Pathfinder 1E airwalkrr's Rise of the Runelords AE PBP Reborn! [OOC]

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[td]Kelvyn Damonder
Male Keleshite Two Handed Fighter/Martial Master 01
CG Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init: +3; Senses: Perception +0

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Defense
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Defense 14, Flat-Footed 10 (+3 Dex, +1 Dodge)
Armor DR: 4/Magic or Large (+4 armor)
Critical Defense: +7 (+4 DR, +3 Dex)
HP: 15 (1d10+5)
Fortitude: +3, Reflex: +3, Will: +0

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Offense
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Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: Dagger +5 (1d4+4/19-20)
............Earth Breaker +5 (2d6+6/×3)
............Halberd +5 (1d10+6/×3)

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Statistics
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Str: 19, Dex: 16, Con: 12, Int: 10, Wis: 10, Cha: 10
BAB: +1; CMB: +5; CMD: 19
Feats: Dodge, Power Attack, Toughness
Traits: Family Ties
Skills: Climb +6, Knowledge (Local) +5, Swim +6
Languages: Common, Kelish, Varisian
Other Gear: Chain Shirt, Dagger (2), EarthBreaker, Halberd, Backpack, Bedroll, Belt Pouch, Flint & Steel, Rope (Hemp, 50 ft.), Mess Kit, Pot, Soap, Torch (10), Trail Rations (5), Waterskin, Cost of Living (3 gp), 9 gp[/td]
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Special Abilities
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Power Attack -1/+2: You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.[/td]
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Background/History
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Kelvyn is a huge, boisterous man from the Southern continent who grew bored with the 'adventures' offered in his native desert and took up travel when an opportune berth on an outbound ship gave him the chance to leave his country before the authorities caught up with him.

He landed in Riddleport and quickly found himself in hot water once more, as his enthusiastic and impulsive nature got him involved in a . . . situation . . . when he came to the defense of two young women being harassed by some toughs in a bar. He left Riddleport in a hurry, once more just ahead of the law, but the women were daughters of the head of the local Szarni family, and that grateful gentleman arranged for Kelvyn to be tucked away by his contact in Sandpoint.
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[SIZE=+1]Kelvyn Damonder[/SIZE]
HP: 15/15, Speed: 30' Perception: +0

Defense: 14, Critical Defense: +07, Armor DR: 4/Magic or Large, CMD: 19
Fort: +3, Reflex: +3, Will: +0

Weapon in Hand: None

Abilities: Str 19, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10

Condition: None
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airwalkrr said:

Perhaps rather than keeping track of the number of mutagens, the DC could simply scale with the number of discoveries spent on the mutagen, say 10 + 1 per mutagen discovery. Which role were you thinking of for this character by the way?

Click to expand...

Is the arcane still open? I probably would work best with what I am thinking as a back up-range/melee in all honesty. The arcane abilities are very limited as an alchemist it looks.

official character concept

Dr. Jekyll - Alchemist 1 [Beastmorph]

Human scientist

Role: As an arcanist with melee and short ranged attack as minor abilities

Description: Dr. Jekyll is a young, slight man with a high degree of intelligence in his eyes. He wears an overcoat with a belt and bandolier underneath. His clothing under that is simple and utilitarian shirt and trousers. When seen in armor it is of the boiled leather variety, though it is usually stained and burned from his various forms of lab work.

perrinmiller said:

I am not sure where you are speeding things up.

With the regular rules, providing such things like ACs and HPs allow for players to self resolve. That speeds things up. If a player were to roll the saves for the foe after a spell, that would speed things up.

But Defensive Rolls appear to only apply to trying to reduce a critical hit to a normal one from what I read. To keep things moving faster, it would actually make more sense for the DM to roll the PC's Crit Defense Roll instead, wouldn't it?

Click to expand...

Yeah, that is essentially the point kinem brought up as I saw it, which is perfectly legitimate. If I were rolling PC defense rolls, it's mathematically identical for me to just roll monster attack rolls in most situations. I think perhaps just adding the magic score function might serve the purpose I am looking for (so long as players know monster save scores and hp). Still pondering. Please, everyone, keep contributing to the conversation; it's very helpful. Nothing has to be set in stone. I may put this one up to a vote.

Scott DeWar said:

Is the arcane still open? I probably would work best with what I am thinking as a back up-range/melee in all honesty. The arcane abilities are very limited as an alchemist it looks.

Click to expand...

I refer you here. All roles are currently filled, but given the nature of PBP to sometimes lose players midstream, I might allow a party of 5-6 to start. Also, haven't heard from our divine in a couple days but that doesn't mean anything at this point. The arcane alternate slot is still available.

airwalkrr said:

Also, haven't heard from our divine in a couple days but that doesn't mean anything at this point.

Click to expand...

Just tweaking a few things and working on my background. I should have the character posted later today with the background following soon after.

Airwalker, check out the history.

Disclaimer: any apparent signs of plagiarism is purely a coincidence

I do understand that the primary position for arcanist is taken, and his arcane ability is weak at best. Because of the nature of the build, I honestly do not see any strong role position here.

S D

[sblock=Character]INFORMATION
Name: Thrindar
Race: Dwarf
Class: Cleric
Level: 1
Alignment: Neutral Good
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Goblin, Giant, Thassilonian
Deity: Sarenrae
Size: Medium
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Height: 3'-10"
Weight: 160#
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Skin Color: Medium

ABILITIES
Str: 14 +2 (5 points)
Dex: 14 +2 (5 points)
Con: 12 +1 (0 points, +2 racial)
Int: 14 +2 (5 points)
Wis: 16 +3 (5 points, +2 racial)
Cha: 12 +1 (5 points, -2 racial)

COMBAT
HP: 12 [d8, +1 Con, +3 feat]
AC: 12 [10 base, +2 Dex]
AC Touch: 12 [10 base, +2 Dex]
Flatfooted: 10 [10 base]
Init: +2 [+2 Dex]
CMB: +2 [0 BAB, +2 Str]
CMD: 14 [10 base, +0 BAB, +2 Str, +2 Dex]
CDCB: +4 [+2 Dex, +2 shield]
CAB: +0
MCB0: +3 [+3 Wis]
Fortitude: +3 [2 base, +1 Con]
Reflex: +2 [0 base, +2 Dex]
Will: +5 [2 base, +3 Wis]
Speed: 20'

WEAPON
Scimitar: Attack: +2 [0 BAB, +2 Str], Damage: 1d6+2, Crit: 18, Type: S

ARMOR
Scale Mail: DR 5/Armor, +3 Max Dex, -4 ACP, medium
Large Metal Shield: DR 2/Armor, -2 ACP

RACIAL
Abilities: +2 CON, +2 WIS, –2 CHA
Size: Medium
Speed: 20'
Favored: Cleric (skill point)
Slow and Steady
Darkvision 60 feet
Defensive Training: +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype
Greed: +2 racial bonus on Appraise skill checks made to determine the price of nonmagical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones
Hatred: +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes
Hardy: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities
Stability: +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground
Stonecunning: +2 bonus on Perception checks to potentially notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. Receive a check to notice such features whenever passing within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Weapon Familiarity: proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon

CLASS: Cleric
Armor/Weapons: Light, Medium, Shield (-Tower) / Simple, Scimitar
Aura: Good
Channel Energy: 1d6; 4 times/day; DC: 12
Domains: Fire, Healing
Orisons: has 3 orisons that may be cast any number of times per day
Spontaneous Casting: can channel stored spell energy into healing spells

FEAT
Toughness: gain +3 hit points

TRAIT
Student of Faith: cast all cure spells at +1 caster level and gain a +1 trait bonus to the save DC of your channeled energy

SKILLS 4 [2 base, +2 Int, +1 FC]
Heal +7 (1 rank, +3 CS, +3 Wis)
Knowledge (arcana) +6 (1 rank, +3 CS, +2 Int)
Knowledge (history) +6 (1 rank, +3 CS, +2 Int)
Knowledge (religion) +6 (1 rank, +3 CS, +2 Int)
Linguistics +6 (1 rank, +3 CS, +2 Int)

CARRYING CAPACITY
Light: 58#
Medium: 116#
Heavy: 175#

EQUIPMENT
Explorer's Outfit (0gp, 0#, worn)
Scale Mail (50gp, 30#, worn)
Heavy Steel Shield (20gp, 15#, carried)
Scimitar (15gp, 4#, belt)
Silver Holy Symbol (25gp, 1#, neck)
Backpack (2gp, 2#, back)
Shaving Kit (15gp, 0.5#, backpack) [Ultimate Equipment]
Waterskin (1gp, 4#, backpack)
Total (128gp, 56.5#, light)

FINANCES: 12gp

DOMAIN POWERS:
Fire Bolt (Sp): As a standard action, can unleash a scorching bolt of divine fire from outstretched hand. Can target any single foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. If it hits it deals 1d6 points of fire damage and can be used 6 times/day.
Rebuke Death (Sp): Can touch a living creature as a standard action, healing it for 1d4 points of damage. Can only use this ability on a creature that is below 0 hit points. Can use this ability 6 times/day.

MAGIC
Orisons: Create Water, Purify Food and Drink, Stabilize
1st Level: Bless, Shield of Faith, Cure Light Wounds*
* Domain Spell[/sblock][sblock=Background]In the beginning Thrindar had been the youngest child of Tharus and Darrus Stonehammer who were xenophobic dwarven archeologist of no small reputation. They were known for using their entire family to help with their archeology expeditions. The family lived a happy life in Janderhoff when not out on one of their expeditions. Even though his parents were not very nurturing when it came to the young dwarf’s upbringing, Thrindar had sixteen older siblings to help with his upbringing.

When young Thrindar was but seven years old the family set off on an expedition to study the Crystalrock. Along the way the group had setup camp near a cave that Tharus believed showed promise but that Darrus believed would prove to be a waste of valuable time and resources. Young Thrindar and an older brother were just returning from exploring the cave when Thrindar was signaled by his older sibling to hide and stay quiet. The young dwarf hid for several hours before venturing out to see what was amiss. What he found was his entire family butchered by unknown assailants. Their bodies had been stripped of all belongings. The young dwarf was alone in the world. All that he could find was a half full waterskin and a small piece of stale bread. He knew that whatever did this to his family could return so he set out to try and find help. After two days he lost consciousness from lack of food and water.

He awoke to find himself in a bed in a house with a human woman watching him. He would later find out that her name was Gena and her husband Shamus had found the young dwarf nearly dead from exposure. Gena and Shamus found it difficult at first to communicate with the young dwarf. Because his family had been so xenophobic he had not learned any of the common language and Shamus only knew a few dwarven words. They lived on a farm with not much connection with anyone and since Gena could not bear children they saw the young dwarf as a chance, if only for a short time, to have a child of their own. Over time Thrindar was able to learn enough common to interact with his new adopted family. With no family of his own and no way to convey where he was from, Thrindar began to learn to help on the farm. His common got better as time went on and things seemed to be going well for the little family. Thrindar’s dwarven beard had started to grow and this is when he started shaving it like his adoptive father, Shamus.

When Thrindar was about fifteen the farm was attacked by wolves and Thrindar had to defend it. Although Thrindar was able to drive the beasts off his adopted father was mortally wounded and died the next day. Soon Gena and Thrindar sold the farm and moved to Korvosa where Gena opened an orphanage with the some of the money from the sale of the farm and Thrindar helped run it. Things went fine for a few years but local customs made running of the orphanage, which catered to all races, difficult at best. That is when Gena and Thrindar moved to Nybor and ran a successful orphanage there with the remainder of the money from the sale of the farm.

One of the priests from the local temple of Sarenrae would stop by the orphanage and have long discussion with Thrindar about theology and religions. The dwarf seemed to have a certain knack for the subject and the priest seemed to enjoy the company. It was only natural for Thrindar to enter the priesthood when his mother had to close the orphanage as she was entering her infirmed years. At the end of her life her adopted son was there to lay her to rest and perform the burial service.

Today Thrindar still shaves his beard daily in honor of his adopted father, Shamus. He continues to work with young orphans in honor of his adopted mother, Gena. He continues to serve as a priest of Sarenrae in Nybor. But his true passion is the study of all religions and their origins. When he heard about the cathedral in Sandpoint he knew that he needed to be there for the consecration of such a holy edifice. So he joined a caravan headed to Sandpoint and just arrived yesterday. He looks forward to a day of celebration, fervent conversation and quiet contemplation.[/sblock][sblock=Pic][/sblock]

airwalkrr said:

Yeah, that is essentially the point kinem brought up as I saw it, which is perfectly legitimate. If I were rolling PC defense rolls, it's mathematically identical for me to just roll monster attack rolls in most situations. I think perhaps just adding the magic score function might serve the purpose I am looking for (so long as players know monster save scores and hp). Still pondering. Please, everyone, keep contributing to the conversation; it's very helpful. Nothing has to be set in stone. I may put this one up to a vote.

Click to expand...

Using the magic score is pretty much like having PC spellcasters roll the monster saving throws. It gives PCs information they shouldn't have (no mystery about which guy's the ringer if we know the saves). I understand giving some DM-side information to players to speed combat, but that should be done judiciously, not every time. Even if it's almost every time but strangely "not for this one" we'd know something's up.

What most DMs do is give information like monster AC out after a few attacks have hit and others have missed, so there's an in-character justification for supposing that the PCs have gotten a feel for how hard it is to hit these particular monsters.

(Also, I assume that we'd roll the magic score against each monster separately, but if not that'd be even worse since then monsters within a group of identical monsters would all pass or all fail the save).

So you know I am dead set against the "players roll all the dice" variant, but willing to live with it if you insist.

As for "armor as DR", it's not really more realistic. Not every blow lands on armor. What could be more realistic is a hybrid system in which the DR only applies if the armor would normally have caused a miss which otherwise would have hit. Also, bypassing natural armor with adamantine weapons is unbalanced.

Even when house rules are not by themselves more complicated, using rules we're not used to and don't use in other games is more work. If there are benefits that could certainly justify the added overhead, but I'm not seeing that with these. IMO

Re: Meta-game Knowledge:
Most GMs that I know fall into providing the meta-game knowledge from the beginning of combat or do not provide anything at all. It is a philosophical difference in style. It is quite clear to me that Airwalkrr is falling into the writing trumps gameplay camp. This actually matches the GMing style that both Mowgli and I use already.

I have been DMing PbP for over 4 years now, and after the first year I learned that the meta-game knowledge of providing Enemy ACs, HPs, and few other things really made no difference on the combat decision making of my players. From the description of things, they still knew who the Boss bad guys were and minions were minions. So there was no real downside to providing the information.

The advantage of providing it is much better in the balance of things.

I would use the term Player Self Resolve instead of Players Roll All Dice to be more accurate on the terminology. Because that is what really speeds along combat in PbP. Every time the action stops to wait for the GM to adjudicate a player’s action/dice roll is an unnecessary delay. Knowing HPs and ACs allows the players to move things along themselves. This game is already being advertised as not being tactically focused, so this policy falls right in line with the game’s focus.

I have used “??/?? HP” for certain foes in my games. Particularly when there are multiple special bad guys and it helped to prevent meta-gaming on who the real main boss was or to hide the fact an enemy had DR or something. During mid-combat that information would come out and be revealed. But not knowing that information never slowed down the game.

Bottom Line: I am fully in favor of providing meta-game knowledge to self-resolve during combat.

Re: Magic Attack score versus player’s rolling Enemy Saves:
I would use the Saving throws instead, because I see no reason to be different than published rules on that issue.

While I advocate the meta-game knowledge of ACs and HPs, I have not provided enemy Saving Throws myself or any other GM. Nor have I pushed the Saving throws to the players before. While it can slow things up in combat needing a GM to update mid-round, I have personally found that the GM needs have a hand in adjudicating those situations more often. I have found that there are more mistakes made by players using Magic compared to mundane hacking & slashing during combat. A little GM quality control is necessary and a fair trade in the slight slowdown in combat.

Re: Armor as DR:
I am in agreement with others that those rules are actually increasing complications for no real benefit. While I understand the argument that heavy armor would stop more damage, the realism is not an issue with armor but in how people view HPs in d20 games.

Historically, D&D/PF really have not rooted HP into reality very well. I recently looked at D&D 5e and that is probably the better of the descriptions for what HP represents.

5th Edition D&D said:

Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck.

Click to expand...

Pathfinder said:

Hit points mean two things in the game world: the ability to take physical punishment and keep going, and the ability to turn a serious blow into a less serious one.

Click to expand...

In all d20 games, even when you take damage that reduces your character to 1 HP remaining, you are still 100% combat capable. Therefore HP is not a reflection of being wounded at all.

Realistically that character reduced to 1 HP is not half dead or even almost dead. That arrow that nearly killed them is not sticking through their leg, because if it was they would have their movement rate reduced and have blood loss draining more HP away. Nor can it be in their chest because that would probably be worse. Even a superficial flesh wound would degrade and impact combat efficiency and performance.

Also, bleeding damage is actually a thing that is mechanically different, sapping your HP over time. So if a character was actually wounded, they would of course be bleeding and draining more HP.

The only way I am finding to realistically describe damage that does not reduce a character to 0 HP or lower is to assume the damage is mainly superficial. Otherwise it really doesn't make much sense. When you consider HP from that point of view, then the whole discussion about armor absorbing damage becomes moot. The higher AC reflects that they take less impacts to their will to continue fighting (read loss of HP).

From a cinematic point of view, I don't see the Armor is DR variant really changing what HP represents and only complicates the normal system for no real benefit. Pretty much any damage taken that doesn't drop a character to 0HP or below is really just battering and bruising.

I also question the balance of the rule variant. I think it was a marketing gimmick to add in a variant rule to PF that was in 3.5ed D&D.

If we are voting, I would vote against adopting the Armor as DR rule.

Though I typically use the ??/?? HP mechanic more often than PM, as he said I give AC (and often HP) out to my players. I haven't done a data driven study or anything, but I can't really tell that it often makes a difference in player decisions. Since I can't tell, it doesn't matter enough to sacrifice the pace, IMO. I've been tempted to reveal monster saves as well, but there are more variables there to consider - situational bonuses come to mind right off the bat.

I like the idea of armor as DR, as I've said, and am quite willing to give it a try (I'd vote yes, if we were voting) . It's not as realistic as the hybrid system mentioned by kinem, but IMO it is more realistic than the standard AC system.

Did we decide on a Rogues Gallery? I'm not quite ready to put up Kelvyn's character sheet, but I'd like a place to park him when I am.