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As requested, a thread for all needed discussions for the pending "Tea Leaves and Sword Blades" PbP
Setting, setting...either Vudra or Tian Xia would be nice.
Most everything I've played has been set in and around The Shackles, or around Cheliax.
I'm not sure what I want to play. I may wait until everyone has chosen a class and pick something complementary.
Unless my (in-progress) re-write of the Unchained Monk counts as 3rd party you'd allow. =)
I don't have any special place I want for the setting right now, so I'm basically fine with anything.
I'm thinking of making a herb witch. This means remedies flavoured as herbal tea and potions flavoured just the same. What my patron, spell and hex* selection will be has yet to be decided, but I'll figure something out based on the story focus and our party's needs :)
*Other than cauldron, since that's part of the archetype.
I don't know if Tian has enough support info for a homebrew. The PathfinderWiki is pretty bare for most of it.
I've played S&S, Kingmaker, and Crimson Throne, so I'd rather not do Brevoy, River Kingdoms, Shackles, or Cheliax.
I think a Mulrohndi jungle game could be cool...
I already lay claim to the treesinger druid, because an ambulatory tea tree is awesome (If low powered).
My blade is willing to travel anywhere where the tea and adventure flow freely, old thing!
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Okay I formally request one houserule on TGTG's behalf: Can we get rid of the bolded lines in the Wild Shape equivalent?
"At 4th level, a treesinger gains the ability to wild shape. This ability functions at her actual druid level. A treesinger cannot use wild shape to adopt an animal or elemental form. Instead, when she gains this ability at 4th level, she can assume the form of a Small or Medium plant. This functions as plant shape I, except the treesinger does not yet gain access to the constrict or poison abilities of the plant form assumed.
At 8th level, the treesinger's wild shape gains the full range of abilities available from plant shape I. At 10th level, a treesinger can assume the form of a Large or Tiny plant. Her wild shape ability now functions like plant shape II.
At 12th level, a treesinger can assume the form of a Huge plant. Her wild shape ability now functions like plant shape III.
This ability replaces, and otherwise functions like, the normal druid wild shape ability."
Like, what is even the point of that? You're already restricted to maybe 1/6 of the options available to a standard Druid, why nerf it more?
My blade is willing to travel anywhere where the tea and adventure flow freely, old thing!
So I've heard, sir. I hope the ointment's helping.
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If we're talking about modding archetypes, I would strongly be in favor of upgrading the geisha so it doesn't Hoover harder than it's vacuum namesake, cause that archetype sucks, but it has a tea ceremony that would be nice.
If someone were to jump on that grenade I'd vote for extending the ceremony effect duration and maybe upping the DC to enchantment spells since they're all manipulative social masters, maybe? Maybe spell focus and later levels greater in enchantment as bonus feats?
So: Fighter, Witch, Druid.
Still really not sure what to play with that set-up.
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If anyone jumps on the geisha I'll be all for Green Tea's suggested buff.
And yes, while we're at the topic of modding archetypes, I fully intend to ignore the part of the herb witch fluff that says they brew foul-tasting medicines.
Would need a look at the changes in question.
I don't know if Tian has enough support info for a homebrew. The PathfinderWiki is pretty bare for most of it.
Well near as I can tell it's basically just "Vaguely Asia".
I do have a really good 3PP book called Dragon Tiger Ox though if Beernorg wanted me to send him a copy of it to read over.
It's a Wuxia based book, that comes with its own China inspired setting, some races, Feats, and special rules (everyone gets Gestalted with monk, for one)...but that's looking like less of a "tea based game" than a "martial arts game based in the land of tea". =)
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I have no issue with house ruling to make plant companion on par, I have similar feelings towards that anyway.
I may play an Internal Alchemist. Has a very specialized diet involving delicious herbal teas that cleanse the body of impurities, and give him superior control over his faculties.
Or a Wild Caller Summoner. Never played a Summoner before. Then again, I've never bee very good at keeping up with companions and such either, so probably shouldn't.
Cool. I'm doing half elf by the way. They qualify for elf archetypes I believe. (If not...I dunno. I had planned a caster centric druid, and that floating bonus half elves get would help that.)
I think the internal alchemist sounds cool. Especially if you get infusion.
Half-elves do indeed count as elves for racial archetypes.
Don't forget we're still waiting to hear from Pan and Tacticslion, who've both signed up to make our full six.
Dotted into the other one, but also this one. Still not fully decided. Sorry! :/
Well Sweet Tea, nobody has jumped on the Geisha grenade :-D
(and for good reason - but I have to say if we didn't already have proof the geisha sucks, the fact a party of six players dedicated to a tea based party is avoiding the only archetype in the game with a tea based ability says a lot about it's shortcomings.
...and this is from a guy willing to play the treesinger, which is pretty much a druid nerfing.)
I actually would've considered a missed version, but 1) I'm so sold on a walking tea tree sidekick (I'm gonna name her Cammy!) 2) I hate bards. I'm almost positive they're my least favorite class.
Beernorg, the rules on plant companions are not really fleshed out. Specifically, tricks require handle animal for animal companions to learn, or to push them to use a trick they don't know, but they don't say how you teach plants them, or push plants, etc. Various house rules I've seen have either said use the treesinger's plant empathy ability, survival, knowledge (nature), or handle animal anyway even though it is a plant.
Or some GMs don't care about the trick rules for controlling a pet class.
What say you, sir?
Well Sweet Tea, nobody has jumped on the Geisha grenade :-D
(and for good reason - but I have to say if we didn't already have proof the geisha sucks, the fact a party of six players dedicated to a tea based party is avoiding the only archetype in the game with a tea based ability says a lot about it's shortcomings.
...and this is from a guy willing to play the treesinger, which is pretty much a druid nerfing.)
I actually would've considered a missed version, but 1) I'm so sold on a walking tea tree sidekick (I'm gonna name her Cammy!) 2) I hate bards. I'm almost positive they're my least favorite class.
I, on the other hand, love bards. They might be my favourite class, and I didn't jump on the Geisha grenade.
But I've also promised myself to try to stay clear of bard/barbarian type characters, since I've been playing a bard for 3 years straight, am playing a barbarian in another campaign, and will be playing a skald when we finish off the one where I have the bard. I'm trying to force some diversity into my character choices :)
For handling plant companions, I would simply use the existing rules, and for learning tricks, just base it off of the normal allowed # of trick Intelligence formula. I see no reason why Plant companions need work differently, in my home games (I love plant companions) I just run them just like their animal counterparts, so I have no issue with us doing so.
So you're saying use handle animal then? Because again the issue is what skill for it, given they're not animals.
Well Sweet Tea, nobody has jumped on the Geisha grenade :-D
(and for good reason - but I have to say if we didn't already have proof the geisha sucks, the fact a party of six players dedicated to a tea based party is avoiding the only archetype in the game with a tea based ability says a lot about it's shortcomings.
...and this is from a guy willing to play the treesinger, which is pretty much a druid nerfing.)
I actually would've considered a missed version, but 1) I'm so sold on a walking tea tree sidekick (I'm gonna name her Cammy!) 2) I hate bards. I'm almost positive they're my least favorite class.
Well, if no one minds, I'll probably just do a mechanical port of this guy with a new alias and background. Maybe drop INT to 15 (and lose Craft [cheese]) to get a 10 CON and advance his level to 5?
Hoooooooooopefully with your suggested changes? Sound good to most?
GM, anything in particular you'd like me to change?
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*reads sheet* LG...Calistria?
Are you trying to melt my brain?
EDIT - I almost joked that I was going to be a CN Asmodeus follower after that.
Narrowed down the options to the aforementioned Alchemist, or a Wood Shaman if Beernorg will allow the Shaman class.
Is that third party Shaman?
No, that's the ACG Shaman, with the Wood spirit.
I'd do Nature but it's more "Strong winds and lightning bolts" than anything to do with plants.
You just said you didn't like the ACG classes (bar Investigator and Swashbuckler) so I figured I'd ask before making.
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I'm just about done, but I can't really think up a name or backstory or whatnot until we have the region nailed down. A half elf in Tian is vastly different (due to the difference in racial composition of non-humans in the area - elves are rare in that region IIRC, where tengu, kitsune, nagaji and the like are common) than one in, say, the Lands of the Absalom.
OOH! IDEA! Remember my merchant company idea? We could be traveling the Crown of the World from Tian to the Inner Sea to bring tea! After all, if Tian is "vaguely Asian", then it has the world's tea sources, so there'd be good money to be made in that. Traders are known to use the CotW to make that trip for other trade goods, and it is how you get the cross pollination of the eastern and western races across continents, typically.
Sounds good, no? This way if the group is of mixed background it makes a lot more sense.
Good idea! :)
I will take a look at the ACG shaman, likely be ok, its more the blood rager, slayer, and brawler that make my hackles rise.
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That is an interesting idea, I suppose would folks rather stay to Tian Xia more, or move towards the inner sea from Tian Xia accross the CotW?
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Well my idea was that as a merchant caravan we'd be using the land bridge that is Crown of the World to travel from Tian Xia to Inner Sea Region to sell off our commodities of tea. It's a frequent path merchants take, it's dangerous, and it gives you as the GM plenty of filler to work with to sneak in plots and subplots etc. (We also could technically be going from ISR to TX to GET our supply, but given we have a walking tea tree plant, a tea ceremony guy, and tea powered characters, it makes more sense to be coming from TX.)
Anyone have room for profession (merchant)? I can navigate with survival, perception, and knowledge geography. Will probably need a smooth talking salesman, I suggest Sweet Tea's geisha. Limey's swordsman of course fits as captain of the guards.
I officially have no issue against the use of the wood spirit shaman, is not amazingly broken, so go forth!
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true, your tea supply moves with you, so from Tian Xia to Inner Sea works for me, I have some interesting ideas already, and plenty of stuff for me to use already exists, good start!
What's the racial breakdown so far? I know I'm a half elf, and there's two humans, but I believe that leaves two unselected.
Also, we haven't heard from Pan yet. Do you guys think I should PM him, or should we just move on?
If we're going to be travelling across the Crown of the World, it sounds like it's might take some inspiration from Jade Regent, even if we're going in the opposite direction. If it does, may I request as little as possible actually taken from the adventure path? My group is starting JR next weekend, and it would kinda suck to run into a repeat dungeon (or equivalent thereof) a few books down the line ;P
Regarding race, I haven't made up my mind yet. Probably human or something that gives a bonus to int.
Oh hey, Tian Xia has that one town inhabited mostly by aasimar, and peri-blooded get +2 int...
I officially have no issue against the use of the wood spirit shaman, is not amazingly broken, so go forth!
...Neither are the Slayer and Brawler and Bloodrager, but that's a discussion for another place.
I'll get started on it.
If we're going to be travelling across the Crown of the World, it sounds like it's might take some inspiration from Jade Regent, even if we're going in the opposite direction. If it does, may I request as little as possible actually taken from the adventure path? My group is starting JR next weekend, and it would kinda suck to run into a repeat dungeon (or equivalent thereof) a few books down the line ;P
Personally I actually had no idea that was what JR was about when I thought up the trade thing. I just knew it was the only AP with Tian stuff. Go figure.
In case any of you are wondering, I'm not going to be of Tian descent, personally. Elves are relatively rare there, so a half elf would be uncommon. I figured as a druid I made travels there for one reason or another, awakened my new buddy Cammy using whatever treesinger powers let me get a plant companion, and hired on signed up for a share of the profits to navigate the way back, since I'd made the trip before...and obviously for my druidic horticultural abilities.
I was looking through familiars looking for a pipefox because I figured it'd be suitable for an eastern-themed witch. It turned out to be an improved familiar and thus off the table, but then I saw it: the petrifern.
Green Tea, would you feel like I was stealing your thunder if I took one of those? They're very much not amazing for anything other than wanting a plant for a familiar, but the whole thing with having a sentient tea tree along was your idea after all.
I was looking through familiars looking for a pipefox because I figured it'd be suitable for an eastern-themed witch. It turned out to be an improved familiar and thus off the table, but then I saw it: the petrifern.
Green Tea, would you feel like I was stealing your thunder if I took one of those? They're very much not amazing for anything other than wanting a plant for a familiar, but the whole thing with having a sentient tea tree along was your idea after all.
I don't mind terribly.
Well...with green empathy, it'll love me more, I hope you understand :-P
Far too small to be a Sinensis, that's for certain. Seems like a bonsai or, I dunno, some kind of herb that goes well with tea? Peppermint, bergamot, or whatnot? Not familiar with the size of those.
Mint is a rather small plant. Height according to wikipedia ranges from 10 to 120 cm. I think the ones I've seen in the wild have been at most one foot tall, so that'd be fitting for a petrifern.
Well...with green empathy, it'll love me more, I hope you understand :-P
As written all familiars change type to magical beast, so I'm afraid your green empathy won't work :) (Should we house rule this? Magical beast seems like a strange creature type for a plant, but the Familiar Folio doesn't seem to touch upon the creature types of the plant and construct familiars in it).
I also feel myself drawn toward a peacock. It is majestic, elegant, eastern, and would look great at a tea ceremony of any kind, but I'm a little intimidated by the idea of my spell book being small sized.
EDIT: It could be that this line from Improved Familiar is applicable.
if the creature's type is something other than animal, its type does not change
Well, apparently bergamot is an orange tree, which I didn't realize because Earl Grey doesn't taste even vaguely orange like.
Peppermint grows to about diminutive size (to tiny...it spans the range from 12-30inches) A little peppermint man seems pretty cool, if you like that idea.
Chamomile is also diminutive size and a popular herbal tea, as is hibiscus, but that size really depends on the species, and I'm not sure which species of hibiscus is used for herbal tea blends.
Done with everything but equipment...on paper.
I almost finished copying that online with my plant companion, and let me tell you, even using TL's geisha's page as a template, without formatting text style at all, and not yet finishing descriptions for abilities, that still took a ridiculous amount of time to do on a cell phone!
I do NOT look forward to doing this again, only with spells, traits, and all the shenanigans a druid has to deal with.
ouch...
Well that's my excuse. The others just hate progress. :-P (j/k folks don't string me up.)
I'll look into it properly after my Jade Regent character deadline on Tuesday, or maybe sooner if I get done before time.
And with today's RP session over, here's a warning for you guys that you might be in for a bit of this sort of thing when gaming with me.
It wasn't on purpose :(
EDIT: Come to think of it, with this being PBP and all maybe I'll catch those Freudian slips before I hit submit.
GM, I suppose I should ask...
A) How you're doing HP? I defaulted to max for 1st, 1/2+1 after (PFS style) but if you have another standard, I suppose I can change it. (I beg not rolling. I'm definitely of the school that rolling is for mid game action, not pre game creation.)
B) Will you be using any of the Unchained rules variants? Some are quite relevant to character creation (especially skill grouping, consolidation, background skills, fractional bonuses, stamina stuff, etc).
...I thought I had more. Oh well. Brain fart. I'm sure it'll come up later.
What kind of time period is this game likely to take place over, and about how high level do we expect to get?
I want to play a Samsaran, and was considering nabbing spells from the Druid list like Plant Growth to increase our tea crop productivity.
Mo' profit, less problems.
Working name for the character is Konguo Hui (goes by Hui). He will be your nature guru for this expedition.