We have much to discuss. :)
Hey Folks!
Newly remodeled, ready to go. Thanks again GM Allegro!
Welcome crusaders (and others)! I'd like us to talk about our characters' backgrounds and figure out any final tweaks to the mechanics based on the party. When we start in Gameplay, it will be the day before Armasse, so you can all post a setting-establishing scene or two and start to get into character. So, please, share your thoughts with each other about how you envision your characters working, and how they will interact with each other when they finally meet? Do your characters know anybody in Kenabres? What's your relationship with them like? How do you feel about the crusaders, or prominent faiths like the church of Iomedae?
Can you also put your stats into a status line and in a profile on Paizo? (I appreciate how myth-weavers calculates lots of stuff automatically, but I really hate using their site.)
As part of developing your backgrounds, I'm giving each of you an additional feat, but it must be something that is appropriate to your background in some way. It can't be a combat feat or a metamagic feat, and I'm going to be a little persnickety about allowing feats that aren't considered sub-par in optimization circles. :) This is a feat that is only good for establishing your place in Kenabres and the wider tapestry of the crusades against the Worldwound, so it's a great time to take a feat that isn't part of your build as you've already envisioned it. Don't just take Skill Focus, instead take something cool and evocative like Divine Defiance or Prodigy. If you feel stuck trying to think of something appropriate, maybe Additional Traits? That way you can grab a couple more story-heavy traits that don't describe your primary powers. :)
Hallo! I'm still working on Sabella, but updated her avatar as she's now an aasimar.
Is Cunning too bland? As an elf, I have had many decades to accumulate knowledge.
Amarilis lives on a nearby town with her master. She doesn't visit Kenabres that much, mostly because there is always the usual suspicion about Kellids, a remnant of the Third Crusade and its wild witch hunts. Also because of this, she isn't the greatest supporter of the more lawful deities behind the crusades, mostly Iomedae.
If one of you guys are locals or are used to venture outside of Kenabres, perhaps she has met you. Anyway, I'm not against her being a totally new face.
I've noticed that (so far) none of us can deal with traps. I'm mostly a martial with not great skills and 10 Int, so I don't feel I can cover it.
For the extra feat, would Toughness be appropriate? I want to create this notion of Amarilis being a really tough girl to bring down.
Is Cunning too bland?
Breadth of Experience is better, if that's your reasoning. :)
I already took that one before I knew we were getting a free feat. lol Might be something good in the Story feats. I don't think i've ever looked at those.
Amarilis lives on a nearby town with her master. She doesn't visit Kenabres that much, mostly because there is always the usual suspicion about Kellids, a remnant of the Third Crusade and its wild witch hunts.
Indeed, Kenabres has been particularly dangerous of late ever since a prominent leader in the Church of Iomedae, Lord Hulrun, began speaking out about the many suspected witches infesting the city. He's really stirred up a lot of anti-Sarkoris sentiment among the people and the crusaders, and it's probably created a very uncomfortable environment for Amarilis, at least when there aren't many people around and a pair of inquisitors comes upon her.
For the extra feat, would Toughness be appropriate? I want to create this notion of Amarilis being a really tough girl to bring down.
I don't think anyone will disagree that Amarilis is a really tough girl to bring down as you have her! But I feel like Toughness doesn't really tell us anything about her background, or develop some aspect of her that we don't already know. Her toughness is fueled by vengeance, which overwhelms the code of honor that her teacher tried to instill in her, right? What about something like the Vengeance story feat? It won't do anything right away, but once you know who was responsible for capturing her, it will make her tougher against that being and its minions?
I already took that one before I knew we were getting a free feat. lol Might be something good in the Story feats. I don't think i've ever looked at those.
It's a little cheesy, but if you take Cunning instead of Breadth of Experience, you can then take Breadth of Experience as your background feat...
That feels like cheating. How about Lost Legacy? My family was nobility in lost Sarkoris, you see, only fleeing to Mendev after the Worldwound opened. PF2 background stuff I've read suggests the Worldwound is reclaimed at some point (presumably this AP, though I don't know if it happens progressively or all at once at the end), so maybe during the AP I'll have a chance to take back my family's lost title.
How about Lost Legacy?
I can make that work, sure!
I don't think anyone will disagree that Amarilis is a really tough girl to bring down as you have her! But I feel like Toughness doesn't really tell us anything about her background, or develop some aspect of her that we don't already know. Her toughness is fueled by vengeance, which overwhelms the code of honor that her teacher tried to instill in her, right? What about something like the Vengeance story feat? It won't do anything right away, but once you know who was responsible for capturing her, it will make her tougher against that being and its minions?
Not against the Vengeance feat. Should I create this demon?
Sorry! Meant to check in earlier but I've been feeling like garbage since last night. Getting caught up now.
So, please, share your thoughts with each other about how you envision your characters working, and how they will interact with each other when they finally meet?
So, Lucian is built to be a fairly terrifying archer... starting next level. The class ability (Cunning Attacker) I need to make this build work isn't available until then. He's also got a lot of potential as a non-magical healer and can pick up some pretty potent debuffs and dispelling effects that will eventually blend with his archery. For now however, he's a healer with a nasty little debuff ability in his back pocket.
As for interacting with the others, Lucian definitely looks scarier than he really intends to (high intimidate, low diplomacy) and his personal priorities put making sure the people around him are safe and well-taken care of first and foremost.
Do your characters know anybody in Kenabres? What's your relationship with them like?
Lucian is a healer by trade, working hard to take care of those that fall through the cracks even in a city like Kenebres. He was a child of the streets himself and knows firsthand that plenty of people will not or cannot rely on the sundry churches for aid. His connections are mostly on this level as well, moving to provide care to others on their terms. He also works to address problems that the common holy healers can't or won't (OOC, things that cure light wounds can't address).
How do you feel about the crusaders, or prominent faiths like the church of Iomedae?
Lucian is, frankly, largely ambivalent to the gods and crusaders outside of the most practical considerations. If the faithful can help him save lives and ease suffering, then all the better. It is good when a sentient creature cares for another sentient creature. He is not about to fall on his knees and worship them for doing what he does day in and day out.
Privately, he keeps to a less hard line version of the Laws of Mortality but is smart enough to know that they are wildly unpopular amongst the faithful, so he does not talk about it.
As part of developing your backgrounds, I'm giving each of you an additional feat, but it must be something that is appropriate to your background in some way. It can't be a combat feat or a metamagic feat, and I'm going to be a little persnickety about allowing feats that aren't considered sub-par in optimization circles. :) This is a feat that is only good for establishing your place in Kenabres and the wider tapestry of the crusades against the Worldwound, so it's a great time to take a feat that isn't part of your build as you've already envisioned it. Don't just take Skill Focus, instead take something cool and evocative like Divine Defiance or Prodigy. If you feel stuck trying to think of something appropriate, maybe Additional Traits? That way you can grab a couple more story-heavy traits that don't describe your primary powers. :)
(Also, I find it wildly funny that our archer has the lowest dexterity and highest strength in the party)
I suppose I should answer the other questions, rather than just let my eyes glaze over at "free feat".
Welcome crusaders (and others)! I'd like us to talk about our characters' backgrounds and figure out any final tweaks to the mechanics based on the party. When we start in Gameplay, it will be the day before Armasse, so you can all post a setting-establishing scene or two and start to get into character. So, please, share your thoughts with each other about how you envision your characters working, and how they will interact with each other when they finally meet? Do your characters know anybody in Kenabres? What's your relationship with them like? How do you feel about the crusaders, or prominent faiths like the church of Iomedae?
Can you also put your stats into a status line and in a profile on Paizo? (I appreciate how myth-weavers calculates lots of stuff automatically, but I really hate using their site.)
Othniel was just a child when the Worldwound opened, and has spent almost all of his life in Mendev, so he surely knows a few people in Kenabres. He's been here for a century, after all. But his family (those that survived the opening of the Worldwound) were pretty much all Riftwardens, so if you don't have business dealing with arcane casters, you've probably never met him. Also he's an elf, and, well, I did take the condescending drawback. You poor mayflys, turning grey and decrepit before you've even seen a century. Sad. :) His closest relationship is with his uncle Aravashnial, who raised him after his parents died, the first Riftwardens to give their lives fighting the demons. He worships Nethys, because he's an arcane caster. Other deities are fine if you need what they do. Pray to Gozreh for good weather, Asmodeus if there's a contract to sign, Abadar for your investments to do well, whatever. The crusaders get a little zealous sometimes; the Third Crusade was bad business, but by and large they're a tolerable sort. They do come in handy fighting demons.
Othniel is a dex-fighter that can nova pretty hard with his (relatively few) spells. That'll be more true as the levels rise; right now I've got almost no spell slots, and I probably won't get dex to damage until I can take Mythic Weapon Finesse. But in time, he'll be all flashing steel and magical energy, cutting through bad guys before the rest of you even draw your swords. Seriously, Kensai initiatives can get ridiculous. Think of him as an expert duelist with a bit of magic and a few skills, and you'll have it pretty much right.
Not against the Vengeance feat. Should I create this demon?
Sure, if you like. For story reasons, this demon should serve Baphomet, but Amarilis won't know that until she finds and confronts it.
How does this one sound?
That seems like a good choice to me!
Cool, I'll add it to my sheets
I'm looking at maybe taking the Demonblight Resistance trait. Couple of questions however:
1) Would it protect against disease inflicted by a demon itself?
2) Are there actually enough demons in Wrath to actually warrant taking the trait? I'd rather not waste the slot if it's not gonna be overly useful.
I'm looking at maybe taking the Demonblight Resistance trait. Couple of questions however:
1) Would it protect against disease inflicted by a demon itself?
I am hard-pressed to think of any situations where a demon inflicts a disease on you and you aren't fighting it or within 100 feet of it. :)
2) Are there actually enough demons in Wrath to actually warrant taking the trait? I'd rather not waste the slot if it's not gonna be overly useful.
I mean, Wrath is the demon adventure path. There are a TON of demons in it, more than in any other adventure path.
I'm sorry for the delay in starting-- there's a problem with the gameplay thread that I'm hoping Paizo can fix tomorrow.
How many Kenebres locals have we got kicking around in this party?
Sabella is originally from Westcrown, but her family eventually moved to Kenebres.
Othniel moved there when his family had to flee Sarkoris, back when he was just a wee little elf. He's been there for a century or so now.
I need to pick my normal level one feat, and add in my class features and gear, but otherwise Sabella is done. I also need to decide if I'm going to actually take any oaths, and if so, what boons she has as well.
Currently thinking I might take Scholar(arcane and planes) as her feat to really solidify her planar expertise. Maybe one of her parents is a graduate of the Acadamae of Korvosa, and has passed on some of their knowledge...
Precise shot is a good choice if you plan to throw around a lot of ranged touch attacks.
Apparently I screwed the Gameplay thread up by posting something and then deleting it. I still haven't heard back from Paizo's tech support, so I may have to create a new campaign. :/
Weird. Granted, this site is held together with shoelaces and chewing gum so we really shouldn't be all that surprised.
Pretty sure we can survive opening a new game.
Apparently I screwed the Gameplay thread up by posting something and then deleting it. I still haven't heard back from Paizo's tech support, so I may have to create a new campaign. :/
I know they are planning and working on a new site, but it's going to take some time for them to fully implement that.
I would just create a brand new campaign, link it here, and not worry too much about trying to fix something that might take far too long.
Here's the new Gameplay link: https://paizo.com/campaigns/v5748p75j3t8d/gameplay.
Would it be alright to read the gazetteer of Kenabres in the first part of the AP, so we can have better knowledge of the city?
Sure. I doubt any of you have completely avoided spoilers.
@Othniel: Do you feel you could cover Disable Device? You seem to have both a lot of skill points and high Dexterity. If you can't, I'll try to cover it myself.
Apologies for not getting a post up yet. I was trying to find my copy of part one of the AP, which I had packed away, so I could read up on Kenabres. It wasn't until a little later that I realized I had PDFs of the whole AP due to my AP subscription! LOL
Anyways, I've settled on my first level feat: Noble Scion of House Arvanxi . I've kinda randomly fallen 'in love' with the house, and have 5(including Sabella) PCs who all belong to Arvanxi.
GM, would it be okay for us to know any of the named NPCs from the first book?
Also, I was thinking that Sabella's mom, Vespexion, could be a priestess of Iomedae for a small chapel in the Gate District? I figured there would probably be something smaller for the locals who can't(or don't want to) make their way to the big main temple. Is that alright?
@Othniel: Do you feel you could cover Disable Device? You seem to have both a lot of skill points and high Dexterity. If you can't, I'll try to cover it myself.
Well, I’m not a Rogue, so I wouldn’t be able to disarm magical traps without a class dip. Unless we could convince our beloved, extraordinary, powerful, illustrious GM to let me take Trap Finder, despite it being a campaign trait from a different AP. (In which case, I’d be totally fine with switching my bonus background feat to Additional Traits to pick that up.)
GM, would it be okay for us to know any of the named NPCs from the first book?
That kind of depends on who it is, but in general I'm very open to you having relationships with important characters in the overall story, as well as other characters that are important to your own. Othniel has already staked a claim for Aravashnial, for example. But I might balk if you want to be best friends with the queen! ;)
(I can't really talk, of course, because when I played through the adventure path, my character was the queen's nephew by her younger sister, several generations removed.)
Also, I was thinking that Sabella's mom, Vespexion, could be a priestess of Iomedae for a small chapel in the Gate District? I figured there would probably be something smaller for the locals who can't(or don't want to) make their way to the big main temple. Is that alright?
Definitely. The political situation in Kenabres's Church of Iomedae is kind of complicated, because Hulrun has established several informal inquisitions since the last Crusade petered out that have begun rooting through the city in search of witches and others working with the demons, and although they are part of the church the leaders of those groups are generally more lawful than good. So a smaller satellite temple might face more scrutiny by zealots seeking to purify the faith, but also more worshipers seeking sanctuary from persecution.
Unless we could convince our beloved, extraordinary, powerful, illustrious GM to let me take Trap Finder, despite it being a campaign trait from a different AP. (In which case, I’d be totally fine with switching my bonus background feat to Additional Traits to pick that up.)
While I appreciate you wanting to accommodate each other's builds and cover perceived weaknesses, I'm reluctant to bring traits from other adventure paths into this one.
Semi-important question, does anyone have the light spell?
I got us covered! In more ways than one!
I'll get a post up shortly.
Good! I've only got these fallible human eyes.
Also, I have an Ioun Torch.
Going to give Amarilis a bit longer to weigh in before I respond.
I've added the map to the campaign heading. Would any of the players be willing to track loot for the group? I'll put a link to whatever spreadsheet you're using there.
To be clear, the current concerns in the scene are:
-Man with scratched arm
-Buried person with broken leg
-Elf in fetal position
-Whatever is chewing on the spider
-Regenerating quasits
I think the scales are more or less fully addressed. Might be a good idea to collect a few of them though.
A few questions for our lovely GM, before I reply:
I had made a Planes check, but then you made one as well. Do you generally prefer to make such rolls? I'm cool either way, but wanna make sure I know what's up.
Am I allowed 3 questions total or three for the cambions and 3 for the quasits?
Should I(you) make a separate Planes check to determine the abilities and weakness of the quasists?
I had made a Planes check, but then you made one as well. Do you generally prefer to make such rolls? I'm cool either way, but wanna make sure I know what's up.
You can make them-- but I needed two rolls, one for the cambions and one for the quasits. :) Since you did one, I rolled the other for you.
Am I allowed 3 questions total or three for the cambions and 3 for the quasits?
Three for each.
Should I(you) make a separate Planes check to determine the abilities and weakness of the quasists?
Yes, but I already did it for you.
Sorry, I didn't make it clear in my post, I was going to use an alchemy sphere salve on Aravashnial to heal . I don't expect it to restore his sight or anything, but the healing should at least reduce the pain he is in and make him less delicate if things go wrong.
I could not edit the document, but I'm adding painstaking notes to my post until I get permission.