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The people of Ravengro always found Professor Petros Lorrimor a peculiar and potentially worrisome neighbor. The already superstitious folks were wary of someone who so willingly threw his life and work into his chosen career path, and it did not help that he kept company some considered to be more than met the eye. Something sinister, to be feared. They had no idea how right they were.
Now, the good professor is dead, and his will has drawn some of his associates, acquaintances, and subjects of study to the small village in Ustalav for his funeral. Those who aided and owed a debt to him in his life will find his last wishes, much like they are in the eyes of the villagers they stand amidst in grieving, to be something much darker than they could imagine.
I'm looking for a six-player party to run Carrion Crown, because my real life group isn't really into horror the way I am, and some of them aren't too gung-go about getting deep into a character, which is something I would like to work with and explore here. So I've come here in hopes of finding a group of people who can give me the GMing experience I'm looking for. People who can really get into the setting and tone of a horror game, and who like to create vivid characters to roleplay with.
But there's a twist. I'd like to run a game where the characters are written along various horror archetypes or themes. The morally questionable doctor more concerned with discovery and experimentation than with ethics. The rogue who stalks the night and cuts throats as he builds a paranormal legend for himself. The half-vampire whose heritage drives them to become the scourge of undeath. The holy warrior or cleric who believes their divine mission is to shine holy light into the most descecrated corners. The experiment who struggles with the need to either hold onto or affirm that they indeed have any humanity. The wife whose family was slain by a creature of the night, and whose quest for vengeance has set them on a dark genocidal path. Those sorts of the things.
It's okay to be derivative, as the idea is to be a send-up to the genre throughout the years, the same way the setting is. Taking inspiration in any degree is perfectly fine. You should aim for something that isn't alien to the world you'll be delving into; you knew the professor to some degree, and that is not by small coincidence.
Character Creation:
-You begin at first level.
-20 point buy
-Two traits, one of which must be from the Carrion Crown Player's Guide. You may take a drawback for an additional trait.
-Any class is allowed, as is any archetype except for Synthesist Summoner.
--Flavourful archetypes that fit the game are adored.
-You may use any playable race, except for Drow, or any race considered "monstrous" or "very powerful".
-All official Paizo books are admissable where relevant (ie. not Mythic Adventures).
-No third party material.
-I'm open to houseruling certain things, you need only ask. Homebrewing a confusing mess of features is not really my thing.
-Reflavouring certain elements is also perfectly fine.
-Please give a background for your character with some degree of depth into it. As requested above, the character should be in some way "on topic".
-Provide a general direction for your character. What sort of role you see them filling in the party, what aspects of their class they emphasize, maybe what direction you intend to build them over time. Doesn't have to be long, just something to help consider party balance.
-There are no major alingment restrictions, but your character should at least be willing to play nicely in a party (no stealing or picking fights just to be an abrasive dick) and be willing to see the plot through. If you seek something along the lines of a Jack the Ripper-esque character or someone who definitely qualifies as "evil" in some way, please don't be cackling cartoon ever, and also, as just kind of a general personal thing, don't play a rapist. Or really involve rape in the game in any way.
We won't be using the grid, partly due to my preference as a GM and partly because getting too hung up over distances and moving pieces kind of detracts from the mood a bit. Narrative combat allows for both more flexibility and the ability to increase tension a little. I also don't like getting bogged down by keeping track of encumbrance, either in terms of bookkeeping or in terms of forcing characters to have a certain minimum strength to carry all the things they want/need. Outside of things like overhead carrying capacity/pulling/pushing/etc. don't worry too much about what your Strength score lets you do.
I'll be taking a party of six players, chosen based on a mix of backstory and party balance. Please be able to post once per day, barring circumstances. For now, we'll say recruitment runs through until Sunday, but I don't mind extending it a couple days. Until it closes I will be around to answer questions and review characters and such.
Not sure I'm into the horror genre really, but I do have an idea for a master summoner who quite fits into the morally questionable researcher slot.
Likely a colleague of the dead professor. He has a socially built eidolon for personal interaction, and really has little desire to actually interact with people. I'd have to look into the local area to find a suitable college or such to him to work at.
He would be pretty much amoral in outlook. Knowledge is what matters to him, not the consequences of said knowledge at all.
i'm definitely interested... just trying to figure out which dozen ideas that instantly came to mind i want to develop/pitch
How does a charismatic Changeling Witch focused on Enchantment sound? ^_^
Drafting her stats now...
What kind of person is Professor Lorrimor? I was thinking that her Campaign trait would be Making Good on Promises since she was saved by the professor from shame and exile when her practicing on a new spell went horribly wrong and he reversed the effects for her.
Interested to play, with a gruff dwarf Inquisitor of Pharasma.
Out of combat: Will be a gruffy investigator, with intimidating skills and eye for the lies.
In combat: He will like to engage combat when necessary, only delaying to see the situation and casting something to make the party have the upperhand, and will work as a secondary healer, or CLW wands provided, healer for the party.
If any doubt, just ask. Oh, in the bottom he is a good nice guy.
@drbuzzard: That would be Lepidstadt University. It's mentioned in the Rule of Fear book, if you've got it. That's the Ustalav book.
@DFang: The book is pretty nebulous about the professor's personality. He was not a caster though, so I don't know how well he'd be able to do at reversing the effects of something.
@Lord Foul II: Sorry, for the sake of keeping everyone consistent, not allowing two different stat generation methods.
I'm thinking a ranger. I'd agree on the point buy taking something away from the whole "puny mortal" angle, since there's a lot under the player's control.
=16
=13
=15
=15
=17
=11
That being said those rolls are absurd.
hmm, part of me kind of likes watching others post- it knocks potential ideas off my list, lol.
'oh, an enchanter witch? i won't use the were-fox (kitsune) enchanter then'
'vivisectionist/reanimator? alrighty, not the good doctor then'
@horrorshow- a lot of archetypes/tropes in horror naturally oppose each other... did you have a specific feel in mind? i mean, are you going for sort of a villainous party (murderer, graverobbing reanimator, undead crafting caster, sort of stuff) or were you hoping for more of a stamp-out-the-menace kind of party (with more of your VanHelsing or Vampire Hunter D type guys)? i'm not familiar with the AP, so i have no idea which type would work better (or maybe they'll work equally well), but if half the people make one type and half make the other then you'll have to pick the feel you like at the end and half the characters will have been made for no reason. I have ideas for both kinds, i just would like to have a little more clarity (please) before i pick what to pitch.
If they just made Ace Bolt correctly, and not that rushed mess it is...a Van Helsing character based on that archetype would have been nice and cool.
@Kakkarotto: Yeah, that's the thing. Not only does rolling introduce a bunch of arity between what characters can do, but it's a lot more potentially mood-killing if someone gets really high rolls and suddenly they're an even less puny mortal. In general though, I think the stats have less to do with tone than how the game is presented does.
@nate lange: I'm not going to pick a party in only one vein, or else I would have decided on one first. The mixture of different elements and tropes helps keep the idea of a ragtag group assembled through the sole common thread of the professor. You're not supposed to be an organized party with a general idea in mind so much as a bunch of people respecting the dying wish of a man who was either a friend or someone you owed a debt to.
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Dot. I have a Dwarfborn Aasimar Paladin (who intends to be an Oradin) that would be so SMITE AND CLEAVE SMITE AND CLEAVE THE UNDEAD that it'd make any Cleric proud.
For full disclosure: I've played through the first book, but can very easily keep my knowledge of what happens sectioned off. Metagaming isn't my thing.
@Horrorshow GM: About the wealth? Berenguer was in another Carrion Crow recruitment (and not selected) and I'll have to adjust to your rules about starting gold.
And another question: Does Berenguer fit your horror theme?
@JuanAdriel: Oops. I knew I was forgetting something. Average starting wealth for your class. I haven't read Berenguer yet because I'm just answering in small bursts while in class, but once I have some time I will give him a look.
I'm a bit unsure about not using a combat grid but I like your write-up, rules and aesthetic choices otherwise. I've been looking to play in a really dark and thematic Carrion Crown campaign, so I'll post a character in a little while as per your guidelines. Thanks!
Very interesting!
I'm working on a Dhampir Character with the Sanguine(Undead) bloodline.
He'd be a very brooding "Byronic Hero" type, but still a man compelled to do some good in the world.
Ooh. I'm thinking maybe a sorcerer or oracle with faustian themes in the past, and is now a damned soul seeking redemption.
Thinking on the Vampire hunter archetype from inner sea magic, just changing name to Undead hunter.
Dotting for intrest, ill think on it but possibly a warpriest or investigator.
Oh, well... too bad. I'll adjust that part of the backstory to make it a bit more generic then.
Chiurgeon Alchemist whose vicious alter ego specializes in vivisection?
I've always wanted to play a character in this vein - something like a madman seeing glimpses of truth from a world beyond our own. He/she could be any class, really, though oracle, wizard, witch certainly match the flavor. I'd like to being the character pretty young, like 16-20, relatively sane, but inspired or perhaps unnerved by visions that eventually become a more relevant part of his/her character.
Anyway, sounds like a cool concept and (as you can tell) I'm very interested.
I'm working on a centaur, a Nature Fang who violently protects the wilderness from those would taint it.
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@ Horrorshow - How would you feel about a coward? I'm thinking something rogue-ish: a true opportunist, and about as craven as they come. The character would be demure face-to-face with a viscous streak a mile wide. He/she would likely run from a fight if there was a chance to come back and kill you in your sleep, but if conered would fight like all seven hells were coming for him/her.
GT- that was on the list i'm trying to shave down, lol. (was because I won't submit it if you are.) You could build it however you want but I would have done a haunted oracle of the dark tapestry...
i see we've got our first jekyll/hyde pitch too- you guys are doing a great job narrowing down my list :)
What's starting wealth?
Currently finishing up a human Steel Hound/Spiritualist Investigator, will post a link once finished.
Question for the GM:
The Steel Hound archetype gets a battered pistol at 2nd level, rather than starting with one. Would this be handled in-context, in-game when we level?
ok, i've decided. i will be submitting a more complete pitch later (hopefully later tonight, depending on what time the kids fall asleep), but I would like to play:
Higgins, the late professor's footman- a proper gentleman who knows his place. Higgins is straight-laced, staid, acquiescent, and polite, but there is something mysterious in his quiet dignity and one cannot help but wonder if there is not more to him than meets the eye.
Well i had this idea for a while that i really liked and that would only fit in a campaign like this one or in Way of the Wicked. Basic idea is a fire bomber alchemist focused on bombing stuff. The original idea is below
lright, so here is what i am thinking :)
Jason is a human fire bomber (taking racial heritage: goblin to qualify) with a strong focus on bombs, demolition, espionage and suberfuge.Fluff wise, Jason is a terrorist. His family was on the wrong end of a political struggle that resulted in most of his family being killed, all their posessions confiscated and only him (still an infant) and his mother cast to the streets. Raised up in the slums and on his mothers bitter stories, Jason grew up with a great distain towards the govenment and the ruling elite. That would have been all if not for a fateful meeting with some shady characters from the underworld. Enticed by the power they offered him, he agreed to help them. Hos role was to place bombs inside a cathedrial, to break its old foundations and cause it to crumble. What he did not know was that there was a meeting between some of the ruling elite there. It was his first murder. Still, those in the shadows were pleased by the success and offered to train and teach the young lad. It was the start of his work undermining the rulling
Class.1. Jason was born here in westcrown to one of the noble houses that has since been abolished and grew up in the slums. He has nurtured a strong resentment against the ruling class that abandoned his mother to a life of hardship and bitterness. He stays because he wants to make a change and he thinks he has the power to.
He is lawful Evil, not so much by his own nature but rather by virtue of his profession. He has to plan real carefully what and when his targets are and no paladin would abide by what he does.Human Alchemist (fire bomber) 5
Feats. Racial heritage: goblin, +3
Discoveries. Precise bombs,
Traits, knowledge: engineering, +1
Now obviously he would have to be reformatted fo this campaign, like being brought down to lvl 1 and reflavoring his backstory a bit, but ya.
Can it work?
you've got plenty of mad scientist alchemists on the table, but how about a gourmet chef alchemist preservationist with a heart of gold despite being a discrete cannibal?
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I have played a wizard through book one and most of book two before the GM had real life stuff pull him away from the game. I'd love to get to play my favorite AP again, if you can trust me to keep player knowledge separate from character knowledge. I am not sure how much I will remember anyway as its been quite a while. I sure miss it. But with all the arcane applying how about I build something more front line-ish. I could go Paladin or Skald? Thoughts? Not every game wants a paladin at the table...
Cool, I was waiting for a game in which mood prevailed.
Here's mine, a tortured possessed(?) soul trying to evade the grasp of evil (or his own nature?).
Don't be put off by the high strenght, it is more for the style than the actual damage. The character will be using Intimidate and his fist before drawing his weapon.
If there is anything that seems off, don't hesitate to tell me!
A giant brute stitched together from the corpses of both man and monster that fights to try and use his great strength for good.
He attempted to become a blacksmith, to help others build. However, he was never born so he has no soul. Without such all of his creations also lacked the spark of creation, and could only wreak destruction. Horses he shoed would shy and throw their riders, or slip and break their legs. A plowshare that struck a hidden stone and shattered, sending shards of metal to ruin the farmers face. Patching a simple kitchen pot for the neighbor, that was then used in a fit of rage to bludgeon her husband to death.
The Professor and his allies traced the happenings back to my petty little forge. He sent me to roaming, never staying in one place, never letting the taint of my dark birth cling to the innocent.
But now he has been summoned. The situation must be dire indeed.
I suppose a half-orc would work, but I may put together a built race to see if I can get something more spot on for a frankenthing.
Forgepriest Warpriest with negative energy channeling to reflect his dark luck.
Will try to put something together tonight or tomorrow night if it sounds interesting.
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Horrorshow (I keep pronouncing this in Nadsat and I can't help myself) is it cool if my Aasimar takes the Scion of Humanity alternate Aasimar racial trait, but instead of "Humanity" can it be "Dwarfkind"?
Would work exactly the same way, just he'd be Outsider (Native) and Humanoid (Dwarf) instead of Outsider (Native) and Humanoid (Human).
What is your writing style? Do you have any experience with PBP? What sort of game are you expecting to see? I prefer long and substantive posts to short spurts of dialogue.
Okay, settled on a Nagaji Summoner with the Making Good on Promises trait. Working on crunch and fluff. Hopefully have it up soon.
I would like to put forward Wakati Nahodha, an elven Ancient Lorekeeper Oracle. I didn't really have a "dark" background in mind when I created him, but I can definitely turn the Mystery/Curse more towards a darker tone. In general, he would be a support character, in more than one aspect: backup healer, knowledge checks, combat support. I think the profile should match your criteria, except for the gold/equipment. That is based on max gold, but should be easy enough to fix if chosen.
dotting. Will work something up, when I get home from this trip.
Intending on making a Preacher/Infiltrator/Vampire Hunter Inquisitor. She used to be a preacher in the church of Sarenrae, before her family were slaughtered by beasts of the night, and so became a hardline worshiper of Sarenrae, and travels from town to town, infiltrating a town, slaughtering any undead (or particularly bothersome necromancers) she comes across, and then leaving the same night without a trace.
I have the Crunch, but will hold off on posting it until I put the finishing touches on the backstory. Strictly speaking, shes potentially going for the "vengeance" trope, although shes also worrying about where this path will ultimately lead her.
As far as role in the party, she's primarily a ranged damage dealer, that doubles as a particularly skilled character out of combat. As a "lone wolf" character, I wanted to emphasise how she could function in a vacuum, so shes pretty good at Bluff / Diplomacy / Stealth / Intimidate / Perception / Sense Motive.
@Dragonflyer1243: Sorry, Centaurs are out. They're filed under "Monstrous".
@Darksmokepuncher: If you feel like you can make it work, though I imagine there'd have to be some degree of staying the path just because otherwise he'd be liable to run off the first time he's given watch duty.
@Doctor Hieronymous: Average starting gold for your class.
@Lamontius: I see a few places in the book around second level I could sneak that into loot somehow, if you'd prefer it be handled in-game. Jonah's looking good so far.
@Gobo Horde: There isn't really anything horror-ey about Jason.
@Skorn: I'd be fine with Paladin, or with something else.
@TheCelticCircle: Not really anything horror-ey about Ioann.
@Doomguide: Yeah, that could be cool. Willing to reflavour Half-Orc or something, but I'm on the fence abotu allowing a custom race for this. We'll see.
@Seranov: Yeah, that's fine by me.
@DM Barac: I do have several years of experience with PBP. I'm expecting a game that is definitely roleplay-ey, but not putting any expectations on length of posts, although with the emphasis on horror and atmosphere I'd definitely want to skew toward people more than two lines of dialogue a post.
@Wakati: At a quick glance crunch definitely seems to be in order. I'll wait on the redone backstory to pass any major judgement.
So for a long time I've been tossing around the idea of building a character around Dr. Facilier from "The Princess and the Frog"-- a magic-user who manipulates shadows, has a super-high Charisma, and so on. I think this would be the perfect setting to play him in. But just so you know, I've DMed this campaign myself. If you're not cool with that, I understand. But if that's not a problem, I'll get to working on him! (Usual rules of player knowledge vs. character knowledge and whatnot.)
I'm fine with people who know the campaign to varying degrees, sure. I can assume the better of people, and if metagaming becomes an issue I'll just tell them to stop.
hey, is anyone interested in teaming up to do a Sweeney Todd & Mrs Lovette sort of a thing?
I'm posting to show interest and will work up a character in the next few days. I'm thinking half-orc investigator, more loyal assistant to the mad doctor trope than a mad doctor himself, but who could over time grow into being like that mad doctor.
Awww too bad, I guess I have different views on what counts as horror. You may drop my application since I won't be modifying Ioann. Hope the game goes well!
@Dragonflyer1243: Sorry, Centaurs are out. They're filed under "Monstrous".
My bad, I misread the character creation rules and thought that you were specifically allowing monstrous races rather than banning them, I'll work on a new character concept tonight.
OK, I have an idea for a human brawler. Drunk, depressed, tired of life. Tragic loss of wife and child to the creatures of utalav's terror filled nights. Probably take the mutagenic archetype and reflavor it as stiff drinks, brews his own booze and doesn't know why it gives him strength. He saved the proffesor by being in the right place at the right time even though he didn't know what he was doing at the time. Basically along the line of the drifter or hobo who has lost it all because of the horrors of the night.
Here is my Submission, Will go over her again to make sure she qualifies. (she was made for an attempt to get into carrion crown like six months ago I believe.) If you spot anything or need anything else let me know !
-edit- will check her gear when i get off work as well
i'll create an alias and complete stat block if selected... in the meantime, here's a pretty complete look at Higgins (he kind of falls into two tropes- the dangerous manservant, and the cursed/unwilling immortal).
With both his parents dead and the unwelcome visits becoming more common, he left his home and joined a militant sect of Anubis. He excelled in both the martial and spiritual training and came to believe he'd finally found his place in the world. Within a few years, however, the rumors of his perpetual youth reached his superiors who worried that he might be cheating the Guardian of the Tomb. Despite his protests and promises he was stripped of his religious office and exiled from the temple.
His heart was heavy the day he walked out of the temple for the final time, but the desert sands are too hot to allow time for sorrow, so he set out on the first ship he found crossing the Inner Sea. He settled in the city of Cassomir, in Taldor, and took the name John Higgins in order to start his life over. He met a beautiful young woman there and fell in love. She was the daughter of a merchant and she taught him to dress, speak, and carry himself like a gentleman of Taldor. With her help he was able to find gainful employment as a footman for a minor aristocrat, and they were soon wed. For many years they lived happily together even though the gods did not see fit to bless them with children. After a decade together his young bride was entering her 30s and could no longer ignore the fact that he had not aged a day since they met. Their happiness began to crumble as her unanswered questions gave way to accusations. She shared her concerns with her superstitious father who warned her that there must certainly be vile magicks or even the curse of vampirism at work. She was devastated and sent word to him immediately that she would remain in her father's house and live out her days as a spinster. He left at once to try and reconcile with his wife but when he arrived at her father's he was too late. After sending her letter she had discovered she was with child and, terrified that she carried some unholy creature, she threw herself into the sea.
Having nowhere else to go, and nothing else to do he returned to his employer's home resolved to serve there until the last of that line was born and died. Ten more years passed uneventfully and if his employer had noticed his curse he was careful not to mention it. The family entertained many visitors to the city and eventually one came who would alter the course of John Higgins' life. A professor had come from the north to lecture and his footman had not survived the journey. Not wanting to be inhospitable, the lord offered him John's service during his stay. The professor informed him that he would need a man to travel home with him as well and when all was said and done 'Higgins' found himself with a new employer. It did not take long for the Professor to discern that his abilities went beyond carrying trunks and straightening outfits, and he was often called upon to be as much bodyguard as footman. Together they traveled to many places across Avistan and even as far as Tian Xia where the Professor conducted research and he received some training in their martial arts. Through it all he carried out the Professor's every request to the letter without any questions or any judgment regarding its morality.
The professor, though distant, always treated him fairly. There was never any talk of the professor's work or personal life, but he was satisfied to simply perform what tasks the professor asked of him and be paid fairly in return with no prying into his own affairs. It was a pleasant enough arrangement but like all good things he was destined to outlive it. The only thing surprising about this latest loss was the missive which followed summoning him to the reading of the will. Like all things in this dreadfully long life, it hardly seemed worth going, but his loyalty to the professor is great enough that he has...
LN, Plumekith Aasimar[scion of humanity]*, Warpriest[Sacred Fist] 1
Str 14; Dex 14 (12+2); Con 14; Int 10; Wis 18 (16+2); Cha 8
*he has no idea he is not truly human and thinks himself cursed with immortality
Deity: Anubis; Blessings: Protection, Repose
traits: On the Payroll (campaign), Birthmark (faith)
feats: Belier's Bite
skills: Diplomacy +3, Perception +8, Sense Motive +8
gear: Courtier's Outfit with Jewelry (80g), Masterwork Backpack (50g), Compass (10g), Medium Tent (15g), 50' silk rope (10g), Grappling Hook (1g), Masterwork Manacles (50g), Holy Text [Anubis] (25g), 1 week trail rations (4g), 80 gold pieces (for now... might spend more by the time we start)
please let me know what you think (i'm open to revising things if necessary). the backstory doesn't go into detail about interaction with any archetypical horror creatures because i didn't want to tie the Professor to anything not expressly stated in the player's guide, but i'm guessing/assuming that i would have had those interactions in our travels...