Feel free to talk about your characters here.  Welcome.

First!

Hello, everyone. Musclebound Tashalatora giant mystic girl at your service!

GM, do you have a character sheet for us to use, and can you open up our sheets?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Sun 10 July 2022.

Hello! Friendly martial neighborhood necromancer at your service. Smaller, alas. XD

There's a sheet temple in Basic Character Creation for presumed use after sheets open; as there's three of us, it's possible the DM is still finalizing selections.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Sun 10 July 2022.

Ah, missed that, thanks. My character's Perception check is much higher than mine, I swear.

Greetings, greetings! Sula d'Lyrandar here to knock the socks, teeth and shackles off the opposition!

Half-elf as you might guess from the name, lightning martial specialist. The fury of the Storm will wash away all that oppose us! (Hopefully)

Ah, a fellow aficionado of combining elemental magic (including air) and martial arts. We'll have some interesting interactions, I'm sure.

GM: Where should I write out my Unified Tradition? Should I make a section under Abilities?

Also - Power talent progressions are multiplied by 2 and Might progressions by 2.5. Should we multiply Champion progressions by 2.25?

In reply to Amadalash (msg # 8):

I was assuming that Blended Training and Style Talents operationalize as either Power or Might talents when chosen.

Of course, I have several separate talent progressions all mixed together into a talent bouillabaise, but Sages are like that.

That should be fine.



That is in reference to progressions based on how many each class gets.  So a 6th level Scholar would get 3 x 2.5 = 8 talents.  Blended I would count as x2, given that they have access to Power talents.  The point is to help bring Practitioners a little higher in the power curve, and Prodigies are already above the curve.

I take that back.  Let me do some number crunching, and I'll get back to you on that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:47, Mon 11 July 2022.

Please do! I'm also planning on using a Champion archetype. Stabbing people with lightning is a distinctly martial affair, apparently.

So we all picked Champions, huh? Well, guess there's only one thing to say about that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_IAqwrvEuU

Should I count my Oath-gained Talents as Class Abilities (as far as the conversion rate goes)?

Yes.

Two traits, right?

(Sorry for all the questions. ^.^)

Yep, no prob.

Checking in.  How are we doing?  Any questions?

Working tirelessly on it as we speak (damn I have too many weird powers, but at least I'm not going to have much equipment to worry about).

Couple of questions:

Athletics skill. I assume you're combining Climb and Swim?

Wordcraft. What's that?

How are we doing HP? Max per level?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Thu 14 July 2022.

Plugging away, gonna see if I cant nail down all the non-mechanical stuff today, get a description/etc.

I have my description and my background submitted, so I'm not putting those on the sheet (with RPOL's sheets...painful!)

I'm done except for HP I think! I also need to spend my last .5 martial talents, but I think I'll wait a couple levels for that. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 00:14, Fri 15 July 2022.

Yes, Climb and Swim.

Wordcraft must have come from the previous GM of this game, so go ahead and remove it.  I believe it was the implementation of the Words of Power, which while interesting, I don't think I'll be using here anymore.  Please inform me if you see it anywhere else.

And yes, max HP.

That .5 should round to 1.

So noted. One more martial for me then.

EDIT: Done and done. Ready for inspection, chief! (I probably screwed something up as this is a very complex character design.)
This message was last edited by the player at 00:29, Fri 15 July 2022.

Forgot to mention, Cantrips is free for every spherecaster.

Ah, cool. Will edit a li'l then.

And, edited, changed up a couple talents and added an item I almost forgot, and done.

Regarding Advanced Talents and Legendary Talents; should we ask permission for them on a case by case basis? Should we expect to have any of them available at any point in the campaign?

Edit 2: For Eberron specific content, are we using this version; https://sites.google.com/site/...nder/Home?authuser=0 or something else?

Edit 3: From the character creation guidelines;  'Talents gained as Class Bonuses, such as Sage's Style Talents, purchase two Power talents or three Might talents.' Does this include talents/spheres gained specifically? E.G: Vajrahasta grants me Weather + Shroud Talent at one point and Lancer later; should I read that as 'Weather + Shroud Talent + Any 1 Power talent' and 'Lancer + any 2 Might Talents'? Or is this intended only for free floating talent bonuses? In this example, when I gain Lancer, if I already have Ranged Impale, I'm granted any one Lancer talent, would that read as 3 Might Talents if I meet the requirement?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:49, Fri 15 July 2022.

Ask and you'll probably recieve.

Eberron specific will have to be on a case-by-case.

Talents granted specifically only grant those talents.

Alright, I'm collapsing the option web, apologies for delay. I suffer from a deep desire to do all things at all times, and paring down options is an act of psychic agony. Questions!

- Is it alright if I go with a Blacksmith (Fleshforger) instead of Scholar (Stitcher)? I realized a big perk of Stitcher is that you can turn low-HD undead into bombs and that's a little contrary to my style. I also realized full access to the Death Sphere isn't really necessary if I spend enough feats; all I really want is a companion and "background" undead.

- Is the Master of the Dead (cohort) legendary talent from Leadership okay? Taken once, it allows cohorts to be mindless undead and lets you skip most of the recruitment hassles. Taken twice, my intention, it preserves Intelligence.

- Is the Armies of the Dead legendary talent from Warleader okay? Lets you improve the attitudes of mindless undead and give them orders (so long as they don't conflict with any orders they might have from a controlling necromancer or similar) and lets undead benefit from Warleader in general.

- Master of Words from Fencing? If you have Fencing, Gladiator, and Warleader and 3 ranks in Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate, you can use any of the three interchangeably for checks.

- Do the talents-from-levels multiplies apply to companions with talents-from-HD or a Proficient progression? I won't cry if they don't, no worries.

- Are we using the kalashtar race from the Eberron Pathfinder site or from somewhere else?

- Any chance I could swap the kalashtar's generous racial Mind-and-Telekinesis caster increase for something else? Count as having the Telekinesis sphere and gain a single protokinesis feat? Gain the Dreamspace feat to return to a corner of Dal Quor? Subtle telepathy grants the 1 + 1 per 5 bonus to attempts to demoralize or feint?
This message was last edited by the player at 12:04, Sat 16 July 2022.

Sure.

Don't see why not, but be sure to be extra vigilant on the numbers and charts when using Leadership.

Sure.

Sure.

The people and creatures you will face will have all the same changes, so I don't see why not.

Sure.

Sure.

Sure.  Choose one and we'll talk.

How's our sheets coming, everyone?

Should be done end of tomorrow or thereabouts!

Alternate Racial Traits requests:

Personal Psionics: Some kalashtar bend minds and lift boulders; some have learned to bend and uplift themselves instead. You are considered to have the Telekinesis sphere with a caster level equal to your character level for the purpose of protokinesis feats, and gain a protokinesis feat you qualify for. Replaces the kalashtar caster level bonuses to Mind and Telekinesis.

Inner World: You keep your thoughts linked between the consciousnesses within you, and that link flourishes. You gain the Dreamspace feat. Replaces Naturally Telepathic and the Wild Talent bonus feat.

And for hopefully the last question:

I get a whole bucket of item creation stuff. Could I be assumed to have crafted some portion of my gear for the purpose of cost?

As always, stuff came up; I'm like 90% done but there's a solid chunk of data entry TBD. Last two requests, I think:

The Disarm Natural Ferocity legendary talent for the Duelist sphere, which lets one suppress a specific natural attack for as long as they can keep a target battered

and the Essence Manipulation legendary talent for the Duelist sphere, which lets one bleed all things at full efficacy. Also lets you use the Blood sphere on anything, but I literally have three talents in Death to my magical name, so I don't think that matters.

Sure; Sure; 30 days of crafting; Sure; Sure.

Sorry, taking me a second to get everything sorted for Sula; I think I can finish it up tomorrow if gear doesn't take too long.

Okay! All the big mechanical decisions and magical items done! Writing a description, then I'll get mundane stuff, but otherwise ready to go!

My first time going through Sphere magic items, some interesting stuff. I'm very happy with my telekinetic grappling hook as a specific example.

Coolio!

How's Tairil coming, btw? Since they haven't joined this conversation.

Coming along.  I had a bit of a character background crisis considering that he's both mute and from a nation that doesn't exactly exist anymore.  But mechanically, he's set.  Never played a character like this before, so it's brand new territory for me.

Speaking of background, my cohort:

Theoban Hellekanus, Amadalash's former older brother - maybe brother still, it's complicated. As a kalashtar, Amadalash is literally twice the man he used to be, whereas Theo's down to less than half - all he's got left is his bone weight (on account of undeath). Once a war scavenger and ruin-delver who made a modest living finding and selling what Karrnath's tragic history had half-buried, he finds a marked irony at his present resemblance to the restless dead he once returned to rest. There's upsides, though: his talent for dry humor has become a perfect match for the raspy, rattling remnant of his voice, and he'd always felt the necessity of sleeping to be a horrible imposition on his time.

Hm. I think I need to push the eastern Eldeen border a little further in.

...why are you all looking at me like that? ^.^

What'd poor Breland do to you?

They're just in the way on the journey to greater glory.

Aundair, of course, needs to be removed from the map for the good of everyone.

So, I've decided that I'm going to roll back the clock to the original standard starting date for usual Eberron games.  I guess originally, the previous GM wanted the freedom to write everything themselves, but honestly I much prefer to be able to draw directly from the pre-established lore.  I'm already finding it much easier to do that as I'm preparing the story, and I think it's exactly that which has kept me from starting the first thread, which I had planned to do two days ago.  I believe this is for the best.

Thus, ignore any reference to 1065 YK.  We're starting back in 998 YK, with the Dragon's Dance occurring in 997.  If this changes your character's history, we'll work it out.  Otherwise, this will make it far easier for me to get the game started by either later today or early tomorrow.

Thanks.

Mmm. So spherecasting is something that's only been around for a year?

Widespread for a year, at least.

For Amadalash if it's alright I'll tweak his backstory as follows:

- A smith (later a Blacksmith, no archetypes) attached to a small farming community in Talenta during its violent period of separation from Karrnath. His curious mind for devices and machinery was the subject of some rumor and uncertainty among his neighbors; while his charitable nature and friendly outlook kept the peace, it made him a first stop conscripted consultant for an experimental Karrnathi unit garrisoned at a nearby fort working with captured warforged.

- They used mostly dumb undead as security, typical of Karrnathi military tactics, relying on the fear such creatures inspire to make up for their lack of initiative. This ultimately backfired when some of the warforged used their own bodies to steal and conceal some of Amadalash's tools and escape, more resilient and capable than humanoid prisoners would have been. The violence of this event redoubled when the unit's necromancer was slain and the undead went fully feral, spilling over into Amadalash's community. He hid beneath bodies to hide his living scent.

- In the wake of the slaughter, Amadalash went a little crazy, as one does, and the rest is mostly the same: began practicing necromancy to memorialize the slain, attracted a quori spirit through anguished nightmares. Soon after, the Day of Mourning and the aftermath would   spark him to employ his talents more broadly, and he'd want to preserve Kaius III's fragile peace by adventuring to see how the world unfolds and intervene where necessary.

His brother would probably work slightly better as a war profiteer and a...I can't think of a good name, but Karrnath used a lot of undead soldiers and presumably when their necromancers were assassinated or wild magic happened or whatever they had issues with sudden feral packs of undead. Someone who baited them towards military objectives or recovered stuff they were supposed to be guarding or just put them down as need be. Whatever you'd call that job.

Yeahhhhh, when you say it like that, it seems nonsensical.  Instead, it's an ancient magic system dating back to -70,000 YK.  The non-Khorvaire races might use Spherecasting more readily, but around Khorvaire it was considered inferior in one way or another by most cultures.  It is seen more commonly in druidic systems, as well as being in use by goblinoid races.

Honestly, making "spherecasting" a specific kind of magic feels overcomplicated. Why not get rid of the Dragon's Dance plot bunny in general and just have the SoP system be how it's always worked?

Besides being the catalyst of the entire plot?

Well, yeah, but the plot relied on there having been a transition between Vancian and Sphere magic that now seems to be outdated.

I mean I kinda like the original idea of being pioneers of a new breed of magic in a chaotic world, but I don't think it matters either way to us as PLAYERS.

If the Mourning created some kind of huge destructive ripple in the function of magic and people turned to an older system since Vancian casting got broken, that's an easy way to use spherecasting/mightsphere plot hooks instead of having them exist purely in the metagame. Something like "there's a marvelous item that seems to violate the way we understand magic items work and it's in the hands of some dude or dudette who wants to start the war up again." If that's desirable to the DM I think they should keep it.

Eberron has tons of plot hooks and story ideas that would IMO serve just as well if instead spherecasting has always been standard: you just do Eberron as default. Eberron psionics were just a feature and not really a plothook, part of the metagame: some things are psionic, but it doesn't matter if they're Mind and Telekinesis instead. The specific nature of power points and manifester displays isn't critical. You can just do a mental Find/Replace and you're good to go, Eberron's a rich setting with plenty to work with. So if the DM just wants to do Eberron I think they should do that instead.

See, my backstory and potentially some character motivations were fairly heavily tied up in the change between Vancian, Psionics Unleashed, and spherecasting, which is why I'm trying to nail down what happened so I know where Nova fits in with the setting.

And ironically, the question of whether our powers are psionic does have mechanical implications for her sheet, because they mean we can take psionic feats. :)

I completely missed Psionics Unleashed was open. Which is probably just as well, I had to make enough hard choices as it was, and trying to fit in Mixed Combat or Greater Psionic Weapon would have probably been very messy. Psionic Sunder might be a good pick for the future, though.

Understandable re: backstory for sure.

The two PU feats I took are in my description. :)

The Dragon's Dance has far more implications than just introducing Spherecasting into the game.
How would Eberron, *the* D&D magitek campaign setting, fare after the system of magic that has existed for hundreds of thousands of years suddenly evaporated?
House Orien's Lightning Rail, House Lyrandar's airships, Sharn itself, etc. would at least temporarily be put out of service.  What are the ramifications of this?
Let's not forget that Arcanix just so happened to have what essentially amounts to a global anti-magic spell.  Where did they get it?  How long have they had it?  What other incredible magics might they have in their libraries?  How do other nations feel about an Aundairian city having such power?  Could it be turned back on at will, or otherwise used as a weapon?
The Giants used the old magics to cast Dal Quor out of alignment.  Might there be new problems which arise from this?
Without getting into spoilers, how many ancient god-like entities were once held in shackles by the old magics?  In hastily preventing one tyrant from ruling the continent, what might the mages of Arcanix have unleashed accidentally?

All of this, and more, is why it's taken me this long to do research, and why I decided to nix the timeskip aspect; there's already plenty of material to work with, without also wiping out many/most of the existing NPCs and needing to extrapolate the above questions, and more, 200 years into the future.  So while on one hand I've had to throw out material I made for that future timeline scenario, making material for this new scenario has been much easier.

As far as Spherecasting existing since ancient times, I far prefer that concept.  One thing that I'm doing is looking at the different cultures, or at least the main Khorvaire cultures, and determining their relationship to what used to be an old, unused form of magic.  If Spherecasting is considered a more primordial system, for instance, then it makes sense for the druids of the Eldeen to still have at least some practice with it, even if it wasn't as commonly used.  Aundair, on the other hand, would likely look at Spherecasting the same way musicians in our timeline look at classical or folk music; still practiced by dedicated connoisseurs, but ultimately overshadowed in popularity by the magical equivalent of hip-hop or rock.  Kobolds are natural sorcerers, and thus the Iejirastrix would surely have knowledge of Spherecasting.  Et cetera.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:51, Thu 28 July 2022.

Fair enough, and thanks for explaining your thinking. Of course, now that electric guitars don't work, classical is "in" even in places that didn't practice it, and people who weren't spherecasting before (like the Houses) are learning real damn quick.

In that case, before the Dance, Nova was a Psychic Warrior (Meditant archetype) with some martial spheres. Tashalatora shadow watchers have always been some of the finest martial-sphere practitioners in Eberron, but their Power side was classic psionic. Her Unified Tradition is her adaptation of the Tashalatora shadow art to the new system, and it includes a lot of druid magic because she's spent the past year retraining with the Wardens.

So, I have a request for everyone.

Upon meeting you at the camp, I'm scouting you, using the basic ability plus Study Technique. Could you all please PM me with:

-Any weaknesses, such as vulnerabilities or DR types
-BAB
-Any martial spheres you possess

Alternatively, if you're over 15th level, just tell me that instead. :)

No weaknesses such as vulnerabilities or DR types. But I am flammable.
BAB 6.
Brute, Dual Wielding, Duelist, Equipment, Fencing, Leadership, Shield, Trap

You could just ask, we're in the same party :P

But that takes all the fun out of it :)

No weaknesses or DR for Sula.
BAB 6
<deep breath> Equipment, Athletics, Berserker, Sniper, Guardian, Lancer, Warleader, Duelist.

None, +3, Leadership and Tech.

Thanks all!

Also, is it just me, or are the girls on this team more muscular than the boys?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:47, Tue 02 Aug 2022.

coughs Strength 23

Hmmm, not quite.  It's more that both the women are warriors.  Amadalesh doesn't have a description of his character yet, but without revealing anything from his character sheet, he's no slouch.  Speaking of, last minute inquiries.


.

I also need everyone to send me their final backgrounds in a new PM to me.

Beefy.

(21, or 27 when I'm hulking out.)

Good to know my meatshields are extra meaty.  My strength is nothing special, my constitution pretty good, but I'm guessing by the sound of things that my intelligence and charisma is among the highest.  Which means we're a party consisting of a bodybuilder, two womens MMA champions, and a bookworm.  I have no problem with this, as gender equality makes it perfectly acceptable for two women to get hit in the face with clubs while protecting lil' ol' me.  Supposed gender roles be damned, as long as it's in favor of my own bodily health. ;)

Also, I promise that I'm not always this long-winded, but my character knows how to make an entrance.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:49, Tue 02 Aug 2022.

Yeah, Sula is sitting at a 24 stronks; no method to hulk out more than that at the moment I think. When its time to smash, she'll have big flashy pieces of metal to attract attention, though despite the physique she is technically a close-range combatant rather than melee but <shrugs> little difference some times.

For out of combat things, aside from the general utility of weather control, Sula is a decent scout, engineer and knows a thing or two about magic. She is also House trained as a proper Dragonmarked Heir, so she won't put her foot in her mouth, but if we have a specialist in that field, all the better.

Combat-wise, Nova specializes in combat maneuvers and throwing people around the battlefield with elemental-imbued aikido, as well as having some magical battlefield control through Nature. She's a close-range fighter but has a reach enhancer (which surrounds her with a zone of unhappiness that she can make Attacks of Opportunity in). Out of combat, she's a really good scout, a minor healer (not really a pro at it but she can do an after-action patch-up), and also loves to cook.

As for talking, I'd wager she can match Tai in some areas, but her Bluff and Intimidate lag behind her Diplomacy and Sense Motive. Apparently, people can tell that she's a big teddy bear just by looking at her!

Quick correction.  Siobhan's title should be Lady, not Duchess.

Changed.  Sorry, didn't realize that nobility was so complicated.

Out of transparency, I am currently researching and writing the surface level effects of the Dance on the homelands of the player characters, i.e. the Reaches, Stormhome, Karrnath, and New Cyre.  My intention is also to progress the story by tomorrow afternoon.

A change, based on a misunderstanding of how casting traditions work.  Mind and Telekinesis are no longer specifically psionic.  That should instead be based on the caster's casting tradition.

That was how I'd been doing it already, but thank you for the clarification.

I noticed, but it was more for those who took Mind or Telekinesis.  Doesn't make sense to have, for instance, an Arcane caster suddenly using Psionics for two specific spheres.  (Although in my defense, that was another hold-over from the previous version of the game.)

It does take a bit of time before how incredibly open Spheres is in terms of such things as casting traditions and in-universe explanations. Or:

"Spheres: Write your own damn fluff."

Checking in. It feels like we've slowed down a bit. Is everything alright?

Any thoughts on questions we should ask the scouts? My first salvo is going to be 'tell us what happened', but if any of ya'll have more clever inquiries, lemme know.

I just realized that I hadn't specified the time of day.  I meant to specify evening, but it seems that we've collectively decided that it was morning.  So, it's morning, say 10 AM, and the airship will arrive in an hour.

I'd think that gives us time to discuss that in game.

At the same time, I think we'd all like to get to the actual encounter.  My plan is to time skip from the camp to the forest anyway, so maybe it would be best to time any questions to be asked to be part of that skip as well.

So... skip from here to the forest, starting the next chapter, one day later?

I'm for it.

Heh heh heh... haaaa-haaaaaa hahahaha... Oh.  The fun begins.

Nova, please roll Acrobatics, at -10 for Severely Unsteady, against a DC of 20.  Fail, and you trip, becoming just as much a victim to the teeter-tottering as the rest of the cargo, which might be an issue considering the observatory dome below you is glass.  At that point, you can make a last chance Reflex roll against DC 15 to grab a hold of a rail to keep yourself from falling.

And while I'm at it, if anyone goes outside and wants to have a go at moving faster through the hampered terrain, then you'll need a Perception roll at -10 if you're in front of the fire elemental ring (the rain and fog alone) or -15 if you're behind it (rain, fog, and steam). Everything except the forward deck and bridge are behind the ring.  And then DC 20 Strength checks against the heavy rain.  Oh, and the Acrobatics check penalty will increase by another -5 due to the slippery nature, for -15 total.  Making any check will reduce the required additional squares of movement by one each.  Fail any check, and... well, don't.

Is it safe to assume that Sula would be at the bridge?

Where does the DC 20 come from, if I may ask? I was under the impression that the DC would be 0 (plus the -10) for crossing unsteady ground within a corridor?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Wed 31 Aug 2022.

I am curious as to what gave you that impression.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/acrobatics/

"Crossing uneven ground, 3 feet wide."

Alright. DC 0, +10 Severely Unsteady, +5 Severely Sloped, +5 Move at full speed on narrow or uneven surfaces, +2 Slightly Slippery = DC 22 vs. Your Acrobatics of +10.

Got it, roll updated into my post.

I had wanted a little chance to show off Nova's mad skillz. :)

Yeah, but... you failed the roll.  You rolled 14 total.  And if you're going to show off, you're going to need to roll every round.  Also, not that it matters right now, but you're also considered flat-footed even if you succeed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:54, Fri 02 Sept 2022.

...I thought it was a 24 somehow. Whoops!