Welcome players, I'm excited to get our game going!
Obligatory GM pregame speech: I'll be rolling and tracking passive perceptions and initiatives for the group and the enemies. In order to keep combat as streamlined as possible I will likely be grouping both players and enemies into logical groups as best I can.
My goal is to keep things moving for the group and not stagnant in any area too long. If you have suggestions on how to keep the game moving, please post them up for all to see. Most of you are quite experienced on the forums and I'm sure you are used to seeing the same pitch from your other GM's.
I plan on using a Google drawing for maps and a Google sheet for tracking militia related items. I have a paid Roll20 account if players would rather use that for a map as well, I'm flexible.
Signing up for a PbP AP is a huge commitment. We are likely going to be at this for years to see this thing through. I can tell you that I'm not going anywhere and as long as the group is committed to seeing this thing through, so will I. We all have moments in life where things get crazy and your time here is reduced. Sometimes I travel for work, take a vacation or get sick. All I ask up front is that you please communicate with us and let us know what's going on.
My email address is corycubbage@gmail.com, feel free to reach out to me anytime for any reason. I'm putting here in the first discussion post to make it easy to find. If you feel like I'm not here and I should be, you need to send me a personal note or anything else please just fire away.
In one group we setup a Google Hangout group for the party and to chat and stay in touch. In another group they setup a chat in Discord that I was invited too. I'm not saying we need to do either, but both of these worked really well to keep us in constant touch and provide a platform for easier communication. I found this was a more efficient mechanism of poking someone that they are up or dropping someone a quick note of what was going on with them. If you guys are up for this, let me know.
ALRIGHT!
Enough of that nonsense, let's get down to brass tracks. I'd like you to take some time and introduce yourselves as a person (not your character) and begin to flush our your crunch. I'd also like a few of you to make some tweaks to your character to better round out the party. I know a couple of you mentioned swapping classes or archetypes around to make that happen, I'm perfectly fine with that and in some cases I've asked you to make changes.
Several of you are locals to Phaendar and would certainly know each other. Feel free to tie your backgrounds together with other players or some key NPCs. The next post I'll make in this thread will have some information for you on these characters.
Once we get all of the characters setup I will get us started. I don't have a hard date set for this, but lets throw a soft target out there of Friday 12/14. If that's not enough then I'll push it a few days and if you guys are all done tomorrow we will start early.
Let's have some fun!
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Alright folks, I'm finished going through the applications. As has been eluded too, there are so many good options here that at one point my selections were vastly different than where I ended up. I did briefly consider running two tables of this, but this campaign is a little more involved than most due to the militia aspects of it. I'd rather focus on one that spread myself thin on two of them.
I both love and hate the process of recruitment for a new game.
My name is Cory and I live in Maryland and work in IT for the federal government in Washington DC. I'm a 41 year old father of 3 young boys, my life is a constant whirlwind of excitement! I love Pathfinder and play games here on Paizo forums, my own personal forums as well as real life. I just played at PAX Unplugged last weekened and had a blast!
I like to GM. Before pathfinder I was into White Wolf's storyteller system and played a lot of their World of darkness games. When I play with my real life friends I'm always the GM for some reason.
As promised, here's some info on Phaendar to help you with your backgrounds.
Phaendar is a town of about 400 people with two main satellites, Gristledown and Shoren. Gristledown is a logging thorp of about 15-18 people depending on the day, growing as large as thirty when there is a push for more timber. Shoren is an agricultural village of about 80, mainly devoted to farming the fields to the south and logging on its north side.
Of the people in Phaendar, there are a few prominent people you would know of, mainly owners of businesses:
Aubrin "Abby" the Green - This former Chernasardo Ranger is a one legged woman and one of the fiercest and most boisterous people in
Phaedar. She is always quick to help others, and quicker to tell one of her many stories. Aubrin is well liked by all in the town, either intentionally or because the best parties tend to spring up around the foulmouthed priestess of Cayden Cailean.
Vane Oreld - The closest thing Phaendar has to a doctor, though he swears vociferously when his healing skills are required. Most people respect him quite a bit for the services he renders. His shop also supplies all sorts of potions, oils, tinctures, and other remedies for issues of all kinds. Oreld is a middle-aged Taldan with light brown skin, amber eyes, dark brown hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee. He wears a shirt whose cuffs are stained with unknown substances and breeches under a thick leather apron.
Kining Blondebeard - The owner of the Phaendar Trading Company, and the local smith in Phaendar. Kining is cold, grouchy and dislikes pretty much everyone. However, no one in Phaendar can work the forge better. Currently the town council and her are having a disagreement about repairing the bridge. Kining raised her price after rendering the bridge unusable without a scaffold and brace to hold it up and won't fix the bridge until they meet her demands.Countless burn scars mar the somewhat taciturn Kining’s pale skin, and she keeps her iron-gray hair cut in a short wedge.
Noelan Epharn - The elderly caretaker of the Riverwood Shrine and the Shrine to the Green Faith. Many seek him out for advice regardless of their faith. A kind man who has started losing his hearing.
Rhyna - Noelan's assistant. An irritatingly optimistic Chelish woman with bronze skin, wavy blond hair, and pale green eyes.
Jet - Owns the Taproot Inn. Generally friendly and well respected by all. She runs the village inn referred to by locals simply as "The Root." She is a recent transplant to Phaendar of mixed Shoanti and Varisian descent with twin black braids, black eyes, and an iconic teal scarf worn around her waist.
The town rarely sees any excitement, making the Market Festival a major source of news, entertainment, and revenue.
The two-day affair, held once every three months, gathers farmers and herders from across the Nesmian Plains, as well as woodcutters from the nearby Fangwood and prospectors from the Hollow Hills, to trade for supplies and raw materials. Even traders from the “big city” of Tamran make their way to the event, swelling the town’s population to half again its normal size.
This is the first day of the spring Market Festival and it is in full swing. The town square is loaded with merchants both local and exotic, hawking their wares to anyone who passes by. You spot traders from everywhere from Varisia to Druma that have settled in for a day of trade, merriment, and gossip. The locals have set up food stands selling homemade treats and several tests of skill and cleverness have sprung up around town to keep the visitors entertained during their stay.
For your various reasons, each one of you has made your way to Phaendar for the Festival.
Phaendar is in the Nesmian Plains of eastern Nirmathis. The plains are quite flat and open, so they are not typically part of the area where there is ongoing conflict between Nirmathis and Molthune. In the past Molthune has sent large forces into the plains, without adequate cover to mask movement and force composition, smaller patrols would be wiped out.
When this has happened, the residents there simply take everything they can carry and flee into the woods, burning everything else behind them. They let the Molthuni invaders sit in the ashes with continually severed supply lines and nonstop ambushes for as long as they will. After the invaders leave, residents of the area come back and rebuild. (Phaendar has only one stone building, the smithy.) Molthune mostly leaves the plains be now since it's too expensive to operate there for too little in return.
Most of the fighting takes place in the southern Fangwood at this time. This has been mostly small raids and counter-raids since the war has cooled off for a while.
The Ironfang Legion is a hobgoblin mercenary company best known for its participation in the "Ramsgate Massacre", where Nirthathan forces were routed and destroyed two years ago. Since then there has been little word of them. The company is known to be effective, well trained and armed, and brutal.
Thanks for the invite and looking forward to digging into this!
Name is Shawn and I'm down near Atlanta. Work in IT for the local school district (second largest in the state). Just turned 34 yesterday and have 2 young boys. I started tabletop RPGs back in D&D 3.0/3.5, decided to switch to Pathfinder when they moved to 4E. Been playing and GMing ever since. Tend to GM quite a bit, so looking forward to being on the player side. Currently running 5 games on the forums; Hell's Rebels, Rise of the Runelords, and 3 concurrent War for the Crown. Luckily with my work I generally have several opportunities to check in on things in between being busy, so I can be sure to get in at least one post a day, more if others are active.
As for Jillian, will start digging into her background/crunch either tonight or tomorrow. Definitely interested in either a link to another player or an NPC to tie her in better, anything from a brother/sister/uncle/etc. So if anyone is interested in a familial relation let me know.
Thanks for the selection,DM. I’m Gerald, a 45 year old attorney in Kentucky. As I mentioned in my initial ap0lication, this AP is a bit of a White Whale for me. I’ve tried to get two different groups through it, but they both went away before the initial enoucnter!
I’ve been on Paizo a long time. I’m even a charter AP subscriber. Not sure how I feel about PF2, but I’ve got plenty of time to figure that out.
I first got into AD&D as a kid, and other than a few brief interruptions, I’ve been playing for the majority of my life. I still play Mutants and Masterminds fair to face, but that’s all my in person gaming anymore.
Wren thinks she’s a Druid of the Green Faith, but in actuality, she’s a psychic with the Faith discipline, so she can help just a touch with healing and has a few divine spells on her list. At this time, I figure her as probably taking quite a few enchantment type of spells.
Wren’s build is pliable. If I need to nudge her in another direction, taking different spells to help a party void, just let me know and I’m happy to oblige,
Happy to be selected. Looking forward to a long and successful adventure together.
I am Lanny. I'm 64, living in central Virginia with my wife and two cats. I'm a university teacher of physics. I've been roleplaying all my life, literally. I did it all the time as a kid with my toy army men and astronauts and knights and race cars. When I got to college, I met Jeff Grubb who introduced me to D&D, then brand new. I loved it from the beginning. (Jeff went on to work for TSR and Wizards of the Coast, so I always like to drop his name; we were roommates in college). Anyway, I've played all sorts of systems, but since Pathfinder, I've been mostly playing it. I've done PFS and SFS. I began playing PBP about 4 years ago.
I'm currently GM to two APs, Wrath of the Righteous (with Gerald as a player) and Reign of Winter. I'm a player in two Starfinder PBP campaigns and also GM a Doctor Who game.
I love to GM but I like being a player even more. Father Emil is a character I've tried to develop in various situations, but I think he'll be ideally suited for this AP. I was inspired to develop him partly by the stories of Garrison Keillor about Norwegian bachelor farmers. So he's an Ulfen bachelor farmer. If he is a cleric, it will be a cleric of Erastil.
I'm happy to play him as the main cleric and healer for the group. I'm working on the crunch for that in his profile. But I'd be glad to adjust him to a Druid or Hunter if someone else wants the main healing duties. I have a PhD in religion, so I enjoy exploring religious ideas through characters like clerics.
Edit: Emil is in his 50s and has lived in Phaendar all his life. He is probably old enough to be the father of one of the younger PCs, although he is called Father Emil as a religious title. He's never married but it is possible he sowed some wild oats as a young man and fathered a child. He would also be available as an adopted father if someone needed a guardian. But if not related, he still probably watched younger PCs grow up if they did so in the area. Feel free to suggest connections to Father Emil.
Thank you for the invite, super excited to play in this game. My name is Brandon. I do support work for non-profits out of Texas. I've been playing tabletops for about two decades now. I have the most experience with the 3.x system and it's various off shoots, but I've played a wide number of systems. Currently I'm playing in an Edge of the Empire home game and a Starfinder PBP on these forums.
As a Nature Fang Druid with Archery Focus, Selde operates more as a Ranger with 3/4 BAB and Full Casting than your typical Druid. She has lived in Phaendar for most of her life, so would know any other natives. She lives in the Fangwood, but comes in to town for supply runs and with her Grandfather.
She keeps to herself due to social anxiety(largely tied to her blight scar and half elf nature) and an inability to people. She isn't unfriendly though, and is polite if quiet in her interactions. I've started her as friendless, but I'm more than willing to tie her together with any other natives. Whether as acquaintances from the years, a fellow nature themed she can wander the forest not talking for hours with, or a friendly outgoing type who takes in the smelly forest girl.
Hey all, I'm Jacob. My full bio is in my main motteditor profile, but the short version is I've also been gaming for most of my life. My earliest memory is picking it up in the third grade, which is, oh, 35 years ago now, give or take. I got into Pathfinder I guess shortly after it was created, and then really got into it when I got into RPG Superstar for the first time in 2012. I've done a fair amount of freelance work since then, including a half-dozen things for Paizo.
My full-time career is as a newspaper editor. I've been a copy editor, working nights for the last 16 years or so, but will be transitioning in February to days. I'm hoping that won't have any impact on my games, but will probably take me a little transition time to get used to. I'll be sure to keep everyone in the loop as it's happening. I run three APs on the site (Wren was a candidate in my Ironfang game, I know, and I'm sorry to hear that at least one of the other games that started from that recruitment flamed out) and play in a few others. Truthfully, I enjoy doing both.
As for Caspan, he doesn't really know anyone in town (he doesn't remember Father Emil from when he was a child), having only returned a few months ago. So far, he's been unimpressive -- definitely not living up to his legend while spending most of his time running up a tab in the Taproot Inn. The general opinion is he still needs time to recover after being in prison.
Hey all, good to join you! Thanks for the invite, GM Shadowlord, and for your willingness to run the game. I know that's quite a commitment. I've been in a number of campaigns that don't even make it through the first chapter, so I love being in a group of grizzled veterans willing to do the long-haul.
Curiously, we have two 45-year-old attorneys in this group...I'm one, too. I'm self-employed in my family's law firm in Utah. I have four children (17, 15, 15, and 13) and a wonderful wife. For hobbies, I occasionally hike, play a video game, or do PbP Pathfinder (I played with my real-life RP group up until about age 40 when it broke up for good).
I have been on the boards since then, and this seems to scratch an itch I've always had. I started gaming with Red Box D&D back in the day and have played ever since.
GM Shadowlord has also asked me to fill in with a character that meets the needs of the group (I was one of the many druids).
It looks like we have:
Jillian (female gnome sorcerer) - front liner (is this a dragon disciple to be front-line?)
Wren (female halfling psychic) - Arcane/skills/backup heals/battlefield control
Father Emil (male human cleric) - Divine caster, healing and support
Selde (female half-elf druid) - Ranged Damage/Magical Support
Caspan (male human brawler) - front liner
Though I've been selected to join you, Shadowlord asked me to see what needs I thought there were and finish up a character. Though it appears we don't have anyone in a rogue-type of role, with the wilderness setting I'm not sure how necessary that is. Any thoughts on what we need most? I'm particularly fond of arcane casters and could easily play a wizard or sorcerer, though knowing what Jillian's plan is would help me decide.
Looking forward to this!
I *think* (could be wrong) that that's probably an old character crunch for Jillian. She was pitched as a solider:
Not familiar with Ironfang past the Player's Guide, but sounds really intriguing so I would like to submit a character for consideration.
Party Role: Jillian is a soldier, as such she will be a front liner in combat. Out of combat she will be a party diplomat and a bit of a moral compass.
Concept: Jillian was born to a family of devout worshipers of Erastil. At a young age they took her to a regional cleric of Erastil who took her on as his ward and trained the young girl. After receiving a vision from Old Deadeye himself, she joined the ranks of Paladin. Following the tenants of Erastil and focusing on family and community Jillian eventually joined up to fight against the threats that faced the community she held so dear. She spent awhile as a soldier until recently returning to her family and community.
I've intentionally left things a bit vague, but essentially I figured either her family proper or maybe a sister/brother/uncle etc lives in Phaendar and that is why she has returned there on her extended sabbatical from the fighting. I'm also open to either fighting on the fronts of the crusades in Lastwall or the war-torn front with Molthune. Happy to flesh out more with guidance on appropriate potential NPC links or story elements related to the AP. Love to try and tie things in closely with the AP to provide for a better story, but as noted I don't have any past experience with the AP so open to some collaboration with you on that front.
Perhaps an investigator, PatheticWretch? I know there's at least one archetype that gets spells instead of extracts, and several others have a nature bent... I don't have a strong feeling toward specific needs. I could also look into getting Caspan some trapfinder skills from his time in prison...
Selde can cover some of the Rogue role if we need but more skills are always nice. Two Druids certainly wouldn't hurt the party. Nature Fang gets rid of Wild Shape so plenty of room to stay out of each others way, role wise, and gives us something to play with RP wise. If Jilian is going for a martial role, then a Wizard or a Sorcerer would certainly help the party. And of course a Bard/Skald is always a helpful addition.
Ah, thanks for the clarification. I clicked on something that showed gnome sorcerer as I was going through profiles.
For combat then, it looks like we have three front-line and two ranged?
If Jillian is indeed going to be a front liner, it looks like we have most roles covered. Maybe something with some face capabilities would be nice.
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Even though we will be doing a lot in the wilderness, we should still have someone who can disable traps. The player's guide mentions delving into ancient dungeons.
There are ranger archetypes who are focused on dungeon environments (Dungeon Rover). There is also the rogue archetype Guerrilla. If nothing else, pick a trait that makes disable device a class skill and give the character a high dex so he/she/they can defeat traps. Alchemists get disable device as a class skill. I've always fancied a thief who uses arcane spells to help defeat locks and traps.
Might be nice to have a bard. See my list of alias for a character named Shasta. She was a bard who got disable device as a class skill through the vagabond child trait. By 9th level she had +18 at disable device.
Pathfinder is such a versatile system, however, I'm sure there are ways to play just about any class with just about any particular specialty.
Hehe yeah, ignore the crunch in there for now. Jillian is actually an Aasimar Paladin, reusing old profiles :D
EDIT: @Father Emil Not sure how you would feel about linking up backgrounds. With what I was imagining for my background, it would make a lot of sense if you were actually the priest my parents took me to. You started me on my path toward becoming a Paladin of Erastil. Would also tie in nicely as to why she was in town.
I can pick up Trap Finding as a Slayer Talent if we need.
Hehe yeah, ignore the crunch in there for now. Jillian is actually an Aasimar Paladin, reusing old profiles :D
EDIT: @Father Emil Not sure how you would feel about linking up backgrounds. With what I was imagining for my background, it would make a lot of sense if you were actually the priest my parents took me to. You started me on my path toward becoming a Paladin of Erastil. Would also tie in nicely as to why she was in town.
Sounds okay to me. The gazetteer lists another option: Father Noelan (LG male human cleric of Erastil 7). Emil is just a first level so he might not be as strong an influence as a 7th level. I'm curious to see what info we get on Father Noelan. He might have inspired Emil as well.
Glad to see everyone made it in and we are well on our way to adjusting the crunch. Let me know if you need anything from me, I've just been in /popcorn mode watching.
I'm trying to run through some character concepts...I may need to sleep on it. I have lots of ideas, but quite a few of them don't seem the best fit for this campaign.
Here are the ones I am looking at:
*Human Druid (I had originally submitted a wild-shape switch-hitting druid...however, we already have a druid and another full divine caster. It would probably be better for party composition to go a different route).
*Tiefling Rogue (this character would be an arcane trickster and cover a lot of the bases we need. Though I think it would be a good fit, a lot of my hesitation is that I mainly like the idea of a female trickster but that would put us at 4 females/2 males. I'd probably rather have that equal just for RP. Plus, the character icons are awful for male tieflings. Petty, I know.
*Elf Fighter (this character would be an Eldritch Knight/arcane archer)
*Human Wizard
*Gnome Sorcerer
*Any of these characters would have skill points to max diplomacy. Regardless of which I pick (unless I went with the druid for some reason) I'm thinking that where we have so many nature-themed characters, my character will be a city-slicker who has roots here but has spent his life trying to get away from provincial life. He/she has come back to visit family/ arrange affairs but does not get along well in the wilderness. I thought that could be an interesting dynamic.
Could we get the gender/race for the main NPCs in town?
Could be useful as we consider backstory for relatives, etc.
Good call on Father Nolean and you are probably right.
@GM Shadowlord Any issues working Noelan Epharn in as my mentor/substitute father figure of sorts?
To note, adjusted my profile to include more relevant crunch. Going to work on the background tomorrow.
I'm trying to run through some character concepts...I may need to sleep on it. I have lots of ideas, but quite a few of them don't seem the best fit for this campaign.
Here are the ones I am looking at:
*Human Druid (I had originally submitted a wild-shape switch-hitting druid...however, we already have a druid and another full divine caster. It would probably be better for party composition to go a different route).
*Tiefling Rogue (this character would be an arcane trickster and cover a lot of the bases we need. Though I think it would be a good fit, a lot of my hesitation is that I mainly like the idea of a female trickster but that would put us at 4 females/2 males. I'd probably rather have that equal just for RP. Plus, the character icons are awful for male tieflings. Petty, I know.
*Elf Fighter (this character would be an Eldritch Knight/arcane archer)
*Human Wizard
*Gnome Sorcerer
*Any of these characters would have skill points to max diplomacy. Regardless of which I pick (unless I went with the druid for some reason) I'm thinking that where we have so many nature-themed characters, my character will be a city-slicker who has roots here but has spent his life trying to get away from provincial life. He/she has come back to visit family/ arrange affairs but does not get along well in the wilderness. I thought that could be an interesting dynamic.
I like that last idea about having one character not so in love with nature as the rest of the group. Contrast is good.
Be aware, Father Emil will have the provincial flaw, which means he may not be as warm and friendly toward folks from out of the area or anyone who is not a worshiper of Erastil or at least sympathetic to the Green Faith. This doesn't mean he won't be civil or helpful, but he might be a bit sarcastic or snarky.
Could we get the gender/race for the main NPCs?
Yep. I’ll get this up for you later this morning.
Since the amount of gear I want to start Emil with is small, it is still a little more than the average gold for a cleric (140 gp), so I'm going to roll random instead and hope for the best.
x 10 = 110 gp.
Okay, well, that may mean fewer weapons. He can always craft one later. I might consider the trait that allows one to improvise crafting tools. He currently has Nirmathi Militia as a way to get survival as a class skill, since I figure Emil would be experienced at survival. But if others have the survival skill covered, he could start with his survival a little lower.
It is a problem I have with the Pathfinder starting character constraints. A reasonable background story often leaves me with a character who has lower skills than I would expect for someone with that background. Emil has lived his life as a farmer and hunter and yet I can't really start him with all the skills he would have, particularly with the skill point starved Cleric class.
I would like to see an option to perhaps start us with one level of the NPC expert class with perhaps some limits on starting skill options, just to get over this hump, or at least a few more background point for first level. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until 2nd level to get Emil up to all the skill ranks I envision him starting with. I understand this might not be balanced, so I'll make do. Father Emil is not the type to complain too much, trying to take things in stride.
Likewise the wealth limit often leaves me scrounging for equipment I envision an established farmer having on hand (see Emil's current gear list for my modest wish list that costs 150 gp).
Ok here is the race info on your town and NPCs:
Phaendar: 305 humans, 32 half-orcs, 21 dwarves, 17 half-elves, 28 others.
Vane Oreld: Middle aged human male
Kining Blondebeard: Female dwarf
Noelan: Elderly male human
Rhyna: Female human
Jet: Female human
@GM Shadowlord Any issues working Noelan Epharn in as my mentor/substitute father figure of sorts?
None! This means that you would be more than familiar with his assistant Rhyna.
For Father Emil, don't forget we are using the Background Skill system and get an extra skill at lv 1 to put in to craft, perform, or profession to help with fleshing out skills. The Cardinal and Herald Caller cleric archetypes also get more skills per level. You might also consider the Well Provisioned Adventurer to pick up the gear you want. I know I'm balancing that against Elven Reflexes for my 3rd trait.
I like that last idea about having one character not so in love with nature as the rest of the group. Contrast is good.Be aware, Father Emil will have the provincial flaw, which means he may not be as warm and friendly toward folks from out of the area or anyone who is not a worshiper of Erastil or at least sympathetic to the Green Faith. This doesn't mean he won't be civil or helpful, but he might be a bit sarcastic or snarky.
@Emil: That's actually the kind of party I'm hoping for. I think the contrast between the different characters is what creates interesting RP opportunities. I'll try to select my "city-slicker" today.
@GM Shadowlord: Thanks for the additional information on the town. Any gnome NPCs, by chance?
@GM Shadowlord: Thanks for the additional information on the town. Any gnome NPCs, by chance?
Sure! Let's flush out the town inhabitants a little further, shall we?
We'll go with 305 humans, 32 half-orcs, 21 dwarves, 17 half-elves, 8 halflings, 4 fetchlings, 4 skinwalkers, 3 elves, 3 gnomes, 2 ratfolk, 1 dhampir, 1 aasimar, 1 drow, 1 undine.
The gnomes are:
Krida Grichewald: Female gnome. Tightlipped about her past. Keeps to herself.
Yimni Zushergal: Male gnome. Flamboyant former circus ringmaster.
Pindle Finberry: Male gnome. Quiet aficionado of art, music, and sculpture.
I didn't realize there were so many half elves in the town. That probably would have made things a bit easier growing up for Selde. Though her social anxiety and scar are still major obstacles for her. Makes me picture her a bit less "watching from the distance" and a bit more "shyly in the corner".
The tavern would be one of Selde's more frequented spots in down, being that her Grandfather is fond of drinks and spinning the yarn with the other old timers. Wren and Selde could easily have some kind of relationship.
Selde would be one of the many children Father Emil watched grow up, and her Grandfather has been living near the village for nearly as long as Emil. I imagine they would be decently familiar with each other.
I didn't realize there were so many half elves in the town. That probably would have made things a bit easier growing up for Selde. Though her social anxiety and scar are still major obstacles for her. Makes me picture her a bit less "watching from the distance" and a bit more "shyly in the corner".
The tavern would be one of Selde's more frequented spots in down, being that her Grandfather is fond of drinks and spinning the yarn with the other old timers. Wren and Selde could easily have some kind of relationship.
Selde would be one of the many children Father Emil watched grow up, and her Grandfather has been living near the village for nearly as long as Emil. I imagine they would be decently familiar with each other.
Makes sense to me, Selde. I picture Wren as kind of that hippie server everyone knows and loves at the tavern. Outside of work, she’s dancing in a circle, playing her flute and watching the clouds.
So, a little more precise, but still broad strokes of Jillian's background.
Her Human parents gave her to "Uncle" Nolean at a young age for training in the ways of Erastil. While they loved their daughter, there were some strange things. One of the most concerning was when a little bird began following Jillian around as a child and talking to her in some bizarre language that little Jillian seemed to pick up on rather quickly. As she has grown she continues to talk with the bird who seems to give her guidance.
Grew up in Phaendar while training under Nolean's tutelage. Perhaps a sort of "sister" to Rhyna depending on age. Parents were killed in Fangwood, during one of the Molthune raids. As soon as she was old enough to convince Nolean to let her go she joined in the fights on the front lines. Has recently returned to Phaendar after a few years fighting against Molthune. She is looking forward to being back home for the Market Festival which she has missed while being away on the fronts. Age wise, she is in her early 20s.
With the above, would make sense that she would know Father Emil and Wren.
@GM Shadowlord Feel free to let me know of any adjustments/additions regarding the NPCs I may need to make. Plan to get the full, in-depth background written up tonight or tomorrow.
Okay, I ended up settling on a Human Wizard named Thael Silverstep.
Here's some generalities of my background if anyone wants to tie in. I'm thinking he would be early 30's.
Because I want him to have a cultured/city background as a contrast to the mostly nature-themed party, here's a bullet-point proposal for his backstory, let me know if anyone wants to tie in here:
*Thael's father was a human ranger and his mother a half-elf arcanist (Thael is 1/4 elf). They may have both had an adventurer background, but after some harrowing experiences had retired to a quiet life of farming on the frontier.
*Thael, their child, was always intelligent beyond his years. His parents could hardly give him enough books and information to keep him content. His mother recognized latent magical ability and thought he should study in a bigger city. He had few interests in common with other frontier children, and would rather spend his time in a book.
*When Thael was 12, his parents were killed trying to protect the town.
*Thael's maternal grandfather (an elf) sent the boy to Tamran briefly to study magic, but when that proved insufficiently challenging, sent for the boy to study in larger cities. I was thinking that Thael would have spent some time both in Kyonin, where he learned elven magic, loved their culture, and had an inferiority complex with more-talented elves, and later in Almas (one of the closest big cities and likely to have a good university). Thael will have become very metropolitan, in contrast to his provincial roots.
*Thael has a living sister, who is a current inhabitant of the town. It didn't seem any of the already-listed NPCs were a good fit for my sister. If there is one, I'll use that. If not, she's Auril Silverstep, my younger sister who had the overly-ambitious wizard brother who moved to the big city. She was pretty much adopted and raised by non-relatives in town, but has corresponded with her wizard brother periodically. Auril has discovered some journals of their parents, or perhaps some important item for Thael, and he has come back to collect it.
*Though Thael has always felt the need to move past what Phaendar could offer him, it will always be his home, if for no other reason than to honor the memory of his parents.
Let me know if anyone wants to have a connection (former childhood friends? A bully of the egg-head kid?).
Selde is a 29 year old Half-Elf whose former adventurer parents died when she was young. She was also raised by her Elven grandfather in Phaendar. We could smoosh our backstories together. They seem to go together fairly well already, but I'm willing to modify a number of details to make it work.
The blight infection is important, but there are a number of ways that could have happened. Her being a Half-Elf is tied in to both the mechanics and lore of my build. I'd like to stay with that if you'd be willing to have the mother be a full blooded elf. There is the Round Ears alternate trait for Half-Elfs to appear more human and gain the skilled trait. If ShadowLord is cool with it, we could also just call a rose by any other name and have you play a human and we fluff the round ears. Cathron was just a name I choose so I'm fine with switching to Silverstep as the family name.
Let me know if you are interested and we can work out the details.
@GM Shadowlord Feel free to let me know of any adjustments/additions regarding the NPCs I may need to make. Plan to get the full, in-depth background written up tonight or tomorrow.
Just Rhyna. She is an adept under Nolean, so you would definitely have spent a time alongside her as well.
Selde is a 29 year old Half-Elf whose former adventurer parents died when she was young. She was also raised by her Elven grandfather in Phaendar. We could smoosh our backstories together. They seem to go together fairly well already, but I'm willing to modify a number of details to make it work.
The blight infection is important, but there are a number of ways that could have happened. Her being a Half-Elf is tied in to both the mechanics and lore of my build. I'd like to stay with that if you'd be willing to have the mother be a full blooded elf. There is the Round Ears alternate trait for Half-Elfs to appear more human and gain the skilled trait. If ShadowLord is cool with it, we could also just call a rose by any other name and have you play a human and we fluff the round ears. Cathron was just a name I choose so I'm fine with switching to Silverstep as the family name.
Let me know if you are interested and we can work out the details.
Funny our backstories were that similar. I hadn’t read yours...promise!
Another idea would be if we were half-siblings or cousins. Maybe there was a particular elven grandfather that got around. Perhaps we know of each other but haven’t met?
Selde is a 29 year old Half-Elf whose former adventurer parents died when she was young. She was also raised by her Elven grandfather in Phaendar. We could smoosh our backstories together. They seem to go together fairly well already, but I'm willing to modify a number of details to make it work.
The blight infection is important, but there are a number of ways that could have happened. Her being a Half-Elf is tied in to both the mechanics and lore of my build. I'd like to stay with that if you'd be willing to have the mother be a full blooded elf. There is the Round Ears alternate trait for Half-Elfs to appear more human and gain the skilled trait. If ShadowLord is cool with it, we could also just call a rose by any other name and have you play a human and we fluff the round ears. Cathron was just a name I choose so I'm fine with switching to Silverstep as the family name.
Let me know if you are interested and we can work out the details.
Funny our backstories were that similar. I hadn’t read yours...promise!
Another idea would be if we were half-siblings or cousins. Maybe there was a particular elven grandfather that got around. Perhaps we know of each other but haven’t met?
We could certainly do that but honestly I like the idea of them being siblings. I picture little Selde always at the heels of her big brother, whether he likes it or not. Always hiding behind him and letting him do the talking. Thael moving away to pursue his arcane talent doing her social issues no favors, pushing her more towards the forest. Which of course makes the reunion at the festival a very special occasion. But is that familiar relationship still there, or has the void grown between them as well?
Of course I'm just spit balling. Having them be cousins has plenty to play with as well. Thael likely would have lived with them briefly, had some visits. Maybe they are fond of one another, Selde being a bright spot in the otherwise painful visits with Grandfather. Or maybe the smelly, weird forest girl is just another one of the pains to deal with?
Well, I’m good either way, but we are different races. I’m human (1/4 elf for RP purposes), and you’re a half-elf. However you want to reconcile that, I am happy to try it.
I’d rather not have you need to change your name. Perhaps my new name is one I thought sounded more wizardly and assumed, while yours is a family name.
Either way, with me away we won’t know each other incredibly well. I had thought about having a different sibling or half-sibling, but I guess that could be you.
Well what kind of relationship were you thinking of having with your sister or other family? I definitely want there to be something to play off of if we are going to tie the characters together in some way. If you were looking to have more of a full on estranged homecoming, probably best to keep them separate. There are certainly more than a few Nirmathan orphans out there.
I’ve mostly lived away since I was 12. Perhaps we used to be very close (whatever our relationship), but a lot of time has passed. We could have written to each other, and I’m sure I’ve visited a couple of times.
Let me know what you think.
For Father Emil, don't forget we are using the Background Skill system and get an extra skill at lv 1 to put in to craft, perform, or profession to help with fleshing out skills. The Cardinal and Herald Caller cleric archetypes also get more skills per level. You might also consider the Well Provisioned Adventurer to pick up the gear you want. I know I'm balancing that against Elven Reflexes for my 3rd trait.
Thanks for the suggestions. I am already adding in the background point. Neither of the archetypes fits my notion of the character and the Provisioned Adventurer sets do not include the particular weapons I want Emil to wield.
I'll just have to add the other skills I envision Emil having at 2nd level and pick up the other gear as I can.
I think not having characters be quite what you envision is just a hazard of early-level adventuring. I sometimes find the opposite problem too -- I want to have a character be fresh off the farm with no real skills to start, but none of the classes really allow for that either. :)
With my characters who I envision having a more rich backstory, I tend to handwave it as those skills have atrophied at some point and need to be reawakened. It's not a perfect solution, but it works in my brain.
I'm going to revise what I have for Emil in his profile. I'm going to shift points around, adjust skills appropriately, and consider changing feats and traits. Then I'll outfit him based on the wealth roll I made above. I'll publish more of a character background story after that. I've got some ideas which I'll share below while I have some time, but I'll likely have to finish it later. This will give other players some basis for establishing ties to Emil.
Eventually, however, he took an interest in Erastil and became an acolyte of Father Noelan for a time. He learned how to use a longbow as part of his training, studied the Parables of Erastil, and learned practical healing skills.
When he was 21, Father Noelan sent him off to tour Nirmathas and perhaps beyond as part of his training. He was supposed to either start a new church in a community that was lacking a representative of Erastil or return with useful new ideas for farming and survival.
Emil did this, but he was generally appalled at the ravages of the war with Molthune and the refugees it produced. While tending to a band of people displaced by the war, he met and fell in love with a human woman named Grace. They became engaged and he set off for Phaendar to be married by Father Noelan. By the time they were halfway home, it became apparent that Grace would also become a parent. But tragedy took Grace away from Emil as they were beset upon by bandit adventurers and Grace was killed.
Emil returned to Phaendar totally disenchanted with the larger world. He retreated into himself and only gradually was revived by the beauties of nature and the love of his parents and community. He never took an interest in any other romantic opportunities, and became a bachelor farmer, helping his parents on their farm until they passed away as they got to advanced age. Since then Emil has remained in the community, keeping a modest farmstead near Fangwood where he tends a shrine to Erastil, looks after a pleasant grove of trees now generally referred to as Emilwood, and lives a contented life close to the land and the community. He helps the aging Father Noelan at festival times, increasingly taking over duties such as handfasting ceremonies, delivering babies, and serving on the village council when needed.
He takes a dim view of adventurers and has no interest in leaving the area.
GM: If Emil has craft skills such as Bowyer and Blacksmith, could he pay only the crafting costs for some of his items, like a longbow and some of the tools he would have made for himself? If so, what is the formula for figuring the costs? That would help me afford a few more weapons (in the form of tools).
Also, there was a feat in D&D 3.5 that granted a character 3 extra skill points. I don't recall what it was called, but it was a nice feat for filling out a starting character's initial skills. Would it be possible to add this feat as a house rule?
GM: If Emil has craft skills such as Bowyer and Blacksmith, could he pay only the crafting costs for some of his items, like a longbow and some of the tools he would have made for himself? If so, what is the formula for figuring the costs? That would help me afford a few more weapons (in the form of tools).
If you have the tools and the skills trained, you've been there long enough that I'm fine with saying you could have crafted a handful of tools over time. The cost would be 1/3 of the actual cost for raw materials.
Also, there was a feat in D&D 3.5 that granted a character 3 extra skill points. I don't recall what it was called, but it was a nice feat for filling out a starting character's initial skills. Would it be possible to add this feat as a house rule?
The only feat I found was one that allowed 5 additional skills. That is huge because it could represent up to a 20 point swing in skill levels which is way to high for a starting level character.
So I'm already giving everyone 1 free skill in craft/profession/perform in addition to the 2 skills from background skills. Have you already factored all of that in?
GM, would you mind creating the gameplay thread so we can dot and delete? That way it'll show up on our campaign tabs. Thanks!
Also, it occurs to me that while no one has really seen Caspan since he was a child (before the last couple months), Father Emil at least (and anyone else who was old enough/in the village to remember people from 20 years ago) would likely have known his parents. I'll try to get up some information about them later today.
GM, would you mind creating the gameplay thread so we can dot and delete? That way it'll show up on our campaign tabs. Thanks!
You bet!
I setup the gameplay thread for everyone to jump into. When everyone's ready to go then we'll move into the evening.
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Okay, I'll go ahead and post my character. My background may need a couple of tweaks based on how Selde wants to be related.
I'm thinking with different races we have to be half-siblings (we share one parent but not the other since I'm 1/4 elf and you're 1/2?), and that we used to be close but have primarily corresponded via letter since we were children, except for perhaps a couple of visits. Maybe we still grew up in the same home as siblings, even though we were half-siblings. When our parents were killed (I have in my story defending the town) I went away to learn magic from our elven grandfather.
I thought that maybe you have found some journals/trinkets of our shared parent, and that I have come to see you and what you have found.
I would imagine that Emil, at least, knew our parents.
Let me know if there's anything you'd like to change.
Also, there was a feat in D&D 3.5 that granted a character 3 extra skill points. I don't recall what it was called, but it was a nice feat for filling out a starting character's initial skills. Would it be possible to add this feat as a house rule?The only feat I found was one that allowed 5 additional skills. That is huge because it could represent up to a 20 point swing in skill levels which is way to high for a starting level character.
So I'm already giving everyone 1 free skill in craft/profession/perform in addition to the 2 skills from background skills. Have you already factored all of that in?
I must have misread the background skills bonus. I thought we just got one extra skill point to spend on craft or profession. Now that I look up the details, I see that the one extra point in in addition to the 2 points provided in the unchained background system. Sorry for not checking that out earlier. That should solve my problem, or at least get me closer to what I would like for Emil's starting skills. I'll work on that this afternoon/evening.
So a first level human cleric with Int 10 would normally get 3 skill points to spend. With this feat he would get 3 extra for a total of 6. He would start with six skills with one rank instead of just 3 skills with 1 rank.
I think the 3.5 version used 5 points because they were still using the old D&D rule that it cost two skill points to get a single rank in a non-class skill. I think when Pathfinder first modified the 3.5 rules, since they had eliminated the half point for non class skills, they also adjusted the number of skill points down from 5 to 3. This feat went away with a later edition of Pathfinder. Maybe it was part of a playtest version that got dropped.
So let me make sure I understand. The unchained background skill system grants us 2 skill points that can only be spent on the following:
Appraise, Artistry, Craft, Handle Animal, Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nobility), Linguistics, Lore, Perform, Profession, and Sleight of Hand.
We get another extra point that can only be spent on a craft, profession, or (non-bard) perform .
We get these bonus ranks each time we level up.
It's my understanding that we still are limited to 1 skill rank per skill per level. I could not put three points into Craft(alchemy) for example.
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I am only giving it to you at the start, yes. Background skills you get each level though. Your understanding of skill ranks per level is correct. I agree it doesn't fit well with the concept of an older character who would have some years in a profession or trade.
I'm giving you a free point to start your character off n profession/craft/perform because I believe that every character does something in the world that they are good at in those areas. Not to mention the roleplay and character background tie-ins that it brings you. I don't understand why that isn't core to be honest!
If it were only skill ranks in non-trained skills then yes, it would be 5 skills added. However, if these are class skills it's a different story.
Let's say you have four class skills that are currently at 0. You invest 1 rank into them and then get the +3 bonus into each of them. So your four skills which were level 0 are now +4, +4, +4 and +4 which is +20 addition skill points!
You can always dip into another class at level 2 to find those skills if you are starving for them. With 6 in a party we have plenty of room for people to build non-standard builds geared differently than normal.
I do have one last surprise for you all still that I've held back on so far, but I need to see finalized character backgrounds before I can do anything with it. It shouldn't impact the design of your character at all, so please continue to proceed and let me know when your background is finished.
Emil should be ready to go. I've set his stats, equipment, and other abilities, along with a background statement. Let me know if anything looks off.