Coven - The Witches of Amaans [System Game - Pathfinder] [LGBTQ Friendly]

Started by MasterMischief, November 06, 2013, 12:51:22 PM

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MasterMischief



Amaans
Clenched in the teeth of the Hungry Mountains, Amaans careens from the heights of Ulcazar to the hill country of the Ghorcha Passage. A land of seclusion, storms, dense mist, and deadly beauty, Amaans refuses to yield easily to either plow or blade. Something of the mountains’ cold, unrelenting stone pervades every field, tree, and stream, relegating the land’s few settlers to faltering edges and quiet
hollows of the hardwood wilderness. The hearty residents of tiny hamlets and homesteads eke lives from the valleys and forests only at the leave of the land’s grim spirits, and do all they can to avoid the heights’ supposedly unnatural storms or the ghostly servants of the fallen lich to the west.

Amaans served as one of the first battlefields in Ustalav’s ill-fated war against the Whispering Tyrant. After the swift fall of Grodlych and Virholt, the skilled horsemen of Amaans were quick to harass the invading undead and are remembered as heroes—if not for their victories, then for the time their lives bought their people to flee the undying hordes. After the Tyrant’s defeat, Amaans became a land of succor and renewal, as those seeking escape from past horrors found it easy to disappear amid the mountains. It also became the birthplace of the Pharasmin Penitence: In 3833, the word of the healer Kavapesta, called Sister Sorrow, swept from the shores of the lake formerly called Divirmis—
later renamed for the holy woman—extolling suffering and stoicism as weighing in one’s favor during Pharasma’s final judgment. Many Ustalavs embraced the promise of a greater reward after life’s pains, adopting the particularly somber, ceremonious worship style still practiced today.

Although mountains cover most of Amaans, its infamous Hundred Haunted Vales hide diverse ecologies. Dense forests prove most common, yet some valleys hold foggy bogs, expanses of jagged scree, or depthless mountain lakes. Folk legends say that faeries and witches make their homes amid the vales, altering the land to suit their bizarre whims. Such tales also explain the peaks’ frequent storms as these ancient inhabitants’ attempts to drive off trespassers.

The people of Amaans distinguish themselves as either Kavapestans or vale folk. The residents of Kavapesta devotedly worship Pharasma, living austere lives wary of passions and excess joy, fearing that surfeit pleasure might weigh against them when the goddess of death judges their lives, condemning them to afterlives of penitent suffering. The stern people mistrust worshipers of other faiths, artists, and lighthearted visitors, fearing moral pollutions and "the temptations of the quick." Vale folk, too, are looked upon with suspicion. Dozens of tiny hamlets dot the slopes of the highlands of Amaans, where quiet, courteous folk live in islands of relative tranquility amid the mountains. While
those from the lowlands see little distinction between vale folk and the witches of legends, the residents of these sleepy communities merely value their privacy and seek not to offend the myriad nature spirits, fairies, hags, and dragons of their rampant folklore. In such lands, it’s not uncommon for travelers—especially non-humans—to be mistaken for mischievous fey in disguise. To such ends, vale folk
often carry neck pouches of iron dust, old horseshoes, or bent nails to cast at strangers to prove their nature, as local superstitions say that iron burns treacherous spirits and forces them back into their true shapes.
-From Paizo's Rule of Fear


Count Lucinean Galdana

The Count of Amaans is generally liked by his people.  That may be largely because they are blissfully unaware of his fell secrets he hides beneath his charming smile.  Five years ago, while traveling through the PC's village they witnessed a terrible atrocity committed by the Count.  No one would believe the PCs and their vicious slander against the Count earned them banishment from the village.  All the while, the Count remained unaware that his act had been witnessed or even that someone had tried to convince the people of the village of what he had done.  It is five years later and the PCs yearn for revenge.


The Witches of Amaans
This will be a somewhat unorthodox Pathfinder campaign.  First of all, I am not allowing players to pick whatever Class they want.  All PCs will be Witches.  I have always wanted to try a campaign where all the PCs were a single Class.  As I have heard tell, Witches are one of the weaker Classes too.  So I think it will be fun to see what creative minds can do with them.

I do want to give the Players some opportunity for diversity, so for this campaign Witches will get 6 + Int modifier Skill Ranks per Level and may pick 15 Skills to be Class Skills rather than the ones that are Class Skills for Witches.  To encourage Human characters, Humans get 2 instead of 1 bonus Feat.  Characters will start at 3rd Level with Level appropriate starting gold.  I will allow all Paizo material which is on the Pathfinder SRD, but not third party material.  All the PCs' familiars will have traded known Spells, so co-ordinate with one another what Spells everyone knows.

I leave it to the players to decide what atrocity they witnessed the Count perform, however, I retain right to veto for whatever arbitrary reason I decide.  The PCs do not have to all be from the same village.  In fact, I think it would be more interesting if they were not and that they each witnessed a completely different crime.  At the begining of our story, all of the PCs will know one another.

I will allow any alignment, however, I do not believe Lawful Good would work well.  If someone can make it work, then go for it.  Also, I am not interested in a story with someone who is Chaotic Evil acting like a complete ass all the time.  Even Chaotic Evil people have friends.  If you screw over your friends, they will not stay your friends.  I believe the premise for this campaign is very slanted towards evil, so if everyone wants to play [X] Evil that is fine.  I am cool with that.  I am not cool with a story where all the PCs screw each other over.

I am sure there is plenty I am forgetting.  Do not hesitate to ask questions.  I look forward to seeing what people come up with within these confines.  Game on!

EDIT: Ability Scores will use Point Buy - Epic Fantasy - 25 points

Max Hit Points

Ghostwheel

Name: Dina

Background:

Where there is life, there must also be death. For life to grow, the old must wither to make room for the new. In order for Summer to come, Winter must first wreath the land in a blanket of snow. Only after the hardest Winter do people understand how lucky they are, and treasure what is close to them. The hardships of the world forge stronger folk, and allow them to weather even harsher storms. Death and cold are just a part of the cycle as life and warmth are. This is the philosophy of the Winter Witch.

Dina from a young age was different from the other girls. She was a little too cold, a little too distant. She asked too many pointed questions, asked, "Why?" when she should have accepted things, emotionlessly pointed out the flaws in others. All of these garnered her few friends, and early on her parents decided send her to become a Witch, the perfect profession for those who asked too many questions, like Dina.

Taking to her apprenticeship like a fish to water, Dina felt at home for the first time; while she missed her parents, the study of becoming a Witch, of learning when to ask what, and how to ask it engrossed her so fully that she barely thought of them. Years passed by, and finally the day came close when her mentor felt her life coming to a close soon and prepared Dina for the final ceremony before she could take her place; to take her mentor's life.

It was understood that this was the final task upon taking over the duties of a Winter Witch of an area. One had to do what was right, to be calculating, unemotional, to act without remorse and to keep balance and destroy whatever was needed regardless of its sentimental value. That was what it meant to be a Winter Witch, to place the balance and order of nature above yourself, regardless of how you yourself felt. She accepted it with a heavy heart, on one hand sorry to see her mentor go, but on the other understanding and accepting that it needed to happen for life to move on.

The two women spent the week before the ceremony fasting and cleansing themselves of all impurities. They prepared themselves for the ceremony, their familiars watching over them... when the unthinkable came. Witches are often appreciated, but rarely liked, Winter Witches even more than most. Count Lucinean Galdana had heard tales of the witch, and thinking he was "saving" Dina from the wicked crone captured her mentor, staked her, and burned her to stop the "atrocities" that had been committed by the old witch to threaten anyone else. Starved from fasting and weak, neither Dina nor her mentor could do much to stop them, and Dina watched as her mentor died screaming in agony from the tongues of flame that devoured her body.

It's been years since then, and Dina has almost finished preparing. How many more witches who helped villages and other areas had been taken by the Count? How many lives would perish because the witches weren't there to keep balance? It couldn't go on any more. She had prepared as she could best, put her things into order, and prepared to leave the village in order to put a stop to the Count and do what a Winter Witch did best; end the existence of things to maintain balance.

MasterMischief

I believe it is going to be a long, cold Winter in Amaans.   >:)

TheGlyphstone

Does LGBTQ Friendly mean 'LGBTQ only'? Because 'friendly' is unfortunately the only one that applies to me.

Otherwise, this is pretty much the perfect game for me, since A) I've been hankering for a new system game for a while, a B) I've specifically been wanting to play a Witch. Extra-specifically, a Half-Orc Scarred Witch Doctor.

MasterMischief

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on November 06, 2013, 01:09:06 PM
Does LGBTQ Friendly mean 'LGBTQ only'?

No. I just wanted to be explicit that my LGBTQ brothers, sisters and others are welcome here.  I have never seen 'LGBTQ Friendly' as indication of Heterosexual unfriendliness.

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: MasterMischief on November 06, 2013, 01:23:06 PM
No. I just wanted to be explicit that my LGBTQ brothers, sisters and others are welcome here.  I have never seen 'LGBTQ Friendly' as indication of Heterosexual unfriendliness.

Me neither, but it could be read as an indicator, implicit or otherwise, that LGBTQ would be given preference, or that the game would feature extensive LGBTQ-related content in the story. The idea that any game on E needs to be explicitly labeled as LGBTQ-friendly just seemed odd, so I was curious.

Consider me interested, then.

MasterMischief

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on November 06, 2013, 01:27:03 PM
The idea that any game on E needs to be explicitly labeled as LGBTQ-friendly just seemed odd...

I would have thought so too, but I have seen otherwise.

I intend to be respectful of everyone's Offs, however, it is possible they might appear in someone else's scenes.  I am not ruling out hot male Elf on male Elf action here.

TheGlyphstone

Fair enough.

What point buy and/or dice rolls should be used for stat generation? That's the only detail I don't see in the OP.

Dhi

A notice for being LGBTQ friendly is sometimes the difference between playing a character destined to become a spinster and playing a character with the same potential for romance or smut as all the straight characters. Tolerance and inclusion are not the same thing, and the LGBTQ friendly tag lets me know that I can expect to be included. If a game is not thus tagged I will normally not look at it at all, because I have no interest in being the only lesbian in the world.

I can't get into a Pathfinder game, but I wanted to thank you for the tag and wish you luck!

MasterMischief

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on November 06, 2013, 01:37:29 PM
What point buy and/or dice rolls should be used for stat generation? That's the only detail I don't see in the OP.

Ah!  I knew I would miss something.

Point Buy Epic Fantasy 25

Quote from: Dhi on November 06, 2013, 01:40:43 PM
...but I wanted to thank you for the tag and wish you luck!

You are welcome.  Another time, perhaps.

Nico

Yes, the tag is really awesome. ~thumbs up~

I only can second what Dhi said earlier.

MasterMischief

Well damn.  Now I will have to think about a non-Pathfinder game.

mia h

Possibly the wrong place for this discussion but I'm with Glyphstone on the tag seeming odd.
Pro-lifers call themselves pro-life because then anyone who opposes them is by definition anti-life or pro-death depending on how they want to paint them.
So even if it's not a conscious thing by marking the game as being "LGBTQ Friendly" doesn't that imply everyone else is "LGBTQ Unfriendly" ?
If found acting like an idiot, apply Gibbs-slap to reboot system.

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: mia h on November 06, 2013, 02:51:04 PM
Possibly the wrong place for this discussion but I'm with Glyphstone on the tag seeming odd.
Pro-lifers call themselves pro-life because then anyone who opposes them is by definition anti-life or pro-death depending on how they want to paint them.
So even if it's not a conscious thing by marking the game as being "LGBTQ Friendly" doesn't that imply everyone else is "LGBTQ Unfriendly" ?

Dhi put in in better terms for me, actually - so while it's still odd, a rephrase as 'LGBTQ Inclusive' would get the point across better. Though I do regret accidentally creating this entire tangent to begin with.

Dhi

There's a discussion from last year on this subject here, but that's pretty old. If you'd like to make a new thread in the GBLTQA Corner I'm sure it would stimulate some discussion and I'd be happy to discuss it with you there.

MasterMischief

Again, no. If i like you, does that imply I hate everyone else? Does it imply everyone else hates you? Everyone is welcome. And because 'everyone' often does not include LGBTQ, I want to let them know, in this instance, it does.

mia h

I wasn't questioning your motives, but everytime someone creates an 'us' it also creates a 'them'
If found acting like an idiot, apply Gibbs-slap to reboot system.

TheGlyphstone

Again, I'm sorry...MM just wants to run a game and is trying to, in good faith, make it very clear that everyone is welcome and he intends to be certain everyone is included. Can we just leave it at that and drop the whole side issue, before he gets frustrated and abandons the idea entirely?

Anon315

I support pathfinder and am also LGBTQ friendly, being one of those letters myself. Also, I enjoy playing Hedge Witches, the healers of the group.

I don't think that calling the game friendly necessarily means that others are unfriendly, I think it just emphasizes a comfort on the part of the DM, and a desire for a similar comfort level in the part of the players. I.E. "If you're homophobic, this probably isn't the game for you."

This is all I will say on the issue, owing to Glyphstone's desire to drop the issue.

MasterMischief

I did not see anything on the Pathfinder SRD that said Witches are exclusively female. I know in many traditions they were. For thisgame/story, they do not have to be female. Just wanted to make that clear.

Anon315

Witches can be men. And they're still called witches in this setting.

TheGlyphstone

Etymologically, I think the male term was 'warlock', but that refers to an entirely different class that doesn't even exist in PF (yet). So even in those other traditions, males weren't excluded, they just weren't called witches.


TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Anon315 on November 06, 2013, 06:14:28 PM
It does exist, it's just 3rd party material. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/adamant-entertainment/warlock

I wasn't counting 3rd party material, partly because it's not permitted here and partly because if you're allowing 3rd party stuff in the first place, you might as well just port forward the actual 3.5 warlock, which was a solid if somewhat uninspired class. Also partly because 3rd party stuff is very variable in quality...that very Warlock as a good example. :D

Yukina