[Pathfinder] Reclaiming the Stolen Lands (Kingmaker AP, no longer recruiting)

[Xunthrae]

I'll be making a Witch, probably, or maybe a Shaman...  Both i think could be fun. I'll start working on a sheet and backstory and it will be up, at the latest, by the 2nd.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

Oh shit, it's happening. Count me in

[Bibliophilia]

Jazzy Feldspar
Gnome Druid (Feyspeaker) 1 CN
HP 10 / 10 Speed 20 ft Init 2
AC 18 Fort 4 Ref 2 Will 3
CMB -2 BAB 0
Spear 0 (1d6-1, x3)
Spear +3 (1d6-1, x3)
Str 8 (-1) Dex 14 (2) Con 14 (2) Wis 13 (1) Int 14 (2) Cha 18 (4)

Description:  Jazzy's not very big, but what she lacks in size, she makes up for in sass.  Standing only 3'3" and weighing 32 pounds, she's a slender, diminutive woman with a face full of eyes that glow like molten lava, a pert nose that was made for crinkling in disgust, annoyance or exasperation, and a generous mouth with full lips that seem to fall naturally into a smirk, whether their owner is conscious of it or not.  Her caramel-colored skin is supple and velvety, scarred in a few places where brambles or, possibly blades, have pierced the skin and left behind pale reminders of their passage.  Her thick, wild hair fades from a dark brown at the roots to nearly blond at the ends and is arranged in loose dreadlocks decorated with bits of colorful string, dried flowers, wooden beads and carved bone stained all shades with flowers and insect shells.  She wears neatly maintained lamellar armor beneath looser, natural fibers woven from plants and dyed with more flowers and carapaces, though she tends toward more earthy tones in her clothing, allowing her to better blend in when in natural surroundings.  She rides on the back of a giant frog who is easily four times her size and not terribly bright, judging by the look in his huge, black eyes.

Background:  Jazzy was born in the boonies at the edge of Brevoy's Gonzi forest, near the swamp marshes between the forest and the Icerime Peaks.  Her tribe was deeply shamanistic and insular, only interacting with other races when members stumbled upon the remote area of the forest that her tribe had unofficially claimed for their own.  For those rare few, the experience was lost to them, and they were typically found wandering nude at the edge of the woods, missing their gear and any gold they might have been carrying.  They never knew what had happened to them, or why their backsides were painted with flowers, their genitals festooned with vibrant powders or their hair arranged in wild designs with berries, twigs and petals throughout.  Of course, the assumption was that they'd been beset by mischievous fey, which wasn't far off the truth.

When Jazzy was around twenty, still smack in the midst of gnome puberty, she came across a large frog while wandering through the swampy marshes looking for tasty edible plants.  The baby giant frog, already half the size of the gnome, started following her and refused to be left behind, even as the budding druid headed back toward home.  Accepting her fate as the new owner of a slippery omnivore with an endless appetite, Jazzy named her friend Runt and made sure her first lesson was teaching him that gnomes, of any size, were not food.  Some of the others in the tribe were dubious at first, especially the parents with babies and small children, but eventually Runt became like their mascot.

When she was thirty-two, Jazzy decided it was high time for her to leave her tribe and go exploring the world on the back of Runt.  She packed for her trip, bid her family a fond farewell, and rode her frog west along the East Sellen River toward Lake Reykal.  She found her way to New Stetvan, the first city she had ever experienced in her life, and it didn't take long for her to realize that she wasn't terribly fond of cities.  First, she was forced to leave Runt outside the walls, and the place smelled odd, there were so many big people that she feared being trampled and, in general, everyone seemed quite grumpy and in a rush.  No one seemed to appreciate her efforts to cheer them up with amusing bits of magic thrown up in the town square, or the whole night she spent getting just the right color of vibrant pink to dye the water in the town fountain.

After only a couple of weeks, she left town and returned to the forest, making it her mission to 'patrol' the roads, byways and trails that led from civilization to the wilderness.  She took up the mantle of protector of the wild and its creatures, and proudly accosted travelers, hunters and anyone else who had the misfortune of crossing her path, divesting them of their gold and any other old thing that caught her interest.  They were often left with some manner of silly ornamentation, such as living beetles tied in their hair, or masses of flowers spilling from their undergarments.  Jazzy had left her tribe behind, but their ways had remained very much with her.  Unfortunately, the life of a brigand is beset by the interference of humorless lawful sorts who refuse to see the service that one hard-working gnome was providing.  So, when the local constabulary came poking round the woods for the gnome with the giant frog, Jazzy decided that it was probably time to move on.

She's traveled on, in search of a new adventure, something entirely different and exciting that just happens to get her far from the area where there might be a price on her head.

[NinjaWeazel]

pitching my hat in here like I did elsewhere.

[Wargtass]

Is there any room in the campaign for personal quests? Say... finding and befriending a griffon to the point where you can mount it? I just came across the Monstrous Mount feat in my research and c'mon, griffon knight? How could I not dream of that? As I understand it I could use the Leadership feat at around level 8 or 9 to just kinda get it as a "cohort" but that's just cheesy as all hell.

[HopeFox]

Okay, here's what I've got!

Questions: Is the Fey Magic racial trait okay? It's apparently from Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Wild, but it's not mentioned on the official PRD, just the SRD. I can definitely do without it, but it does add an interesting dimension to the character.

The Pioneer trait gives me a horse. Light or heavy? Riding or war?

What is the general terrain the Tiger Lords live in? Am I picturing them correctly as plains-dwelling horse nomads?


Sophia Peace-Bond

Background and description

Sophia had always been something of an oddity among the Tiger Lords. From a young age, she was blessed with otherworldly beauty, a hauntingly lovely voice, and an almost infinite well of patience in her dealings with other children. It was clear that she had inherited none of these traits from her mother Irene, who was as rough and short-tempered as any of her fellow tribesmen. When she began to show the first glimmers of magical power, it was said that Irene had copulated with a satyr or some other fey creature, or even given her body to a demon. Irene never tried to deny any of these rumours, nor did she speak of Sophia's father, even to her. She always said that a woman's strength was her own, not her father's, and that Sophia would find her place in the world through her own accomplishments.

And Sophia did find her place in the world. She grew up with the other youngsters of the tribe, and learned to fight, to hunt, to forage and to ride with the best of them. She learned her tribe's violent and brutal ways, and while she never actually rejected them, hers was always one of the voices calling for restraint and compassion in the tribe's dealings with outsiders, and among their own number. She struggled to earn and keep the respect of the other children, and found that a calm word one day, and an angry challenge the next, could give her what she wanted.

When Sophia was twelve, a small group of tribesmen split away from the main body of the tribe, to seek better hunting deeper in the Stolen Lands. They wanted to pursue a more peaceful path, without the infighting and constant warfare the others embraced, and to follow the simple teachings of the god Erastil rather than the tribe's more violent deities. Sophia went with them, feeling that their path was hers as well. Indeed, she found that her true calling was to act as an intermediary between this splinter group and the main tribe, ensuring that they never became enemies and that their common roots were always remembered.

At sixteen, Sophia is a woman, with full adult rights in the Tiger Lords. She is called "Peace-Bond" for her work in keeping the disparate factions of the tribe united. Some who do not value her work call her less flattering names, like "Coward-Lamb" and "Goat-Child", but for the most part she is accorded the respect due her age and status. She rides with the tribe, fighting monsters and hostile raiders, but spreading her message of peace where she can.

Now she has been called by the Swordlords of Rostov to tame the Greenbelt. She has mixed feelings about this, of course, since the Tiger Lords are one of the peoples that the Swordlords would deem it necessary to pacify. But the Stolen Lands are a big place, and she feels that there will always be room for the Tiger Lords. And there are much more powerful and violent forces in the Stolen Lands than her people, and maybe an organised effort to tame them would benefit everyone.

Sophia is a beautiful woman, with what would be fine, luxurious brown hair and smooth, pale skin if she had grown up in another place. But she is a Tiger Lord. Her hair is typically matted with dirt or blood, and her body is covered with tribal tattoos and scars from numerous fights. She dresses for the environment, covering up in thick furs in the winter and stripping down to the bare essentials in summer, and she always wears a few trophies from monsters she has slain.

[Wargtass]

Another crucial question popped up as I was coming down to choosing a Cavalier Order. Order of the Lion is pretty damn good, like ridiculously good for the group. Add the Banner bonus to the Order abilities and you are basically Theoden screaming DEATH to your party. But the edict of the order is a bit of a paradox in Kingmaker:

The cavalier must protect the life and lands of his sovereign at all costs. He must obey the commands of his sovereign without question. He must strive to expand the power and prestige of his realm.

Sooo who would the sovereign be at start? The King-Regent of Brevoy? The head of a noble house? That's kind of problematic if we are cutting out a piece of the map for ourselves. Whoever takes up the leading role of the party? Sure, once we are established but what if by some cruel twist of faith my Cavalier becomes the leader?

Basically, with all the above mentioned possibilities is it possible to be of the Order of the Lion without imploding in this campaign or should I settle with the Order of the Sword instead?

Edit: and as HopeFox asked above, what kind of horse would/could my mount be?

[Zaer Darkwail]

I myself would rule Order of the Lion cavalier likely simply establish a honorable lawful (or even LG) outpost where civilization prospers and feel responsible people under their care (if become leader but they could easily follow someone more charismatic/leader alike). But up to GM.

Also place marker for future once I brainstorm bit for a idea for char.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

I'm thinking Bard

[Chulanowa]

Okay, here's what I've got!

Questions: Is the Fey Magic racial trait okay? It's apparently from Pathfinder Player Companion: Heroes of the Wild, but it's not mentioned on the official PRD, just the SRD. I can definitely do without it, but it does add an interesting dimension to the character.

The Pioneer trait gives me a horse. Light or heavy? Riding or war?

What is the general terrain the Tiger Lords live in? Am I picturing them correctly as plains-dwelling horse nomads?

1) Yes, Fey Magic is allowed. Like I said, if it's published by Paizo, it's in (Well, for the most part, no mythic, for example  )
2) Given the nature of the trait, I would say it's just a riding horse. I would also say it can be any "variety" of horse - a pony, light horse, heavy horse, donkey, mule, etc
3) Well, as they're most numerous in Southeastern Numeria, I would say "Plains-dwelling" is pretty apt.

Another crucial question popped up as I was coming down to choosing a Cavalier Order. Order of the Lion is pretty damn good, like ridiculously good for the group. Add the Banner bonus to the Order abilities and you are basically Theoden screaming DEATH to your party. But the edict of the order is a bit of a paradox in Kingmaker:

Sooo who would the sovereign be at start? The King-Regent of Brevoy? The head of a noble house? That's kind of problematic if we are cutting out a piece of the map for ourselves. Whoever takes up the leading role of the party? Sure, once we are established but what if by some cruel twist of faith my Cavalier becomes the leader?

Basically, with all the above mentioned possibilities is it possible to be of the Order of the Lion without imploding in this campaign or should I settle with the Order of the Sword instead?

Edit: and as HopeFox asked above, what kind of horse would/could my mount be?

At the start of the campaign? Yeah, the Regent or head of a noble house would make most sense. Possibly also some important dudes in the sub-nations of Issia / Rostland? You can change your allegiance later on, though it will of course have ramifications. 

The Mount class feature lets you have any sort of horse (or camel...) with the benefits and progression of a druid companion. In your case, it can start war-trained (in fact it doesn't make sense for it to not be, on a cavalier.) Also a unique possibility for Cavaliers in Breboy / River Kingdoms is a riding elk. 

Is that ok, Chul? How does it look?

It looks like a magus. 

Is there any room in the campaign for personal quests? Say... finding and befriending a griffon to the point where you can mount it? I just came across the Monstrous Mount feat in my research and c'mon, griffon knight? How could I not dream of that? As I understand it I could use the Leadership feat at around level 8 or 9 to just kinda get it as a "cohort" but that's just cheesy as all hell.

Very definitely. Kingmaker is a very sandbvoxy game - there's a central plot, but overall the game is player-paced. If you want to find a griffin, I'm sure there's one somewhere you can quest for.

[Wargtass]

Thanks for the answers! I would stab my own eyes out before riding an elk though, because then at least I would be in control of when and how it happens. 

I'll be done with the cavalier shortly. Until then, here's my central concepts for him:

Human Courtly Knight Archetype Cavalier of the Order of the Lion - Sure teamwork feats are good and all but the social boons from CK not only seem to fit this campaign but also the setting of the Brevoy nobility. As such I have put his second best ability score as CHA to work into his background and the boons from Order of Lion.

Traits
Noble Born of Medvyed - seeing as we got two seemingly fey-centered characters in the group, why not have a third who is tangentially connected?
Blood of Dragons - The OP mentioned something about dragon themes being more than welcome and it didn't seem all too over powered.
Rich Parents - Hey, I'm a noble son of Medvyed. Also I was thinking about buying a wagon and stuff for the group in case someone wants to volunteer to drive it until such time as not needed anymore.

So a young suave but somewhat brat-ish noble born knight from East Brevoy looking for adventure and promised glory in the new lands.



ALSO, a tangent; I was excited as all hell for the Drake Rider Archetype from Legacy of Dragons. I mean sure, you can't ride the little things until like lvl 13 and from what I read on the paizo forums it is kind of underwhelming in comparison to even horses at that level, but shit you can ride a horse like other mortals until then. I really fell in love with the notion of rearing a faithful almost-dragon from birth to adulthood, like imagine having that lil shit sitting on your shoulder while you knight around and stuff and then it slowly outgrowing you like a cute BABY. 

BUT you pretty much lose ALL special abilities from the Cavalier class! The drake replaces mount, tactician, expert trainer, banner, greater tactician, greater banner, and master tactician and alters the cavalier’s charge into the ground. It's the most broken thing ever! This archetype would have been of no discernible quality in a campaign like this, but man, the next time I play some other type of campaign I'll pester the GM for it. I want to raise a scaly baby dammit. 

[Bibliophilia]

This is Runt.  He is a 6', 200 pound frog upon which my 3'3, 32 pound gnome will be riding like the princess she is!

[Wargtass]

I will live my reptilian riding dreams through Jazzy and Runt then. 

And before anyone suggests Beast Rider Archetype; no! I don't want to ride a dinosaur or mammoth, what the heck? 8V

[Zaer Darkwail]

Chulanowa, how sounds this concept;

Male human crossblooded sorcerer (impervious/draconic; red) with following traits; Bastard (campaign), Arcane Temper (magic), Imposing Scion (social, basically +2 intimidate bonus vs humans/dragons and otherwise +1)

Short story: My char was born as mere farmer, more specifically wine farmer (he has heart of fields racial trait), his family raised grapes and brewed top quality wine (so background skills between farmer and brewer). His life had been normal most part, happy and such, until on age 15 tragedy struck; the farm and the vineyards burned down. All and everything burned down in middle of the night, all around the char who remained unscatched by the flames. He saw he could control and conjure fire and so immediately blame of deaths of his parents and siblings came crashing down on him....but he saw visions from flames which depicted tales of Choral the Conqueror and in end depict the ancient emblem of House of Rogarvia; double headed dragon.

The visions drove my char mad and delusioned sort, he laughed manically and believed he was destined for that event and it mean he was heir of House of Rogarvia! Locally it's thought that the tragedy losing his family broke his mind, until someone made him angry and he spontaneously conjured fire to scorch the 'speaker' and thus knowing house had burned down and him showing fire magic drew conclusion he had may been responsible for murder of his parents....even if accidentally. Thus with his magic he was considered dangerous and locals attempted first kindly, then unfriendly and then finally hostile manner drive him off from the village. Not before he had ranted plenty of times being heir of Rogarvia so it had reached ears of some henchmen of the other noble houses and 'passed the news' so to speak.

Once he was driven from village and he attempted seek sanctum from a noble with grounds being one himself, he was harshly teached lesson on about mouthing off being noble while nothing was proven to be contratory to surface fact; that he is farmer's son who manifested sorcerous powers and had probably burned his family and farm down. So bruised grimly my char set out towards Greenbelt with intent to conquer it and prove his bloodline being true.

If he succeeds, it matters not is it true or not, he would work hard to become noble and ruler of new kingdom and that in itself is some worth of respect.

[Chulanowa]

Chulanowa, how sounds this concept;

Male human crossblooded sorcerer (impervious/draconic; red) with following traits; Bastard (campaign), Arcane Temper (magic), Imposing Scion (social, basically +2 intimidate bonus vs humans/dragons and otherwise +1)

Imposing Scion's +2 Intimidate would only apply versus red dragons. Imperious is limited to human sorcerers, but isn't specifically "Bloodline: Human," and in the case of Draconic bloodline you are specifying a species of dragon.

Short story: My char was born as mere farmer, more specifically wine farmer (he has heart of fields racial trait), his family raised grapes and brewed top quality wine (so background skills between farmer and brewer). His life had been normal most part, happy and such, until on age 15 tragedy struck; the farm and the vineyards burned down. All and everything burned down in middle of the night, all around the char who remained unscatched by the flames. He saw he could control and conjure fire and so immediately blame of deaths of his parents and siblings came crashing down on him....but he saw visions from flames which depicted tales of Choral the Conqueror and in end depict the ancient emblem of House of Rogarvia; double headed dragon.

The visions drove my char mad and delusioned sort, he laughed manically and believed he was destined for that event and it mean he was heir of House of Rogarvia! Locally it's thought that the tragedy losing his family broke his mind, until someone made him angry and he spontaneously conjured fire to scorch the 'speaker' and thus knowing house had burned down and him showing fire magic drew conclusion he had may been responsible for murder of his parents....even if accidentally. Thus with his magic he was considered dangerous and locals attempted first kindly, then unfriendly and then finally hostile manner drive him off from the village. Not before he had ranted plenty of times being heir of Rogarvia so it had reached ears of some henchmen of the other noble houses and 'passed the news' so to speak.

Once he was driven from village and he attempted seek sanctum from a noble with grounds being one himself, he was harshly teached lesson on about mouthing off being noble while nothing was proven to be contratory to surface fact; that he is farmer's son who manifested sorcerous powers and had probably burned his family and farm down. So bruised grimly my char set out towards Greenbelt with intent to conquer it and prove his bloodline being true.

If he succeeds, it matters not is it true or not, he would work hard to become noble and ruler of new kingdom and that in itself is some worth of respect.

So he's a nutty fire sorcerer, gotcha 

[Zaer Darkwail]

Ah, that case I swap social trait to Bastard (social) so he has sense motive (as he gets most other social skills with class + impervious bloodline first level power). I may get additional traits as first level feat so other traits may come up (or not). Anyways concept is indeed bit nutty fire sorcerer who has grand (sort delusional) ideas of his heritage. Ofc GM can plot and decide is it true or false his heritage (and what exactly happened in the farm; did he burn it while sleeping, someone set fire or even red dragon in dead of night coming try torch place down but he survived because his heritage protecting him as twist of fate).

[Wargtass]

Alright, so here is the character cheet at least. As said, got a ton of money over so if there are stuff that the group wants to invest in (that are reasonable within the context of the venture, I'm not buying everyone armors) we could do some extra shopping before beginning. If I am accepted that is. 

Wladyzlaw Medvyed
Male Lawful Good Human Cavalier 1 (Courtly Knight Archetype)
Level 1, Init 1, HP 12/12, Speed 30/20
AC 20, Touch 11, Flat-footed 19, CMD 16
Fort 4, Ref 1, Will -1, CMB +5, Base Attack Bonus 1

Went with a Eastern Europe style name because Brevoy seems like a pretty 16th century Polish Commonwealth kind of place. Working on the background and all other yummy stuff now, so you'll soon know the name Wladyzlaw Medvyed. 

[Chulanowa]

makes a note for all the kobolds to shout "MIKE WAZOWSKI" as they flee in terror

[Bibliophilia]

-dies.-  YESSSSSS!  This must happen!

[Silver Phoenix]

EDRIL MEDVYED
NG Half-elf (Swashbuckler 1)

Persona: Edril has two chief preoccupations in life - becoming an aldori swordlord with fame enough to rival Baron Aldori himself, and making a home for the many half-breeds and outcasts that come this far north to escape discrimination or persecution in their former homelands.  Every action or decision he makes, generally revolves around these two ambitions in some manner or other.  Generally calm and patient when dealing with problems, Edril prefers to show people that he is willing to listen and work with them, though often, he has to curb his wishes to resort to quick duel as is his inclination as a swordsman.  Cold and stately when dealing with things in 'official' capacity, he's significantly more relaxed and easy-going at other times.

Background: Edril was born to a noblewoman in the Medvyed family, though illigetimately.  Edril has never actually met his father, but given as his mother is human, his father was most likely another half-elf or a full-blooded one; the latter is more likely, give how strong Edril's elven features are.  Despite prejudices, his mother actually doted on him rather than sending him as a source of shame, though he grew up in the isolation of the manorial grounds.  Spending quite a bit of his time in the library, Edril grew up much many of the facets that surrounded local life, though none more influential the swordlords of the region - in the story of Baron Aldori, he saw a story of fame and respect, despite great shame that preceded it - and chose to make that ideal his goal.

Edril's efforts were largely self-trained, until tutors were brought in to help him hone his talent, and although he learned much, he had already developed a flashy, instinctive manner of swordplay rather than the rigorously drilled methods of his instructors.  It was during those formative years, that Edril was permitted to leave the manor and came to see the various plights and hardships of those like him, which made him feel ashamed of the sheltered life he had been leading.  To him, the nobility were only taking care of their own and didn't have the responsibility to protect those who really needed it - as such, they needed a protector.

Whilst Edril has learnt hard lessons since those naive ambitions, he still holds that responsibility to heart and has been willing to learn from those lessons, leading him to prefer to lead by example.  He has done his best to create a safe community for the people he cares about, though they are naturally in competition with the longtime inhabitants of the land.  The chance to explore the Greenbelt and, perhaps, win lands has had him leaping for the chance that he suspects will only come once in his life.

[Wargtass]

makes a note for all the kobolds to shout "MIKE WAZOWSKI" as they flee in terror

As long as they don't poke out one of my eyes... ( o )

Also, I see Wlady might have a bastard cus... <u<

[Silver Phoenix]

Also, I see Wlady might have a bastard cus... <u<

Lol, it's only now after the post that I noticed the surname has already been used.  Picked them as I figured the were the more sympathetic family to the fey and similar beings (and hence the noblewoman's dalliance with an elf )

[HopeFox]

1) Yes, Fey Magic is allowed. Like I said, if it's published by Paizo, it's in (Well, for the most part, no mythic, for example  )
2) Given the nature of the trait, I would say it's just a riding horse. I would also say it can be any "variety" of horse - a pony, light horse, heavy horse, donkey, mule, etc
3) Well, as they're most numerous in Southeastern Numeria, I would say "Plains-dwelling" is pretty apt.

Sounds good! I wasn't planning to make mounted combat a part of Sophia's tactics - the horse is what gets you to battle, then you dismount and start cleaving.

There wasn't much on the Tiger Lords themselves that I could find online, but the broader Kellid people have a good article here. It's a pretty good confirmation of most of my assumptions - they're roughly analogous to people like the Ughyur. Apparently they have their own language, Hallit. Do I need to spend a skill point to be able to speak both Common and Hallit?

This is Runt.  He is a 6', 200 pound frog upon which my 3'3, 32 pound gnome will be riding like the princess she is![/center]

Runt looks fantastic! As does Jazzy herself. A druid is always good to have around.

[Chulanowa]

Apparently they have their own language, Hallit. Do I need to spend a skill point to be able to speak both Common and Hallit?

Nope! you can start with your ethnic language free, alongside common.

This goes for human-descended races like all these half-elves too; You can start with the language of the humans that raised you (if, indeed, humans raised you)

In the region, Hallit (Kellid), Skald (Ulfen) and Varisian (duh) are the most common languages alongside Taldane ("Common")

[Bibliophilia]

I've never played a druid before, but building Jazzy was fun as hell.  -grins.-