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Hey, everyone! I thought I'd post this up right before the Christmas holiday. Hopefully, there's a few potential players still hanging around the boards during this time.
Basically, this is meant as an initial post to check for interest in a new play-by-post game for Cradle of Night, an adventure I helped co-author for Paizo along with Greg A. Vaughan, James Jacobs, and Wes Schneider (and developed by Ron Lundeen). Normally, I’d run this as a private campaign for a group of home players, but with four kids and family obligations, my schedule is bit too hectic to commit to a recurring multi-hour game night at my place every few weeks. So, the next best thing is to run it at a slower, more manageable pace as a play-by-post...and, in many ways, that might prove to be a superior roleplaying experience, as online games tend to give everyone a lot more time to portray the characters in-game (both the PCs and the NPCs) and to deepen the overall storytelling.
So, given my intent, here’s a bit more information on what I’m thinking about for such a game: Ideally, I’d want a group of 5-6 dedicated roleplayers with a minimal posting rate of once per day. More often would be fine, but I understand life can make that difficult sometimes. Preference would be given to those with prior play-by-post experience, particularly anyone who has GMing experience via play-by-post, because I think that’s usually a good indicator of potential players who’ll stay the course...and I think a lot of GMs are often frustrated wannabe players who’d love to have someone else run a dedicated game for them. I’d also be looking for a good mix of characters so there’s a well-rounded party (i.e., martial/melee, arcane caster, divine caster, skill monkey/support character) to take through the adventure. So, I’ll be looking for character concepts during the application process that'll support that goal.
In terms of roleplaying, I also want players who’ll do a fair amount of intra-party interaction, in addition to their back-and-forth with the NPCs. I firmly believe the game is as good as the players make it, so if you’re wanting to portray an aloof, lone-wolf kind of character who’s the strong, disengaged, silent type, this probably wouldn’t be the best game for you. Instead, I want to see quality posting with in-depth character development determined by the players and then supported by me. In fact, I’m toying with the idea of running this game as more of a “theater of the mind” affair (i.e., without a heavy focus on maps...unless I happen to land a player/fellow-GM who can support us via Roll20 or a similar hosting site). That way, combat isn’t overly complex and I can handle it more in descriptive terms as players indicate what actions they’d like to take...all before narratively bringing it together as I move the game along.
As for other basic character-specific information, the adventure starts at 8th level and PCs will advance to 10th along the way. Rather than track XP, I’d simply designate the appropriate moments when PCs would level up. The core races (i.e., humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and halflings) would be preferred, but I’ll entertain anything if it’s a compelling enough concept that synergizes with the adventure’s themes. Just ask and I can give the initial proposal a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. The goal isn’t to create some weird, off-the-wall concept just to stand out. Instead, everyone should focus on creating solid character archetypes (from a storytelling standpoint) that’ll be fun to portray as they go through this particular scenario while sharing the screen with one another. So, I’ll be looking for synergy opportunities between the characters, and applicants would be wise to leave room in their concepts to enable that.
In the meantime, the adventure’s opening scene takes place in Nidal, but only about a third of it occurs above ground, since it swiftly moves into the Darklands. That said, I’m not looking for character backgrounds which depend heavily on significant Darklands connections and lots of time spent there (i.e., the PCs are meant to be ‘fish out of water’ when they venture there, rather than super-experienced natives). Likewise, strong connections to the evil-aligned ruling classes of Nidal or Cheliax aren’t really desired either. You could certainly hail from there, but I wouldn't want an active Hellknight, Signifier, or Zon-Kuthonite. Instead, I’ll be looking for good-aligned PCs, or at least neutral-aligned ones with a good reason to be team players helping others, all of whom have recently been adventuring near the northern border of Nidal along the Mindspin Mountains, possibly crossing over from Varisia/Korvosa, the border with Nirmathas/Molthune, or other parts of Golarion. They're all 8th level, after all, so they could be well-traveled. The important thing is that they've made friends with a few Desnan sympathizers in the Atteran Ranches region of northern Nidal.
I’ll have more in-depth character creation guidelines (and suggestions) with regards to classes, archetypes, etc. once I’ve got a feel for everyone’s interest level. But, outside of that, it would be 20-point buy, no stats lower than 8, and nothing higher than 18 before racial modifiers to avoid extreme min-maxing. I’d also require applicants to include a robust character background which I can then use to widen the roleplay by drawing upon it from time to time. To help with that, I’m contemplating providing a few newly-crafted campaign traits specific to Cradle of Night which players can then select for their PCs to more tightly weave them into the adventure. That alone should help fire the imagination and give a greater sense of where things are headed and what kinds of characters would synergize well.
Lastly, I’d also ask for a single paragraph which I’ll describe as a character road map. This would detail where you see the character going (i.e., how you plan to develop it over the course of the storytelling and what you’d like to potentially see happen to the character or achieved by them). Often, this can include life goals like slaying a particular monster (a dragon?), avenging themselves upon someone who wronged them, creating/acquiring a particular magic item, or starting a new organization like a church, thieves’ guild, or arcane school. More importantly, it should include emotional character developments like overcoming a great loss/limitation, exploring a budding romance, suffering a fall from grace (with a triumphant redemption somewhere down the road), etc. Basically, this is an opportunity to define your own character-specific story “thread” which I’ll then weave into the overarching plot so you get to explore it in-game.
Well, that’s probably enough for now. Cradle of Night is obviously somewhat near and dear to my heart. I certainly put a lot of imagination into outlining it and getting it started before I handed it off to my Paizo developers and co-authors. As a result, this game would certainly follow the same general plot of the published adventure, but it would also include a few different twists and turns to keep it fresh for anyone who may have read it (i.e., I’ve still got some unpublished ideas I can include to modify it and round out the story a bit). So, if you’ve got an interest in coming along for that kind of ride, and you can commit to the general guidelines I’ve laid out above, please chime in here and let me know. The more interest I receive, the more likely I’ll be to launch this game.
Thanks,
--Neil
P.S.
I would be down to play! I run/play in several Organized Play PbPs, so I have some experience. My time commitments can be spotty sometimes due to travel and events related to work, but I always communicate dry spells beforehand.
Neat! I just picked up the Nidal guide. Interested. I take it fetchlings are less ideal, then?
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Neat! I just picked up the Nidal guide. Interested. I take it fetchlings are less ideal, then?
With an appropriate background and motivation, a fetchling could certainly work...just, know that they're second-class citizens in Nidal.
Official expression of interest.
Ooh, interesting. I'd like to get in on the ground floor for this one. I'm at work right now and sort of on a weird shift so it'll take me a bit to create my character.
As far as previous experience, I've run 3 play-by-post games on forums. One to completion, one stopped due to overload, and the third is actually still running 1. I'm a fairly experience play-by-poster.
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I'm also interested. Been playing PBP for years now, both as a GM and a player.
I am also very interested! I have some GM experience here on the PbP boards. This includes Starfinder (Dead Suns) and Dragon’s Demand module (almost 3/4s done). My GM alias is DM Nex.
I love the breakdown for character ideas, including the ideas for the characters path/future.
I have some fun character ideas I could use, but would be willing to fill slots that are needed by the group.
Dang, the runes got me!
I’ve been interested since you first posted about it, so i’m still down. You can see my many PbPs GMed here on my profile tab and should know that I’m always on the forums unless something comes up. I also have a Roll20 subscription if you want dynamic lighting and other tools to be used. I find Google Slides to be an easy alternative that requires little work comparatively to get going.
Edit: Looks like I have my half-orc fighter or my half-orc cleric in that range that could be tweaked to the chargen restrictions.
Dot for interest! I will work on a character concept on Monday when I have more time. :)
Do you have any preference for sources - Paizo only, some third-party allowed, et cetera? I've got a couple of ideas, but some of them rely on OGL material, and I'd rather not spend too much time on them if there's no chance they'll be accepted. XD
Do you have any preference for sources - Paizo only, some third-party allowed, et cetera? I've got a couple of ideas, but some of them rely on OGL material, and I'd rather not spend too much time on them if there's no chance they'll be accepted. XD
I'm more inclined to rely on Paizo sources only, because I have all of them available to me. That makes it much less complicated, and therefore, easier for me to run the game.
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For those already interested in the character creation process for the game, here are a handful of campaign traits which I've specifically crafted for Cradle of Night. The expectation is that each character would choose one of these traits, and hopefully it'll help with rounding out your character's background and motivation.
Cave Diver – You’ve always had a knack for underground exploration, often spending hours of your free time spelunking through deep caverns and underground tunnels. Choose two of the following skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Knowledge (dungeoneering), or Survival. You gain a +1 trait bonus with those skills, and one of them is always a class skill for you. In addition, your interactions with subterranean cultures has allowed you to learn Undercommon as a bonus language.
Darkland Ancestry – Your bloodline includes trace amounts of an unknown species from the Darklands. Though the last several generations of your family all lived on the surface world, some element of that distant heritage imbues you with a special ability. Choose one of the following: gain darkvision 30 ft., gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude checks and an additional +1 bonus vs. poison, or gain a +1 trait bonus on Stealth checks and Stealth is always a class skill for you.
Eyes in the Dark – You’re used to operating in the back alleyways and moonlit landscapes of Nidal. Whether as a former agent for the Umbral Court who fell out of favor, or just someone who found the light and now rejects the ruling class of your homeland, you look for ways to put those talents to use in helping the downtrodden. You gain one of the following special abilities: low-light vision, a reduction of your miss chance for concealment or total concealment due to either mundane or magical darkness by 10%, or a +1 trait bonus on Perception skill checks and Perception is always a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks.
Horselord Ancestry – Your family bloodline traces back to the original Kellid horselords who settled northern Nidal. Though you may have ventured far away from your homeland in recent years, you’re still knowledgeable of your people’s traditions and history, as well as their skill-at-arms on horseback. Choose two of the following skills: Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nobility), Ride, or Survival. Your upbringing gives you a +1 trait bonus on those skills. In addition, you gain weapon proficiency with lances and spears.
Liberator’s Calling – You lived most of your early life within an oppressive culture, such as Cheliax, Molthune, or Nidal, but you never lost hope. In fact, those experiences helped you resist such torment and become a champion for those in need. Whether facing down would-be troublemakers or defending the innocent from bullies, you stand fast against injustice and tyranny. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff and Intimidate skill checks and one of those skills is always a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus on Will saves vs. fear effects.
Nidalese Exile – Though originally born in Nidal, your family was one of the lucky few to escape the tyranny of the Umbral Court when you were very young. Even so, your parents taught you much about the dangers of your homeland, always fretful that one of its many agents might emerge from the shadows to pursue them. As a result, you gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (local) skill checks about Nidal, and one of those skills is always a class skill for you. In addition, your mother taught you a rudimentary method for conjuring a magical light to keep the darkness at bay. You gain the ability to cast light as a spell-like ability 1/day.
Returning Missionary – You’re a follower of Desna, the benevolent goddess of luck, dreams, and travel. Whether as part of the active clergy or a mere worshiper with a shared set of principles, you were smuggled out of Nidal to avoid persecution by the Umbral Court, which tolerates no other religions save that of Zon-Kuthon. After spending years away from your homeland, you’ve longed to return and help other Desnans who stayed behind. Choose two of the following skills: Diplomacy, Disguise, Knowledge (religion), or Sense Motive. You gain a +1 trait bonus with those skills. If you cast divine spells, pick three spells on your spell list. You are particularly adept at casting them, so they function at +1 caster level and their save DCs (if any) gain a +1 bonus.
Shadow Savant – You’re a student of arcane magic and extraplanar energies. While you may not hail directly from Nidal, you’ve always been interested in its arcane practitioners, their lore, and skill with shadow magic. Choose two of the following skills: Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), or Spellcraft. You gain a +1 trait bonus with those skills. If you cast arcane spells, pick three spells on your spell list from the shadow subschool or with the shadow descriptor. You are particularly adept at casting them, so they function at +1 caster level and their save DCs (if any) gain a +1 bonus.
OOh I like those.
I know this is a interest thread, but I wanted to see if my character idea worked with one of those traits.
I was thinking a halfing Arcane Bloodrager. The idea is that I was tested on when I was a baby. Details can be filled out later, but basically I was messed with to get my bloodline power to show up. I was actually thinking my bloodline would not have been part of my normal ancestry, but actually injected/imbued/merged with something. It could easily be some arcane creature/power from the Darklands.
Would taking Darkland Ancestry for a Halfling Arcane Bloodrager to gain darkvision, make sense for that trait? It actually fits really well with the story I have for the character.
I do know this is just Interest thread, but I can't help but start thinking of fun character ideas.
I was thinking a halfing Arcane Bloodrager....Would taking Darkland Ancestry for a Halfling Arcane Bloodrager to gain darkvision, make sense for that trait?
I'm worried that, thematically-speaking, a halfling arcane bloodrager might not be the best fit for this adventure...much less the application of the Darkland Ancestry trait. Of course, it's possible the backstory could surprise me in a good way. You never know, I guess.
No worries. I will play around with it in my head. Plenty of character ideas.
Thanks for the traits. Always a good start for character building.
I'm thinking about a Milanite character. Rangers are big in her faith, and I'm definitely leaning that way, but I have something I wanted to ask about: while there are archetypes of Druid and Hunter that permit a plant companion, there doesn't seem to be one for Ranger (that I've found). As big as roses are in Milani's faith, I was hoping to find a way to take a plant companion, to be fluffed as an animate rose bush. Can I do that? If I'm going to, should I just build the character as a Druid/Hunter/etc?
Ah, now I see that it's best to be a Nidalese for sure. I'm working up a Nidalese fetchling bound to Golarion--a flame dancer bard. This should be fun! :)
I would like to Dot also, I'm interested.
I'm very interested in this--I find Nidal to be a fantastically interesting part of Golarion, and exploring the Darklands on top of that sounds like a great time! I know the post history for this profile is mostly nonexistent, but I used to be here as Loup Blanc, under which name I had a lot of posts in a large number of games on both sides of the virtual table. I'm also a huge fan of using PbP for narrative exploration and character roleplaying, so that hypes me up as well!
Not sure what I'd want to play yet. I'm leaning toward an investigator of some kind perhaps, maybe a lapsed servant of the Umbral Court? I'll play with options.
Highly interested. I gm and play. Shadow savant sounds intriguing.
Been on the forums for years, been a GM for longer than D&D 3.0 existed, and still running games on the forums (got over 40K posts if that matters).
Anyway, I created Amelia here for a very dark campaign, although she's not nearly as dark as her name. She's a spiritualist with a Phantom who's a ghost named Lilly.
For this, Amelia and Lilly would be seeking all of Lilly's remains. She was killed half a century ago by an evil practitioner of black magic who used her body parts and bones to enchant many evil artifacts, and Lilly can't pass on until all her parts are found and destroyed (I think this fits Nidal and the Darklands as a reason for adventuring).
Amelia is an orphaned aasimar scion of humanity. She appears about 16 or 17, but she's closer to 50. Her and Lilly have been traveling for about 25 years searching for the artifacts.
Lilly is a phantom of hatred. When manifested and calm, she appears as a young girl who is cranky, curses at people for the smallest thing, and generally has a sour disposition with everyone but Amelia. When she isn't calm, she appears as a dismembered bleeding corpse rimmed in flickering red light with burning red eyes as she tries to kill things Amelia points her at, usually while cursing at and insulting them. (all cursing would be of the flavor of @*$&$#*$&, not typed out).
Anyway, I enjoyed playing AMelia and Lilly, and would again. I think they would fit in this game, if you run it.
For maps, I'd suggest just using Google Drawings and dropping character tokens on them. I do that in my PBP's, it doesn't take long (I would be willing to help), and helps significantly with making sure everyone understands the setup.
Hey, I'm interested! I'll think a bit and get back to you with an idea, but this is hitting all the right recruitment notes that most recruitments do not.
While I don't have anything solid yet, I usually play rogue/gish intellectuals.
Hi Neil, I'm another who followed along from the Product thread.
I like to develop and evolve characters through their interaction with the world and their companions; I tend to play strong characters (strong in that they have strong wills, big fears or clear goals) that are generally companionable. I GM at home but only play in PbP currently - in 8 or so games currently with @6k posts over my PbP history.
My Golarion-fu is improving (I'm currently in two RotR (Book 1 and Book 1) and a Kingmaker (Book 2)) and between the Pathfinder Wiki and the Inner Sea World guide I'm sure I'll be fine.
Given I'm more a fan of lower level play this will be quite interesting - I do want to play in a higher level game.
Using theater of the mind is fine with me.
I'm looking at playing a human with the Horselord Ancestry background trait - classwise would be (if you allow) a reflavored Samurai with the Yojimbo archetype (and using the Order of the Guard) - essentially trades away the mount for a more guardian role. The character would be a disgraced Kellid who has taken to working as a bodyguard for hire, looking to earn back his place in his clan and his right to ride.
Great traits.
Will there be a formal recruitment thread, or do we just post character concepts here?
I want to put forth an outline.
I am interested in playing a dwarf, native to the Mindspin Mountains. The first part of his story involves how he disgraced his family and got them all exiled from their clan. The second part involves his joining the Pathfinder Society as a way to escape the shitty subsistence life that they were forced into. The third involves his greatest accomplishment as a Pathfinder, the source of his fame. The fourth involves the death of a close family member, which necessitates his return to the Mindspin Mountains. As a curious explorer and warrior, the quest hook of "a desperate refugee" with tales of a powerful artifact would then draw him into the adventure.
I will build the character as a mix between skilled and combat - currently looking at barbarian / pathfinder chronicler, but I will consider a couple of different routes.
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Will there be a formal recruitment thread, or do we just post character concepts here?
Now that I can see there's plenty of interest...and LOTS of people are already starting to brainstorm character ideas and asking questions...I'll move this along to the actual recruitment phase. To do that, I'll be posting up some more definitive character creation guidelines and expectations. So, for those you already way ahead on the brainstorming phase, please hold off a bit until I can get those guidelines and recommendations posted. I should have it up sometime later today. Thanks.
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Okay, I'm back. I thought about starting a separate thread for the recruitment, but since I already posted the campaign traits in this one, I'm going to repurpose it into a combination interest check/recruitment thread. For everyone who’s ready to move beyond the “interest check” portion and into the actual “recruitment” phase, here’s all the stuff I need for you to include in an actual character submission to apply for the game.
I’d really like everyone to follow the format I’ve laid out here so it’ll make it easier for me when evaluating applications and deciding which players/characters to bring into the game. I’m going to give everyone until December 31st before I close the submission window and make my final selections. Then, I hope to get the actual game started sometime in early-January. To do that, here’s what I need from you:
Character Profile: Please create a new messageboard alias for your character and post your submission here in this thread using that alias. In addition, create a profile for that alias and include all the usual character sheet specifics for your PC similar to the following format. It’s a style that I’ve used in the past for many of my own Play-by-Post characters and, if everyone emulates it, it’ll make it easier/faster for me to find all the information I’ll need to evaluate your character submission.
Character Name: Shoot for something sensible rather than comical. I’m hoping to run this as a serious-minded game along the same lines as the types of characters you’d expect to read about in a novel adaptation of the adventure module.
Assumed Role in the Party: This should include your planned/preferred race, class, archetype (if any), and role...i.e., melee vs. ranged, spellcaster, tank, healer, leader vs. support, skill monkey, trapfinder, know-it-all, spokesperson, etc.
General Concept: Leave out the crunch and just give me a couple of sentences or a short paragraph explaining your character concept and his/her motivation.
Player Experience: Give me an idea of your prior experience, both with Pathfinder as well as Play-by-Post games. Include any prior GMing experience (particularly with Play-by-Post games). If you've got the ability to support my GMing by providing Roll20 or other mapping coordination expertise, let me know that, too.
Level: As mentioned earlier, this game is for 8th level characters. So, make sure you include any level advancement boosts as you calculate things.
Races: Core are preferred (i.e., human, elf, dwarf, gnome, halfling, half-elf, half-orc), but some others will also be allowed (e.g., aasimar, changeling, fetchling, tiefling). Just don't go crazy with it. I'm looking for a credible party of PCs who'd work well together. So, choose something that would support that goal.
Classes/Archetypes: Most Paizo-published Pathfinder RPG 1e classes and archetypes are permitted, but if you’re opting for something not in one of the hardcovers (i.e., from a Player’s Companion, etc.), check with me first. Non-Paizo/OGL classes and archetypes from third party publishers will NOT be allowed. I’d also like to avoid psychic character classes, as I’m just not as familiar running them or using those rules. Only one archetype is allowed per class (to avoid crazy min-max combos). Unchained variants of classes are fine, and summoners MUST use the unchained variant.
Alignment: Good or neutral-aligned characters only. PCs with specific deity requirements must be within one step of that deity’s alignment, but I won’t accept neutral PCs that worship an evil deity. In fact, I’d like to avoid overtly (or even covertly) evil characters entirely, and even chaotic neutral characters will be carefully scrutinized to assure they’re not simply masquerading as non-evil, while their actions and motivations say otherwise. In short, I’m looking for actual heroes, not full-blown anti-heroes abusing these alignment guidelines.
Ability Scores: As I shared before, it’s 20-point buy. No stats below 8 or higher than 18 before racial modifiers. If you dump a particular stat (especially a mental one like Int, Wis, or Cha), I expect you to fully roleplay that aspect of your character in-game.
Feats: Most Paizo-published feats are permitted. If it’s outside the core hardcovers, check with me on it. No third party feats will be allowed. If you opt for Leadership I’ll take a closer look at how you intend to use it in-game. If you go for any item creation crafting feats, I’ll reserve the right to review and decline any custom gear resulting from it.
Traits: You can take two traits total. One must be selected from the Cradle of Night campaign traits which I specifically created for the game and posted earlier (see above). The other must come from a Paizo-published source (i.e., beyond just the Ultimate Campaign traits, you may also use Inner Sea Faiths, etc.). If you want additional traits, you may select the Additional Traits feat, but I’m not going to be using drawbacks.
Skills: No additional guidelines here. I won’t be using the background skills system from Pathfinder Unchained. Likewise, I’m not planning to use skill unlocks either.
Starting Equipment: I’d like everyone to use Table 12-4: Character Wealth by Level on pg. 399 of the Core Rulebook. That means 33,000 gp as your starting wealth for 8th level PCs. You may spend no more than 25% of it (8,250 gp) on weapons, no more than 25% of it (8,250 gp) on armor and protective devices, 25% of it (8,250 gp) on other magic items (i.e., wondrous magic items, etc.), 15% of it (4,950 gp) on disposable items (i.e., potions, scrolls, and wands), and at least 10% of it (3,300 gp) must be spent on ordinary gear and/or converted into hard currency (i.e., coins, gems, and jewelry).
Hit Points: Maximum hit points at 1st level, then 1/2 hit points per Hit Die + 1 for each level thereafter.
XP: As mentioned before, I’m not going to be keeping track of exact XP over the course of the adventure. Instead, the entire group will level up at the appropriate time within the campaign, and I’ll let everyone know to update their character sheets.
Physical Description & Personality: I need everyone to include a paragraph or so of your character’s physical description which I and your fellow players can then reference to get a mental picture of your PC. Try to select an avatar on the Paizo messageboards to match it. Additionally, include one more paragraph describing your character’s personality. This can include anything from a quick description of their principles, motivations, and core beliefs to their general behavioral quirks. Again, reference the sample character profile I linked to above to get an idea of what I’m seeking.
Character Background: I’m requiring everyone to include a robust character background in their character sheet (i.e., several paragraphs, but it doesn’t need to be an entire shortstory). This will aid me in shaping the roleplaying experience for your character a little better by drawing on it from time to time. It should also give me a better understanding of how you see your character and the life experiences that shaped them. I will absolutely favor character submissions with a detailed background much more favorably than those with minimal description. At 8th level, your character should have a good bit of “story” that’s already occurred for them. So, be creative! Give me an idea of what it entails, but I don't need an entire timeline. Lastly, strive to give me a few hints on where their story might be heading (see below) based on those prior experiences.
Character Road Map: Finally, I’d like just a paragraph or so more on where you see this character going. While the adventure itself is going to take you on a very specific “ride”, I’d love for each individual character to also have his or her own story thread interwoven with the main plotline. It doesn’t have to connect to anything specific in the module. Rather, give me a sense of what this PC might be struggling to overcome, trying to achieve, or hoping to avoid. If possible, give me a sense of how you see the character “changing” with regards to any of things. For instance, just like a protagonist in a good novel, the best ones go on a hero’s journey where they start out one way, but often wind up very changed and different by the end. So, if you can imagine anything like that for your chosen character concept, I’d like for you to include it in your submission. Once you do, I’ll try my level best to ensure that story gets told alongside the adventure itself.
Outside of that, that’s all I’ve got. I know it probably looks like a lot. I recognize the submission guidelines might be a cut above what some Play-by-Post games require, but I believe serious players who want a robust roleplaying experience should embrace pretty much all of that. And, if you can devote enough time to completing those requirements, I’ll feel that much more confident you’ll dedicate yourself to sticking with the game until its grand finale.
So, best wishes, everybody! Happy holidays! I look forward to seeing all the creativity you can pour into these character concepts. And, I hope to have them all reviewed in time to start the game sometime in January.
I'm thinking about a Milanite character....I was hoping to find a way to take a plant companion....Can I do that? If I'm going to, should I just build the character as a Druid/Hunter/etc?
In my opinion, Milani doesn't really have a strong enough portfolio involving nature ties for her divine followers to bond with plant companions (ranger or otherwise). In addition, thematically, it's not the best fit for a shadow-themed adventure that takes place primarily in the Darklands. So, I'd recommend considering something different.
I'm working up a Nidalese fetchling bound to Golarion--a flame dancer bard.
That's kind of an odd direction, thematically-speaking for a fetchling character to go (i.e., flame dancing). Many of that archetype's abilities are less likely to see opportunities for use in-game. But, if you're sold on the character concept and you can sell me on it with your pitch, I'll certainly evaluate it alongside everything else.
...I created Amelia here for a very dark campaign....She's a spiritualist with a Phantom who's a ghost named Lilly....Amelia is an orphaned aasimar scion of humanity.
While aasimar have an interesting dynamic to draw upon in Nidal culture, I'm going to be excluding character classes from Occult Adventures, so this concept wouldn't be a good fit for the game. Sorry.
I'm looking at playing a human with the Horselord Ancestry background trait - classwise would be (if you allow) a reflavored Samurai with the Yojimbo archetype (and using the Order of the Guard) - essentially trades away the mount for a more guardian role. The character would be a disgraced Kellid who has taken to working as a bodyguard for hire, looking to earn back his place in his clan and his right to ride.
I think the mechanics of the archetype and cavalier order are fine, so long as you leave out the samurai trappings and just fully reskin him as a Kellid horselord.
Before I get too invested in the concept, do you think an investigator trained by the University of Lepidstadt would work for this game? Something of a more altruistic Sherlock Holmes type: an inquisitive explorer for hire, a private detective consultant of sorts who works for everyone from nobles to constabularies to commoners in need. Obviously I'll have more background info on him for a full backstory and submission, but I wanted to check if the base concept at all would work, or if I should turn more toward something more directly related to Nidal (e.g., a former Umbral Court agent who's left that position because he realized how bad things are, or something along those lines).
Definitely dotting, looks like an awesome opportunity!
...do you think an investigator trained by the University of Lepidstadt would work for this game?....or if I should turn more toward something more directly related to Nidal (e.g., a former Umbral Court agent who's left that position because he realized how bad things are, or something along those lines).
The latter would be more appropriate for this game. But the former could work, as long as you've got a plausible reason as to why he would have befriended the horselords of the Atteran Ranches in northern Nidal.
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How do you feel about the dark lurker rogue archetype?
I think I'm going to run with the idea of a rogue/warpriest of Ashava that has been acting as an infiltrator and breaking up cult cells or groups of necromancers. (I'd take the Liberator's Calling trait.)
How do you feel about the dark lurker rogue archetype?
It's fine.
I'm goign to Dot the following- i'll be putting together the character i wanted to do a rough background to make sure it seems cool first.
I decided on a fallen monk (really a brawler, (hinyasi)) that joined the umbral court only later to find out it was a cult. the reason I want to say a fallen monk is that even though I'm not a monk I will be following a couple of vows. (cleanliness, Truth, celibacy, Fasting, and poverty) that last (poverty) is recently broken when he killed the leader of his order. ( i will only be getting a few items taken from him before leaving and burning down the monastery; most notably a keen katana that is a holy relic, that he will not draw without thinking the person is worthy. Using catch off guard to attack with the sheath. mechanically the vows wont effect the character it is for RP only and starting equipment. throughout the campaign i want to see which vows he keeps and which he loses.) he will also be a brawling swordmaster (samurai).This training is from the cult/monastery where he grew up. the character will be a character that follows his passions. CG
Eyes in the Dark – You’re used to operating in the back alleyways and moonlit landscapes of Nidal. Whether as a former agent for the Umbral Court who fell out of favor, or just someone who found the light and now rejects the ruling class of your homeland, you look for ways to put those talents to use in helping the downtrodden. You gain one of the following special abilities: low-light vision, a reduction of your miss chance for concealment or total concealment due to either mundane or magical darkness by 10%, or a +1 trait bonus on Perception skill checks and Perception is always a class skill for you. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks.
Hinyasi- (brawler) 4 /Brawling swordmaster (samurai) 4
Vow of cleanliness
Vow of truth-
Vow of Celibacy-
Vow of fasting-
Vow of poverty until recently- (few items-)
a simple set of clothing (black with gold scrollwork magical armored coat), a pair of sandals or shoes (he doesnt wear shoes, a rice hat instead ; magical), a bowl, a sack (magical), a blanket (instead cloak with hood), and any one other item (magical katana) no money.
...do you think an investigator trained by the University of Lepidstadt would work for this game?....or if I should turn more toward something more directly related to Nidal (e.g., a former Umbral Court agent who's left that position because he realized how bad things are, or something along those lines).The latter would be more appropriate for this game. But the former could work, as long as you've got a plausible reason as to why he would have befriended the horselords of the Atteran Ranches in northern Nidal.
While I can think of potential explanations, it sounds like more direct ties to Nidal would be better. With that in mind, a new concept and question arises: would a Nidalese elf of some kind work? From what I could find looking around online, there isn't any information one way or the other on whether there are elves native to the area, but it makes sense that there at least could be--potentially even arcing back to the Age of Darkness, if some elves left behind were to join in on the pact with Zon-Kuthon. If so, I imagine they'd have a sufficiently odd look to them, and possibly some shadowy/darkness-themed traits (possibly modeled using Darkland Ancestry, or just alternate racial traits). Again, though, just wanted to check on your thoughts before investing too far. I could easily go with a regular old Nidalese human, or a half-elf, or maybe a tiefling (I seem to recall them having potentially okay standing in Nidal).
...I decided on a fallen monk (really a brawler, (hinyasi)) that joined the umbral court only later to find out it was a cult.
The hinyasi archetype isn't really the most thematically appropriate character concept for this game. Sorry. Applicants should really look for something more in tune with the Inner Sea nations closer to Nidal.
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Have a human vanilla fighter in the works.
Classic shield and sword frontline, with a legionnaire themed feat set.
Varisian, "retired" Nirmathi soldier who's out adventuring with his niece and their group (niece is an up-and-coming cleric of Desna) when BAD STUFF happens, leading him to Nidal.
More details to follow, but that's the elevator pitch.
Dotting for interest...need to have a strong pull so reading about the adventure. Thanks for posting the opportunity, being a GM is always a considerable commitment.
I'm looking at playing a human with the Horselord Ancestry background trait - classwise would be (if you allow) a reflavored Samurai with the Yojimbo archetype (and using the Order of the Guard) - essentially trades away the mount for a more guardian role. The character would be a disgraced Kellid who has taken to working as a bodyguard for hire, looking to earn back his place in his clan and his right to ride.I think the mechanics of the archetype and cavalier order are fine, so long as you leave out the samurai trappings and just fully reskin him as a Kellid horselord.
Ok, thanks for the heads up. I'll drop the eastern weapon proficiencies also - pretty sure the Kellids don't have katana, naginata and wakizashi analogs...