In case you need to talk about it, I'd rather not fill up the private messages board.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 16:09, Mon 20 Jan 2014.

 All characters will be human with animal totem (see House Rule 00 - link to a message in this game)

 They will start as level 2 adventurers (with 2,000 xp so halfway to level 3)
 They are thus novices, close to becoming journeymen and starting off on their own.
 Some may already know on what adventures they want to go or their circle/guild/chapter wants to send them ; some might have no idea.
 All need to have a Maester that they can talk to (they do not necessarily get along though)

 Only core for base classes and spells (exceptions may apply, notably scouts and marshals are ok)

 Most material from WoTC will be accepted for feats/alternate class features, though you'll need to get it approved first.

 Some House Rules will apply (see link to a message in this game)

 No Psionics, no racial templates, no material from magazines

 Stats will be point-buy, 28 points ; upon becoming journeymen (L3), you get a +1 to two different stats, and again upon becoming Maesters(L5).

 HP are max at fist level, and average rounded up thereafter.

 Starting gold : double the max random starting gold for your class, +100 gp

 The setting will be more low magic than before.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:42, Fri 24 Jan 2014.

 So basically disregard all the size changes, physical differences, stat modifiers and suchlike from possessing an animal totem this time around?

 Rather a shame that, I liked that it made us individually distinct in more than just cosmetic fashion.

So, a skill-monkey is still limited in skills they can take... Would people prefer more of a charismatic or a dexterous rouge sort?

 No no no no, don't worry. Animal totems and the changes they brought to the game were a core aspect of this setting and they are not going to change.

 I was considering implementing a point system to balance the totems. Clearly the Bear, Tiger and Croc were overpowered when compared to the Owl, the Dog, or even the Jaguar and the Wolf. Which is why I didn't write about it yet.

 But then I figured, if there's only the three of you, and maybe one or two others down the road, it's probably not worth the trouble.

 I have to say though, the Nile Crocodile Totem was a bit of a monster. Based on the rough outlines I sketched for a point system, it was a 24-point build. Bear and Tiger were 20 ; Frog and Hare 18 ; Wolf and Jaguar 15 ; Owl and Dog 13.... But then I realized, the Bat was 8, and the Gorilla 13, so I thought that maybe my point system was not that good.
 You can still see the Totems there :
 link to a message in another game

 Korentin, perhaps you could create a Totem for Gharial/Gator/Caiman/Desert Crocodile, that would basically be a modest version of the Nile Crocodile ?

 Anyhow ; feel free to make up your totem the same way you did back in Animal Kingdom. I'll try and keep it balanced.

 (as a guideline, note that combining potent features like Pounce, Imp. Grab and Powerful Built are a bit of a game-breaker at low-level )

 Winger, you'd probably be better off with a dexterous rogue ; although bluff/diplomacy is never to sneeze at...

 Hmmm, I based it on the other large character totem and powered it down if anything, but there's no particular reason I had to lump mad powerz on it. A younger Solus wouldn't have his level of training, so I'd probably go with unarmed combat (because: gang member) as my only feat and not have to worry too much about it. Drop improved grab, stick with most of the rest... Should do it, right?

 I definitely agree that the Rhino Totem I gave as an example was overpowered as well. And it wouldn't matter much past level 7-8, because by then the wizards and clerics start being ridiculously strong with their spells, so it's ok to have optimized tanks along.

 Here at level 2 though, it would matter.

 I was actually thinking of giving all martial classes Imp. Unarmed Strike for free, since you all have natural weapons anyway... you may pursue with Imp. Grapple.

 We'd also need to figure out how natural armour translates with the armour as DR rule.

 Maybe AC+2 becomes AC+1 & DR1/-.

 That seems fair. Half your AC bonus, round down becomes DR, the rest of it is AC. A nice, simple rule, although the default is:

 http://www.d20srd.org/srd/vari...sDamageReduction.htm

 Which I think is mainly for the benefit of keeping monsters with higher natural armour hurt-able.

 Yes, I've seen that. And that's what I will use for monsters. Although mind you, there won't be monsters with natural armour over +10 any time soon.

 So, have you though about your organization yet ? It could be either a local Chapter of the Church of Pelor, or something more specific to the region.

 Yes.

 I don't know if you've ever read the Paksanarrion books, but the War God series by Weber and the Curse of Chalion books by Bujold all have interesting takes on the notion of the God-touched, the last incompatible with the other two, sadly.

 The first two set up a Generic Fantasy Church with central divine figure, mostly non-adventuring, non-magic-wielding priests and a modest order of perfectly functional church militant troops in varying degrees of shiny armour pledged to protect the weak and all the rest. Some of these two are occasionally gifted with the power to do more, as a result of prayer or training. Every now and then however, The God steps in, picks someone - quite often someone thoroughly unsuitable in the eyes of most of the regular hierarchy - and tells them to get on with it.

 I imagine the Pelorite Church is a modestly successful generic church of light, modestly but not critically corrupt at the higher levels where politics is involved, but on the whole essentially a decent bunch. Within the church you'd have a small number of adventuring priests using their miraculous gifts sparingly to remind people that a God is watching them, then you'd have a modest militant order called something like the Swords of Light or Swords of the Sun or something similarly derivative and terribly inspiring. All shining steel armour and sons of the nobility who want to 'do something worthwhile with their lives'. Second sons for the most part, I should imagine. Every now and then you get a real Paladin raised from amongst their ranks and everyone's very impressed.

[Private to GM: Solus on the other hand, stole from a Pelorite poor box after beating up some street kid or other, and spent the next five or six weeks in a lethal fever getting spiritually bitch-slapped, then woke up to find out he'd been cared for by the priest he stole from, who as happenstance would have is a dinky little otter fellow who turned to Pelor after coming back from whatever interesting war happened a while back. He followed the spiritual original bitch-slapping with a great deal more physical bitch-slapping as he taught the strong but fundamentally unskilled young less-a-punk-than-he-was the things he couldn't learn on the street, such as elementary weaponskill and the healing arts, because the thing about a real Paladin is that they're swords that save lives, not take them. Besides, it's a good living and that's not to be sniffed at. As the story opens, he'll basically be handed a half-decent blade, some mediocre armour and told to get out there and do some good, while the priest remains in deeply humorous correspondence with his old C.O. in the knightly order, waiting for what happens when the Sword finds out about their newest Paladin - who pretty much by definition would be a senior brother in their order by sheer grounds of who picked him.]

If you are planning on only having the three of us, it might be good to either give us some additional bonus or let us be gestault characters or something. Three is an awful small party... And we are likely to be missing either a cleric or a wizard...

Thoughts on a race:

What do people think of:

Indri (a type of lemur)
+4 INT, +2 DEX, -2 CON
Medium
Speed: 30, Climb 20
+2 Jump, Tumble
Agile Leaper: May use DEX instead of STR for climb and jump checks
Lore: As bardic knowledge

 Don't worry about the party being small ; I'll match the challenges accordingly.
 Besides, you're to travel with a couple of clerics at some point.

 Still, there are a couple of players from Animal Kingdom that I wouldn't mind adding to this cast, if they do show interest.
 [Private to Nimble Fingers:
 Namely,  Roaming Shadow AKA Snorri   and/or   rentiger1 AKA Horril
    and perhaps,   RaistlinMuyo AKA Kristjana    ]

 About the Indri Totem :
  We might want to name it something more straightforwardly recognizable, like Indri Lemur (I for one had no idea what it was before reading this)
  Features look good, although lore seems a bit random.
  On the other hand, I've just read that Indris have a peculiar "sun worship" habit ; more like sun basking actually. Maybe you could add something in line with that.

 Korentin :
  Note that Pelor does not personally intervene in mortal affairs.
  The Church of Pelor is very successful in Lineus. It speaks to some 2/3 of worshippers, but most of them also worship other gods (Boccob, Fharlangh, etc.) as well as minor divine figures linked to a place.
  There are a few organizations that train Paladins, some linked to Pelor, some to others Gods. As with most organizations, few amongst the novices (squires) become journeymen (knight errand), and fewer even reach a rank of Maester (Lord? Knight? ).

 So, no adventuring clerics, no actual paladins then?

 Well, yes there are adventuring clerics. Some of Pelor, and some of other Gods.
 Likewise, there are paladins. Most of them are worshippers of Pelor, Heironeus or St Cuthbert.

 Since you're going to be the paladin in the party, I recommend you design your own Order, like I did here  :
 link to a message in this game

 Basically, Clerics and Paladins follow the same rule as other "base classes", to gain levels in them you have to be part of an organization, and follow the novice>journeyman>maester path.

 You three will start as novices, about to become journeymen.

 Note that I tuned the whole setting down, meaning that as journeyman, you're pretty much stronger than any one you will get to meet -except for other journeymen, obviously.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:40, Mon 27 Jan 2014.

 It's pretty much one or the other really. I wasn't suggesting that Gods turn up high, five folks and stroll off, but it's a pretty low-end spell to commune with a divine presence and several divine classes require and receive a measure of oversight. My feeling on the divine is that it's best handled through visions, occasional lucid dreams and the occasional omen, no actually appearances of angelic forces or avatars required or expected.

  Names :

 As Novices, you don't get to be known by a nickname just yet.
 Which means you still bear a patronymic name.

 In Animal Kingdom, I asked to follow the Icelandic name pattern, and everyone got on board to the point of using very Icelandic sounding name. Actually what I meant was to use names of the form {[first name] son/daughter of [father's name]}.

 This is still in use today in Iceland, but it used to be the norm in most European countries (and probably many other places as well). I'd like to introduce some of that diversity.

 If I go roughly through the regions of Lineus, as described before, the name patterns would be :

 The Norse : -son -dottir ; ex : Snorri Gunnarson
 Lion Lands : Fitz- -zoon -kin ; ex : Julius Fitzpatrick
 Highmarch : O'- Mac- Nic- Kil- ; ex : Deirdre Nic Angus
 Outer Forest : -vich -ovna ; ex : Petra Jovovna
 The Singe : Ka- Bar- ; ex :  Shaka Ka-Taran
 Olive Sea : -ez -atos -escu ; ex : Hernan Alvarez
 Ayalite Peninsula : Ben- Ibn- -zada -nejad ; ex : Alim Ben Urik
 Ôm Riverlands : -putra -putri ; Susilo Sudharputri
 Slender Mounts : ?
 Erwingrad : any of the above...

More inspiration here :
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L..._family_name_affixes

( I sometimes feel like I'm spending a lot of time worrying about meaningless stuff ... )

 Maybe I misunderstood you. It felt like you were suggesting that Pelor appeared (in whatever form) and picked someone to become a cleric/paladin. Which he does not.

 The idea is that if one is to become a Paladin, they have to join an order (or be forced into one, for whatever reason), start as a page and work their way up
 Upon reaching level 3, they become journeymen and start adventuring.
 Upon reaching level 5, they become Maesters and can officially call themselves and pledged Paladin.

 Same thing works for Wizards, Fighters and even Rogues.

 Which is fifty percent towards the notion I was putting forward, which is that those orders produce mostly fighters kitted out as knights, some of whom later become Paladins, usually at a high church ceremony where everyone is very pleased with themselves... But that sometimes someone is chosen, directly (without a manifestation beyond some lucid visions) to become one. They don't get the skills, but what they get is the potential, which must then be trained - in Solus's case by a mustered-out veteran - although that training is usually 'arranged' by the divinity in question through indirect means, thus neatly putting Solus (for example) inside the character class with a trainer who is in communication with certain upper-echelon sorts within the order who know better, but at odds with the rather better-born rank and file who are going to be mostly noble second sons and wealthy merchant sons (the equipment is expensive), mainly for the purpose of shaking up their certainties, which is likely to happen every generation or two.

 Actually the idea is that only those with the potential (and that would include the PCs here) do move forward to become Paladins. The others remain pages with expensive suits of armour.

 Same thing works for druids/rogues/sorcerers ; many will join the Order of the Oak/Crimson Guild/Conjuration Covent, but only those actually capable will move on to become journeymen, prove themselves and become Hierophant/Master Thief/Warlock.

 The notion may seem pointless, put it's actually important as it explains why not everyone in the world spends their life gathering xp and becoming 10th level experts with more hp than a young dragon.

 While the outside world (nobility, politics, merchants, etc...) may work on a nepotist basis, the idea is that those organizations (metagame : generic term for any group that trains people with levels in a base class) are all about meritocracy. Not because it is nice, but because it is the only way that it works.

 It hardly seems all that necessary, all you really need to do is what you have done, which is basically say that 'Epic levels start at 6' to explain why there aren't more tenth level characters, then dramatically reduce the amount of nominal experience ordinary, day to day activities represent while acknowledging that hit points are, to a certain degree an abstract measure of destiny and luck as well as wound resistance.

 Additionally, it presents the problem that some of those paladins/druids/sorcerors would have to be fighter(acoylte) or warrior 1-2 first, which when you've got itty-bitty room to level up in is a bit of a kick in the goolies. If you don't get the class until you level up, what happens to the prior knowledge and what happens to those who get the same training, but aren't chosen? Sure, being a Sorceror is a fairly bootstrapped profession (you've got it or you don't, now go get training) but a cleric, druid or paladin all need external approval for their power, and not all will get it.

That's what being a biologist does, lets you know all about different sorts of random animals out there :) And, therefore, to get these ideas of good critters to be and then need to build a totem around them.

Of course I'm fine with calling it an Indri Lemur.

Lore, in some ways, is a bit random. The Indri and the Orang-utan are basically the two animals that are considered by locals to basically be equivalent to humans, even brothers to humans. I therefore wanted something special, something not normal to most animals, something sort of unique, for one of their special abilities. Lore seemed reasonable while being pretty unique.

Further, the reason I thought that would be beneficial to the rougey character, is that as a skill-monkey,  even a rogue doesn't have enough skill points to dabble in "thief-like", charisma-based, and knowledge based skills. Having a lore ability would allow me to still cover knowledges without being nearly as specialized, although obviously our Brilliant Mind will have far more specialty and ability in those areas.

I imagine that, given their sun worshipping predisposition, a fair number would be in the church of Pelor. That might actually be something to work out with the character somehow being affiliated. I really can't think of a good ability to give someone who worships the sun, I was thinking that would be more of a role-playing thing...

Heavy Muscle, are you planning to be with the church of Pelor?

Fawn, if we do at some point qualify for a prestige class, will we be able to take those?

Also, you might have said, but I don't see it - how much gold do we start with?

Hi guys, creating my character is actually taking much longer than anticipated for the main reason that E6 rules have quite a major impact on magic users.

Being limited to a few low-level spells is quite a challenging prospect, I must admit! Mind you it will force me to be more inventive :)

For now, I'm looking into either a summonner or an enchanter, two classes I've never actually played before.
The enchanter is more appealing to me in terms of rp, because I'll turn it into a seducer/manipulator, a theme I'm quite fond of :)
The summoner would be more 'efficient' I suppose, especially in combat situations.

Now, enchantment is fun but only if the baddies/monsters we encounter are not immune to mind-affecting spells... :) Can you give us a spoiler, fawn? :)

 Fred :
 There might be some undead, but that won't be the lot of it. Both a Summoner or a Compulsion specialist would do very well.

 Winger :
 All right for lore.
 I had no idea you were a biologist. That explain how you knew so much about Hyena's pseudopenises !

 All :
 You'll start with double the max random starting gold for your class, +100 gp.

 Remember that this being E6, the folks you get to meet will rarely have levels in any class, and almost always be 1-2HD commoners.

 Typically, city guards will always be 1HD warriors, your average merchant or craftsman will be a 1HD expert, and the town mayor will be a 2HD aristocrat.

 I'm also toying with the issue of what happens if you're a novice, but then fail to become a journeyman. I was thinking that one would lose the benefits of the class, keep the HD and become the closest appropriate NPC class, warrior/expert/aristocrat (adept?)

 Also, no one multi-classes. Once you're a rogue, you stick with rogue. If you want to become a wizard, you have to restart from level 0. I'm not sure how this will work, probably like a gestalt.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:12, Thu 23 Jan 2014.

 So ;

 Winger will be an Indri Lemur. So not Monkey, though looking rather simian.

 Korentin is keeping it reptile, with a smaller (though still rather massive) version of Crocodile (please don't make it large - powerful build is fine though)

 Fred, what were you considering ? A Desert folk would be nice. Camel ? Fennec fox ? Some Prey Bird ? A Kudu Antelope ? Ground Squirrel ?
 ( a few ideas here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerocole )

Thank you, Fawn!

Brilliant Mind, I've played summoners before and very much enjoyed them. Enchanters can be good, but since with low level spells people retain their own desires and just regard you as a friend (charm person, etc), there can be a lot of unpredictability. If it was me, I'd go for summoner (of those two choices), but who knows? Maybe enchanter would work even better :) Certainly their spells last longer!

 Note though that Summoners can be tiresome to manage in combat, for they come with a menagerie...
 On the other hand, Enchanters can be tricky to mange in social situation, for they could break the game by charming the wrong NPC...

 Either way, we'll manage.

 Why don't you play an evoker ? They're easy to deal with, they just throw scorching rays around !

Nah it'll be an enchanter :P

I'm not sure it'll be that effective but in terms of rp I think I should enjoy it, and that's why I play this game after all :)

And that cute Fennec fox will be the perfect animal totem for what I have in mind too :)

I'll work on the specifics of the animal totem tonight (hopefully...).

Excellent, Brilliant Mind! Then I may take Bluff and Sense Motive, but leave the rest of the social skills entirely to you! :)

Great. Are we heading towards an all male party ?

I usually have about half male and half female characters, but right now have only 1 male and the rest female characters, so I was planning on being male here, yes.

Should we be buying horses or anything?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:35, Sun 26 Jan 2014.

No horses needed, you'll start in a rather large city.

What are language possibilities?

And if we don't want to know as many languages, what can we "sell back" automatic languages known for?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Sun 26 Jan 2014.

 There's a common language for the whole kingdom, and than a local language for each region.
 That means each of you will know common + one regional language.

 Regions of origin include : the Singe (savannah/rainforest/warm mountains mix, the Ôm Riverlands (rainforest, swamps, mangrove), the Ayalite Peninsula (arid mountains, hot desert), the Olive Sea (Mediterranean type of sea, warm hills, small mountains, a few small deserts )

By the looks of it, I'm behind, sorry for that.

So here is my Fennec fox animal totem v1.0:

- +4 Int, +2 Char, -2 Strength
- listen +2, +2 survival
- lowlight vision
- small size
- land speed 30"
- improved initiative
- bite 1d3
- +2 to resist fire/heat effects, desert-attuned
This message was last edited by the player at 13:34, Mon 27 Jan 2014.

  Yes you are, this is unacceptable ; I'm thinking you should start one level behind.

Comments :
  Charisma ? I think of a Fennec as more agile/nimble than social/charming ; although I see how that would fit with an enchanter character.
  In line with "- +2 to resist fire/heat effects", you should add "desert-attuned"

Wouldn't you say that a fennec fox is a cute, adorable little thing? :)  Hence the charisma boost, and yes it fits perfectly with an enchanter ;)

I added the imp. initiative to reflect the necessity for a fennec fox to be very quick when facing a danger/predator. Furthermore, my character will have a good dexterity.

Ok for desert-attuned.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:31, Mon 27 Jan 2014.

 Arctic Fox happened to have imp. init as well, and INT +4, and arctic-attuned. But it was medium-sized, and dex +2 rather than cha.
 But yeah, fennec foxes are unmistakably cute and adorable, so why not ?

 After being very, very briefly tempted by a Marshal, I am now going for a Scottish Sea Eagle, clad in a kilt and armed with javelins and a big damn' spear. Brogue optional. His racial mod to dexterity should make up for his lighter armour... I just find myself wanting to tack on foot-based claw attacks and giving him the unarmed feats in order to do the kick-boxing thing. ^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 22:32, Sat 08 Feb 2014.

Sigh...I realize this is a terrible, terrible time to ask, but where's the chart for point buy stats? Is it the same as used for Pathfinder?

Okay, done, and 99% sure it's accurate. Still left with 102G I don't know how to spend.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and not sure what to do about Favored Enemy right now.

EDIT2: Dang it, forgot to factor in the Armor as DR and Pary bonus stuff. Ug, I'm too tired now. Will try to sort it out before first combat.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:51, Mon 10 Feb 2014.

 When you say 102G, it sounds like a lot of money !

 I'll have a look and tell you what.

Roaming Shadow :

-stats : I noticed you applied age modifiers ; you don't have to. Actually if your character is 19 (as your sheet suggests) , you shouldn't. (this might make you want to redistribute your 28 points, sorry...)
-totem : you might want to add "may use Dex instead of Str for climb and jump checks", because they jump well even though they aren't really strong.

Otherwise it looks good.

All that's left is for you to "design" your own guild (in which you're a novice so far)

See here : link to a message in this game
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:33, Mon 10 Feb 2014.

Korentin :

- Sea Eagle sounds good.
- If he's a fictional Scot, he wouldn't be from the Ayalite peninsula, which is mostly a hot desert and arid mountain environment, with more Tuareg/Arabic culture.
- Stats & Skills
- Totem : don't you want a "ride-by attack" kind of feature ?
- Totem : as with all birds, you'd have the "Avian heritage" feature

 Finally, "design" your own guild.

In reply to a small fawn (msg # 45):

 Small clan / tribal works both ways, Scot was merely the first impression that came to mind. Lawrence is also cool. ^_^

 I have left a feature undefined, since Spring Attack is rather high level I thought it might need discussion.

Oh, I thought you'd put those age mods there for a reason. Well, since we're journymen, and the people of such times usually started off young, I suppose I could just knock down his starting age a tad as well, rather than go over the numbers a third time.



Hmm...you have a point, I do recall them being pretty good at scampering up stuff to escape their cages (Maybe I should give them a bonus to escape artist as well, though that may be too many skill bonuses).

As for the gold, starting gold was maxed at 240 then add 100 as you said, I spent 75 on the bow, 100 on the armor, 50 on a healer's kit, and then a gold here and there on other things. I can't afford masterwork reasonably, and I'm not sure what other miscellaneous items I'd want in an urban campaign, and I only looked through the core book last night.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:08, Mon 10 Feb 2014.

 All right then. You can be a Desert Eagle.


 I don't know why Spring Attack is such high level. Ride-by Attack does the same thing with virtually no prerequisite. You can take it as a totem feature (though you don't get the benefits of the prerequisites (mobility and dodge)

---

 They were left there from an other character I guess. Actually I'd rather you all be young for this one.


 That would be a lot of bonuses (boni ?) ; on the other hand, you don't have any really strong feature (such as powerful built, or improved grab, or poison...) and you don't have any special movement. So why not...
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:09, Mon 10 Feb 2014.

Well, he's a gerbil. Are there any other distinguishing features to those little guys that I'm overlooking? I guess the only thing he really has going for him are his skill buffs.

 A very long tail ? That could help with balance, I guess (more skills !)

Or about about reduced penalties to Move Silently while moving to represent how they dart from cover to cover full speed near silently?

Sigh...here's what I've got for a Guild, though it doesn't seem like much, but my mind's just not feeling it, to my aggravation:

The Totem Trackers
 Class : Ranger
 Specialties : Bounty Hunting, Missing Persons
 Branches known as : Lodges
 Apprentices known as : Searcher
 Journeymen known as : Seeker
 Maesters known as : Huntmaster
 Insignia : A pin depicting a canine following a scent trail, often hidden under loose cloth
 Headmaster : Huntmaster Snorri the Dauntless, 8th level Urban Ranger (Wolf)
 Headquarters : ?
 Common totems : Wolves, Dogs, small breed Felines
 Affiliated with : ?


I was really unsure about headquarters and affiliations, as I can't remember the world well enough for locations and groups to tie it with. I wouldn't mind a little help polishing this up.

 You could have the Swift and Silent regional feat from Faerun
http://dndtools.eu/feats/playe...ft-and-silent--2866/

 About your guild : it doesn't nee to be much more, and can be further polished was we move along and it becomes more relevant.

Oh, I like that, works perfectly.

 Har de har har. ^_^

 And because Ride-By requires one rank of ride, one requisite feat and only permits a charge while mounted, while Spring Attack demands a +4 BAB and two requisite feats. It is considerably harder to get. Probably about equivalent to Pounce however, so I'll do up my sheet and pick a good arabic-y name.

I think Ride-by-Attack is so much easier because it requires one to be mounted. That's a limiter in itself, as the mount needs to be combat trained, and there are many places where being mounted for combat is impractical, like most dungeons or most interiors, rendered the feat null and void, whereas Spring Attack can be used anytime, anywhere, with virtually no restrictions once you have it.

 Being mounted is tricky, sure... except if you're small and riding a Dog.
 Sure, it requires the mounted combat feat...

 Anyhow, I don't think it's more of a game-breaker than pounce or improved grab.

Oh, I'm not arguing against anything, I'm just saying why I think Ride-By-Attack is easier to get a hold of than Spring Attack. Even for a small "Knight" with a medium mount, there are still places where he can't use the feat, as he can't stay mounted everywhere he could conceivably be in combat. Both D&D and Pathfinder make mounted combat very powerful options that are relatively easy to build, they just come with the baggage a mount brings, from both a mechanics and RP perspective.

As for game breaking, yeah, Pounce is way more powerful than Spring Attack, which is why I was enamored with it last time, combining it with Skirmish to potent effect.

That is one of the things I'm not fond of in D&D, the sheer number of prerequisites. It's what makes being an archer less interesting, since Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot are essentially mandatory feats for archers, taking up their first two feat selections pretty much by default. Heck, I don't even have Precise Shot yet, which I'm sure will be a hindrance until we get to the next level.

 Winger   : |---------O-|  90%  (Indri Lemur - Rogue)
 Fred     : |--------O--|  80%  (Fennec Fox - Enchanter)
 Korentin : |---------O-|  90%  (Golden Eagle - Barbarian)
 R-Shadow : |---------O-|  90%  (Gerbil - Urban Ranger)


 Winger, you're back to 90% because I just noticed you don't have a description up.

 Some twitching to do on a few character sheets, and you'll all be good to go.

 Korentin, I put you down as "Golden Eagle", but Steppe Eagle or Crowned Eagle would be all right.

 I'll get you all started later today.

@ group 2:

 that is the updated version of the first post in this thread; please refer to this for character creation.


 You can read about E6 in the house rule thread, but in a nutshell it means that you stop gaining levels after 6. Instead, you receive feats and skill points every 5000 xp you get. Which means you will still be getting stronger, but not quite as exponentially as per the traditional XP system.

 E6 applies to each and every PC and NPC in the setting, which means no one can teleport except for a fed very rare wizards who get to break the "6th level" capstone. Also, no one can raise dead, or grant wishes, etc.

 It also means that as level 3 journeymen, you guys are already quite potent on the local scale, and would be able to take down most city guards or highwaymen with a few spells.

 Go ahead and discuss your choice of totem (race) and school of specialization here.
 Note that even if you are all wizards, it would be good to have one that can play scout (illusionist? transmuter?), one that can be the face (enchanter? illusionist?), one that can be the tank or summon tanks (conjurer? transmuter?) and one with just a little bit of healing.
 As totems go, try aiming for diversity.

Specialist wizard as in 3.5? Or specialist as in PF?

I'd like to specialize in Illusion magic if it's not already claimed.  It fits the theme of foxes being tricksters.

Pathfinder wizard specialists.

We thus have a Fox illusionist and I believe the Wolverine is aiming at transmuter.

Well once we have the extra thread up for our new group it'll be easier to see who is what and all that stuff.

There might be a Fox Illusionist already but if they aren't in our group could Renard not run that one as well?

That's going to be your thread.
Renard is the Fox Illusionist.

There is a Fennec Enchanter in the other group. Maybe the two of them can hook up if a crossover eventually happens.

So :
Fox Illusionist
Wolverine Transmuter
Monitor Lizard / Iguana ?
Gorilla ?

Monitor Lizard/Komodo Dragon

So do I just use the Nile Crocodile stat block?  Or do you make something else up?

I need access to edit my character sheet... :P

Also, since there's already an 'arctic fox' totem I don't particularly feel the need to come up with a whole new 'red fox' totem.  Can I just use the 'arctic fox' totem except without the buff to cold effects?

@ Khaesis : Sure, create your own thing and submit it. You can draw inspiration from Crocodile, Chameleon and Turtle...

@ Renard : Yes, use the arctic Fox (who by the way, was a female illusionist) -- you may add something like "+2 on save vs traps in natural setting" in lieu of the cold thing.

A note on names :


 The adventures of Group 1 take place in the Ayalite Peninsula for now, and will probably take them to the Olive Sea eventually.

 Group 2 (aka the Magicians) will start in the Lion Lands, specifically in the capital city of Leeuward. That doesn't mean your characters have to be from there though.

 Also, you are going to start off as Journeymen, thus you may already have a nickname instead of your traditional patronym or matronym.

 So :
 First Name   |  atronym;matronym   |  nickname  |  specialization
  Renard      |        ???          |     ??     |   Illusion
  Khaesis     |    Fitzbeckett ?    |     ??     |      ?
  Curga       |        ???          | Bloodfang  |   Transmutation
  Nils        |        ???          |  Wideyes   |   Evocation     
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:49, Fri 26 Sept 2014.

 The team is slowly shaping up.

 Feel free to PM me for any question, and to discuss details together if need be.
 Notably, opposition schools and spell selection, especially utility spells.

 The team will consist of a Wolverine Transmuter, a Monitor Necromancer, a Fox Illusionist and an Owl Evoker.

 Funny thing is, when I first considered creating this wizard-only story line, I thought about the eight schools of magic and wondered how to split them in two balanced parties of four specialists each.
 I came up with one team being Conjuration-Enchantment-Abjuration-Divination and the other being Transmutation-Necromancy-Illusion-Evocation. Coincidences, uh.

So, we start at 2000 xp, halfway to 3rd level?

Cool how its working out. I went with Ka-Zek for his patrimonial name.

Curga Ka-Zek (Son of Zek) AKA Bloodfang. Sounds pretty good to me. :)

I'm almost done transforming to Pathfinder. Need to update skills and buy gear still.

Has someone already asked about the point buy transition for PF? A 20 pt buy in PF with base scores of 10 yields the same scores as a 28 point buy for 3.5 if we are staying even. Can someone confirm for me that we are staying with 3.5 buy or a new point buy? Sorry if this has already been asked and answered.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:31, Sat 27 Sept 2014.

 You'll start level 3.
 17 point buy in the pathfinder rules.

 It seems you guys are almost through with character creation. I'd like to get started later this week, Wednesday at the earliest and Friday at the latest.

 I would like for you to write at least a couple paragraphs of background.

 A few questions that could be addressed there: where you are from, are your more urban or more wilderness inclined, do you have family around, are they commoner or upper class, what's your relationship to the maester who taught you your specialization, do you know any of the other three wizards...

A note on pathfinder cantrips :
 http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/...-sorcerer-and-wizard

 The wizard knows "all cantrips" ; I take it as meaning they know all the cantrips  published in the Core Rulebook (those are marked "CRB" on the list above). That is, they don't know all the other "non-standard" cantrips.

 Each of you may add one of these non-standard cantrips to their spell list (those marked either "Blog" or "APG" or "UC")

Please copy/paste this to your character sheet in place of the skills section (which was made for 3.5)

Thanks

=========================================================================
Skills/

Skill Points:   (x+i)  x Level =  xx

                 Key     Total Ability     Class  Misc
                 Ability  Mod   Mod  Ranks Skill  Mod*
Acrobatics         (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Appraise           (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Bluff              (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Climb              (Str) +    =     +     +     +
Craft:_____        (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Diplomacy          (Cha) +    =     +     +     +
Disable Device^    (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Disguise           (Cha) +    =     +     +     +
Escape Artist      (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Fly                (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Handle Animal^     (Cha) +    =     +     +     +
Heal               (Wis) +    =     +     +     +
Intimidate         (Cha) +    =     +     +     +
Knowledge:_____^   (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Knowledge:_____^   (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Knowledge:_____^   (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Linguistics        (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Perception         (Wis) +    =     +     +     +
Perform:_____      (Cha) +    =     +     +     +
Profession:_____^  (Wis) +    =     +     +     +
Ride               (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Sense Motive       (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Sleight of Hand^   (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Spellcraft^        (Int) +    =     +     +     +
Stealth            (Dex) +    =     +     +     +
Survival           (Wis) +    =     +     +     +
Swim               (Str) +    =     +     +     +
Use Magic Device^  (Cha) +    =     +     +     +

^Trained only
* mention source : F for Feat, T for Trait, M for mwk item, etc.)
==========================================================================



This message was last edited by the GM at 10:19, Mon 29 Sept 2014.

 In case there is still a doubt about some stuff:

 Starting level will be level 3

 Abilities are 17 point-buy per Pathfinder rules, see here:
 http://www.d20pfsrd.com/basics...cores/ability-scores

 You get a "progression" enhancement of +1 to two different abilities at level 3, that is in replacement of the usual +1 to one ability at level 4. You'll get an other +1 to two different abilities at level 5 (upon becoming Maester).

 Starting gold is [max starting gold for you class] x 2 + 100 gp
  ( that's 340 gp for a wizard )

 Skills (just like everything else) are Pathinfder.

 @ group 1 (Zuhra, Kajiri, Haytham and Makin)
   -> I'll ask you to make the switch to Pathfinder after the current "combat", whenever you have time for it. PM me any question you might have.

Sorry for my delay all; hand to have a 8mm kidney stone removed with a bit -o- surgery.

So for the wizard/specialist groupi know the following...
When I went Necro it was to hit the sub-specialty Life.  When I cast spells I have the option of also dosing out a point of healing per level of the spell...so I can use 'utility' spells a little more efficiently to both shore up a defense as well as cure some minor damage...since I doubt that my orisons will cure a HP even if normally you round up. ;)

But we should discuss who has already picked opposition schools as well as the good GM pointed out utility spells and the like.  Try and have as few holes as possible and all...or design it to have specific holes of our own desire.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:48, Wed 01 Oct 2014.

I went with enchantment/illusion opposition to my transmutation specialty (enhancement sub school).

Curga's not into fooling people or messing with their minds.

Thanks Kheaesis for bumping this !

Here's the updated version based on your character sheets:


 Feel free to change some stuff if need be!

 I'll probably post an introduction tonight, meaning we can start the RP; which does not mean I'll forbid some modifications on your character sheets afterwards, especially skills, spells and gear.

 Jeez, you guys don't like enchantment !
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:26, Wed 01 Oct 2014.

All :

 please make the following clear in your "class feature" sections:
   - choice of arcane bond
       ex: familiar(raven) OR bonded item(dagger)
   - school specialization
       ex: specilization(conjuration)
   - focused sub-school if applicable
       ex: focused school(phantasm)
   - opposition schools
       ex: opposition schools(abjuration/evocation)

 Thanks.

I'll totally cover Enchantment ;)

Khaesis' opposition schools: Conjuration, Abjuration

Nickname: Blackbones

Patronym: MacFeegle

MacFeegle?  Of the Nac Mac Feegle?  If only we were allowed teleport spells, then you could use the craw-step... :P

Aye.

 Hi wizards ;

 It looks like we lost Curga (and perhaps Khaesis)
 If you know someone who'd be willing to take over for them, PM me.

 For now we'll keep on rolling with both of them as NPC.

 (I might put them in increasingly dangerous situations until they either die or are recast)

Sounds good to me.

ooooooookaay.

A New Start.

 Updated version of the character creation post.

 All characters will be human with animal totem (see House Rule 00 and "The Totems" thread)

 They will start as level 1 adventurers, they are thus novices.

 They all belong to an adventuring guild (I can suggest one based on totem/class)

 Most material from paizo will be accepted when it comes to feats, spells, etc.
 No Occult, Psychic, Unchained classes. If in doubt ask.
 see https://www.d20pfsrd.com/

 Some House Rules will apply (see House Rules thread )

 Stats will be point-buy, 17 points.
 Upon becoming journeymen (Level 3), you will get a +1 to two different stats, and again upon becoming Maesters (Level 5). This replaces the standard +1 upon reaching level 4.

 HP are max at fist level, and average rounded up thereafter.

 Starting gold: standard for your class.

 You can read about E6 in the house rule thread, but in a nutshell it means that you stop gaining levels after 6.
 Instead, you receive feats and skill points every 5000 xp you get. Which means you will still be getting stronger, but not quite as exponentially as per the traditional XP system.

 Every week if you have posted at least two meaningful IC posts, you will receive an xp bonus (I will need to check how much that is).

I should add, you will each start with two traits (as per standard pathfinder rules)
No racial trait can be taken, and one of these traits needs to be a campaign trait of the “Curse of the Crimson Throne”.
You can see the list here:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/tools/traits-filter/

Am I mistaken or there are only 4 traits for this campaign ?

Framed (Curse of the Crimson Throne)
Love Lost (Curse of the Crimson Throne)
Missing Child (Curse of the Crimson Throne)
Unhappy Childhood (Curse of the Crimson Throne)

Looks very joyful that campaign ^^

I had that same thought about those oh-so-cheerful backgrounds.

I'm leaning to a monk, and thinking of a control-oriented front-liner. I need to figure out the guilds, and I'll be good.

About those traits, I didn't see the concentration skill in pathfinder but there is in the traits.

 It's not a skill point sink any more, it's a caster level check. Which is nice!

Yes the tone is rather dark!

Maybe, but my current character being the son of the other one, it does not exactly means good things for my previous one ^^

Well, you could make up an other dark backstory, as long as mechanically it retains one of the existing traits.

Well, It might become lost father?
Not entirely orphaned, but partial.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Mon 22 Jan 2018.

Lost father works!

Ideally you’d cover the 4 traits between the 5 of you, but that’s not strictly required.

Ok, so now I have to kill my former character^^

If you prefer one of us could do it for you. :)

I meant that as a joke, but upon reflection, it could be part of the "framed" trait for one of us. Your old character is killed, and one of us - or at least a relative of ours - is framed for the murder.

I'm game if you are.

Now we’re talking!

It’s going to make for an awkward party reunion, but I like it!

Yep, sounds nice.  (well, no , but you know what I mean ^^)

I have picked up the framed trait, but since I'm still playing myself in a younger version your Idea doesn't work... pity!

You are playing yourself younger in the future?
Kinda lost here^^

He's Benjamin Button.

And a mighty wizard !

Or there is a Delorean involved somewhere....

Background skills being used?

No, normal skill system.

Just checking. Is anyone else playing a character with Disable Device? If so, I can redirect gold and skill points to other things.

No, it looks like you would be the trap disabler.
Others might help in finding them though.

New name is Rawl Gouger, Alias Huntarr

Can I ask one last thing of you guys on your character sheets?

Could you add, at the very bottom of your sheet, a wish list of Magic item that you would get for your character if you were creating it at a higher level.

Please include 6 items, respectively worth a maximum of 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k.
It doesn’t need to be a very specific item, for example it could be “8k: Magic sword; 4k: something to fly”
Or a full shopping list with links to d20PFsrd — that works too.

And no, it doesn’t mean that you will magically find an item from your list at each level ;)

In this combat, I was planning to try and grapple + pin the croc, but with that hit from Rawls my attacks may well be moot.

Shall I still roll the grapple? Otherwise, Mantikka will just try to catch the body and club before they hit the ground.

Yep, the latter makes more sense at this point.

Anybody have Ant Haul they can hit me with? Then I can carry Lamm alone.

 No, but Jayachandra can easily drag him by one trotter through the filth of the sewer... Or she can help Rawl. ^_^

Sarin usually can carry much without being slowed down from his 20 feet, but I don't think he can carry THAT much.

 Oh! If Sarin is flanking, add +2 to all attacks.

 Safe to assume that the Rhino has Improved Grapple, then?

 Asking for someone with a natural weapon. ^_^

If you’re wondering why you didn’t get an aoo, yes that would be the case.
For the curious among you, he’s a brawler.

 I figured, but it was worth checking. ^_^