you learn later.

[stardust]

Conversion of Wealth:

Don't worry if you've already used your wealth to make purchases. However, for those that are new to the game, the true20 Wealth system is one of the most difficult to explain and keep track of. Therefore, for every +1 in Wealth you begin play with 25 gp, and the actual costs of things will be determined by the Pathfinder Rules.

If there are items in the Blue Rose rules you would like to purchase, compare their Cost difficulty with other items that are listed in Pathfinder Rules to find their Pathfinder Cost. The Cryston, for example, has the same cost as a heavy crossbow.

Let me know if anyone has a problem with this. I'm doing what I can to make the game enjoyable for everyone, including those without the rulebook. :)

[Nevin]

A general question based on your conversion rules; when we level and it calls for a wealth check to gain wealth, will we be translating our money into wealth, rolling to see what we gain, and then converting that back into money?

Also,

@ Stardust::

Regarding my backstory, I picked up the Blue Rose companion, and saw a cool feat: self-shifting. I don't want to take the feat myself, but do you have a problem with one of my parents having been a Rhy-wolf shifter? That could be why I was in that village, and why that pack adopted me, as it were (and why he has golden eyes).

I'm going to call backstory prerogative (as if you can't override that) and say that his mother was the Rhy-wolf, and that she is dead, and also that my father does not know I exist, and none of the villagers know my heritage. If you want to work some way of me finding out about it during game, that's cool, but I'm not worried if it doesn't come up. Certain members of the pack are aware, but Conlan is not. At the moment, there's no reason for them to want or intend to tell me. (Feel free to make her some uber cool historical plot character :). And perhaps my father was a healer?)

[stardust]

I feel like acquiring wealth over time, including when leveling, is a product of investments, so it will be a Charisma+Wisdom check to determine new wealth gained if any (or lost, if the result is 9 or lower.)

Or I may just throw out the leveling Wealth rule since it doesn't really make much sense. Acquiring wealth by adventuring, professions, or an actual investment rather than a subtly enforced one would be a better way to allow for growths in wealth.

Like I said, the Wealth rules are one of the most confusing aspects of Blue Rose, so to help those who do not have the rulebook, it will need to be simplified to something that can be universally understood.

Athos:

Based on your knowledge of the City of Galasthin, from the discussion thread, you're free to create a Vata character that might be your father. However, its unlikely that any Vata would have mated knowingly with a self-shaped Rhy-Wolf, but I'll leave the reason for that to your imagination and backstory.

[Nevin]

Stardust:

I will pass on making another character; perhaps later if it becomes important to me as a matter of character development for Athos, I will create him, but right now I have no interest. It's just more backstory flavor.

Out of curiosity, why would such a thing not occur between Vata and Rhydan?

[stardust]

Nevin wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Nevin:

Well the Nobility certainly would have looked down on it. Since the last battle with the Blue Sorcerer (some 150 years ago), the Vata have been attempting to breed selectively. Of course, romances do pop up at inconvenient times (and such a relationship might have been similar to your parents). Vata'an and Vata'sha generally do not mate, for instance, though there have been a few scandalous love marriages. So, I will restate what I said earlier by clarifying the word. While it might not be unlikely, it certainly would have been devastatingly inconvenient for anyone attempting to have a standing in society.

[Nevin]

Stardust:

I will go ahead with it having happened, but I will not work out the details unless you wish me to do so. However, I have a story-based question. Is there a lot of regular communication between outlying Rhydan and the Rhydan of Galasthin? If so, and you wish to write it into the story in some way, we can go right ahead and assume that one of the prominent pack members of the forest sent word to one of the leading Rhydan of the city (the Rhydan faction, please) when it became apparent that Athos and Conlan would be heading that way. I would prefer it if none of the Rhydan are aware of Athos' father's identity, however.

[Nevin]

A general question for you, Stardust, on the Ritualist feat from the companion.

A) are you allowing this feat in your game, and b) what is to stop a player (ie, me) from creating a ritual for like...every situation? One minute healing rituals galore under specific kinds of trees (I realize this sounds stupid), which would end up providing a mechanical benefit of taking a 10 out of combat as if I had rolled a 20, and +2 to avoid gaining fatigue for casting? There would be nothing incurable at that point (I could take it at level 3, with a +10 Cure modifier).

Would you just rule something like one ritual per specific arcanum, per specific effect, etc? What are your thoughts on this?

[stardust]

Rituals drain the inherent magical energy from Lei Lines. So,

#1) All rituals must be approved by me before they are permitted.

#2) Rituals performed in certain locations will drain available magical resources, preventing rituals from being performed there for a time. (usually 1d4 days), but I might modify this.

All in all, no one should be attempting to use the rules to break the game. We're coming together to tell a story, one set in a world of romantic fiction, where emotional dramas have more influence than hack and slash. With that in mind, I am attempting to use the rules as guidelines for character abilities for this game, not as set-in-stone restrictions or loopholes to destroy either the characters or the game.

If you are trying to min/max the rules (and I'm not saying you are, specifically, but if anyone is trying to, this might apply to them), this is probably not the best game for you. Play style will speak more to me of your characters abilities than the rules on their character sheet.

If you find a feat, a skill, an arcanum that fits your character concept, without making them allpowerful gods, you can use that feat in accordance with the rules allowed.

To help me promote this ruling, I may introduce restrictions and guidelines that are not present in the rules themselves, so that we can tell the tale of characters immersed in a fantastic world. However, I will always attempt to inform you if a power you select has some type of restriction.

Remember this as our primary objective. We are creating unique characters of romantic fantasy, that is to say, of emotionally driven storylines. Feats, skills, arcana, and even spells are not intended to destroy this objective, or to make the storylines ridiculously easy.

I hope we are in agreement here, at least. :) I'm not your enemy in the game. I am a Narrator, trying to bring a world to life. For me, that means also introducing restrictions and balances that make sense for the campaign (or story) that is being told.

[Nevin]

Easy enough, I'll pass on the feat. It's too easy to abuse, imo. (And I am far from immune to the temptation)

[stardust]

If I do not hear back from our Knight in Shining Armor soon, I may allow you to bring your wolf in as a companion character. :P Then we can start. I will try to get up more about the city of Galasthin and the Sorcerer class in the discussion thread.

[Nevin]

What is he right now? Or do you mean basically play two characters? :(

[stardust]

Yes, unless thats something you'd rather not do. It's difficult to take advantage from the Rhy-bonded feat, though, if the Rhydan isn't present in the campaign.

I was hoping to have four players for the game. Without a fourth, things might be a little difficult. Also, we have an expert (noble) and 2 adepts, so we're a little light on the combat side.

[Nevin]

I assumed a Rhy-bonded companion was effectively a DMPC with a backstory, and limited input allowed from the character who created him. Otherwise, I will end up roleplaying with myself significantly >.< rather than tossing in the odd note about Athos and Conlan.

On a side note, is there a way to flag a thread to alert you when a reply is made?

[stardust]

Nevin wrote:

I assumed a Rhy-bonded companion was effectively a DMPC with a backstory, and limited input allowed from the character who created him. Otherwise, I will end up roleplaying with myself significantly >.< rather than tossing in the odd note about Athos and Conlan.

On a side note, is there a way to flag a thread to alert you when a reply is made?

If you have posted in the thread under your original alias, you should see a number in parenthesis (1 new), for example, after the thread title on the list of threads. Near the dot. (This is called dotting.)

I suppose if I must DMPC, I will, but roleplaying with yourself does give you a larger control over the story your characters are portraying, as you can put in interruptions, arguments, and mental debates better than waiting for an exchange can.

[Nevin]

Hmm, an interesting point.... I just dunno how entertaining it would be to have to RP speech between Conlan and Athos

[Nevin]

So I missed this on first read-through: Rhy-bonded assumes it is a DMPC unless it is another PC, and it is always 2 levels lower than the PC (if it's not another player). Did you want to just override that anyway? Also, Conlan doesn't need the Rhy-bonded feat unless he's a PC, so if you assume control of him, I'll pick a different feat for him.

Edit: I was also wildly incorrect about my arcana; they are as follows:

Arcana:

4 Body Control (10)
5 Cold Shaping (10)
5 Earth Shaping (10)
5 Fire Shaping (10)
5 Light Shaping (10/20)
5 Manipulate Object (10)
5 Move Object (10)
5 Plant Shaping (10/20)
4 Psychic Shield
4 Second Sight (10/20)
5 Water Shaping (10/20)
5 Wind Shaping (10/20)

Wild talent, followed by shaping talent, results in 0 ranks, so just my relevant ability mods. These scores will not increase without arcane training. I should have known it was too ridiculously good to be true :)

[stardust]

We are currently waiting for a melee fighter or anyone of the warrior class, really. I will be taking full submissions until Thursday, after which if we don't have enough players I will close recruitment.

I have another campaign in mind, however, if this one does not get enough players. A more traditional Pathfinder(ish) game set in the world of the Dark Tower (not the Stephen King series), but the 1980 Milton Bradley electronic board game.

[scranford]

stardust wrote:

We are currently waiting for a melee fighter or anyone of the warrior class, really. I will be taking full submissions until Thursday, after which if we don't have enough players I will close recruitment.

I have another campaign in mind, however, if this one does not get enough players. A more traditional Pathfinder(ish) game set in the world of the Dark Tower (not the Stephen King series), but the 1980 Milton Bradley electronic board game.

I believe I mentioned on my last post way above that I could use some help with making the character, due to all the "stray from the norm rules". Still interested in playing, just don't have the time to integrate the new rules with the old :-).

STR 3, DEX 0, CON 2, INT 0, WIS 1, CHA )

Is that good for a start?

[stardust]

Oh, thats good for a start. What's your character idea? Are you the Knight in Shining Armor? Give me a few descriptive details and I'll get to work on him (or her) right away. :)

Is he from the City of Galasthin? There are three Knightly Orders there. Or is he from outside Galasthin, from a human settlement. Is he one of the "high elves"/"dark elves" (Vata'an/Vata'sha) or a human?

[scranford]

stardust wrote:

Oh, thats good for a start. What's your character idea? Are you the Knight in Shining Armor? Give me a few descriptive details and I'll get to work on him (or her) right away. :)

Is he from the City of Galasthin? There are three Knightly Orders there. Or is he from outside Galasthin, from a human settlement. Is he one of the "high elves"/"dark elves" (Vata'an/Vata'sha) or a human?

Yes indeed. Remember I started out as a Cat then went knight when Megan decided to play the drake, just so we wouldn't have all anthropomorphic characters. I had planned on a human, from Galasthin, who is a member of one of the knightly orders. A real Dudly Do Right type of character with a sword much sharper than his wit.

[stardust]

If he's a do-gooder, he's probably either a Knight of the Sun, or a Twilight Knight. (These are described a little in the OOC Discussion thread). The Twilight Knight is devoted more to maintaining order, however, than doing good. And The Knight of the Sun is more of the archetypal do-gooder. Of course, some Twilight Knights are do-gooders. And some Knights of the Sun are neutral or more evil. They are divided more by racial identity than anything else. The Vata'an (think high elves) at one point had the most control over the Knights of the Sun, which was devoted to the rulership of the Vata'an. The Twilight Knights are more prominent now. They seek to maintain a balance of power between the Vata'an (high elves) and Vata'sha (dark elves). And The Knights of the Stars are a darker, shiftier organization devoted to the rulership of the Vata'sha. They were supposedly disbanded (along with the Knights of the Sun), as official organizations, but there are remnants of both orders left.

[Nevin]

Happy Saturday all.

I could not edit my post fast enough; Conlan's untrained arcana are all +0. Megan's untrained arcana are Mind Touch +0, Psychic Shield +4, and Second Sight +4. Untrained arcana always have 0 ranks.

Stardust and scranford, if you don't mind, I'm going to brainstorm up a couple light backstories and stat sets for a knight in shining armor, easily editable. Feel free to scrap them. Scranford, I'll be making a Knight of the Sun with a light fill-in backstory that's as do-good as possible, and a Knight of Twilight who strives the utmost to do what seems (or he learned was) right, but keeps getting dragged down not by his own foolishness, but doubts about the correctness of his convictions. A little darker, more striving for good, but stuck in the gray areas. I hope you'll enjoy both suggestions, I'll get one in today for you.

[stardust]

In this game, you still add your level to arcana checks (trained and untrained). :) Hope that clarifies things. I hadn't had a chance to look over all the character sheets as I was waiting for the fourth... ;).

[Nevin]

stardust wrote:

In this game, you still add your level to arcana checks (trained and untrained). :) Hope that clarifies things. I hadn't had a chance to look over all the character sheets as I was waiting for the fourth... ;).

That is sweet, and possibly overpowering lol, but I won't complain! I'm going to butt in with Scranton's character creation in case I come up with something he likes, to let us get ready faster. Without further ado:

Dudly Doright

Stats:
[Yours] STR 3, DEX 0, CON 2, INT 0, WIS 1, CHA 0
[Try 1] STR 3, DEX 0, CON 3, INT -1, WIS -1, CHA 2
[Try 2] STR 3, DEX 0, CON 2, INT 0, WIS 0, CHA 1

#1 is someone who is really not too bright in his choices, leaping in before he looks, not really thinking beyond, "I SHOULD DO THIS!" without really analyzing the situation, who has a force of cheer and personality that draw like-minded people to him. Good people consider him well intentioned but impulsive, with his heart in the right place, but his brain gone off on holiday. #1 is the stereotypical muscle-bound do-gooder hero.

#2 is similar to #1, but has managed to hold onto his brain. He does what he thinks is best, but actually bothers to consider what is best most of the time. His example is a model that other good people can follow, but he's more busy with doing the right thing than recruiting people to his cause.

Alter Int for brainpower, Wisdom for foolishness, and Charisma for force or attractiveness of personality (or just good looks). Remember you start with 6 points, but you may subtract from a stat, and spread those extra points where you wish. No stat can be over +5 at the start, and generally unless your character is a ungodly terrible at something (my character is socially crippled), the lowest a stat will be is -2.

Dudly Darkknight
[Yours] STR 3, DEX 0, CON 2, INT 0, WIS 1, CHA 0
[Try 1] STR 2, DEX 0, CON 2, INT 1, WIS 2, CHA -1
[Try 1.5] STR 2, DEX 0, CON 3, INT 1, WIS 2, CHA -2

[Try 2] STR 3, DEX 0, CON 2, INT 1, WIS 1, CHA -1

Meet Dudley Darkknight, a far more internally complex character than Mr. Doright. #1 and 1.5 are only slightly different; this character has spent a good deal of time thinking about his convictions, and is driven to pursue them, but (depending on which CHA you pick) is differing levels of haughty or so self-assured on the outside that people consider him obnoxious or nasty, not noticing the doubt that holds him back on the inside. This character thinks he knows what is right. He is SURE of it. But something keeps getting in the way. Someone else arrives first to save the day; someone else does something wonderful for the same person Mr. Darkknight wanted to help, that he never would have thought of - or doesn't know how to do. Darkknight is a character who is both sustained and undermined by his convictions, a character in self-torment who lacks the balance and self-acceptance to fully devote himself to his goals.

#2 is a not-so-dark version, wherein the darkknight pursues his goals toward what he sees as good, without stopping to give people the time of day. He's a little haughty, but more so busy with doing what he thinks is the right thing, that he forgets to stop and see that other people on the way could use some help. He's the man who ignores the bandits plaguing the village, while he goes off to hunt the dragon that's not on a rampage yet - because it might cause massive destruction.

Darkknight is not Dorights archnemesis; they are not enemies at all. If the two were to meet, they might very well work on the same goal together. But on the way, Doright would stop to help people and Darkknight would envy his ease at doing the right thing. Doright would not notice the haughtiness that put people off, just saying that Darkknight was just hiding his feelings (or something of the sort). Doright would potentially startlingly and incongruously see directly to the heart of the matter, while being an idiot, while Darkknight would have to struggle internally and externally to accomplish the same.

The two are wildly different playstyles, let me know which you like (if either), and I'll put together some deeper details. I am willing to do this for both, if you like both and cannot decide. I will also make light backstory ideas for you, but I won't make a full history unless you want me to (you should do it, it will help you get in character more).

[stardust]

Of course, these are just suggestions. I'm more interested in the concepts you have about your knight, then I can convert them into rules. Although, as I mentioned earlier, rules are not nearly as important as character and roleplaying. :)