[PF-1e] Outside the Light

[dr kekyll]

i'm looking at throwing an unchained rogue (eldritch scoundrel) into the mix.

[Cristal08Darkmoon]

Thanks. I have 2 or 3 ideas I'm toying with. Will try to decide soon.

[Panthas]

So just what level of technology are we talking here? I know you stated they have electricity, but how far are you going with the Solarpunk, how scifi-ish is this, how developed and advanced?

[Cristal08Darkmoon]

Name: Kuro
Race: Tengu
Gender Identity: Female
Class: Spiritualist
Archetype: Phantom Blade
Traits: Light Sleeper & Elven ReflexesAdopted
Alignment: Neutral Good
Description: A small left aligned image of less than 300 px across is fine, but a written description is required. This game is technically Solar punk and Anime inspired, so those are good places to start looking for images.

Note: One of the following elements should be presented as a writing sample through your character's eyes. Each section should be a paragraph or two long.

Early Life in a Utopia: Write about your character's parents and their tasks. Was there anything that happened in your character's childhood that impacted them and perhaps steeled their nerves or made them realize that their city is worth protecting. Did you see the Shadows take down a beast that slipped through the wall? Did another member of your family disappear into the Shadows? Did a member of your family get sick and become someone outside the light, a burden on the city, and now you feel like you owe it to the city to make up for their lack of productivity? Anything works really, you are just looking for an underlying motivation for your character to accept their appointment into the Shadows.

Life Before Shadow: What did your character do before being recruited? Who did they say good bye to knowing they would never return?

Life in Shadow: What did your character learn? Who did they make friends with? Did everyone that they started with make it through the training or did some drop along the way? You do not have to use other applicants in this section you can make up NPCs.

[Pendragon]

@Panthas - That is hard to put into words. They aren't at the level removed from technology as a common place thing to think of it like it is magic, as you might have heard from settings like Numenera. They aren't using computer systems or mobile devices. Screens aren't really a thing, entertainment is live, but there is electric lighting, trains, and other infrastructure. PA systems are a thing, and they can be used to announce a two party call on a phone like system, but it is available to anyone that has a receiver and is typically reserved for emergency communication, and people generally do not snoop on the line if it isn't for them. Think a solar powered 1950's with trains instead of cars and no TVs or telephones. Typewriters would be a thing, so would toasters, etc etc...

[Muggins]

Well gosh, I'm glad that in the grimdark Solarpunk future, we've still got toasters! Wouldn't be able to live without them.

Will you be reviewing any applications before the due date, Pendragon? No fuss if not, but I've seen a few people ask by now and I'm a little curious myself.

[Arjuna332]

My character, Kataria Lauregnory is complete! I'll be making her character sheet next!

[ricktur63]

Application Name: Emsala Race: Hobgoblin Gender Identity: Female Class: Druid Archetype: Goliath Druid (strength domain or dinosaur companion) Traits: Silent Hunter (regional), Keen Ear (Social) Alignment: Chaotic Good Description: This greenskin woman is short and stout, built like a dwarf with slightly longer arms. Emsala wears a number of various animal skins, be it leather or fur but she also carries a longbow and definitely not an axescimitar. She has no hair on her head but she wears a hat made from the remains of a wolf's head. Her eyes and ears are overly large like those of a goblin reveling at least a hint of her hobgoblin heritage. Her eyes burn with an orange hue and they miss very little of that which transpires within in her gaze. The woman is larger than life, everyone takes notice of Emsala. There are many varying rumors pertaining to her being the spawn of a giant or perhaps a dragon. She had always felt a deep connection with the natural world or possibly even a spirit of nature. The training that she'd had over the last year had taught her many things. The most important of which was how to tap into that existing connection and exploit it to her own benefit. Some people see her persona as arrogant and boastful but whether they like her or hate her they still take notice. Early Life in a Utopia: Early life was sanguine for young Emsala, it was about as close to paradise as one could imagine. Her mother and father were both about as loving and caring as any could be. When she was old enough young Emsala went to school and quickly fell in love with learning. Her papa Hagla and mama Nisa provided for their family working at a food stall near the center of the business district of the city. Emsala had two twin siblings Kurat and Kurmu and they were several years younger. It was the year before Emsala's final year of school when her papa Hagla grew suddenly ill. Emsala had to stay home from school to look after her papa while mama Nisa tried to do the work of both her and her husband. Healers were called in to see about her papa but nothing could be done for him. They all said that it was not something that they were able to cure. After about a month of seeing different healers her papa was declared outside the light. Emsala knew that it was coming but she had held out hope that there would be one healer come that would have a different diagnosis. Write about your character's parents and their tasks. Was there anything that happened in your character's childhood that impacted them and perhaps steeled their nerves or made them realize that their city is worth protecting. Did you see the Shadows take down a beast that slipped through the wall? Did another member of your family disappear into the Shadows? Did a member of your family get sick and become someone outside the light, a burden on the city, and now you feel like you owe it to the city to make up for their lack of productivity? Anything works really, you are just looking for an underlying motivation for your character to accept their appointment into the Shadows. Life Before Shadow: What did your character do before being recruited? Who did they say good bye to knowing they would never return? Life in Shadow: What did your character learn? Who did they make friends with? Did everyone that they started with make it through the training or did some drop along the way? You do not have to use other applicants in this section you can make up NPCs. OOC: This is under construction at the moment.

[Maghnuis]

What is weapon and armor tech like?

Are there magic items available to the party?

[ricktur63]

Are you using Background skills? Any limit on magical items? Are there any dinosaurs still around for an animal companion?

[Fyre2387]

Jix Harla Name: Jix Harla Race: Gnome Gender Identity: Female, she/her Class: Mesmerist Traits: Trickster, Excitable Alignment: Chaotic Good Description: Jix has a tall, slender build, at least by gnome standards. She colors her hair in outrageous hues that she frequently changes, although it’s most likely in the blue-purple range. The style and coloring of her preferred clothing is similarly extravagant, and often coordinated with her hair. As an actress, though, she’s also always willing and able to adapt her appearance for a role she’s playing, a skillset she hopes will carry over to her new life. Early Life in a Utopia Jix’s parents, Janx and Yun Harla, both work on farms near the edge of Oroka. As a child, Jix was never allowed to visit their workplace on the outskirts, but she never showed much interest in the fine art of farming, anyway. Indeed, the only time their stories caught the young girl’s fancy was when they told her about some rare glimpse beyond the walls or shared stories of some beast making it and being suppressed by Shadows. She never saw anything like that in the inner regions where she lived, but the stories inflamed her imagination. Life Before Shadow At adulthood, Jix was chosen not to follow her parents into farming, but to go into theatre as an actor. It wasn’t something she or her family expected, but the wisdom behind it quickly became apparent. She proved to have a rare talent for “selling” a role, putting on a convincing performance no matter what sort of character she portrayed. She quickly became one of Oroka’s most acclaimed performers, and her disappearance into Shadow is sure to be missed within the arts community. Life in Shadow Jix scowled at Madame Devereaux. "I understand that I’ve got these magic powers now, but how is being an actress supposed to help me learn to use them?" The human woman chuckled. "You don’t understand, dear, and the sooner you accept that the better. Our magic isn’t about slinging fireballs or lightning bolts. It’s far more elegant and subtle. We wield power not over the elements, but over the mind. Tell me, what does an actress do?" Jix hesitated, clearly confused. "I….perform. Play a role, a character." "More basic than that. What’s your relationship with the audience?" "I entertain them?" The gnome’s tone made it clear she wasn’t sure this was the answer her instructor was looking for, and indeed it wasn’t. "Why are they entertained, though? Take your last role, that romance story. Were you really in love with your co-star, the halfling fellow?" Jix laughed aloud despite herself. "Jaice? Light, no! He’s an arrogant tool!" Devereaux smiled. "So his reputation says. And yet to the audience, the two of you seemed as much in love as any two people could be. How is that? How is that you sell a performance, even when the audience knows it’s not real?" Realization seemed to be slowly dawning on the young woman’s face. "That’s what acting is about. You connect with the audience, remind them of things they’ve felt themselves. You do it right, they convince themselves it’s real." "Exactly! Your powers as a mesmerist aren’t unlike that at all. All of the things you’ve done before, they all still matter, but you’re adding something new: psychic magic. You’re not merely conveying thought and emotion with words, you’re reaching out with your mind and forcing them upon others. Wield that power with the same aplomb you wield your acting skills with and you’ll have man and beast believing whatever you wish." Jix bit her lip, pensive. Maybe...maybe this new world she found herself in wouldn’t be so different after all.

[Panthas]

Hey Pen,
Is there anything like the First World in this Universe, or the Fae in general? Just perusing different alternate racial traits and the like and wondering if some of them would be offlimits due to their flavor text being linked to the First World.

[Pendragon]

I hope everyone had some happy holidays. I see a long list of questions I need to take a swing at.

@Muggins - Possibly. I might do a review in the week before the deadline, starting on the 7th?

@Maghnuis - Golarion Standard weapons and armor, no plastic or synthetics, electrical insulation is ceramic (pitch is the closest thing to oil and organic oils are used as lubrication in the place of petroleum based ones). Batteries are also not great, chemistry is much more like alchemy at this point, so no electric weapons, though electricity can be weaponized through direct exposure to lines.

The city has a cache of magical items, weapons, and armors, make a wish list and I will see what I can do. Use two columns, key to character effectiveness and wants. Three items in each column, but you won't get them all, they will also revert to ordinary items inside the city. Make sure they are on the same tier as your character level, I'm not giving out the equivalent of a +5 magical weapon in the form of an item.

Alternatively, you can ask for "Enhanced Masterwork" weapons and armors, which grant +1 as though they were magic but are actually just made by master smiths using electric smelting (or some flavor text along those lines). They would retain their bonus inside the city, but would be a step behind outside the city where you would be allowed to request a +2 weapon or armor. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to go beyond the +1 for later in the game because thematically it just wouldn't fit, but as long as you weren't dropping your weapons when you get new ones they will still be handy inside the city.

Long answers for a short couple of question

@ricktur63 - I really didn't see dinosaurs when I thought up this world and I don't see a place for them inside the city, they are big consumers with little upside. I wasn't planning on using background skills, but everyone can have 2 ranks in profession (don't exceed the limit for your character level), you can also take one of those bonus ranks and pick a second profession if you want. If you can work in a way that your experience in your profession from before joining Shadow is relevant to a challenge you can use it instead of the skill that is being challenged. As for your other question, see above.

@Pan - You know me too well. Anything from before is forgotten. If your power is from the first world you would have no idea where it comes from or what fae is. You can take the traits, but don't worry about the flavor text.

[Maghnuis]

How about religion and deities?
I am looking at a Paladin.

Or is the Light the all in one answer?

[ricktur63]

So I'm assuming that means characters don't get the standard WBL to spend as they desire? Do we have a limit on magic items? No haversacks no efficient quivers? No special arrows? I included a link to a sheet that was started for my character concept. I gave her two +1 weapons with a +1 bonus ability. I gave her a +2 shield and +1 armor.

I can live without the dinosaur companion, I suppose the Strength Domain or Destruction Domain will work for her.