airwalkrr
Adventurer
Edit 10-Nov-14: The four primary slots have been filled. Accepting submissions for alternates.
I am getting back into the PBP game again. Physical therapy after surgery from my auto accident last year has finally finished out, and I have stabilized my medications. I'm feeling well again and look to have free time enough to run play-by-post again for the foreseeable future. I feel like I tackled a bit too much last time anyway, so this time I am taking a more relaxed (and I hope enjoyable!) approach.
Sorry in advance if any of this sounds like legalese. I try to predict questions so that I can provide preemptive answers. And I have been called a blowhard.
But I've given this a lot of thought, and my hope is that interested players will have all the information they need to submit a concept and create a character right from the git-go.
I want the game to be a bit more cinematic, with as few rules obstructions and dice rolling as possible. Consequently, I've settled on a small set of variant rules and house rules which I believe will help achieve that. But before I get into that, I'll lay out a few core concepts that will guide the running of this game. These guidelines will govern the way I referee the game:
I plan to update three times a week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings Central Standard Time North America), so I'm looking for players who can at least keep up with that. The first four players to submit complete character concepts which fulfill a designated role will be selected. After all roles have been filled, I will take on as many back-up players as desired; in the event a back-up is needed, the back-up character will be introduced as soon as there is a natural point in the plot to do so. The four roles are arcane, divine, battle, and troubleshooter. Although each role can flexible depending on the concept, the following guidelines apply:
That should cover everything. Planned starting time is roughly one week after character sheets are submitted. Use whatever format is most convenient for you. Bear in mind the theme of the game and don't sweat the small stuff. Please draw up a mini-stat block that you can use with each post including:
RG
IC
[sblock=Treasure & Experience Links]01-01 Festival and Fire: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...s-Reborn!-IC&p=6522877&viewfull=1#post6522877[/sblock]
I am getting back into the PBP game again. Physical therapy after surgery from my auto accident last year has finally finished out, and I have stabilized my medications. I'm feeling well again and look to have free time enough to run play-by-post again for the foreseeable future. I feel like I tackled a bit too much last time anyway, so this time I am taking a more relaxed (and I hope enjoyable!) approach.
Sorry in advance if any of this sounds like legalese. I try to predict questions so that I can provide preemptive answers. And I have been called a blowhard.
But I've given this a lot of thought, and my hope is that interested players will have all the information they need to submit a concept and create a character right from the git-go.I want the game to be a bit more cinematic, with as few rules obstructions and dice rolling as possible. Consequently, I've settled on a small set of variant rules and house rules which I believe will help achieve that. But before I get into that, I'll lay out a few core concepts that will guide the running of this game. These guidelines will govern the way I referee the game:
- Epic fantasy: Your characters are heroes with a great destiny! There are few like them in the world. In time, they will come to be recognized as legends. This is their story to own.
- Focus on the imagination: Despite the fact that I will be using the fairly rules-heavy Pathfinder RPG for this game as well as allowing players quite a deal of flexibility in character creation, this game will focus heavily on the power of your imagination. Because of this, I will not be tracking tactical maps for combat (though I will provide maps during the process of exploration when needed). When questions of tactical character location arise, it will often be a simple matter of giving the player the benefit of the doubt. If you want to try out a particular build's tactical capabilities, this is probably not the game for it. However, this is the perfect place to play an interesting or intriguing concept that otherwise might not be wise in a typical Pathfinder game.
- Simple is (almost) always better: If there is not a dire need for a die to be rolled or a mechanic to be invoked, it shall generally not be done. Special consideration will be given to situations in which the life or severe punishment of a character is in question. This means that sometimes casting a spell or using a skill (particularly outside of combat) simply produces the desired result. The player is welcome to include a die roll if desired, but creativity and using the right ability at the right time will be more important than the game mechanics. A character with a high Diplomacy skill should have little difficulty convincing a simple town sheriff to take a matter seriously and weak creatures are unlikely to see through a powerful illusion.
- The world is a sandbox: Even though this is an Adventure Path, I do not tend to run games that are tightly structured around a single story. I am mixing the "Adventure Path" concept with the "Sandbox" concept a bit, such that Varisia is your sandbox. Although there will be a main story which is the adventure path, the world of Golarion is alive with other stories to be told, and you will be allowed to pursue those stories if you like, although they are likely to be relatively short. I am very much a "journey over destination" person. My goal is not to finish the adventure path, but to enjoy telling a great story with my players. If the players choose to pursue the main story over the others, there's nothing wrong with that, but neither is there anything wrong with deviating from the main plot if you enjoy it.
- Hero Points: As characters in a story of epic fantasy, sometimes the fates must intervene to help bring about a hero's destiny. In addition to the rules as written for Hero Points, you have the option of turning a d20 roll into a 10 when you might otherwise reroll or when used to add a bonus after the roll has been made and a 15 when used as a bonus before the roll is made (these options replace the reroll or +8/+4 bonus when used and are not cumulative). Your character may choose the Antihero path if playing a non-good alignment.
Armor as Damage Reduction: I have elected to use this rule primarily because it reduces the chances of missing during combat. I have read the Paizo forums on these rules and recognize they may have some flaws. If necessary we will adjust them as we go. All I have to add to this rule at the moment is that if armor or natural armor is the sole reason an attack would fail to do damage, then the minimum damage is 1 nonlethal. Also, if you do not own Ultimate Combat and have to use the PRD, the table for "Natural Armor Conversion to DR" is not formatted properly. It should read as follows (see also alternate link):(Edit 02 Aug 2015: Armor as DR is no longer being used in this campaign.)
View attachment 64988- Players Roll All The Dice: Regardless of whether enemies are identified, their attack scores, defense scores, critical defense scores, saving throw scores, and spell resistance (if any) will be listed during combat to speed things along. If you think this is too meta, just remember that the game focus here is cinematic and your imagination.
- Campaign Trait: Although I am not allowing characters the option to choose Traits by default, each character is allowed to one Campaign trait from the Pathfinder Adventure Path: Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition Player's Guide (free download). If you wish to have more traits, you must take the Additional Traits feat.
- Retraining: It's no fun having to live with a poor decision or when something doesn't work out the way you had hoped. Whenever characters are granted downtime (about once every 3 levels), you may use these rules to retrain aspects of your character which you no longer find appealing.
- The Core Rulebook and Supplements: Although players will be given many liberties to play what they like, the rules and options found in the Core Rulebook represent the most common classes, races, equipment, and magic in the world. Consequently, these are the options that are most readily available. Unless a class feature is dependent upon it, all starting equipment must be selected from the Core Rulebook. Aside from normal advancement, purchasing equipment, magic, and spells from outside the Core Rulebook will generally have a 25%-50% chance of being available so long as it is within a given settlement's limits.
- The Leader: Sometimes, it may be unclear to me which direction the party will go in a dungeon or along a path. Since I will generally assume the party stays together, a leader must be designated for when I am unclear on which direction to move the story. In such cases of uncertainty, to avoid prolonged deliberation, I will assume the leader has the final say. By default, the leader will be the player character with the highest Charisma, although a player may willingly defer to a different leader, or the party may select a leader by any means they choose. This is not meant to bestow any sense of abstract authority upon any one player, merely to indicate which character the party usually follows in the interest of keeping the game moving.
- Cost of Living: Pay a minimum of 3 gp per month and you won't need to track every copper spent for a mug of ale or a couple silvers for a place to sleep. Of course, if you prefer more secure living arrangements you may pay more (see link). Adventurers paying for wealthy and extravagant cost of living expenses will find it easier to schmooze among the nobility. A character may change cost of living up or down at any time by paying the difference (if any) but this cost will not be pro-rated.
I plan to update three times a week (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings Central Standard Time North America), so I'm looking for players who can at least keep up with that. The first four players to submit complete character concepts which fulfill a designated role will be selected. After all roles have been filled, I will take on as many back-up players as desired; in the event a back-up is needed, the back-up character will be introduced as soon as there is a natural point in the plot to do so. The four roles are arcane, divine, battle, and troubleshooter. Although each role can flexible depending on the concept, the following guidelines apply:
- Arcane: someone highly skilled in arcane magic and the use of arcane magic items, such as a wizard or sorcerer.
- Divine: someone highly skilled in divine magic and the use of restorative or defensive magic, such as a cleric or druid.
- Battle: someone ideally trained for combat with weapons in both melee and range, such as a fighter or ranger.
- Troubleshooter: someone with many skills that brings something special to the table, such as the ability to find and disarm traps, cast support spells, or otherwise aid the party in a way that might otherwise be missing, such as a bard or a rogue.
- Name, can be preliminary
- Race, can be preliminary
- Class, required
- Role, required, including how the character intends to fulfill that role (if unorthodox, such as a paladin submitted for a divine role)
- Description, required, including major details about the character, choice of Campaign Trait (to avoid redundancy), preferably in 3-5 sentences or less
- Purchase Ability Scores: Your character is the stuff of epic fantasy. You receive 25 ability score points. Any base score of 7 to 18 is allowable.
- Pick Your Race: I would prefer we not get too fruity here. All core races are allowed. The so-called "featured races" appearing in the Advanced Race Guide may be selected as preliminary choices (preferably with a good backstory), but I will not allow more than half the party to consist of featured races. I should note that the region of Varisia where the campaign begins is notoriously superstitious, and certain of the featured races may be subject to flagrant discrimination of the worst sort. Few people in Sandpoint are very open-minded to the presence of any but the core races. Even beatific creatures such as aasimars could find themselves subjected to unwanted attention. The so-called "uncommon races" from the Advanced Race Guide will not be allowed. Alternate racial traits are allowed as long as they are legit (do not conflict).
- Pick Your Class: Any class from an official source is allowed. Archetypes and favored class options are allowed as long as they are legit (do not conflict). Note some classes, particularly the hybrid classes from the Advanced Class Guide might require explanation upon why you feel they would be suitable for a particular role.
- Pick Skills and Select Feats: All skills from the Core Rulebook are used as written. Any feat from an official source is allowed, as long as it is not part of an optional rule set not otherwise enumerated here.
- Buy Equipment: Unless a character class feature depends upon a piece of equipment from another source, all starting equipment must be selected from the Core Rulebook. Characters start with average wealth for their respective classes. Do not forget to set aside money for your preferred Cost of Living as this must be paid during character creation. If you cannot afford at least 3 gp for the first month, your character is considered destitute until he pays at least 3 gp.
- Finishing Details: Because all player characters in this campaign are the stuff of epic fantasy, they receive maximum hit points per level for each level. Good-aligned characters are most likely to step into the role of hero, but nongood and evil-aligned characters might participate in this adventure path for reasons of their own. So long as alignment does not serve as an excuse for interparty conflict, you may play any alignment you like. Evil characters may NOT use Hero Points however and MUST select the Antihero option. Make certain to calculate your character's defense bonus, critical hit defense check bonus, and critical defense DC.
- Any rules not listed or referred to herein are assumed to be disallowed and require my permission before use.
That should cover everything. Planned starting time is roughly one week after character sheets are submitted. Use whatever format is most convenient for you. Bear in mind the theme of the game and don't sweat the small stuff. Please draw up a mini-stat block that you can use with each post including:
- Character Name
- Alignment
- Hit Points (current/total)
- Diplomacy (plus cost of living)
- Perception
- Sense Motive
RG
IC
[sblock=Treasure & Experience Links]01-01 Festival and Fire: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...s-Reborn!-IC&p=6522877&viewfull=1#post6522877[/sblock]
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