[Discussion]Tempus Fugit ['closed' to new players]

[Leif]

Gruff, I hate to do this, but I think I'm going to have to bow out of this game. I just have a few too many irons in the fire and I haven't even been able to keep up with the discussion about the characters. As the game grows in complexity, I am sure it will only get worse. My apologies to everyone.

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Still here - I've got Gaibrial mostly statted out for his PF incarnation. Here's his preliminary stat-block. He's got no equipment yet, and I'm still tinkering with feats (I'll probably exchange Paired Opportunists for Lookout on Gaibrial, and Iron Will for Lookout on Croimór). I have not read anything from Dragonsfoot so we're good to go there.

I'm ready to start in the individual thread whenever you are!

[sblock=GAIBRIAL BRANNAN CR 9]
Male Half-Orc Cavalier 8 Fighter 2
CG Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Init +3; Senses Darkvision (60 feet); Perception +10
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DEFENSE
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AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 10. . (+3 Dex)
hp 69 (10d10+10)
Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +4
Defensive Abilities Bravery +1
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OFFENSE
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Spd 30 ft.
Special Attacks Cavalier's Charge, Dragon's Challenge +8/+3 (3/day)
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STATISTICS
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Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +10; CMB +12 (+16 Disarming+16 Tripping); CMD 25 (27 vs. Disarm27 vs. Trip)
Feats Combat Expertise +/-3, Coordinated Defense, Coordinated Maneuvers, Greater Disarm, Greater Trip, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Paired Opportunists
Traits Ambassador, Armor Expert
Skills Bluff +11, Diplomacy +15, Handle Animal +18, Intimidate +15, Perception +10, Ride +16, Sense Motive +10, Survival +10 Modifiers +0 Ride while riding your bonded mount., Dragon's Skills
Languages Orc, Skald, Taldane (Common)
SQ Aid Allies +4 (Ex), Animal Companion Link (Ex), Banner +2/+1 (Ex), Expert Trainer +4 (Ex), Hero Points (1), Strategy (Ex), Tactician (Coordinated Defense) 7r (2/day) (Ex)

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TRACKED RESOURCES
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Dragon's Challenge +8/+3 (3/day) (Ex) - 0/3
Hero Points (1) - 1/3
Tactician (Coordinated Defense) 7r (2/day) (Ex) - 0/2
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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+0 Ride while riding your bonded mount. (Ex) Cancel your armor check penalty of -0 while riding your mount.
Aid Allies +4 (Ex) Aid Another grants +4
Ambassador Your natural abilities at mediation and compromise manifested at a young age. For as long as you can remember, you were always more able to solve disputes and carefully settle violent disagreements than others. You gain a +2 trait bonus to Diplomacy
Animal Companion Link (Ex) You have a link with your Animal Companion.
Armor Expert -1 Armor check penalty.
Banner +2/+1 (Ex) Allies who can see your banner gain +2 save vs. fear & +1 to hit while charging.
Bravery +1 (Ex) +1 Will save vs. Fear
Cavalier's Charge (Ex) Mounted charge grants +4 to hit and -0 AC rather than +2/-2.
Combat Expertise +/-3 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Coordinated Defense +2 CMD if you are adjacent to an ally with this feat.
Coordinated Maneuvers +2 CMB if you are adjacent to an ally with this feat.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white vision only).
Dragon's Challenge +8/+3 (3/day) (Ex) +8 to damage target, -2 AC vs. others when used, allies gain +3 to hit the target of your challenge.
Dragon's Skills +4 (Ex) +4 to Survival checks for allies.
Expert Trainer +4 (Ex) +4 to train mounts, reduced training time option.
Greater Disarm +2 to disarm, weapon lands 15' away.
Greater Trip +2 to Trip, target provokes AoO when tripped.
Hero Points (1) Hero Points can be spent at any time to grant a variety of bonuses.
Improved Disarm Disarm at +2, without an attack of opportunity.
Improved Trip You Trip at +2 and don't cause an attack of opportunity.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Paired Opportunists +4 to hit for AoOs if you and an ally with this feat both threaten the target.
Strategy (Ex) Grant varying bonuses to allies within 30'
Tactician (Coordinated Defense) 7r (2/day) (Ex) Grant the use of your Tactical feats to your allies within 30'.

Created With Hero Lab® - try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com![/sblock]

[sblock=CROIMÓR CR 7 (Mount)]
Male Horse
Large Animal
Init +2; Senses Low-Light Vision, Scent; Perception +7
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DEFENSE
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AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18. . (+2 Dex, -1 size, +9 natural)
hp 70 (+35)
Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +5
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OFFENSE
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Spd 50 ft.
Melee Bite (Horse) +9 (1d4+5/20/x2) and
. . Hooves x2 (Horse) +9 x2 (1d8+5/20/x2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
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STATISTICS
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Str 20, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +5; CMB +11; CMD 23 (27 vs. Trip)
Feats Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack: Hooves x2 (Horse), Iron Will, Toughness +7
Tricks Attack [Trick], Combat Riding [Trick], Come [Trick], Defend [Trick], Down [Trick], Guard [Trick], Heel [Trick], Seek [Trick], Stay [Trick], Track [Trick]
Skills Fly +0, Perception +7, Stealth +5
Languages
SQ Combat Riding [Trick], Devotion (Ex), Evasion (Ex), Hero Points (1), Seek [Trick], Stay [Trick], Track [Trick]

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TRACKED RESOURCES
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. . -none-
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Combat Riding [Trick] The animal has been trained to bear a rider into combat.
Devotion (Ex) +4 Morale bonus on Will Saves vs Enchantments.
Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ feet by sense of smell.
Seek [Trick] The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate.
Stay [Trick] The animal will stay where it is.
Track [Trick] The animal will track a scent.

Created With Hero Lab® - try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com![/sblock]

 

[GlassEye]

Leif, sorry to see you go.

Grufflehead, I've been to Dragonsfoot (though it's probably been years) but haven't read any of their adventures.

 

[grufflehead]

Just had a thought regarding 'flavour' for your individual PCs. If I run a game where the setting is quite specific, would statting up your PCs and leaving the part relating to physical appearance and any crunch relating to that be an issue?

To explain, let's say for example one of the episodes is a fantasy game which I've decided is in an arabian desert setting. If you've spent time carefully crafting a PC who's a norse warrior is that likely to be something of a letdown? I could easily tell you in advance, but I thought it might be quite nice as an icebreaker in each part if the first couple of posts from me describe the world you are in, and then you can describe your characters as you think they would fit in that setting.

I'm asking now, as I've seen Mowgli's PF character. There are stats, but I don't know how he envisages that in his own mind. If, for example, he had a vision in his head that his cavalier was your classic knight in armour, is there anything in the crunch which actually only works with that specific archetype? So if you walk into episode one with a fully formed description in mind (full plate, lance, the whole 9 yards) and find everyone else running around in robes with katanas is that an immediate turn off?

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Crunch wise, I've got Gaibrial worked as a trip and disarm specialist using a spiked chain. I actually chose that because it seemed to me that it would work in a lot of different settings - the old Manriki Gusari if we go oriental, the spiked chain for 'classic' fantasy, a set of tire chains for modern, etc.

There are horses in a ton of different settings, and for those where there aren't it seems easy enough to just apply the horse stats to whatever mount he's got, or give him a motorcycle or something. The only place that could be an issue is that his horse is actually a companion - I'd envisioned using him to track, help him keep watch, etc. and it might be hard to work that in if it's simply a motorcycle. (However, a steampunk setting could produce a mechanical horse with a limited AI.) That said, so long as you modify any given adventure to account for his deficits Gaibrial could run without his mount as well. "There's something missing, like a part of me is supposed to be here but isn't. Like the hole in your mouth when you lose a tooth . . . you just can't stop worrying at it." The Cavalier has some nifty abilities mounted but he seems pretty stout even without his horse.

Appearance wise, I'm fine with changing things around. He's a big, sort of brutish looking bruiser who's ironically something of a charmer regardless of the setting, but he could easily be given an Oriental/Arabic/Native American/whatever flavor.

 

[grufflehead]

I'm ready to start in the individual thread whenever you are!

Have you had a chance to look at Pace? I'm going to go with 3 descriptors, 7 pts total (will make sense once you read if if you haven't already). A lot of the other stuff can be ignored unless it becomes an issue as we're not playing a full-on game using the rules.

Ill stress again, I'm looking for something simple that will handle conflict resolution when required in a way that shouldn't detract from the narrative. I'm heartened by one of GE's comments that he thinks it looks fairly straightforward.

Once you can give me that 3 word title for Gaibrial, I'm happy to go!

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

I've read through the Pace rules (the one's that don't have to do with GMing the game, anyway). Ready to take a stab at my descriptors.

It was tough to get all the elements of Gaibrial down into three words, but what I came up with is 'Mighty Mounted Maverick.' I know, if I have to explain the descriptors they're probably not worth the paper they're written on, but:

Mighty (the combat stuff) and Mounted (the horsey stuff) are fairly straightforward. Maverick refers to the non-com making the jump to Commissioned Officer and is intended to cover the leadership/diplomacy/general knowledge of soldiering stuff.

(I should say that he's actually more Dextrous than Mighty but

1. I like the alliteration, and
2. Mighty is more accurate to his appearance.

So hopefully it can be used as the general combat descriptor.)

 

[grufflehead]

Good enough I'm not going to hold you to it strictly - maybe giving you 4 or even 5 descriptors in the form of a sort sentence would have been easier but we'll run with this for now and maybe fiddle with it if it looks like a useful mechanic that can be expanded on later in the game.

I'll start thinking about a thread for you today and PM you once I start it. Might help 'focus' the others once they see yours.


Meanwhile...do we want an RG to hold all the various characters?

 

[GlassEye]

...If I run a game where the setting is quite specific, would statting up your PCs and leaving the part relating to physical appearance and any crunch relating to that be an issue?...

I could easily tell you in advance, but I thought it might be quite nice as an icebreaker in each part if the first couple of posts from me describe the world you are in, and then you can describe your characters as you think they would fit in that setting...

I'm asking now, as I've seen Mowgli's PF character. There are stats, but I don't know how he envisages that in his own mind. If, for example, he had a vision in his head that his cavalier was your classic knight in armour, is there anything in the crunch which actually only works with that specific archetype? So if you walk into episode one with a fully formed description in mind (full plate, lance, the whole 9 yards) and find everyone else running around in robes with katanas is that an immediate turn off?

If it were just physical appearance I don't think it would be much of a problem. However, I don't see how it can be only appearance that is affected. For me, appearance (which is directly tied to the genre of the game) frequently informs other aspects of the character. Many times the mechanical aspect of how the character works won't be affected but the story of the character may need changing. Generally this won't be a problem other than getting over the preconceived notions that I might have held.

However, one of my keywords is 'Magic'. Without some prior knowledge of the world this aspect of my character (and I feel it's a major aspect) would have to be left open until after the 'reveal' (and I can definitely see the appeal of having a reveal). In my default persona I planned on that manifesting in character as a medium with fairly high magic effects. Now the actual faux-Chinese bit could be easily changed out for something else. But if I were to create a character to fit into the world of Mowgli's default (which I perceive as 'fairly realistic modern') my high-magic medium wouldn't work; I'd need to take a totally different tack. I don't feel I can leave that much of my character open; I'd essentially have to wait until after the reveal to make my character.

Concerning your example of western-styled warrior in an asian-inspired setting: unless the story were about the clash of cultures (or something else similar/logical) then yes, it might be a bit of a turn-off. In general I think the characters need to fit into the world (as much as a normal person of that world is going to fit in anyway). Plus, if one person goes into this particular scenario thinking Last Samurai and another goes in thinking Big Trouble in Little China there's gonna be issues.

Now, I feel that I've said a lot of negative here. I like the idea of a reveal. But I think the key elements such as the aforementioned 'fairly realistic modern' are needed to create our characters.

 

[GlassEye]

YES! to having a Rogues Gallery. I'm in another game that doesn't have a rogues gallery and whenever I want to look something up on another player's character sheet I have to spend time searching through the OOC thread to find the character. That annoyance I'd rather do without. So, again, I vote YES.