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After a lot of back and forth on the fourth (and potentially fifth) party member, we've finally got the characters that will make up our party decided as well as starting attitudes and personalities and individual backstories.
There was some consideration of having a fifth 'GM/PC' who was a Halfling Archeologist who just 'got caught up in all of this', but the introduction of the mongrelmen in the first book and the halfling character in the second book made it feel as if there might be a bit too much overlap. Thought was also given to making a Mongrelman Archeologist instead who joins the PC's early on in book 1, but the confusing rules for making Mongrelmen PC's kind of squashed that. Since the fifth character was likely going to be played by someone who couldn't fully commit to the game and would be in and out (played by the GM the rest of the time), it has instead been decided that our fifth player will instead take up the role of many of our villians and run the bad guys in combat.
I'm really looking forward to being able to adjudicate battles rather than setting myself against the PC's - I'll let him know what his creatures know about the PC's and what their motivations are and let him go. We've tried this once before and the most surprising benefit was the depth the middling bosses gained, leading to more recurring villians with genuine motivations than we've ever had before.
At any rate, the party will now be four, and I encouraged everyone to take a 'mythic' mindset when creating their characters. There was a time to be scurvy (Skull n Shackles), a time to be adventurous (Rise of the Runelords), but this... this was the time to be truly heroic, and my players didn't disappoint. Please keep in mind that we always start off at 2nd level in our games, level up when indicated in the AP and as yet we're not 100% sure if we're going to use the Mythic rules as written or if we're going to replace them by instead granting additional class levels at what would be Mythic tiers 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10
The cast:
Khoresh Cimmerin, Tiefling 1st level Oracle (Lore) / 1st level Paladin (Oath of Vengance, Oath Against Fiends)
Khoresh arrived in Kenabres the morning of the assault on the city. He is already somewhat of a veteran of the Worldwound, having grown up within its environs travelled from city to city searching for any sign of his father. You see, Khoresh is the son of an Incubus whom was literally breeding his own private army of cultists from women seduced, captured and enslaved for that sole purpose. As a child, the Tiefling was caught up in one of the rituals which would have dedicated him to his father's service like so many others, but managed to escape and survive on his own avoiding capture or execution by either side of the conflict. He was taken in finally by a Cleric of Iomedea and it was in her footsteps that he found the strength to accept his heritage, to use it to bring creatures like the one that had spawned him to the righteous justice they deserve.
He is reserved and stoic by nature, used to concealing his heritage when necessary and accustomed to being mistrusted and feared if not outright attacked by virtue of his appearance alone. There is an honorable, noble and devoted heart beneath his rough, scaly exterior but it is rarely seen by those who have spent generations battling the evils of his forebears.
Khoresh has selected 'Stolen Fury' as his campaign trait and 'Champion' as his Mythic Path should it come to that. He will continue to pursue the Paladin class as he levels up.
Lloren and Llyra Seneschal, Aasimar 1st level Dervishes of Dawn / 1st level Masters of Many Styles
There was something special about the twins from the day they were born, possessed as they were of unearthly beauty and grace. The two were inseparable, leaving their father's home at an early age to see the world, and to answer the calling in their hearts and in their dreams. All their lives they've had visions of the Goddess Serenrae - less a religious calling and more of a spiritual one where the connection seemed almost paternal. Ironically the two tended by their natures to exhibit the dual aspects of the Goddess, Lloren oft times quick to judge and possessed of an overwhelming sense of righteousness when it comes to punishing evil while Llyra remains forgiving, always seeing the brightest parts of a individual and hopeful of their eventual redemption should they stray.
In time they took up blades in the tradition of their patron Goddess, the battle dance coming to them as naturally as breathing, and have followed their visions across much of the continent to this place where it seems they might have finally found their purpose - the redemption of a land and a people as blighted and corrupt and without hope as could be imagined, and the opportunity to avenge themselves on those responsible. They were in Kenabres three days before it fell, just long enough to appreciate the city and its people before the darkness came.
Lloren and Llyra have selected 'Touched by Divity' as their campaign trait and 'Champion' as their Mythic Path. They will dip a couple of levels more in MoMS and Unarmed Fighter before devoting themselves fully to the Dervish of Dawn archetype. Teamwork feats taken by both will represent their long experience fighting side-by-side and their intuition when it comes to one anothers thoughts and deeds.
Dragoravan, Human 2nd level Sorcerer (Draconic)
Dragoravan has lived in Kenabres most of his life, serving as one of a small group of individuals who tended to the needs of Terendelev and served as his intermediaries when needed. His life has been relatively sheltered - as sheltered as it could be given where he was and what was happening around him - spent in pursuit of the magics that seemed to well from within him. He was special, he knew, for it was a closely kept secret that he and the rest of the small group of attendents were in fact the children of Terendelev himself, gathered from across the realm. They were being groomed for a higher purpose, a greater role in the fight to come that they could not yet see the day the city fell.
Dragoravan has tremendous respect for the history of Kenabres and its role in the on-going fight to stem the tide of evil. He is at least passingly familiar with most of the prominent figures in the city though in his self-imposed isolation has never developed any real relationships with them. His family were his brothers and sisters, six in all including he, though he knows not if any have survived Kenabres' fall.
Dragoravan will continue to pursue the Sorcerer class and eventually add levels of Dragon Disciple as well. His campaign trait is 'Child of the Crusades' and his Mythic Path would be Archmage.
I've done as much as I can to guide the PC's a bit in developing their backgrounds and character concepts without revealing too much, and I think I'm going to be able to really tie them into some of the revelations we're destined to see in Book 3. I'm very, very excited about what this AP may hold for us as a group.
Alright, after a great deal of deliberation, we've decided that we aren't going to be using Mythic rules in this campaign - mostly. These are the following adjustments we'll be making:
PC's will level up at recommended points in the module as well as at what would be Mythic Teirs 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10... meaning that the character will finish the AP at 26th level. No characters will be allowed to advance past 20th level in a single class, but attack iterations will continue apace and attribute bonuses will continue to accrue every 4 levels as normal. Additionally players will be given access to Mythic feats as they would regular feats (not as bonus feats) beginning with what would be their first mythic tier and will also gain the Mythic Surge ability.
In my opinion this will serve as a nice introduction to some of the Mythic concepts and give them appropriate boosts in power without things getting overly complicated or imbalanced. One of the primary driving forces behind this decision was that players might finally get to use their capstone abilities in an ongoing campaign which has never been an option for us before. Since the group is 'full-caster' light, I'm not worried about their gaining access too early to potentially game-breaking 9th level spells.
My intention had been to hold off beginnning WotR until after all six books had come out, just so that I didn't make any changes that I would come to regret, but excitement for the AP has been brewing for some time and its looking as if we will be starting sooner rather than later. Expect a campaign journal of some sort to follow.