Interest check - Pathfinder using abandoned characters.

[Blinkin]

I've seen this fairly regularly lately, and I'll admit that I have a few myself... you've put effort and imagination into a character for a Pathfinder game only to have that character abandoned by a game that fizzled. Left to linger in limbo because GM's don't like to see you offer up that character again and again; they don't get that you put a lot of work into it and want to play it... just one more time. Sometimes, you might even be told that you're getting passed over because you have offered that character multiple times and it doesn't feel like you really want to play because you're not creating a dozen characters for every game being offered.

Not to fear, I understand how you feel and because of that, I'm giving serious consideration to doing something that has never been done before here on E... A game made up entirely of abandoned characters!

Now, there are some caveiots involved; There needs to be some balance and I'm going to be a little more picky than usual because I want to avoid the other major reason for fizzles... the player dropout rates.
the game isn't only about your abandoned Pathfinder character... it's about the character playing[/I

The original game concept has been changed in the hope of attracting more interest.

1. The Character being offered must have been played before on E, and I must be able to find it. I'm willing to consider characters rejected for a game, but I'm primarily looking for those characters that we've invested time in playing before the game disappeared out from under it. As an example, I have a 10th level ranger who played for about 5 months, got captured and the game continued on for a couple more weeks before it died. The actual amount of time played isn't important, just that it had seen game time.

2. The character must be, or be able to be adapted to a 25 point buy, and 5th level.

3. starting equipment may not exceed the gold value of that level and no single object may be valued at more than half of the total gold aoffered. I realize that some of these characters may of gotten loot, items and magic during play, but things must remain in some balance for all to be equal.

4. Paiso races and classes only, please.If there is an item that you must absolutely must have from a 3rd party source, I'll examine it on a case by case basis.

5. The game will be more about exploration and investigation than combat (Althought there will be some combat involved fairly regularly). Characters primarily focused on dishing out damage or for power may be bored.

5. If you are offering an unplayed character, I'll need to have a link to the game it was offered in; I will not be accepting newly created characters.

6. I'm seeking a somewhat sexually balanced party. This means that I don't want to see a token male among a party of Amazonian beauties. I know that I have a tendency, in the past, to play female characters in Pathfinder, but that phase has wained out of shere bordom of playing highly sexed bi-ssexual characters who never explore that side of it's life. I will not make this a smut free game, but neither will I allow it to degenerate into a sex-fest because it's all ladies wanting to be ravaged by everything that moves.

7. I like groups that have already developed some form of bond, so before any game begins, you should give serious consideration to how the character relates to the others. I have a personal pet peeve for characters who either act as if, or don't want to be part of the whole. Trying to play with characters like this has always been difficult for me and I would like to simply avoid it.

8. I do include subplots for individual characters and players. I feel this adds to the depth of the story and gets the player invested into the game. I'll expect some ideas of where you would like to see the character go, what sort of things intrigue or draws the character and what might be an interesting or fun subplot for you on a personal level. I will not garrentee that you'll see any of it, but if  you give me a nugget, I'll run with it.

An Overview of the story that I'm thinking about offering...

The party is traveling between two major cities, traveling backroads and by-ways to either save time or because they aren't in any hurry to get there. During the journey, they come upon a scene of a recent massacre; a monestary has been sacked and even as the surviving monks battle flames and tend their wounded, the leader of the monestary tells of a group of bandits that had taken advantage of their hospitality and during the night had killed several of the monks, set fire to their refractory and made off with a secret cashe of weapons with great power to do harm in the world. The party's task is to track and retake the weapons. The pursuit leads them deep into the mountains, a blizzard and ultimately, a town in a valley that holds a mystery of it's own involving it's missing inhabitants.

Finally, This will be a game for the players. It's success or failure is totally up to you. If you want it to work, you'll have to put in work in the form of writing and participation. If you just sit back and wait for things to happen.... you'll get very, very, very bored sitting all alone in that inn's common room. I'll supply the world and the plot, but you have to explore it, enjoy it and participate in it for it to work.
yourself and your character into it.

So, anyone interested?

[Elven Sex Goddess]

Well let me be the first to bite.   Or the first to actually respond to the thread.  This is a character I created for submission for a Eberron game.   It was not selected,  but I like to see about trying to get to play her.

Delhasha the Pale

Personality:  Strong willed young woman.  Fierce prideful and dutiful.  Her word is her bond.  Trust though is earned in her eyes by deeds and not words.   For in deeds and actions can one see ones true measure of one's self.   With Delhasha is first met she may come off as a bit introverted as she takes a measure of said individual.   Once known and trusted,  she opens to a genial disposition.   

Background:  Delhasha the Pale is a young woman of the Seren Islands.   Through she is not native of the said islands.    Adopted from a young age of one years old.    The lone survivor of a ship that had gone off course and had run afoul of Seren raiders upon the sea.   Taken and raised among the Seren tribe; 'The Frostblades were founded by a lawful good white dragon. While they ruthlessly defend the land from outsiders, they also seek to preserve weaker tribes from the depredations of more violent clans such as the Bringers of Fire. Frostblade dragonspeakers know the secret of alchemist's frost and sometimes use this as a weapon in battle.'

She stands out in Seren society as most Seren's are of dark skin.   Delhasha is tall beauty with pale blonde hair and pale pink skin.   As Serens do not have last names in their cultures.    She is known as Delhasha the Pale.   Raised as a native born Seren.  Delhasha speaks only Draconic.   She is in every way a Seren except by birth.   

Delhasha is of strong sturdy physical abilities.   She has become a stout barbarian warrior of the clans.   She has heirlooms that were her real father's a spear, longsword, shield and helmet. Which the the warrior and his mate that raised her would give to her when she came of age to partake in battles.   

Life seem set,  looking forward to a life with finding a mate among the tribe.  Several suitors from her to choose.    Already having gone on serveral raiding expeditions.    When tragedy would over take the raiding party and the Seren longboat would be broken apart as it is tossed around.    Delhasha survives and ends up on the continent of her birth.    She has been a month on the continent now and has made her way to where the others are.   Her heart thou longs to one day return to her people the Seren and her tribe.   May the great white dragon watch over her.

What I am looking for is she is the lost soul from a civilized people.  (think a white woman taken captive American Indians in the old west.   A Welsh woman captured into and raised by North man (Vikings).   Who by fate,  has been once again thrown from what and who she calls home.   A return to civilized lands like where she originally came from.    Yet the call of the savage fury and honorable intent of the barbaric people prove to have a great hold upon her.   

In the end she is a akin to a shield maiden of the Norse people.   A heroine that is fate has in store to rise to level of legends.  So its been five years since on the warship of her adopted people, the tribe that had taken her in had crashed and broken up.  A battered  and near death Delhasha washed ashore.  In that five years she has become life friends with a group of other fellow adventurers.   She is a barbarian even if originally adopted into such a people as a infant.  To the world she looks not as one of those savages that are her adopted people.    She has a appearance of a farm maiden in her farm dress.  She wears no armor,  the savage fury a style upon its self as a savage barbarian.   Her only form of armor a shield.   In which she is adept and quite skilled in using.  A berserker  rage that she can call upon to lend a righteous fury in the moment of need. 

Goal of character development.   A daughter of dragons,   a adopted barbarian who worships a great white dragon of her adopted clan as her deity.   A possible path is led her on this life journey beyond the islands to one day become a dragon rider.  To find her matching soulmate a dragon.   

[Blinkin]

Thank you for being the first daring soul to step into the ring. If we get more, I'll flesh things out and we'll see what happens.

[National Acrobat]

I have interest. Will post a character when I get home from work.

[Blinkin]

This is just an interest check, there isn't a need for a character at this time.

[National Acrobat]

Yes, I just mean posting a character, not a sheet.

I've got Kess, my fifth level wood elven druid. Focused on the element of Fire.

Character Name: Kess Van Ymir
Race:  Elf (Wood)
Sex: Male
age: 125
Physical Description: Kess stands a few inches under six feet tall, and has blond hair and green eyes. His body also has multiple tattoos, one for each element, and an additional one for fire, as that is his preferred element, and also has some relating to various elven totems. He wears simple garments, usually pants and sometimes a shirt, and goes without shoes unless needed. As a druid, he finds clothing a bother at times, and likes his feet firmly planted on the ground, although certain situations demand the etiquette of shoes, so he has sandals that he will wear if needed. He has a sickle on his belt, but it is worn and looks more like a device to harvest plants. He is stronger than he looks, but not overly strong at all. His slight frame makes him look weak, but in reality, he is average.



Personality: Kess is outgoing, charming and quite amenable to getting along with just about everyone. He likes the natural world, obviously and is most comfortable outdoors. The customs and etiquette of cities and urban areas makes him uncomfortable, and it is obvious at times that he is out of his element in those settings, but he is a quick study, and will always attempt to make an effort to abide by customs and rules of each specific settlement, as long as it doesn't violate his morals or the ways of his gods. He tends to be upbeat, and loves to learn. He will not hesitate to deal with evil, especially undead and unnatural abominations. He loves tattoos and is a tattoo artist himself, and will gladly put ink on anyone who is interested.

Background: Kess is the son of a pair of elven artisans, hence his affinity for the arts and for his own artwork. His mother is a weaver and seamstress, and his father is a metalsmith. While his aptitude is for other forms of art, his parents encouraged him to explore his. He learned as a young elf that he had an affinity for nature and was surprised when forest dwellers who served the Green Faith approached him and recognized his affinity for fire. He then began to learn the ways of the natural world from his mother's sister, a druid herself, and officially joined the faith. He is a sponge when it comes to knowledge, and loves to hear lore, stories and tales of just about any stripe. His aunt also fostered in him the ways nature is twisted, and how the need to combat abominations is a sacred duty of the druids. Unlike many druids, his bond is not with an animal companion, but instead, the power of fire manifested in him, and the Green Faith provides him extra gifts to combat threats against the natural world in the form of an affinity with casting fire. His good nature and personality often have gotten him appointed as a diplomat from his faith when dealing with other faiths or communities.

[Kathyan]

Oh I got a couple characters who hardly saw the light, count me as interested too.

By the way would our characters assume the personality of their characters or would they still be mostly university students in mind?

[Chulanowa]

I think everyone has a list of abandonware characters. 

[hellrazoromega]

Well now that I have some time I could roll my Gnomish Arcane Trickster back to 5th and work my way up to that prestige class again.

[Snake]

I'll have one after the holidays!

[Phaia]

I have a character concept and design that never got off the ground in any of the games here and there so I would be interested!

Phaia

[Blinkin]

Updated the OP and story idea to get more interest. However, I think that things have reached the point in which I'm leaning toward running with the idea. I would again stress that I'm mainly looking for abandoned characters. I may consider rejected offerings, but priority will be given to those characters that I can find as having seen play time.

[Chulanowa]

So I went through some posts and i discovered a few things.

1) A hell of a lot of games die off really swiftly
2) Apparently I'm more popular than I thought, yay me!
3) I apparently like the name "Taavia." And I enjoy halflings. And get saddled wit hthe rogue frequently.
4) I have a severe problem and all my friends probably need to stage an intervention and enroll me in a 12-step program.

The roster

Happens to include a few from games that just never materialized; i left out ones that were legit passed over by the DM.None of them have sheets 'cause I tend to clean out my Mythweavers frequently, due to discovery #1.

Fredda Thunderstout, Dwarf Cleric
Renny 1.0, Lupin Cleric / Fighter
Corrag, Half-Orc barbarian
Piper Tillikwhistle, Gnome Wizard
Alyah, Catfolk Rogue
Taavia Perkele, Dwarf Skald
Ogzi Thorne, Half-Orc Rogue/Barbarian
Tluian Oakenleaf, Elf Wizard (Technically 3.5)
Nurya Farhadid, Suli Paladin
Cordelia Neverion, Human Rogue
Khulan Maa, Half-Orc Shaman
Ramzenny Tarblottle, Gnome Paladin
Honey 2.0, Faun Druid (Technically 3.5)
Rada, Undine Monk
Taavia Perkele, Dwarf Fighter
Pénelope "Penny" d'Aumont, Halfling Rogue / Wizard
Lysa Sylkibush, Gnome Cavalier
Kaylie "Honey" Pautte, Faun Swashbuckler/Cleric
Amelia Riverwind, Human Hunter
Luckums, Goblin Shaman
Sariel Tym, Elf Paladin
Mharni Keddle, Human Alchemist
Ngidi Ashia, Human Samurai
Juniper Thistlebloom, Halfling Druid
Roshario, Centaur Fighter/Mage (Okay, so this one is AD&D)
Three, Kobold Monk
Timo Zoltikampa, Human Cleric
Marial Lindshae, Elf Investigator
Lyssa Thimbledown, Halfling Wizard
Hiromi Sada, Human Samurai
Raji, Human Swashbuckler
Katsumi Shandow, Human Cavalier
Taluya Wevetasun, Halfling Barbarian / Hunter
Sticks, Halfling Thief (Another 2nd edition one)

[Blinkin]

Yeah, you're popular Chui, I've known that for years. But, I agree with you, the vast majority of games die quick deaths and there's usually 1 of 2 reasons (and I've been guilty of one of these myself).

1. the GM flakes out and stops running.
2. Drop rates of players reaches 50% and everyone gives up.

In either case, I always see interesting ideas from potential players, but see the same names get in and then never make a 2nd or 3rd post. It seems like making the character is fun, playing it... not so much. The rest of us suffer in either case. *sighs*

Pick one or two of that incredible list and we'll see what happens. I would rather you offer something that you want to play rather than I select a less than optimal character for you.

On another note, I have dozens (Literally) of characters in my documents who were accepted into games that didn't last more than a few weeks, if they ever got off of the ground at all.

[Chulanowa]

So long as you don't mind some finagling with the characters around their base concept. Like half of those are what they are because my slow ass got stuck making the last character, and that's why there's so many rogues and clerics  In a world of 22-Charisma sorcerers, hard-optimized Magi, and synthesist summoners, someone's gotta cast buffs and pick locks.

[Blinkin]

*Gasp* You mean... someone still plays a spell caster who casts buffs???

But, yeah, I don't see many rogues anymore, not even the unchained; GM's don't use traps anymore and why pick a lock? If the door's locked, then obviously, you don't need to get in, right?

Anyway, I have a few characters who have similar traits as well. Usually because I essencially changed the name so particular GM's wouldn't tell me that I kept offering the same character again. No one seems to get that there are times when you really want to play a character that badly.

Sadly, I dumped a lot of my first characters, which were the most original because a GM wouldn't accept a previously offered or played character.

[Elven Sex Goddess]

Well then, for a character that has played and the game died off.  I have a unchained monk gal Sassarilla who is currently 7th level as a unchained monk.  I can drop her to 5th level.   

[Phaia]

well I have a couple of characters that never went anywhere and another that just today did not make the cut for a pathfinder game at 1st level.

So I have choices!

Phaia

[National Acrobat]

I have a cavalier from a Kingmaker Game that was started earlier this year, but never made it out of the OOC after the characters were selected and sheets were posted.

[Xunthrae]

I have a skinwalker (werebear) barbarian that never went anywhere that i'd like to use again.

[Blinkin]

I'm going to have to go ahead and say no to a skinwalker. Lythentropes of any type just aren't a player race that I'm comfortable with.

Again, combat will happen, but it won't be a central focus of the story, so heavily combat oriented characters may find less to do than is the norm.

[Chulanowa]

I'm going to have to go ahead and say no to a skinwalker. Lythentropes of any type just aren't a player race that I'm comfortable with.

Again, combat will happen, but it won't be a central focus of the story, so heavily combat oriented characters may find less to do than is the norm.

So I know the criteria says "no new-made characters" but what about rebuilds that use the same core concepts? Like, a lot of mine are made for specific worlds or locations, some were made using weird house rules, at least three would be better-made as classes that didn't exist when I made 'em the first time... 

Speaking of... do you have any world info we could put into our characters? Is it Golarion, or a Blinkin-specific world?

[Xunthrae]

I'm going to have to go ahead and say no to a skinwalker. Lythentropes of any type just aren't a player race that I'm comfortable with.

Again, combat will happen, but it won't be a central focus of the story, so heavily combat oriented characters may find less to do than is the norm.

Well, they're not a full lycan, they cant spread anything or even transform fully, they just have a few shapechanging abilities. And the fluff i had for him didnt really involve any lycans of any kind. If you're not fine with that then ill look through my other characters.

[Phaia]

okay after looking at my saves Ai find only a couple left behind. I often delete ones that just stop to clean my myth folders

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=246283.msg12171427#msg12171427  my first level witch for a failed one page skulls and shackles game

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=188184.msg9109545#msg9109545  a 14th level paladin that I still have but would have to do a lot of rework on to fit

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=227124.msg11160335#msg11160335  I think this one is pathfinder but honestly it ended and the gm was keeping track of a lot of the stuff

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=260843.msg12876943#msg12876943 then there is this one that did not get picked at all.

I have characters from other games  but these are the ones that fit what you are looking for

Phaia

[Blinkin]

Hmmm, lots to comment on. Lets see if I can hit them all.

The world is a generic fantasy world to allow for characters created for homebrew worlds or official cannon to fit into the setting in broad, general terms. I usually get asked about deities and I would probably suggest sticking to Paiso sources for this as well. As long as I can reference it, it should be fine.

I expect a lot of characters to be mechanically revised and changed to fit the guidelines; in general, what will get a character accepted will have little to do with mechanics at all, but the character concept. Mechanically, I'll take a non-min/maxed character over one designed for maximum potential and competent over expert in creation. I know people who have turned the mechanics into a science and can turn out character sheets that are seriously over-powered in relation to other charactersAn Inquizator/sorcerer/monk wouldn't be my first choice, although it would certainly be something that could kick ass. As long as the character concept remains more or less intact; the character that you wanted to play because of the role over the roll, it'll be looked at seriously. If you're designing a character from scratch and slapping an old character personality overtop of it... don't do that. I have to see the character in a game and how he/she/it acted and reacted before it'll be accepted.

Offer the character that you want to play; not the character that you think will fit the blurb that I put up as a teaser. I'll adjust things to fit a character that you want to play if I like the concept.

When I say concept, I'm not talking about class and mechanics, I'm talking about the personality, background and feel of the person. Not what fancy and/or neato-cool things that it can do.I'll take a plain ol' mage over a tricked out sorcerer 70% of the time if the mage has a good backstory and feel. The reverse is also true.

I'm not going to get into why a particular race isn't something or can't do something; I've seen too many people twist that argument into "It doesn't say that it can't do it." If I'm not comfortable that I can effectively and objectively rule on things regarding it, I'm going to avoid the issue by saying it's not going to be accepted. Between what a Skinwalker can do and what a barbarian can do it falls into that zone of discomfort for me. If you really want the shapeshifting thing, look at a druid; they get it eventually as a class feature.. or a spell caster who can get the spell. I would feel more comfortable with it.


I will be happy to answer specific questions about the world and play to the extent that it doesn't give away spoilers on what I have planned, so feel free to ask them.