# The Shackled City - Golarion Interest/Recruitment (CLOSED)



## ahayford (Sep 9, 2011)

(RECRUITMENT CLOSED)
Hi Everyone,

I've decided to take the plunge and give DMing PbP a shot. I'm interested in running The Shackled City AP  by Paizo Publishing. 

*Module*: Shackled City Adventure Path
*Setting*: I will be modifying the AP to fit in the Pathfinder Golarion World
*Ruleset*: I'm leaning towards Pathfinder RPG but could be convinced to do 3.5

*Game Description*

Players will be starting level 1 characters, and the Adventure Path should take characters into epic levels. I will be writing up/stealing/modifying a quick player's guide to give players some background information and guidance for character creation. The Shackled City is an Urban/Dungeon focused campaign, so characters with heavy outdoor focused builds might find their abilities less useful then others (though people can play what they want). The campaign will be slightly modified from its original printing to fit into Golarion as opposed to the original Greyhawk for which it was written. I may also include some additional content.

*The Basics:*
I have some general rules I'd also like to cover:
1) No evil characters
2) No loners please. Characters must be willing to be part of a team either for glory/honor/profit/what have you.

*Update Frequency:*
I'm targeting a GM update every 2days minimum, though I could update as frequently as once a day depending on my schedule. If I will need to be away for longer then that I will let the players know.

*Recruitment*
When I get 4 players showing interest I will get the player guide together so that people can start building characters. I would request that those signing up list the ruleset they prefer and whether or not running the other ruleset is make or break for them. Please also include whether or not you have run the AP before or have knowledge of it. I'd prefer to run it for people who have never run it before, but I'm willing to include others if they are good and limiting the metagaming .

*FULL DISCLOSURE:*

I have not run Pathfinder RPG before so this will be a bit of a learning experience for me, but I have 3.5 exp.

This will be my first PbP DM'd game.

Current Players:
jkason
Dragonwriter
Fangor
Mowgli
Shayuri
Walking Dad


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## jkason (Sep 9, 2011)

I'm always interested in more Pathfinder. The new ninja class is quite interesting, and/or there are a couple of archetypes I've been debating giving a go for other classes.

I've sort of lost the thread on 3.5, and with the much better-supported online rules resources Paizo's got, I'm not sure I'd be able to maintain long-haul interest if that's the way you went.


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 9, 2011)

I'd be up for this. 

I'm more inclined to 3.5, but I would like to know what books would be allowed if you go that route. I'm OK with PF, but am limited to the PFSRD for rules/material.
I have only heard/read about Shackled City.

I'm not sure what I'd play at this point... It'll probably depend somewhat on ruleset and stat generation. 

And how are you looking to handle advancement? If I may be so bold, HolyMan has used a sort of "milestone advancement" for the modules he's running - you reach a certain important point/accomplish something important and gain a level. No fiddling with XP, no long filler encounters (because PbP combat is notoriously slow ) and reduces bookkeeping. Might be worth a look. 
(And it helps keep players satisfied if they/we see advancement. )


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 9, 2011)

I am TOTALLY interested in this campaign!  I have been wanting to play this for the long haul, as it goes all the way to the high levels.  I am up for either 3.5 or Pathfinder (prefer 3.5, as it's designed for this adventure module).  Plus, I am in it for the long haul with either system!  I would be able to play most roles, with an interest in rogue or barbarian possibly being my top choices.  All depends on what classes are allowed and what game system.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 9, 2011)

I'm interested! Pathfinder ruleset is make or break for me, though. Never read or played this AP, but I've heard good things!

No idea what I'd like to play at this point - whatever it is, it'll be strictly Paizo published Pathfinder sources, so I'd be interested in knowing which of those you'd allow. After that, it'll depend on party makeup.


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## ahayford (Sep 9, 2011)

Alrighty, glad to see so much initial interest. I'm going to go ahead and lock this in as Pathfinder ruleset as that seems like what most people are interested in. I'd try and hold off a little bit on committing yourself mentally to a class until I get the player guide out that will give you some background information on the area to help you build a character concept. I would expect to see the guide sometime next week. I will try and put it together this weekend. My current thoughts on character sources

Pathfinder Core
Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide

I'm currently debating about purchasing the Complete Combat and Complete Magic. If I do, I will likely allow them as sources.


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## ahayford (Sep 9, 2011)

Dragonwriter said:


> And how are you looking to handle advancement? If I may be so bold, HolyMan has used a sort of "milestone advancement" for the modules he's running - you reach a certain important point/accomplish something important and gain a level. No fiddling with XP, no long filler encounters (because PbP combat is notoriously slow ) and reduces bookkeeping. Might be worth a look.
> (And it helps keep players satisfied if they/we see advancement. )




This is definitely a possibility. I'm not a fan of filler encounters that don't advance the story. The other option, of course is just awarding more XP for completing a milestone.


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## jkason (Sep 9, 2011)

ahayford said:


> I'm currently debating about purchasing the Complete Combat and Complete Magic. If I do, I will likely allow them as sources.




FYI, pretty much all the rules for Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat are online, too. I use d20pfsrd.com, but I know there are other online versions.


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## ahayford (Sep 9, 2011)

My current thoughts on stat generation are going to be modeled after Pathfinder Society Rules. Does anyone have a problem with point buy?



> Pathfinder Society uses the “purchase” system for
> generating ability scores, as explained on pages 15–16 of the
> Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Pathfinder Society
> uses the “High Fantasy” choice of 20 points, allowing you
> ...


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## Shayuri (Sep 9, 2011)

I've always wanted to try this AP, and I love Pathfinder, so...I'm interested. Details pending on what other folks are doing.


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## Walking Dad (Sep 9, 2011)

ahayford said:


> ...
> 
> I'm currently debating about purchasing the Complete Combat and Complete Magic. If I do, I will likely allow them as sources.




I would be very interested in playing an Elf arcane caster, preferable a sorcerer with the Sage bloodline. It is a variant of the Arcane from UM, but if you follow the link you see all the changes.


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## jkason (Sep 9, 2011)

ahayford said:


> My current thoughts on stat generation are going to be modeled after Pathfinder Society Rules. Does anyone have a problem with point buy?




I prefer it. Rolls never work out for me.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 9, 2011)

Yes - I prefer point buy as well.  For class, I am looking at a rogue.  Trapfinder specialty.  What races are being allowed?  Normal core races, or are you allowing others, like Tiefling?  A Tiefling Rogue would be interesting to build.


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## ahayford (Sep 9, 2011)

I will allow Tieflings. This campaign will also allow each player to select a bonus Trait. The complete list of traits will be providied in the players guide. Tieflings will be required to take the Infernal Bastard Trait. It simply lowers some of your more monster like abilities to be in line with other PC races.

Tiefling
Infernal Bastard


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## ahayford (Sep 9, 2011)

The World of Golarion

Here is a pretty good wiki covering some background of the campaign setting. I'd suggest reading the information regarding races/classes in this setting and how they might differ from your standard DnD fare.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 9, 2011)

That trait sounds PERFECT!  It does balance out the Tiefling class more to be in line with the other core races.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 9, 2011)

Would you also consider allowing Aasimar? I've ne'er played a Paladin, and was considering an Aasimar Pally. Not locked in yet, just my first thought.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 9, 2011)

Also, do you know where in Golarion you'll place the AP?


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

I have placed a basic introduction to the campaign location at Obsidian Portal here:

Introduction to Shackled City


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

_Very_ nice! I'm even more excited about the game now that I've read the intro.

(I'm an OP user as well - same user name as here on ENWorld).

I was toying with playing a cleric of Cayden Cailean - would that work, or would a cleric need to be a follower of one of the established churches?


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

*Character Generation
*
I strongly encourage people to read the brief introduction I wrote up, along with some general Golarion background on the race/class combo you are interested in playing. Please try and develop a reason your character would want to aid and support the city of Cauldron. I would like each player to write out a brief bulleted list of general character background (or written out in prose if you are feeling inspired). When everyone has some general background, I encourage you to read each others background and possibly come up with one connection to something in one other characters background and add it to your character. We'll see where this takes us  The players don't necessarily need to know each initially, but I thought it might speed things along.

As for the crunch, as stated previously, characters will be generated using a point buy system used by Pathfinder Society:

Pathfinder Society uses the “purchase” system for
generating ability scores, as explained on pages 15–16 of the
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Pathfinder Society
uses the “High Fantasy” choice of 20 points, allowing you
to build a solid PC at 1st level. Please remember that no
score can be reduced below 7 or raised above 18 using this
method. Racial modifiers are applied after the points are
spent, so it is possible to begin play with a low ability score
of 5 and a high ability score of 20, depending on your race
choice.

*Allowed Sources:*
Pathfinder Core
Pathfinder APG
Pathfinder Complete Magic
Pathfinder Complete Combat
Other Paizo books must be approved
No 3rd Party

I will allow Tiefling and Aasimar Characters however, Tieflings must take Infernal Bastard, and Aasimar must take Fallen Angel 

*Infernal Bastard*
You are a tiefling. You might be an escaped slave, a hidden shame, or a homeless vagabond, but whatever your upbringing, life has been particularly hard on you. You have suffered greatly, nearly starving to death one winter, nearly being beaten to death by racist sailors one summer, and so on. Whether or not these experiences have made you a bitter and cynical scoundrel or a pious and hopeful optimist is up to you, but one thing is certain—you are something less than even your tiefling kin. Perhaps it is a result of your hard life, or perhaps it is due to some fault in your fiendish heritage, but you lack a tiefling’s standard resistances to cold, electricity, and fire—instead, you merely have a +2 bonus on all saving throws made against these effects. Likewise, you do not have the ability to use darkness as a spell-like ability once per day—instead, you may choose any one 0-level spell that you can instead use at will as a spell-like ability.

*Fallen Angel*
You lack an Aasimar's standard resistances, instead you merely have a +2 bonus to all saving throws made against these effects. Likewise you do not have the ability to use daylight as a spell-like ability once per day-instead you may choose any one 0-level spell that you can instead use at will as a spell-like ability.

In addition to the Traits listed above, all players (including Tiefling and Aasimar) *may* choose a racial, combat, regional, or religious trait

In addition to the Traits listed above, all players (including Tiefling and Aasimar) must choose one of the following Campaign traits (or I can assign randomly if you prefer)

*Child of Jzadirune*
One of your ancestors lived in the gnomish enclave of Jzaridune at the time the Vanishing struck. You are especially resistant to diseases, but find the prospect of becoming sick yourself horrifying.
Benefit:
+2 bonus to disease save
Drawback:
Suffer -2 morale penalty on save vs fear while in the ruins of Jzadirune or when fighting any creatures that are diseased or can inflict disease

*Demonscarred*
One of your ancestors was a half-fiend. As a result, you carry some of the taint with you
Benefit:
Regardless of you actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the evil descriptor will treat you as if you are evil. Magic items are similarly fooled.
Drawback:
Regardless of your actual alignment, spells and spell-like abilities with the good descriptor will treat you as if you were evil.

*Dream Haunted*
Your dreams are haunted by strange visions of tortured landscapes and deformed monsters. In some of the dreams, YOU are the deformed monster.
Benefit:
You are used to fatigue and suffer no penalties when you become fatigued. If you are exhausted, treat it as fatigued.
Drawback:
-2 vs saves against madness, insanity, or sleep effects

*Long Shadowed*
You are descended from a tribe of indiginous people who died out as a seperate tribe many centuries ago. Still, this tribe's penchant for necromatic magic runs in your blood.
Benefit:
You automatically stabilize if reduce <0 hitpoints. Reduce all negative energy damage by 5hp
Drawbacks: 
Healing magic works poorly on you. You gain -1 hp per character level, to a minimum of -1 per healing die rolled.

*Mark of the Beast*
One of your ancestors was a Lycanthrope. Select a predatory animal of your choice; that animal feels a mystic bond with you.
Benefit:
Animals of the chose type feel a strange reticence to attack you suffering -2 to all attack rolls. If you have wild empathy, gain +1 to all wild empathy checks with that animal type.
Drawback:
-4 vs save vs lycanthropy. Take +1 dmg from silver weapons

*Nobility*
You were born into a noble family
Benefit:
Start play with +200gp. +1 to all Diplomacy and intimidate checks in Cauldron and surrounding villages. Certain NPCs may treat you differently. I will work with you to pick a family.
Drawback:
You suffer -4 penalty to all disguise checks in Cauldron and surrounding villages. Certian NPCs may treat you differently 

*Scarred Soul*
You've led a particularly tough life. Perhaps you're an orphan or maybe you suffered a traumatic experience as a kid. Whatever the cause, your childhood experiences have left you jumpy and haunted
Benefit:
+2 Initiative checks
Drawback:
Your mind is less able to deal with traumatic experiences -1 will saves

*Scion of Surabar*
You are a descendant of the man who discovered Cauldron and helped settle the region, and aided in the defeat of an ancient demonic army.
Benefit:
Pride in your lineage helps gird your mind and soul. +2 vs fear, death, insanity, and confusion.
Drawback:
Demons you encounter in the Cauldron region can instinctively sense your lineage and connection to their old enemy and gain +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage against you.

*Wyrm Blooded*
One of your ancestors was a half-black dragon. You have some sort of distinctively draconic feature. Be it reptillian eyes, scales on the backs of your hands, or tiny vestigial horns. 
Benefits:
You gain +4 save vs acid, +2 bonus to swim, +1 bonus to listen/spot
Drawbacks:
Your body isn't as limber as it could be, take -1 reflex save.


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> _Very_ nice! I'm even more excited about the game now that I've read the intro.
> 
> (I'm an OP user as well - same user name as here on ENWorld).
> 
> I was toying with playing a cleric of Cayden Cailean - would that work, or would a cleric need to be a follower of one of the established churches?




Cayden Cailean would be fine. I actually really like that god  I almost put a church to him in Cauldron until I realized he probably wouldn't have one beyond the local Inn/Tavern


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

I will be adding a section on the People and Noble families of Cauldron but thought what I posted should be enough to get you started. Cauldron and Sasserine are very cosmopolitan cities, but the population is largely human...most races are represented in both cities. I will hopefully also have a player map of the island before play begins.


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

Regarding Character sheets, I haven't come across a good solution for character sheets that I've really liked. Does anyone have a good example of something that has worked for them in the past?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

I put all of my characters on my OP site, using a formatted sheet I made myself. Barring that, udalrich has a character sheet on the OP site as well - start a character in the "Character" tab, and at the very top there's a drop box for sheets. Only one selection.

Character Sheet

Click the link above. You can copy/paste the text into the Description section of the character page. You'll have to put <pre> before the text and </pre> after the text to get it to format correctly.

Since you're using OP as the repository for the game, we could post our characters on the character tab on your site.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

*Valinnan Vapaus - Aasimar Cleric (Cayden Cailean) 01*

Initial Character Thoughts:


Orphaned early in life
Lived on the streets of Cauldron as a child - *rough* life (think _Dark Angel Trilogy_ by Brent Weeks, if you've read it)
Caught thieving from a tavern/inn; the innkeepers took him in, protecting him from the retribution of the others in his old life and 'rehabilitating' him
Innkeepers were followers of Cayden Cailean, saw themselves as liberating him from the bonds of his old life, and he grew to be a devout worshiper, and eventually a priest.
Adopted parents would very much like for him to take over the inn when they're old enough to retire, but he's driven to take a more active part in changing Cauldron for the better, changing the way the street life works for those abandoned there. As a way to help him with this, his parents have made the inn a haven for orphans - as many as they can give a home to, anyway. The kids work at the inn, but are not taken advantage of - they're well provided for and taught responsibility and the value of making an honest living, and are always given the choice to stay or leave. If they choose to go, they'll be given a small amount of money and taken to Sasserine so that their old 'friends' won't be able to get to them.
Rehabilitation was thorough. Personality is now outgoing, exuberant; however, he does have some periods of doubt, darkness, brooding. Never enough to lead to isolation, but enough to hint to others (if his appearance doesn't do it) that his life hasn't been all sweetness and light.
Plagued by nightmares from his childhood.
Appearance: Pale skin, Black hair, Gold eyes, heavily tattooed, lots of jewelry. Looks sort of (maybe more than sort of) Goth, but his attitude isn't what you'd expect from his looks.
Traits: Scarred Soul, Fallen Angel (Both resulting from his horrible childhood on the streets), Magical Knack (Cleric) (Originating from his Angelic Ancestor)
Domains: Chaos, Travel
Alignment: Chaotic Good


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## Walking Dad (Sep 10, 2011)

After reading dream haunted, I would like to play a dreamhaunted oracle with the dark tapestry mystery...

what trait would fit my first idea, an elf from a line of powerful spell casters?


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 10, 2011)

So correct me if I'm wrong, but so far the announced classes are as such:

Oracle (Walking Dad)
Cleric (Mowgli)
Rogue (Fangor)

I'm still debating my class and race... Shayuri, jkason, either of you have a major preference?


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## jkason (Sep 10, 2011)

With two divine characters and a trapmaster, looks like both the arcane and the slashy-stab roles need filling?  Maybe someone with a little bit of both? I haven't looked super-close at the Magus class, but it seems interesting, especially the hexcrafter archetype (I'm intrigued by witches, but the "lose your familiar, lose all your spells" problem is just too much for me to get over).   

A hexcrafter magus would mix well with demonscarred, long shadowed, or wyrm blooded traits, at least flavorfully; reducing heal-ability in a melee character and / or reducing my character's weakest save might be arguably really poor choices.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

Re: Traits - Just to clarify, it looks like Aasimar and Tieflings take two traits (one actually weakens the character to bring them in line with the other races) while the others take just one. Am I reading this correctly?


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> Re: Traits - Just to clarify, it looks like Aasimar and Tieflings take two traits (one actually weakens the character to bring them in line with the other races) while the others take just one. Am I reading this correctly?




Yes. You are correct. I have also decided to allow players to select one additional Combat, Race, Regional, or Religious trait from the provided source books (Pending GM approval). Traits are intended to be a way to provide RP hooks and links to the campaign. So please choose something that makes sense for your character. Keep in mind that trait bonuses do not stack. IE, if you have 2 traits that provide + save to reflex, you would only get the larger of the 2 bonuses. They do not stack.


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> After reading dream haunted, I would like to play a dreamhaunted oracle with the dark tapestry mystery...
> 
> what trait would fit my first idea, an elf from a line of powerful spell casters?




I'm not so sure about the Dark Tapestry Mystery. What I've read sounds fairly dark. Do you think you can play this as a non-evil character?

Surabar could be an elf  Scion of Surubar might work for the first idea. Or half elf. He is written as a human, but hey


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

jkason said:


> With two divine characters and a trapmaster, looks like both the arcane and the slashy-stab roles need filling?




I'll probably pick up a couple of levels of something else early on as well - not sure if I'd start right out with them or wait, but for his background it would make more sense to start with the other classes. With WD playing an Oracle I'm thinking about a level of Rogue for his time on the streets, then one of Bard (he spent some time serving as the entertainment at the inn), then to the priesthood. WD, this would (so far) make you the party healer for a couple of levels, unless we can pick up a wand and/or some potions.

Would this bother anyone in the party? It makes sense for the background and personality I've got in mind. We'd have two Rogues in the party at first level, but my intention would never be to serve that function for the party - just a level dip to pick up some class skills and a little extra damage. Same for the dip in Bard. 

Mechanically, I think it'll be OK - Clerics don't get a capstone ability, and he'll pick up 9th level spells at 17 so he'd ultimately be giving up a dice of channel damage and four spells/day. Of course, he'll be a little behind the curve for his spell selection as well. Am I missing anything with my reasoning, other than the lack of his healing benefits for a couple of levels?

Anyone have strong opinions about it in regards to party composition?


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

The Shackled City AP is known to be fairly brutal (Although not as bad as Age of Worms!). I will not go out of my way to kill people, but not going in with a healer to start could be...interesting 

I have also updated the wiki some this afternoon to include information about noble families and city population/gov't. I have added placeholders for city locations of note, but have not filled them in yet. I plan on adding some general street knowledge to the entries but figure I'll fill them out as we play and you discover things about them.

Shackled City - Golarian Play by Post ENWorld | Cauldron | Obsidian Portal

Also, if everyone could create an account on OP, I'd like to try and use their character sheet on their. Please list your account name on Obsidian Portal when its created and I'll add you as a player. ENWorld will be used for all play threads, I just like the wiki interface for player/campaign information better then forum posts.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

My OP user name is the same as my ENWorld one - Mowgli.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

ahayford said:


> The Shackled City AP is known to be fairly brutal (Although not as bad as Age of Worms!). I will not go out of my way to kill people, but not going in with a healer to start could be...interesting




Hmmm. Fair enough. Valinnan will start as Cleric, then as he becomes more self confident he can tap into some older skills and abilities - first from a time when he was starting to feel safer, when he was an entertainer in his adopted family's inn, then working his way back to those skills he'd thought were well behind him, from his time on the streets. So planning on Cleric, then Bard, then Rogue, then Cleric for the rest. That way he'll have the cleric's channel and cure spells, he _could_ also take Cure Light as a Bard, then the Rogue level to increase his versatility a little more.


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

I didn't meen to alter your character concept. Just saying that at least 1 player in the group should probably be a full on healer.


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## jkason (Sep 10, 2011)

Okay, I'm starting to get a more solid concept, of a character whose blood is a rather exotic mix of bloodlines, all of which are vying to manifest themselves in him:

--------------------

When Dagorae Maggerin met Aedin Qu'cen, their sorcerous magics spoke to one another. He was a human descended of Tarn Linnorm; she an elf whose family had intertwined its line with that of Shaitan. Each had an affinity for acidic magics that left others often cold toward them; caustic powers frighten many who wish to avoid the scars of them. But together, they found solace. And, eventually, a child.

But where their powers and hearts seemed to be in harmony, the birth of their son made it apparent that their child was not. Caytis came into the world with skin covered in minute scales, scales so fine that most see them only as obsidian-colored skin. This combined with his pale hair have long left him confused with a Drow. That he grew into something of a surly child, often complaining of headaches or odd noises no others could hear, earned him few friends. 

Despite the obvious physical expressions of his parents' sorcerous bloodlines, Caytis had a great deal of trouble trying to access the arcane powers within him. It was only with a mixture of mental and physical discipline, of honing his body and mind through rigorous study, that he was finally able to channel a fraction of the magics that came naturally to both his progenitors. 

Caytis has spent his life looking for balance, teetering between multiple worlds: human, elf, dragon, genie, mage, warrior. It's a perilous quest to manage them all, but he desperately hopes to succeed.

----------------------

Mechanically, looking at a half-elf magus with the Wyrm Blooded trait, taking a dip into crossblooded sorcerer (Linnorm/Shaitan) at second level. I thought he might be loosely associated with House Knowlern, perhaps working as a mine or house guard, or just a caravan escort, I suppose.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 10, 2011)

ahayford said:


> I didn't mean to alter your character concept. Just saying that at least 1 player in the group should probably be a full on healer.




No worries! The concept remains the same, just taking a little different (and probably a more interesting ) route to it. Actually, given that he won't be starting out with three levels under his belt, this way makes more sense anyway - the struggle to go back and access skills and memories he'd shut away takes time and effort. And the fact that he already had them but had closed himself off to them explains why he doesn't need to train to get them back.

I'm headed over to read the updates to the OP Site this evening, and I'll start putting the details into his history.


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## Walking Dad (Sep 10, 2011)

ahayford said:


> I'm not so sure about the Dark Tapestry Mystery. What I've read sounds fairly dark. Do you think you can play this as a non-evil character?
> 
> ...




Well, Oracle's are not so much of choice of worship as the cleric. My character would be 'cursed' by the attention from an Outer god, resulting in his trait and oracle's curse, but will not worship it, but use the connection to channel it's power his own purposes. One of these gods (Yog-Sothoth) is CN, so CG should be no problem (even if he was a cleric).


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## ahayford (Sep 10, 2011)

The description of the powers for the mystery just seemed a bit dark. If thats the way you want to go, I think its ok.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 11, 2011)

Created an account - FangorTheFierce

Tentative Character info done, but what about Starting Gold?  Need that to see what I can purchase.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

Oh, yeah . . . starting gold. I assumed it was 150 (as per Pathfinder Society). If that's not correct I'll have some equipment adjusting to do - won't be a problem.


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## jkason (Sep 11, 2011)

ahayford said:


> Also, if everyone could create an account on OP, I'd like to try and use their character sheet on their. Please list your account name on Obsidian Portal when its created and I'll add you as a player. ENWorld will be used for all play threads, I just like the wiki interface for player/campaign information better then forum posts.




Okay, I signed up there with the same username (jkason). Not entirely sure what I'm doing there. Looks like I can't create a character until I'm part of the campaign?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

jkason said:


> Okay, I signed up there with the same username (jkason). Not entirely sure what I'm doing there. Looks like I can't create a character until I'm part of the campaign?




Correct. ahayford will invite you to join (you'll get a little notification in the upper right corner that you have a pending invite). Once you've joined, click the character tab and then "Create a New Character."


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## Walking Dad (Sep 11, 2011)

On Obsidian Portal:
Wilbur Warrington

Background:
Wilbur Warrington

Wilbur Warrington was a quiet and a bit slow-witted child. He didn't  have many friends but fewer enemies. His parents were relieved at first  that his strange black spiral birthmark was not a bad omen...

Then the dreams begun. At first his parents thought them to be common  recurring nightmares, and the words he spoke in fever just random  sounds. But as the situation become worse they hired a sage to diagnose  the strange ailment. The sage didn't know the words, but realized they  were from some language. After casting a minor spell to understand the  words, he was overwhelmed by the experience. The only thing he would  repeat to the end of his days was: "He is the portal and the key. His  dreams will open the mind. There is only one truth."
Shortly thereafter the nightmares lessened and Wilbur came to an 'Understanding' between himself and the 'Portal and Key'. Still not dreaming fine and looking very drained, he had gained some powers in return...

Are you a Cauldron Native? If not where are you from (I can help with this if you need it)?
Litran, Galt.

Do you have living family? If so, where do they live and what do they do?
Only living relative is a brother, but Wilbur has no idea where he is living currently.

Where do you currently live?
Just arrived in the Shackled City.

Which players characters do you know?
None in person...

Do you have a mundane job, a way to pay then rent before your adventuring career takes off?
No, he inherited some money. He doesn't consider himself an adventurer, yet.

How old are you?
mid twenties

Sheet is work in progress. Not finished!

[sblock]

```
[FONT=Courier New]   Name: Wilbur Warrington                  Age: 26
 Class: Oracle                          Height: 6'1" 
  Race: Human (Galt)                    Weight: 173 lbs
  Size: Medium                            Hair: Black
Gender: Male                              Eyes: Green
 Align: Chaotic Good                      Skin: Light tan
 Deity: Yog-Sothoth


Str: 11 +0 (01 p)     Level: 01             XP: 0000[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
Dex: 14 +2 (05 p)       BAB: +0             HP: 11
Con: 14 +2 (05 p)       CMB: +0            CMD: 12
Int: 12 +1 (02 p)     Speed: 30'       Dmg Red: 0/anything
Wis: 12 +1 (02 p)      Init: +2      Spell Res: None 
Cha: 16 +3 (05 p)       ACP: -0     Spell Save: 13 + SL
                                           ASF: 00


[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]     AC:     Total  Base  Armor  Shld   Dex  Size   Def   Nat  Dodge  Misc
              17    10    +4     +1    +2    +0    +0    +0    +0     +0

[/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]                   Touch AC: 12              Flatfooted AC: 15


Saving Throw   Total  Base   Mod  Misc              Special[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
Fort:            02     0     +2          
Ref:             02     0     +2          
Will:            03     2     +1     


Weapon                  Attack    Damage      Critical     Special[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
Dagger                  +2        1d4+1       19-20/x2     
  (Thrown)              +2        1d4+1       19-20/x2     R: 10'
Crossbow (Light)        +2        1d8         19-20/x2     R: 80'


Languages: Common, Aklo[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]


Racial Traits:[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
    * +2 CHA
    * Bonus Feat
    * Skilled: Humans gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.
[/FONT][FONT=Courier New] 

Character Traits:  [/FONT][FONT=Courier New]
    *  Dream Haunted
Benefit: You are used to fatigue and suffer no penalties when you become fatigued. If you are exhausted, treat it as fatigued.
Drawback: -2 vs saves against madness, insanity, or sleep effects
[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]     * [B]Dangerously Curious[/B]: You gain a +1 bonus on Use Magic Device checks, and Use Magic Device is always a class skill for you.[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]

Class Abilities: [/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]
    * Mystery: Dark Tapestry
    * Oracle's Curse: The Wasting
    * Revelation: Gift of Madness


Feats:[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]    * (Human) Weapon Finesse: Use DEX for melle attacks[/FONT]
[FONT=Courier New]    * (Level 01) 


Spells Known:[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
    * Orisons          * 1st Level
      * Detect Magic     * Bane
      * Guidance         * Murderous Command
      * Light
      * Read Magic            


Skill Points: 04 = [Base (02) + INT (01)/Level; FC (00), Misc (01)] (Oracle)[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]


Skills                Total   Rank     CS   Ability  ACP  Misc[/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]
Acrobatics             -01     0       -       2     -3   +0
Appraise                00     0       0       1          +0
Bluff                   02     0       -       3          +0
Climb                  -02     0       -       0     -3   +0
Craft (       )         00     0       0       1          +0
Diplomacy               08     0       3       3          +0
Disable Device                 0       -       2     -3   +0
Disguise                02     0       -       3          +0
Escape Artist          -01     0       -       2     -3   +0
Fly                    -01     0       -       2     -3   +0
Handle Animal                  0       -       3          +0
Heal                    03     0       0       1          +0
Intimidate              02     0       -       3          +0
Knowledge (Arcana)             0       0       1          +0
Knowledge (Dngnrng)            0       -       1          +0
Knowledge (Engnrng)            0       -       1          +0
Knowledge (Geography)          0       -       1          +0
Knowledge (History)            0       0       1          +0
Knowledge (Local)              0       -       1          +0
Knowledge (Nature)             0       -       1          +0
Knowledge (Nobility)           0       0       1          +0
Knowledge (Planes)             1       0       1          +0
Knowledge (Religion)           0       0       1          +0
Linguistics                    0       0       1          +0
Perception              05     0       -       1          +0 
Perform    (         )  02     0       -       3          +0
Profession (         )  07     0       3       1          +0
Ride                   -01     0       -       2     -3   +0
Sense Motive            07     0       3       1          +0
Sleight of Hand                0       -       2     -3   +0
Spellcraft                     1       0       1          +0
Stealth                -01     1       -       2     -3   +0
Survival                03     0       -       1          +0
Swim                   -02     0       -       0     -3   +0
Use Magic Device               1       -       3          +0

[/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]      * Situational Bonus not included in Total


Money[/FONT]  [FONT=Courier New]
PP: 00     GP: 05    SP: 07     CP: 07

Equipment                      Cost     Weight[/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]
Explorer's Outfit                       
Holy Symbol (Wooden)            01 gp   --  lb
Armored Coat                    50 gp   25  lb
Buckler                         15 gp   05  lb
Rapier                          20 gp   02  lb
Dagger (02)                     04 gp   02  lb
Crossbow (Light)                35 gp   04  lb
  Bolts (10)                    01 gp   01  lb
Cestus                          05 gp   01  lb
Beltpouch                       01 gp   00½ lb
  Flint & Steel                 01 gp   --  lb
  Whetstone                     02 cp   01  lb
Sack                            01 sp   00½ lb
  Hammock                       01 sp   03  lb
  Rations (Trail)               01 gp   02  lb
  Rope (Silk, 50')              10 gp   05  lb
  Soap (Bar)                    01 cp   00½ lb

[/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]                          Total Weight:  52½ lb
          (Without Sack) Total Weight:  41½ lb

[/FONT] [FONT=Courier New]             Light  Medium   Heavy    
Max Weight: 0-43   44-86    87-130

[/FONT]
```
[/sblock]

still have to do skills and equipment


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

Awesome. That sounds cool. 

I have updated the basic location data for common places around Cauldron. That is probably the extent of what I will do until the campaign begins. Is there any information people would like me to add for character generation purposes?

Shackled City - Golarian Play by Post ENWorld | Cauldron | Obsidian Portal


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 11, 2011)

Character Wealth, just need to know what the funds are for starting.


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

Lets stick with the pathfinder 150g for all classes rule. I like that.


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

I think the character sheet on the Obsidian Portal website works out pretty well. Tell me what you guys think.

Valinnan Vapaus | Pathfinder RPG | Obsidian Portal


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

Oracle (Walking Dad)
Cleric (Mowgli)
Rogue (Fangor)
Magus (jkason)

So it looks like we could use a little martial love.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

Looks like Val's childhood would have been spent very close to the lake - that's where the seediest parts of town are. Do you have any information on specific neighborhoods there, or am I free to make something from whole cloth? Alternatively, I could wait to write that part of his story, 'discovering' it for myself as we play; however, this would only work if we'll be doing some adventuring down there.

His adopted parents - the only one's he'll remember at the start of the game - would be from a little farther up the caldera, so the question applies for their inn and neighborhood as well.

Finally, it sounds as though Val's parents - and thus Val - could have a connection to 'The Cardinal' and the _Drunken Morkoth Inn_. Can I write such a connection into his history? If so, the Cardinal's inn could be the place the characters - at least some of them - met.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 11, 2011)

Tiefling Rogue - -Svexyn

Svexyn had been born into the house of ___, who had been on the rise in  Cauldron.  Seventeen years ago, a baby was born.  When the birth  occurred, only the family physician and a trusted nurse were present.   The baby was unmistakeably cursed with fiendish blood, for there were  vestigial horns on its head when it came into this world.  Small scales  on the forearms could also be seen, as the physician and nurse knew not  what to do.

The physician knew that this child would ruin the family.  They were a  family now on the cusp of increased reputation and status.  This would  bring them back down and out of the contention to be one of the leading  families of Cauldron.  The physicians status was that of which house he  was working for.  Looking at the mother, he simply wrapped the baby in a  cloth, handed it to the nurse and guided her to the next empty room.

The nurse was told to take the baby to the servants' entrance out the  back, and dispose of the baby.  Not sure on what to do, the nurse did as  she was told.  The mother was told by the physician that the baby had  died.  The nurse, instead, took the child to her sister near the center  of Cauldron.  Knowing her sister had lost a child not just a few weeks  earlier, this might be the chance the child would have to live.

Svexyn grew up in the slums, shunned for their looks and obvious  lineage.  Constantly having to fend alone, Svexyn learned early on that  he was truly one that had to rely on his own skills.  His mother was a  tailor, often sewing for what meager funds she could gather.  He found  enough of the leather scraps to even attempt to fashion himself come  crude leather armor.  The bullies in this area were always moving in  packs of about four or five, so he tended to keep to himself, for it's  easier to hide alone than with another, and was always on the move.  He  found that a moving target was harder to find.

Seeking to help out where he could, Svexyn learned a few skills with the  locals.  He helped when there were stuck doors, lost keys, and the  like.  He found he was adept at the intricate craft of locks and even  traps, when they presented themselves.  Now, seeing that his 'mother'  was needing more help than ever, for her own work was dwindling, he  seeks out any job that would pay enough for his skills.  He does not  know of his true family...

Tiefling Rogue Scout
Scout Archetype

Traits: Infernal Bastard (mandatory), Scarred Soul, Armor Expert


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

Looks like Val and Svexyn might have run into one another at some point. Though Val lives a little higher up now and has no memory of his time closer to the lake, Svexyn may have been familiar enough with him to recognize him now. That may or may not be a good thing for Val, as there are those from the old neighborhood - the ones who beat him and left him for dead - who would likely be very interested to find out that he's still alive and kicking . . .


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## jkason (Sep 11, 2011)

ahayford said:


> I think the character sheet on the Obsidian Portal website works out pretty well. Tell me what you guys think.
> 
> Valinnan Vapaus | Pathfinder RPG | Obsidian Portal




That one looks fine, but I can't seem to figure out how to repeat that formatting? I tried copying the template [MENTION=29558]Mowgli[/MENTION] linked to earlier, and the one for his PC you link to, but in both cases I have sort of a mess. Unlike a regular wiki, I can't seem to get any edit functions for other PC pages, so I can't see what bits of code I'm missing, and the tutorial video doesn't seem to address that kind of formatting. Help?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

The OP wiki markup uses <pre> and </pre> where ENWorld uses [code] and [/code] tags. If you put <pre> at the top of your sheet and </pre> at the end, all of your columns will line up like you see 'em when you type.

The caveat is that no _other_ tags will work within the 'pre' tags, so you can't underline, boldface, etc.


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> Looks like Val's childhood would have been spent very close to the lake - that's where the seediest parts of town are. Do you have any information on specific neighborhoods there, or am I free to make something from whole cloth? Alternatively, I could wait to write that part of his story, 'discovering' it for myself as we play; however, this would only work if we'll be doing some adventuring down there.
> 
> His adopted parents - the only one's he'll remember at the start of the game - would be from a little farther up the caldera, so the question applies for their inn and neighborhood as well.
> 
> Finally, it sounds as though Val's parents - and thus Val - could have a connection to 'The Cardinal' and the _Drunken Morkoth Inn_. Can I write such a connection into his history? If so, the Cardinal's inn could be the place the characters - at least some of them - met.




You may. In fact, The Cardinal was written in with you in mind. Feel free to develop his character if you wish. I will add it to the wiki. Feel free to use the inn itself in any of your backstory. I can expand the physical description a bit.


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> Looks like Val and Svexyn might have run into one another at some point. Though Val lives a little higher up now and has no memory of his time closer to the lake, Svexyn may have been familiar enough with him to recognize him now. That may or may not be a good thing for Val, as there are those from the old neighborhood - the ones who beat him and left him for dead - who would likely be very interested to find out that he's still alive and kicking . . .




Svexyn sounds like the kind of guy that avoided those types of people. I could easily see you two getting along if put together. Assuming Val can see past Svexyn's Tiefling heritage.


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION] and Fangor

I'm looking for some small hooks to link you into Cauldron as well as a noble house to have you descend from Fangor...or perhaps that should be a mystery


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

ahayford said:


> I could easily see you two getting along if put together. Assuming Val can see past Svexyn's Tiefling heritage.




And assuming Svexyn can see past Val's angelic blood . I was thinking along the same lines - always fun to toss both an Aasimar and a Tiefling into the same party . I don't think Val will be at all the stuffy sort. He was raised by parents who'd take in a filthy, bleeding street urchin even though they live and work in a part of town where their experiences with such are likely to have been . . . less than pleasant. It'll be interesting trying to find the balance between the instinctive dislike from his racial heritage and the generosity of spirit instilled by his upbringing.

(Assuming Fangor agrees) I could see their association playing a part in Val's emerging memories of his past as the game progresses; a catalyst of sorts.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 11, 2011)

Perhaps with both of their younger years of life being bullied, they were sort of 'corralled' into safety in numbers.  They learned that they were both at the end of the neighborhood bullying, and seeing that even though they were nothing alike, they both seemed to be the outsiders.  (pun intended)

First impressions were that he should not trust this other one, yet his flight or fight response took hold that they both had the same decision to make.  The neighborhood pushed this duo together in an unlikely 'friendship' of sorts.  It was a short friendship, for it was not too long before Val moved up higher; away from the seedier side of the center of the city.  Perhaps they never knew each other's name, and they may not recognize each other at first.  Perhaps as they work together, memories of the previous years might resurface and better help to build the team.

I am up for any other suggestions as well.


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## jkason (Sep 11, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> Finally, it sounds as though Val's parents - and thus Val - could have a connection to 'The Cardinal' and the _Drunken Morkoth Inn_. Can I write such a connection into his history? If so, the Cardinal's inn could be the place the characters - at least some of them - met.




Caytis also considers himself an outsider (I'm sensing a theme here... ). A place where all are welcome, with folks like Val's parents, is probably someplace he'd be drawn too, as well, if we're looking to dovetail and establish pre-knowledge of the characters for one another.



ahayford said:


> Oracle (Walking Dad)
> Cleric (Mowgli)
> Rogue (Fangor)
> Magus (jkason)
> ...




I think we might want a better arcane / controller type, as well, and might even need that more. Magus spells aren't heavy on the control from what I can see, and I'm actually aiming to try to make Caytis at least moderately viable in melee, and thus focused on hitting and damaging. With the sneak attacking from Fangor's character and buffs / support from our resident cleric, as well, I don't think any of us is likely to be a tank, but it seems like we have some decent fighting options, but not as many arcane ones. 

Of course, my sense of good optimization is pretty poor, so take that with a grain of salt. Or a shakerful.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

Sounds great to me, Fangor! I was thinking that Val was part of a street gang until he was about seven years old. He gave into his hunger one night and held part of the nightly food take back for himself rather than giving it over to the 'boss,' or got tired of being pimped out and refused to be had one night, or made some other show of defiance that got him beaten by the boss' lackeys and left for dead. Over the next couple of days he dragged himself away, hiding during the day and nursing his shattered ribs and finally ending up at the Vapaus' inn.

What if Svexyn - ever the loner - managed to keep himself clear of the gangs? Perhaps he came across Val one night and the two struck up their brief friendship; Svexyn encouraged Val to stand up for himself, then Val disappeared and Svexyn thinks his friend died that night. Now ten years later their paths cross, but Svexyn has no reason to connect Val with his nameless friend from the streets, and of course Val doesn't remember his past yet.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

Caytis could easily be a regular at the inn - either a permanent resident or one of those who comes in on a regular basis for the comfort of acceptance and the escape from the harsh reality of life. (Anyone here ever watch 'Cheers?' )


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

jkason said:


> Of course, my sense of good optimization is pretty poor, so take that with a grain of salt. Or a shakerful.




Copy that - mine too!


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 11, 2011)

BTW, the Vapaus' inn is _The Drunken Morkoth_.


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## ahayford (Sep 11, 2011)

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION] - I was thinking that Fangor could have picked up some of his rogue skills from a gnomish Locksmith that tried to teach you a trade at a young age. Maybe you took his lessons and then spurned the relationship, disliking feeling indebted to anyone, or maybe you consider the relationship fondly, remembering him as one of the few adults that ever helped you. If you are interested in this link to Cauldron, his name is Keygan Ghelve. Also, do you wish your character to know which family he is descended from, or would you rather leave that up to mystery.

[MENTION=29558]Mowgli[/MENTION] - I just realized you had added an inn and family to your Bio. If you wish to change the owners of The Drunken Morkoth to the family you listed, you are welcome to do so....or perhaps you family's inn is another in town. If you would like to add The Bear at Bridgefoot Inn to Cauldron, I am happy to do so. What I'd like is a simple description like the ones I have written up on the Wiki and I will include it in the town. Another option is placing their Inn in Sasserine, the port city of the island.

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION] - I was thinking you might be an apprentice/errand boy of sorts for the old wizard the runs Weer's Elixirs. Another idea might be that you were expelled from the Bluecrater Academy at a young age for failing to excel (by silly wizards and their books)

[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION] - I have an idea to bring you into the group...but you won't necessarily know the party until we start play. Are you ok with that? Also, do you want your character to be a native of Cauldron, from the island, or from off the island somewhere? The general gist of how you will join the group is that your nightmares (prophetic?) have driven you to cauldron (or perhaps just to the group if you wish to be native to Cauldron). The details of the dreams will follow once the game starts. I plan on sending you the dreams in private messages. Whether you chose to share them with the party is up to you.

[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION] 

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 12, 2011)

Sounds like we are on the same page, Ahayford, as I had finished editing my background info on the Obsidian Site, since ENWorld was down so long.  I added in that he befriended a gnomish tinkerer, and that's where he learned to speak/read/write gnome as well as locks, traps, etc.  I can amend that to the person you listed above.


Mowgli - sent you a note on Obsidian site, as ENWorld was down.  I didn't get a chance to read your most recent post about their intertwined backgrounds, and the message I sent will confuse you I guess.  Just realize I had not read the recent post from you about how they possibly met.  I am fine with either option on their common backgrounds.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 12, 2011)

Fangor - what you messaged me on OP combines nicely with what I posted earlier. We'll just remove the little bits about what got Val on the bully-boys bad side and about Zen not knowing exactly what happened to Val. Zen wouldn't have necessarily known about Val actually being a part of the bully-boys gang; at the end, he wouldn't know what happened to his young friend, and since Val was unconscious he'd not know that it was Zen who saved his life.

ahayford - I'm perfectly fine with The Drunken Morkoth being the inn run by the Vapaus' - just a little slow on the uptake as I didn't realize that when you said you'd written it with Val in mind you meant for the relationship to be that close. So 'The Cardinal' would be Joukko Vapaus - Valinnan's adopted father?


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## Walking Dad (Sep 12, 2011)

Ok, I signed in on Obsidian Portal as 'WalkingDad' (same as here, but without backspace).

Any help what I have to do there now?


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## jkason (Sep 12, 2011)

ahayford said:


> jkason - I was thinking you might be an apprentice/errand boy of sorts for the old wizard the runs Weer's Elixirs. Another idea might be that you were expelled from the Bluecrater Academy at a young age for failing to excel (by silly wizards and their books)




Both ideas work, I think. Perhaps his parents sent him to the academy, enrolled in the wizarding program, when it became clear he wasn't developing the natural magics of a sorcerer. And while he did learn the ways of book magic (Magus still memorize their spells from a book), his temper still got in the way (Magus have a more limited spell list), and he chose on his own to begin martial training as a means of channeling his temper. 

Having now brought his capricious side under better control (or at least found a viable outlet for it), he's trying to re-connect with the magic in his blood, and has been helping the old wizard as part of that.

I'll update the background if that all works, and otherwise I believe Caytis is ready for review.



[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION] : you should get an invitation to the campaign from ahayford, then you go to the Characters tab on your profile and create a new character, select the campaign, then fill out the sheet.  If you want to copy the sheet Mowgli created, you just need to add the <pre> </pre> tags on either end of it.  It think that's it...


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## Shayuri (Sep 12, 2011)

Bahaha

Okay, I'm back. I had to reinstall Windows to do it, and then get online without Service Pack 2 so I could GET Service Pack 2...but the Moebius Loop has been unraveled and I am back.

Ahem.

I seem to have missed rather a lot. I beg patience from ye assembled, as I go over what's transpired and struggle to break into a sprint to catch up. These old bones don't hit 4x base speed like they used to.

If anyone can spare a moment to briefly summarize the characters that folks have come up with so far, I'd be much obliged and the process of assimilation accordingly sped.

Thankee!

Edit - I see Jkason's already done it! Yay! I also perceive that y'all are in need of some arcane hooziwhatsit, and perhaps a bit more melee OOMPH. Or at least something to take a little pressure off the Magus.

Perhaps a wizard/witch/sorceror with some skill in summoning? I will crunch.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 12, 2011)

I am debating on two routes for my Tiefling Rogue.  Getting the use of a 0 level spell to be a spell like ability at will, that leaves me to the tempting choice of taking Acid Splash.  Reason = ranged Sneak Attack with a touch attack roll.

Note - when reading the Spell Like Ability entry, it says 'subject to spell resistance'.  I translate this to mean that even though Acid Splash says it is not subject to SR, since the spell is now a Spell Like Ability, it is now subject to SR.  Can someone confirm?

Then, with him taking the Scout Archetype, he can at 8th level move 10 feet, fire at target to gain sneak attack damage, and it still be a touch attack.  This would give him some combat usefulness, in my opinion.  Also, can someone confirm if a creature has DR Acid or immune to Acid, does the Sneak Attack Damage get negated as well?

The other option would be to give him Open/Close as the ability, which would be more 'in line' with his work.  Disabling traps and then being able to open the doors/chests from a distance is something that would be nifty to have.  But that would hint at him having to go with the usual Weapon Finesse feat to be handy in combat.  

I am just thinking that it's time to try something different.  This is my first Tiefling Rogue, as you can tell.  A hit and run style would be fun to play.  Just trying to make a viable Rogue to help out the party, but with some flare.  Open/Close versus Acid Splash.

Plus, he's only wielding a dagger for now.  With using funds for a MW set of Thieve's tools and 25gp for armor, that left him with 25gp for everything else.

Ahayford - I went with some odd items.  Can you verify if the items are ok?  They are from the Adventurer''s Armory.  Namely, Waterproof Bag and Map Making Kit.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] Hi  Welcome back. One thing I do need for you to do is create an account on Obsidian Portal so that I can add you to the campaign site. I decided to use Obsidian Portal as the depository for campaign logs because I like the wiki format a little better for that kind of thing. All game play threads will still be on ENWorld.


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## Shayuri (Sep 12, 2011)

I think I have one, but I'll follow the links and make sure.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION]

One thing to keep in mind with acid splash, is that its not going to scale very well with level. I think you are better off taking some kind of utility ability. However if you like the story element, by all meens. I'm not sure on the SR aspect. I'd have to consult the rules, which I can do when I'm home or maybe during lunch. As far as sneak attack, if the attack is just with the acid, then yes I'd assume it would be negated if the creature is immune, since the source of the "critical" damage is the acid.

As for your items, yes those 2 are fine.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] If you do, just let me know the user name. I tried Shayuri and it didnt' find it.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

@ Everyone

I'd like to get started by the end of the week (hopefully sooner). So please try and target having your characters ready by then. Don't kill yourself though if you don't have time


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

One other thing. I'd like everyone to consider the answers to these questions and add them to your bio. Some of you have already including this in your bio.

Are you a Cauldron Native? If not where are you from (I can help with this if you need it)?
Do you have living family? If so, where do they live and what do they do?
Where do you currently live?
Which players do you know?
Do you have a mundane job, a way to pay then rent before your adventuring career takes off?
How old are you?

I would also like everyone to find a piece of art or image for their character. I can help with this if you don't have time or are having trouble finding something you like. Fangor is also very good at art farming  You'll have to tell me your secret, I can never seem to find exactly what I'm looking for.


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm still around, and my apologies for being so quiet. I've been having some trouble thinking up a concept...

I've got no problem handling the melee warrior spot and will probably go with some sort of Fighter and likely Human for the race.

I'm still not sure just how and where I would link him to Cauldron, as I really haven't been able to devote much time to reading the Wiki. (Speaking of which, I did make an account on OP - dragobot999 is the username.)


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 12, 2011)

ahayford said:


> @Fangor the Fierce
> 
> One thing to keep in mind with acid splash, is that its not going to scale very well with level.




Actually, it would scale with the sneak attack damage.  
Examples: 
8th level - Move 10 feet, acid splash ranged touch attack for 1d3 acid damage + 4d6 Sneak Attack Damage

9th level - Move 10 feet, acid splash ranged touch attack for 1d3 acid damage +5d6 Sneak Attack Damage

This is not including any Rogue Talents that would possibly be taken to assist in damage with sneak attacks.  At least, that is my thinking.  With the utility options, I see that Rogue Talent option for Minor Magic, which would grant him 3 daily uses of something like Open/Close.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION]

The Golarion wiki has a lot of data in it, so don't feel like you have to read it all. Golarion is a pretty standard Forgotten Realms-like setting. Mainly, I just thought it would help people to read the race and class entries for things they were interested in. Also, reading about Cheliax and the general history might be useful. However, most importantly, if you don't want to do that much homework, just read the stuff I have on the obsidian portal site and know that Cheliax was once the greatest human empire in the realm. On the eve of what was prophetized as being a great moment for their society, their patron god died, all their clerics suddenly cut off and powerless. Now, in their need to recover their lost power, they have turned to diabolism. Devils are openly worshipped and the state deity is Asmodeus (not a nice guy). The Isle of Phara and the cities Sasserine and Cauldron were once colonies of Cheliax, but are now independent city states (As a result of the empire's fall from power)

I'll just post some random ideas here..feel free to completely disregard.

A mercenary caravan guard - Perhaps you see the job opportunities that working in Cauldron as an adventurer as a way to fill your purse, or maybe you just got tired of risking your life for wealthy merchants.

An ex-city guardsman - Drummed out of the guard for dereliction of duty, you are seeking a way to atone. Or perhaps you are just tired of the city turning a blind eye to the actions of the thieve's guild and wish to do something more.

A stranded corsair - Maybe you escaped the fate of your corsair crew by slipping off the ship when the Sasserine authorities caught up to them...or maybe your captain booted you off the ship for refusing to do obey orders. The end result is, you are stuck on the island, a sailor without a ship. You've decided to work odd jobs to make some money.

A dwarf seeking the history of a lost clan. Centuries ago, a branch of your clan set out on a journey through the Darklands (Underdark) to seek out new riches. Initial reports of the discovery of vast quantities of mineral wealth excited your people. Not long after the new city was founded, the tunnels they used to travel underneath the Arcadian Ocean collapsed. All contact was lost. Years later, the head of your clan has sent you to investigate the Isle of Phara for signs of your lost clansmen.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION]

I guess what I'm saying is, I think you are better off just using a weapon, which could be magical...and significantly better then the acid splash.


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 12, 2011)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Actually, it would scale with the sneak attack damage.
> Examples:
> 8th level - Move 10 feet, acid splash ranged touch attack for 1d3 acid damage + 4d6 Sneak Attack Damage
> 
> 9th level - Move 10 feet, acid splash ranged touch attack for 1d3 acid damage +5d6 Sneak Attack Damage




Just don't forget a weapon. If you run into something immune to Acid, you'll be stuck.



ahayford said:


> An ex-city guardsman - Drummed out of the guard for dereliction of duty, you are seeking a way to atone. Or perhaps you are just tired of the city turning a blind eye to the actions of the thieve's guild and wish to do something more.




I was thinking along the lines of a guardsman or something similar. I also believe I'll just go standard Fighter, as none of the Archetypes are really calling out to me for filling this spot (while I would like Archer, we need a melee).

It's looking like Human for the race, with a variety of weapons at hand. I'll probably narrow down what weapon he prefers over time/in play.


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## jkason (Sep 12, 2011)

Dragonwriter said:


> Just don't forget a weapon. If you run into something immune to Acid, you'll be stuck.




For that matter, my plans for Caytis will see him using a fair bit of acid, as well: once he's taken his dip in crossblooded sorcerer, he'll gain a temporary natural armor bonus when he casts acid spells, as well as the ability to convert his energy spells to acid on the fly. The combo means he'll have a fair incentive to convert his spells whenever possible (He'll have a sorcerer power of an acidic ray, as well, but as I don't think that'll scale very well, he probably won't be using it much once he gets to take his next magus level). 

He'll be able to forego the energy conversion provided we encounter folks with acid resistance, but didn't know if all that acid-throwing might put you off the flavor of that choice.


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## Shayuri (Sep 12, 2011)

Signed up as Shayuri on Obsidian.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 12, 2011)

jkason said:


> For that matter, my plans for Caytis will see him using a fair bit of acid, as well: once he's taken his dip in crossblooded sorcerer, he'll gain a temporary natural armor bonus when he casts acid spells, as well as the ability to convert his energy spells to acid on the fly. The combo means he'll have a fair incentive to convert his spells whenever possible (He'll have a sorcerer power of an acidic ray, as well, but as I don't think that'll scale very well, he probably won't be using it much once he gets to take his next magus level).
> 
> He'll be able to forego the energy conversion provided we encounter folks with acid resistance, but didn't know if all that acid-throwing might put you off the flavor of that choice.




I could go with Ray of Frost as well, so that both acid and ice damage are covered.  

I do see him as wielding weapons, but he's not the type that likes to be up close and personal.  He's a hit and run type of guy, and if he can do it at range, he will.  Leaves me to wonder if taking Weapon Finesse would be worth it, if he's not planning on attempting to take on foes in melee.

I think something like a returning dagger would be good for him in the future.  Or any returning weapon I can use in melee if/when needed would work.

Character almost done, just have to decide 0 level spell and feat to take.  Picture is also up now, but may change it if I can get the background edited and him to look a little more tiefling-like.


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

Maybe take up archery/throwing weapons?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 12, 2011)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Picture is also up now, but may change it if I can get the background edited and him to look a little more tiefling-like.




I put Val in a chain shirt; even though he'll initially be wearing an armored coat, he'll switch as soon as he can - especially if he can get a mithril one. Otherwise I've got him exactly as I pictured him while I was writing him up.

(The close-up I posted is meant for his map token).


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION]

How did you make the bordered map icons in your game? Just used photoshop or something?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 12, 2011)

I can make one for Val (I use Photoshop). Do you prefer round or square borders? Also, I can make it so that the background is transparent so your map will show through. I'll attach one to this post in a few minutes. Done.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 12, 2011)

GIMP - Free image editing software.  I have a basic image that is the outline of the token and the center cut out.  Then, I add another layer, put a character portrait on that layer, and resize as needed.  Once it lines up with the first layer, I then anchor it and remove the edges with the eraser.  Merge the two layers and viola, you have a character token!

Example of what can be done:  This is the original image.  I cut out the edges, which then allowed me to cut out the character alone.  Then I pasted it on a second image as a new layer.  Moved it around to get it to look like it belonged, and then I had to darken the character layer to fit the darkness of the background.
Original Picture:


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## ahayford (Sep 12, 2011)

Wow...my art-fu is not up to par lol


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 13, 2011)

ahayford said:


> Wow...my art-fu is not up to par lol




Everything I learned was from about a week of testing the program.  There are tutorials that helped as well.


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## Walking Dad (Sep 13, 2011)

ahayford said:


> - I have an idea to bring you into the group...but you won't necessarily know the party until we start play. Are you ok with that? Also, do you want your character to be a native of Cauldron, from the island, or from off the island somewhere? The general gist of how you will join the group is that your nightmares (prophetic?) have driven you to cauldron (or perhaps just to the group if you wish to be native to Cauldron). The details of the dreams will follow once the game starts. I plan on sending you the dreams in private messages. Whether you chose to share them with the party is up to you.
> 
> ...




Sounds good.

Questions are answered here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/5680141-post46.html


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## jkason (Sep 13, 2011)

I should have the pencils for my character sketch done tonight, will upload that as a placeholder until I have time to muck with color. As you'll see, it's pretty heavily referenced off the standard Pathfinder Magus pic by Wayne Reynolds. I thought about just trying to invert the colors on the skin for that, but I think Caytis (1) has short hair and (2) wears a shirt. 

In terms of the background questions, I think I know most of those, assuming this fits the setting:

Was thinking that Caytis' parents may have moved to Sasserine shortly after marrying, or met there; in either event, they're there as a means of studying the Eye of Abendego. Possibly I could work in that they fear their being so near the supernatural storm contributed to Caytis' genetic-stew problems. 

With the academy bit you mentioned, I think that works: his folks remain on the shoreline to continue their work studying the storm, sent Caytis to the academy hoping he could learn magic where he wasn't coming to it naturally, and when he washed out, he stuck to Cauldron, landed his job with the old wizard, and developed his connection to some of the other outcasts in the area, finding solace in the Inn Val's parents run, etc.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION] I like it, Sounds good. 

[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION] cool only thing I need from you then is your character sheet.


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## Shayuri (Sep 13, 2011)

Okay, I have some ideas brewing.

I need to know more about this Surabar fellow. I didn't see much mention of him on the wiki. But I'm interested in the trait.

Anyway, my concepts run from gnome sorceors (connections to that gnomevillage, perhaps?) who can also serve as co-face with our oracle...to a human or elf witch who perhaps was involved in our magus' knowledge of hexcraft...

Basically, with Dragonwriter doing a fighter, I'm picking up control/utility casting so the magus can concentrate on what he does best. Thoughts?

PS - Also, you don't need to Mention folks in every reply. Every time you do that, it makes a little flag appear. It's best used to get the attention of folks who's attention seems to have wandered. Once someone is engaged in the thread (regularly posting and replying) it's best to stop. If you overuse it, people just stop paying attention to the flag. That and get mildly annoyed.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]
Surabar, a human wizard,  is largely credited with saving the settlements of the island in ages past. He is also credited as the founder of Cauldron as a city. More then just a wizard, he was also known as a great builder, frequently using his magics to create impressive archetecture and even going to far as to use it to construct hasty defensive structures for the smaller villages in the final days of the conflict to slow down the hordes of demons, and give the townsfolk time to retreat to the safety of Cauldron. Some of these structures can still be found at Redgorge. In fact, the bulwarks of Redgorge are some of the few remaining structures he contructed many years ago.

Redgorge:
The first human settlement in the heart of the island. Once the population center of the region, it is now a pale mirror of its former glory. Most of the population of the island took up residence in Cauldron after the war. Besides Sasserine and Cauldron, it is the next largest settlement on the island. 

I will add this information to Obsidian portal as well as some basic information on the city guard for [MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION].


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 13, 2011)

Finished the edits.  Here is the pic of Svexyn that I will be using for the game.  I can create the token character image from this also, if you would like.  Changed armor to dark leather, changed left dagger to cold iron, darkened image and changed background to that of what I think the slums he frequents would look like.

If only I could find a way to add some vestigial horns, but I think that is the tough part and I am not sure if I could do it properly.  Does this guy look tiefling enough for you?  





With BARELY visible horns:


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

I can give you some more information on the gnomish enclave. It is rumored to have once been a place of Art, science, music, and creative genius that once existed in or near Cauldron. Great works of art and engineering would appear in Cauldron, their owners claiming they were original gnomish works from the commune. In fact, it was quite a fad in the nobility for a number of years to own a gnomish work. About 75 years ago, all contact was lost with the commune. Several gnomes living in the city proper now claim to have lived there, but when asked what happened to drive the gnomes out, they will not answer beyond dark looks and the words "The Vanishing". Still, they often refer to their time in the commune before the calamity fondly.

A "witch of the wild" type character from the jungle could also be interesting.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION] I choose to think his hood is covering them up


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 13, 2011)

I'm working more on my character. A few ideas hit and so I am furiously typing away. 

I'm thinking my PC, being a former guardsman (kicked out after some heated arguments with superiors), could know Svexyn and/or Val, if that's good with Fangor and Mowgli. 
I'm thinking he's something more like the crusader-type, the sort who became a guard to try to clean the city up, but got completely sick of the BS of his superiors and their corruption. But he's not too good at keeping his mouth shut when he gets mad, so he got kicked out (possibly with a savage beating, from some of the other corrupt guards). He could easily have run into either of the two on his patrols, either on-duty or off.

For traits, I'm looking at Courageous and Mark of the Beast (Wolf).


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

Glad you got a good concept, and I think that will fit pretty well in the campaign. I will add some more information about the city guard to the obsidian portal since you will have some knowledge having been one


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

P.S. Are they servers lagging something fierce for you guys today? Its taking up to a minute to load/post


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 13, 2011)

Lag happens here. It's something we all deal with. 

And here's the little questionnaire and history of Marcus DuLoup, of Cauldron. Might be subject to change/revision, after more City Guard info comes up. 

________________________

Are you a Cauldron Native? If not where are you from?
Yep, born and raised, for better or worse. Mostly worse.

Do you have living family? If so, where do they live and what do they do?
My father’s still alive. Mother died when I was little, taken by sickness. He’s a shoemaker here in Cauldron, though I’m trying to get him enough money to get out of this cesspool.

Where do you currently live?
I still live with my father, in the apartment above his shop. 

Which characters do you know?
Possibly Val and Svexyn. I went to the Drunken Morkoth on occasion, when my father and I had enough spare coin for a few drinks. Svexyn I may have met on my own patrols, either on-duty or off. Good folks, those two, despite the looks of the latter.

Do you have a mundane job, a way to pay the rent before your adventuring career takes off?
Well, I did… Former guardsman, no longer at your service. I’d rather not get into the details of why… Let’s just say I wanted to make this city a better place to live and my superiors were more concerned with getting their paychecks (and bribes).

How old are you?
Twenty years since I’ve been born, all lived in the wonderful little hellhole we lovingly call Cauldron.

Background: 
Marcus was born to Frederic and Melina DuLoup, of Cauldron. They had (foolishly, Marcus now asserts) moved to Cauldron a few years prior, rented a shop with an apartment over it, and his father had set up his previously-successful shoemaking business once again. Times and money were decent then and the neighborhood was fairly average. But when a nasty sickness spread through the streets during Marcus’s fourth summer, Melina caught ill. Frederic ignores business trying to care for his wife, and soon couldn’t afford a healer. Eventually, she died from it.

Since then, his father was depressed, though he still tried to be attentive to the needs of the growing boy. But the shop suffered from his lack of focus and the little family had to become more and more frugal. At fourteen, Marcus lied about his age and got accepted into the city guard’s training program. The money got a little better as he progressed and finally became a full-fledged city guard, albeit a rookie. But it didn’t matter to him. He’d watched as his neighborhood got more run-down over the years, as the thugs and thieves moved in and took over. Now that he was a guard, he would finally have the power and backing to get rid of them. Except for one problem… Plenty of the other guards were bought and paid for by the scum of the street. They didn’t take too kindly to the youngster trying to put their patrons out of business. Finally, when Marcus was trying to get permission for a raid on a particular den of thieves (run by a foul man going by the name of Haig Falk), his superiors had him kicked out of the guard on the basis of “stirring up trouble.” And more trouble came in the form of a few thugs from Haig’s men, attacking and beating Marcus in the street. He fought back against them, never backing down, like a cornered wolf, but there were six against one.  It was only stopped when a patrol of guards, including a couple of Marcus’s friends, came by and joined the fray. Two of the six escaped, but the others were taken into custody. Marcus still has a jagged scar above his right eyebrow from the beating.

In the few months since then, times have gotten harder again for Marcus and his father. The same friends who rescued Marcus from the thugs managed to smuggle his former gear to him, which was then supplemented by a little bit of money Marcus had saved for himself. He’s been trying to find work, but his name has been smeared and prospects are difficult to find for a former guardsman.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 13, 2011)

VERY slow to upload posts.  I edited my last post and it took a good two minutes.  I added a second pic, with horns.  I think it works.  Now I can make the token.  I am still stuck on a feat and the 0-level spell.  Need to decide this soon.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

Nice Dragonwriter! Looks like the group is coming together nicely.


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## jkason (Sep 13, 2011)

If we wanted even more integration, Marcus could be the person Caytis learned his martial abilities from. If he were hard up for work, seems like it might be logical that the washed-out guard wouldn't be too proud to take a bit of coin from the washed-out wizarding student to teach him how to stab and dodge. 

I like the idea of Caytis' later hexcrafting coming from learning from a witch PC, too, though since he won't actually have any hexes available for several levels, it's not necessary if Shayuri decides to go for the gnome, instead.


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 13, 2011)

jkason said:


> If we wanted even more integration, Marcus could be the person Caytis learned his martial abilities from. If he were hard up for work, seems like it might be logical that the washed-out guard wouldn't be too proud to take a bit of coin from the washed-out wizarding student to teach him how to stab and dodge.




Yeah, I'd be fine with that.

Perhaps not primary teacher, but possibly Marcus helped sharpen (if you'll pardon the pun) Caytis's technique recently.


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## Shayuri (Sep 13, 2011)

Enworld still gets hammered sometimes during peak hours.

Here's my trifecta of concepts:

*The Lost Scion Returns* - Little is known of Surabar's wife, as the wizard ensured her escape early on and only followed when his work in Cauldron was done. His sons and, later, grandsons found work in other locations. Eventually though, the various lines leading back to Surabar. Here a grandson perished childdless, there a daughter was widowed. Finally there was but one line left, and of that line one daughter. She learned of her ancestor and was inspired by his deeds to follow his footsteps and become a wizard. Now, fresh from her studies and, truth be told, still quite the innocent in worldly matters, she has come to Cauldron to see the very place Surabar made, and the people he saved. She would love to find some old possession of his to keep, or tidbits and information to let her become closer to him, even if only in her own head. She has no idea that the blood of Surabar has a strength all its own...and an ancient enmity that never sleeps, and never forgets.

*The Lost Scion Returns Part Deux* - Little was written of the hero-wizard Surabar's love life, though it's known he had at least one lover. What is not known, at least not by those in Cauldron, was that he had in fact, two. While exploring what were then savage lands around the volcano prior to Cauldron's founding he had many encounters with native tribes of humans and humanoids. In one such tribe, friendlier than most to strangers, he met a captivating woman who's magics rivaled his own, yet were tantalizingly different. He moved on after staying for a time...as both understood he would. He never knew the child sired there in the jungles. But she never forgot him. Now, generations later, a wildling witch makes the journey to the cratered city of Cauldron to learn about the side of her heritage that the matriarchs of her tribe cannot help her with.

*Gnomes'er All Gone* - The gnomes who did not flee to Cauldron, but escaped the Vanishing, scattered out over the wilds past the mountains. There they lived simpler lives than in the commune; more in tune with the rhythms of nature. Some embraced their old feyness and became little more than spirits of the wood. Others walked the precarious line between mortality and the True Fey, drawing power from those ties without losing themselves to it. One gnome who came to walk that path now returns to Cauldron, hoping to find out what happened there after the gnomes fled. Hoping to find relatives safe on its streets rather than...gone. Hoping above all to one day unravel the mystery behind the Vanishing, and make sure it never happens again.

...

I'm leaning towards wizard or witch right now...suggestions welcome.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

All of those are great! I'd love to see any one of those in our campaign.


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## Shayuri (Sep 13, 2011)

It was a tossup for me, but then I started thinking of Tia Dalma, from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and her crazy accent...and it just clicked.

So witch of the wilds it is!

I'm thinking perhaps Transformation patron. A sort of 'arcane druid' in some ways. Hee. We'll see. I'll do some builds and pick which one seems best.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 13, 2011)

I am biased, but I think the witch was a good choice!  This is sounding like a pretty decent group with a broad range of abilities.  I have never seen neither a Magus nor an Oracle in action, so this will be the first time I will experience what those classes hold.  I look forward to seeing just how this group manages with the wide array of races and 'outsiders' feel of the group.  Hey, we may even be called 'The Outsiders', lol.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

Ok looks like we are slowly getting everyone set up. I just wanted to go over a few regarding play flow and make sure everyone is cool with how I'm currently planning on running the game.

First, I was thinking about doing rolls for skills that are largely passive for you. This is largely in an effort to reduce the lag time for basic skills checks such as spot, listen, and basic knowledge skills. Actions that require active use, I will still have you tell me you are going to do something and make the roll. Lets do an example:

Marcus is chasing a thug down the street, but the thug dives down an alley. When Marcus rounds the corner, the thug is nowhere to be found. 









*OOC:*


Here I roll his listen check for him and give him the results. 







Marcus hears scrabbling above him and looks up. The thug is climbing up the building.

Heres another situation.

The group is trying to get in to use the Bluecrater Academy Library without paying. Valinnan decides he is going to try and sweet talk the librarian into letting them. He roleplays out the the conversation a little, in ooc lets me know what he is trying to do and what skill he is using, then makes his roll (preferably all in one post). Then, I'll respond with the results of his action.

Does anyone have a problem with this or have a preffered method of resolving these situations?

Also, before every major GM updated I will try and wait for all players to make a response, but there may be some mini gm updates with responses to skill checks etc.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 13, 2011)

All of that sounds good to me. In general, I try to post at least once or twice a day, but there may be days I don't get a chance. Of course, I'll let you know if I'm planning an absence of more than a couple of days, and if that's gonna happen during a combat I'll try to put up his expected actions on OP so you can keep things moving.


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## jkason (Sep 13, 2011)

Dragonwriter said:


> Yeah, I'd be fine with that.
> 
> Perhaps not primary teacher, but possibly Marcus helped sharpen (if you'll pardon the pun) Caytis's technique recently.




Works for me. After all, he obviously didn't learn his exotic weapon proficiency from Marcus, or how to cast in armor, so one assumes there were other teachers / training. 

ahayford, posting protocol seems fine with me. I tend to post from work as time permits, so I post less on the weekends when I'm not as likely to be in front of the computer. And feel free to prod if Caytis is the one holding things up


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## Shayuri (Sep 13, 2011)

Ahayford, I heartily endorse your posting proposal! I think it's a fine idea.

Also, I won't vanish on you without warning, but I am in a LOT of games so if I'm up and a day or so goes by, give me a PM or a Mention or a nudge...sometimes my aged brain hits a spot where the Mad Cow has been grazing.


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## ahayford (Sep 13, 2011)

Other thing I forgot to mention. I will tend to throw in situation bonuses if I feel like you roleplayed out an action particularly well. In the diplomacy example, if I feel like he gave a pretty compelling arguement for why they need access to whatever, I might add on a +2 situational bonus....or I might not....it depends .


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## ahayford (Sep 14, 2011)

I have added some information on Redgorge

Shackled City - Golarian Play by Post ENWorld | Main Page | Obsidian Portal

And updated some organization data *including some criminal organizations

Shackled City - Golarian Play by Post ENWorld | Cauldron | Obsidian Portal


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## Shayuri (Sep 14, 2011)

Here's a work in progress for my jungle witch and her spoooooooky spider familiar!

?
Human Witch 1

Str 10 (0)
Dex 14 (5)
Con 13 (3)
Int 18 (10)
Wis 12 (2)
Cha 10 (0)

BAB +0
HP: 10/10
AC: 12 (10 + 2 dex)
Init: +2
Fort: +1, Ref +2, Will +3

Human Race Traits
Medium
Heart of the Wilderness (+1/2 lvl on Survival, +5 Con to stabilize, +1/2 lvl to con for neg HP survival)
Extra Feat
Favored Class: Witch

Witch Features
Cantrips
Hexes
- Prehensile Hair
Patron Spells: Transformation
Familiar: Scarlet Spider

Traits
Scion of Surabar: +2 vs fear, death, insanity, and confusion. Demons gain +1 to attack rolls and damage against you.
Jungle Walker: +2 Survival in jungles

Feats
b Point Blank Shot
1 Toughness

Skills 7
Craft (alchemy) +8 (1 rank + 4 Int + 3 class)
Heal +5 (1 rank + 1 Wis + 3 class)
Intimidate +4 (1 rank + 0 cha + 3 class)
Knowledge: Arcana +8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Knowledge: Nature +8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Spellcraft +8 (1 rank + 4 int + 3 class)
Survival +3 (1 rank + 1 Wis + 1 racial)

Spellcasting (Witch CL 1, Base DC 14)
Prepared
0 - Detect Magic, Guidence, Resistance
1 - Mage Armor, Ear Piercing Scream

Known By Familiar
0 - Arcane Mark, Bleed, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect POison, Guidence, Light, Mending, Message, Putrefy Food & Drink, Read Magic, 

Resistance, Spark, Stabilize, Touch of Fatigue
1 - Burning Hands, Command, Cure Light Wounds, Identify, Mage Armor, Chill Touch, Ear Piercing Scream

Equipment
Money: 13gp

Weapon
Spear, +0 to hit, 1d8 dmg, 20' rng if thrown, 6lbs, 2gp
Dagger, +0 to hit, 1d4 dmg, 10', 1lb, 1gp, in wrist sheath
3 javelins, +2 to hit, 1d6 dmg, 30' rng, 2lbs each (6 total), 1gp each (3 total), +1 hit/dmg within 30'

Armor
None

Gear
Adventurer's Sash, 3lbs, 20gp
2 belt pouches, 1lb, 2gp
Spell Component pouch, 2lbs, 5gp
Flint & Steel, 1gp
Healer's Kit, 1lb, 50gp
Spear-Thrower, 1lb, 1gp
Waterskin, 4lbs, 1gp
Wrist sheath, 1lb, 1gp

2xScroll: Cure Light Wounds, 50gp 

Encumberance
26lbs out of 33lbs, light

Familiar
[sblock=Shelob]
Scarlet Spider
N Tiny vermin
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4

DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 17, flat-footed 13 (+5 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size)
HP 5/5
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d3–4 plus poison)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks Poison
Special Qualities: Grant Alertness and Climb +3, Empathic Link, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Store Spells

STATISTICS
Str 3, Dex 21, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 2
Base Atk +0; CMB +3; CMD 9 (21 vs. trip)
Feats Weapon FinesseB
Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +21, Perception +4, Stealth +17; Racial
Modifiers +8 Acrobatics, +8 Climb, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Poison (Ex)
Bite—injury; save Fort DC 10; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1 Str; cure 1 save.[/sblock]


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## Walking Dad (Sep 14, 2011)

ahayford said:


> ... cool only thing I need from you then is your character sheet.




Currently working here on it. Skills (the totals, not the distribution) and equipment is always a pain for me...
(I really like the 'standard x' packs/kits in some games)

http://www.enworld.org/forum/5680141-post46.html


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 14, 2011)

A couple of questions:

First, will you allow the Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath from Adventurer's Armory?
Second, do you mind your players adding pages to your wiki? I'd like to add a page for Val's campaign notes; I won't link to it anywhere other than on Val's sheet, so unless you go looking for it you won't even know it's there . . .


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## ahayford (Sep 14, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> A couple of questions:
> 
> First, will you allow the Spring Loaded Wrist Sheath from Adventurer's Armory?
> Second, do you mind your players adding pages to your wiki? I'd like to add a page for Val's campaign notes; I won't link to it anywhere other than on Val's sheet, so unless you go looking for it you won't even know it's there . . .




You are welcome to do so. Do I need to give you special permission or can you do it without it?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 14, 2011)

I think I can do it without you having to do anything. I'm at work and restricted to my phone now, so I'll try it out this evening and let you know.


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## ahayford (Sep 14, 2011)

Sorry, I skipped the other question. Spring loaded sheath is acceptable.


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## jkason (Sep 14, 2011)

Shayuri, if I'm remembering right, ahayford said the campaign is pretty urban / dungeon-y in content. While Heart of the Wilderness seems like it has enough general-use benefits, the Jungle Walker trait might not be especially helpful. If it's there just for thematics, that's totally understandable, obviously, but if not, you might re-consider.


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## ahayford (Sep 14, 2011)

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION]
I think it is thematically appropriate for the character, and because I like the character idea, I may end up fleshing out some trips through the jungle a little more. I will try and integrate your characters into the region/module as much as possible  The adventure is pretty dungeon/urban focused though. Of course, any time you leave the city, its a lot of bush land.

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]
Also, Shayuri, I'd like you to describe just how out there she is going to look  The citizens of Cauldron are used to seeing Hillfolk....but a witch might be something else. Although there is also fairly large Hillfolk population in the city. Also, I'd like you to take Hillfolk as a language if you can. 

And one more thing, if you would like to flesh out the history and backstory of your tribe, and village, you are welcome to do so. I will do my best to integrate it. Maybe a name for the native tribes at least beyond "Hillfolk" and the name of their language. Their race isn't really well described either in the campaign. My guess is that they'd be either something resembling Mwagi (African) or something between Native American / Carribean islander. I'll leave that up to you. If this isn't something you are comfortable or interested in doing, I will come up with something myself. 

@


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## jkason (Sep 14, 2011)

Pencils for Caytis. Dunno if I'll have him cleaned and colored before we start, but wanted you to have an image, since I think that's the last part of the 'checklist' I need?:

[sblock=sketch]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





[/sblock]


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## ahayford (Sep 14, 2011)

I just needed something to represent your character. The pencil will be fine to start, but if there is a stock image you'd rather use, that is ok as well. We can replace it with your final whenever you get to it.


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## Shayuri (Sep 14, 2011)

Oh...you will get _plenty_ of back info. You may, in fact, have to give my leash a yank here and there. This character concept is really singing to me for some reason.

Hopefully I'll have enough to get posted tonight.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 14, 2011)

ahayford - do you need me to create some icon images for each character?  Token format, like what you see in my other game?

Example for Svexyn:


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 14, 2011)

Marcus is up on the wiki and should be finished now, including a picture (pulled from DeviantArt).

He's certainly ready for a look-over, make sure I didn't miss anything/need to fix anything. And of course, such things will be dealt with, once I am made aware.


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## ahayford (Sep 14, 2011)

I will try and do a crunch pass over of the characters tonight, but I may end up at work late so we'll see. 

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION] If you would like to Fangor, it would certainly save me some initial time.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 15, 2011)

I have them done, if you want them.


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## Walking Dad (Sep 15, 2011)

Thanks for the counter, but I changed the image to something less monstrous evil looking:






This one I will keep. Still working on skills and equipment


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 15, 2011)

Nice find.  I like this less monstrous version as well!


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## jkason (Sep 15, 2011)

Did up some colors for Caytis (or at least the portion of him that would go on a token.  ):






ETA: Hmm. For some reason when I exported the pgn in GIMP, the edges didn't stay transparent. Not sure why that is. *shrug*.


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## ahayford (Sep 15, 2011)

Is your character half-drow jkason?


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## jkason (Sep 15, 2011)

ahayford said:


> Is your character half-drow jkason?




That's actually the expression of his Wyrm-Blooded trait: extremely fine, black scales all over his skin. The hair and eyes are pale because, as a side-effect of his bloodlines not combining well, he's nearly an albino wherever the scales aren't. 

Mind you, those two things in combination often have him mistaken for a half-drow, which is one of the things he's often surly about.


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## ahayford (Sep 15, 2011)

Sweet. No problem. I just wanted to make sure. How far back in your family's history do you believe the uh...."rendezvous with a dragon" occured.


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## jkason (Sep 15, 2011)

ahayford said:


> Sweet. No problem. I just wanted to make sure. How far back in your family's history do you believe the uh...."rendezvous with a dragon" occured.




Caytis's father is a human sorcerer of the draconic (linnorm) bloodline; his mother is an elven sorcerer with the shaitan bloodline. I think in both cases that the introduction of outside blood was pretty far in the past; Family history recalls them both, but it's from near the founding of both lineages. Other than having a fairly high percentage of sorcerers in the family, neither line has seen this kind of expression of the blood in ages. They're not sure if it's due to their specific bloodlines interacting poorly, the proximity of the Eye of Abednago, a combination of the two, or something else entirely.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

Spell casters, if you haven't already, please note what spells you have memorized.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION] Can you fix the code blocks in your character sheet that appear to be off. If they just need to be deleted thats fine. Otherwise, your character sheet passes cursory inspection 

[MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION] Your stats seem to go above the 20pt buy rules. Please see page 16 of the core rules or check out Character Creation Outline - Pathfinder_OGC. It looks like maybe you assumed each point was +1 to 10, but its actually kind of a exponential scale. When you adjust your str, be sure to adjust your weight allowances. Otherwise, your character sheet is fine.

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION] Please add your studded leathers -1 armor check penatly to acrobatics and stealth.

[MENTION=29558]Mowgli[/MENTION] Keep in mind with your "sack" you are medium enc. Otherwise Approved.

[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION] Please adjust your weight limits based on your strength
Carrying Capacity - Pathfinder_OGC

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] Your intelligence buy should be 16 not 18. 18 costs 17 points unless I'm missing a +2 to int from somewhere. 16 costs 10

All this being said, I really don't typically pay that much attention to carried weight unless someone tries to do something silly 

Please to have your characters uploaded and fixed by tomorrow evening. I'd like to post the first gameplay post!  If there are just minor issues I'm going to go ahead and start. I'll probably start regardless


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 16, 2011)

ahayford said:


> Dragonwriter Your stats seem to go above the 20pt buy rules. Please see page 16 of the core rules or check out Character Creation Outline - Pathfinder_OGC. It looks like maybe you assumed each point was +1 to 10, but its actually kind of a exponential scale. When you adjust your str, be sure to adjust your weight allowances. Otherwise, your character sheet is fine.
> <snip>
> Shayuri Your intelligence buy should be 16 not 18. 18 costs 17 points unless I'm missing a +2 to int from somewhere. 16 costs 10




EDIT: Removed part of my previous info. This should be the correct response. 

I knocked CHA down to 8 now. For some reason, I have it listed on my Word doc sheet as 8, but it got into OP as 10. 
Removing that should fix the issue.

And I believe part of it is also the fact that Humans get +2 to an Ability Score of their choice in PF. Hence Shayuri's witch having 18 INT, but with 10 points spent. Same for my 18 STR.

FURTHER EDIT: My sheet doesn't want to take my updates. I'm trying to get them to stick at the moment.


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## Shayuri (Sep 16, 2011)

Humans get +2 bonus to any one stat. I picked Intelligence. 

Nia has been added to the wiki, along with a little pic. I may change the pic as I continue to hunt, but I like the simplicity of this one so far...


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

My bad. I didn't realize humans got that bonus in Pathfinder. Still thinking 3.5


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 16, 2011)

ahayford said:


> Please add your studded leathers -1 armor check penatly to acrobatics and stealth.




Armor Expert Trait - Reduces Armor Penalty by 1.  Took it due to mother's trade as being a seamstress and his homemade armor.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

See, you guys are better at this then me


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] Does nia have an alignment.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

I have sent Wilbur his first nightmare and have posted the opening DM update in 

http://www.enworld.org/forum/playing-game/311601-shackled-city-golarion-prelude.html#post5684399

I apologize for its length, but I wanted to set a good opening scene. Further updates should not be this long. I also wanted to apologize if anyone feels like I railroaded their character too much. I tried to keep it as general as possible, but I may have gone out of bounds a bit on Nia and Wilbur. If anyone would like me to re-write a section of the introduction to better reflect what their character would do, please let me know and I will be happy to do so. 

My goal here was to get the party together as quickly as possible and shorten some of the time spent blundering about just trying to get the group together. From here on out you have full control and I will not puppet a character without your say so.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

Put in some edits to the first post, as I realized I am tired and wrote some silly sounding sentences


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 16, 2011)

The length is fine by me. 

Just one thing... I figured we'd be starting in Cauldron and have a little time before setting off on the legitimate start of things, so I didn't fill out Marcus's basic items. Mind if I take care of that now?


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

You may, As the title of the thread suggests though, this is simply a prelude. Things will move back to Cauldron fairly soon.


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## Shayuri (Sep 16, 2011)

Ah! Yes. I will add that. Thanks!


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## Walking Dad (Sep 16, 2011)

Sorry, will be very busy this weekend 

Skill ranks are fine on the sheet, but not mods and totals.

The equipment section is the copy and pasted of our cleric... I will do the list as fast as possible, but I should be able to post IC before it.

Sorry again.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 16, 2011)

Length is fine with me, as is the 'railroad.'  won't have Internet access on a computer 'till tonight and I hate doing anything but very simple posts from my phone, so I'll get an IC post up this evening.


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## jkason (Sep 16, 2011)

ahayford said:


> [MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION] Can you fix the code blocks in your character sheet that appear to be off. If they just need to be deleted thats fine. Otherwise, your character sheet passes cursory inspection




I think it's fixed. You were just talking about the stuff that said [ code ] at the bottom, yes?

WD, if you're switching to tongues, the fact is that I pretty much picked Caytis' languages at random. Well, I picked draconic for obvious reasons, but the rest was just 'what monsters might be common'?  If you want / need, he can probably pick your 'battle language' so long as ahayford approves.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 16, 2011)

jkason said:


> Did up some colors for Caytis (or at least the portion of him that would go on a token.  ):
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Fixed your token, if you don't mind.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry, will be very busy this weekend
> 
> Skill ranks are fine on the sheet, but not mods and totals.
> 
> ...




[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION]

Lol! Its ok really  I'm not an equipment nazi. As long as you have something reasonably appropriate its ok and you can update it with your final choices. I just wanted to get the game moving and figured everyone had the important parts locked in.

Also, make sure you check your pm Walking Dad! I sent the nightmare to you there. If you guys prefer I can just put it up in a spoiler block or something....Or maybe just set up a seperate thread. I thought I'd try the direct PM route though.

If you wish to alter your curse that is also fine, though humans start play with Common so I assume you guys can communicate.


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

Also, this is my first time doing a play by post, so please...if I do something you guys don't like, don't let it fester in the back of your mind  Send me a PM or post on this thread and let me know.


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 16, 2011)

Just finished fixing up Marcus's equipment. For some reason, the changes I make to his DEX, CHA and Reflex saves absolutely will not stick. 

At least the added equipment worked.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 16, 2011)

Nia's token done.  

I still have not chosen a feat for Svexyn.  I am just simply at a stand still on it.  Either going with a dagger throwing character, or a hit and move character.  Dodge, Mobility, Shot on the Run, etc.  Or Point Blank Shot, Quick Draw, etc.

It's either that or Weapon Finesse Rogue.  I just think that is the 'norm' and I just want something different.  Help?


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## ahayford (Sep 16, 2011)

Thank you for the token Fagor! You've been very helpful. I appreciate that everyone has been willing to contribute  As for your feat issues, I'll try and think about it tonight, but mechanical character builds are definitely not my strong point. The best advice that I can personally give you is first focus on how you want him to fight tematically. Do you imagine him getting in close and using melee weapons, or is he more likely to skulk in the shadows hitting with ranged weapons. Maybe he doesn't use throwing daggers, maybe he uses a pair of small crossbows. Maybe he uses shards of volcanic glass (obsidian) as throwing weapons. Once you've settled on how you want him to thematically fight, maybe it will be easier to pick your feat. In my opinion, that is more important then whether Weapon Finesse is the standard way to go.

I've heard archer builds can be very good mechanically in Pathfinder, though again, its not really my strong suit. I can do some research tonight.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 16, 2011)

Updated --  Took Dodge.  It works with my Scout theme.  Hit and run tactics.  Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack.


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## ahayford (Sep 19, 2011)

I'm going to go ahead and post a GM update tonight. If there is anything you want to do in response to the previous update, pls post before then. Otherwise I'll assume you engage in general eating/talking with the patrons


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## Shayuri (Sep 19, 2011)

Or eating and watching the other patrons suspiciously/sullenly from a corner, sure.


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## ahayford (Sep 19, 2011)

lol!


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## Walking Dad (Sep 20, 2011)

Or eating in a corner and be watched by the other patrons suspiciously...


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## ahayford (Sep 21, 2011)

DM Update coming tonight. If you plan on doing something before then, please post soon  Or let me know and I can hold off.


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## ahayford (Sep 21, 2011)

One thing I'd like to add, if you are ready for the next DM update, but aren't planning on adding a post for your character, pls comment on the previous DM update that you are ready, or add an ooc post. I've been trying to wait until I see a post from everyone before I advance time, but if people are ready to update, I'll go ahead and do so.


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## Shayuri (Sep 21, 2011)

Oops, sorry. I was thinking of a little reaction post to the lady of the house, but since it was going to be such a small thing, I wasn't sure it really constituted a post on its own, so I was waiting to see what happened next.


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## ahayford (Sep 21, 2011)

Its fine  if you don't want to make lots of little tiny posts, and are ready to advance time just let me know. I don't want to leave anyone out, but if everyone is ready I can go ahead and advance.


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## Shayuri (Sep 21, 2011)

In this case yes, lets advance.


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## jkason (Sep 21, 2011)

Ready when you are.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 21, 2011)

Ready, boss!


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 21, 2011)

Waiting and listening to the sounds of the night...


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## Shayuri (Sep 22, 2011)

Man, now's when I'm thinking a sorceror (for high Cha) with Burning Hands woul be nice to have.


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## ahayford (Sep 22, 2011)

Mwahaha. <steeples hands evilly>


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 23, 2011)

OK, I've subscribed to the IC thread three times now, and for some reason it's not listing in my 'Subscribed Threads' folder, and so I'm not getting notifications when there's a new post. My apologies for falling so far behind - I'm typically much better than this.

I'll try to read up on the IC and get a post up that makes some sort of sense given how much has happened . . . it may be that I have to just post Val in as though he's been there all along.

I'm going to try subscribing again - maybe 4th times the charm. If it doesn't take this time I'll contact the mods and see if they can puzzle it out.


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## ahayford (Sep 23, 2011)

Val - Thats totally fine. I'm pretty laid back, no need to stress  I think you picked a good time to realize you were missing out!


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## ahayford (Sep 26, 2011)

Hey all, you guys just have a busy weekend? Or is something wrong with how I'm running the game?


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## Shayuri (Sep 26, 2011)

It's not you. It's been a time thing for me. Saturday I had evening plans for, and Sunday I woke up very late in the day, so I didn't have much time.

And then on top of that, the situation is very well laid out, with lots of possible courses of action, so I've been pondering a bit, to think of something clever to do. 

I will get it posted up Monday though.

It's pretty routine for posting to slow down over weekends.


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## Walking Dad (Sep 26, 2011)

Sorry, I cannot post at weekends, but I started to fix that.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 26, 2011)

Very busy weekend, sorry. And like Shayuri, I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to do here.

BTW, is there a water source here other than a well? A stream/river or some such? I figure if there was you'd have put it in the summary, but thought I'd ask just in case.


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## ahayford (Sep 26, 2011)

Its cool. Trust me I understand the busy weekend thing  I'll try not to drop bombs on Friday. I was just concerned that with Mowgli's earlier comments that he wasn't getting update notifications that maybe something broke and no one had seen the update. I was also concerned that, this being my first pbp, that I was doing something wrong  I'll engage my patience!


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## jkason (Sep 26, 2011)

I'm in the 'busy weekend' boat. I tend to post less on weekends in general, so when I get one that's busier, I'm usually a no show. Sorry 'bout that.


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## ahayford (Sep 27, 2011)

As for the water source, nothing nearby besides the well that you are aware of.


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## ahayford (Sep 29, 2011)

Hey guys. Sorry for the delay. I have my internet back. I decided since your plans take more then 1 round each, that I would extrapolate to Round 5. I hope that is acceptable to everyone, rather then do several small updates over a few days.


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## ahayford (Sep 29, 2011)

Hey guys,

Since we've been playing for about a month now, I thought I'd do a little DM survey to see if you guys are enjoying the game. If you have time, please let me know what you think so far. I will try and incorporate suggestions going forward. As this is my first experience DMing a pbp, I wanted to make sure I was running this as expected.


1) How do you feel about the frequency of my updates?

2) Am I giving you enough time to RP amongst yourselves and with NPCs?

3) Do you feel like your character has had an oppotunity to shine?

4) Do you feel like your characters actions are making meeningful impacts on the world?

5) Am I giving you enough time to react to situations in the game world? Should I allow you a chance to react at every "time slice" rather then extrapolating to save back and forth time?

6) Do you feel like I'm taking too many liberties with what your character does in my updates?

7) Would you prefer less "narrative" style updates and more "just the facts"?

8) Am I giving you enough opportunities to roll dice?

9) Are you disappointed by the lack of combat (thus far)?

10) How do you like to run combat? My current plan was to have everyone post a prioritized things they'd like to do in priority order...and then resolve the round in initiative order. Using your prioritized list and my judgement to determine what happens to avoid having to wait for everyone to post in initiative order. OR would you rather I wait for each person to post in initiative order, resolve it and move to the next pc.

11) In general 1-10 with 1 being the lowest, how engaged are you in the story?

12) 1-10 How do you feel I'm doing as a DM?

13) Any other suggestions for changes in game flow you'd like to see or ways I could make the game better?


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## ahayford (Sep 29, 2011)

Doh! I just checked the post date of the intro post, and it looks like its only been 2 weeks!


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## Dragonwriter (Sep 29, 2011)

Interesting little questionnaire. I like it. I haven't seen feedback requests like this in quite some time. 



ahayford said:


> 1) How do you feel about the frequency of my updates?




Just fine.



> 2) Am I giving you enough time to RP amongst yourselves and with NPCs?




Yes, so far.



> 3) Do you feel like your character has had an oppotunity to shine?




A little... but hauling a lot of stuff is hardly glorious. 



> 4) Do you feel like your characters actions are making meeningful impacts on the world?




Again, a little. But we're only level 1, so I'm surprised to see much of a chance to have effects on the larger picture. Usually, major influence happens later in a campaign.



> 5) Am I giving you enough time to react to situations in the game world? Should I allow you a chance to react at every "time slice" rather then extrapolating to save back and forth time?




I'm fine with the setup so far. Sometimes, the DM just has to speed through stuff. Fast-forwarding is one of the handy tools available to do just that. I think going through each of the five rounds as "carry more stuff/help the porters/reinforce the gates" would have just been tedious.



> 6) Do you feel like I'm taking too many liberties with what your character does in my updates?




So far, no.



> 7) Would you prefer less "narrative" style updates and more "just the facts"?




I like the narrative style so far. You've got a fairly engaging writing style, for my taste.



> 8) Am I giving you enough opportunities to roll dice?




I suppose. But it's been only two weeks and one encounter.  I don't expect a lot to happen, especially when we're still in the Prelude.



> 9) Are you disappointed by the lack of combat (thus far)?




Again, two weeks. And combat in PbP generally takes forever... so not really.



> 10) How do you like to run combat? My current plan was to have everyone post a prioritized things they'd like to do in priority order...and then resolve the round in initiative order. Using your prioritized list and my judgement to determine what happens to avoid having to wait for everyone to post in initiative order. OR would you rather I wait for each person to post in initiative order, resolve it and move to the next pc.




That plan could work. You could also roll a grouped monster Init and just have the PCs act themselves, fairly independently, either before or after the monsters, based on their own Init roll.



> 11) In general 1-10 with 1 being the lowest, how engaged are you in the story?




About a 7. Decent so far, but nothing making me go "Wow!" But then again, it's been all of 2 weeks. 



> 12) 1-10 How do you feel I'm doing as a DM?




I'd say an 8 -- pretty well. The writing style for the updates carries a touch of life with it, rather than the dry and boring posts I've seen from other PbP DMs, which is very helpful for keeping the game interesting.



> 13) Any other suggestions for changes in game flow you'd like to see or ways I could make the game better?




Nothing that comes to mind just now... Maybe in a few more weeks I'll have something.


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## jkason (Sep 29, 2011)

Rather than give a bunch of 'works for me's,' just assume I'm fine with any number that I'm not listing below. 



ahayford said:


> 3) Do you feel like your character has had an oppotunity to shine?




Not a lot, but I don't attribute that to you, really. I've been running a bit behind updating, and haven't been doing the greatest job at coming up with much in the way of strategy. 

I think swarms are especially problematic at very early levels, when area effects aren't as common for casters to have prepared, and economics mean you're not likely to have invested in splash weapons yet, but that seems like a fault of the system, really: CR is troublesome with a creature that's really easy to kill if you happen to have the right spell / bit of gear and nearly impossible to kill if you don't. 



> 7) Would you prefer less "narrative" style updates and more "just the facts"?




I'm a fan of narrative. I enjoy PbP games because of that, actually, as it emphasizes the 'shared story-telling' aspect of RPGs. 



> 8) Am I giving you enough opportunities to roll dice?




I haven't felt like I've been shoehorned out of using my stats, if that's what you mean. It seems like mechanics are coming in where mechanics can.



> 10) How do you like to run combat? My current plan was to have everyone post a prioritized things they'd like to do in priority order...and then resolve the round in initiative order. Using your prioritized list and my judgement to determine what happens to avoid having to wait for everyone to post in initiative order. OR would you rather I wait for each person to post in initiative order, resolve it and move to the next pc.




I've actually found group initiative / first-post speeds things up, but it looks like several PC's took initiative-boosting traits, so that's probably not fair to them. Given that, having folks post what they expect to do, then resolving in initiative order (possibly pausing for retcons if the situation changes before you get to someone) seems the best option.


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## ahayford (Sep 29, 2011)

jkason said:


> I think swarms are especially problematic at very early levels, when area effects aren't as common for casters to have prepared, and economics mean you're not likely to have invested in splash weapons yet, but that seems like a fault of the system, really: CR is troublesome with a creature that's really easy to kill if you happen to have the right spell / bit of gear and nearly impossible to kill if you don't.





Hehe....I think you guys are metagaming the swarm a bit  But it has also led this encounter in a direction I didn't quite expect at first, which is really cool. I'm all for alternative solutions to encounters that don't involve direct combat. Particularly in pbp where combat can take a long time.

Also, I try to be a fairly adaptive DM, so if there is something off the wall you want to try...I'd go for it. I liked that Svexyn, Nia, and Valinnan came up with 3 seperate strategies....and I feel like they have all contributed to you guys surviving (thus far).


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## Shayuri (Sep 29, 2011)

In this case the swarm is clearly not a "monster" in game rules. It's a force of nature...more like an environmental hazard, like a lava flow. It can be avoided or perhaps even diverted, but not "killed."

Even the flaming meat was more of an idea to distract and dissuade the swarm coming at the gate, not to 'kill'  them, really.

Though killing some is definitely a bonus.


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## Walking Dad (Sep 30, 2011)

ahayford said:


> ...
> 
> 1) How do you feel about the frequency of my updates?



Fine.



> 2) Am I giving you enough time to RP amongst yourselves and with NPCs?



Yes, you do.



> 3) Do you feel like your character has had an opportunity to shine?



Not yet (unless you count weirding some others out) 



> 4) Do you feel like your characters actions are making meaningful impacts on the world?



Not yet. Fighting swarms is not the thing he is doing well.



> 5) Am I giving you enough time to react to situations in the game world? Should I allow you a chance to react at every "time slice" rather then extrapolating to save back and forth time?



Everything works fine. And thanks for the retcon.



> 6) Do you feel like I'm taking too many liberties with what your character does in my updates?



No. I think we will both have to get to know Wilbur 



> 7) Would you prefer less "narrative" style updates and more "just the facts"?



I prefer narrative, as long as the facts are also clear. You did this.



> 8) Am I giving you enough opportunities to roll dice?



???



> 9) Are you disappointed by the lack of combat (thus far)?



Not at all.



> 10) How do you like to run combat? My current plan was to have everyone post a prioritized things they'd like to do in priority order...and then resolve the round in initiative order. Using your prioritized list and my judgement to determine what happens to avoid having to wait for everyone to post in initiative order. OR would you rather I wait for each person to post in initiative order, resolve it and move to the next pc.



I personnel like the DM to decide on the order of things the PCs act, trying to make it most beneficial and to make sense. If we would be all in the same room, we could delay our actions for maximum benefit, too.



> 11) In general 1-10 with 1 being the lowest, how engaged are you in the story?



7+



> 12) 1-10 How do you feel I'm doing as a DM?



You do fine, maybe great 



> 13) Any other suggestions for changes in game flow you'd like to see or ways I could make the game better?



Nothing yet.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Sep 30, 2011)

> 1) How do you feel about the frequency of my updates?



We're rolling along at a good clip! (Experience tells me that the current pace will slow as the game matures, but that's fine . . . I'm all for taking the time to enjoy the journey rather than rushing to get through.)



> 2) Am I giving you enough time to RP amongst yourselves and with NPCs?



Yep.



> 3) Do you feel like your character has had an oppotunity to shine?



As much as has been possible given the short time we've been 'in country.'



> 4) Do you feel like your characters actions are making meaningful impacts on the world?



Early days, yet. We're heroes, but still fledglings . . . we'll get there.



> 5) Am I giving you enough time to react to situations in the game world? Should I allow you a chance to react at every "time slice" rather then extrapolating to save back and forth time?



I think you're pacing the game well so far.



> 6) Do you feel like I'm taking too many liberties with what your character does in my updates?



Not at all.



> 7) Would you prefer less "narrative" style updates and more "just the facts"?



I like the story telling, and a narrative style should help me keep details better in mind.



> 8) Am I giving you enough opportunities to roll dice?



Yep.



> 9) Are you disappointed by the lack of combat (thus far)?



Not at all.



> 10) How do you like to run combat? My current plan was to have everyone post a prioritized things they'd like to do in priority order...and then resolve the round in initiative order. Using your prioritized list and my judgement to determine what happens to avoid having to wait for everyone to post in initiative order. OR would you rather I wait for each person to post in initiative order, resolve it and move to the next pc.



[sblock=Long Answer]I've never been a fan of group initiative, regardless of the time it takes for a combat. PbP is slow, regardless, and I like the intricacy of running an encounter in initiative order. I also typically play lightly armored, fast characters and take initiative boosting traits and feats, and group initiative sucks almost all of the usefulness from this type of player. Once Val takes a level of Rogue I'll be very interested in him acting first to catch someone flat-footed so he can take advantage of his sneak attack.

That said, I also understand others' readiness to move it along - combat is fast as it actually happens, and slowing it down takes some of the urgency out of it.

Probably the best solution to this problem I've seen is the system Perrin Miller uses:

Roll initiative for each character, and take the average. (If I were using this system I'd make the rolls and post them so as not to use two or three days just to determine initiative order). If the heroes win, they act first and you're done. If the baddies win, any heroes who's individual rolls beat the bad guys initiative get to act first, then all the bad guys, then all the good guys (even the ones who acted previously). It's basically like adding a round in which only the really fast characters act.

If there is a surprise round, use individual initiative results combined with perception results to determine who acts and in what order, then go to right into group initiative as described above (but without that "extra round" - it got used for surprise).

This system makes it so that those characters who take initiative boosting traits and play high-dex characters 1) help the group initiative and 2) get to take advantage of those feats, traits and ability points.[/sblock]



> 11) In general 1-10 with 1 being the lowest, how engaged are you in the story?



9+. At this stage, we don't know a lot about the story so engagement for me comes from good narrative description (so far that's been excellent) and good, three dimensional characters (and we've got some excellent character writers in this one). I'm loving it!



> 12) 1-10 How do you feel I'm doing as a DM?



9+. Good narrative, and your writing style suits me well. Good pacing. Good effort to emphasize each characters abilities and actions. Good effort to incorporate each character and their backstory into the world.



> 13) Any other suggestions for changes in game flow you'd like to see or ways I could make the game better?



Not so far, but I'll let you know if I come up with any!


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## Maidhc O Casain (Oct 18, 2011)

A good fight; nice narrative style that seems well suited to PbP play. Your use of maps was good - it's tough to map such a large area in PbP, and you did well with splitting it into multiple maps.

I don't share Dragonwriter's concerns about getting bogged down in initiative order - it's play-by-post, and speeding it up so that combats take a day or two less isn't going to make that much difference in the time scale we're looking at for an entire AP. Val isn't the initiative monster I typically play, but I've felt the sting of group initiatives used when I've played characters who rely on striking first (rogues being the primary example, but not by any means the only one).

I do share his sentiments about swarms - great, challenging foe to use as a GM, pain in the arse when you're the characters running up against them. Especially when they're of the diminutive type and are completely immune to normal weapon damage.

Overall, we're off to a great start, IMHO, and I'm looking forward to seeing how we continue to develop!


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## Dragonwriter (Oct 18, 2011)

Mowgli said:


> I don't share Dragonwriter's concerns about getting bogged down in initiative order - it's play-by-post, and speeding it up so that combats take a day or two less isn't going to make that much difference in the time scale we're looking at for an entire AP. Val isn't the initiative monster I typically play, but I've felt the sting of group initiatives used when I've played characters who rely on striking first (rogues being the primary example, but not by any means the only one).




I actually talked about grouping NPCs (whether friend or foe) with similar or identical stats together. It's a lot easier to handle, in my experience. Like rather than having every single adult beetle and swarm get a separate roll, a few swarms get grouped into one Init roll, the others into a different one, etc, so you've got fewer differing turns to manage.

And I felt there was confusion about post order. Were we supposed to post in Init order or just as we happened to post? I don't remember any discussion about it before, but to be fair, my brain is pretty fried at the moment.


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## ahayford (Oct 18, 2011)

I just wanted people to post their general orders (non-initiative order) and I'd make them happen in initiative order. I fudged it a few times for npcs just to keep things moving. I think I may simplify the initiative next time if I do that many npcs again. I may try and keep it down to just the 6 PCs. I did find it a bit daunting to resolving combat for that many characters....but I wanted to preserve the fact that you all managed to enlist the guards help and add to the "zombie movie" atmosphere of humans vs horde. Anyway I'm glad you guys liked it  I'll see if I can speed up combat a bit. I hope no one minds the fast forward at the end there.


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## ahayford (Nov 7, 2011)

Hey guys,

I'm planning on making a slight change to the way perception checks are made in this game. From now on, I will assume all passive perception checks are "Take-10". If you want to make an active check, please go ahead and explain what you are examining and make the roll yourself. This should help avoid dice spam and make the game flow a little easier for me. Does anyone have any issues with that?


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## Maidhc O Casain (Nov 7, 2011)

Sounds fine to me.


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## Walking Dad (Nov 7, 2011)

Sounds fine to me, too.


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## Damage Inc. (Nov 8, 2011)

Is this game recruiting again? Just curious since it says open 6 in the title.


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## ahayford (Nov 8, 2011)

No sorry...We are full up at the moment. I need to figure out how to edit the post title....


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## Walking Dad (Nov 8, 2011)

Select "Edit" below your first post and then "Go Advanced". There is an option to edit the title over the post's text.


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## Damage Inc. (Nov 8, 2011)

Thats a shame. Well if a spot opens up I'll be around.


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## ahayford (Nov 8, 2011)

Sorry to disappoint DamageInc. Thank you for showing interest


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## ahayford (Dec 10, 2011)

[MENTION=17100]Fangor the Fierce[/MENTION]

Does anyone know if Fangor is still playing...haven't heard from him in a while...


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## Maidhc O Casain (Dec 10, 2011)

His last noted activity was November 30 . . .


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## ahayford (Dec 13, 2011)

I think I'm going to give him a week or so before his character decides the Last Laugh spooked him and he's no longer going to tangle with them...


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## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 14, 2011)

HUGE apologies to everyone!  I have been working a LOT lately, as in 16 hour days, weekends too, and at one point, a month straight without a day off.  Projects handed to me, investigations to lead, etc.  Needless to say, I am now finalizing everything and back to posting.  It will take me a day to read up on the happenings and once done, I will have a post BY END OF FRIDAY!  I am taking Friday off to relax and catch up on things.

Again, sorry if I was holding things up, but I have no wish to retire from this game!


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## ahayford (Dec 14, 2011)

Hey Fangor!

Its good to hear from you. Trust me, I work long hours sometimes too so I totally understand. I remember you mentioning your work hours were going to be nutty for a while. Its good to hear you are back!


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## Maidhc O Casain (Dec 15, 2011)

Welcome back, Fangor! Glad you're still with us - I was a little bummed about losing the chance to explore Svexyn and Val's "shared past."

As an aside - I try not to disappear for more than a couple of days at a time, but if by some chance you don't hear from me for a stretch please don't write me out! Unless I become suddenly incapacitated, I'll let you guys know if I need to drop the game (not seeing that happening, though !).


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## ahayford (Dec 15, 2011)

No problem  I'll try and be a bit more patient.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Dec 17, 2011)

Oh, sorry - that wasn't meant to be a comment on your patience . Just a little information about how I try to operate.


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## ahayford (Dec 20, 2011)

I will be looking to advance the scene tomorrow night unless there are objections. It looks like party has come to the general consensus of visiting the orphanage....and Svexyn's suggestion of visiting the locksmith perhaps afterwards. Are you all in agreement?


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## Walking Dad (Dec 20, 2011)

I am


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## Maidhc O Casain (Dec 20, 2011)

Ja.


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## jkason (Dec 20, 2011)

works for me.


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## Dragonwriter (Dec 20, 2011)

Sounds good to me.


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## ahayford (Jan 2, 2012)

Hey guys. Haven't had a post from anyone in almost a week. Everyone ok?


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## Shayuri (Jan 2, 2012)

Mew...complicated. Been in Mexico the last several days...hard to get online for long.

That said, I do have a window. I'll take a look and see if Nia can kick things along.


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## ahayford (Jan 2, 2012)

I figured people were busy with the holidays. We stayed home this year . Hope you had a good holiday in Mexico. Bet New Years was fun. I have no problem with people being away, just let me know


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## jkason (Jan 3, 2012)

Sorry 'bout that. I thought I'd posted a reply to the last update, but apparently I was just imagining it. Threw in Caytis' two cents after Nia. Again, apologies.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Feb 3, 2012)

*RE: Apparant Lack of Interest*

My deepest apologies, ahayford! For me, my lack of posting is not lack of time - though RL has been busy of late, I check the posts every day. It's also *DEFINITELY* not lack of interest! You're doing a fantastic job of describing what's going on, and I'm loving your narrative posts! I can tell you've put a lot of time and effort into this game, and I really want to affirm that with equally good posting on my part.

My difficulty is coming from a lack of insight. I've got the situation down cold, I've got a good understanding of what our characters know. I just don't have a clue as a player where to go from here. This is definitely my own shortcoming, and it's not typical of me - I think it's similar to writer's block, and sometimes it strikes me dead in the water. When it happens, rather than post a one liner of poor quality, I tend to just watch the thread and hope for some inspiration from either the other characters or from something in the GM's post. Usually this shortcoming will resolve itself, but sometimes it takes a while.

In the meantime, Vadim's not the sort to admit his lack of insight in front of folks from outside his circle, so he'd not say anything as long as there are others around. Once we get out on the street or to a place we can talk amongst ourselves, he'll chime in either with a solid idea or with his lack of one.

I know how frustrating it is as a GM when you wait and wait for player response. I'll try to be better at least about posting here when I get stymied as far as what to do next - that way you won't have to guess as to why Vadim's not saying much .

Again, I'm terribly sorry about my lack of IC participation.


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## Shayuri (Feb 3, 2012)

Yar, I'm kind of stumped too.

That and it's just harder for me to get posts out during the week...the usual. That's the new reality, starting to look like. Bleh.

I'll get something out, even if it amounts to, "Nia has no idea."


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## jkason (Feb 3, 2012)

Definitely not a lack of interest from me, either. Probably a combination of what Mowgli/Shayuri are saying (being stymied) and my own tendency to use the 'new threads' subscription in place of my own memory.

What's been happening of late is that I read your updates, find myself at a bit of a loss for what my followup should be, tell myself I'll ponder for the day and post again later. Then, if there's not been a new post, I wind up thinking "I'm all caught up" when my control panel says there are no new threads.

Again, mea culpa on that one. That's my failing, definitely not yours. 

Like the others, I'll do my best to try to update one way or the other. And many apologies. 

jason


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## ahayford (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm really not trying to be melodramatic about this...but its hard to run a game when no one is doing anything. I work a lot of long nights, so I understand schedules. But, this game isn't going to get anywhere if we keep having 1-2week lulls where no one does anything. If you have questions about the world/character/people in the game, please post in this thread here and I'll respond as quickly as I can to help you formulate what you want to do.

Posting something, anything, will help you develop your character. As long as we have been playing, these guys are still pretty much still fresh faces, without a whole lot of worldly experience. They are bound to make mistakes, and do things they'll regret or would never do once they are more experienced and wiser. The characters, I think, will develop as the story flows. I know I have already changed the story I had planned....cutting and adding parts as you guys react to what I write.

Certainly, the best way *not* to develop a character is to not post at all 

Are you guys having trouble with your characters, and how they would react to the current situation? Or do you just not know what you should be doing in game?


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## jkason (Feb 3, 2012)

ahayford said:


> Are you guys having trouble with your characters, and how they would react to the current situation? Or do you just not know what you should be doing in game?




For me, I think it's probably more the latter. As a player, I think I'm probably weaker at mysteries. I enjoy them from a narrative perspective, and I'm even pretty good at guessing 'whodunit' when I'm watching / reading them. Of course, in those cases, the author's character is usually good at asking the right questions. When I have to come up with the right questions myself, I think I have a tendency to falter a bit more.

Again, my failing, not yours.


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## ahayford (Feb 3, 2012)

Mysteries are definitely harder to run from an RPG perspective for both player and DM. I will try and rein in that aspect of the adventure a bit.  I promise the gears are going to shift soon.


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## Dragonwriter (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm in much the same boat as the others. I love your DMing, the writing and the descriptions. But I'm totally lost as to what to actually _do_ with all of it. I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm just no good at playing through an investigation (as this is happening to me in other games). 

And, similar to jkason, I use the subscriptions as a reminder... so I've checked, read, and had to take time to think of a response. Then, unfortunately, it tends to slip my mind. And I've been unusually scatterbrained for a while now, which only adds to a frustrating problem. 

And now I sound rather like a parrot. I suppose that's a hazard when you live in a time zone with a few hours difference from a lot of the other players.


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## ahayford (Feb 3, 2012)

I've been trying to avoid posting reminders so as not to appear to be an obsessive ass....but if that is how you guys remember what games to post to, maybe I will start doing so at the 2day mark if you would find that helpful. 

I have some ideas of how to relieve some of the "investigation" problems. I plan on updating tonight. I'd make an update now, but I want to make sure I think it through.


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## Shayuri (Feb 3, 2012)

There's a lot of factors that can work in concert to create delays in PBP's I've found. By far the biggest one in my experience is when there's an open decision before the party (that is, a decision that is not quantified, like: Where do you go now? or What do you do next?), as opposed to a closed decision, which is where there's a limited number of obvious choices like, which of the three buttons do you press, or which of the two doors do you open?

There's this snowballing thing where people who think they -might- have an idea pause to see if anyone else posts who has a -better- idea. It only takes a few days to get out of the flow and get out of the 'habit' of posting, so to speak.

This -will- happen from time to time. I've never seen a game where it didn't. You can have the best group with the best GM, but sometimes you'll still get that 'shrug and go 'huh' moment. At a tabletop, it can slow things down for a few minutes. In a PBP...it takes longer. The only advice I can give is that sometimes the GM -does- need to kick the players in their collective patooties and get an answer. 

As a player, waiting to see if someone else takes the lead is seductive. It leaves you blameless...an anonymous member of the crowd. After all, no one ELSE is posting either, right?  It absolves you of responsibility. It promises to deliver blame and responsibility to the poor schmuck who posts first. 

As a GM, breaking that up is one of the things you have to do to keep the game moving. Usually a reminder is enough. Perhaps with a veiled threat to NPC -everyone- should no one post soon.  

One thing I heartily advise though is not to take it personally. It is in no way a commentary on your game, nor even on our commitment or enjoyment of your game. Like I said...it happens to every game sooner or later. That it's taken this long in your game is actually pretty remarkable.


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## Big Stupid Fighter (Feb 3, 2012)

Greetings all! I'll make this short as to not take up space in your OOC thread. I am new to the site and would like to be considered as a replacement in the case that someone must leave the game and cannot return. Thank you for reading and good luck with the game.

-BSF


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## Maidhc O Casain (Feb 6, 2012)

I'm once again having Internet access problems, and posting will be VERY slow until I get it fixed.

I'll try to put in at least an occasional appearance from my phone.


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## ahayford (Mar 2, 2012)

Hey guys, Fangor pointed out to me that I had mangled the name of his character in my recent posts. A friend of mine had a rogue character with a sort of similar name and I had twisted them in my head. I have gone through and corrected my mistake. Sorry about that.


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## ahayford (Mar 28, 2012)

Hey guys,

So its hard to believe this game has been going on as long as it has. Its taken me a little while to get a hang of pacing the game but I think I've got it more or less worked out at this point. I asked some questions a while ago about things you like/don't like about the game so I thought I'd take the pulse again (my temper tantrums about no responses not withstanding).

So, instead of writing a bunch of questions this time, I thought I'd just ask...

What do you like most about the game?

What do you like least about the game?

What do you think I should work on most to improve the game for you?


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## jkason (Mar 28, 2012)

ahayford said:


> What do you like most about the game?




I think you're doing a great job of setting the scene / mood for each location. Your descriptive / narrative work is top notch, I think.



> What do you like least about the game?




The orphanage stuff felt a bit dead-endy, but I've already admitted that open-ended investigation like that tends to be a bit weak point on my part. 



> What do you think I should work on most to improve the game for you?




I'm not sure that this is really an 'improvement' suggestion as much as a curiosity on my part, but I'm wondering if you've thought about accelerated leveling to counteract the general speed of PbP?


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## Dragonwriter (Mar 28, 2012)

ahayford said:


> What do you like most about the game?




Definitely your descriptions and writing style. Evocative and engrossing, set the scene wonderfully. 



> What do you like least about the game?




Like jkason, I didn't care for the portion of investigation (which is a fault of the module, I'm sure). I tend to get a little paralyzed when it comes to such things, largely due to a fear of screwing it up.  But it's definitely better now that we're getting into something to do, rather than figuring out the questions to ask.



> What do you think I should work on most to improve the game for you?




Nothing that comes to mind for right now... But looking to the future, I'll parrot jkason. Have you thought of how you want to handle advancement, XP and levels?


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## ahayford (Mar 28, 2012)

Once I realized what the problem was with the orphanage scene, I took deliberate steps to try and tailor the adventure more towards the group's preferences. In Ghelve's workshop, I made an effort to call out specific things that were clues. I took kind of a narrative approach where I called attention to the specific objects that were clues and warranted further investigation rather then just leave you floundering wondering if something was just fluff or posed some relevance to the story. I think I did a better job there. I think, if I had to do it over, I could have done the orphanage scene in a way that would have been more interesting for this group...but C'est la vie.

As for leveling, I have definitely considered it, but due to the nature of this being an Adventure Path, it makes it difficult to do that. I had considered shortening the dungeons and perhaps eliminating side encounters...but I didn't want to do you a disservice of not presenting the full AP. Right now, I'm presenting the full Jzadirune dungeon as published...if you would like I could streamline it if you want things to move forward faster.


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## jkason (Mar 28, 2012)

ahayford said:


> In Ghelve's workshop, I made an effort to call out specific things that were clues. I took kind of a narrative approach where I called attention to the specific objects that were clues and warranted further investigation rather then just leave you floundering wondering if something was just fluff or posed some relevance to the story. I think I did a better job there.




Oh, I definitely felt much surer of what was going on in that scene. There was still room for player choice, in that I think there were probably a couple different ways we could have dealt with knowing Ghelve was in trouble. So, at least from my point of view, much more to my play style, I think.



> As for leveling, I have definitely considered it, but due to the nature of this being an Adventure Path, it makes it difficult to do that. I had considered shortening the dungeons and perhaps eliminating side encounters...but I didn't want to do you a disservice of not presenting the full AP. Right now, I'm presenting the full Jzadirune dungeon as published...if you would like I could streamline it if you want things to move forward faster.




My general thought was one of streamlining, yes. I get the impression that most APs have a certain number of encounters which relate most directly to their over-arching plot, and then a fair number of more random encounters which are more "stuff you run into on the way." When I've used pre-printed stuff to GM over in the Living Pathfinder board, I've tended to trim the latter, to varying degrees of success.

Certainly I don't think you should cut anything that you feel is essential to the AP, but if you don't think it robs the story of anything, I'm a fan of a focused storytelling approach, I think, especially when there's a lengthy plot to work through.  I'm good with whatever you decide, though. The atmosphere's worth it.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Mar 29, 2012)

I'll add my kudos to those of jkason and Dragonwriter for the narrative - your descriptions and storytelling are making the game for me!

There's really nothing that stands out as being "least liked." If I had to pick something I'd also say the orphanage stuff, although the helplessness I was experiencing when I didn't have a clue what to ask or where to go would have been much like what Val would have felt (though not to the same degree, since it's only a game for me ).

With most of the APs coming out now, the characters top out between 13th and 16th or 17th level. This leaves room for leveling a little more rapidly - and thus gaining a few more levels than called for - so long as the GM's willing to tinker with the encounters to raise the CL a bit. This seems like a less complicated approach than streamlining the story to compensate. But my understanding is that this one goes pretty well all the way to level 20, so I don't really see another option besides streamlining if we want to advance more quickly. However, I'm not really in a hurry. I'd be fine with taking the XP granted by the encounters and leveling as the AP suggests.


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## Shayuri (Mar 29, 2012)

Hehe...I don't feel like I have much original to say here, but I'll add my voice to the chorus. You're a storyteller, Ahayford, and it shows. You have a grasp of how to write for the senses, and seem to understand when detail is needed and when to gloss over in the name of brevity. In a game that has featured relatively little combat so far, your narration and nuanced NPC's have gone a long way to keeping the game interesting and in setting a tone that keeps us coming back to post again. 

I'm not sure what I'd like to see that's _different_. I'm pleased with your performance. I do think, in a campaign as potentially long-term as this, it's a good idea to explore PC backstories when and where convenient...working it into the plot where possible...or even spinning it into subplots. Feel free to consult privately with the players and brainstorm ideas for ways to do this, if you like. More communication is rarely a bad thing in my experience.


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## ahayford (Mar 29, 2012)

I definitely have ideas for all the characters and how they'll connect to the campaign itself.  Its hard for me to get into too much detail though because I don't want to ruin the story . 

Also...truth be told...sometimes I just drop a detail in because I think its interesting...and haven't necessarily figured out exactly how its going to fit into the big picture until we get there.  I try and include details from all your backgrounds when I can as well as run with the prompts you give me when you post. The fact that this is a pbp lets me get away with it...plenty of time between posts to think. If there is something specific though you'd like to explore about your character, by all means mention it here. 

I think I've brought up a bit of Marcus's past...some of Svexyns...A teeny bit of Caytis's and Val's here and there. Wilbur and Nia have been a bit on the sidelines, though Nia did have the interactions with the Innkeeper's wife at the Lucky Monkey (name escapes me at the moment). More is coming though 

Speaking of combat....

Are you guys happy with how that part has been? For me Shayuri, you definitely hit the nail on the head...I tend to favor the RP portions more in these post games because the combat can get a bit drawn out. Although, the last few combats we've had have been a bit more optimal in terms of length then some of the early ones.


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## Dragonwriter (Mar 29, 2012)

ahayford said:


> Speaking of combat....
> 
> Are you guys happy with how that part has been? For me Shayuri, you definitely hit the nail on the head...I tend to favor the RP portions more in these post games because the combat can get a bit drawn out. Although, the last few combats we've had have been a bit more optimal in terms of length then some of the early ones.




The combats we've had have felt interesting and the fairly short length was good, IMO. PbP combat tends to bog down a lot... Which factors into at least my concerns about advancement. As pointed out by jkason, a lot of module and APs have filler encounters, designed to just be something to fight and pad XP, without a real connection to the story. With PbP's tendency to slow down a lot in combat, accelerating or removing some of these filler pieces is probably a good idea. IMO, at least.


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## ahayford (Mar 29, 2012)

I will take that to heart. Given that I'm doing advancement via milestones...IE, when you get to this point, you level up, rather then XP awards, there really is no need for filler combat. I don't really believe in filler fights (grinding XP in tabletop? blah) unless the group really really enjoys the combat aspect.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Mar 29, 2012)

I was in a PbP game where the GM used a separate thread for combat. When the fight started, all of the crunch was done in that thread - with as much description as the players wanted to toss in. After the fight was over, the GM wrote a descriptive post in the main thread, melding the players' descriptions from the combat thread with his own interpretation of events. This method didn't shorten the fights, but it did make it more pleasurable to go back and read through the thread later - we got a nice narrative of the fight without all of the crunch and unavoidable OOC stuff getting in the way. It also made it easier to go back and find combat specific details in the combat thread without wading through the fluff if there was a question later about the fight.

This seems like the sort of game in which that approach might work well.


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## ahayford (Apr 10, 2012)

Combat update tonight. I will ghost any players that have not made a move. Probably will update around 9:30pm est when I get home.


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## Shayuri (Apr 10, 2012)

Mew. Low level witching is tricky. It's like being a low level wizard, only there's no magic missile to fall back on. 

I suppose that's one reason witches are cleverer than wizards. The ones that aren't don't last long.


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## ahayford (Apr 10, 2012)

By the time you guys leave Jzadirune, there will be rewards beyond silver and gold.


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## ahayford (Apr 16, 2012)

Just so people know where I'm coming from....The skulk in question is a pretty cunning bastard. He was intimidated enough by the groups threats to reveal the groups activities in the city, but not enough to reveal the easiest way to bypass the defenses of what is, essentially, his home. Despite their violent and murderous nature, life in the Darklands can be short and violent. A skulk on his own doesn't have a very high life expectancy despite the groups potential mercy. Rather then risking his clan potentially getting wiped out, or just Nia stabbing him in the face when no one else was looking...he decided to take chance.

Being a member of a society that doesn't put a lot of value in City Women....he naturally chose what he thought to be the most vulnerable (and valuable) hostage....

I think maybe he chose......poorly.


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## jkason (Apr 16, 2012)

ahayford said:


> Being a member of a society that doesn't put a lot of value in City Women....he naturally chose what he thought to be the most vulnerable (and valuable) hostage....
> 
> I think maybe he chose......poorly.




heh. Indeed. Nia has repeatedly proven she's not to be taken for granted or dismissed, I think. Too bad the skulk didn't know that.


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## Shayuri (Apr 16, 2012)

Hehe

When Nia said she knew why he did it, she was speaking for me...I can totally see how what the skulk did made sense for him. He really didn't have much to lose, and freedom to gain.

He'd have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for that meddling arachnid!


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## ahayford (May 11, 2012)

I apologize for the infrequency of updates. Work is bad for me right now. Haven't been getting home till about 11pm -12am. This should end at mid to end of may and then I'll be back on for regularly scheduled updates. I'd rather hold off and make the updates when I'm well rested then try to write something half assed. Sorry !


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## Shayuri (May 11, 2012)

Sounds like your priorities are in the right place...and honestly with the way things have been this week, it's kind of nice not to have to scramble to keep up.


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## jkason (May 11, 2012)

No worries at all. RL comes first. 

Speaking of, I'll be out of town mid-late this month (16-26), with very limited online time if any, so feel free to drag Caytis along as the others desire during that time.


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## ahayford (May 11, 2012)

I have no problem ghosting characters for a little bit, and will try not do anything extremely ooc for them.


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## Maidhc O Casain (May 12, 2012)

No worries here - patience is an essential virtue for PbP. And lord knows we've given you _plenty_ of opportunity to practice it . . . I'd say it's your turn!


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## ahayford (May 28, 2012)

Work is starting to slow down again. I anticipate being able to pick this back up within a week.


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## Maidhc O Casain (Jul 19, 2012)

Couldn't remember how we're doing HP after first level (or if you ever said). Did a quick skim through the OOC/recruiting thread but didn't see it, and you've got the Character Generation page on OP marked GM Only.

Any help here? I'll assume Max -2 unless told otherwise.


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## Shayuri (Jul 19, 2012)

I think it's in the wiki...lemme check...

EDIT - Odd, the Character Generation portion is GM only. That seems rather counter-intuitive.


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## ahayford (Jul 19, 2012)

Hmmm...well. Go ahead and do Max hp. I don't have a problem with buff chars.


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## Walking Dad (Jul 21, 2012)

Hi everyone, I have currently time concerns and wasn't participating in this game as much as I should 

When would be a good time to bow out of it?
Sorry to do this to you all, but better making a clean cut than have you all waiting for me


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## Maidhc O Casain (Jul 21, 2012)

Val is updated on the Obsidian Portal site - went with the original plan and added a level of Bard. Next will be a level of Rogue, then it's Cleric for the rest of his (hopefully long and illustrious) career!


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