[PF-1e] Assault on Origin

[LeoByron]

Originally Posted by CatCanCook

LeoByron --

A couple questions before I do anything more on my application?

1) Is it overpowered, you said "don't break the game" but does a fearmongering anti-paladin do that in your opinion?

That depends. Do you have a way to expand the range of the Antipaladin's Aura of Cowardice? Do your source of fear effects allow for saving throws? If the aura is capped at 10' (20' with Widen Aura spell) and they allow for saving throws, it will be poweful, but not broken.

Originally Posted by CatCanCook

2) For the Oath of Offerings, does it halve the level-specific gold only, or does it also cut in half the gold for the 35,000 price "special items"?

Oh! That reminds me of something I did AFTER the start of the game! I made Oath of Offerings required for everyone, however, your starting wealth is not affected by it at all. Instead, all future wealth must be offered to the cause of the Lich Queen. I should have updated this in the advert but didn't think to do it. It was added in-story as the Va'Dok'thra received their first mission. Your character would have learned that at the same time the others did.

I will include this in the character details.

Originally Posted by CatCanCook

3) Assuming it does not nerf the latter, is it OK to go for a 40,000gp Ring of Freedom of Action, by spending the 35,000 special item budget plus 5,000gp out of the regular starting cash?

You cannot combine the gold amounts in either direction. Any excess from the extra pool is lost.

Originally Posted by CatCanCook

4) The character concept was intending to lean heavily on this:

Variable Prowess
The armiger may change one talent granted by a customized weapon with ten minutes of practice. The new talent must be a valid choice to be granted by that weapon. Once per day, she may use this ability as a move action.

But I can imagine two very different ways of interpreting this.

[closed] The armiger chooses on talent slot of one weapon and this decision cannot thereafter be changed. That one slot may be changed via Variable Prowess
[open] Whenever Variable Prowess is used, the armiger chooses any one talent slot on any customized weapon.

I am assuming open but wanted to confirm.

Variable Prowess would be open. I suspect if it were closed, the text would specify and generally, rules texts in Sphere are fairly specific. So if you have more than one Customized Weapon with several talents each, you can change any or all of them over time.

Looking at this I realized that I have no reference for "Antiquarian Armorist." Is it possible Armorist is supposed to be Armiger? The Armiger is the one with Customized Weapons, after all. Armorist does not have an archetype called Antiquarian at all.

[CatCanCook]

That depends. Do you have a way to expand the range of the Antipaladin's Aura of Cowardice? Do your source of fear effects allow for saving throws? If the aura is capped at 10' (20' with Widen Aura spell) and they allow for saving throws, it will be poweful, but not broken.

Currently at 10'. No cash for a Widen Aura wand or whatever right now. (Actually, with your clarification on wealth, there would be cash.)

For saves it is an Intimidate check, not a spell effect, so it is vs a DC but no saving throw. The check would be +10(ranks)+3(class)+7(charisma)+6(feat)+7(enhancem ent bonus)+7(mythic competence)+2(masterwork) = +42. So, yeah no save, any non-freakishly powerful opponent even if immune to fear within 10' of the start or end of her movement or hit in melee pretty much automatically terrified.

I'd generally consider this overpowered unless the norm in the game is kind of demigod-like. I didn't read the other PCs.

If needed for balance I can ditch a lot of the bonuses to calibrate the DC against the range of your monsters so they can have a chance. Also, if you want me to ditch anti-paladin, I can. She'll just get more diverse tactics and not be so fear based.

My preference is that if a PC has an amazing attack combo of any sort
- some fraction of monsters (1/3?) it can outright crush. (But then its a matter of numbers, positions, timing)
- some fraction of monsters (1/3?) it sometimes works, sometimes doesn't
- some fraction of monsters (1/3?) it doesn't work on.

You cannot combine the gold amounts in either direction. Any excess from the extra pool is lost.

OK, thanks. But if the base pool is not reduced 50% she can afford that ring out of that base pool and not the "2 item" pool.

Is it possible Armorist is supposed to be Armiger?

You're right, my typo.

I'll fix it, and here is the link:
http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/antiquarian

[OneDarkness]

posting interest I will have an app in by end of day

[Maghnuis]

Ah... the Va'Dok'thra are out again.

[LeoByron]

Going all the way!

[OneDarkness]

character app in progress Zenera Silent Hunter and Sword Saint alternate TraitsGithyanki, Female, Early Twenties, Lawful Evil Unchained RogueEscapologist 10 // Wind Oracle 10 Damage Dealer, Skill Monkey, Magical Support Appearance   Height: 5'8 | Weight: 181 lbs Age: 23 | Skin: Yellow Hair: Black Eyes: Black Usual Attire: Zenera is ever the watchful scout, her movements are nimble and fluid being able to flow throw a crowd much like the wind that she venerates, her passage is noted mostly by her lack of fan fare and more subtle decoration than your average Githyanki. She wears only the finest weaves but in muted blacks, greys and blues that are enhanced with strips of sculpted metal and her favorite gemstone the black opal. Her twin short blades are always present whether armored or not, and its not uncommon to witness her to caress the hilts subconsciously as if ensuring they are still there, or perhaps considering if she needs their services. Her long black hair is tied off then swept to the side leaving the tattoos on the left side of neck and shoulder visible as they twist and turn up along her face, and a series of earrings extend along her ears. Personality   Zenera has focused herself on two aspects of her life almost to the exclusion of anything else, and they are her mastery of the blades from which she takes great pride in to the exclusion of more traditional psionic training and her devotion to the control of the wind and air that guides their travels in service to Gith. There is nothing more important to her than these two aspects of her life, and almost every consideration or choice she has made resolves around these two aspects. She rejects most forms of contact with others outside of the parameters of her missions, while on mission she is perfectly capable of being part of a functioning team, social and responsive but at the end she is ready for some solitude and quiet. The above being true it frees her in some fashion to be less constrained then others of her kind in her beliefs, she is more open to new ideas or methods of accomplishing goal and is not afraid to step outside the box to get the job done. She lacks much on the ingrained hatred some of her kind have towards others, though the distinction may not always be clear as she is willing to kill all the same. Her only small pleasure she takes outside of the swords and winds is the acquiring of items of a unique or exotic nature, as there is something about having something that few others may ever have or experience. Background   From a young age it was clear that Zerena was not a typical Githyanki, and the Varsh who oversaw the crèche her egg had been placed with certainly noticed it, for as she emerged a gust of wind blew through a mostly sealed room where none had blown before. Breezes would spring from no where at times, at first it had been a cause for concern that something was penetrating the security of the crèche but over the time they learned it only occurred in Zerena's presence and it never appeared to be malevolent in nature. She appeared to lack many of the signs of psionic ability that the others in her crèche displayed which the Varsh suspected would mean the end of her in short order, but her natural talents with blades more than made up for this disadvantage. As she aged she developed some control of the occurrences of air and was able to bend it to her will, which was a more unique talent than others possessed that combined with her bladework let her rise to among the top of her crèche. Making her first kill almost too easy, she took its head and presented it as was custom and accepted her place among the warriors of Gith. She integrated easily among the raiding parties when they struck out from the Astral plane, often serving as a forward scout where her light step and keen instincts flourished, becoming known for her ability to kill her target before it even knew it was dying. While her control of elemental air continued to grow she also discovered her ability to make use of her devotion to Gith through the use of the divine, though in her typical fashion she did so in a non standard way. Priests of Gith were able to manipulate those divine energies to cast a host of magical effects but Zernea was only able to make use of a smaller number of abilities but could make use of them more often. As there was no question of her devotion and Gith made no sign that this was against her will, the clergy appeared pleased to accept her regular tithes above and beyond what was commonly practiced. Her commanders were happy to make use of her additional abilities as it was one more weapon at their disposal and had come in handy more than a few times, there was certainly some envy among others who were jealous of her power. Her rise through the ranks continued, kill after kill, success after success and who knew where she would wind up in a few more years. For now though her talents were being put to good use and she had been assigned to a Va'Dok'thra squad tasked with exploring the many ruins upon Origin, where here varied collection of talents and abilities are ideally suited for small team work. Her twin blades were lovingly sharpened, and her few possessions were tightly secured about her, and she was ready for whatever Origin had in store for her. Sample Scene   Zerena moved quietly down the hallway of the dimly lit mind flayer dungeon in search of her prey, easily avoiding traps both mundane and mystical from years of training and keen senses. It would take something truly unexpected or particularly unique, and truthfully she would have loved the challenge such a trap would have given her for the experience of something new did not come as often as she might like. The others with her ever working their way inwards were close on her heels, following and avoiding those things that she indicated should be avoided. We are close now I can feel it... . Rounding the corner was a set of double doors up ahead, ornate but sturdy looking, though not as tightly sealed as they should have been. Pausing for a moment she let her senses follow the air as it moved in and about the doors, most noticeably the gap along the bottom that and finally into the room beyond where she took in the surroundings. A mind flayer with its back to the door feasted upon the head of its meal while two guards stood just past the door watching the events unfold, 2 more stood across the room guarding another door but watching the door they needed to pass through. The quiet ends here it would seem, fair enough its time we put an end to this. Moving up to the doors she signaled via hand signals that there were two beyond, two much further and one of the mind flayers within. She could read the tempered hatred of the others ready to finally get into the action. A few quick motions with her picks and the lock just need a good push to open, picks away and blades out she nodded and the largest of her companions booted the doors open as the rushed into the room. Zerena was quick enough up behind the first guard that he stood little chance as he was struck four times in quick succession and was already falling as a large great sword blade decapitated the other guard and the others raced past to engage the Mind Flayer who turned in surprise.

[Gath]

HeiSaraka (artist Tiago Rios)

Name: HeiSaraka
Race: Kasatha
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Age: 33
Class: Unchained Monk 10||Antipaladin 10
Traits: Dangerously Curious, Finding Your Kin, Trustworthy, Gold Finger

Physical Description: Beneath an inky shawl of silk stained like a star-filled night stands a slender, scarred, several armed man dressed in utilitarian black and covered in tatoos. As part of his tribal tradition, the kasatha keeps his face covered at all times with a steel mask lined with black silk.

Personality: Dour in appearance, Hei’s scowls are hidden beneath his silk-lined steel mask. His cantankerous, contemptuous stance on life developed somewhere around the time of his capture and enslavement, but it has matured into a refined manner of seething hatred as he was forced to battle for his life in the Gith arenas. Having won his freedom, the kasatha feels compelled to rout out aberrations from the darkest depths of the cosmos and inflict his pain upon them.

Background: Born late in the night on the seventh day of the lunar eclipse to a conspicuous family of kasatha in the Wastelands, HeiSaraka was quickly taken to the base of the God Peak Moutains to the west. There he was given to a sphinx astronomer to be raised under his tutelage. Saralorn was full of riddles and mystery, but he had two passions to impart to the youth: a love of Desna, and a hatred of aberrations. The prophet was able to see into the future and the past with equal lucidity, but where they met in the present was a costly sacrifice as the sphinx found it difficult to maintain cogent cognition for much longer than it took to convey his visions through time. That's not to say he was entirely absent. On the contrary, Saralorn was attentive in the baser needs of everyday life, but his conversations were, at any given time, abstract and disjointed.

HeiSaraka grew up quickly and learned early on that he needed to tend to his own affairs. He appreciated the prophet and spent much of his days and nights quizzing the sphinx to extract his hidden knowledge. Figuring out what it meant to be born under the dark sun meant that he had to probe the sphinx for information about astronomy and astrology; something that Saralorn was wont to talk about regardless, so Hei's gentle interrogations delighted the prophet as they managed to focus his thoughts and allow him to impart his knowledge.

When it came time to talk about aberrations, the cryptic nature of Saralorn’s instruction was difficult to decipher. But Hei was able to piece together a codex of tenets and rituals regarding the pursuit and destruction of the abominations.

At an early age, Hei's father came to visit him. He brought many weapons and many tutors. They formed a camp at the base of the mountains and began training the youth in the art of multi-weapon fighting. They gradually moved upward into the God Peak Mountains so that HeiSaraka could become acclimated to higher altitude. There they encountered the denizens of the Mountains where Hei was able to practice their training on real opponents. Though he'd been trained with all manner of weapons, the kasatha discovered his overwhelming preference for unarmed combat and began to nurture his newfound talent.

Saralorn awoke one night with a start. Well, he was half awake, riddled with prophecy. HeiSaraka was to go to Magra'Teah in search of illithids hiding underground. His parents had been captured by Mind Flayers and taken as slaves. The aberrations intended to feast on their brains! Hei stopped his training, gathered his supplies, and said his goodbye's. He took off at a quick pace to the outcropping in which Rhalgo, the giant vulture that Saralorn had helped him befriend, had taken to roosting on. Hei offered the beast a sample of meat as he gathered the saddle and tack and quickly applied it to the oversized avian. Together they flew over the Badlands, the desert wastes, home to purple worms, sand sharks, and hunters looking for intruders and easy prey.

In Magra'Teah, Hei was impressed by the majesty of the Vaati people. The kasatha tried to explain his position to the Vaati, that there was a race of monsters living beneath their city that he wanted access to. The vaati were a peaceful people and were patient in trying to communicate with Hei and learn what he wanted. However, not long after Hei arrived in Magra’Teah to find his parents did the Gith armies invade and swiftly conquer the largely peaceful city. HeiSaraka had been accustomed to hiding two of his arms and with his mask and black silken shawl was easily mistaken for a denizen of the city, strange though he may be. It would not be long before the kasatha realized that the Gith simply did not care who or what he was. Hei put up a fight but realized the futility of the struggle against the overwhelming force of the Gith army and acquiesced to his capture and incarceration in favor of summary execution.

Hei was thrown into the pits of the Gith arena to fight for his life. His heart sank when he realized that he would no longer be able to save his parents, so he decided to take out his rage on his opponent. The fight had started slow as the prisoners danced around trying to figure out the parameters of the test. After a few blows were exchanged, the crowd began to throw weapons into the pit cheering on whomever they thought had the glint of death in their eye. Hei chose not to use weapons and killed his first opponent in a very bloody fight. The kasatha was applauded and celebrated. And so it went that he was tossed into another pit and given a choice of blades, only to refuse and slaughter his enemy with his bare hands. The more he fought, the better he got. The kasatha made a name for himself as the four-armed destroyer. After a handful of pit fights the Gith began betting on him instead of against him and they started to make money. The squad commander decided to try the kasatha out as a shock trooper of the U’Shaat in one of the upcoming missions.

The monk treated the mission the same as he did the pit fights. The fight was to the death, him or his opponents. The kasatha had learned the value of his life and was unwilling to accept defeat. His success in the U’Shaat would allow him to advance to Va’Dok’thra where he would be given a chance to go after the aberration scum. Hei may never get a chance to kill the illithid that killed his parents, but he cherished the thought of killing as many of them as he could to exact payment in blood for their transgressions.

The Gith had been somewhat honorable in their enslavement of Hei. Though slavery was at its foundation an evil act, they treated him fairly. And he understood their reasons for treating him in such a manner. To them he was a lesser being, which was a driving force for him to prove that he was equal or better. And they gave him plenty of opportunities to do so. But along the way, Hei’s outlook on life soured and his spirit corrupted. He was not just fighting monsters in the arena, he was fighting other slaves and prisoners, people who fought because they had no choice. But it was Hei’s life on the line, and he offered no mercy to his opponents… Ever.

[LeoByron]

3 new potential victims for the slaughter! I'll update the table tonight. In case applicants missed my latest recruitment post, as long as you have posted interest and a modicum of work done on an app you can still be considered as I will grant the weekend to finish up and send the invitation Monday.

No new applicants will be considered after midnight tonight, Eastern Daylight time

[LeoByron]

We are now closed for business. I will send the invitation Monday at the latest.

[LeoByron]

Originally Posted by CatCanCook

I'd generally consider this overpowered unless the norm in the game is kind of demigod-like. I didn't read the other PCs.

Yeah Intimidate can be overpowered, especially when it escalates to the highest levels of fear effects. It's funny because I intended to use the Gladiator Sphere for Vivian in your game, though not nearly as effectively or specialized.

[LeoByron]

After careful consideration, I would like to invite Gath, with HeiSaraka, to join the Va'Dok'thra for the Assault on Origin game.

It was a difficult choice and I would like to thank everyone who showed up to help us fill that spot. PM has been sent.

[OneDarkness]

Congrats Gath, and a very cool character indeed

[DebiRedHair]

Well done, Gath. You have a good player there, LeoByron!

[LeoByron]

New Recruitment Blurb We are recruiting! We need 2 replacements for this game! One player will be for the Githyanki squad to shore up the fact that we recently lost 2 players. These players should probably be Githyanki and conform to all character creation rules outlined below. A 2nd player is needed for a secret side story which will soon merge with the main thread. Details for this side thread are secret but will roughly resemble the build rules outlined below, the main exception being the race of the individual selected. If you are interested in applying for the second spot, please DM me for details and I will provide more information. For the first spot, we currently have the following characters: A Necromancer named Malifeek the Jackal (Soulweaver 10 // Wraith 10) An Unchained Monk of the Kasatha race name HeiSaraka. A spiked chain wielding maelstrom of tripping, disarming and maiming, Fau Hyrack A Warforged Tech Sphere specialist named Glitch (Armorist Inventioneer, mostly, with a plethora of multiclass) [NPC] We lost our big bruiser type fighter and our very stealthy rogue type. I am not necessarily looking to replace these roles since we also lack a pure arcane caster and a healer type. This game will start in medias res and we will shoe horn new PC's into the game as though they had been with the squad all along, in place of NPC's who had yet to lend voice to the tale. The first spot will belong to a Va'Dok'thra (Githyanki squad member) character who belonged to the Dragonriders who brought the PC's to the location of the Ruins of Athalon. The second spot will go to a member of the secret faction and details will be discussed privately. A secret thread will be provided for those apps as well as information about how they will integrate into the game.

[CatCanCook]

I had an application for Tymora, here: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...25#post9463325

Is that worth reviving?