[PF-1e] A Town Called Sweetwater

[ricktur63]

I didn't get as much done as I wanted but the basic application information it there. I'm not a prolific writer but I do like to elaborate in most all of my game posts. I'm faithful to my games and I'm not one to ghost on you. I'll try and expand more on my application tomorrow if selection time permits.

Thanks for your consideration!

Rick

[CatCanCook]

I'm setting up the voting.

Stand by, and I and the current players will review.

[CatCanCook]

Ytterbium's Bixby Murphy is accepted.

Thank you to rictur63 and Mrjoegangles for applying! Your interest and effort is much appreciated.

[ricktur63]

I would have chosen the same way... Good luck and hit me up if you need another replacement.

Thanks!

Rick

[CatCanCook]

Game Status REOPENED TO BACKFILL A 5TH LEVEL TECHNOLOGIST OR RANGED COMBATANT Sweetwater is an 80% traditional pathfinder game. Presently we have 5 characters and I am looking for a 6th. Starting level is 5th. A technology-user, perhaps a gunslinging type, within 1-2 steps of lawful good, would fit. Technology is somewhat limited at this time in this world, so I'd guide you through what works. Alternative concepts would be considered. A ranged combat expert is recommended, as one ranger-archer recently retired, and the party actually failed an earlier mission due to being melee-heavy when facing highly mobile and some flying foes. The current party will be: Quincy Kettle , by SelfAwareNPC, a 5th level wizard Bart Cobbe, by mightymconeshot, a 5th level inquisitor rogue. Pieter Osmaplite, by Kshnik, a 5th level brawler - sentinel Brand the Barbarian, by 17fromgreatness, a 6th level bloodrager Prudence Goodfellow, by rhaiber, a 5th level investigator and spheres-alchemist Short Synopsis The game has been in play for 1 and 1/4 years, real world time. It began with a 1st level dungeon crawl through the Lost Temple, a place inhabited by undead and vermin. The initial party had to resolve a necromantic curse. In the process, they released the spectral spirit of a necromancer, Idious, who is now the main antagonist threatening the frontier town of Sweetwater. A conflict has developed between the Fey Alliance of native races (primarily apekin, sylphs, and a half-dozen others) and the expanding democratic republic of Azerka -- of which Sweetwater is a far-north outpost. As Sweetwater reacted to an impending, magically foretold zombie apocalypse, they ordered a large volume of anti-undead weaponry. That shipment was waylaid and 80% of its cargo stolen by the tribals. The player characters failed to retrieve the cargo. An investigation revealed a spy (now executed) who had leaked the secret information of the shipment. Now the party is rushing off to battle the necromantic enemy -- a conflict which may take some time to resolve! Outside of Life vs Undead, the pending future conflicts are Manifest Destiny vs Natives (hint: you're on the Manifest Destiny side mostly), and Magic vs. Technology. The game folder is here: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18382

Game Name A Town Called Sweetwater

Game System Pathfinder

Theme Steampulk/wild-west; with magic & gods limited and a science-vs-magic conflict brewing

Flavour Heroic fantasy with an emphasis on storytelling and collaborative world-building

Basic Setting and Character Construction

Looking for how to build a PC, and the basic rules of this game?

See here: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=193607

[Avner]

Application Name: Mad Dog Zlog Highwater Class: Gunslinger - Pistolero Race: Half-Orc Alignment: Lawful-Good Traits: Defensive Strategist, Second Chance Anatomist Drawback: Scarred Drawback Bonus: Headstrong Trait Bonus: Reactionary Feat Progression:   Level Feat Level 1 Rapid Reload Level 2 - Level 3 Clustered Shots Deadly Aim Level 4 - Level 5 Point Blank Shot Level 6 - Level 7 Rapid Shot Level 8 - Level 9 Improved Critical Level 10 - Level 11 Improved Initiative Level 12 - Level 13 Quick Draw Level 14 - Level 15 Deadly Aim Level 16 - Level 17 Extra Grit Level 18 - Level 19 Signature Deed Level 20 - Description: Those Mad Dog has helped consider him good, his enemies consider him bad, but everyone agrees that he is one ugly son of a gun. Zlog's large size and muscular build make him an intimidating process as he towers over most others. A Large orcish smile and fierce teeth are downright terrifying. Never caught without his had and duster Mad Dog has an iconic presence and always has his gun and holster strapped to his side. Personality: Mad Dog is not the brightest tool in the shed but he is the most determined. A survivor with a dry sense of humor and an thirst for the splendors of life Mad Dog enjoys taking what he can get when he can get it. Despite his rough exterior he has a kind heart and considers himself a champion of those that cannot protect themselves. Background: Born in the Azerka region Zlog was a minority among the common races and grew up in the outskirts of the badlands, and area where bandits thrived. The town was constantly raided and gunfights were a regular occurrence. When Zlog was just a boy approaching maturity quicker than his mother would have liked he had followed her to the general store to restore their supplies. They were walking down the street together laughing about something he could no longer remember when they came. The bandits came riding in like a sandstorm of chaos. They shot down anyone they could see and in mere moments as bullets and blood were everywhere. Zlog saw everyone around him had fallen under the gunfire, including his mother. Filled with sorrow and anger from her sudden death he ran after the bandits almost tripping over someone who had been mowed down by their fire. Seeing a gun on the ground he picked it up and as the bandits came back around he decided to fight back. Taking the first of them off guard he managed to shoot two off a horse before ducking behind a wagon. Completely taken by surprise by the boy the bandits were unsettled with what came before them and suddenly found their numbers thinned out as he picked them off one by one and set them running. Mad as a dog screaming at them out of grief as he shot bandit after bandit. From that day forth they called him Mad Dog for the way he had reacted to his mother's deaths. He decided that he had survived for a reason and if that was to be Mad Dog than so be it. Zlog's mother had always told him he had a great destiny waiting for him, and he knew that he had found it. The orc learned quickly that if he was going to help those who needed it most then he would need to be on the quicker end of the trigger. From that day forth he began to train with his guns and earn the reputation they had given him.

[CatCanCook]

Hello Avner.

I'll track applicants in a table, added to the Original Post.

Let me know if you have any questions. I haven't set a date to close consideration on applicants yet.

[CatCanCook]

We have PopCultureBard as well expressing interest.

I will set a due date for voting in a candidate at today +7 -- so midnight (Pacific time) on Feb 26.

@Avner -- are you going with a straight Paizo gunslinger, or add an archetype, or build using Spheres of Might (example)?

Can you indicate Drawbacks, Traits, and anything special about the character (e.g. target feat progression, etc.)

[PopCultureBard]

Here is what I am working with so far.

Hair-Trigger Mechanic Credit Cats, Hats, and Clerics Pvt. Daezora 'Daisy' Bollinger NG Half-Orc Barrage/Traps TechnicianMilitary Engineer Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Orc Dark hair, wavy by nature, spills to frame a face that is all sharp angles. High cheekbones around pale green eyes, a strong jaw that tapers at the chin, a thin nose above equally thin lips. A life of labor had packed her frame with worked muscle, broad at the shoulders and narrow at the hips, leaving little room for the curves one might expect. A network of dark lines and curves run from shoulder to elbow, tattooing that declares her a Slick native and laborer on the rigs. Her fingertips would declare that just as well, years of submersion in grease and tar leaving the nails black and the skin calloused. She keeps her clothing in good condition, making repairs and adjustments herself, and bears her uniform and rank insignia proudly when on duty. Rarely is she without the revolver holstered on her hip, the barrel inches longer than standard issue.

Beneath the Skin Daisy very much wants to be her father's daughter. Quiet and attentive on duty, she obeys orders and strives to prove herself capable in her field. She innovates on the fly, ensuring her work is done with the highest possible efficiency. Respectful of authority and quick to offer solutions to problems, she brought civilian innovation to the rigid, traditionalism of the Azerkan army. She believes deeply in the teachings of the Consensus and holds its tenets close. In truth, she is a model soldier when the circumstances are right for it. But Daisy is very much her mother's child. She burns hot with a desire to do good things and help those in need. She views equality and justice as paramount reasons for the military to exist and struggles against her own anger when those views are questioned. She chafes when bureaucratic red tape hinders her ability to do her job. She is a whirlwind of motion when a fight breaks out. Twice she's been disciplined for excessive use of ammunition in a conflict. Three times she's questioned orders when the army moved against striking Workers. Once she struck a superior officer. Anyone else with her potential would have climbed the ranks of the Engineering Corps by now but she remains her own worst enemy.

Historically Speaking Daisy grew up in the shadows of the rigs and refineries of Slick. Her mother was a wrencher and a member of the Worker's Party, and she instilled both a talent for mechanics and a desire for equality in her daughter early on. Her father was a military man, ranking but low, who felt honor bound to acknowledge Daisy as his own despite his wealthy parent's objections. Daisy learned to mend clothes when she was young and refit valves when she was old enough to lift a wrench. Her mother's lungs began to fail when Daisy was 10, like so many others forced to breathe the smog of the refineries, and the money her father sent when he was able didn't cover their expenses so Daisy went to work to cover the gap. She learned to use the complex pulley system that mechanics in Slick used to traverse the upper levels of the refinery buildings, instilling in her the value of mobility and a solid sense of distance and dimension. In time she became just one of the faces on the line. She drank with the Workers when their shifts ended, made friends with roughnecks and firebrands, got tatted up to show her commitment. As much as she enjoyed working in Slick it was obvious that there was no future in it. She would end up broken, drunk or dead like everyone else who labored in the soot and stink of the city. Her mother was only getting sicker and the money from wrenching was barely keeping them afloat. Her father's offer to find a place for her in the Azerkan army came at exactly the right time. It was supposed to be a chance to do good and see the realm. She joined up without hesitation, spending months in a training academy learning to shoot and follow orders only to wind up back in Slick when it was done. A half-orc in the army, while as accepted as anywhere in the nation, still has a lot of hurdles to overcome and time after time she was denied transfer to more exciting locales. Her technical skills were without peer and bought her a fair amount of leeway when she slipped and asked too many questions or came back from patrol with an empty bandoleer, but after years of it the tarnish began to show. A few border skirmishes with the Empire and a Worker's strike began to widen the cracks in her facade. She was a whirlwind in combat, a tempest of gunfire and gusto. It was her belief that being mobile made her difficult to pin down and her improvements to the military issue pack only improved that. While effective, such style doesn't mesh well with the rigid nature of military command. Then, when faced with confronting her friends in the Party she began to balk at her orders, and when the squad moved to disperse the strikers with violence she lost her head and punched her commanding officer, earning a week in the stockade. It would have been court marshal without her father's intervention, and a compromise was found. Send her away, to the frontier, where her conflicting loyalties and boiling temperament would be less of a concern. Her last talk with her father impressed on her the importance of this opportunity, a true last chance to find her place in the structure of military service. She needs the money to send back to her mother and the work is more exciting that purging petrol lines so she's committed to doing things right this time. Even odds on how long that will last.

 

The Crunchy Center Here a breakdown of how I see this being built. Drawback Unlearned. Daisy learned by doing in her technical training and never received a formal education, leaving her knowledge on many topics lacking. Feats [DB] Soot Stained. Daisy grew up in Slick. [L1] Sacrificed to take Technician class. [L3] Precise Shot and Agile Maneuvers. This will allow her to function with a melee heavy party. [L5] Improved Drag, Disarm, Trip. This will compliment her Hook and Pulley gadget and allow some crowd control. Spheres and Talents Trap Sphere Given by Technician class, allows low damage traps for planned combats. Razor Wire Talent (Trap) Given by Mechanic Martial Tradition, adds scaling damage to snare traps. Enhanced Reload (Equip) Given by Mechanic Martial Tradition, functions like Rapid Reload. Firearms Proficiency (Equip) Given by Mechanic Martial Tradition. Mechanical Savant (Equip) Selected L2, adds 1/2 BAB to xbow and firearm damage. This will let her keep pace without the Gunslinger's coveted Dex to Damage. Heightened Awareness (Scout) Given by Technician class, adds passive checks for traps as per the rogue talent. Barrage Sphere Given by Mechanic Martial Tradition, functions as Rapid Shot and Point Blank Shot. Spinning Shot (Barrage) Selected L3, additional attack allowed if all shots target different enemies. Mobile Focus (Barrage) Selected L4, allows regaining martial focus when moving during combat. Inventions Improved Firearm (Pinpoint Revolver) - Improved Rifling for extra range. Improved Backpack - Aided Flight to represent the grapple system she uses to improve her mobility. Ultimately, I hope this will lead to a capable mobile ranged combatant with mechanical aptitude and utility options for both combat and non-combat situations.

[Avner]

Originally Posted by CatCanCook

We have PopCultureBard as well expressing interest.

I will set a due date for voting in a candidate at today +7 -- so midnight (Pacific time) on Feb 26.

@Avner -- are you going with a straight Paizo gunslinger, or add an archetype, or build using Spheres of Might (example)?

Can you indicate Drawbacks, Traits, and anything special about the character (e.g. target feat progression, etc.)

So I'm thinking I am leaning toward the Pistolero but if there was a reason to be more diverse would have no problem running with the classic Paizo version. I added the Drawbacks, Traits and a feat projection for the character.

Let me know if you need anything else.

[CatCanCook]

Thanks @Avner and @PopCultureBard,

The candidates look good.

I'll be stalling a number of days in which other characters may show up and compete.

[CatCanCook]

Three days and we will vote in a new player.

We are close to starting a new chapter in-game. Two side stories just wrapped up (a dragon slaying, a purging of a castle's vermin). And one big end-of-chapter battle is occurring.

After the chapter's end is an interlude where time advances, characters develop their backstory plots and careers, and then we move into Chapter Three.

[CatCanCook]

The voting was close with both candidates having received multiple vote.

But the win goes to Avner with Mad Dog Zlog Highwater, and 83.3% precincts reporting.

PopCultureBard -- thank you for your application. I and the players appreciated your application ... but I'm keeping the cap at six.

---

Avner -- Please post your character to the active player's folder, here:
https://www.rpgcrossing.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18384

Note: you chose two religion traits: Defensive Strategist, Second Chance - you should just have one religion trait upon character construction, so can you swap one out.

Please complete a character build, and finish out the rest of your build. Start with 10,500 gp for 5th level, plus you have a +2 belt of incredible dexterity. The belt is unfortunately cursed: if ever you kill someone (*), their blood is visible on your hands (or gloves, whatever) for 24 hours. (Only triggers for sentient living beings who have blood.) You've been told removing the curse will remove the magic ... and so you've kept the cursed belt finding it more useful than not. (Resale value 1000gp.)

Please say hello to the other players here: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthre...30#post9068230

There has been a big end-of-chapter battle going on here:
https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?t=202616
You may show up a bystander hearing the gunfire and tumult, once your build is finished.