[PF-1e] The Forsaken Plane: The Plane of The Elder Evils

[Ratpigeon]

So, I took a look at the Ravenloft book, and I was wondering - the way you talked about the Familiars/companions in your Q&A is different to the Dread Companion thing in the book. Do the familiar's serve the deeper workings of the Forsaken Plane (Fate, The Force, Sleeping Elder Evils or whatever) or are they reflections of the darkest parts of their master's Id? Or a bit of both?

Also, can I stack the Tattooed Sorcerer archetype on top of the Sage Wildblooded-technically-an-archetype-but-should-be-a-bloodline? Tattooed Sorcerer has some awesome flavour that would be really interesting to incorporate and could go fantastically with Ravenloft if fluffed right (e.g. the Familiar Tattoo ability could add a twist to the 'familiars represent your Id' thing) and let me get back the familiar that I trade away to be a clever cookie sorcerer.

[Digorig]

Race: Are Aasimars allowed as they are a Featured Race and not core or Uncommon.

Application complete pending DM approval.

[MalchiorTheForgotten]

Would you allow use of the following classes: Investigator, Kineticist or Tinker? I'd like my character to be some combination of two of these three. The concept is an insane human with a voice in his head leading him on an epic quest. Depending on what you allow, the voice will either be that of his dead wife or of some sort of elder being. Either way, the voice drives him on and fuels his madness.

[Xian]

Originally Posted by Digorig

Race: Are Aasimars allowed as they are a Featured Race and not core or Uncommon.

Application complete pending DM approval.

Digs, Nice work! Aasimars will be permitted in the campaign. Appreciate you asking!



@All - As to the question of "Why do you think the Forsaken Plane chose your character", I just wanted to clarify that it is from the player perspective not the characters, as the nature of Forsaken Plane will not be known by the characters (if ever) until much higher levels. I guess a better way to phrase this is "What aspect of your character do you think attracted the attention of the Dark Powers of the Forsaken Plane?"

Would you allow use of the following classes: Investigator, Kineticist or Tinker? I'd like my character to be some combination of two of these three. The concept is an insane human with a voice in his head leading him on an epic quest. Depending on what you allow, the voice will either be that of his dead wife or of some sort of elder being. Either way, the voice drives him on and fuels his madness.

Investigator - Yes

Kineticist - No with caveats. While it is Paizo, I am not familiar at all with what it is. (In fact, I was not even aware of its existence until I clicked on your link!) From my initial look at it, it appears to be Paizo's attempt at a system of psionics that is different from Dreamscarred Press. However, if you can show me how it is integral to a compelling character concept that can't replicated with another mechanic (sorcerer, etc) then I will probably approve.

Tinker - No. The theme and the features of the class are not consistent with that of the game.

I will update the ad and the questions above. Thanks for all of the great questions! Keep them coming!

Cheers, Xian

[Xian]

Originally Posted by Ratpigeon

So, I took a look at the Ravenloft book, and I was wondering - the way you talked about the Familiars/companions in your Q&A is different to the Dread Companion thing in the book. Do the familiar's serve the deeper workings of the Forsaken Plane (Fate, The Force, Sleeping Elder Evils or whatever) or are they reflections of the darkest parts of their master's Id? Or a bit of both?

That is for you and your characters to find out... can't be telling all of my secrets already....

Also, can I stack the Tattooed Sorcerer archetype on top of the Sage Wildblooded-technically-an-archetype-but-should-be-a-bloodline? Tattooed Sorcerer has some awesome flavour that would be really interesting to incorporate and could go fantastically with Ravenloft if fluffed right (e.g. the Familiar Tattoo ability could add a twist to the 'familiars represent your Id' thing) and let me get back the familiar that I trade away to be a clever cookie sorcerer.

Yes. Have Tattooed Sorcerer replace Arcane Bolt and other bloodline powers and roll with it.

Onward!

Cheers, Xian

[Digorig]

Originally Posted by Xian

Digs, Nice work! Aasimars will be permitted in the campaign. Appreciate you asking! ..//snip//..

Thank you. Application edited.

[GeoAvanti]

Alright, duly noted. I'll poke around with some ideas and see if anything else interesting pops out.

[Xian]

Originally Posted by GeoAvanti

Alright, duly noted. I'll poke around with some ideas and see if anything else interesting pops out.

Geo,

Thanks! Knowing you, I know it will be more than interesting... tally ho! Onward!

Cheers, Xian

[Xian]

Team,

Here is what I am tracking so far... I update the main ad with this... a couple of apps are well on their way... an excellent sign! Thanks!

Cheers, Xian

Player	Character Name	Race	Class	Land of Origin	Complete?
pianoman90	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Interest
Digorig	Valtyra (Val) Shunso	Aasimar	Cleric	Golarian, City of Absalom	App Complete Round 1
PopCultureBard	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Developing and finalizing character concept
Sassafrass	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Interest
Cedric	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Interest
Ratpigeon	Akadis Stormhal	Human	Sorcerer (Sage Bloodline with Tattooed Sorcerer Archetype)	Forsaken Plane - Ustalav	Pending RP Sample
GeoAvanti	Pending	Pending	Pending	Eberron - TBD	Interest
Jarl11	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Interest
MalchiorTheForgotten	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending	Interest

[PopCultureBard]

Originally Posted by Xian

Hey, I know PCB is here, but he probably gets that everywhere he goes!

Great to see you and PCB! Appreciate you looking into this project and can't wait to see what you got because I know it will be epic!

Yup, you got me. I can't walk down the street without people fainting in the glow of my beauty. It's a curse, I tell you.

Of course I'm here. I'm not dim enough to pass up a shot at Xian's spin on Ravenloft.

So I've made progress of my application. I've had Ephram's concept in my head for awhile but I've never found a good fit for it until now. I envision his path as a struggle between the opportunistic rogue and the stalwart knight. Something like the Low Templar prestige class represents. The knight in filthy armor type. Should have him tidied up nice in time for the assessments this weekend.

Nice apps so far. I'm eager to keep tabs on the competition.

[suburbanplankton]

I'm intrigued by the setup; it sounds like a nice twist on the standard 'swords & sorcery' type of world. I'm working on a Dhampir Magus now...hopefully I'll have it worked out enough to post at least a rough outline later this evening.

[MalchiorTheForgotten]

Originally Posted by Xian

Investigator - Yes

Kineticist - No with caveats. While it is Paizo, I am not familiar at all with what it is. (In fact, I was not even aware of its existence until I clicked on your link!) From my initial look at it, it appears to be Paizo's attempt at a system of psionics that is different from Dreamscarred Press. However, if you can show me how it is integral to a compelling character concept that can't replicated with another mechanic (sorcerer, etc) then I will probably approve.

Tinker - No. The theme and the features of the class are not consistent with that of the game.

I will update the ad and the questions above. Thanks for all of the great questions! Keep them coming!

Cheers, Xian

The Kineticist is all about what lies within you -as a sorceror or psion is- but is more of a narrow path than either (more akin to a spell-less Warlock). Think of it as 'bending' (i.e. Avatar the Last Airbender) or as being a Shugenja from 3.5 (Oriental Adventures), again without access to spells. It's conjuring an element from your soul. As a character concept, the character I play would be driven by a voice in their head (either that of a long-dead being who bestowed them their powers or as the voice of a dead lover calling them into the Forsaken Realm) and would be questioning why they had these powers that seemingly no one else had. "Why me? I must follow the voice to find out. Perhaps my fate lies beyond the veil? Perhaps it is my destiny to end this for good."

Regarding the Tinker- this would've been ideal for the theme you were going for if you think of it not as Steampunk, but as Phyrexian or like the theme of the movie 9 -biomechanical "undead". I would've made an automaton as a vessel for the voice in my character's head and would have had a sort of 'madness' flair of scavenging corpses and whatnot to better my creations and continue the quest.

If you still feel as you do, I will play an Investigator with Lovecraftian/Slenderverse flair.

[Xian]

Originally Posted by PopCultureBard

Yup, you got me. I can't walk down the street without people fainting in the glow of my beauty. It's a curse, I tell you.

Of course I'm here. I'm not dim enough to pass up a shot at Xian's spin on Ravenloft.

So I've made progress of my application. I've had Ephram's concept in my head for awhile but I've never found a good fit for it until now. I envision his path as a struggle between the opportunistic rogue and the stalwart knight. Something like the Low Templar prestige class represents. The knight in filthy armor type. Should have him tidied up nice in time for the assessments this weekend.

Nice apps so far. I'm eager to keep tabs on the competition.

Life is tough when you're pretty. Keep up the good work on Ephram... the dual conflicting tendencies are just the type of thing that I am looking for in characters. The spirit of Ravenloft has always been about the fault lines in characters and the Dark Powers testing those fault lines.

As for the competition, we definitely got quality here. I am excited to see what comes out of it!

Onward!

Cheers, Xian

[Xian]

Originally Posted by MalchiorTheForgotten

The Kineticist is all about what lies within you -as a sorceror or psion is- but is more of a narrow path than either (more akin to a spell-less Warlock). Think of it as 'bending' (i.e. Avatar the Last Airbender) or as being a Shugenja from 3.5 (Oriental Adventures), again without access to spells. It's conjuring an element from your soul. As a character concept, the character I play would be driven by a voice in their head (either that of a long-dead being who bestowed them their powers or as the voice of a dead lover calling them into the Forsaken Realm) and would be questioning why they had these powers that seemingly no one else had. "Why me? I must follow the voice to find out. Perhaps my fate lies beyond the veil? Perhaps it is my destiny to end this for good."

Regarding the Tinker- this would've been ideal for the theme you were going for if you think of it not as Steampunk, but as Phyrexian or like the theme of the movie 9 -biomechanical "undead". I would've made an automaton as a vessel for the voice in my character's head and would have had a sort of 'madness' flair of scavenging corpses and whatnot to better my creations and continue the quest.

If you still feel as you do, I will play an Investigator with Lovecraftian/Slenderverse flair.

@Malchior - Okay, I am good with the kineticist if that is how you want to play him. I am still going to say no to the Tinker because honestly, even after you reskin him like you have, I don't like the mechanics of the class which generally my opinion for the vast majority of the third party PF materials.

The Lovecraftian Investigator is also a nice idea... so you have two really solid options to choose from.

Onward!

Cheers, Xian

[MalchiorTheForgotten]

Name: Rooklyn "Rook" Requiem Race: Human Class: Investigator (Steel Hound Archetype) Alignment: Appearance and Personality: Rook is a young androgynous male with a long, flowing mohawk of hair and a various array of piercings and tattoos. Rook is a bit of a paradox, ranging from quiet and reserved to excited and excitable. While generally easy-going, Rook tends to get a bit intense at times. Place of Origin: A mountain town built around a lake called Lake Aries, town named after the lake. Why were they chosen by the Forsaken Plane: PC Version: The voice of his missing wife calls within his mind. She leads him forward into the Forsaken Plane, where he might rescue her.

10-Minute Background Concept Elements: -Rook has photo-sensitivity and is always wearing his shades. He hates the sun and doesn't like to leave his skin exposed to it for long. He claims it burns. -Rook is searching for his wife who was taken from him. His memories detail a shadowy entity with long tendrils and no eyes. He's haunted by the sight of the tendrils pulling his wife into the shadows and away from him forever. This sometimes forces his awake at night and reaching for his gun. -He has a gun called Delirium Trigger, which was a gift from his wife. He cherishes it and his wedding ring as his most valuable possessions. -Rook may also be slightly insane, hearing or seeing things which may or may not be there, in addition to phantom sensations such as being touched or feeling like his hand is held on only by his bracelet. He chalks this up to the entity that took his wife playing with his mind. -He calls the entity that took his wife "Slenderman". Goals: PC: -Get into the Forsaken Plane and find his wife -Rescue her -Find a way out and back home -If at all possible, stop the Elder Evils -Kill Slenderman Player: -Expand upon a character I played briefly before -Get to play myself!! (Wuba-luba-dub-dub!!! I'm Tiny Rook!!) -Use this as a way to deal with my own issues lol Secrets: Known: -Rook escaped from a facility that was running experiments on him. He used to work there, but something happened and he wound up as a patient. This was around the time that Slenderman took his wife. Unknown: People: Xandria: His missing wife. Her voice calls to him across the void of time and space, dwelling within his mind. The Raven Lady: Rook has occasional, brief encounters with a woman he calls the Raven Lady. She's pale of skin, with jet black hair and is always accompanied by three ravens she refers to as 'Past', 'Present' and 'Future'. There is obvious sexual tension between the two, and the Raven Lady knows a lot more than she'll let on. Their conversations typically include Rook's course of action, what he's done, or what he may do. All seemingly speculation, but the predictions normally come true, in that cryptic Nostradamus sort of way. She always seems to vanish before he can get any real answers from her, or before he can go after her. Doktor Armistice Von Schande Dr. Von Schande used to work alongside Rook, who then became his chief patient after the event. When Rook escaped, he'd destroyed a lot of the good doctor's work in the process. The Doktor is seriously worried about Rook and thinks he's a detriment to himself and those around him -as well as a danger to both. He seeks after Rook, hoping to convince him to return to the Lab and that his wife is gone and never coming back. The Doktor may seem logical, but Rook doesn't trust him as far as he can throw him and thinks Von Schande's whole issue is that Rook never responded to the Doktor's daughter's affections. He thinks the Doktor is fueled by jealousy and that he may be working with Slenderman. Memories, Mannerisms and Quirks: Memories: Rook remembers the happiness of his wedding night, the autumn leaves falling around himself and his wife as they ran through the gauntlet of guests throwing flowers at them, all smiles. He remembers his wife's black and red dress and how she looked in it. The softness of her skin and lips. The way she said "I love you, Rooklyn" in the candlelight. Rook remembers one of the first gifts Xandria had given him, a battered gun from a far away place. He remembers working on it for hours in his basement workshop/lab. Rook remembers how he met Xandria, under the great Oak tree overlooking the lake. Autumn leaves all around, the Festival of the Dead in full swing on the streets below. He remembers taking off the mask he'd made because it scared her. He remembers the way the moonlight shined off her skin. Three years to the day from that night they were married. Rook remembers the night she was taken. He'd come home from work a bit later than usual. The door showed no sign of forced entry, but the house was too quiet and the dog was missing. There was an eerie feeling in the air. He searched the whole house in the waning light, checking the room she did her painting in, the small library they'd built, the kitchen, his workshop. He finally heard a scream and dashed for the bedroom, taking the stairs three at a time. He entered the room in time to see her reaching out to him, the black tendrils surrounding her, covering her mouth and dragging her into the darkness that floated at the corner of the room. Rook drew his gun and shot at that eyeless being, but the shots seemed to pass right through it. He leapt at it, trying to pry his wife away, but his fingers slipped through it's inky blackness. He screamed in agony as the blackness disappeared into some portal. He heard someone enter the house below, heard them calling and running for him. But the call of death was louder, and as the sky darkened on that moonless night, he put Delirium Trigger into his mouth and pulled it's trigger... But it was empty. That was the first time his wife's voice came into his head. "Not yet... Save me... Find me, Rooklyn..." Mannerisms/Quirks: -Rook has a habit of spinning his wedding ring around his finger. He doesn't take it off, he just sort of plays with it when he's thinking. -He also bites his lip at times and is known to lose himself in thought. -He sometimes reacts to stimuli that aren't exactly there. -Rook is a very respectful talker and a great listener, but often lacks the right words to say. -He is superstitious of the number 13, declaring it lucky and a sign from the beyond. It is always a good omen for him.

RP Sample (And full of terrors) The night was dark, but not as moonless as it had been on that night. The stars overhead clouded over, the waning crescent shining through with a prismatic ring of light from the moisture of the cloud overhead. It was going to rain, Rook could feel it in the air. Feel it in his bones. The wind blew with a chilled crispness, causing a gloved hand to snap up and grasp his hood, keeping the thing up. The scarf over his mouth -keeping the wind and dust out- swayed and danced and eventually became lifeless again as the wind died down. As he crested the hill, Rook looked down at the town he was approaching. Whatever he was chasing -Slenderman- he was on it's heels. All he needed to do was descend into the town and wait for the answers to come. Wait for her voice to come. "Caw! Caw!" From behind him, Rook dropped to one knee, pulling Delirium Trigger from it's holster and spinning to face the newcomer. She stood there in black, surrounded by her 'children'. Her pale skin reflecting the moonlight, her eyes seeming to take it in. The Raven Lady. Here to torment him once more. "You again." He said, neither relaxing his weapon nor standing. His voice a charismatic wave of emptiness, alluring yet dangerous. "What do you want this time?" "Oh, but you already know, Stranger, Dear." Her voice equally charismatic, but with a certain darkness to it. Provocative, tempting, lustful, but entirely mischievous, probing and potentially malicious, manipulative. Just like the Raven Lady herself. "My mind? My heart? My soul?" He scoffed. "I've nothing to offer you. Everything was taken from me, as you well know." He spoke with both sorrow and anger, the subject one of constant pain to him. "You've so much more than you realize." She said with a sad smile, moving to him. He kept the gun and his eyes trained on her as she approached, but otherwise made no move. "She may have been taken from you, but your destiny is great still. Soon you will meet others and their destinies will be intertwined with yours." Now she stood over him, looking down at him as he knelt. "They may be able to help you reach that place. To reach her." "Xandria..." He said, relaxing the weapon as his eyes trailed off, remembering his wife's embrace, the feel of her in his arms, the way her hand felt as it caressed his face, soft and delicate and -he slapped away the Raven Lady's hand, standing and taking a step back. "Trickery will get you nowhere, temptress. I'm growing sick of these games you play. Either you tell me who you are and what you want, or I end you here and now." Offended at his actions, she frowned in a beautiful way. "I am not the enemy. Of which you have two. One is obvious. The other..." She glances behind herself, moving only her eyes, Rook's eyes follow hers into the darkness of the woods beyond. What was out there? Who? What the hell did they want from him? All this time he's been chasing down his enemy -Slenderman- but who was chasing him? What had he done to warrant this? Why didn't they face him like a man? He suddenly felt her behind him, her hands on his shoulders, her breath on his neck. "Soon." Before he could spin and face her she was gone, leaving only three gently falling black feathers and the sound of black birds flying away. Rook stood alone once more on the hilltop, the wind blowing again, only this time he let it take his hood down, revealing his silver-blue eyes, which also seemed to capture the moonlight. His flowing locks blew majestically in the wind, the many colors of his mane dancing in the dim light. The sides of his head shaved down to stubble and his face and ears bearing many piercings. Soon she'd said. What happened soon? Did he meet these 'others' or did his pursuer catch him? Or maybe he'd end this sooner than he thought? No time to dwell on it now, her voice had led him here, it was time he find out why.