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Hey guys,
I've been gradually wrapping up my prep-work for the first Jade Regent AP and have been putting some work into how I plan to use the 'Major 4' in my game.
Most specifically, I've been putting thoughts in to how I can roleplay them to ensure my PC's have a fairly strong foundation with them from the very first AP.
My idea for this is to create small 'scenes' to use along the group's travel between Sandpoint and Brinewall. Since that time could easily be bogged down into a load of dice rolls. I wanted to give my Players some 'defining moments' for each of the NPC's so they can start coming to grasp with who they travel with and hopefully engage them more for future AP's to keep everyone 'talking'.
Here are two examples of what I have come up with as Scene's that will help define my NPC's for later.
Ameko:
My Ameko I plan to be all about swagger. Constantly light heartedly wise-cracking the other PC's and NPC's alike. I will throw as much of this in there as I can manage, but to really show her spirit I plan for her to be a linchpin in a bar fight the night that the party arrive in Roderic's Cove.
After inviting all the caravan staff to a night on the town, Ameko starts up an impromptu performance in the bar the group are visiting. She plays some jolly standard folk tunes but as the night goes on, she sings a song in Tien that seems to captivate the crowd. Right as the song starts to build, a group of drunk Sczarni thugs will bust into the bar and in my best mafioso-esque voice will say "Ey, whas wit the cross eyed dame on stage singing like a tomcat."
Ameko will proceed to step down, walk across the room calmly with a smile on her face, and just deck him right there, sending him into some tables. Roll initiative, its barfight time guys!
Afterwards will be a perfect chance for my PC's to make their diplomacy rolls for their relationship score with Ameko, with possible bonuses for the outcome. I can also possible use this as a setup for a later scene with Ameko, perhaps that song had secret meaning to her? Perhaps it can be a chance for a small window into the NPC's past.
Sandru:
I see Sandru as a fairly good natured guy with a bit of a rogue's code of honor. Possibly even with a bit of a soft spot that he does his best to hide in front of the 'men'.
While the group is in the middle of selling what wares they can to Wolf's Ear, Shalelu will spot a small street urchin lifting some food off of one of the wagons(perhaps something from one of the PC's bags?). When she calls it out, the kid bolts with whatever he has. Chase ensues, if/when the PC's at last track the child down, they find him living in some hovel on the outskirts of town. Insert typical sad story about said street urchin(parents dead, trying to take care of little sister, town thinks they are cursed and wont help them, ect, ect). Depending on how the PC's handle it when they return to the caravan, Sandru will confront them, ask them about the outcome.
Sandru, having visited Wolf's Ear many times in the past has encountered this street urchin on several occasions and has a soft spot for him. Generally his good hearted nature has left him unable to seek to punish the child. Depending on how my PC's handle it, they will get bonuses or penalties to their diplomacy roll with him.
"I guess little one 'got away' from you guys too? Oh well, he probably needed it more than we did."
Shalelu I have some stuff in mind for too that I will post soon, but Koya is giving me some grief in the roleplay department. I'm trying to figure out how to make her cool and interesting without defaulting to 'grandma'.
I'd like to hear how you guys plan to personalize your NPC's and make sure your PC's stay engaged with them. Lets all share!
From what I've read of KoyaDemon's play by post I got a good feel for what I'll run Koya as (she'll be cameoing in my Runelords games. She has a camaraderie with one of the older PCs.
Koya cackles. "No joke for me. 'Prune juice' it is, for those of us strong enough to stomach it." She turns to Myriana. "A glass of plum wine, please. Tell Ameiko the strong stuff, from last year's season." She hooks a thumb toward Alaric. "And put the boy's stout on my tab."
All in all, she shouldn't be your sweet, doting kind of grandmother. Remember she lives on the road. She seems to take this tone with Sandru too:
Koya has little reason to stay in Varisia, and
she’s been pressuring Sandru to take a long journey soon:
“The sooner the better, ’cause I won’t be around for long!”
So think the half mad, cackling, incredibly badass old woman. Model her on an older Leni Riefenstahl and maybe Flemeth from Dragon Age, speaking in riddles and cackling away. Play up her Banter with her foster-son Sandru.
____
Hope this helps. Consider this me dotting for interest, 'cause I'm really curious as to what people are doing with Shalelu.
Brilliant! I want to hear the stuff you had planned for Shalelu.
prototype00
Great ideas so far, can't wait to hear more.
My Shalelu is going to be rather standoff-ish. She will frequently been seen doing her favorite past time during the travel. Watching and waiting silently. She will tend to be short when asked questions and when she talks, be direct, almost uncomfortably so. Definitely avoiding being verbose at all costs!
If anything is going down, be the first on the scene, the first to raise an alarm, or the first to act. I intend to describe Shalelu through actions, not words(at first atleast).
My scene that I plan for her is when the PC's first arrive in the Churlwood. A group of Hawk Clan scouts have been on the move, looking for a goblin raiding party that has been sighted in the area. One of the warbands scouts have found signs of the caravan and has been tracking it to investigate. Unfortunately for him, Shalelu has caught his trail in her own scouting and ambushes him and marches him to the caravan at bow-point. She explains that he has been following the caravan and might be trying to stage an ambush.
The Shoanti Brave is tight lipped at his shame at being captured and does not wish to share any information willingly. Threats do not hold much value against the strong willed brave, but if the PC's can possibly convince the Shoanti to spill his beans they can get some information that could provide bonuses to a later encounter(With said goblins).
Regardless of the outcome, Shalelu will query the PC's on their decision with the brave. Shalelu's primary concern is for the safety of the caravan first and foremost, but she also wishes to attempt to get to know the PC's a bit better, so she might be a bit rude on accident with her rather direct questions.
Depending on how they handle it, I will award bonuses or penalties on the PC's next relationship roll for Shalelu.
Thanks for the Koya ideas, I really like that approach the GM seems to be using in the Play-by-post. I will see if I can whip something up myself with that concept in mind!
The more of these I read, the more the relationship system is reminding me of Dragon Age (which is a very good thing). With that in mind... I'll see if I cant come up with some scenarios later.
Before creating specific scenarios, I thought it might be a good idea to come up with some deeper personality profiles. Use whatever you like about my write-ups. I'll start with Ameiko, the other ones will trickle in over time. Some parts of those profiles use feats and skills to extrapolate personality traits, other parts are taken from the actual write-ups in the module and some things are assumptions how her personality would be due to the character background.
Personality profile:
Ameiko Kaijitsu
- Headstrong ( Iron Will )
- Good diplomat, confident ( Rake archetype )
- Prefers an exciting life over a sedentary one ( Background, Acrobatics skill, Feather Step spell )
- She can be a bit slothful ( as she casts Unseen Servant every day ).
- While it can appear as if she sometimes is a bit absent-minded ( Wisdom 8 ), she actually has honed her senses to a fine edge ( Perception +7 )
- Ameiko can be surprisingly frightening if you get into a verbal spat with her ( Intimidate +10 ). This has saved her from as many bar fights as it has gotten her into ones.
- Spent the last years dealing with deep-seated trauma from loss of most of her nearest friends and family.
- Has many friends, yet keeps them at a certain distance ( due loss of family and nearest friends ).
- As a result of the two points above, Ameiko has issues about intimacy. If you get too close to her, expect a negative reaction, as she instinctively fights against allowing someone else to get too close, for fear of losing that person, too.
- For the same reasons she is fiercely protective of the few close friends she has left, Shalelu and Sandru. Their shared horrific experience has created something of a rift between Ameiko and Sandru, though, where they don’t know exactly how to deal with each other. They are still fiercely loyal to each other, but there is no chance of the two of them getting romantically involved.
- Ameiko doesn’t mind a good brawl if something offends her sensibilities. Expect trouble if something touches on her hated insults.
- During caravan stops in towns, expect Ameiko to spend at least some of her free time in taverns to listen to local tales of adventure and to hunt down easily transportable works of art for her personal collection.
- Ameiko is more devout to Shelyn than it would appear at first glance. Her faith has carried her through a lot of difficult times.
- She easily takes offense at misogynist insults or racism.
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I really like what you guys are doing here.
For Koya, I would suggest giving her a loving, but antagonistic relationship with Sandru. It would include some yelling at one another and occasional disagreements about the best routes to take or how best to handle interactions with people as she feels he is not too perceptive with the intentions of others (he doesn't have sense motive and she does) and is quick to loudly point out when she feels he is making the wrong decision when trusting or not trusting others as the situation warrants. Of course, he listens to her on the subjects of magic and religion, but since he is a merchant and in charge of the caravan, he feels he knows what is best in business dealings. "That boy never listens!"
Sandru is like a son to her and that means she also wants to see him married with kids before she dies. As Sandru is still unlikely to do this any time soon, Koya is somewhat frustrated with him and it is this emotion which is the real and unvoiced source of their occasional verbal sparring.
Another tact would be to have her flirt with the more attractive and/or charismatic male PCs just so she can have some fun making them uncomfortable, but always only in front of the other women in the caravan. This is her unusual way of playing match-maker; by getting them to show their more emotional side and true selves to the women in the group through creating humorous and uncomfortable social situations.
Ameiko is like a favored neice she would like to play match-maker for and is attempting to weed out a potential mate for her. Getting Ameiko to come out of her relationship shell is sort of a pet project and hobby for Koya, but she is also genuinely concerned that Ameiko might never get over her past. Koya feels that a good man is the best way to get Ameiko out of that funk, even if its just a momentary fling.
She treats Shelalu like a fellow elder in age and gives proper respect to Shelalu's opinions, even if she doesn't always agree with her.
Also, if there is another female caster (PC) in the party, she may try to convince that PC to learn the ways of fortune-telling as a means of passing the mantle to a new generation and is very likely to sponsor this PC as a romantic interest for Sandru.
If there are any elder gentlemen PCs in the caravan, she will probably be a little flirtatious with him and then wait and see if he takes any bait, then adapt to the situation as needed to have some more fun before she shuffles off from this mortal coil. She won't care for making any long-term plans with any such gentleman and would rather live in the moment while she can.
Good idea, Magnus. I'll share one too.
Personality profile:
Shalelu Andosana
- Light on her feet (Dodge, Skill Focus (Acrobatics))
- At home in the water (Swim +10)
- Prefers going the long way over climbing over (Climb +3)
- Her mother's death is on her mind frequently; She prepares daily to avoid falling to the same fate (resist energy; likely used to prevent acid damage)
- Thinks ahead, making sure to prepare for every possibility and appreciates insight and equipment for those she may have missed (her laundry list of equipment and eagerness to accept more)
- Extremely perceptive but blind to people's emotions (Perception +12, Sense Motive +1)
- Despite being a ranger... Shalelu has no idea how to treat animals besides 'be quiet, hold out your hand and pet them.' (Handle Animal -1, companion hunter's bond class feature)
- She can't read social situations, and often speaks too little or too much (Charisma 8) - it isn't that she's dumb, but it's difficult for her to read other people's interest... and when it's a good idea to stop talking about the contents of the tribal paint of the local goblin tribes.
- Completely prepared to either slay all enemies or take prisoners (sleep arrows, manacles)
- As a slayer of goblins, has taken time to learn their language just so she can use that knowledge against them (speaks Goblin).
- It's likely that she asks around in each town along the way about the local goblin tribes and their habits, where they live, what their movements might be.
- Everyone has a friend who is the "quiet one" and Shalelu is that one. As a loner, she appreciates company but does not seek it out. Shalelu is withdrawn but not sullen, preferring to listen to conversations rather than initiate them. (Background)
- Shalelu has achieved many of her long-term and life-long goals and has been struck with the desire to seek out new ones, prompting her to join the adventuring party. (Background)
- As the oldest member of the group, Shalelu probably feels as if she is everyone's senior and the most experienced and will use that to attempt to mentor the party members-- but not in a very diplomatic way. On the other hand, she may view Koya as an equal and go to her for matters of guidance. (Cha 8, her belief that coddling leads to weakness)
- She may be open to a human-elf relationship, but she may have to consider how similar to her mother she wishes to be. (Background)
- Shalelu prefers to lead rather than to follow, and does things her own way without asking others for permission. She may often take on the burden of responsibility for others, doings things for them they did not ask. (Background)
- If insulted deeply, Shalelu doesn't react as hotheadedly as Ameiko, but expect cold and calculated revenge from her when the time is right.
- Shalelu is fiercely loyal to those who earn her loyalty and will defend them at a moment's notice... even when it's inappropriate.
This whole thread is filled with awesome-sauce. Great ideas and tips for GMing this AP. Tagging as a favorite. You guys rock.
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Been busy the past week with prep work(and real work!) but I figured I would get back to this and offer my Koya scene from the first book that I am planning on. Thanks a lot for the help everyone has posted with regards to Koya in particular! I believe I have a feel for her somewhat.
So here goes, Koya Scene #1. The first reading.
The evening before the Caravan departs for Brinewall Castle, Koya assembles the cast of characters for a night of merry-making and fortune telling. She has even stolen one of Sandru's precious bottles of Brandy(See Sandru's inventory) and cracked the seal to share with all gathered. Play up Sandru's disappointment("I was saving that one!"), and Koya's good natured jesting, "Far too good of drink to be wasted on some milk maid you try to woo back to your wagon, boy. Be quiet and drink up!". Play it out as long as you can but if you feel PC attention start to wain, go ahead and press on into the harrow reading.
The secret here that the PC's aren't in on, is that Koya is playing a small prank on the new crowd as a sort of initiation. Have Sandru go on about how Koya is /never/ wrong in her readings. Speak to the characters personal lifestyles and back stories where possible, but make sure the fortunes appear to be quite negative.
I.e.
"You will try to accomplish great things while we travel together, but the group will fail in the end because of a personal weakness."
"Your family will learn of your shame and fall from grace because of it."
"You will be trapped in a loveless marriage with a barren wife."
"You will be crippled in an accident with a horse."
"..contract a lingering disease and perish too young."
ect, ect, ect
A lot of this will depend on how much your PC's have given you to work with, but try to tailor each reading to something that would potentially be a fear for the character.
Any PC's who pay attention to Koya or Sandru during the reading will be allowed to make a Sense Motive check at DC 20, to get the feeling that something isn't quite on the level with these two.
If either of them are called on their shenanigans, they will laugh it off and praise the PC for seeing through their ruse. Though if they join in and decide to play along with the reading somehow or help validate what Koya says, Koya is all the more pleased with the PC in question(possible bonuses later to relationship rolls for said PC). If any of them act out, or misbehave at receiving the bad news, obviously apply penalties(or bonuses in the case of rivalries).
Either way, Sandru and Koya will eventually come clean a few days later that it was all a joke and that it has been a long standing initiation ritual for anyone who would be traveling with them for any long amount of time and that the PC's shouldn't worry themselves about it.
Those 4 scenes should do well to fill my PC's journey with some character building moments and allow them to grow close to the Major 4, instead of just a bland travel sequence with occasional random encounters.
I really like the NPC profiling as well. I think that is a really good idea.