DM NomadSage |
Welcome to the Jade Regent adventure path! My goal is to have a PbP campaign with strong longevity. My experience running these things is that they can take years to get through - I hope you guys are in for the long haul! :)
From what I've seen, the biggest killers in these games are DM burnout and lack of momentum. I will do my best to keep things rolling, adding posts as often as I can. DM posts (especially combat) take a little more work, so may have delays depending on Real Life home and work commitments. All I ask from the players is to check the thread regularly, post often (daily, if able) and keep the momentum up!
Similarly, if one player drops off from posting, and we don't know why, it can be disruptive. Please let me know if you're going to be off the net for any extended period (vacation, emergency, etc).
As far as the game mech is concerned, I'd like you guys to control the "dice" for your called skill checks, combat rolls, etc. If your character is actively using a skill, put the dice roll in your post... pretty standard. I'll work the "behind the scenes" dice, most saving throws and passive skill checks.
Experience Points are going to be notional. Because the PbP games are slow-rolling, I won't add in random encounters or similar time sinks to get the xp count. Instead, I'll tell you when you're leveling, generally based on campaign progress.
I like to use MapTools to build the combat maps, and shotgun those out via email. When able, please private message me a good email address. I promise I won't send you spam! :)
Lastly, I'll use my DM alias profile to keep a campaign journal, track quests and major plot points, NPCs, and house rules. During the campaign, if you have anything you want me to put there for future reference, let me know.
That's all I can think of, for now. Use the next few days to refine your characters and iron out the details. I'd also like to compare NPC relationships, and how those will tie you six together. Feel free to discuss/modify/interpret, as desired. Assumption is that you know (of) each other at the opening scene.
Campaign traits, as they stand right now:
- Harlan Starshine [oracle] - younger sibling to Sandru
- Heng [monk] - foster child to Koya
- Kvalsir [TBD] - caravan guard for Sandru
- Malnival [magus] - student survivalist to Shalelu
- Maeve Haela [bard] - childhood crush to Ameiko
- Parity [vanguard] - childhood crush to Ameiko
Of course, if you have any questions for me, fire away! I hope to get the actual game thread going this weekend!
Welcome again!
Maeve Haela |
Just feel compelled to point out that this board doesn't have any PM function that I'm aware of. Not fully comfortable putting my "Game Email" out on the boards either, since it's one of the addresses that I consider private.
Kvalsir Bjornserkr |
Yay for game!
Could you let us know the current party makeup as well, Nomad? Since Kvalsir can go several different ways, I'd like to build him to try and fit any gaps that we currently have.
Also, would you have gone on any of Sandru's expeditions with him, Harlan? If so, we might want to work out how well Kvalsir and you know each other.
As far as the email thing, would it be acceptable (for you and Maeve) if you posted your email and had us all send you a message? That way, we wouldn't have to post our emails on the board, and we can still use MapTools (which I've never used before--should be interesting). I also feel a bit uncomfortable posting my email here, but I'm not sure how else this would be viable, short of a move to a different site (unless there's a way to post links here fairly easily. Dunno, still fairly new to these boards).
DM NomadSage |
As far as the email thing, would it be acceptable (for you and Maeve) if you posted your email and had us all send you a message?
Sure - if you're comfortable handing out your email, send it to me directly. My address is my profile name at gmail.com.
If not, no worries - I can find a third party file sharing site and post the links...
DM NomadSage |
Could you let us know the current party makeup as well, Nomad? Since Kvalsir can go several different ways, I'd like to build him to try and fit any gaps that we currently have.
I edited in the party's classes into the original post list. Based on the submissions, there were a LOT of melee types and not much in the way of pure divine or arcane casters. I think you guys have a good dynamic though its going to be an interesting mix... I'm curious to see how you all mesh your abilities.
Maeve Haela |
Message fired off.
EDIT: Hmmm...looking at this setup it would probably be best if I focus on 'controlling' type spells over 'buffs.' Lucky us, I've already been doing that. I may or may not pick up 1-3 levels of Monk (Martial Artist/Master of Many Styles) later for some bonus feats and unarmed die damage, but that's something that will be settled quite a bit later on.
Kvalsir Bjornserkr |
Message sent off as well. Looks like a Gish-heavy party between Parity, Malnival, and Maeve (to some degree); should be quite interesting. Given the current party setup, I'm thinking that Kvalsir might be of most use as a Druid or Ranger. If Druid,I'm still thinking of going Bear Shaman for flavor, while the Ranger would still be a Shapeshifter, but one focused on a mix of ranged combat and using his shifting for melee.
Any thoughts on this (i.e. anyone feel the desperate need for Kvalsir to be something else)? Right now, I'm leaning toward the Ranger, as it wouldn't have to rely on casting as much, and would help justify getting some ranged combat in. Still not sure if I'll go caster Ranger or Skirmisher, but we'll have a few levels to work things out before that matters anyways.
voodoo chili |
Given the current party setup, I'm thinking that Kvalsir might be of most use as a Druid or Ranger. If Druid, I'm still thinking of going Bear Shaman for flavor, while the Ranger would still be a Shapeshifter, but one focused on a mix of ranged combat and using his shifting for melee. Any thoughts on this?
I ran a Bear druid in 3.5 with a starting level of Bbn and really enjoyed the character. just eyeballing a 2nd level comparison- bear shaman gets claw/claw/bite vs. Shapeshifter's Aspect of the Beast just 2 claws. maybe the better BAB will be telling at higher levels though.
I think either class is going to require a high Str and good Wis so Dex will suffer. I'm not sure you'll be much of an archer if you're focusing on the Ranger's Natural Weapons combat style. I haven't yet played that ranger archetype though so I'm not sure how it works out.
my 2 cp, but you should play what you're going to enjoy.
Malnival Selintin |
Thanks for putting all of this together DM NomadSage.
I can post multiple times a day if I am not on travel for work. Even then I should be able to post as long as I have wifi.
Other than that I am in for the long haul.
Question for Character creation:
How are we doing gold?
Actions in Sandpoint
I has been in town a few months, mainly waiting on Shalelu to show up.
I would have done a little roving around town, spending a lot of my time at The Feathered Serpent and talking to the local sage Brodert Quink.
I have been rooming at the Rusty Dragon since Shalelu had spoken well of the inn and Ameiko.
Malnival Selintin |
Hmmm....Skirmisher uses Wisdom to get additional Tricks, but it's probably not AS important as it is to standard - a 10 may be enough.
A ranger can use these tricks a total number of times per day equal to 1/2 his ranger level + his Wisdom modifier.
Kvalsir Bjornserkr |
Ja. Thinking about it, though, casting might be the way to go, for the sake of Magic Fang & such. As far as stats, if I went caster I was planning on 14/16/14/10/14/10. Starting at level 2, he could bump up his Strength to 18 for 4 rounds one combat a day with Shifter's Blessing--which would be enough to swing a few times before running back to shoot arrows.
My main concern is if I try to split his focus between that and ranged attacks, he'll get screwed over on ranged or both (which is probably the case).
Hrrm. Druid stat split: 16/10 or 12/14 or 13/10/16/10. Focus more purely on Strength, get decent spells, and, eventually, Wild Shape. Yessss.... as long as no one minds another melee, that may be the way to go.
Heh, the real problem here is that I think I'd enjoy both concepts :P I enjoy making characters and, once they're made, enjoy playing them, but I always have issues just picking something to play. Ah well I think I'll go Druid (barring any amazing things for the Ranger in Ult. Combat), and handle some of the buffing, Harlan. Definitely need to keep the other concept in mind for future games, though.
On a druid related note, how do you feel about me taking the Ferocity subdomain, Nomad? Bear Shaman's have access to the Strength domain, but Ferocity seems to fit better.
Thanks for the thoughts, all!
Edit: It also occurred to me that the Ranger would not be so great at lower levels, whereas the Druid starts out fairly strong, and will let me RP him growing closer to Gozreh as Beastfather, while still focusing on Bears.... Interesting.
Parity |
- HP:94/143 (42)
- Vanguard Blast: 6/7
- Swift Spell: 3/5
- SpellGrapple: 6/7
- Enhance Weap 13/13
- Spells: 1st: 2/6, 2d: 3/6, 3rd: 0/5, 4th: 4/5, 5th: 1/2
- Chaincloth Cloak: 2/3
- Jingasa negate crit/SA: 0/1
- Terra Cotta Talisman: Luck Reroll: 1/1, spiritual ally: 1/1
- Suishen abilities: airwalk: 2/3, see invisibility: 2/3 resist cold: 2/3, daylight:3/3
- Active effects:
Blind, stnskin (120), Images (5), keen, res cold 30, airwalk, end elem, see inv, lt fort, all-round vision, DR10/adam, DR5/pierce, res skin)
Great to see everyone on here. Nomad, you've got my email.
Maeve, not sure if we'll be "competing" for Ameiko's affection or not, but looks like there could be some interesting role-playing opportunities given the complete difference between our characters (and not just the obvious ones).
Parity has a touch of arcane ability but without being able to see (and thus target), it may be limited in assistance. I'll get as creative as possible.
Kvalsir, druid's gotta be the way to go. Gonna be outside a bit (per the guide), so there's definitely some flexibility in spell selection at times. Additional melee capability is just gravy.
I intend to post as much as possible although my access during the workday from 7-7 eastern is near zero. Outside of that, I'm all over it.
DM NomadSage |
I recieved emails from Kaliz, Kozar and Balodek... lost voodoo's and Chris's somewhere in cyberspace. Just make sure you had 2 c's in nomadicc. :)
On a druid related note, how do you feel about me taking the Ferocity subdomain, Nomad? Bear Shaman's have access to the Strength domain, but Ferocity seems to fit better.
Subdomains for druids are fine, as long as you have access to the parent domain.
For gold, start with the class average. No limitations on what you can purchase, as long as its from the published sourcebooks.
Maeve Haela |
IC-wise, what do people know about my character?
Probably most of the stuff in the BG. Maeve's been working at the Dragon full-time and staying in the back for a few weeks after getting away from her parents (and taking everything from her room she could grab) but she hasn't performed lately.
DM NomadSage |
Nomadsage and All,
not sure when we are actually starting, but i'm going camping a couple days. I may get a post in tomorrow, but otherwise I'll be back Sunday.
My target is sometime this weekend to get the in-game thread going. Depends on how much time I get to organize things.
I got the two remaining emails, so we're good to go there!
How well your characters know each other is up to you... At a minimum, you know each other by name and associate through your common friends. Sandpoint isn't a large town. If you want to work in a friendship or even competative relationship, that would be great. For example, Harlan and Kvalsir likely know each other pretty well, both working on Sandru's caravan.
Obviously, these will develop during the campaign as you RP with NPCs and each other. No requirement to be family at the start! :)
My next goal before we roll is to QC the character builds. If not done already, please get your profiles done soon (today or tomorrow).
Harlan Starshine |
I should be profiled up. Everything is as correct as Hero Lab makes it, a quick double check shows I'll need to make sure I'm getting the advantage of being Sandru's little brother.
My eventual goal is to get a riding dog to offset my poor movement, otherwise I'll be leveling as 100% Oracle of Life.
Kvalsir Bjornserkr |
Sure thing; I'll have Kvalsir finished by tomorrow morning. Need to poke through Ult. Combat a bit first, but I have a rough sketch of him (as a druid) up on the profile already.
Edit: Wait! I just got a great build idea for him as a Bard(Savage Skald)/Ninja combo! He'd be able to shapeshift with spells and....
J/k. Probably not terribly amusing, but adding this amused me for some reason.
Parity |
- HP:94/143 (42)
- Vanguard Blast: 6/7
- Swift Spell: 3/5
- SpellGrapple: 6/7
- Enhance Weap 13/13
- Spells: 1st: 2/6, 2d: 3/6, 3rd: 0/5, 4th: 4/5, 5th: 1/2
- Chaincloth Cloak: 2/3
- Jingasa negate crit/SA: 0/1
- Terra Cotta Talisman: Luck Reroll: 1/1, spiritual ally: 1/1
- Suishen abilities: airwalk: 2/3, see invisibility: 2/3 resist cold: 2/3, daylight:3/3
- Active effects:
Blind, stnskin (120), Images (5), keen, res cold 30, airwalk, end elem, see inv, lt fort, all-round vision, DR10/adam, DR5/pierce, res skin)
Will attempt to get my character xferred over. May reflow stats from the orig build. In Atlanta for the weekend with the girlfriend (aka gaming crusher), but should get sporadic posts in. Be in Texas next week, BTW.
Maeve Haela |
Hmmm...as for how well Maeve's...erm, feelings towards Ameiko are known, I'd imagine the only two people in town who don't know about it are Maeve and Ameiko, the former because she's a little kooky about it, and the latter because I don't know if she'd have tolerated things had she been more aware of what was going on.
I don't know if Maeve will ever try for a romance with Ameiko, but I imagine she'd continue to be a significant obstacle to anyone ELSE wanting to, even on the road.
Character wise, I think Maeve is about done, just waiting for checking over. As accurate as Herolab can make things without the Jade Regent package....which may or may not be downloading now.
Kvalsir Bjornserkr |
Ok, I think that Kvalsir's pretty much set, except for appearance and items (and a complete statblock, but the basics are already listed on the profile). I might also tweak his spells a bit, although I think that they should work fairly decently for scouting right now, if not combat.
Heng |
PF always assumes Common is Taldane. As the trade language, even if it isn't the most used language for a region, as the 'common' language of business in Golarian, you'd nearly always find someone who speaks it- kinda like English today.
The only region I question this holding true is north and east Garund where Taldan's rival, the Keleshite Empire held sway. my random thoughts on the matter anyway.
Maeve Haela |
I thought thatwas really only true for the Inner Sea region. Asked because the campaign is going to switch away from there to a place where Varisian will likely be a little more widely spoken. But not by much.
Heng |
I thought that was really only true for the Inner Sea region. Asked because the campaign is going to switch away from there to a place where Varisian will likely be a little more widely spoken. But not by much.
Taldane may not be the most spoken language for a region, but you're always likely to find some people that speak it. I think of it as the language of business, similar to English in our world.
Maeve Haela |
*Sigh* Missed on the first pass that Martial Artist and Master of Many Styles are exclusive archetypes - they only share the Perfect Self capstone, but that's enough to rule out combining them by the rules. Shame - flurry's nice but not as nice as the idea of weaving complicated dances together into something greater.
Ah well, probably go straight bard then.
Parity |
- HP:94/143 (42)
- Vanguard Blast: 6/7
- Swift Spell: 3/5
- SpellGrapple: 6/7
- Enhance Weap 13/13
- Spells: 1st: 2/6, 2d: 3/6, 3rd: 0/5, 4th: 4/5, 5th: 1/2
- Chaincloth Cloak: 2/3
- Jingasa negate crit/SA: 0/1
- Terra Cotta Talisman: Luck Reroll: 1/1, spiritual ally: 1/1
- Suishen abilities: airwalk: 2/3, see invisibility: 2/3 resist cold: 2/3, daylight:3/3
- Active effects:
Blind, stnskin (120), Images (5), keen, res cold 30, airwalk, end elem, see inv, lt fort, all-round vision, DR10/adam, DR5/pierce, res skin)
I like the internal thoughts role-playing bit. Gonna take me a while to make it feel natural. Good on you all, though.
Cheers.
Harlan Starshine |
Since this is our first combat and I'm bleeding to death on the stairs anyway, this seems like a good time to ask a question about combat.
Will you be rolling our initiatives for us? I ask because I've noticed that PbP where the GM rolls initiative and recaps what happened in a round seem to run a lot smoother than ones were we each roll individually.
DM NomadSage |
One healer at -4, the other at 1. This creature is nasty.
Hehe... the irony is that you healed it, too! :) That extra +2d6 sneak attack is vicious against level 1s...
I can do the group's initiative at the start of any combats. That's what I've done before, but I've seen different techniques from game to game. With no major objections, I'll do it from now on.