Topic: PF-erized Expedition to Castle Ravenloft

[Zaer Darkwail]

Didn't keep tabs here, what with rebuilding my PC and all but if you don't want to wait Zael, we can do solo. I'll have some time later tonight :)

Well, I am still willing to work backgrounds/chars together with you :). I can finish number parts of my wizard (and if we decide go with different sort setup I can quickly work different class/race if needed).

[Fey]

Baltharius (Balt) Cinderwrath (WIP)

I like him! Yvaine would approve of going on a quest to find the long-lost family you never knew. That you can feel that kind of love for your kin despite having spent so much of your life away from them is noble. I think if the illusion ever comes off, she would be shocked at first but respect him as someone who rose above his fiendish ancestry (or at least hasn't sank to the depths of it).

ChangingSaint suggested to me that Michael be Yvaine's bodyguard and I thought that was great. Maybe Sinestra's character, Michael and Yvaine (or whichever of the 4 are chosen) went on an adventure to try track down a reported sighting of his family? That would've given them some time together as a group.

Huzzah for bucklers. :) 

I love your image Ysariel.  I advise you to keep the wand.  They're far more cost effective than potions.  I'll keep making them though.  :)

I know, right? The moment I saw it, I just knew I had to make a character based off it. I will buy back the wand then (although I do heal 2x your level in HP if I spend an hour to treat your wounds. Also, channel energy 6x a day! ).

  I can see why someone would rule that way, but the rules only specify attacking as a condition for losing the AC bonus from the buckler. Intentional or not the hand movements required for spell casting or using a wand are more subtle than attacking, and that's the interpretation I'll stick with.

OK! I bought a nonmagical Buckler and fixed the errors you mentioned. The sheet should be correct now. I also went ahead and spent my remaining money: Cure Light Wounds wand, a 50gp focus for Shield Other, and a spare spell component pouch.

GM, I would like to make a request. There is a drawback called Family Ties where if a family member makes a request of me and I don't fulfill it, I get -2 on all Wis and Cha-based ability & skill checks until I succeed or pass a DC 20 Will save. Can I take as a 2nd drawback a custom drawback called Soft-Hearted that works exactly like the above, except replacing 'family members' with 'innocent person who seems genuinely in need of help'.

Other good-aligned characters may feel a duty to help those in need, but they suffer no penalty for failing or refusing (e.g. if a greater threat must be dealt with).

I am thinking of buying the Greater Purpose trait (+1 save vs Death effects and +1 to stabilize when dying) in return.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Nice you like my char concept Ysariel :). Albeit my char is CN he is good intending (albeit can be at times unreliable or unpredictable), he has some subtle fiendish influences in behavior (well, at least blame fiends for having desire blow stuff up or have rather vivid carnal thoughts regarding scanthily clad priestess) but besides that he is struggling against his fiendish blood (meaning not touch serious dark magic or use magic for evil purposes and thus reason why he has necromancy and enchantments as opposed schools those spells lead to one way or other darker or more manipulative paths).

Anyways my sheet is mostly done now (numbers wise) and background is mostly complete (can write and add more to it). With Sinestra however final details are decided (if she goes for sibling approach then need determine how my char is related to hers and if not sibling then where he met her and did she know him at magic academy if she goes for caster also or go more for gish build or even magus etc). So lots things to background (or some changes to char) can happen once I get to talk Sinestra about it :)

[Blinkin]

Under Pathfinder rules, only 1 drawback may be taken by a character. Beyond that, it's GM's call.

Zaire, have you considered the ramifications of when someone in the party discovers that you're hiding something as significant as your racial heritage? I get the reasoning, but serious and unforgivable rifts have occurred for a lot less and there may be the concern of something blowing up in your character's face that has nothing to do with an explosion. I know your playing style and thought that I might offer a hint of concern in that.

[LisztesFerenc]

GM, I would like to make a request. There is a drawback called Family Ties where if a family member makes a request of me and I don't fulfill it, I get -2 on all Wis and Cha-based ability & skill checks until I succeed or pass a DC 20 Will save. Can I take as a 2nd drawback a custom drawback called Soft-Hearted that works exactly like the above, except replacing 'family members' with 'innocent person who seems genuinely in need of help'.

Other good-aligned characters may feel a duty to help those in need, but they suffer no penalty for failing or refusing (e.g. if a greater threat must be dealt with).

I am thinking of buying the Greater Purpose trait (+1 save vs Death effects and +1 to stabilize when dying) in return.

  Sure, that seems like it should work as a drawback. There aren't too many people in the setting, since its a rural community surrounded by rugged wilderness, but most of the ones you do meet will be fairly helpless.

[Zaer Darkwail]

I think hiding one's racial heritage is not that big deal (myself anyways unless there is serious racism in the group towards tieflings peculiar). The reasons why he is hiding his race is rather obvious; he got horns, crimson skin, a tail and pair of hooved feet. A anybody regular militia, guards, farmers or merchants would run screaming away from him (unless they have met and dealt with tieflings before). Or worst case chase him out of town with pitch forks and torches.

He got power blow up entire village militia but that's not something my char desires to do. So reason for his deception even amongst his 'friends' is understandable as he keeps his guard up always as he grew up in magic academy where he got no friends, no allies and nobody caring about him just because how he looked than what he was. Such experience had it's mark in that he desires not anyway expose his true nature to anyone, especially to those he counts as friends or allies as he fears once mask falls off they all abandon him or worst case seek kill him.

I myself find lots RP potential on this side/aspect on him. Only what I think I should perhaps get disguise self or get hat of disguise (or even wand) to able regular basis cast or renew the disguise (I got 60 mins duration which can be extended to 120 minutes and it takes one spell slot).

[LisztesFerenc]

I myself find lots RP potential on this side/aspect on him. Only what I think I should perhaps get disguise self or get hat of disguise (or even wand) to able regular basis cast or renew the disguise (I got 60 mins duration which can be extended to 120 minutes and it takes one spell slot).

  How are you extending it? Do you have the extend spell?

  Even then if you can, you get 3 hours from your 2nd level spell slots and 4 hours from your 3rd level spell slots. That's a total of 7 hours, not enough to keep it hidden from the party.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Extend via metamagic rod (minor). Now that I made quick check I noticed there is Cloak of Human Guise, it mentions half-elves and half-orcs (or any human x race half-breeds), but can it be reasonable customization that my char has cloak which simply alters his fiendish traits not appear at all and he just looks a human (as human self if he had born human in first place).

[LisztesFerenc]

  I'd allow that, but with the tweak that there would be one subtle feature that reveals your nature (eyes flashing yellow, bounding pulse even when resting, a birthmark which seems to move slightly, tongue momentarily becoming forked). DC 20 wisdom check to catch when casually observing, DC 10 when looking closely.

[Blinkin]

I think that my concern is an IC reaction to a friend hiding something like this just because you're suppose to be friends and seen the worst that can be thrown at you and you don't trust them enough to tell them that you're a tefling.

As far as townspeople picking up pitchforks and torches... how many people in the universe of D&D and Pathfinder play Teflings and Asimers? They're apparently not much more rare than half-orcs and half-elves.

I didn't say not to do it, if you're hell bent on it, I was offering a differing point of view in regards to those around the character for extended periods of time who might, perhaps feel some betrayal when someone who they thought that they knew and trusted popped up with that little surprise. Trust is hard to get again if you blow it like that.

Then again, you're assuming that teflings (and Asimers) are rare enough that everyone picks up pitchforks and torches on sight. From my experience, both in pathfinder and D&D worlds, they're so common that you can find one on every street corner of every hamlet on the planet.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Not hellbent on the tiefling race (all depends on after all discussion with Sinestra). I do understand concern for feel of betrayal when a 'friend' comes out closet (either intentionally or unintentionally) like that. But overall I could categorize his behavior more as Internalized Categorism, in short he has accepted that people dislike tieflings. Some even outright hate them. But he is not happy being in given category. What is easiest way out? Just change what he looks (as he lacks faith in making friends just having normal appearance because all attempts were crushed several times in academy and he became loner bookworm in academy).

In the movies the trope of a some secret from a friend comes out which shocks the friend group and then group needs deal with it. It can have happy, unhappy, changes or shockingly group accepts still Balt even if he is tiefling (as they knew who he is despite his born appearance). A shock and sense of betrayal is expected but I can think most would be happy with that everyone learns accept Balt and then Balt no longer has reason to hide/disguise around friends (just disguise around town to just avoid trouble or group labelled suspicious just sake of company they keep).

[Blinkin]

I get the reasoning, but in the set-up, everyone already knows each other and are, to some extent, friends and know each other to some extent, so if he accepts that they are friends, why hide it from them?

Anyway, I've expressed my concern and I'll let it drop.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Reason why he hides his race from friends is because he fears loosing the very first friends he ever got just because he looks. It's like someone fears telling he is gay sexual to his friends because he fears if his sexual orientation is known, he looses all his friends. Ofc this case is more extreme as he hides his actual race.

[Zaer Darkwail]

  I'd allow that, but with the tweak that there would be one subtle feature that reveals your nature (eyes flashing yellow, bounding pulse even when resting, a birthmark which seems to move slightly, tongue momentarily becoming forked). DC 20 wisdom check to catch when casually observing, DC 10 when looking closely.

I am fine with that restriction, that there are brief moments of 'flashes' which only very wise can detect.

[Changingsaint]

My sheet has been updated with Miscellany gear and should be considered finished for now, I hope. Zaer's character looks good, though I admit seeing CN always fills me with a tad bit of wariness - bad experience. I do trust Zaer to not be a backstabber though! That'd be my only concern, CN as chaotic randumb or chaotic evil without being evil, and I don't get that vibe so far.

Him hiding what he is makes for some good roleplay! Michael himself isn't exactly full of surprises, but I tend to enjoy playing straightforward characters, so having someone with a twist would be fun.

[Zaer Darkwail]

CN is for more that he is morally grey and bit selfish but not backstabber (and has moments of kindness also but their random and unpredictable). He loves explosions and he feels zero guilt in blasting and cooking monstrous humanoids or other fools who come to try kill him . But even as blaster he does not blast his friends (intent is that he somepoint gets selective metamagic feat so he can count out allies from his fireball blast so they can experience glory of fireball up close without burned by it).

He is sort inspired by Megumin from KonoSuba anime (I warmly recommend watch the series ).

[LisztesFerenc]

  I think for Barovia there would be a lot of superstition regarding tieflings, since its an isolated, close knit community. Outside, in the rest of the land tieflings are much more tolerated, still slightly distrusted, but they can safely walk down the streets, which may not be true here.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Yeah, even if tieflings are tolerated he just got lots of bad stuff occuring to him in academy just cause of his appearance. So he just does disguise thing just avoid trouble/problems. Not sure did you detect it LisztesFerenc, but I had taken two ravenloft languages as my language picks (either one any use? Other was descriped to be similar to latin and other sounded barovian/german language).

[LisztesFerenc]

  The module makes no such mention of those languages I don't think, this isn't the demiplane Ravenloft, its just the name of the castle. And besides, why would your character have learnt them?

[Zaer Darkwail]

I just thought besides racial and planar languages he could know some odd variants of common (ancient common or whatever is ancient version of common) and then some exotic kingdom based language. But I can swap them, just ran out good ideas . Before earlier they were gnome and halfling but was not sure was they any use.

[Blinkin]

CN=nucking futs with a dose of psychotic on the side.

I know Ziare's play style and he seems to delight a little in causing some chaos within parties. As for backstabbing... no, I've never seen him backstab a fellow PC, but I've seen him nearly kill one.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Nearly kill one? What and when? I am sure my mage char which caused ruckus (IC and OOC) with succubi is from years ago but I do not remember killing anyone. Anycase only psychotic stuff with this char is love for explosions/blow stuff up and his condittioned fear of exposing his true race to anyone for fear of rejection/abandoned by his friends.

[Blinkin]

Note that I said nearly killed.

It was a drow game, your character decided to run up and throw my character across a room and into a wall. Technically, the damage exceeded his HP enough that if it had been lethal, he would of been killed... he was left with about 10 HP in the end as it was, he only had about 25 HP to begin with.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Huh? What char I was playing at the time and what was IC motivation of my char grab and throw your char across room onto wall? I honestly do not remember .

[Blinkin]

I don't remember names and I withdrew from the game a few weeks later. You were playing a teacher at one of the drow schools and I was playing a new student. A question was asked, towhich my character answered correctly (connon and historically, at least) and yours for reasons I never understood, decided to make an example of him by running some 60', grabbing my character and throwing him across the room, causing somewhere in the area of 40 points of non-leathal damage. I never understood how a double move and an attack could take place as a surprise attack, but...