That is weird. It came out a year after the ARG, so Kobolds of Golarion might be the better source, but then again, maybe 140 years is less a potential PC age and more a rare exception for the GM's use. Anyways, I'm rethinking the kobold, so it's unlikely to come up even if our PCs are playing through a decades-long journey. :P
@ Aganhei GM - I saw you made comments and thoughts on a bunch of characters. Were there any that you had for ol' Baradim here?
I think I'll reflavor Kinfen slightly—from an exiled kobold princess to either a gnome struggling with the Bleaching who's lost the ability to see colors (not a Bleachling, yet, but potentially heading in that direction) or a human wizardess whose experimentations led in some way to her current totally color-blind state. I'll try to work out more tomorrow, but for now I'm moving away from the kobold angle. A lot will remain unchanged. Still a pigment-based wizard, still a cranky weirdo haunting the Rusty Dragon, still very lonely and self-isolated.
@ Aganhei GM - I saw you made comments and thoughts on a bunch of characters. Were there any that you had for ol' Baradim here?
Aw, crap. Sorry, I'll get something together later today.
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Oh, gosh, this character slipped past me because she appeared right before page 2! I do want to stress, for the sake of the three of us (I think, including Hana, Cutter and Omoikane) who are taking Childhood Crush (Ameiko), that Cutter's crush is intentionally written so that it can be safely set aside if need be. I mean, I'm a huge sucker for drama, but I can get that from a doomed infatuation just as much as a love triangle. Considering Omoikane's age compared to Ameiko, maybe Cutter will get to bond with the kid over that, if we both make it in. :P
Don't you worry, Rosemary. If we do both end up getting selected for the game I'm sure we'll be able to come to some kind of mutual understanding even if you don't set aside the crush or decide to downplay it. Wouldn't be the first time that two people pined over someone. Like you said, its a perfect opportunity for interpersonal drama that is minor enough that it won't actually harm the party but is still interesting to roleplay.
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Baradim Walks-the-Earth: Good on you for researching Irori’s name in Tian Xia - I didn’t even know about it, and I’ve been doing research on the Dragon Empires. xD I can think of a few ways to include Baradim’s mentor’s legacy in the AP, especially once the party leaves Varisia - maybe he traveled the Path of Aganhei, and others might have learned from him. Anyways, other than that, it works for me!
Sara: I approve of the Chosen One archetype - it’s just fun! xD Beyond that, tell me a bit more about her past. When did she meet Miu? How? Has she always had an affinity for justice and/or art? When/how did she meet Ameiko, and is her ancestry somehow related to the Kaijitsus arrival in Varisia? Stuff like that.
HIrabashi Yuto: Oh, hey, you play Delendir? I’ve been lurking on that thread for awhile. xD Anyways, focusing on this game… Hm. Madame Mvashti knowing more about Minkai than Yuto, I can accept, but I think I’d rather she give him a manual or something for the training in the samurai ways - just ‘cause it seems to feel more natural to me, y’know? Other than that, I think it’s good!
If I missed anyone else, let me know!
HIrabashi Yuto: Oh, hey, you play Delendir? I’ve been lurking on that thread for awhile. xD Anyways, focusing on this game… Hm. Madame Mvashti knowing more about Minkai than Yuto, I can accept, but I think I’d rather she give him a manual or something for the training in the samurai ways - just ‘cause it seems to feel more natural to me, y’know? Other than that, I think it’s good!
It was not properly reflected in the text, because I wanted to keep it short, but my thought was exactly that! She kept his parents belongings and gave him by parts. She gave him all the books about chivalry and samurais, and he consumed them avidly trying to understand who was his father from those books. As such he has an idealized idea of what being a samurai is (some kind of Don Quixote but without the madness).
I have added a sentence to clarify Mvashti taught him providing him with appropriate books.
Well, I was honestly planning on making this character from Tian Xia, like a good, cooperative player, and then I got a whole bunch of ideas with this avatar and the fact that in Swahili, "Nzi" means both "housefly" and "I know".
So meet Bluebottle, as the patrons of the Rusty Dragon would know her, a human Mwangi native who left home at 15 after her magical experimentations backfired tragically. She either joined a caravan or a merchant ship, and so could ostensibly blend in not only with one of the "traveling" NPCs, but one of the PCs with a traveling past. I like PCs with intertwined backstories.
Bluebottle is something of a mix of Rosemary and Kinfen—she has Cutter's remorse, but Kinfen's arrogance and obsession with pigments (which, as a result of the calamity, she is losing the ability to see). I might make her a tiefling. Her backstory won't change much either way; the river/coastal tribe she was in was Bekyar, and prayed to Dagon, so tieflings probably weren't that big a deal. Her peers named her "Nzi" for her know-it-all behavior as well as to compare her to a pest, so she wasn't super liked even before the magical incident. Leaving was her own choice, though.
Bluebottle arrived at the Rusty Dragon and took to haunting the tavern. She's actually very similar to Kinfen in most regards except that she does have genuine guilt over past mistakes. She wants to travel both to be of help and to continue her explorations into pigments while she still has access to them.
Also, while she "worships" Dagon, it's more of an appeasement sort of deal. Bluebottle's grown rather fond of Desna and Shelyn, which she claims are just Varisian corruptions of spirits worshiped back home by non-Bekyar tribes anyways. That might just be because she never willingly admits to not knowing something, though.
For traits, I'm still probably going to have Bluebottle have a crush on one of the NPCs because I just really enjoy those kinds of stories, but I don't know if that will be her most important relationship this time. I need to feel out this character a little more. She's painting a Harrow deck for Koya, so her biggest relationship might be that friendship, or a close friendship with Sandru if he's the person she rode along with to reach Sandpoint.
Looks alright - I'll get into more detail later.
Oh, gosh, this character slipped past me because she appeared right before page 2! I do want to stress, for the sake of the three of us (I think, including Hana, Cutter and Omoikane) who are taking Childhood Crush (Ameiko), that Cutter's crush is intentionally written so that it can be safely set aside if need be. I mean, I'm a huge sucker for drama, but I can get that from a doomed infatuation just as much as a love triangle. Considering Omoikane's age compared to Ameiko, maybe Cutter will get to bond with the kid over that, if we both make it in. :PDon't you worry, Rosemary. If we do both end up getting selected for the game I'm sure we'll be able to come to some kind of mutual understanding even if you don't set aside the crush or decide to downplay it. Wouldn't be the first time that two people pined over someone. Like you said, its a perfect opportunity for interpersonal drama that is minor enough that it won't actually harm the party but is still interesting to roleplay.
Oh, I 100% agree, that's honestly my best-case scenario, but I didn't want to make people feel like they have to roleplay a love triangle if they just wanted a cute romance with the bard, so it's good to have options! :P
Hi GM! It's Archlich here with my oozemorph. I'm still working on the character, but I have the background already in this profile and will be adding more details over the next few days. Sorry it took me so long - I like focusing on building the story and fluff a lot before doing anything else. I hope you enjoy it - even though I might still tinker and improve some details.
No worries on the lateness, Archlich - there's still five days left. I do have an immediate question, though - given the backstory, why is Horami a kitsune and not a human?
Thanks GM! He is actually written as a Kitsune on the background too. I think it fits charmingly with the eastern origins, and explains why someone so young would already be talented enough to teach Shodo.
Biggest reason, however, is mechanic. If I didn’t build him as a shapeshifter from the base race standpoint, it would mean that he’d look human only one hour per day at first level, and the rest of the time would be a puddle of ink. Honestly, it wouldn’t fit the concept for Ameiko to have a brother with her that she (and everybody) only sees one hour per day.
The concept I want to go for is similar to the “ghost of ink” thing, a kama of sorts that manifests out of the ink and can take many faces. I will enrich more the profile to include behavior, appearance and things like navigation (maybe through the sewers?) but you got the point.
Between us, I have to start crunching numbers to see if I can also get him to be somewhat useful to the party mechanically; I played a non-shapeshifter oozemorph before and it was a struggle on the first 4 levels. No one wants to play a hindrance to the party, if you know what I mean :)
Indeed!
If we're in the same party, Archlich, Bluebottle's paint-based buffing spells will be really fun to flavor towards Horami.
As a sidenote, I'm going with Arcanist. I realized I really want to try the arcanist out. Out of curiosity, does tieflings' "Fiendish Sorcery" ability apply to arcanists? It won't change my decision, but it sure would make that 13 Charisma less of a burden.
Sara took another mouthful of Ameiko's spicy noodles as she perched on the bar stool in the Rusty Dragon. After consideration she replied, "I used to hang out with the other kids in the cathedral grounds when I was growing up, I guess you could say I was something of a peacemaker. Anyway this one time one of the boys Marko got into a fight with Everett over stealing his girl. Marko frankly had it coming but Everett had a funny look in his eye and pulled a knife. This wasn't like him at all, he was a quiet lad I knew from art class. Something welled up inside me, I wasn't having any of that! I marched in between them and gave Everett what for, telling him that he was a fool to throw his life away over a flirt like Clara. I guess I must have got through to him because he dropped the knife and stormed off."
"I was still shaking as I went home and I stopped off outside Cracked-tooth's tavern to pet the ally cats, their antics always calmed me down. Anyway there was a black and white tom I'd never seen before, he took a shine to me and followed me home. I wasn't sure about this at first and carried him back but he was awfully persistent besides he has the cutest Meow hence the name."
"Art classes in Sandpoint?! Why yes the town has hidden depths! When I was little Father worked several jobs including as a handy man for Lonjiku and I'd often play with Ameiko while he fixed this or that in their house. From an early age I longed to learn how to paint and on my thirteenth birthday Father arranged for me to join an art class. I'm not sure how he afforded it but anyway there I was sitting next to Ameiko Kaijitsu as we learned to paint a still life, chatting away as if we were the best of friends."
"Was my families arrival in Sandpoint related to the Kaijitsu's? Do you know I don't think I've ever thought about that before. I know Grandfather didn't grow up in Sandpoint but neither he nor my Father ever spoke about it, isn't that odd!"
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Incidentally, if chosen, Seishin can serve as the party's psychiatrist.
How many of THOSE have you seen in Pathfinder? :)
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On the one hand, I feel like I have yet to meet a PC who doesn't need one.
On the other hand, I feel like I have yet to meet a PC who would admit they need one. :P
As a sidenote, I'm going with Arcanist. I realized I really want to try the arcanist out. Out of curiosity, does tieflings' "Fiendish Sorcery" ability apply to arcanists? It won't change my decision, but it sure would make that 13 Charisma less of a burden.
Hmm. Looking at what the arcanists get from Charisma, it doesn't seem like there's much other than exploits? I'm leaning towards "no."
That said, if you take the blood arcanist archetype and go with one of the Infernal/Abyssal/Daemon/Oni/Div/Rakshasa bloodlines that is appropriate to your fiendish heritage, I'd allow it to apply to those powers.
So, uh... generally, no, but for that specific circumstance, yes.
Fang Dragon
Looks good to me.
Yeah, the main thing is exploits (which are, in fairness, the class's main "fun thing" aside from spells) and Consume Spells, my way of recharging the Reservoir. I'll just avoid picking exploits that rely on saves or per-day effects. Honestly, I'd feel kind of silly going to test out this exciting new class and then replacing all my class features for those of one I've already played. :P
I think it's fair, to be clear, it's just a hurdle for going tiefling. The stock fiendlooded tiefling makes sense for her. If rakshasa- or daemon-spawn tieflings are allowed, though, I'd think about that. Maybe I'll consider taking Fiendish Heritage if either of those bloodlines could fit the campaign well.
For future reference, they are allowed, but yes, general tieflings are just as good.
@GM: Would VMC be okay? I'm considering getting VMC Rogue to work as the trapfinder for the party. If not, that's alright.
I think that should be fine, honestly. I'm not super familiar with it, but a quick glance at it makes me think it's not overly unbalancing or disruptive.
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I think Sensen's trying to warn us not to all submit martial characters because if they have to pick between twenty martial characters and two spellcasting characters, they won't really get to exercise much choice in assembling a third of the party. It's for their benefit and for ours—easier to compete with the two spellcasters than the twenty paladins, after all!
Unfortunately, that does lead to awkward scenarios where we're trying to second-guess our submissions to contribute what there's more "demand" for. It's an imperfect science. But we had, like, two casters and eight martial characters the other day (including a paladin of Shelyn, a Chosen One paladin, and a Chosen One paladin of Shelyn). It was getting pretty obvious that the GM was not being given a full range of options to choose from.
Everyone wants the glory of being a martial class, but no one really wants to be the one who keeps said martial classes in the fight...
Honestly, I'm surprised everyone seems to prefer martial classes. I thought it was the other way around—I just like playing the sword-swinging oaf who gets between the monster and the superpowered mages so the real superstars can work the wonders.
Yep. 'Cause neither the Ninja nor the Rogue are likely to get selected, right?
Could we please wait to try to fill in party capability holes until we know who is actually in the party?
Honestly, I don’t create my characters thinking on who might or not be selected to the party. I just build thinking on being the most useful within my limitations - which in this character’s case, are many. I’m very happy with its flavor, now just trying to make it work from other angles.
My thing is that usually I use the rest of the party as a prompt for character creation, since otherwise it's hard to choose between all the options PF gives me. You can't do that in a PbP Recruitment thread like this one. You just gotta shoot for the concept that you think would be a good fit in the campaign and would be fun to play and hope for the best.
Speaking of which, we're getting a bit off-topic. I'm still struggling between human and tiefling, but I do know Bluebottle's crush will be on Shalelu. I think her -2 Wisdom means she's no good at gathering the arcane reagents and pigment supplies on her own, and she doesn't like venturing out into the great outdoors if she can help it (little does she know...) so she spends a lot of time getting Shalelu to bring things back for her, Princess Buttercup "farmboy, fetch me that pitcher"-style. I don't know if Shalelu knows about Bluebottle's feelings, but Bluebottle sure doesn't. -2 Wisdom.
Mehta, martial classes generally suck imo, just can't get into them very often.
Give me finger wigglers any day.
Calder served for two years as a Karls guard for Sveinn Blood-eagle. Leaving when his enlistment was up as staying in one place didn't suit his nature.
He liked working on a ship, even if it was just a trader and not the famous dragonships of the Ulfen. But decided he wanted to see more of the lands he could walk across.
His childhood in Kalsgard was happy. His father and mother were alive and he soaked up his Nana's tales of the exotic east with wide eyes.
The closest he would have to an enemy is his cousin Marni Tolsdottor. Two years older than him and convinced that meant she was in charge when they were together. Though she has a mean right hook Calder tended to win their fights as she didn't like getting messy.
Since the incident when her hair (her pride & joy) mysteriously turned pink after she washed it in preparation for her first big date; things have been very frosty between them.
Marni is now a Cleric of Desna in Kalsgard and will probably greet Calder with a right hook if they meet.
A minor question: Would Sandru ever have gone through Garund, or is it likely that Bluebottle joined him once she was on the northern continent?
I added a tentative crunch plus some more details on the profile, including other shapes he can shift into (for reference).
A minor question: Would Sandru ever have gone through Garund, or is it likely that Bluebottle joined him once she was on the northern continent?
Sandru's mostly spent time in Varisia, with a few journeys across the Mindspin Mountains into Nirmithas. So the latter seems more likely to me.
Updated character sheet with more up-to date information and some re-arranged languages that I felt fit in more with Riftun's Ulfen upbringing (pending DM approval of course)~
Male human bard (archivist) 1
NG medium humanoid (human)
Init +8; Senses Perception -2
Favored Class (Bard)
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 4 (+4 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 9 (1d8+1)
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +0
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee unarmed -2 (1d4 - 2)
Special Attacks bardic performance (9/day)
Spells (CL 1; concentration +8):
1st (2/day)—timely inspiration, saving finale
0 (at will)—detect magic, prestidigitation, light, mending, mage hand
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Statistics
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Str 7, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 16, Wis 7, Cha 20
Base Atk +0; CMB -2;CMD 10
Feats Combat Advice, Improved Initiative
Traits Hero Worship (Ameiko), Reactionary
Skills
knowledge (arcana) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (dungeoneering) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (geography) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (history) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (local) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (nature) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (planes) +7=+3+1+3
knowledge (religion) +7=+3+1+3
diplomacy +9=+5+1+3
disable device +3=+2+1
spellcraft +7=+3+1+3
Background Skills
knowledge (nobility) +7=+3+1+3
preform (oratory) +9=+5+1+3
Languages common, draconic, minkaian, skald, sylvan
SQ cantrips
Combat Gear chain shirt, Other Gear waterskin, bedroll, trail rations x4, masterwork backpack
Misc book, ink, quill, 18gp 7sp
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Special Abilities
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Bonus Feat: Humans select one extra feat at 1st level.
Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
Bardic Performance: (9/day)
Naturalist (Ex): An archivist who has identified a creature with a Knowledge check appropriate to its type can use performance to share strategies for defeating it with allies in combat. The archivist and any allies within 30 feet gain a +1 insight bonus to AC and on attack rolls and saving throws against extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities used by creatures of that specific kind of monster (e.g., frost giants, not all giants or all humanoids). This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level and every six levels thereafter. This language-dependent ability requires visual and audible components.
Despite his slender frame and lack of what one might call "traditionally manly" features Riftun is rather handsome, in a certain light under his shockingly messy red hair and all of the ink stains covering his hands, cheeks, and brow. His smile is even said to light up a room whenever Ameiko or one of the regulars at the Rusty Dragon can get him to crack one with a smart joke or clever retort. This is further complimented by his deep blue eyes, almost sapphire-like in the way they sparkle when he laughs, and peculiarly a few streaks of red running through them (though he always insists people are imagining it when they remark on the strangeness of it).
He doesn't wear much in the way of jewelry though he does have a small blue ball piercing in each ear and his hair has been braided (by Ameiko) on the right side of his head, grown a little past his shoulder, much longer the rest of his hair.
As for clothes, he often wears white robes with a fancy green trim on them (often covered in ink stains as well) and is always found carrying his favorite leather backpack, stuffed with books, papers, inks, and quills.
Riftun is a kind soul, always going out of his way to help others when he can, no thanks required or expected. He's never able to put into words why he is like this exactly, it seems to be something that has simply always been an integral part of his personality. His shyness and self-defeating attitude he says, when pressed, comes from his parents having constantly told him that he had nothing to say worth hearing and that he was an embarrassment to the family to the point where they eventually refused to let him out of the house for fear of causing further embarrassment. Because of this he is hesitant to speak, because he believes no one wants to hear what he has to say and he refuses to aknowldge himself as a person with value which is perhaps why he has never pursued romance or noticed any time someone has attempted to flirt with him. He simply isn't worthy of their time after all.
Being locked away for so long did have its benifits though! Riftun was able to spend many long hours studying massive texts and scriptures, gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of the world just outside the walls he would never be able to see. He particularly enjoyed, however, works of fiction and heroic retellings of tales of chivalrous knights, dangerous beasts, and fair maidens awaiting rescue (though he often lamented that is was never fair men awaiting rescue by a bold hero). To this end, he began writing himself, making fanciful tales of adventure and romance though they never featured himself as a character, he was unworthy of such things. Secretly, he sometimes wishes he could follow a daring band of adventures on their quest, recording their great deeds with only a tasteful amount of embellishment though only Ameiko knows of this hidden yearning.
As for his fearful nature, or cowardice as some other might put it? He refuses to talk about it, even to Ameiko, though she suspects it may have something to do with his hesitance around other women, and the scars that cover the young man's body underneath his robes.
"Look for Ameiko Kaijitsu." They said.
"If you're looking for a piece of Sandpoint culture that's the place to start."
He and Ameiko became fast friends after an, admittedly rough, initial meeting. She was able to break through his shyness and hesitation and bring out some joy in the young man. And he was always eager to listen to her tales of daring adventure and funny pub stories and, most importantly, lent an unjudging ear towards her sorrows and frustrations. Always there with a soft smile and a kind word when she couldn't give those things to herself.
She also noticed that Riftun had actual talent as a bard despite all appearances to the contrary because she knew that, behind closed doors, when he began retelling one of his stories of heroes and adventure the wall of shyness and apprehension would fall away and he would speak so boldly and full of excitement. It was impossible not to get drawn in yourself. He even did the voices! And so, like any true friend, she pushed him to get outside of his bubble and began giving him some stage instructions in private as well as making him go up on stage every now and again at the Inn to tell harrowing stories to an awestruck host of customers who couldn't believe the transformation of the timid young man they had grown to know and the bold fellow that stood before them on the stage. It helped bring in customers when things were slow, she reasoned with him. Besides the way he smiled when he was up on that stage really brightened the place up.
Ever since his arrival at Sandpoint two years ago Riftun has stayed at the Rusty Dragon Inn. What coin he had long since ran out but Ameiko was happy for him to stay rent free, as she often did with friends. Riftun insisted that he pay her back in return however so for the past year and a half Riftun has been a fixture in Sandpoint as dishwasher, barmaid, and occassional preformer at the Rusty Dragon Inn.
Little do they know, his bags have been packed for the past four months. He knows it's long past time to leave but every time he thinks to tell his dear friend it's time for him to leave his heart sinks.
"Just one more day." He tells himself while shooting nervous glances every time a customer walks through the door.
"Just one more day."
Ya'll have some fantastic characters by the way! Competition is looking fierce ;D
Wow I didn't actually look at what else had been submitted until now and I'm quite surprised how many similar concepts there are. I'm used to seeing more full casters!
Yes, we currently have 3 full casters (one divine, two arcane)... and two paladins, a ranger, and a bard.
But there's still time before submissions close, so I'm hopeful to see more variety!
Even if it does mean that I'll have a terrible time choosing just four of you all.
Ya'll have some fantastic characters by the way! Competition is looking fierce ;D
Pretty much this. On one hand, thank you all so much for your interest! On the other... for crying out loud this is gonna be a tough choice. Again.
Coming in a bit late, but I wanted to express my interest. I'm thinking an Oracle (Psychic Searcher) with the Lore Mystery and the Possessed Curse.
Elevator speech concept is that she'll be Ameiko's younger sister who's been been possessed by their father's spirit ever since his death. I'll be working on the full build/backstory over the next couple days.
Sounds reasonable!
A minor question: Would Sandru ever have gone through Garund, or is it likely that Bluebottle joined him once she was on the northern continent?Sandru's mostly spent time in Varisia, with a few journeys across the Mindspin Mountains into Nirmithas. So the latter seems more likely to me.
Perfect; I'll get Bluebottle written up properly today or tomorrow.
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Seeing all the amazing applications made me dust off and rework this character, which was made specifically for Jade Regent. She is a kineticist and a very atypical dwarf, Sandpoint native and connected to both Shalelu and Ameiko.
The List, once more.
Seishin of the Wheel, samsaran cleric of Tsukiyo, by Dragoncat
Ting Ting Ting, tengu slayer, by Robert Henry
Illir Olcana, half-elf paladin (hospitaler) of Shelyn, by Stratos
Beastbrother, human cavalier (hussar), by Simeon
Scera, human Void wizard, by Drogeney
Calder Morsson, human ranger, by DBH
Baradim Walks-The-Earth, half-orc unchained monk (perfect scholar), by KingHotTrash
Hana Tenko, kitsune ninja, by Delightful
Omoikane Pulcher, human unchained rogue (scout), by hustonj
Riftun, human bard (archivist), by Rackal28
Sara, human paladin (Chosen One) of Shelyn, by FangDragon
Hirabashi Yuto, human samurai (yojimbo), by Balacertar
Bluebottle, tiefling arcanist, by Kobold Cleaver
Akatsu Harami, kitsune shifter (oozemorph)/rogue VMC, by Archlich
Torra Voliokerdam, dwarf geokineticist, by KittenmancerInterest Expressed:
nightdeath, with a dwarven monk or phalanx warrior fighter
Cuán with a half-elf Fighter into Ironbound Sword Samurai
Camis
Fighting Chicken with a druid?
ClearSpring with a Psychic Searcher Oracle Kaijitsu
I'm keeping it up to date, so I can share it when people are still thinking about their submissions.
Nooo, don't tempt me. I wanted a smaller group this time! I promised myself I would!
... Well, we'll see what happens. I won't promise anything, though.
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Some interesting conversations about peoples preferences on character types and classes. Me? I want to play the characters if find fun and interesting. Though I do understand the desire to have a 'balanced' party.
I can recall certain infamous party of only front-liners :)
Nooo, don't tempt me. I wanted a smaller group this time! I promised myself I would!
... Well, we'll see what happens. I won't promise anything, though.
My recommendation is always to start with a bloated party unless you have a high confidence the four players will not only stick but keep engaged with the game after 4 or more years. It is normal for 2 or more characters to fall (or worst, keep going but rarely contributing to the campaign development) during the first three months as they discover they had not as much free bandwidth as they hoped for, or they find out the group playing style does not fit with them or the campaign theme is not what they expected and they lose interest. You can recruit afterwards, but truth is original characters are easier to keep involved with the plot and to experience character growth engagement.
Opinions and experiences would vary, but I prefer to have a tempestuous start with 7 characters giving opportunities to people newer to the boards, than having a balanced 4 team with a good start that becomes tempestuous in the long run as replacements become not optional but required to keep going, and just a couple of the original characters maintain the "party implicit knowledge".
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I think Balacertar has a good point (and this is exactly what I saw in previous groups I had been in). However, 7 is a little too bloated. I feel 5 or 6 tops is the good spot (as you can still lose 1 person or 2 and work). When the parties are too bloated, you might end up losing people just because they don't want to be in a group that takes forever to move waiting for everybody (or most) to post.
Okay, here's Bluebottle, her flavor essentially finished! Her build should be essentially done by the deadline, or at least sketched out.
Bluebottle, Human Arcanist
All this meant that when her relentless and reckless experimentation went awry, killing her mentor, cursing her body, and releasing a terrible fiend upon the Mwangi, staying in the tribe wasn't an option. Waiting for a fair exile with the traditional pouch of food and walking stick wasn't an option. And because of how hated the Bandu were among the Mwangi Expanse, fleeing to a neighboring tribe was not an option. In fact, because the Bandu were the sworn enemies of the invading ex-colony Sargava, even Eleder was not an option.
At least, all of this is what was going through Nzi's head as she looked down at the body of her mentor. That the Bandu truly would have been so harsh with a 15-year old is, perhaps, unlikely. But Nzi didn't think so. She ransacked the wizard's home, stole all the food she could carry, took her master's own walking stick and fled into the night.
After a long and arduous journey, Nzi ultimately made it to an Osiriani port and took a ship to Magnimar. From there, she wandered, practicing her magic and using what she knew to survive the savage wilds of Avistan, until she encountered a friendly native: A man named Sandru who could tell, despite her brusque insistedces, that she was desperately lost.
Sandru persuaded Nzi to "let him travel with her a ways" as his caravan took her to the peaceful village of Sandpoint, and Nzi has basically inhabited the Rusty Dragon common room ever since. Since her arrival, Nzi has become quite the homebody, rarely venturing out except to seek materials for her "peculiar" magical techniques. To many visitors, she appears as much a fixture of the Rusty Dragon as the furniture. People call her "Bluebottle", both because of the true meaning of her name and the many colorful glass bottles she carries with her. She doesn't have a lot of friends, and claims to need no help, but as her curse continues to worsen, her studies only accelerate.
She's getting worried. Scared, really. But Nzi would sooner admit to killing Abadar himself than admit that she thinks she's in trouble.
- The identity of Nzi's distant fiendish ancestor (mainly flavor—she's human now) is unknown, as is the identity and current location of the fiend who was released. A shadow demon would make sense, but any fiend would do.
- Nzi traveled a lot before reaching Sandpoint, particularly through Garund, if we end up passing through that continent. If there's trouble a traveler could get into, she got into it. Nzi really didn't take laws very seriously as a kid.
- Nzi is looking for new materials to brew inks and paints out of, which she uses for spellcraft as well as art. She's especially eager to concoct a new shade of blue. Her paintcraft and magic studies are big motivators, and might even get her to go on a terrifying journey. After all, she hopes her magic can save her from her curse.
- Nzi is extremely loyal to the four NPCs, especially Sandru and, obviously, Shalelu.
Koya: Bluebottle considers Koya a friend, and likes learning about the Harrow. She's working on a Harrow deck as a present to Koya.
Ameiko: Bluebottle has occupied the Rusty Dragon longer than Ameiko has owned it, and though she and Ameiko don't talk much, I think they appreciate each other's presence as a constant in their turbulent lives. Bluebottle has noticed that bardic music helps a little with being able to see colors.
Shalelu: Bluebottle is head-over-heels for the elf, and has no idea. Shalelu probably doesn't know either.
Well, this is going to be interesting if both Seishin and Bluebottle are picked... considering we're both linked to Shalelu.
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Oh, yeah, I'm actually brainstorming in her profile right now about how she'd feel about other PCs (just for fun), and her feelings about Seishin would probably be very, "I just don't like him. Something about him seems fishy. He's all full of himself. No, it has nothing to do with him spending lots of time around Shalelu lately. What does that have to do with it? Quit talking nonsense.
"...and besides, they haven't been spending that much time together. She's just putting up with him, you can tell. You can tell."
EDIT: I finished, by the way, if anyone wants to read Bluebottle's take on their characters. Like I said, it's purely just-for-fun brainstorming, not necessarily the final form those takes will take. :P
I like the assessment of Beastbrother, and how it pretty well encapsulates the feeling I was aiming for with him!