I'll think of a better title for the campaign when we're ready to get started.
Character Creation rules
- Races should be pulled from the Core rulebook.
- I am advising against the Cavalier or a mount-focused character build as this is mostly an urban/dungeon pbp; similarly, the Ninja, Samurai and Gunslinger don't fit for flavor reasons.
- 20 point buy, max hp at level one, two traits.
- Rolling hit points: at 2nd level and above you may choose between taking average hp for your class or rolling the dice.
Life in Carrion Hill
Known to some as the Boil, or more basely the Wart, Carrion Hill rises over the otherwise swampy southern banks of Kingfisher river, the only solid ground of reasonable scope for a distance of 20 miles east to west in the swamps known as the Wrythe. When the river fog rolls in every morning and evening, those who dwell on the hill's Crown district can look out on a world of white vastness, while those below take solace in the simple fact that the ground beneath their feet is solid and unlikely to wash away after one of the area's frequent rainstorms or seasonal floods.
Carrion Hill is separated into three districts. Atop the hill the Crown serves as the home of the city's nobility, government and most of its public works. The hill's slopes are a thick tangle of buildings and maze-like alleyways: the Tangle, where the bulk of the shops and residences can be found. The lowest part of the city, both geographically and spiritually, is the Filth: a series of islands both natural and artificial, connected by old boardwalks and stone bridges. This is where the poorest citizens live as well as where the more odious trades are practiced (tanners, fisheries, street cleaners, alchemists and the looming middenstone vats). The Filth is also the gateway to Carrion Hill, however, so most visitors first impression of the city rises from the odious docks and canals clogged with flotsam.
Known as the isle of 10, 000 temples (an exaggeration, naturally, only about 180 shrines fill the city), places of worship seem to spring from the ground- from the Ossurary Church of Pharasma in the Crown down to cupboard sized shrines, tiered balconies and trellises piled over elaborate altars and other tiny, crowded places of worship.
Commonly, houses are in some capacity built from Middenstone- a purplish concrete like material unique to Carrion Hill. While it's cheap and easy to produce, middenstone tends to weather poorly; ensuring constant demand. The curiously purple tone comes from the pulped carapaces of the maroon colored native cockroaches which infest homes in more frequency the further down the hill one descends.
The seat of government is Crown Manor, a castle-like estate in the Crown district where Mayor Vanton Heggry presides over the city. It is often called Rag Manor out of his earshot for the colorful tapestries and flags hanging from its parapets (which never seem to be replaced until the wind has frayed and torn them to shreds). Law is enforced by the Crows, Carrion Hill's constabulary and military- appropriately named, for crows are a very common sight in the upper reaches of the city.
Despite it's seeming unpleasantness, some 9,000+ citizens call Carrion Hill home. Its defensible location and proximity to arable land ensure a relatively stable existence against outside threats.
Why am I in Carrion Hill?
Since the days of the Kellid tribes that once called Ustalav home, Carrion Hill has been occupied. At first because of its defensive location, farmland and proximity to the Kingfisher others whisper that the city has always held a sort of power. The Hill itself has changed hands many times over the centuries of its habitation- each new resident building upon what was left before. For an adventurer or tomb robber, accessing the ruins that lie like bones beneath Carrion Hill is a strong draw. For historians, Carrion Hill holds a unique picture of Ustalav's ever-changing identity and remnants of the past that may not have been completely expunged. Besides scholarship, curiosity and greed, many of those living in Carrion Hill have taken a sort of pride in living in what many visitors would consider a repellant place- you've got to have a strong stomach and a straight spine to live here, they would retort, and we've got both. The city's history may also call to a person of Kellid descent; searching for remnants of their ancestors so slandered by the Varisian invaders and their Ustalavic descendants.
Recent Events
A killer has stalked the streets of Carrion Hill for the last three months- Crimson. For a time, terror haunted every citizen's doorstep from lowly paupers to the halls of power. Even the Crows' finest were either stymied by the elusive killer or joined his victims. With an almost rioting populace on his hands, mad with fear, Mayor Heggry turned to the adventurers of the Company of the Axe to track down the murderer. After a lengthy search and a deadly confrontation, the Company emerged triumphant. To put the people at ease, the Mayor has arranged for a procession of the criminal's body followed by his public cremation by Pharasma's faithful. It is during this procession that our adventure will begin.
Okay, I'm going to go with the character I was originally inclined to play in Carrion Crown - a slightly crazed, dwarven alchemist mad bomber type.
Gareth Hillen is a (NG) dwarven alchemist who makes a living selling his wares as he travels from town to town throughout Ustalav and neighboring areas. From time to time, he has been known to adventure although he has trouble keeping companions. Burned long ago by one of his experiments, the left side of his face is well scarred extending up on to his scalp, and the social interactions due to it have left him a gruff, unsociable and slightly unstable person. A little bigger than the average dwarf, Gareth sports short red hair and a beard that is little more than a goatee. He is usually dressed in comfortable adventuring gear, and always has a bag slung across his shoulders. He's taken up residence in Carrion Hill, and liking the 'flavor' of the town, he is debating making it his permanent residence and setting up a proper shop.
Sounds very good!
I'm going to go with Falko Escheus, 48 years old member of Carrion Hill's Crows and father of six.
Staying out of trouble as been his motto so far, and his youth has certainly taught him so. He's celebrating his thirtieth year among the Crows, without ever a hope for promotion. By selling his gold medal recognizing his years of service, he's recently been able to move his family from the Filth to the Tangle.
Distrustful, stern, rigid, stubborn and abrasive, obeying orders to the letter and only to the letter, Falko seems like he's been sleeping all his life, getting by... But perhaps there is something that lies dormant in this man's soul, something that will awaken a deeply buried young heart...
I'm here dotting the thread. Having a bit of trouble coming up with a character right now, but I'll get there. Right now it looks like we need a divine character . . .
No pressure though, as I actually like playing divine characters.
Hah, I was thinking the same thing, Ithuriel!
Actually, I'd rather not play a cleric. I've been playing one in another pbp and it is mildly aggravating. In real life, if a character is about to die someone usually says something . . . online, for some reason, people keep expecting that I'm doing the math. Yes, I know I am the cleric, but I am still not keeping track of everyone's HP totals; if you are about to die, let me know.
So . . . I'd be happy not playing a cleric.
Billzabub: Alchemist
lovelydwarf: not a cleric
me: I'm open
Ithuriel: has his dot
So, given our recent history together, we'd agree we need a divine caster, a cleric probably.
I'm good with trying to come up with one, but I don't want to force Ithuriel's hand either way. Let me know what your plans are.
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I'm pretty open on class.
Are you guys interested in forming a group that already knows each other? Do you want to toss around ideas to that effect? One way is to decide on some kind of group template which is like a core idea of the relation between group members and then figure out how we fit into that.
For example: bounty hunters, extended family, members of the crows, staff of a tavern etc. (not great ideas, just trying to get the point across)
Another method would be like Fate/Dresden Files. Everyone makes their characters independently and then at the end each person details an event that describes where and how you met one other party member. It goes round robin so each person connects to a new one until you close the circle.
Also I think for a good horror game where you have the advantage of an ongoing setting it works better if you are really established in and tied to the community. Living families or loved ones work a lot better than the isolated loner. In CC we were all from somewhere else so we didn't have that advantage.
Just throwing things out there. I'm not sure about a character class yet. I was trying to think of a general idea and then match something up to it which hopefully can be tweaked to fill a missing role.
Myself, I prefer the Dresden style, as it allows for more option for each of us.
As for the link to the town, I couldn't agree more!
I'm still liking my Falko, but I'm on the fence as to make it a cleric of Abadar or Pharasma, or a urban ranger or cad. As I write this, other possibilities come to mind, which doesn't help me settle down...
The Dresden thing sounds good to me, and I'm curious to see what you guys come up with character wise. The Carrion Crown stuff was fantastically creative, and I expect no less this time around.
lovelydwarf: any thoughts?
As for me, I'm still oscillating between (cleric or inquisitor) and (urban ranger of cad (fighter archetype)). I hope to resolve with my dilemma soon. Some input would be welcomed.
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I think I may be back to the drawing board as well for the class. I was thinking of the urban druid as much less druidy and more of a mystic or something, but the druid spell list is fairly specific as far as the concept goes.
Also-
Lose:
animal companion
wildshape 4 levels later @ 8th
venom immunity
spontaneous summon animal
woodland stride
trackless step
resist nature's lure
Gain:
1 domain from a very limited list
spontaneously cast from that domain
thousand faces at L6 rather than L13
immunity to charm and compulsions at L9
4 new class skills with a +2 bonus @ L2
+2 vs divination and enchantment @L4
I'm not sure that holds its own in a 4 person group. You lose a vast portion of the combat ability (animal companion and wildshape at level) and basically trade it for one spell at each level that may or may not already be on your class list that you can cast spontaneously and later on- alter self at will. Druids are pretty strong to begin with so maybe the downgrade works out to still be decent. I'm going to look at some other options though.
I was thinking about a fighter who would be a failed executioner. Based loosely on a Clark Ashton Smith story. I can't look up exactly which one because I am not at home for the next two weeks. Basic idea, he's always prided himself on professionally doing a job that most others find distasteful. One day, he executed a criminal who turned out to be supernatural in some manner. The criminal returned and revenged himself on the community, leaving the character plagued with guilt.
Or an inquisitor of Erastil who has lost faith after a community he was protecting was massacred by orcs from Belkzen.
Either character would've come to Carrion Hill to forget, seeking to fade into the big city when adventure calls.
Billzabub: Dwarven alchemist, recently arrived, looking to set up shop.
lovelydwarf: Fighter or Inquisitor, failed executioner or failed community protector, coming to forget.
ithuriel: back to the drawing board, perhaps still looking at midwife/community organizer for concept.
Dreaming Warforged: more lost than ever...
I will try to settle up soon...
It's just a thought, but I have no problem with it if you guys want to recycle Carrion Crown characters. They were all cool, and lived such a short time . . . and I have thought about playing Luka again.
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I'm more interested in trying out something new. I'm thinking the midwife was organizing community watch programs During the killings and keeping her district well lit and generally being a pain in the butt for Falko by pestering him for a more active guard presence and both riding him for results and offering help.
As a midwife she would need certain herbs for her work. Maybe she scavenged for them in the swamp and sold others to our dockside alchemist, or perhaps she bought from him if he is the type to gather.
Billzabub: Dwarven alchemist, recently arrived, looking to set up shop.
lovelydwarf: Fighter or Inquisitor, failed executioner or failed community protector, coming to forget.
ithuriel: back to the drawing board, perhaps still looking at midwife/community organizer for concept.
Dreaming Warforged: more lost than ever...I will try to settle up soon...
For what it's worth, I think the Urban Ranger sounds a little more in line with your character concept than the Cad, which is a more ruthless archetype than what a watchman doing the bare minimum to get through his career would call for. A cad sounds conniving and ambitious.
lovelydwarf- I don't quite get the connection with the executioner. How would it be his fault if the guy he put down was somehow supernatural? What if he executed a man or woman that later proved to be innocent after the real culprit was found and now he's got innocent blood on his hands because he went through with the execution despite his misgivings?
ithuriel- Your midwife concept sounds good! I agree with your urban druid assessment- maybe a cleric of Pharasma's midwife aspect? Or a witch?
Thanks for the feedback James. I agree with you that given what I wrote so far, urban ranger is more in line. I've been trying to choose (painstakingly hard for me) the class with the concept I have in mind.
Where the two will meet is in the reason why he is that way and has chosen his path (so far). That will provide the seed for the character's blossoming from zero to hero (or anti-hero)...
Still thinking, still in pain...
Currently leaning towards the inquisitor. He'd be a cleric that's given up his faith after his flock was wiped out. Right now that character feels more real than the other one which is a bit more high concept, but isn't quite real yet.
Still waiting to hear what other's think before settling on one character.
So possible urban ranger, alchemist, inquisitor, undecided...
You guys should make whatever characters you prefer, but I will point out that it seems like you have a lot of "jack of all trades" types that are good at a few things but not really great at any one thing in particular. And that's fine if it's what you're going for, but I do think there's something to be said for having a focus.
(Says the guy that usually plays rangers or paladins- both classes that can do a little of everything.)
I could take offence ;-p, but it makes sense too... I guess I should play a bard then, just to bug you!
I prefer well rounded characters who can do a few things personally, but I agree that the group as a whole should take heed. Alchemists and inquisitors can make decent melee combatant, if not for fifteen fights in a row.
If ithuriel's midwife is not a full caster, then I'll make one, either cleric or wizard, depending on what he chooses.
I also could make my character as a fighter, I suppose. I'm interested in the idea of a person who is applying Erastil's focus on the community to the wrong areas. Someone who is looking out for the community of beggars, prostitutes, the poor. I sort of see the character as a someone who has lost faith in Erastil, and is trying to lose himself in the seedy underbelly of Carrion Hill, but can't help but live out some of Erastil's tenets regarding community. That idea could fit a number of classes I suppose since it is really a background, not a career.
I think you guys are throwing around some cool concepts, and would rather see you go with something interesting than worry about party balance.
Let's see, how about:
Billz - alchemist
Lovelydwarf - inquisitor
Dreaming - urban ranger
ithuriel - hedge witch
The hedge witch give us healing, and we'd have a good bit of melee capability, with some spellcasting ability spread around. That doesn't sound so bad to me.
Here's a beginning. I think I can make the hedge witch work. The sheet is only numbers and mechanics so far.
Since no one is looking at a cleric I focused here on healing. The healing hex will grant CLW once per day per person. At L5 it upgrades to CMW. Hedge witch grants spontaneous casting of cure spells so I can prep a list of normal spells and drop them as needed for cure spells.
Gareth is going to be able to brew potions of clw from level 1 so at the moment I haven't picked up the cauldron hex, opting instead for Scribe Scroll to prevent 2 round burnout during the first level or so of encounters.
The witch will be a split between primary healer and arcanist. It is also worth noting that every member of this party can activate a wand of CLW (alchemist might be an exception if their spell list doesn't actually count as spells- not sure how that works). She also gets UMD.
I may still look at clerics. Initially I skipped over them because multiple other people were talking about possibly going that route. I doubt I will make the switch though. The witch manages to fuse the two lacking roles we have in this group. As James says neither are as strong or versatile as a character dedicated specifically to one or the other, but I don't really mind that. Also thematically witch fits the loose backstory I'm thinking out better than a cleric would.
Let's roll for it.
BACKGROUND (preliminary musings, feedback welcomed)
Most would agree that Falko has no ambition. Though the last 25 years have certainly proven them right, the tragic death of his father Delgo Escheus just might change things a little.
For to understand Falko, one must delve into his past, get to his youth. One would first recognize what a dreadful youth it was, as his father moved the whole family to Carrion Hill, to the last place on Golarion where one would wish to grow up.
Delgo was a proud man, full of himself, and sure too. He could just not go wrong, for he mastered the Arts. Powerful allies and enemies he made, as he used his power to become a well known broker of information in Caliphas. He was better at finding information than at knowing what to do with it, hence the middle-of-the-night move to Carrion Hill...
Falko, mostly left to himself, wandered the streets all his youth, reminded daily of its shortcomings in the true calling of the Escheus family. His father despised him and Falko never missed a chance to prove him right. He married the wrong girl, chose the wrong career path, never made a name for himself, never cared about the greater things!
25 years later, as Falko stands over his father’s dead body, it dawns on him... His father was an idiot... And he lost half his life for the wrong reasons!
gives 180 gp.
Starting wealth: x 10 = 70 gp.
Gareth Hillen is a (NG) dwarven alchemist who makes a living selling his wares as he travels from town to town throughout Ustalav and neighboring areas. From time to time, he has been known to adventure although he has trouble keeping companions. Burned long ago by one of his experiments, the left side of his face is well scarred extending up on to his scalp, and the social interactions due to it have left him a gruff, unsociable and slightly unstable person. A little bigger than the average dwarf, Gareth sports short red hair and a beard that is little more than a goatee. He is usually dressed in comfortable adventuring gear, and always has a bag slung across his shoulders. He's taken up residence in Carrion Hill, and liking the 'flavor' of the town, he is debating making it his permanent residence and setting up a proper shop.
I need to adjust his equipment and review the rules regarding creating potions, but other than that, I think he's ready to go. . . . as long as there are no burning, exploding skeletons.
** spoiler omitted **
BACKGROUND (preliminary musings, feedback welcomed)
Most would agree that Falko has no ambition. Though the last 25 years have certainly proven them right, the tragic death of his father Delgo Escheus just might change things a little.For to understand Falko, one must delve into his past, get to his youth. One would first recognize what a dreadful youth it was, as his father moved the whole family to Carrion Hill, to the last place on Golarion where one would wish to grow up.
Delgo was a proud man, full of himself, and sure too. He could just not go wrong, for he mastered the Arts. Powerful allies and enemies he made, as he used his power to become a well known broker of information in Caliphas. He was better at finding information than at knowing what to do with it, hence the middle-of-the-night move to Carrion Hill...
Falko, mostly left to himself, wandered the streets all his youth, reminded daily of its shortcomings in the true calling of the Escheus family. His father despised him and Falko never missed a chance to prove him right. He married the wrong girl, chose the wrong career path, never made a name for himself, never cared about the greater things!
25 years later, as Falko stands over his father’s dead body, it dawns on him... His father was an idiot... And he lost half his life for the wrong reasons!
5d6 gives 180 gp.
DW:
I had to just jot these down as bullet points because that's about what I had time for tonight if I want to keep pace with the other guys here. I'm still thinking about other elements to work in. I'll be filling out what is here with names and more details as I go.
-mother and grandmother were midwives / hospice workers / herbalists. Despina is her mothers assistant, collects herbs, and is beginning to work her own jobs.
-grandmother accepted a pact to become the conduit to some force watching over the city of Carrion Hill.
-recently her grandmother told Despina about the pact she had made and told her that her time was ending. Convinced her to take up the same pact.
-2 weeks after taking on the bond during a meeting with some kind of spirit in the swamp her grandmother died. The gift of healing comes at a price and is partly fueled by the bearer's own life force and partly by sapping from other life in proximity. Each bearer inevitably dies before their time though the terms of the pact never make this explicitly clear. As a pure fluff element her use of the healing touch hex or the patron spells may do various witch like things- kill plants, sour milk, have to make sure never to use it around infants, etc.
-there are three such spirits tied to carrion hill throughout history. One is bonded to a swamp hag recluse, one to an elf, and the third bonds to shorter lived humans. They are tied together by fate, but also repelled by the sometimes antagonistic agendas of their patron spirits.
-The three pact bound witches could potentially form a coven if they saw the need, but the need would have to be extremely dire to get them to seek each other out and create such a bond.
-Despina's father is cook at a popular tavern. Her younger brother recently joined the Crows during the murder spree.
-Part of accepting the pact of life and healing left her unable to create new life of her own. Despina is barren now, though she has not realized it yet. (That leaves a question as to whether her grandmother had her only child before making the pact or if Despina's mother was really adopted. Also toying with the idea that she was able to have one child by some kind of union or as a side effect of her bond with the spirit patron- meaning Despina and her mother are not 100% human.)
-Her best friend is a young halfling woman who runs a pottery studio.
-Despina and her family live on a hillside neighborhood in The Tangles. She knows most of the people in her little neighborhood and was fiercely protective of them during the killing spree. She organized neighborhood watches, street lights, and volunteer militia patrols.
-She doesn't know much about it, but her grandmother was involved in some crazy events in her youth long before Despina or even her mother was born. Battling cultists, hunting down aberrations- things that she wouldn't associate with the matronly woman of her memory but remembered by some of the elderly of the Tangles. For whatever reason she didn't like talking about those days and people mostly respected her wishes on the matter. Now that she is gone however... things may change.
The holidays are on their way, so no rush, take your time on the characters.
I'd like some advice. Is it worth it to spend a feat on getting a martial weapon proficiency? Inquisitors are proficient in a variety of missile weapons, simple weapons, and the favored weapon of their deity. Alas, Erastil's weapon is a longbow, which inquisitors are already proficient using.
Since this character will have to hold up his end of melee action, is it worth grabbing a better weapon?
Martial weapon proficiency seems like a waste of a feat- or at least a boring option. I'm willing to edit the Militia Veteran trait- you can opt to not take the +1 skill bonus to Profession- Soldier, Ride or Survival and instead become proficient in a martial weapon.
I agree with James about the martial weapon proficiency feat.
Rolling:
Not too shabby at all . . .
I'm almost done, just the feats left... I'm looking at the different possibilities of the ranger's combat styles, and it seizes my brain!!!
I should present my sheet today.
Ok. Here is a character. I haven't written down the background yet. I wanted to note that I do have a sheet finished so that people can feel that things are moving.
Some links between Falko and others:
-He would have investigated Despina on a regular basis, sometimes for no good reason. Something about her fascinates him, and he finds himself gravitating around her. It could be that his dad always taught she was a complete fraud and an insult to all things arcane. It could also be that she taps into a darker side of him. He hasn't figured it out yet.
-His father always swore that there wasn't any good reliable seller of wares around, probably because he alienated all the others. He had quickly become an important source of income for Gareth when he set shop. Gareth would probably pay his respect to Falko when his best customer passed.
-Ostromir... I need to read your background first!
Background done. I didn't name the village. Any suggestions?
Ostromir, marked from birth by the Erastil's symbol emblazoned on his right palm, was raised to serve Erastil and the people of his small Ustalavan village, a small farming village located perilously close to the border with Belkzen.
Though Ostromir was destined to serve Erastil, he was also drawn to the town militia, arguing that a volunteer militia was an exemplar of Erastil's ethics–a community's men joining together for mutual defense.
Some might have commented that Ostromir had more interest in military drills and training than his studies to become a priest of Erastil, but it was clear that he was meant to serve his village and Erastil. What else could his birthmark mean?
And then a band of orcs swept out of Belkzen and overwhelmed his village. Ostromir joined the militia in defending his people, but they were overmatched by the number and ferocity of the raiders.
In the aftermath of the assault, Ostromir's faith was broken. Rather than help his village bury their dead and begin healing, Ostromir turned his back on Erastil and his people, wander across Ustalav until settling in the Filth in Carrion Hill.
Ostromir seeks to live a life of dissipation and failure, and yet he falls into the patterns of his own faith. He often works as hired muscle and has developed a reputation for keeping his word. But he usually takes jobs that are almost legal, or at least ones where he can easily turn a blind eye to any illegal activty–and he gives much of his money to those who cannot protect themselves–the sick, the insane, and the young. He regularly visits a brothel, but always seeks out the same woman, and occasionally daydreams about marrying his Nissa and taking her away from the city. At night he dreams of the god that Orstromir believes abandoned his village–haunting visions of a butchered stag that still seeks to protect his herd.
Background done. I didn't name the village. Any suggestions?
** spoiler omitted **
Feel free to come up with a name for any village- smaller communities aren't described too much. Ostromir would be from the county of Canterwall, likely not far from Bleakwall- the ancient and decaying bulwark between Ustalav's western county and Belkzen. It used to be a miles long stretch of stone studded with border keeps and watchtowers, but now there are gaps sometimes only 2-4 feet high and many say that worse things than orcs dwell in some of those keeps. The fortress city of Tamrivena is close to there as well- the guards there live in a brutal, paranoid state of readiness against possible "orc scouts" coming into the city.
Dreaming Warforged's urban ranger.
Despite the seemingly blandness, choosing the feats has been a painful exercise. I have in mind to get him to do maneuvers, perhaps trip, disarm and dirty tricks. The Cad archetype of fighter is interesting in that sense. Nevertheless, I decided to go back to what James had said about focus. I need to be the disher first. That's why I'm choosing those feats for now.
I'm also looking at the combat styles. I like that S&B gives you access to TWF at lvl 2, and Shield Master at lvl 6!!! But I'm not sure that it is my best function. That style is feat intensive, to say the least.
** spoiler omitted **
DW:
A possible link between Ostromir and Falko would be through his work on the seedy side of things. He probably would have been questioned, perhaps beaten a little, by Falko and the Crows.
Another possibility is that I have arrested Nissa a few times, and Ostromir had been the one bailing her out.
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So when I look at the hedge witch archetype the way I read it is that you get spontaneous healing and the other ability from level one. Both abilities note that they replace the hexes at L4 and L8, but as far as I can see every archetype ability that you don't get from level one explicitly tells you what level it kicks in on the first line of the entry. I wasn't aware there was even another interpretation of this, but it looks like others have argued that you don't get the two hedge witch abilities until L4 and L8 respectively.
What do you say James? From L1 or later?