Ok, so I had a concept for a duskwalker Champion of Pharasma and had to reimagine his backstory as the background I wanted to give him is rare and not currently available. That said, I decided he was found in a graveyard by a Pharasmin priest at the apparent age of 14 on the eve after Tar Baphon's escape from Gloomspire. The priest saw this as a sign and took the boy in, naming him Angheles Mors, the Pallid Lady's Angel of Death, and over the next 6 years, they traveled to various shrines and private homes of Her faithful so the boy could be trained in Her history and precepts, as well as the art of combat.
Now, with this new backstory, I have a couple ideas for his background:
Pilgrim works as he spent years traveling with his mentor to learn what he needed to become who he is today, but it doesn't quite fit what I envision.
I was going to have him hail from Geb and someone suggested Quick, but I don't see that as an option in Archives of Nethys so not sure if it is available.
Haunted Citizen would suit him and would work well in PFS2 play, but it's from Book of the Dead, so do I need to buy World Explorer to get access to it since it is not in the Core books?
Any suggestions would be very helpful as the PFS rules are vague to me as to what I can and can't take from backgrounds, other than I can't take any rare ones unless they're on the list. I'm also looking to make a ratfolk inventor from Alkenstar as some point, so I'm going to have to find out what would be allowed for her.
Thank you
Contributor
|
Hi there again, Drakkonflye!
I was the one who suggested both the Quick and the Lastwall Survivor backgrounds. Both are from the Lost Omens World Guide and are listed in Archives of Nethys under Regional Backgrounds. Regional Backgrounds are a common option, and the World Guide is part of the Core Assumption for Organized Play as listed in the Additional Resources: Character Options Page.
Let's quote out the key sentence from that page, shall we?
Ownership of the Core Sources is not required for Character Option use in the Pathfinder Society campaign, as long as rules are referenced from the official Pathfinder Resource Document (prd).
The Core Sources currently are: the Pathfinder Player Core, Pathfinder GM Core, Pathfinder Monster Core, Pathfinder Player Core 2, Pathfinder Core Rulebook, Pathfinder Bestiary, and Lost Omens World Guide.
What this means is that all the backgrounds from the Lost Omens World Guide are available to all players, and you do not even need the book to use them.
Hmm
PS In answer to your question in another thread: Yes, my signature is both my initials and my attitude to interesting questions.
|
Contributor
|
Now let's look at some of your other questions.
Now, with this new backstory, I have a Haunted Citizen would suit him and would work well in PFS2 play, but it's from Book of the Dead, so do I need to buy World Explorer to get access to it since it is not in the Core books?
Ooh, I like that background! Haunted Citizen is a common option, so once again we're going to be looking at the Character Options page for guidance. Scroll down to the section for the Book of the Dead, and click the arrow and it says the following:
All options are of standard availability unless specifically noted otherwise.
This means that all common options are available from the Book of the Dead (and exceptions with relevant page numbers are listed under that.) As Haunted Citizen is not mentioned, it's legal to play for anyone that owns the Book of the Dead.
|
Contributor
|
Any suggestions would be very helpful as the PFS rules are vague to me as to what I can and can't take from backgrounds, other than I can't take any rare ones unless they're on the list. I'm also looking to make a ratfolk inventor from Alkenstar as some point, so I'm going to have to find out what would be allowed for her.
My top pick?
Alkenstar Tinkerer, also from the Lost Omens World Guide -- so you don't need to own the book.
ALKENSTAR TINKER BACKGROUND
Your dedication to the scientific inquiry of your native Alkenstar provides great insight into mechanical and chemical innovation.
Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Dexterity or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost.
You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Engineering Lore skill. You gain the Alchemical Crafting skill feat.
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
And if you don't like that one, you can pick any of the common backgrounds from Guns and Gears (which you will need to play your inventor). Mechanic could also probably work.
I hope that all of this helps. If you have other questions about PFS and how to figure out the legality of character options, feel free to post here. There's a lot of us PFS veterans who are friendly and like to answer questions.
Hmm
Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!
I am still trying to figure out how to make and advance characters in PFS play, so I really appreciate your guidance. I am old school and used to making characters that are more about backgrounds and personality, something I am having a hard time with as I meet too many players who are more concerned about how much damage they do in a round than where their character comes from and what motivates them. I'm trying to find a middle ground where I can focus on backstory, but still contribute to the overall party. Your suggestions are really awesome, and I so appreciate your time and advice.
And thank you for calling my questions "interesting" :-)
Oh, and yes, that Alkenstar Tinker will be absolutely PERFECT for Tiki Tiki. I assume the rules for her invention being her companion Knick-Knack would follow the standard rules for inventions? I don't need to buy any special boons for it?
|
Contributor
|
Glad to be a help. :)
I'm trying to demystify everything for you because I recognize that org play rules are all over the place. So long as you are creating Tiki Tiki and her companion from the Inventor class (and so long as you own Guns & Gears) you won't need a boon. All players automatically have access to the Inventor and Gunslinger classes.
You also do not need a boon for ratfolk (ysoki) because Organized Play opened access to all the Player Core 2 Uncommon races. And you don't need to purchase Player Core 2 (but it's a great read, and worth buying) because it's part of the Core Assumption of the game.
Hmm
TL/DR: To create Tiki Tiki, you will need to own Guns & Gears. PDF format is fine for this requirement.
|
Contributor
|
I am old school and used to making characters that are more about backgrounds and personality, something I am having a hard time with as I meet too many players who are more concerned about how much damage they do in a round than where their character comes from and what motivates them. I'm trying to find a middle ground where I can focus on backstory, but still contribute to the overall party.
I am going to state that there are many different gaming cultures within Organized Play. I have met a lot of roleplayers in Minnesota, in the Play-by-Post (PBP) online region, and at conventions all over the country. So you'll find the folks that might not give you much roleplay, and you'll find the folks that give you lots.
I've found that if I roleplay, I can usually get most of the group roleplaying with me by the end of the session.
Some of my tips:
1) Frontstory over Backstory. Make a backstory, but leave it mostly unspoken. Instead, I focus on my frontstory. My duskwalker, Tess, was a brand new adult elf, and would tell people cheerfully that she was two months old. She was fascinated by mortal customs, and always told her parties about how excited she was to discover a new mortal food like 'muffins'. "Can you believe they can put anything into these?! Actually..." Tess pauses, peering at her muffin and looking to another player. "What is this inside this muffin? Do you know?"
So... No long introductions, but plenty of reacting in character and drawing the rest of the party in. I give them things to react to, while we move the mission forward.
2) React to what little other players give you, and build on it. Even people who aren't great roleplayers themselves have a character concept. They might have a picture of their character. They might be proud of the exotic ancestry that they paid for with a boon. React to it, and make them feel like they are roleplaying with you, and that they have made awesome character choices that you like, and they will start responding.
I think that a lot of the people who don't roleplay are worried that they will look silly to others, or that they can't convey the character that is in their head. So if you start seeing that character and interacting with it, they start to relax and interact with others. It's the 'Yes, and...' concept from Improvisational theater, where you build on what's given.
Hmm
The backgrounds are more for me to help me build a personality, goals, and purpose for the character: Where did they come from? What was is like growing up for them? How do they handle conflict or meeting new people? Why did they take up the life of an adventurer? These are part of the concept for me and I usually will at some point write this out as I consider myself a storyteller, and will embellish on the story as the character grows and develops. However, I keep this off the table, something someone can feel free to read on their own time if they wish. Otherwise, I let my characters tell their own story as I play them :-)
I like your approach on the frontstory concept and I think I will be doing more of that myself going forward as I've always enjoyed the role-playing aspect of the game.
I do have another question for you though: You mentioned online gaming. I attended Strategicon here in LA for Labor Day weekend and I met someone who hooked me up with different groups on Discord to try getting into PFS online. There's just a few problems for me. I really don't know my way around Discord well enough to try to play a game through that, and I have absolutely no idea how to even get started playing online other than investing in Foundry or Demiplane or something, and have no idea what to do even if I did invest in those. Do you have any suggestions where i can find some sort of tutorials to get me started? It's all just so confusing to me
Glad to be a help. :)
I'm trying to demystify everything for you because I recognize that org play rules are all over the place. So long as you are creating Tiki Tiki and her companion from the Inventor class (and so long as you own Guns & Gears) you won't need a boon. All players automatically have access to the Inventor and Gunslinger classes.
You also do not need a boon for ratfolk (ysoki) because Organized Play opened access to all the Player Core 2 Uncommon races. And you don't need to purchase Player Core 2 (but it's a great read, and worth buying) because it's part of the Core Assumption of the game.
Hmm
TL/DR: To create Tiki Tiki, you will need to own Guns & Gears. PDF format is fine for this requirement.
I have Guns & Gears already as well as Player Core 2, so all set there. I just didn't know if I needed to buy the boons for weapons or other items since there is a boon for curated lists and where firearms might fall on that list
|
|
The backgrounds are more for me to help me build a personality, goals, and purpose for the character: Where did they come from? What was is like growing up for them? How do they handle conflict or meeting new people? Why did they take up the life of an adventurer? These are part of the concept for me and I usually will at some point write this out as I consider myself a storyteller, and will embellish on the story as the character grows and develops. However, I keep this off the table, something someone can feel free to read on their own time if they wish. Otherwise, I let my characters tell their own story as I play them :-)
I like your approach on the frontstory concept and I think I will be doing more of that myself going forward as I've always enjoyed the role-playing aspect of the game.
I do have another question for you though: You mentioned online gaming. I attended Strategicon here in LA for Labor Day weekend and I met someone who hooked me up with different groups on Discord to try getting into PFS online. There's just a few problems for me. I really don't know my way around Discord well enough to try to play a game through that, and I have absolutely no idea how to even get started playing online other than investing in Foundry or Demiplane or something, and have no idea what to do even if I did invest in those. Do you have any suggestions where i can find some sort of tutorials to get me started? It's all just so confusing to me
Did you know that there are Play-by-Post games on these very forums? Indeed, there is a discussion going on at our Cottonseed Lodge about starting a game for new players, and as a PBP newcomer, you count. I asked GM Lysle and GM Watery Soup to save a seat for you, but you should go post there now and say that GM Hmm (aka Hilary) sent you there.
The best way to learn how to do Play-by-Post is to dive in the deep end and try it out, and these are on the Paizo Forums rather than on Discord.
Still, here are the classic guides to playing PBP:
|
Contributor
|
I have Guns & Gears already as well as Player Core 2, so all set there. I just didn't know if I needed to buy the boons for weapons or other items since there is a boon for curated lists and where firearms might fall on that list.TL/DR: To create Tiki Tiki, you will need to own Guns & Gears. PDF format is fine for this requirement.
Ah Guns and Boons!
Let's go over the requirements for guns, so that you can know whether you need a boon for access.
All Pathfinder Society agents have access to all uncommon clockwork items and gadgets from Chapters 1 and 2 of this book and all uncommon weapons, ammunition, and related items from Chapter 4 of this book, with the exception of Beast Guns and any limited or restricted items below, unless the item indicates otherwise.
PFS Leadership has opened up gun ownership throughout the Society. So if you are trained in martial weapons (as inventors are), it sounds like any gun that isn't a beast gun is open to you to use and purchase.
Hmm