Curse of the Crimson Throne Campaign Resumption (Chapters 4-6) and Long-Term Group Membership Interest Check

[aurick427]

Dear potential players,

This is an interest check for Pathfinder's Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path: Chapters 4-6 to be played online via Roll20. You would be joining precisely at the climactic middle point of the campaign.

Previously, I was running this campaign and it collapsed due to an abrupt loss of two players due to their lives at first, as well as my inability to keep up with the pace of prep due to starting a new job. After changing my expectations of myself and my prep style, I potentially have interest in resuming the AP with two of my long haul players. I have consistently DMd for 3 years or so and love doing it.

This is a long-term and committed group of roleplayers who enjoy combat. If you are a combat junky and only want to do that, you would hate my group. If you are a dramatic actor that only wants to RP and hates combat, you would hate my group.

We would want solid people willing to step into the Crimson Throne campaign, write their backgrounds to fit a later entry, and get up to speed/roll with the plot details. You need to be someone that is very go with the flow, not fussy, and understanding that we are all real people with lives (especially your DM). You also need to be someone that is up for whatever and really just loves Pathfinder. There may be some weeks where I can't prep and have to fall back on a PFS scenario or take a week off- and I need to know you're a solid.

As a DM I have high expectations of myself and the players. Rise of the Runelords (when I ran it) went for a year and a half or so because of all of my additions and successfully completed. I tried to give Crimson the same treatment, and that was what doomed me in combination with the new job. Instead, I will be dressing it up as much as I feasibly can and prepping week to week rather than leagues ahead of the PCs at one time.

Much will have to be done on an honor system. For example, I tell the party what they discovered in terms of loot, but it is up to them to sell/buy and manage what the party gets in town. Anything I can do to make it so all I have to focus on is prep.

If you sign up, I expect commitment to a Friday night slot for 6-8 hours. We start at about 7:00 PM CST. The more flexible you are with what days you can play and when, the better. Flexibility allows us to adjust if necessary. You should have little to no distractions during the time you can play and should be playing as if you were right there with us at the table.

If you would be interested in joining our long term group (who will be working its way through the other Pathfinder APs regardless) and want a place you can call your RPG gaming home- please email [e-mail] and express your interest.

In terms of specific characters: we are looking for a solid cleric or divine support/healer and a ranged class of some sort- arcane is fantastic, but martial would also work. Starting out, you would be 10th level and be given standard starting wealth for that level to buy gear. I can also potentially take a 5th person of whatever class, but would rather not take a 6th.

Whether or not this happens and when it happens (it may be a few months from now, but could be sooner if overwhelming response) depends on the interest I get. So please write, sell me that it would work, and tell me what you're interested in.

[Forthepie]

Just to be clear you are talking about playing from 7PM Central to 1AM or later?

[aurick427]

Forthepie wrote:

Just to be clear you are talking about playing from 7PM Central to 1AM or later?

That's correct.

In terms of character creation, we'd use the information in the free Player's Guide for Curse of the Crimson Throne except that you wouldn't use any of the campaign traits.

Instead, anyone that was accepted into the campaign and was certain they wanted to do this would be given a rundown of some of the events of Chapters 1-3 and they would have a very clear hook and motivation that would insert them quite readily into Chapters 4-6.

Starting gold would be 64,000 gold. And then as per the rules: "Characters should spend no more than half their total wealth on any single item. For a balanced approach, PCs that are built after 1st level should spend no more than 25% of their wealth on weapons, 25% on armor and protective devices, 25% on other magic items, 15% on disposable items like potions, scrolls, and wands, and 10% on ordinary gear and coins. Different character types might spend their wealth differently than these percentages suggest; for example, arcane casters might spend very little on weapons but a great deal more on other magic items and disposable items."

[Forthepie]

How are you determining stats? Roll/Point Buy etc.

What books are we limited to, for character creation and feats, etc?

HPs after first, roll, half +1, max?

[aurick427]

The policy was:
15 point buy
Core materials only (most things that are Paizo official are ok, like the core, APG, etc but if it's way out there just ask)
HP after first is roll twice and take highest or take the median with the Con mod added as usual.

In terms of time also...that is the slot that is currently dedicated to gaming for my core group. I mention flexibility in case that has to change sometime- like say being shortened and moved to another day one week vs another. However, that Friday slot for now is the expected time.

Keep in mind that as of now this is still in an interest gathering/checking phase also. I really want to see if there are enough people out there that both a) seem like good stock (trust me, if you don't know, there's a lot of weird and flakyness out there) and b) number enough to fill out the group.

Currently, I'm running a lot of PFS because I know I can successfully prep those week to week and am working with this group through Season 4. I *believe* I can successfully prep week to week for the AP as well (it occurred to me that it's pretty much the same thing as the scenarios I've been prepping, but I just need to break it into chunks and prep week to week), but that's something I would experiment with before starting this out and letting down everyone. If we had an overwhelming response here and I liked what I saw (meaning I can identify people I'd want to take on), I might accelerate the time table to try to get this going again.

[Forthepie]

Oh I understand, just trying to get a feel for a character and decide if I want to 1)jump in the middle of an AP and 2) stay up that late on Friday nights. I live Central time zone too, so it would be late.

[aurick427]

Forthepie wrote:

Oh I understand, just trying to get a feel for a character and decide if I want to 1)jump in the middle of an AP and 2) stay up that late on Friday nights. I live Central time zone too, so it would be late.

Precisely, and that's what anyone reading this should be asking themselves up front. If I don't see the interest then I will probably let it go and move on to the next AP. I'd be disappointed, but it is what it is.

Traditionally, running APs online can be very harrowing from the DM side because you're really just 1-2 players vanishing away from being in this situation, heh.

[Jimmy of the Sad Panda]

Do you mind if we prestige or multiclass at any of the given levels?

[Jimmy of the Sad Panda]

I can fill the role of the arcane ranged character, still deciding what class though, probably either wizard, witch, or sorcerer.

[Jimmy of the Sad Panda]

I have decided on magus, most likely dervish dancer build.

[Jimmy of the Sad Panda]

Link to Character for GM approval http://www.dndsheets.net/view.php?id=54205

(I don't know a lot about Crimson Throne so bear with me here)
When he was born his mother died shortly after. His pit fiend father finally having an heir. He would be taken by a master wizard to her home in a small farming community instead of his father claiming him for his own plots. He commenced in training with his aunt. His uncle had been a great warrior in his day and thinking that steel was more efficient trained him behind his wife's back. He admitted to his aunt that his uncle was also training him so they agreed to train him as a magus, a master of spell and steel. He never was allowed into town or to attend any events regarding such. He spent his childhood life training and when he came of age set off on his own to make it as an adventurer in hopes to one day stop his father in his evil plots. He found the world not to be so generous to his kind and returned home. His aunt created a special item for him called a hat of disguise that allowed him to mask his appearance as an average human. Soon after he found himself in possession of an unusual scimitar. He could here it's voice and at first thought he was delusional, but knew it not to be the case. After a while he found himself with an adventuring party. He is always in his natural Tiefling form while on the road or in a dungeon, but is usually in a human or elf form while in town.