We're looking for 1-2 players for a long (6 month) running pbp game. It's not a power gaming group and is a good mix of combat and skills with good amounts of RP.
* Campaign and House rules include:
- 15 pt builds.
- Feats rolling into the greater versions at appropriate level/bab for free as well as 'free' power attack, weapon finesse etc (stat and bab requirements remain)
- E7 play (with some rules attached for Post level 7 play)
- Rules on mental stability (sanity). Seeing 'stuff' will mess you up!
- Evil Lincolns Strain/Injury system (that reduces the need for healing spells)
- Some rather involved rules on supernatural 'superstitious' defenses commonly used by the people of Ustalav - seldom used as yet.
- Tweaks to Rogues... yeah, nice stuff for rogues.
- Step-Levelling. Level up in increments.
Play will start at level 2. For purposes of organic growth villager concepts may work better - I've purposely left gaps in some of the villager line up for that purpose, but a friend of a dead professor Lorrimor will fit just fine - albeit late. We are looking for a melee, missile or roguey type as clerical and wizardy roles are filled, though a magus may fit too.
What's up with the tweaks?
It's a test bed for concepts that I want to test out. Some are nearly on the scrap heap already, some have worked nicely. From time to time we have a debate and tweak them or trash them.
E7? Its a variant of E6.
Whats E6? Its a system when you get to level 6, you are at the limit of your leveling - instead of going to the next level, you instead gain a feat, so at that point you spread your growth out rather than up.
Your feat choices will now include stuff that allows you access to upper level class features and so on but it won't result in more BAB/HPs etc.
You can google E6 dungeons and dragons or E6 3.5 etc
There is also a thread here that has it.
I use 7th level as the upper cap. I think it fits Pathfinder better. 6th fits 3.5 better.
The game will be changed by myself to accomodate this but it should lead to an overall 'lower powered' feel to game play.
Evil Lincolns rules on Strain/Injury will be used but may be phased out.
Basically the concept is that damage is merely strain from parries, twisting your body to avoid blows, glancing hits that bruise and shock but doesn't penetrate armour and so on. The removal of hitpoints may be something like having your armour knocked out of position or your helmet being knocked off, or being so tired you can't parry a blow in time - abstract damage sets you up for the final blow that ultimately really does serious injury.
You really haven't been injured as much as you are winded and need time to reposition your armour, take a brief rest and recover. This is all recovered with a 10 minute rest or so. No healing spells needed.
But damage taken from criticals, failed saves or damage that drops you to 0 or less hit points is considered an injury. That final hit is the one that got past your fatigued attempt to parry, or maybe you were unable to move your feet in time to dodge or so on, but the effect is, that (or the critical or failed save) is the attack that actually does real damage.
This does not heal on its own and needs the heal via magic or application of the heal skill.
We are applying penalties for being under 50% and 75% of max hps.
Step levelling
Periodically, instead of Xp I'll give out a step level. Each level has 4. BAB and HP, saves, skills and class features. You gain access to your next level in steps. When you have all 4 steps then you are fully levelled. It keeps you moving up in partial increments and constantly growing.
Mental Stability (Sanity) is too large to cover in a bite here but it's basically if you see messed up stuff you'll lose stability. Lose too much and you go a bit insane... Likely phobias for the most part but other things too for serious instances.
Posting broad concepts would work better than specific characters initially as you may need to see more before nailing down characters - background and personality blurb is expected for outsider adventurers coming in. For those who are happy with a local, let me know and I'll help you tweak it but a broad background AND a personality would be a plus in helping myself and the players decide
No ACG classes, samurai, ninja, summoner or gunslingers please. I'd prefer no paladins but could be persuaded with a custom paladin of Phrasma - oath vs undead for the right player. In this case it would need to be a local.
Hi Helaman! I'll see if I can come up with something...
I'd love to join. I can come up with a villager type front-liner. I'm thinking a grizzled veteran of some far off war (Lastwall, maybe) who retired in the village to take up farming, and after a few years is discovering he's bored to tears and is ready to take up the sword again.
Traits?
And as I understand it, you mean that if I have Str 13+, BAB +1+ I have power attack without burning a feat on it? And so on for other feats.
Traits?
And as I understand it, you mean that if I have Str 13+, BAB +1+ I have power attack without burning a feat on it? And so on for other feats.
Locals will be tricker trait wise but for the moment pick one and I'll comeback to you on another. There are local mercenaries as well - guards for the local pawnshop/banking enterprise. They'd fit too.
For some feats ? Yep - 13 in the applicable stat and the right BAB gives you access to a few feats - which I see as combat options. I like options.
I have in mind an old watchman (urban ranger and guide archetypes).
Emmett Escheus stands tall and wide, but with an old body that reminds of gnarled wood. His hands are like metal clamps, showing the wear from having handled sword and shield for so many years under all the weathers one can conjure up in his mind. His blue eyes seem to remain in a perplex frown. His hair has paled through the years, though it is still lush and he still wears a proud mustache.
His gnarled body he keeps in a straight posture, though not without obvious efforts, fueled by pride. He is wrapped in a simple flowing dark brown leather cape, lined with a dark velvet that seems to absorb light and sound. Though his movements are those of a veteran, a nervousness hangs around him and makes some of his movements jerkier. His leather armour is covered by a grey overcoat. He often wears leather pants of the same shade as his cloak, and sturdy boots comfortable for walking in the deepest mud. A pouch on his side carries his precious pipe and tobacco.
Most would say that Emmett Escheus has no ambition. Certainly, the last 25 years certainly proves them right, though the tragic death of his father Delgo Escheus might change things a little.
To understand Emmett, one must delve into his past, and first recognize how dreadful his youth was, as his father moved the whole family from town to town, ending up in dreadful Ravengro.
His father Delgo was a proud man, full of himself. He could just not go wrong, for he mastered the Divination Art. Powerful allies and enemies he made in Caliphas, as he used his power to become a well known broker of information. Yet, in the end he was better at finding information than at knowing what to do with it though, which forced the middle-of-the-night move; a marking event for Emmett, as he discovered with fright that his father did not always know, and that things were not always ‘going to be all right’.
Emmett had to find money and food. Against his father’s advice, he joined the Watch. He was good at his job, and worked hard, though never harder, and never harder than anyone else. Despite his experience, his lack of ambition and improvement meant he was never promoted. He worked a few good cases and did good work, but he always preferred to remain in the shadows.
Reminded daily by his father of its shortcomings, and of the true calling of the Escheus family, Emmett never missed a chance to prove him right. He married the wrong girl, chose the wrong career path, never made a name for himself, never cared about the greater things like ambition and the Arcane Arts!
25 years later, recently retired, his wife Ednea happy but clearly bored and seeing someone else, his oldest son having joined the Watch thanks to a good word from his sergeant Lukain, and his eldest daughter having joined the Pharasmins, Emmett stands over his father’s dead body, and it dawns on him...
His father was an idiot... And he lost half his life for the wrong reasons!
With the sour taste of years wasted in his mouth, Emmett knocks on Lukain’s door, hoping to recuperate a bit of what life had kept in store for him...
Howdy Helaman, I'd be interested in E7 play.
I'm thinking of a Dirge Bard....a dour and odd half elf drawn to Harrowstone to compose songs about its ghosts.
Nalun never really knew his father, some human he supposes. His mother was tight lipped about it, but then she wasn't around very long before plague took her. Death takes everyone sooner or later. Best to be on the Gravemistress's good side, and sing a tune. Growing up in Caliphas was a treat...between the terrors of the night, wandering dead and the greedy nobles how are people supposed to be normal? Nah, best to tell a tale of the strange and macabre, get people ready for what truly lay behind the veil.
I have to laugh and smile a bit here.
The characters we just lost were an Urban ranger and a dirge bard.
Gimme a few days to play out their current engagement at the prison and I'll dig into your characters and get back to you but these look good. Emmet would work well as a local and is an engaging character. I have a few questions for you later.
Ok. Best to PM me if it takes a few days, as this thread might end up quite deep in Recruitment.
Yep, give me some time to think about it. At work atm, so I'll probably put something up this evening,
Dreaming Warforged here.
Still a few things to iron out. Feedback is welcomed!
Background:
Nalun was a half elf raised in Caliphas. His mother, a forlorn elven artisan, never spoke to him of his human father and Nalun grew up an only child.This led to him becoming a somber and soft spoken boy, Nalun never made friends easily but his experience in the graveyards of Caliphas marked him for life. Nalun liked the graveyards as they were quiet, and this allowed him to read his precious few books. One evening he heard sounds where none should be and upon investigating he found an old woman singing at a gravestone. The sound was haunting and melodious, not the common ballads he had grown up hearing in Caliphas' artisan district. The woman ignored him and he sat for what felt like hours and then....he felt more presences around him, comforting him, joining in the song. But he didn't see anyone, at first that is...after opening his mind he began to see wispy presences like afterimages from staring at the sun too long. They danced and sang along with the old woman. Madame Peetra, as he found her to be called. Came to the Caliphas graveyards weekly to sing and each time Nalun would be there, listening. She never spoke much to him but didn't shoo him away from her lonely performances. He asked her once why she sang alone to the dead, and her response in a raspy almost unrecognizable voice was Who else will do it lad? This stuck with Nalun.
Nalun grew up and his mother decided that he should study in University. He wasn't that interested, but she had saved some coin so she enrolled him and one of his favorite Professors was a man named Lorrimor. He would question the Professor on the nature of souls, what they were, why sometimes they stayed behind trapped. When Nalun heard of the Professor's death, he decided to head to Ravengro for the funeral...looks like he just missed it.
Motivations:
Nalun wants to quiet the restless dead, specifically those that are trapped here against their will. Haunts, Ghosts et al. He is a Pharasmin, but not a zealot like some in Ustalav. Nalun is a quiet, bookish young man of 17, who is usually humming to himself or daydreaming.
Looks good Niles. Gimme a day or two. They are in dire straights atm.
Ok - Thanks for your applications. Will Let you know by no later than Monday and irrespective of the party's predicament I can slot you immediately into the game with RP with the NPCs to give you a feel for the environment.
If you wind up having people drop, or things don't work out, I'd be very interested in joining. I'm working up a backstory, but understand if the spots are filled.
I'll keep you in mind mate!
Sending a PM to GM Niles.