Pathfinder: Burnt Offerings

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm trying to prepare myself for sleep depravation but I don't think it will make much difference. It's all worth it in the end though. Right?

The sleep deprivation is temporary. Things do even out. There's no preparing for it, really, but it does help to know that it won't last forever.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

IT SHIPPED! And I have the .pdf!!

Insight, I had a quick gander at your character sheet and was glad to note that you've selected a feat from the Player's Guide. Good on you. I'll start on reading the adventure .pdf tonight.

I anticipate a 1 September start date.

Awesome! Let me know if there are any bits in there that are safe/not safe for me to read.

I'll work on updating the rest of my character sheet.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Insight]

IT SHIPPED! And I have the .pdf!!

Insight, I had a quick gander at your character sheet and was glad to note that you've selected a feat from the Player's Guide. Good on you. I'll start on reading the adventure .pdf tonight.

I anticipate a 1 September start date.

Yeah, I really wanted to pick up something from Dragon magazine, but I didn't qualify for it yet. Maybe down the line.

 

[Kaodi]

I'm going to be moving to London on the 1st in preparation for University. Hopefully I'll be able to get some sort of arrangement for the internet figured out by the following Monday at the latest.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Thank you for the head's up, Kaodi, on your impending move. How finished is your PC, and if your PC is not completely finished, will you have time to complete details of your character before you move?

 

[CanadienneBacon]

If any of you have not downloaded the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide free .pdf, I would like you to please do so. There is quite a lot of pertinent information in the Player's Guide that I'd like you to incorporate into both your build (if possible) and/or how you interact not only with one another but also with NPCs from Sandpoint and from Varisia at large.

I also ask that you continue to check in with the OP of this thread over the course of the next week. I'll be updating the OP to include setting specifics such as a calendar, pantheon glossary, etc..

With regard to the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide, I read the thing this afternoon and made specific note of the following elements that look to have particular impact on characters for this game. The following is an abbreviated list of my observations. While you guys are certainly welcome to disregard my liner notes, it's my hope that this information will percolate amongst you and that you'll use it when you sit down to complete design on your characters.

• Human PCs should please include a delineation of whether the character is of Chelish, Shoanti, or Varisian blood.

• Per the RotRL PG, height and weight of PCs is not quite to PHB standard. Dwarves are heavier. Elves and half-elves (both of whom are quite rare) skew quite a bit taller and slightly heavier. Gnomes are lighter. All else regarding racial and sexual height/weight remains to PHB standard. I was pleased to see that elves are taller--it's always bothered me that elves are so darned short.

• Gnomes are more oriented toward nature than they are toward engineering. While still described as tinkerers and of a very curious cut of cloth, gnomes are highly secretive and have close ties to the natural world.

• Halflings, if from Cheliax in the south, are primarily house servants or slaves who came to Varisia along with their family when Cheliax invaded Varisia. If not a house servant or a slave, Cheliaxian halflings are commonly middlemen or entertainers. If from the west, however, halflings enjoy a more emancipated existence. A third variety of halfling are those who, like native Varisians, are nomadic wanderers and worshippers of Desna.

• Half-orcs are exceedingly rare and are hated by the Shoanti barbarian clans beyond even the Cheliaxian southerners.

• As the premise behind the setting of Varisia is that the current realm and its towns and cities lie atop a once-powerful but now ruined mysterious culture, knowledge (arcana), knowledge (history), and knowledge (nature) will be useful skills.

• Rangers have some new animal companions that they may select. Likewise, sorcerors and wizards have some new familiars that they may select.

• As a whole, characters who rely on personal innate arcane magic over and above characters who learn magic may find more purchase in Varisia. Wizards will not be discouraged by me, but the Player's Guide does specifically mention that only one human wizarding school exists. In the case of the Shoanti barbarians, druids and shamans are more common than other magic-users. In all, if I may be so bold, it seems to my eye that the setting favors an animistic and naturalistic view of the world. To wit, rangers look to have a field day in this setting.

• There is not an existing support network of monasteries within Varisia for monks. Though I remain open to building in such a network if anyone is desirous of playing a monk, I confess a predilection for keeping the setting as stock as possible. If you want to play a monk, you might also consider being from one of the seven Shoanti tribes and describing your character as someone interested in using his or her "natural" weapons, or you may also elect to play a traditional monk but be from a "distant land." Cliche, yes, but it suites our purpose.

• Paladins are a rarity. Even so, knights aren't discouraged. Most knights, and the Player's Guide does make specific mention of this, are followers of Abadar or Erastil. I immediately thought of Whizbang Dustyboots when I read through this section. Conversely, the Player's Guide presents an interesting option for a PC to be a Cheliaxian Hellknight of the Order of the Nail. Quite gruesome sounding, that. I'm sure that's a PrC not too far from a fallen paladin.

• I encourage you to check out the section of the Player's Guide titled "Equipment of Varisia," which begins on page 12. The equipment section details a few weapons, armor, and items that some of you may find germaine. Likewise, and Insight has already benefitted from this, I encourage you to have a look at the new feats from the Player's Guide.

• If you're going to be a native of Sandpoint, and I encourage this, you'll benefit from reading pp 17-18 of the Player's Guide.

With regard to the Burnt Offerings module itself, I read the first several pages of it this afternoon and feel compelled to share this essential tidbit:

This adventure assumes the PCs are in attendance, for whatever reason, at the Swallowtail Festival on the first day of autumn in Sandpoint. The Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide provides a wealth of information for your players on how to create characters to fit seamlessly into Varisia, yet you should encourage each player to come up with a reason why his character has come to the Swallowtail Festival. A cleric PC might be asked by a superior to travel to Sandpoint to witness the ceremony. A bard might be drawn by the opportunity to perform before a new crowd. A rogue might be tempted by the promise of networking with new contacts. A fighter might be hired to escort a merchant to town. And, of course, if the PC is local, he needs no reason apart from the fact that everyone in town will be there!

 

[Kaodi]

My character's stats, along with a (very) short " story " that details a defining moment in his background are already up in the Rogue's Gallery. All I'm lacking is an entry for appearance, personality, and a background that lends some details and context to the story, which will also explain why my character is in Sandpoint when I get to it.

For skills, I took all cross-class for flavour, but I think they tie into the gnomish character well. I did take two pieces of equipment from the Guide, though.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm 12 pages in to the module and will try to knock out another 10 pages today. If I keep to a minimum of reading 10 pages per day, this will put me nicely on track to finishing the adventure two days before I'd like us to begin play.

I'll continue checking the RG in the interim.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I finished reading the module. I need to go back through and re-read a few tidbits and make certain that I have the basics of the background and history straight in my head, but so far the adventure looks good.

For those who are on the fence about whether to take item creation feats, I will make certain that time exists in-game for you to use said feats.

All--please do check in at the second post on the first page of this thread. I've edited in Golarian time, months, seasons, and the setting's additional language choices.

I've printed out a download of the character sheets as I found them this morning in the RG and will begin going over stats this weekend. For those to whom it will matter, I think I might want to stick with the Varisian pantheon as presented by paizo in the RotRL Player's Guide. If someone is dead set on worshipping a deity from another source, however, I'll accomodate your selection. I'm all for players being content with their character.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

CB, my diety was listed as The Tinker, Ungel Dingledirk. Who should I follow under the Varisia diety set-up then? I'm looking for a god with luck as one of his main areas.

Olaf the Stout