ZEITGEIST [ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.

[gideonpepys]

Sorry no update just yet.

It’s been three weeks since our last session. We were supposed to have a two-week break, but the polar vortex trapped me in the US for five extra days meaning we missed a third. While we were away, I got to thinking about how the campaign has developed and how a lot of that is reflected in the characters themselves.

Our character generation process was way more involved than usual, and I was quite liberal from the outset with bonuses and benefits that I thought would distinguish them and round out their builds. I have also granted boons and bonuses in lieu of treasure and encouraged players to think about how every feat and power says something about their character. It’s one of the features of 4E that I like the most.

I gave out expertise feats for free at level 5, and I’m considering granting improved defences for free at level 15, or thereabouts, precisely because passive bonuses don’t help tell the story, just fix the maths (but everyone chooses them for that very reason). I also granted additional at-will powers at level 1 (because I like at-wills), and allowed players to choose another at level 11, but this time in return for their entire level 11 stipend, sometimes with an additional benefit thrown in.

As our party is about to broach paragon tier, I wondered if readers of the campaign journal would be interested in checking out a level 11 snapshot of each of the characters, with some comments on how they got to be where they are, and what they feel like in play. Because I figure that mechanics won’t interest everyone I’ll shove those under a spoiler alert tab.

 

[gideonpepys]

Korrigan snapshot

Well, I thought I was going to hide the mechanics under a spoiler tab, but as I'm a bit thick when it comes to these things, it turns out I don't know how to do that. Here's the full post instead:

The commander of an elite military unit, Baldrey Korrigan was badly injured in Yerasol IV when a schism opened up underneath him. Trapped beneath the earth, he was rescued by Uru – then part of a native guerrilla force fighting in support of the Risuri – who came upon him while negotiating an underground stream. Following the Danoran victory, Korrigan returned to Flint, bringing Uru with him, and there he set about rebuilding his relationship with his young wife, Elizabeth, whom he had married shortly before setting off for war. Baldrey always believed that the distance she kept on his return was due to her revulsion at his condition – altered by the energies of the earth plane, Urim, his right arm had become solid rock, and much of his flesh was similarly affected. Now Baldrey knows that Elizabeth feared that any intimacy they shared would result in a child – a child she had sworn to deliver to the fey if her husband returned safely from war. When their relationship improved, and Elizabeths’s fears were soothed by the passage of time, she eventually fell pregnant, whereupon her mental health deteriorated. Her strange behaviour culminated in her placing herself and her unborn child in stasis, protected by a magical barrier of briars.

Korrigan was never much of a family man. He has dealt with his personal problems by burying himself in his work. Dutiful and determined, he is a steadfast supporter of King Aodhan, who he has hero-worshipped since childhood, when he witnessed his triumphant return into harbour at the helm of a captured Danoran steamship. From a military perspective, Korrigan supports the King’s modernization program, but as a traditionalist he has some reservations about what Risur might be losing in the process, especially in Flint, where he has seen the detrimental effects of rampant progress, particularly for the poor. All of this, coupled with his disillusionment in the power structure following the unmasking of the treacherous Reed Macbannin and Lady Margaret Saxby, have encouraged Korrigan to enter the political arena and seek to have a greater personal influence on the development of the nation he loves.

Extremely moral, the only time Korrigan slipped was in the clergy vault on Odiem, when he was tempted by Ashima-Shimtu, and proved extremely reluctant to be ‘untempted’ when the matter was discovered. This has led to an increase in Korrigan’s caution and watchfulness with regard to moral lapses, hence his current distaste at the collusion of the crown with the Family and Morgan Cippiano.

[sblock]Marshal Baldrey Korrigan
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Human (reskinned genasi)
Class Tactical Warlord
Paragon Path Battalion Commander (reskinned Battle Captain)
Theme Yerasol Veteran
Background Local Hero (+2 to Diplomacy)
Bonus Unrelenting mountain stance
Played in the movie by Idris Elba


ABILITY SCORES
STR 21
CON 13
DEX 7 (lowered by advancing condition)
INT 21
WIS 12
CHA 14 (boosted by the memory magic of Ambertain the Black)


AC 27
Fort 23
Ref 24
Will 20
HP 75
Surges 8
Surge Value 18


TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +12, Diplomacy +16, Endurance +10, History +15, Insight +13


POWERS
Background bonus: Unrelenting Mountain
Genasi Racial Power: Swiftcurrent
Genasi Racial Power: Firedeath
Genasi Racial Power: Earthshock
Genasi Racial Power: Windwalk
Warlord Feature: Inspiring Word
Warlord Feature: Battlefront Shift
Paladin Feature: Divine Challenge (encounter)
Warlord Attack 1: Intuitive Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Commander’s Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Direct the Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Paint the Bull’s-eye
Warlord Attack 1: Warlord’s Favour
Warlord Attack 1: Lead the Attack
Warlord Attack 5: Stand the Fallen
Warlord Attack 7: Sudden Motivation
Warlord Attack 9: Warlord’s Recovery
Battalion Commander Attack: Force Retreat
Utility 2: Knight’s Move
Utility 6: Reorient the Axis
Utility 10: Strength of Conviction


FEATS
Level 2: Improve Tactics
Level 4: Tactical Assault
Level 5 bonus: Heavy Blade Expertise
Level 8: Mark of Healing (derived from Hurtloam used to heal Leon’s scars)
Level 10: Theme bonus: Avenging Spirit (action point when an ally is felled)
Level 10: Martial Ploy (retraining)
Level 10: Soldier of the Faith
Level 10 bonus: Shield Proficiency – Heavy (Battalion training)
Level 11: Fight On
Level 11: Warlord’s Formation (retraining)
Extra Manifestation I, II, III (gained from contact with aquatic schism, dragonborn brothers and Gale)
Earthshock Master (from attunement with Icon of Urim)


ITEMS
Defender Longsword
Hurtloam-infused earthen flesh (reskinned healer’s hide armour)
Granite Forearm (Heavy Shield)
Military Mindset (reskinned Casque of Tactics)
Imperial Oration
Canary in a Coal Mine Pendant
Snub-nosed pistol
Golden Icon of Urim
Acrobat Boots
Pearl of Power – Ability One* (regain encounter power)
Pearl of Power – Ability Two* (reroll missed encounter power)
Remove Affliction

*These pearls were found in the sahuagin lair, and could be augmented through the purchase of residium and magical aid.


Korrigan is a straightforward build – a nice, simple tactical warlord, with powers that complement his roleplaying very nicely. The fact that he issues orders each round and gets his men back on their feet reminds them to defer to him at other times.

His bonuses mostly come in the form of extra manifestations that he has picked up by investing gold in magical research to unlock his potential, or augmentations to his primary ‘earthsoul’ form. His heavy shield and hide armour are actually manifestations of this form – he turns aside blows with his tough hide and forearm.

Of particular interest is the very recent paladin multiclass feat, which came about through study of an ancient text, recommended for study by Ottavia Sacredote. Korrigan has recently learned that this text is banned by the clergy: it is a humanist reinterpretation of the story of Triegenes written by the heretic William Miller. It claims that any person can achieve divinity if they rise to meet great challenges. So the feat represents an awakening of Korrigan’s belief in himself, not the pursuit of a specific religious belief.

While a strong leader, Korrigan has been played as socially reserved and diffident, until recently, when he decided to step up to the plate politically in order to have a greater influence over the direction Risur is taking. This was reflected in his imperial oration boon.

PS. If anyone can tell me how to hide this stuff, I'd be grateful. [/sblock]

 

[gideonpepys]

Uru snapshot

One note left over from Korrigan’s snapshot is that his surprisingly selfless political ambitions, his patriotism and sense of duty make him an ideal candidate for the highest office (as foreshadowed in the Campaign Guide). I had nothing to do with fostering these elements or ideas, they came about organically. The same can be said for the long-term ambition of Uru: when his player had finished reading the Players’ Guide, before we had even completed char gen, he wrote me in an email that his character fantasized about slaying the Voice of Rot. I remember at the time experiencing a frisson of excitement, knowing that this would be a major element of epic tier, and as the campaign has gone on, it looks like being even more central.

Uru wants to slay the Voice of Rot because the Voice of Rot commands/controls the undead and interferes with the smooth, natural passage of spirits from this world to the next. Uru sees death very much as part of life and often can’t tell the difference between one state and the other. Some of his best friends are ghosts. His clockwork companion is invested with the spirit of a boy called Little Jack (son of Tinker Jack with whom Uru used to live), and he is always accompanied by Little Jack’s best friends, Winkin, Blinkin and Nod – spirits of children who had perished in industrial accidents and whom Uru rescued from witchoil. Uru has been trying to save the spirits around Cauldron Hill since he discovered Macbannin’s wrongdoing, and his latest attempt almost cost him his own life. He now exists half in, half out of the Bleak Gate (and will accrue an ideally suited series of boons – The Fading One). This is perhaps the biggest change to Uru since the start of the campaign. Then he was a comically creepy mascot for the unit, whose various obsessions gave him plenty of scope for mischief.

Uru is a deep faen – a race of dark-skinned gremlins who live where the Dreaming borders the Bleak Gate. Thus they are rarely seen in Lanjyr, except for on Axis Island, where there is, or was, a small native population, a population predisposed to prefer Risuri occupation over Danoran, but only just. The deep faen of the Islands are cut off not only from human civilization, but from what passes for fey civilization as well. As such they are barbarous, tribal and savage – viewed in the same way as South Sea Islanders during the Victorian era.

Having saved Korrigan from being trapped beneath the earth, Uru was invited to flee Axis Island along with the Risuri as the Danorans encroached. He agreed, and came to Flint, where during the seven years prior to the campaign he joined the RHC along with Korrigan, adopted the day-to-day persona of a small boy (who some assumed was Korrigan’s son) and developed a fascination with technology. Just as he fails to see the division between life and death, Uru blurs the distinction between nature and technology, seeing one as an extension of the other. Ticking clockwork mechanisms are to him like little animals with beating hearts. He interacts with machines through natural cunning and empathy rather than logic and reasoning.

Another of Uru’s obsessions is his fungal garden: a place for the spirits of Cauldron Hill to find sanctuary away from the dangers that lurk within the Bleak Gate. It was sewn with the spores of fungi and plants that grow only on the border of the Bleak Gate and the Dreaming, fertilized with severed limbs from factory accidents, gathered by the mercantile sprite Searil Shortankard (who, like all of Uru’s contacts, has taken on a life of his own during the course of the campaign). The garden now houses a clockwork torture device in which the demon Tokoloshe is imprisoned and tormented.


[sblock]Uru Scathaigh Ciotog
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Deep Faen (reskinned drow, small size)
Class Executioner Assassin
Paragon Path Bleak Assassin (reskinned Guild Assassin)
Theme Technologist – grants contraption (Little Jack) with full Companion rules
Background Occupation – Guerilla (+2 Stealth)
Bonuses Reactive Stealth
Played in the movie by Andy Serkis

ABILITY SCORES
STR 11
CON 8 (reduced by connection to Bleak Gate)
DEX 23
INT 9
WIS 19
CHA 14 (boosted by connection to Bleak Gate)

AC 26
Fort 18
Ref 24
Will 22
HP 71
Surges 6
Surge Value 17

TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +18, Intimidate +14, Nature +16, Perception +14, Stealth +25, Thievery +16

POWERS
Assassin Attack: Bola Takedown
Assassin Attack: Precision Dart
Assassin Attack: Quick Shot
Assassin Attack: Hidden Stab
Assassin Attack: Poisonous Shuriken (bonus power derived from shuriken crossbow designed by Uru)
Deep Faen Racial Power: Cloud of Darkness
Hunter’s Quarry
Ghost Sound
Mage Hand
Punishing Eye* (device from fallen ally, Karl Krauss; keys off Wisdom; now boosted by Clockwork King)
Utility 2: Cloak of Shades
Utility 6: Ghost of the Rooftops
Utility 10: Walk Through Shadow

FEATS
Level 1 bonus: River-born Ritualist
Level 1: Shield proficiency: Light
Level 1: Warrior of the Wild
Level 2: Ruthless Hunter
Level 2 bonus: Ritual Caster (Nature rituals only)
Level 4: Hidden Sniper
Level 5 bonus: Weapon Master
Level 6: Superior Implement Training
Level 8: Skill Focus (Stealth)
Level 10: Venom Hand Assassin
Level 10 bonus: Mark of Shadow (gained from fungal garden subplot)
Level 11: Secret Stride

ITEMS
Known Rituals:
Affect Normal Fires
Animal Messenger
Bloom
Clockwork Bomb
Endure Elements
Knock
Lower Water
Masking Shroud
Secret Page
Shadow Walk
Snare
Summon Winds
Tree Shape
Vendetta Bullet
Water Walk
Rare Herbs (ritual components)
Bloodroot Poison
Carrion Crawler Brain Juice
Greenblood Oil
Id Moss Powder
Poisoner’s Kit
Leather Armor
RHC Standard Issue Equipment Kit
Witchoil Dagger (taken from ‘Norm’)
El Perro’s Pistol (memento of fallen comrade, used to fire vendetta bullets)
Blowgun
Bola
Hardwood Tribal Mask (used as light shield)
Technologist’s Goggles (bespoke item invented by Uru granting thievery bonus once per day)
Shuriken Crossbow (bespoke item invented by Uru granting poisonous shuriken power)
Hat of Hats (default form is a pith helmet)
Tadpole (fluid, devastating ki focus, made from desiccated penises tethered to a rod)
Bracers of Archery
Dragon’s tooth Grog Horn (bespoke item created by Uru granting daily fire damage bonus)
Regalia of the Crawling Fey (emblem itself had been discarded, but Uru remains a minor noble of the Unseen Court, with attendant benefits and duties)
Shadowdancer’s Gloves
The Fading One – Ghostfoot (more than just an item, this series of benefits represents Uru’s gradual and growing alignment with the Bleak Gate)
The Fading One – Lighter than Wind
Winkin, Blinkin & Nod – three friendly ghost children that follow Uru invisibly and grant him mage hand and ghost sound as encounter powers
Grim Candle (dim light in 2 square radius)
Camouflaged Clothing
Boots of Stealth
Footpads
Clockwork Bomb (level 9)

Uru is unpredictable. Almost impossible to detect, he would be the perfect scout, but for his tendency to get distracted and forget to come back, go in alone against the enemy, or press buttons at random. His impetuosity also leads to trouble in combat, where he is only just beginning to realise how fragile he is compared to the others – a fragility exacerbated by his Fading One condition (which has reduced his constitution). He is fond of dropping murky clouds of darkness to confuse his foes and has a whole range of tricks up his sleeve to make his attacks more powerful: hunter’s quarry, shadowdancer’s gloves, a whole range of toxins and, until recently a groghorn he fashioned from a dragon’s tooth which caused his bolts to burst into flames after he had drunk from it. I have a feeling he’ll make something similar from the behir teeth he collected, now that the groghorn has been destroyed by Azon the Stoneforger.

The groghorn is a fine example of what makes Uru different: the sheer invention of his player. Many of his items were invented on the fly and statted up by me as an afterthought, or picked up as mementos and turned into something useful to keep them in the game. He uses El Perro’s pistol to fire vendetta bullets – a lovely way to honour a fallen comrade (El Perro’s player was a close friend of Uru’s and had to leave the campaign when he moved to Berlin).

The Fading One series of boons is the main way I intend to reward him as we advance through paragon tier, although he also picked up reactive stealth at level 11 because I thought it suited him down to the ground. [/sblock]

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, I thought I was going to hide the mechanics under a spoiler tab, but as I'm a bit thick when it comes to these things, it turns out I don't know how to do that.

...

PS. If anyone can tell be how to hide this stuff, I'd be grateful.

[sblock]The commander of an elite military unit, Baldrey Korrigan was badly injured in Yerasol IV when a schism opened up underneath him. Trapped beneath the earth, he was rescued by Uru – then part of a native guerrilla force fighting in support of the Risuri – who came upon him while negotiating an underground stream. Following the Danoran victory, Korrigan returned to Flint, bringing Uru with him, and there he set about rebuilding his relationship with his young wife, Elizabeth, whom he had married shortly before setting off for war. Baldrey always believed that the distance she kept on his return was due to her revulsion at his condition – altered by the energies of the earth plane, Urim, his right arm had become solid rock, and much of his flesh was similarly affected. Now Baldrey knows that Elizabeth feared that any intimacy they shared would result in a child – a child she had sworn to deliver to the fey if her husband returned safely from war. When their relationship improved, and Elizabeths’s fears were soothed by the passage of time, she eventually fell pregnant, whereupon her mental health deteriorated. Her strange behaviour culminated in her placing herself and her unborn child in stasis, protected by a magical barrier of briars.

Korrigan was never much of a family man. He has dealt with his personal problems by burying himself in his work. Dutiful and determined, he is a steadfast supporter of King Aodhan, who he has hero-worshipped since childhood, when he witnessed his triumphant return into harbour at the helm of a captured Danoran steamship. From a military perspective, Korrigan supports the King’s modernization program, but as a traditionalist he has some reservations about what Risur might be losing in the process, especially in Flint, where he has seen the detrimental effects of rampant progress, particularly for the poor. All of this, coupled with his disillusionment in the power structure following the unmasking of the treacherous Reed Macbannin and Lady Margaret Saxby, have encouraged Korrigan to enter the political arena and seek to have a greater personal influence on the development of the nation he loves.

Extremely moral, the only time Korrigan slipped was in the clergy vault on Odiem, when he was tempted by Ashima-Shimtu, and proved extremely reluctant to be ‘untempted’ when the matter was discovered. This has led to an increase in Korrigan’s caution and watchfulness with regard to moral lapses, hence his current distaste at the collusion of the crown with the Family and Morgan Cippiano.

Marshal Baldrey Korrigan
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Human (reskinned genasi)
Class Tactical Warlord
Paragon Path Battalion Commander (reskinned Battle Captain)
Theme Yerasol Veteran
Background Local Hero (+2 to Diplomacy)
Bonus Unrelenting mountain stance
Played in the movie by Idris Elba


ABILITY SCORES
STR 21
CON 13
DEX 7 (lowered by advancing condition)
INT 21
WIS 12
CHA 14 (boosted by the memory magic of Ambertain the Black)


AC 27
Fort 23
Ref 24
Will 20
HP 75
Surges 8
Surge Value 18


TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +12, Diplomacy +16, Endurance +10, History +15, Insight +13


POWERS
Background bonus: Unrelenting Mountain
Genasi Racial Power: Swiftcurrent
Genasi Racial Power: Firedeath
Genasi Racial Power: Earthshock
Genasi Racial Power: Windwalk
Warlord Feature: Inspiring Word
Warlord Feature: Battlefront Shift
Paladin Feature: Divine Challenge (encounter)
Warlord Attack 1: Intuitive Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Commander’s Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Direct the Strike
Warlord Attack 1: Paint the Bull’s-eye
Warlord Attack 1: Warlord’s Favour
Warlord Attack 1: Lead the Attack
Warlord Attack 5: Stand the Fallen
Warlord Attack 7: Sudden Motivation
Warlord Attack 9: Warlord’s Recovery
Battalion Commander Attack: Force Retreat
Utility 2: Knight’s Move
Utility 6: Reorient the Axis
Utility 10: Strength of Conviction


FEATS
Level 2: Improve Tactics
Level 4: Tactical Assault
Level 5 bonus: Heavy Blade Expertise
Level 8: Mark of Healing (derived from Hurtloam used to heal Leon’s scars)
Level 10: Theme bonus: Avenging Spirit (action point when an ally is felled)
Level 10: Martial Ploy (retraining)
Level 10: Soldier of the Faith
Level 10 bonus: Shield Proficiency – Heavy (Battalion training)
Level 11: Fight On
Level 11: Warlord’s Formation (retraining)
Extra Manifestation I, II, III (gained from contact with aquatic schism, dragonborn brothers and Gale)
Earthshock Master (from attunement with Icon of Urim)


ITEMS
Defender Longsword
Hurtloam-infused earthen flesh (reskinned healer’s hide armour)
Granite Forearm (Heavy Shield)
Military Mindset (reskinned Casque of Tactics)
Imperial Oration
Canary in a Coal Mine Pendant
Snub-nosed pistol
Golden Icon of Urim
Acrobat Boots
Pearl of Power – Ability One* (regain encounter power)
Pearl of Power – Ability Two* (reroll missed encounter power)
Remove Affliction

*These pearls were found in the sahuagin lair, and could be augmented through the purchase of residium and magical aid.


Korrigan is a straightforward build – a nice, simple tactical warlord, with powers that complement his roleplaying very nicely. The fact that he issues orders each round and gets his men back on their feet reminds them to defer to him at other times.

His bonuses mostly come in the form of extra manifestations that he has picked up by investing gold in magical research to unlock his potential, or augmentations to his primary ‘earthsoul’ form. His heavy shield and hide armour are actually manifestations of this form – he turns aside blows with his tough hide and forearm.

Of particular interest is the very recent paladin multiclass feat, which came about through study of an ancient text, recommended for study by Ottavia Sacredote. Korrigan has recently learned that this text is banned by the clergy: it is a humanist reinterpretation of the story of Triegenes written by the heretic William Miller. It claims that any person can achieve divinity if they rise to meet great challenges. So the feat represents an awakening of Korrigan’s belief in himself, not the pursuit of a specific religious belief.

While a strong leader, Korrigan has been played as socially reserved and diffident, until recently, when he decided to step up to the plate politically in order to have a greater influence over the direction Risur is taking. This was reflected in his imperial oration boon.[/sblock]

You use sblock in brackets. Then /sblock in brackets when you're done.

I'm enjoying the stat write-ups, especially since I'm helping my players do what will probably be our last "leveling up" before I stop running Z and let another GM take the helm of the group for his own campaign.

 

[gideonpepys]

You use sblock in brackets. Then /sblock in brackets when you're done.

Great. Thanks!

I'm enjoying the stat write-ups, especially since I'm helping my players do what will probably be our last "leveling up" before I stop running Z and let another GM take the helm of the group for his own campaign.

As always, that's good to know. Whenever I've read campaign journals in the past I've enjoyed reading character stats if they were included, and missed them if they weren't. I'm thinking in particular of Monte Cook's Ptolus journals.

 

[gideonpepys]

Leon Snapshot

Leon was initially conceived as a foil to Korrigan – an individualist with little or no moral compass who might serve as an antagonist. But his player took the character in a different direction, rightly believing that a tiefling turncoat Vekeshi Mystic with a dodgy (and secret) past would be much more interesting if he was played straight. Everyone mistrusts him except Korrigan, but – despite the fact that he is often forced to conceal his allegiances – Leon has never betrayed that trust, despite many temptations I have thrown in his way, not even when tempted by Ashima-Shimtu.

Leon was initially the target of the unit’s first mission. They received word that a Danoran war criminal was hiding out in the bayou and went to catch him. Leon was already allied to the local fey, and relied on them to warn him of danger, but thanks to Uru’s equal skill as a stealthy waterman, they were able to surprise him and force his surrender.

It turned out that Leon was not the infamous General Dax Corbeau after all, but the one who had successfully assassinated Corbeau at the tail end of the war. He told the RHC about his Damascene conversion from an eladrin-hating Danoran soldier to a fascination with all things fey, following an encounter with a beautiful eladrin woman named Lavanya; and his determination to make up for past misdeeds, beginning with his decision to murder Dax Corbeau and defect to Risur, and continuing with his adoption of a fey pact and his devotion to the Vekeshi.

To make matters more complicated, most of the above isn’t true, and the exact details of Leon’s backstory aren’t even known to him, as some of his memories have been removed (at his request).

[sblock]Leon Veilleux
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Tiefling
Class Fey Pact Warlock
Paragon Path Unseen Warlock (reskinned Evermeet Warlock)
Theme Martial Scientist & Vekeshi Mystic
Background Dark Secret (+2 to Arcana)
Bonus Quick Portal (granted by the Unseen Court)
Played in the movie by John Malkovich

ABILITY SCORES
STR 8 (traded with Ambertain the Black)
CON 16
DEX 10 (traded with Ambertain the Black)
INT 21
WIS 12
CHA 22 (+1 bonus when hideous burns were healed)

AC 25
Fort 20
Ref 24
Will 24
HP 78
Surges 9
Surge Value 19

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +17, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +16, Intimidate +17, Nature +11, Religion +15, Streetwise +16

POWERS
Shaman Feature: Call Spirit Companion
Shaman Feature: Spirit’s Prey
Shaman Feature: Speak with Spirits
Shaman Feature: Healing Spirit (1/encounter)
Tiefling Racial Power: Infernal Wrath
Warlock’s Curse
Pact Boon: Misty Step
Pact Boon: Fate of the Void
Bard Feature: Majestic Word (daily)
Warlock Attack 1: Eldritch Strike
Warlock Attack 1: Eldritch Blast
Warlock Attack 1: Eyebite
Warlock Attack 1: Dire Radiance
Warlock Attack 1: Witchfire
Warlock Attack 1: Decree of the River King
Warlock Attack 3: Otherwind Stride
Warlock Attack 5: Roaring Storm
Warlock Attack 7: Mire the Mind
Warlock Attack 9: Command Insanity
Unseen Warlock Attack 11: Blinding Beacon
Utility 2: Caiphon’s Leap
Utility 6: Rending Fear
Utility 10: Ethereal Sidestep

FEATS
Level 1 bonus: Spirit Talker (DM bonus to flesh out background)
Level 1: Bardic Dilettante
Level 2: Mending Spirits
Level 4: Imperious Majesty
Level 5 bonus: Rod Expertise
Level 6: Ritual Caster
Level 8: Sacrifice to the Titans (reskinned Sacrifice to Caiphon)
Level 10: Mark of Passage (granted by status as Unseen Warlock)
Level 11: Twofold Pact

ITEMS
Incisive Blade (Bastard Sword)
Rod of Corruption
Flute
Leather Armour
RHC Standard Issue Equipment Kit
Disguise Kit
Candle
Collar of the Mountebank (reskinned Cape)
Woundstitch Powder
Pearl of Power (found in sahuagin lair)
Ritual Book (inc. Phantom Steed, Dark Light, Wizard’s Escape)

Leon is a consummate strategist, but being something of a loner, his tactics rarely involve others. He makes sure he’s in the right place at the right time, and that his enemies wind up in the wrong place. Mind-affecting powers are his stock in trade, with a growing reliance on teleportation. His recent pact with the mysterious thought entity from beyond the stars has seen his repertoire broadened in ways that have not yet been fully explored. Leon also serves as a support healer for the group, thanks to shamanistic powers he developed prior to his adoption of the fey pact. He is very reliable and resourceful, and uses rituals and magic items very efficiently.

Recently he acquired an incisive blade – a gift from the Unseen Court. It invests him with a mark of passage when he wields it: glowing runes on the hilt extend up his forearm.

I have had less of a hand in moulding Leon than the other characters. He really does keep himself to himself! I granted him the first shaman feat as a bonus to steer him towards the secondary healer role (because when your primary healer is absent the game gets problematic if you don’t have a stand-in) but that’s about it. I’m not sure how he’ll develop in the future, or even if he’ll remain a part of the unit after Cauldron Born.[/sblock]

 

[gideonpepys]

Rumdoom Snapshot

If any character in the campaign can be said to have taken on a life of his own, it is Rumdoom. From his inception as a hard-drinking Mr T (“I ain’t gettin on no ship, fool!”) he has developed through several solo storylines and one near-death experience to his present incarnation as a maniacal religious cult-leader, convinced of his own immortality, but strangely endearing and vulnerable nonetheless. Along the way we dropped the comical quirks (drunkenness, fear of water, alchemical brews) and replaced them with something... I hesitate to say more subtle, but certainly less obvious. Not only has he been the focus of several of the campaign’s most memorable moments (toe-to-toe against Asrabey Varal when he manifested the Icy End for the first time; sacrificing himself in combat with a kraken; solo against the Family in Nalaam) but he has also driven the campaign’s principle subplot, concerning Black Star Mining and the cell of eschatologists he created during char gen. None of this has been accomplished by showboating. The player often takes a backseat, particularly when the finer plot points are being discussed or plans are being drawn up. But he excels at reactivity and does a great job of capitalizing on the opportunities he gets to personify his character. After all his trials and tribulations, I’m sure he thinks I’ve offered him the chance for a bit of romance only to use it against him later, but I’ve decided to more or less leave his sweetheart Hildegaard out of any future shenanigans, because to do otherwise feels both mean-spirited and clichéd.

[sblock]
‘Rumdoom’ Kagan
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Dwarf
Class Battlerager Fighter
Paragon Path Dreadnought
Theme Eschatologist
Background Brother in Battle (+3 to Endurance)
Bonus Alchemy – Rumdoom mixes a powerful brew!
Played in the movie by Tom Hardy in prosthetics

ABILITY SCORES
STR 21
CON 21
DEX 12
INT 9
WIS 14
CHA 11

AC 25
Fort 27
Ref 22
Will 21
HP 106
Surges 16
Surge Value 31

TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +12, Endurance +18, Intimidate +10, Religion +9

POWERS
Dwarf Racial Power: Dwarven Resilience
Runepriest Feature: Rune of Mending (1/encounter)
Fighter Attack 1: Tide of Iron
Fighter Attack 1: Brash Strike
Fighter Attack 1: Crushing Surge
Fighter Attack 1: Hack and Hew
Fighter Attack 1: Driving Attack
Fighter Attack 3: Bull Charge
Fighter Attack 5: Rain of Steel
Fighter Attack 7: Come and Get It
Fighter Attack 9: Bone Crusher
Utility 2: Glowering Threat
Utility 6: Daring Shout
Utility 10: Clearheaded

FEATS
Level 1: Dwarven Weapon Training
Level 2: Dwarf Stoneblood
Level 4: Shield Push
Level 5 bonus: Bludgeon Expertise
Level 6: Improved Defenses
Level 8: Quick Steps
Level 10 bonus: Unfailing Vigor (Eschatologist theme benefit)
Level 10: Student of Divine Runes
Level 11: Dwarven Durability

ITEMS
Eschatologist’s Runescribed Craghammer (made for him by Kvarti Gorbatiy)
Shotgun
Badge of the Berserker
Griento Tribal Shield (gift from Damata Griento – protects from ranged weapons)
Runescribed Dwarven Armor (a gift from Hildegaard and Harn)
Rushing Cleats
Iron Armbands of Power
Grenade (Rumdoom makes these himself)
Kraken Tattoo (Backlash Tattoo representing the kraken Rumdoom defeated)
Diamond Cincture
Pearl of Power – Ability One
Pearl of Power – Ability Two

Rumdoom has the fewest bonuses of any of the party. His base build is so solid it needs very little augmentation. From the outset, he was able to make alchemical potions but as we decided to sideline the slapstick alcoholism around level 6, it’s more or less replaced with the ability to produce explosives and grenades. His stipend at level 10 was spent bumping his runepriest heal from daily to encounter. (Our secondary healer is often absent, and there aren’t many occasions in Zeitgeist when the daily/encounter distinction crops up.)

Through paragon we intend for his crop of magic items to become increasingly cold-focused, beginning with his eschatologist’s hammer.[/sblock]

 

[gideonpepys]

Matunaaga Snapshot

It is to the player’s credit that there is little to say about Matunaaga at this stage. He created a self-effacing ascetic character and maintains that cool detachment and professionalism at all times. This is not the player’s stock-in-trade by any means: he also created and successfully ran the memorable cameo characters Saladoor Saan and Lord Azure Blackthorn (a flamboyant swashbuckler and a belligerent pixie). So this is not a case of a shy, retiring player playing a strong, silent type for convenience, but a proactive portrayal of a quiet, dedicated man. A fine example is his refusal to use vendetta bullets because he will not allow himself to hate his enemies.

Matunaaga is an outsider. When his people, once sworn to serve the Kings of Risur, abandoned their oath and returned to the mountains, he remained. He had fallen in love with a Risuri healer named Ayesha and settled down with her in the eastern Cloudwood. Unable to have children (as Matunaaga is not really human) they have adopted ten, and Matunaaga was living in peace, using cormorants to fish on the nearby river, when Korrigan tracked him down. He initially refused to join the unit, but changed his mind when Ayesha had a vision that told her Korrigan was a man worth serving. Having arrived in Flint, he finds the city overwhelming, and lives a few miles down Stray River in a house he built for himself.

While he used to fight with obsidian weapons crafted by himself, Matunaaga has since created his own fighting style using firearms and his fists and feet. Much of his time is devoted to study of the Palimpsest, an ancient artefact of his people which he recovered from the corrupt godhand, Gene.

[sblock]
Matunaaga
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Maustin (reskinned githzerai)
Class Bespoke hybrid Monk/Ranger
Paragon Path Rrathmal/Storvakal
Theme Bespoke caji theme, Martial Scientist
Background Mountains (+2 to Athletics)
Bonus Akashic memory (temporarily train one skill once per day)
Played in the movie by Daniel Day Lewis

Racial Features
Danger Sense
Defended Mind
Shifting Fortunes

Class/Paragon Features
Centred Breath Flurry of Blows
Hunter’s Quarry
Hybrid Monk Fortitude
Hybrid Ranger Fortitude
Unarmed Combatant
Unarmoured Defence
Psychic Resistance
Unfettered Action



ABILITY SCORES
STR 11
CON 13
DEX 22
INT 11
WIS 21
CHA 8 (introversion caused by Palimpsest)

AC 27
Fort 22
Ref 25
Will 24
HP 83
Surges 11
Surge Value 20

TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +18, Athletics +19, Perception +15, Stealth +16

POWERS
Iaijutsu
Racial Power: Telekinetic Leap
Racial Power: Iron Mind
Centered Flurry of Blows
Hunter’s Quarry
Ranger Attack 1: Careful Attack
Ranger Attack 1: Twin Strike
Monk Attack 1: Five Storms
Monk Attack 1: Crane’s Wings
Monk Attack 1: Drunken Monkey
Ranger Attack 1: Sure Shot
Ranger Attack 3: Disruptive Strike
Monk Attack 5: Water Gives Way
Ranger Attack 7: Biting Volley
Ranger Attack 9: Attacks on the Run
Utility 2: Invigorating Stride
Utility 6: Centred Defense
Utility 10: Iron Dragon Defense
Rrathmal Attack 11: Trace Chance

FEATS
Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Superior Crossbow)
Level 2: Fluid Motion
Level 4: Superior Implement Training (Fluid ki focus)
Level 5 bonus: Weapon Master
Level 6: Internalize the Basic Kata
Level 8: Unarmored Agility
Level 10 bonus: Quick Draw (Battalion Training)
Level 10: Improved Defenses
Level 11: Zuoken’s Centering
Matunaaga has both hybrid talent feats (heroic and paragon) to make his build viable

ITEMS
Drakren Rifle
Bracers of Archery
Ghost Mask Fluid Ki Focus
Brace of Pistols
Reaving Ammo
Shiver-strike ammo
Pearl of Power – ability one
Pearl of Power – ability two
Mercurial Mind (boon granted by close study of the Palimpsest)

In combat, Matunaaga is graceful and fluid. Having sought to avoid conflict for many years, he has returned to service because of his wife’s faith in Korrigan, which he now shares. As a result, he has single-handedly renewed the oaths that the maustin caji once made to the Kings of Risur, and regards each occasion when he is required to support Korrigan’s goals as an expression of his oath. It might sound odd, but I enjoy watching Matunaaga’s turns in combat. There’s always a certain elegance and simplicity involved.

I’ve discussed Matunaaga’s development in the past, how he was first designed as a hunter ranger and then redesigned as a heavily modified ranger/monk. The player and I were searching for something new, and we didn’t find it through planning and discussion, only through play. Matunaaga sought perfection as a ‘living weapon’ and was unique among his kinsmen (the maustin caji) in that he did not eschew modern technology. It was then that the idea of marrying mankind’s oldest weapon (fists, feet) with its latest (firearms) came about. At first we tried to reskin the hunter ranger powers, but this proved unsatisfactory. A hybrid ranger/monk was clearly the most appropriate build, but the hyper-cautious design of 4E hybrids left that build with no armour at all (to avoid monk-controller build picked up free armor, I guess). So we used the hybrid talent feats to shore up his deficiencies and make the combination work (granting him unarmoured combatant and unarmoured defence). Now Matunaaga is equally proficient in both close combat and at range. He is slightly less tough than a true monk, and slightly less deadly than a true ranger. But as his plans for paragon tier were always suboptimal (choosing paths that flesh out his story rather than emphasise his strengths) I was never concerned that he would overshadow the others.

Through his study of the Palimpsest – an ancient artefact of his people – Matunaaga has gained access to both the githzerai racial paths (Rrathmal and Storvakal). He can use the benefits/powers from either, but once he has used one on a particular day or during a specific encounter, he cannot use the other. The Palimpsest provides the means for me to grant all manner of boons to Matunaaga which he can only unlock through study. They are all zenlike in form and will go on to cover such benefits as the ability to eschew food, water, sleep, even air in pursuit of his oath.

Matunaaga’s maustin caji theme is also bespoke, and enables him to ignore penalties and difficult terrain when running, and grants him the iaijutsu power (which we don’t call ‘iaijutsu’, natch).[/sblock]

 

[gideonpepys]

Malthusius Snapshot

If he should ever read this, I hope the player wouldn’t mind my saying that Malthusius is the nearest any of the group has come to portraying their own personality, because I think that is a compliment. Both are methodical, thoughtful and cautious, and keep the closest and most consistent track of plotlines, evidence and detail.

Malthusius began the campaign as an advisor to the unit. An old friend of Korrigan, he worked as an investigator for both the police and the RHC, using his unique ability to commune with dead spirits to solve numerous murders. Before turning to criminal investigation, he had already enjoyed a long career as a professor of politics, history and philosophy at Pardwright University. A devout follower of Triegenes, he experimented with the Old Faith in his youth, and became an accomplished Skyseer.

For a long time the rest of the unit regarded him as a fuddy-duddy and a figure of fun. They misbehaved whenever Korrigan was absent and Malthusius tried to keep them in line with little success. This led to Leon’s promotion to second-in-command, although Malthusius remains the de facto strategist for the whole group. Eventually, he was accepted by the unit, both personally and officially, except for Uru, who continued to tease and defy Malthusius until very recently. Since Malthusius helped Uru recover from his ordeal on Cauldron Hill, Uru and he have become fast friends, and have made boyish plans to reseal and restock the clergy vault on Odiem.

While he mostly supports and defers to Korrigan, Malthusius is more idealistic (perhaps Korrigan would say naive) and they have recently fallen out over Malthusius’ dealings with Morgan Cippiano, who Malthusius hopes to be able to sway or control in some way. That touch of naivety is part of his charm. Some of the most rewarding moments of the campaign for me have been the points when Malthusius has demonstrated his kindness and thoughtfulness for no better reason than that he felt he ought. Bringing canapes to belowdecks guards on the Coaltongue was the first example; most recently, on meeting Tinker Jack following Uru’s near-death experience on Cauldron Hill, Malthusius made sure to raise the spirit of Little Jack (Tinker’s son who died when he was a Little) so the old man could speak with him. Touching, n’est-ce pas?

[sblock]
Inspector Malthusius
Level 11 Snapshot
Race Deva
Class Invoker
Paragon Path Ancestral Incarnate
Theme Spirit Medium & Skyseer
Background Detective (bonuses to insight and perception)
Bonus Extra languages and dual theme
Played in the movie by Kelsey Grammar

ABILITY SCORES
STR 9
CON 12
DEX 11
INT 19
WIS 23
CHA 11

AC 24
Fort 20
Ref 22
Will 24
HP 62
Surges 7
Surge Value 15

TRAINED SKILLS
Diplomacy +11, Heal +17, Insight +25, Perception +20, Religion +17

POWERS
Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes
Rebuke Undead
Preserver’s Rebuke
Centred Flurry of Blows (encounter)
Virtue’s Touch (encounter – was daily, boosted by meditation on past lives)
Invoker Attack 1: Divine Bolts
Invoker Attack 1: Sun Strike
Invoker Attack 1: Hand of Radiance
Invoker Attack 1: Thunder of Judgement
Invoker Attack 1: Brilliant Beacon
Invoker Attack 3: Chains of Triegenes (reskinned Chains of Carceri)
Invoker Attack 5: Searing Orb
Invoker Attack 7: Tide of the First Storm
Invoker Attack 9: Fourfold Invocation of Doom
Ancestral Incarnate Attack 11: Past-life Guardian
Utility 2: Perfect Recall
Utility 6: Demand Justice
Utility 10: Insightful Comment

FEATS
Bonus: Linguist
Level 1: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Battle Intuition
Level 2: Soldier of Virtue (link to prior incarnation as Clergy Godhand)
Level 4 bonus: Monastic Disciple (link to prior incarnation as Clergy Godhand)
Level 4: Superior Implement Training (Accurate staff)
Level 5 bonus: Staff Expertise
Level 6: Invoker Defense
Level 8: Power of Skill
Level 10: Traveller’s Insight
Level 11: Broadened Manifestation

ITEMS
Ritual Book:
Hand of Fate
Comrade’s Succour
Amanuensis
Magic Mouth
Silence
Tenser’s Floating Disk
Fool’s Gold
Skull Watch
Last Sight Vision
Remove Affliction
Spirit Fetch
Comprehend Languages
Linked Portal
Knock
Water Breathing
Sending
Cure Disease
Brew Potion
Magic Circle
Portal Jump
Thief’s Lament
Magic Map
RHC Standard Issue Equipment Kit
Power Jewel
Battle Harness
Shard of the Mage
Accurate Gloves of Ruin (gloves that function as a staff implement)
Bracers of Mental Might
Belt of Vim
Book of Five Truths - the First Truth (boon gained from studying deva reincarnation)

Malthusius is optimized for perception and insight. He reads people very well and notices things that others would miss. His perfect recall power allows him to study documents and access them later with eidetic accuracy. His contributions in combat are substantial - he is a great tactical player - but it is out of combat that Malthusius really shines.

Because he was not a full-time member of the unit until adventure four, Malthusius was always replaced in the line-up by a cameo character during buffer adventures, giving the player the chance to experiment with new builds, which is something he enjoys. He has by turns depicted Ned Shakeshaft, a treacherous assassin (who almost TPKed the party); Oolsholeel , a sea-elf druid; Dantes, a satyr bard; Bernard of Glenwade, a human druid; Sly Marbo, a hare hengeyokai thief.
[/sblock]

 

[gideonpepys]

Session 98a - Cruel Variant?

A month ago we left team B in a perilous situation: in the clutches of Lorcan Kell.

Our first session of the New Year began with a campaign recap, following which I drew a single building on the battle map and placed minis inside. We rolled for initiative. Kell won and in his first move dropped Niniel and almost dropped Sevitar.

The situation appeared hopeless and the players were resigned to losing their secondary characters. They knew how dangerous Kell was, because this had already happened once in our campaign: just after Digging for Lies we sent a team of level 7 cameo characters after Lorcan. They discovered they had been double-crossed by one of their own number and were massacred. (The scene even included an exploding mechanised carriage. Funny that...)

Anyway, not satisfied with pulling the same trick twice I decided to reverse the polarity of a time-honoured DMing tradition - that of withholding vital information from the PCs in order to bring about a dramatic encounter . Usually this is done to their detriment, but not this time:

I told the group (after Kell's first round) that this 'cruel variant' would arise only if they failed to root out all of the moles in their strike force. But they had discovered the lot when one of them asked Quentin Augst to identify them (a fact they reminded me of immediately). That very same day they had discussed using the moles to feed Kell misinformation, but could not think of an easy way to do so (a fact I reminded them of in turn). Also on that very same day one of the strike force officers had gone to Professor Ludo Marcione of Team B with a tip-off that would lead to the arrest of an old enemy (and another strike against Kell).

What if, I asked, that officer had turned out to be one of the moles?

After some thought, Malthusius' player (playing Sevitar right now, as Malthusius is missing) said that Malthusius would have taken the matter up with Dester Rathtine.

Let's say you did, I responded. And let's say that Rathtine, after some digging, discovered that the sting on Lepage was a set-up - that Kell had been boasting about how he would have his revenge on the RHC after all? What would you do then?

Call it off, said one player.

No, said another. We'd use the mole to trick Kell and set him up.

That's what I thought you'd say, I replied:

With that, I drew the surrounding buildings on to the map, placed Kell's retinue and carriage in the street, asked the players where they would like their Unit A characters to be hiding, and told them to roll initiative for them too. Uru, having been told he could place himself anywhere on the map chose to position himself in the rafters just above Kell! I added that Harkover Lee was somewhere close by, suppressing Kell's escape route with a dimension lock ritual (ably assisted by Leon and Will).

The players were overjoyed.

"Happy New Year!" I said.