Hey folks. This will be our discussion thread for the new Beta test drive Expedition to Tharkad-Kûl . We can start statting up characters here, and all that fun stuff. First a little backstory (yes I know I can't help it):
Your recharge place is called Stoneroot. It is a decent-sized town where adventurers can get their goods when needed. I roughed up a little bit of stuff so you get a feel for it. It is roughly two days on foot from your dungeon. You can take horses and cut the time down to less than a day, but you can't take the horses inside, so someone would have to stay with them.
Features of Stoneroot:
Town population: 6,000 (includes surrounding countryside)
Walled town with small attached keep.
Max GP: 50,000
Town locations:
Horm’s: Tavern run by Horm, a taciturn dwarf who claims descent from the Dwarven Kings of old.
Order of the Raven: A chapterhouse of rangers who guide people over the Western Pass and watch for humanoid raiders.
Temple of Vesta: Local temple to good deity Vesta. Also has the Order of Vesta (Hearthknights) attached to the main temple. A Good church militant house, these paladins and clerics aid the needy, provide healing and lodging to travelers and protect the surrounding area.
The Magic Box: A magic item store run by Ranarios, a semi-retired wizard and several apprentices. Most magical supplies can be found here.
Gorm’s Smithy: Run by Gorm, an all-purpose dwarven smith. Can do up to masterwork items.
Pilgrim’s Hostel: Boarding house run by the Temple of Vesta. Cheap lodgings, simple fare, no likker.
Castle Stoneroot: Stone keep attached to side of Stoneroot proper. Overseen by Lord Giles Pevensy, 6th Baron Stoneroot.
The Caravanserai: Local shop that caters to adventurers and caravans traversing the Western Pass. All basic supplies can be had here.
Reven’s Used Bits: Local pawn shop/ Junk store. Used by many adventurers to sell excess loot from the area to avoid baronial taxes. Often has stuff not strictly legal. Can fence treasure for a 10% fee.
The Counting House: Within Castle Stoneroot’s bailey, this is the official mint/counting house for Stoneroot. Can exchange currencies, mint legal tender Garonian coins, issue letters of credit good throughout Kingdom of Garona and can liquidate gems and jewelry for cash. Legally, all treasure discovered in the area is taxed at a 25% rate by the baron. Any taxable items are brought here for assessment and exchange into standard coinage. Many folks try to trade in their valuables elsewhere.
The Gatehouse: Barracks for baronial guards at the one gate in and out of the town. All entrants are inspected and taxes are levied according to items being brought in. Poll tax(per capita): 5 cp, Horse tax: 1sp, wagon: 1sp/axle (no charge for draft animals), domestic animals: 1cp/per, humanoids: 1 gp, dangerous animals: charged on a per case basis . Any artifacts or loot being brought in without documentation will be taxed at 25% (see above). Town gates are closed at sunset.
should have my at lest somewhat stated by the morn
Oops, forgot the second sheet of info I typed up at work today:
Laws of Stoneroot:
All blades of 1 foot or longer must have a 10 GP peace bond seal within the town. Seal will be affixed by guards at Gatehouse. Once leaving if seal is not in evidence explanation must be given as to why and the 10 GP is forfeit. An intact seal at time of leaving refunds 9 GP. Special dispensations can be given to people on official business.
All recovered treasure and artifacts must be declared to the Gatehouse when entering into Stoneroot. Failure to do so will result in confiscation, fines and possible outlawry. A 25% tax will be levied on loot, the barony will determine comparable worth of items on a case-by-case basis at the Countinghouse.
All transactions within town limits must be done in legal Garona coin. All foreign coin must be exchanged at the Countinghouse. Exchange fee is 10% of coinage’s value. Using or accepting foreign coins within the town is subject to a 10 GP fine.
Brawling within town limits is banned. Casting spells of an offensive nature within town limits is banned. Casting scrying spells of any nature directed at the town is banned. Anyone convicted of breaking these bans can be fined, whipped, outlawed or executed, depending on severity of offense.
Killings will result in incarceration until the baron holds a high court. Most killings result in execution for the offender. Killers who flee without trial are immediately subject to outlawry.
Thievery is punishable by fines, loss of ear, loss of hand, outlawry or death, depending on severity of offense.
Larger World:
Stoneroot is a town in the Kingdom of Garona, a mid-size country made up of mountainous regions and several large river valleys. The town oversees the Western Pass through the Dark Ridge Mountains. Tharkad is one of the Dark Ridge Mountains. Over the mountains through the Western Pass is the Great Forest, home to the Silver Elves. Garona’s capital is a week’s journey by horse west of Stoneroot’s location. The capital’s name is Novorom. It is a hereditary monarchy, and the king has nominal absolute power, but shares de facto power with several powerful dukes. Stoneroot is part of the Dukedom of Ostrom. The ducal capital is Praha, and is three days journey north of Stoneroot’s location.
Stoneroot Information:
The primary income the barony receives is sheep and wool. There is a lot of prospecting in the nearby rivers for gold and gems. Quite a bit of recovered treasure from Tharkad’s many deserted dwarven halls makes its way through the town. Most of all, the town exists to service the caravans travelling over the Dark Ridge Mountains. The Spring and Summer caravans are big deals.
Ouch, thats a heavy hit....effectively 32.5 % of all cash we take out of the place is going to go into the barons pockets..I wonder how much of that the King will actually see.
Sondergang goes looking for likely sell swords to accompany him to the dungeon..his footsteps lead him inevitably to the Inn
Ouch, thats a heavy hit....effectively 32.5 % of all cash we take out of the place is going to go into the barons pockets..I wonder how much of that the King will actually see.
Sondergang goes looking for likely sell swords to accompany him to the dungeon..his footsteps lead him inevitably to the Inn
True. I set it up kind of like the old Spanish Monarchy's "royal fifth" they got off any treasure coming out of the New World. It made the Spanish Monarchy a big player from 1500-1700ish until the other Europeans got into the act. Of course they squandered all their money playing imperial politics and fighting the Reformation.
Also, the baron, the duke and the king all want their cut, and town walls don't man or build themselves! The area is filled with humanoid raiders, and there are a lot of upkeep costs involved in a large standing guard which doesn't have a lot of farmland to fall back upon for wealth. The fact that there is a lot of treasure hereabouts means they don't have to squeeze the shepherds too much.
here is my started char
It's important that we stay on the right side of the law.
*cough*
Still need some Details to flesh out the character but here is my PC, Svetla.
KissMeDarkly
Greetings all. Just back from work, spent a lovely day designing the dungeon and perusing the various monster manuals I have.
As for the tax rates, I should have specified that you will only be forced to pay 25% on any NON-COINAGE treasure. The 10% is if you bring coinage in.
Ergo: Gold necklace w/ ruby pendant: Appraised 400 GP, pay barony 100 GP
400 old dwarven gold pieces, pay 40 gp in exchange.
So magic, jewelry and other 'tangibles' will get docked the 25% and pure coinage you just need to pay the 10% exchange rate.
Of course, the appraisal of goods is done by the baron's agents. Still, a lot of stuff gets sold under the table when such a crippling tax is imposed.
will get mine up tonight man.
No worries Seeker, glad to have you back in a game :)
OK ... this is the list as I saw it:
Players:
French Wolf (on board) Divel
Seekerofshadowslight (on board) Navorn
Wellard (on board) Sondergang
Yellowdingo (unclear on status)
Eldon Tindertwig (unclear on status)
Rimrock (onboard) TBD
Kissmedarkly (onboard) Svetla
Vulcanstormwrath (on board) Merzhan
Alternates:
Jagyr Ebonwood
Larcifer
If everyone I have listed as unclear on status please just post their intentions? Upon reading Yellowdingo's post again, I'm not sure if he was asking to play, or just making a comment about a game he had been playing in. Could the alternates please sound off if they are still interetsted? There might be openings already! Whomever doesn't post by ...hmmm ...Sunday I am going to assume isn't really interested.
Here I am. I will stat up now.
glad to beable to play in one of your games patrick. and be nice to try a bard
Welcome Shield Brother
here I am mostly. One thing starting gold how much I seemed to over look it.
lol I know how to roll it just not if Patrick had a set way he wanted it done
average it is then
lol I know how to roll it just not if Patrick had a set way he wanted it done
Good point. I just rolled and got 180gp. Patrick, if you decide to even things out and use averages let me know and I'll alter my equipment list.
Cheers
Hey Patrick I am here as well! Still intrested if you need an alternate!
am done I think, may pick something else up if I need it but I travel light
Hi all. In the matter of starting wealth roll your starting GP, and if you roll less than average use the average as your score. (that way no one gets skrewed).
Alternates: Still haven't heard anything from two of the players listed, so if no word by Sunday consider yourselves in. Eight might be a bunch, but we will be sticking close and attacking a lot of stuff so it should (hopefully) flow smoothly.
Your starting GP is all in standard Garona coin. Assume you can get any basic items at the normal price in Stoneroot.
Just got my Beta in the mail today (squee!) so now I don't have to read the PDF any more (thank Gawd). I am trying to keep up with the new rules, and I will take some time to look over y'all's characters, but considering the cast we have, I'm sure you are all five by five.
Will post more soon
Are we using "Traits" in character creation? Just in case I am in the game on sunday I want to be ready to go!!
What were you thinking of Larcifer?
In terms of traits or in terms of the character I want to play....
In terms of character I wanna play there are 3 options
option 1: A female Dwarf cleric of Abadar with Protection and Nobility she is a sheild madien and I thought it would be a blast if I were a wife of one of the other 2 dwarven players. I did not want to use a weapon, just sheild bashes, but all the later sheild bash abilities require I take 2 weap fighting, so maybe she will have her dieties light x bow and a frying pan!
Option 2: A Taladorian Duelist (Can be a fighter, paladin, or ranger what ever we need, would like to do a fighter) Basically a very high mobility fighter.
Option 3: A Dwarven fighter or Barbarian who uses a heavy pick.
Any of these I would like to try (the fighter and cleric are intriguing because I am not playing one of these on these boards in Beta rules).
As for traits its part of the Beta experience and they can be found in the Pathfinder companion...
Larcifer: Lemme read up on traits, but I don't think it would be an issue.
Jagyr I usually use Invisible Castle, but anything that can be posted on the thread is cool.
Basically all 1st level characters start with 2 traits, no two traits can come from the same category. They are in addition to feats...So all of us would get 2....
Sure, why the heck not. Go get some traits set up. I'll catch up on them tonight :)
They are listed in the players guides to the adventure paths. I am going to check them out, perhaps make a few specific to the game here, since they are regional/game specific in nature:
One example:
From the CotCT Player's Guide
Framed
Someone you know and love was accused of murder. A
supposed eyewitness account from a local fisherman
seemed to be enough to seal the case, but the accused
had enough alibis that sentencing wasn’t immediate.
Someone confronted the fisherman and discovered he was
intimidated into providing false witness and forced into
planting the murder weapon by the actual murderer—a
local crimelord named Gaedren Lamm. Lamm’s thugs
killed the fisherman before he could recant his testimony.
Although this removed the key witness and resulted in the
accused being set free, the stigma was enough to badly
damage his reputation. If you can find Gaedren, you’re
sure you can find evidence that ties him to the murder and
can clear the accused’s name.
Family Honor: The person framed was a family member,
perhaps a father or brother. You managed to trick the
fisherman into revealing the truth with your skilled
tongue, and thus gain a +2 bonus on Bluff checks.
Dropout: You were the one accused. Although you were
eventually freed when a friend confronted the fisherman
and got the truth, the damage had been done. You were
forced to leave your school (perhaps the Acadamae)
or church. As a result, you were forced to self-train
and promised yourself you would become better at your
chosen profession despite the spurning of your peers. You
gain a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
If anyone can come up with a balanced trait for their character I will entertain their ideas. I am thinking a link to Tharkad for the dwarves in the party, perhaps a link to the Silver Elves for the elves, ...EDIT..
Perhaps:
For Merzhan: Forbidden Secrets:
During you quest for arcane knowledge you have stumbled upon several blasphemous texts that detailed the workings of Heaven and Hell. You receive a +2 to a Knowledge (Planes) skill.
Thoughts?
|
Perhaps:For Merzhan: Forbidden Secrets:
During you quest for arcane knowledge you have stumbled upon several blasphemous texts that detailed the workings of Heaven and Hell. You receive a +2 to a Knowledge (Planes) skill.
Thoughts?
Hmm, so the basic idea is, you get a +2 to one skill, provided you tie it into your character background. Neat.
Here's an idea, based on the character I'm currently statting:
Curfew-Shmerfew: Whether it was sneaking out your bedroom window for night-hikes and star-gazing, or slipping past the wall guards to meet up with peers or significant others, your childhood provided many opportunities for you to learn how to evade notice. You enjoy a +2 bonus to all Sneak checks.
If anyone can come up with a balanced trait for their character I will entertain their ideas. I am thinking a link to Tharkad for the dwarves in the party, perhaps a link to the Silver Elves for the elves
That sounds cool. What would a link to Tharkad mean? A +2 to Knowledge (dungeoneering) or something?
I would think a link to Tharkad-Kûl for a dwarf could be one of these:
a +2 K(dungeoneering) called Knowledge of the Silent Halls: Your family preserved tales of the days in Tharkad-Kûl and of its paths and ways.
a +2 profession (miner) called Heritage of Stone: The blood of the ancient Delvers of Tharkad-Kûl runs in your veins.
a +2 to Profession (smith) called Ancestral Crafting: Although many secrets of the Elder Smiths were lost when the Great Death swept through Tharkad-Kûl, your family still holds a few cherished bits of ancestral wisdom close.
Anything kinda like this seems relatively acceptable to me. Any thoughts from the playtesters? None of this game is graven in stone.
I assume that feats from the Pathfinder Gazeteer are available?
I would think a link to Tharkad-Kûl for a dwarf could be one of these:
a +2 K(dungeoneering) called Knowledge of the Silent Halls: Your family preserved tales of the days in Tharkad-Kûl and of its paths and ways.
a +2 profession (miner) called Heritage of Stone: The blood of the ancient Delvers of Tharkad-Kûl runs in your veins.
a +2 to Profession (smith) called Ancestral Crafting: Although many secrets of the Elder Smiths were lost when the Great Death swept through Tharkad-Kûl, your family still holds a few cherished bits of ancestral wisdom close.
Anything kinda like this seems relatively acceptable to me. Any thoughts from the playtesters? None of this game is graven in stone.
This sounds good to me. If we decide to allow it I'll take Knowledge of the Silent Halls.
I've just been reading up on the church of Torag and it looks like I should really swap out my Knowledge (the planes) for Craft
In which case I will take the ancestral crafting trait and make my Craft skill weaponsmith
Should be able to make some nice holy weapons eventually
That artifice ability is just nasty, spend a round breaking your opponents weapons and armour just awful!!!
|
Yes it is and even better its confined to clerics of Torag only so it's unlikely to be used against us.I can see me using it fairly frequently against heavily armoured foes.
(It would have been useful in our game wouldn't it Larcifer)
I would suggest however that Magical items get a saving throw against the damage.
The Acid bolt from the Earth domain is useful too...very few creatures have resistance to acid.
Personally I don't see either dwarf as the marrying kind and married dwarven women probably wouldn't be allowed to adventure anyway.My view on dwarven culture is this...young dwarves are allowed to adventure to get it out of their system before they settle down,find a life mate and become pillars of the community. Tharkad-kul is the one place that makes them irrational...it's an almost holy duty of all dwarves to set foot in the halls once in their lifetime and, for some, the cleansing has become a crusade.
That's n ot to say you couldnt play the female dwarf character...maybe as the sister or cousin of one of the others rather than a wife.