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I am planning on running a short homebrew scenario set at a mysterious inn in Eastern Taldor, in the hills about 40 miles north of Karakuru. The recruitment will be open for 10 days (until the 10th of July). The story will probably continue across the continent, as I am currently developing it. Feel free to ask any questions about the game that are not covered below (apart from "What's the mystery?" ;) ). For a taste of the story (this is actually an event from about 50 years before the current time of the campaign that defines much of what happens in it) please see the campaign info tab!
About me: I am a motivated player and a GM that tends to delve into his stories. "Storyteller" might fit me better than GM. I have played a few games and GMed a few more in the last 15 or so years. Unfortunately they were always far apart and rarely got to a close, so I am looking for a different medium to express my RP self, and this got me here.
Who should apply: Everyone! However, players with aliases that have not taken active part in an actual campaign are especially encouraged to apply and will make up to half of the party. You are encouraged to apply with one of your already made 1st level characters (with a little rework to fit the requirements below), but making a new one works too.
Character story rules: Your character has to have a story behind them. They come from somewhere, be it a village, tribe, monastery, or forest glen. They have friends and acquaintances, rivals and enemies. They have wishes, hopes, fears and weaknesses. They MUST have AIMS! If we are to continue this into a longer campaign, be it through a homebrew or ready-made scenario, what we choose will be based on those aims, both openly pursued and sneakily advanced ones.
Group integration: The party will be expected to travel together from the start: a group of adventurers looking for a challenge, a band of mercenaries looking for work, a military unit on leave, or an exploration party mapping the region and taking measure of its natural resources. You must specify your view of the character you are playing: adventurer, explorer, mercenary or soldier. The final party of 4 characters will be chosen partly based on this preference, but they won't be necessarily of a single type! You don't need to put points into a profession for this, but it is certainly not discouraged as it will give your character depth. Also, while there will be no time to practice professions, I am very much inclined to allow (and even encourage) characters to do profession knowledge checks to manifest your character's background.
The relationships in the group will be cleared out in Discussion after the party is chosen, but before we start the actual game!
Alignment: All alignments are allowed if you are ready to play them properly! For all you (or I) know, I may choose a group of lawful evil gnome sorcerers for this.
Character creation rules: We are running a 15 point buy adventure with no race or class restriction. No stat should be higher than 14 before race modifiers. Spread it around, heroes do not have a single strong side! For equipment you will start with the average wealth for your class + 20gp. Hit points for 1st level are maxed, the next will be rolled normally. You can choose two traits of any type to round off your character if you want, and get one additional skillpoint for background skills per level.
Leveling and continuing the story: This is a very short single scenario adventure meant for players new to PbP. As such, at the end of it the party will reach level 2. After the starting scenario we will continue with the story if the party wants to. This will be my first game as a PbP GM and if you don't like how the game turns out you are free to leave and let another new player take the spot.
Duration: I expect this adventure to run for at least three weeks to a month. If we are very active it may be faster. Keep in mind though, that quality is more important than quantity.
Downtime: There will be no mechanical downtime (e.g. crafting, practicing professions, etc.) inside this first adventure. There may be RP downtime (talks around the fire/table).
Communication
Group interaction will be done via the Gameplay and Discussion threads. If you want a fast response from me just message me in Google Hangouts. If you think your character can interact in a specific way with others from the group, by all means, feel free to PM each other and set things up between you without asking me first. If you are not breaking too much rules and metagaming, this will probably only improve the fun for everyone. If you think some interaction might go over the line (no obscenities or PG content, please!), send me a PM and we'll sort it out.
Posting
The best post is the one, that continues the story flawlessly from the previous one, and makes it easier for the next poster to continue telling that story!
Frequency: I will try to post at least once a day in every game I run. I expect each party member called to action (in combat we may be acting in groups and not all at once) to respond as often as needed to not slow the group down. In most RP instances this includes the whole group, in no particular order (unless the situation calls for one). If any player is unable to respond in 48 hours or asks for a short leave from the game I will play out their actions for them based on their character, or ask another player to do it. If you disappear for more than 3 days without letting the group know in advance I will replace you.
Post content: Please take the time to make your posts meaningful, relevant and interesting. Out of combat you should add to the actions of the group and play out your character's reactions to the current events. You should also try to leave the others something to continue the RP with (a 'hook') at the end of your post. Examples: Ask another character a question, describe an action that requires the input of the party, or one that they are likely to respond to. Important note: If you want to RP your character's secrets - put them in their inner mologue (thoughts) and into your posts. Do not wait the others to ask you about them!
Roleplaying vs. Rules: I follow the golden rule of RPGs: Have fun! I will try my best to adjudicate actions along the rules of the system. However, if an action would greatly improve the feeling of the game, create atmosphere and provoke active reactions from the party, I am willing to bend or break some rules to allow it. If you want to know if an action you plan for your character will be allowed in the game, just PM me. If you feel that a game should go along the books, and not an inch further, and that you can't stomach some discrepancies without making a question out of it, think twice before asking to join.
Rolling dice: I will make Initiative and regular perception checks. For everything that you state in a post or are required to do as a reaction (attacking and damage, specific knowledge and perception checks to answer a question, saves as a reaction to an attack/the environment) you will do your rolls.
Combat Rules & Formatting
Rule 1 I will call people to action in combat.
Rule 2 Start your post with Round X, Init Y.
Rule 3 Track your status effects, used spells/feats for the day, HP, wand charges - anything that runs out eventually. You can put them in a spoiler in your 'Gender', 'Race', and 'Classes/Levels' fields and they will be easily visible when you post!
Rule 4 When rolling, take into account all modifiers (cover, proficiency, feats, etc.) and write them out in parentheses after the roll.
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I'm interested in rolling a bard, detective archetype. Feel he could be perfect for the scenario, his background would be something like:
Experienced his mother's death at a young age at extremely bizarre circumstances. Since then travels to places to search for truth and justice. But why a bard? Prior to his mother's death, he was an aspiring musician.
@Batpony: Hi, thanks for responding! A bard detective sounds great for the story!
@TheOrcnextdoor: I'll look it up and get back to you soon.
@Roxboyxiii: Hello again :) I have no preference so far, but I am maybe leaning towards the gnome.
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Greetings and salutations my good people. Just wishing to introduce myself. My name is Avermasium Smokesniffer. One could call me many things: Tinkerer, alchemist, explorer, follower of the goddes of invention, Brigh, even crazy! Still, I hope that I can at least be of some use here, and bid a hearty welcome to any who wish to call me friend. (This is Rox here. It's midnight as I write this, so just wanted to say I'll post stats and story tomorrow. Told you he was pretty much done. :P)
@TheOrcnextdoor: I love the machinesmith concept, but it doesn't fit into the game I want to run, so I'd say no.
@Roxboyxiii: Great, I'll have a look, and then keep having a look tomorrow :)
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okay, Mon is Ready, just let me know if anything needs fixed :)
Out of combat I will put in advice when I can, scout using my stealth and climb skills, and will try to find the good in any situation. not much to say here... besides that of course
In RP Mon is a very "playful" character, even if she has horrible burns and is supposed to be lawful good. as a role-player, i don't view the alignments as molds you're supposed to fit into. I see it more like a guide. you can have a lawful good character with the outlook of anything that goes against his ideals is evil, or at least that's the idea of his church superiors who use him as a vessel of their power. I'm lawful good, but that doesn't mean I have to be the Shining knight. I follow rules, i Just have fun while doing so! there is order within everything, even chaos... the whole Yin-Yang thing going on :)
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Good. I already have the gnome mostly done, just need some tweaking. Seeing as how I'm not doing much in Frosty's game, thought I'd try my hand here. Shame I don't have the Inner Sea Intrigue. I'd love to have that clockwork familiar and just learn Mutagens through discoveries instead.
there is a Promethean alchemist that has a Homunculus companion... you should look into that:Here
@Mon Feylin: Hi, could you clear those skills a little? If you add modifiers just write out all of it (rank/ability/other) even if it's zeroes, so that others don't have to guess which is which and where you've put ranks. I'd also like to know how Mon came to be in Taldor, since her race is a bit rare.
Hi. This is TGTG. This alias was created for a game that pretty much ended as soon as it started - the GM flaked hard due to depression, and the rest of us players tried to keep it going between his posts, but alas, players can't hold a game together when a GM won't show.
Edmund is a spoiled bastard son of a Chelish noble woman, who's father denies his heritage and swears due to his overwhelming fiendish features that his wife cheated on him with a devil and that Edmund is half fiend and not a mere tiefling. Whether that is true or not, Ed doesn't know for sure, but he does know that as soon as his mother dies he loses all the comfort and status that nobility brought him.
Edmund was originally designed to be a Hellknight wannabee, working his way into the Order of the Nail in a game set in Korvosa, but I think in your game he'd be better set as a newbie in one of the orders, perhaps the Order of the Pike, sent east to Taldor to deal with some troubles brewing up there with monsters (since the Pike deals with monsters, is a lesser order, and seems like it would have the greatest reason for traveling in my opinion of the orders).
Edmund is looking for glory. The knighthood was a means to an ends to establish himself as a legitimate noble, but any means to power will do. He's arrogant, proud, but very disciplined and believes strongly in order - it's one of the reasons he joined the Hellknights.
You should know I don't plan on going for either of the Hellknight prestige classes. Mechanically, I just think they don't fit any of my goals. I just like the organization, you know? Edmund is devil-blooded tiefling, a phalanx fighter aiming for the Stalwart Defender prestige class.
I'm going to have to tweak him, as he was designed with 20 point buy, 3 traits, and 2 background skills, but you can get a good look at him in this alias for how he would flow before I finish tweaking him up.
As fighters are generally considered a modicum weaker than your average class, I was wondering what you thought of the optional stamina rules from Unchained that give them a little more "oomph" compared to other classes.
@TheOrcnextdoor: I don't think Mon would mind another monk, unless they are undead, but you could ask her too :)
@Edmund the Tainted: Sounds great! I'm not sure how weaker are fighters in this system, but the Stamina rules don't look like a game breaker to me (and can even inspire some better descriptions in combat), so I'd say we can use them. Let's make it thus: Fighters get Combat Stamina for free at 1st level, everyone else can select it as a feat if they get a level in fighter. It will otherwise work for all feats (not just fighter ones).
@Infinatis: Hi! What you describe might be better represented by the Summoner class: class and options. It sounds interesting to me and you can go mad with designing your eidolon (the main creature you summon) and make it fit your character RP. You can also get into the story of how you got that particular eidolon. So yeah, it certainly is OK, and has the potential to be great! :)
To all: I'd also like to make a request for your character sheets. It will be great if you make them in the same format as Edmund's. I know it's quite a bit of work, but it's the clearest presentation of a character I've seen here and I will be adopting that format for my own characters if Edmund doesn't mind the plagiarism :) If you think it's too much, at least do the Classes/levels field in the same way. This will making rolls on the fly much faster (and the game will go smoother).
I tweaked up Edmund's stats for your game. I still need to adjust his equipment to the lower amount available to start, but I think I started pretty cheap and just had a lot of leftover cash in the last game he was in, so...this is probably what he's going to be looking like. Ed is pretty much a tank, through and through.
@TGTG:A block of steel he may be, but he is also a tail-whipping, power-hungry, self-centered, law-abiding block of steel, and that matters more to me than the stats or prestige classes.
@Infinatis: No, they do not, unless they state it explicitly.
@TGTG:A block of steel he may be, but he is also a tail-whipping, power-hungry, self-centered, law-abiding block of steel, and that matters more to me than the stats or prestige classes.
Haha, yeah, I'm pretty much living proof that the Stormwind was right and RP/crunch are not mutually exclusive. I get pretty heavy into both sides of the coin.
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@Mon Feylin: Hi, could you clear those skills a little? If you add modifiers just write out all of it (rank/ability/other) even if it's zeroes, so that others don't have to guess which is which and where you've put ranks. I'd also like to know how Mon came to be in Taldor, since her race is a bit rare.
Okay, i'll get working on those now :)
Edit Here is the reson, you can also find it in my background:
Mon came to Taldor as part of her job, she is currently working with a group of "artifact collectors"(the non-magical kind) and she is in charge of avoiding traps, grabbing said artifacts, and getting out without ever being seen. She enjoys the job-anything to use her skills- and doesn't ask questions about it.
her employers found intrest in the area, so they sent their best "temple raider" into the area. that just happened to be Mon.
I'm still fairly new to play by posts and may have bitten off more than I could chew with my previous attempt. So this looks like a great opportunity to try again with a 1st level character (the last one started at 7th).
This is Daka Makoa, a Half Orc cleric of Sarenrae. I'm currently working on an (hopefully) interesting bio that should be done sometime tomorrow. But basically he is an ex-soldier who went a bit too far. He saw the light and is trying to give others the chance of redemption that he has been given by Sarenrae, and to deliver swift retribution to the irredeemable... He might also be a closet pyromaniac.
@Infinatis: Looks ok, but you have some mistakes in the sheet. Summoners start with a +2 base on Will saves. You also haven't used your background skill point (you get one free each level). I'll just ask you to create an alias on the forum and put all the info in the profile there.
@Mon: Mysterious employers... Sounds a bit shifty to me ;)
@Daka Makoa: Nice, and I see where the pyro comes from :)
@TheOrcnextdoor: Ok, just whip it up and I'll look at it.
@Torcet Pak: Looks nice, it'd be great to know what he remembers about his mother's death. Did you use your background skill point too?
Hello! This is Infin! I have now updated my sheet! Just a question for my Eidolon. WHere can I find the stats for her natural attacks?
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@Ha'raktuc: You should find them in the statblock for the Base Form that you have picked.
Righto, the Bio and Appearance for Daka are up. I swear he's a lot more cheerful than the bio might suggest.
I think he would be classed as an Adventurer.
@Daka Makoa: Nice story, I like it!
@TheNine: You mean more than one character from the family in the group? And who is playing them?
@Ha'raktuc: You should find them in the statblock for the Base Form that you have picked.What I meant is like crit chance, type of damage, etc
Here for type, and all atacks are 20/x2 for critical, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
@TheOrcnextdoor: Okay, what kind of firearm is it? We will use something between the baseline and the"rare firearms" level for the campaign, so you might have to manufacture your own ammo most of the time.
Thank you. How many people are we missing for the party?
@Ha'raktuc: It's not a matter of numbers :) Seven players have applied so far, and there is a whole week left of the recruitment. I will pick the party at the end of that week. If you think a friend might be interested in joining, by all means ask them to have a look at the game.
I've never been in a PbP campaign, but am interested. I have experience playing and GMing PFS and a couple homebrew. Right now my real life games are on hold due to scheduling conflicts.
I have a couple ideas...I'll select one and try to submit it tonight for your consideration.
Do you allow the Familiar Folio Archetypes?
@RePete: Hi, welcome to the forums and the campaign. The Familiar Folio archetypes sound like they bring in some good RP opportunities, so they are certainly welcome too.
The story seems very interesting!
I'm thinking about playing a Kasatha (ACG), but I know they are more powerful than most races, so I'm thinking he maybe ended up in Golarion by some event (They are from another solar system) that caused him to lose two of his arms. Are you okay with that?
Does the no class restriction apply to third party material? I was planning to build a Soul Weaver from a book called Spheres of Power. It would mean my character would use a completely different magic system, so I understand if you don't want me to use it, I can just build a different character.
@Killer Pixie: A beat-down Kasatha seems doable, and can fit into the story nicely. I also love the Spheres of Power system! (If anyone else wants to use that - have a look!)
@Torcet Pak: It's ok, but I seem to miss his alignment. I also have one more question. Which river? (as in, location and name) :)
@RePete: Yes, we'll be using encumbrance from carrying capacity. Shirak's great, good job on the story!