Hey all, I've got a Jade Regent game that I'm running that's had some issues with flaky players dropping out. We're currently at four players, and I'd like to add a fifth by the end of the current chapter. We're on Chapter 2 right now, exploring Ravenscraeg and defeating the ninja up there.
Here is the campaign's info tab, from which you can access our gameplay thread, just in case you'd like to read it.
Here is the original recruitment thread from 14 months ago. Pretty standard stuff, except I have a few minor houserules.
Here is a link to the free Jade Regent players' guide. It would be best if you took a read through here.
Your character will be starting at level 7. The party is currently in the city of Kalsgard, in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. I expect that they will take some downtime in the city to do crafting and shopping and some research when they are done with the current dungeon. Your character's introduction may take place in the city itself or along the beginning of the path across the Crown of the World. Please make your character invested in one of the following things:
1. One of the other player characters
2. The fate of the country of Tian-Min
3. One of the key NPCs (Shalelu Andosana, Sandru Vhiski, Koya Mvashti, or Ameiko herself)
4. The joy of exploring and long overland journeys
... or any other thing that will cleave them to the party and the events of the campaign.
We are using 17-point-buy. You will start with 12,000 gold pieces' worth of equipment. The gunslinger and the master summoner are going to be banned. You may take two traits, and are allowed a drawback if you want one. Hit points are generated with the PFS rule of 1/2 + 1 for every level after first.
The current party as stands now is,
Calder Brandson, a half-Tian half-Ulfen fighter 4/ranger 2. He uses a greataxe in combat, has decent wilderness survival and other mundane skills. Dependable, moral, tough. He also wants to see the land where his grandmother came from.
Clara Flingflopsparkfizz, a Varisian gnome alchemist 5/spiritualist 1 raised alongside Koya Mvashti as a sister. She is dedicated to replicating her ancestor Umbiculus' recipe for the perfect soda, and thinks traveling to exotic lands will give her access to more materials. Her brain is partially inhabited by a draconic spirit dedicated to the Amatatsu line.
Tallak Sigurdarson, an Ulfen human cleric. He was the shaman for a local tribe, but joined the party through tracking down his son, who had signed on with one of their enemies. The party killed his son, but he blamed it on the enemy and went along to get vengeance. He was rescued as a lad by Koya.
Vashta Denaria, a Varisian mesmerist. Once part of a crime family and used essentially as a slave, she escaped and has been traveling alone since. She's had a relationship with Sandru in the past, and has something of a crush on him.
That should be it! Y'all should show me what you got! I am not necessarily looking for a character to fill any roles. I am just looking for a player who will be around consistently and who will get along with the rest of the party. Recruitment will be open for at least two weeks.
dotting
Looks like a nice active game. Have to do some research...
ok a quick question, the character I was working on was desogned for jade regent but starting at level 1 in Sandpoint.
now that isn't an issue, I can work around that. but after looking over the gameplay, and other characters (including some past characters) how Cannon in story would the background of the players that left be.
in this case I am looking at childhood crush and would have to weave around the backstory of another player that is no longer in the game.
Mm. Interested.
ok a quick question, the character I was working on was desogned for jade regent but starting at level 1 in Sandpoint.
now that isn't an issue, I can work around that. but after looking over the gameplay, and other characters (including some past characters) how Cannon in story would the background of the players that left be.
in this case I am looking at childhood crush and would have to weave around the backstory of another player that is no longer in the game.
You're asking if the absent characters' backstories are canon in the current game?
I guess it depends. Kikiri's character is still involved in the game, as his eidolon Kolong is inside of Clara now. Other than that, I've mostly chosen to ignore the players that have left, as none of them were around for particularly long. If any of the other PCs had ever expressed an interest in looking for them, they would have been found assassinated by the Rimerunners' Guild.
I would say to create your own narrative, or at least to show me your vision as best you can, and then we can figure out collaboratively how it fits.
Seems like you need someone with some trapfinding...I might have an idea for a Slayer...
I am not going to hold you to take a Campaign Trait this time around. However, if you want to, yes, you may absolutely say that you are friends with one of them. They are all exceptional and charming people who travel more than your average person, so they could have a wide variety of friends.
I also want to come in with an edit - . Taking a second look at how much loot they have right now versus how much they're going to acquire during the course of this adventure, I feel like I can afford to allot a few thousand more.
GM, are you open to Path of War? I'd love to roll a Zweihander Bushi as well.
GM, are you open to Path of War? I'd love to roll a Zweihander Bushi as well.
Not for this game, unfortunately. I'm not opposed to Path of War, but they're not on the same level as traditional martials. I'd want all of the martials in a game to be Path of War.
Darn. Understandable. This game does sort of beg for a Samurai but...I find that Class weak and poorly written.
I'll come up with something later tonight. Slayer is probably still a good fit.
Any chance of Spheres of Power? I've got an idea for a Divination specialized Incanter, branching out into Fate, and perhaps an offensive option or two, somewhere, a niece of Mvashti's, and a fellow fortune-teller (in case that wasn't obvious).
An idea is forming.
Would you be okay with allowing a Katana to be a Finesse Weapon for the purposes of the Unchained Rogue's Finesse Training?
I am going to say yes to Spheres of Power. It's kind of a wonky system, but I don't find it unbalanced in the least.
I would say yes to a finesse-able katana if you spend 2,500 to put effortless lace on or you spend 3,000 in order to make the weapon out of mithral.
I am going to say yes to Spheres of Power. It's kind of a wonky system, but I don't find it unbalanced in the least.
Honestly, I find it to be weaker but more interesting than Vancian casting in most situations,at least outside of the first several levels where vancian dedicated casters are still firing off crossbows.
I'll get things put together soon, hopefully! I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to work it out, but I should have something to contribute in a wide variety of situations, I hope.
I am going to say yes to Spheres of Power. It's kind of a wonky system, but I don't find it unbalanced in the least.
I would say yes to a finesse-able katana if you spend 2,500 to put effortless lace on or you spend 3,000 in order to make the weapon out of mithral.
thanks for this info fits into what I am working on as well.
Sounds fair, DM.
Also; Combat Stamina? Free for fighters?
Question, would you open up the races to Dhampir at this point, since you're into the game? They are 11 RP, so not overpowered.
Okay, I fired up Bayushi Kagoma. He has a solid motivation to help out Ameiko, and once he learns of the task the group is on, he will likely be motivated because it will give him a chance to carve out his own destiny.
He could show up at any time in the game (if the party needs any extra combat help currently).
Mechanically he's built as a rogue/fighter with an Intimidation build so he doesn't need flanking buddies for sneak attack damage. He's also got all the rogue-y goodness the party might need!
If you've any questions or corrections please do let me know and I'll respond appropriately.
occult stuff ok? I'm asking particularly because of the Kineticist.
Also; Combat Stamina? Free for fighters?
I'm gonna say no, but you're free to spend a feat slot on it. Got a fighter in the group currently who doesn't use the system.
Question, would you open up the races to Dhampir at this point, since you're into the game? They are 11 RP, so not overpowered.
Umm, I don't really see why not. I usually make a whitelist of approved non-Core races to keep people from playing random stuff for gimmicks, but if your concept is interesting, why not?
occult stuff ok? I'm asking particularly because of the kineticist.
Sure! As you can see, I have a mesmerist and a spiritualist in the current group. Just, you know, build it correctly and justify it :)
From the original recruitment thread, I have a couple questions to posit for anyone not completed. For Bayushi (who I will take a longer look at than the one I just did soon) any that you've already answered, you can go ahead and ignore.
2. How is your character acquainted with Ameiko Kaijitsu? Why would he care about traveling with her across the world?
3. Alternately, is there another reason they want to join the caravan? Perhaps they just want to travel to a faraway land, or perhaps they're from Minkai and wish to see its rightful ruler reinstated.
4. How did they become whatever class they are? Were they trained? Did it come to them magically one day?
5. What is your character like? How do they treat people?
6. Why is your character whatever alignment they are? Explain what their own ideas of ethics or morality mean to them.
7. If you have a character with a Code, like a paladin, be explicit about what that Code means.
Cool, one more question. 15K is 13.5K less than WBL for level 7. Is that intentional (IE: The AP is being pushed down in difficulty to match the lesser WBL) or is it unintentional (AP is way too stingy, or the PCs have been missing loot)?
A couple of things!
I like giving people less than they should have or that they need so that getting loot feels better, and the AP is pretty stingy. I am giving the new player about the amount of loot that I think everyone will have after the current adventure, or maybe a little bit less to account for the fact that it will all be customizable.
I do change up the AP's encounters to make sure that they're at a level that I believe the PCs can handle, so you don't need to worry about the lower loot making you feel underpowered.
I feel like I hit most of those but I will add a bit to the background and add a personality bit; apologies if the background feels a bit slapdash in the writing, as I put it together at 2 AM :p
Risbeth was born many years ago, in the Forest of Spirits. Or rather, under the Forest. For Risbeth's mother was Tai Mei Shi, Queen of the White Jade Court. The White Jade Court is, of course, a court of the undead. A place for the undead of Tien to sojurn in peace. Tai Mei Shi is a Jiang-shi, a hopping vampire. Her father was Marius Von'Hogmede, a noble from Ustalev, who had traveled to Tien for trade purposes. While going on misadventures in a foreign land, he ended up in the Forest of Spirits, and soon caught the eye of the Queen, who found him interesting and exotic.
A year later, Risbeth was born. Tai Mei Shi, being undead, wasn't exactly cut out to be a mother to a small child, and the gilted edge of her paramour had grown tarnished with time, so she sent one of her living court members, the Monk Misha Li So with Marius, with instructions to raise and teach her daughter, so that one day she could return to the court and tell her of the world outside Tien.
And so Risbeth grew up with her father and her 'mother' Misha Li So, who taught her everything she knows about fighting and the ways of Tien. She speaks Tien and Common like a native, and even wears Misha's old armor. Both Marius and Misha have died of old age, by now of course, given Risbeth's long life span. While she is over 80 years old, she looks only in her early 20's. Her undead heritage giving her a life span many would (and have) killed for.
Risbeth has recently heard of a caravan heading back to Tien, and she is determined to attach herself to it, and make her way home, to meet the mother she has never met, but talked to many times via dream speaking magic and who has watched over her for decades via scrying magic.
1. What does your character look like? What kinds of clothes do they wear? What weapons and armor do they carry? See picture. Risbeth looks like a half-tien/half-talden. She is equally at home in Tien fashion and armor as she is in Taldor clothes, and is as likely to be wearing one as the other. She has a set of Mithral Kikko Brawling armor given to her by Misha on her death bed. She uses her fists as weapons.
2. How is your character acquainted with Ameiko Kaijitsu? Why would he care about traveling with her across the world? Answered in background, but Risbeth wants to go home to meet her mother in person.
3. Alternately, is there another reason they want to join the caravan? Perhaps they just want to travel to a faraway land, or perhaps they're from Minkai and wish to see its rightful ruler reinstated. Once she finds out about it, Risbeth will want to see Ameiko seated, and ensure that her mother and the new ruler are on good terms.
4. How did they become whatever class they are? Were they trained? Did it come to them magically one day? Risbeth was trained for decades by her mentor, before she died.
5. What is your character like? How do they treat people? Risbeth treats people as they treat others. Someone who is a pompous ass will be treated as a fool. Someone who treats others with respect will be treated with respect. Someone who likes to tease others will get teased, and someone who doesn't tease others will also be teased, because Risbeth has a wicked sense of humor. She says she got her wicked sense of humor from her evil mother. :)
6. Why is your character whatever alignment they are? Explain what their own ideas of ethics or morality mean to them. Risbeth is LN because that is how she was raised. She will not stab someone in the back figuratively (she will literally, if they are an enemy), but she won't turn her back on an ally or friend. To Risbeth, honor is important, but it's not the honor of what others think of you, it is the honor of how you treat others. She will never get angry for someone making her lose face, as far a she is concerned, the only person that can make her lose face is her, and that can only happen by her own actions. She will never lie to a friend or ally, but she will lie to an enemy. She will never move a friend or ally to the enemy camp without explicitly telling them and telling them why the are now no longer a friend/ally. She is a bit paranoid though, growing up a dhampir who was neither tien nor taldor has made it harder for her to trust people.
7. If you have a character with a Code, like a paladin, be explicit about what that Code means. N/A
I'm also going to go ahead and answer your questions in a spoiler so you can look them up in truncated form (I'm just kind like that ;))
Updated the character, GM! Again if you've any questions for me I'm happy to answer; I would dearly like to join a Jade Regent game :D I've been on the boards a short time but I'm pretty dang active
Dot!
I suppose I have some questions. Indulge my curiosity, will you guys?
@Risbeth -
- She grew up in Ustalav, I assume? What is she doing in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings?
- What is her relationship with her mother like? They obviously haven't seen each other, but they communicate via powerful magic. What do they discuss?
- She is 80 years old, and presumably has been mature and adult for many of those decades. What has she done with her life up to this point?
@Bayushi -
- What stopped Bayushi from departing with Ameiko at the beginning of her trek? (I understand that this is because you weren't here, but it would be cool to have some kind of IC explanation)
- I assume that his family wouldn't approve of this kind of journey that he's taking. Would they do anything to try and stop him?
- Does Bayushi have any contacts, friends, or family left in Minkai?
- Why did Bayushi's family leave Minkai? Does he know about the Five Storms plot to take over the country?
Are you using Unchained Rogue or not?
Unchained classes are mandatory, yes. We are also using Background Skills, Fractional Advancement, and Wound Thresholds from that book.
EDIT : Edited to fix some timing issues.
- She grew up in Ustalav, I assume? What is she doing in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings? She's taking the Caravan Guard trait. She was a caravan guard because her father has been dead for years, and her mentor, Mishna, died a decade or so ago, and she's been slowly working her way back to Tien (given how slowly she ages, taking 20 or 30 years to get back isn't unusual). She's been trying to find something going closer to home, and when she hears about Ameiko's caravan, she'll try to attach herself to it. She sort of grew up in Ustalev, for the first 40 years or so, but then Mishna (who was only 16 when she went off with Malius) took her around to various other countries, so she's traveled a bit and picked up some languages. So she's been on the road in western Golarian for a good 70 years off and on, spending a decade here, a decade there. She was a kid for most of it (see last question for clarification).
- What is her relationship with her mother like? They obviously haven't seen each other, but they communicate via powerful magic. What do they discuss? Boys, girls, politics, death, life, what's popular fashion in Ustalev, what things are like in Tien, where her father was buried, where Mishna was buried, who she works for, things like that. Her relationship is actually very good, although her mother keeps taking exception to the way people treat her, and keeps threatening to hurt people that insult or hurt her. Risbeth then has to tell her not to do that, and it's not worth the expense, and so on. Her mother is a complicated entity. She's evil, but she loves her only daughter (it was something of an experiment, and she regretted it after her birth, and then regretted regreting it as she got older). A lot of her emotions are more 'what I think a mother should feel' than actual 'I feel this'. She is a vampire after all. But she has a code, and she's decided that family is family and should be protected more than loyal retainers, so that's that in her mind.
- She is 80 years old, and presumably has been mature and adult for many of those decades. What has she done with her life up to this point? Actually, she's older than that. She's about 120 at this point, I got my races mixed up. Dhampir's age much much more slowly than normal humans. They don't reach adulthood until 110. So she's only been an 'adult' for about 10 years. Her mentor, Mishna, was 20 when they left Tien, and died at 96. A lot of her growing up time was spent being a kid here and a kid there. They moved around every 5 to 10 years to hide that Risbeth was not aging. At first, they moved every couple of years, then over time, as she hit 'teenager' mode, they moved every 5 or 10 years. She got on quite well with 'lost ones' elves as they had much in common. She has picked up Elvish due to spending a couple of decades living in elven cities, where nobody cared that she didn't age fast. So she really hasn't had all that much time since she put childhood behind her. Maybe 20 years or so, and she's done odd jobs since then (since Mishna was no longer alive to help with food and housing).
2- Likely nothing overt. The family would likely send people Bayushi had good relationships with to convince him to come back, but they would be concerned with keeping his absence private, or explaining it away as him studying abroad; they would mostly want to avoid a scandal.
His mother is a bit more protective and set on Bayushi following tradition, so she might take more overt action.
3- There is a branch of the Kagoma family still in Minkai, though the family in Magnimar has had no contact with them for some time. Bayushi has never been there himself.
4- One of Bayushi's ancestor, the eldest of the three brothers, was struck with wanderlust and wanted to explore the world beyond Minkai. To do so, he built up wealth as a trader and eventually most of the family set sail. That adventurous spirit has been somewhat dimmed in previous generations, but burns bright in Bayushi, who, unbeknownst to him, is quite close to his ancestor in person, and a testament to the strength of his family line as noble warriors.
The family in Magnimar is completely unaware of the Five Storms plot. I think it would be rather interesting if the Kagoma family in Minkai knew and was taking action against it.
Ok, I'm gonna hold off on any more fluff questions until I have more submissions/until a bit more time has passed, but I have taken a look at at the two statblocks. I've got some thoughts. Please forgive me if I'm wrong, and explain where.
@ Risbeth - where did you get the +10 damage bonus for unarmed strikes? I'm counting 3 for Str, 2 for brawling, 1 from her trait and 2 for Weapon Specialization.
Risbeth's ability scores seem a bit high
Str 14 + 2 (racial) = 5pts
Dex 17 -1 (level 4, racial) = 13 pts
Con 10 = 0 pts
Int 8 + 2 (racial) = -2 pts
Wis 12 = 2 pts
Cha 10 = 0 pts
Seems like 18 points. Point-buy is the completely random 17 points.
@ Bayushi - Where did he get the +9 damage bonus for his katana? I'm counting 5 for Dex, 1 for his magic weapon and 1 for weapon training. I assume that his Dex is 20 and not 18, yes?
Which ability scores are correct, the one in the profile or the one in the stablock? (13/20/12/10/12/13 vs. 13/18/12/12/12/10)
His Str- and Dex-based skills get a -1 penalty due to his -1 Armor Check Penalty.
I am counting 59 ranks spent on skills and some discrepancies on their bonuses, but I also count that you qualify for 53 ranks. (24 from rogue, 8 from fighter, 7 from Int and 14 from background skills). In addition, for example, you have 4 ranks in Knowledge (nobility) and a +4 bonus, while your Int is listed at 12.
What rogue talents did Bayushi take?
leinathan- that's correct. I calculated it as using the weapon two handed, so it's including Dex x1.5. I can add stat lines for both calculations if you like but the intent is for the character to be a two handed fighter
The issue there is that the katana is not a two -handed weapon. The only two-handed finesse weapons are the estoc, the curve blade, and the spiked chain.
Wait I just realized a folly. You are rogue 4, which means 6 more skill points. Sorry, I got confused. However, I believe that means you have one too many feats.
Correct; however, with the Effortless Lace and Finesse Training, as well as your ruling of allowing the Katana to function for Finesse Training, there should be no issues with wielding the weapon two handed, I believe. I will look at feats later (at work now)
Ok, I'm gonna hold off on any more fluff questions until I have more submissions/until a bit more time has passed, but I have taken a look at at the two statblocks. I've got some thoughts. Please forgive me if I'm wrong, and explain where.
@ Risbeth - where did you get the +10 damage bonus for unarmed strikes? I'm counting 3 for Str, 2 for brawling, 1 from her trait and 2 for Weapon Specialization.
Risbeth's ability scores seem a bit high
Str 14 + 2 (racial) = 5pts
Dex 17 -1 (level 4, racial) = 13 pts
Con 10 = 0 pts
Int 8 + 2 (racial) = -2 pts
Wis 12 = 2 pts
Cha 10 = 0 pts
Dhampir is +2 dex, -2 con, +2 cha
STR 16
Dex 14 + 2
Con 12 - 2
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 8 + 2
17 points
The +10 may be off, the character sheet was from a previous game and it was at WBL, and I had a belt of might, so I may have missed an adjustment taking it off.
@Dodekatheon -
Hmm. That is a fair point, I suppose. As for feats, you should get 4 at base, Weapon Finesse for free, Exotic Proficiency for free, and two combat feats. You have 9 feats listed. Totally rectifiable with combat trick or weapon training, but I can't see what rogue talents you have right now.
@mdt -
Sorry, I was looking at the variant jiang-shi born dhampir ability score bonuses. It's totally fine if you want to use the base ones. It does, however, mean that you can add 1 to any of those scores or re-adjust your point buy, because you forgot the 4th-level bonus.
Ah, yeah, I did forget that. I'll put it in Dex, she'll need another point of dex later for AC.
I didn't even realize there was a variant for jiang-shi born, they must have just added that. They didn't have it last time I went out there. Huh, yeah, those wouldn't work for her build. We can just put it down to it being her mother who was the vampire, rather than the father like it usually is.
@Dodekatheon -
Hmm. That is a fair point, I suppose. As for feats, you should get 4 at base, Weapon Finesse for free, Exotic Proficiency for free, and two combat feats. You have 9 feats listed. Totally rectifiable with combat trick or weapon training, but I can't see what rogue talents you have right now.
@mdt -
Sorry, I was looking at the variant jiang-shi born dhampir ability score bonuses. It's totally fine if you want to use the base ones. It does, however, mean that you can add 1 to any of those scores or re-adjust your point buy, because you forgot the 4th-level bonus.
Weapon Finesse is from Finesse Training. Exotic Weapon Proficiency is from Ancestral Arms (half-Elf alternate racial trait). And I failed to list them but I did indeed select Weapon Training (for Weapon Focus- Katana) and Combat Trick for a bonus combat feat. I believe with those in mind it all pans out
The order doesn't matter that much, I just made it up in an order that made sense to me. You get the same feat slots regardless.
Fighter 1 - Power Attack (level 1 feat), Furious Focus (fighter 1 bonus feat), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bonus racial feat)
Rogue 1 - Weapon Finesse (free bonus)
Rogue 2 - Weapon Training (weapon focus), Dazzling Display (level 3 feat)
Fighter 2 - Cornugon Smash (fighter 2 bonus feat)
Fighter 3 - Shatter Defenses (level 5 feat)
Rogue 3 -
Rogue 4 - Combat Trick (warrior spirit), [empty feat slot]
Apologies about being so nit-picky (and wrong, at least once!). I just don't have anything else to think about at the moment.
Not to worry! No offense taken; I appreciate being kept honest. That is more or less as I intended; when I have a moment I'll pop my feat progression onto my profile. I wrote t out but it's on my home computer
So, a while ago there was a recruitment on the boards for a Jade Regent game where the concept was tweaked so it was a traveling Varisian circus, and Sandru was the ringmaster and Ameiko was a performer. The GM then vanished when recruitment closed, and this is the character I originally made. I'm a little curious to see if this concept is something that might fit with your group!
Aiko is a performer; in a "core" Jade Regent game, she would have been an entertainer at Ameiko's restaurant, the Rusty Dragon, bringing in additional custom with her Tien-inspired routines. Aiko also happens to be a ninja, trained by her father, who in turn was trained by his grandfather, both of whom were servants of the Kaijitsu family. She does not know about the Five Storms or the history of how the Kaijitsus were forced to flee Minkai, but she does know that they came from abroad and her family tried to keep some of the culture and customs passed down to her.
Since this character was from a basic recruitment she's first level, but I can quickly bump her up to level 7 if the concept looks workable.
I'm willing to rework anything that doesn't fit your standards (e.g. background skills, choice of Trait, etc.; and she was done on a 20-point buy, not 17, so I would need to tweak that - probably drop 1 point of Str and 1 Dex, and then use the level 4 bump to push Dex back to 16). Changing her Campaign Trait might be important depending on the other ties that the group already has, for example.
About me: I'm a regular player and DM on these boards. I like solid RP and I am also in the process of running a casual Jade Regent game. I don't generally pursue "peak optimization" but I always try to be a group contributor.
Last bit of trivia: Hattori Aiko's family name was inspired, of course, by Hattori Hanzō, one of history's most famous ninja.
Added my feat progression in Bayushi's profile. Also fixed my skill points; I had too many ranks because for whatever reason I had my Fighter levels as 4 instead of 2 per level. Too many Lore Wardens, methinks!
Conceptually I'm very much going for a kensai type, I hope that's clear.