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Post by mike on Jul 9, 2016 17:14:34 GMT
Community
The ‘outsider’ who only moved into a small town 20 years ago is something of a cliché, but there’s a reason it’s cliché – there is a tendency for small communities to act in this way.
Peaksdell is, of course, no exception to this rule and there is a clearly defined community spirit here: one in which a person is either ‘one of us’ or most definitely ‘not one of us’. Anybody who is ‘not one of us’ is at best mistrusted and more likely feared.
In general the severity of this depends on how different a character is from the norm. Even different ethnic groups (like Tians or Ulfens) are distrusted, anything that is obvious not human (like elves or dwarfs) are treated with some suspicion. If there is anything even more outlandish around then the pitchfork wielding mobs are not far away.
How this effects the PCs
You will need a convincing back-story that places you firmly in the ‘one of us’ category.
As a rule, the further your character is from the human of Taldan or Chelaxian stock the more convincing this needs to be.
(Steven & Chris – your back-stories are fine) (Maurice & Graham – you both need to come up with some more detail here)
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Post by mike on Jul 9, 2016 17:15:56 GMT
Armour and Weapons
There are no actual laws restricting personal armaments, and indeed most people are regularly armed (even if that consists on nothing more than a simple club). However it is walking around town armed to the teeth is considered something of a faux par.
There are no hard-and-fast rules here, but in general characters (both PCs and NPCs) carrying large weapons, missile weapons or shields, or wearing either medium or heavy armour will look seriously out of place.
Note that this applies only in the towns and cities, in the countryside pretty much anything goes.
How this effects the PCs
Largely depends on how important it is for you to ‘fit in’ – if you don’t mind getting a lot of funny looks (and possibly not being trusted too much) don’t worry about it, but if social interaction is important to you it would probably be best to exercise a little discretion in this matter.
(Graham, your longsword is fine) (Chris, you might want to consider a lighter weapon for when you are not either on a mission or on militia duty – not compulsory, your choice)
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Post by mike on Jul 9, 2016 17:18:35 GMT
LiteracyThe majority of people in Golarion are not able to read and write. To handle this it is simplest to assume that in general characters with levels only in NPC classes are not literate. Character classes (from whatever source) are better educated than the common peasant and are therefore assumed to be literate. There are two exceptions to this rule: - Aristocrats – this implies a wealthy or privileged upbringing it is therefore assumed that the character has had the benefit of some form of formal education, thus all Aristocrats are assumed to be literate
- some Experts – if the character’s area of expertise implies a need to read or write the character is assumed to be literate, thus an Expert (lawyer) would be assumed to be literate but an Expert (carpenter) would not be
Functionally (if you like) there is a Literacy feat but Aristocrats, some Experts and all the character classes gain this as a bonus feat at level 1. Thus this is largely irrelevant, The important thing to remember is that most ordinary people (including most of the PCs’ relatives) probably cannot read. How this effects the PCsLargely not at all – PCs all have character classes and therefore are considered literate unless their class specifically states otherwise. However, it should be noted that in most cases the PCs’ relatives (who are mostly all Commoners) are not literate.
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Post by mike on Jul 16, 2016 12:10:32 GMT
Just to give you all a little background, attached is a brief summary of what all residents of Peaksdell know about their district Essentially, this is what counts as "common knowledge" within the local area and you may assume that your character knows all of this However, I make no promises as to the veracity of any of this – this is what everybody "knows" (or thinks they know), it may or may not be what is actually true
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Post by craigwilson on Sept 17, 2016 16:00:04 GMT
Hi Mike,
Here's the character that I've come up with, hope it's OK.
Osric Longfellow – Human Wizard – 21 years old - Lawful Neutral
Personality
Tactless - He's smarter than everyone else and points this out a lot. This is not meant to be malicious or condescending, just a statement of fact. Lawful - He is not concerned with the morality of good and evil. Law and order are good, disorder is bad. Rational - Osric makes decisions in a rational manner, putting aside personal feelings. A logical argument should overcome an emotional response, surely that's just common sense.
Background
Osric is the oldest son of Joseph Longfellow, a weaver from Peaksdell town. Osric has always been physically weak but his keen intellect has allowed him to overcome this. He has never felt the desire to go into the family business. Instead, whilst he doesn't fit the usual model of a soldier, Osric always wanted to sign on with the local militia as he has a strong belief in the importance of law and order in a civilized society.
After several failed attempts to join (the recruiting sergeants couldn't see past his lack of physical prowess) he was finally accepted when a passing officer pointed out that his mental faculties might make him useful in the logistics and clerical section. Once he was in service he was able to gain access to the (small) library in the barracks and his pursuit of arcane knowledge began. He was able to gain sporadic tuition from the few other wizards in service, although Osric's intelligence has quickly allowed him to surpass his teachers.
After 3 years in service, Osric has recently been kicked out of the militia in disgrace following some disagreements with his commanding officers. It seems that officers don't like it when their orders are (repeatedly) questioned, regardless of how stupid they may be. The fact that Osric was subsequently proven to be correct only made things worse.
He seems destined to go back to his family's weaving business, only able to pursue his arcane studies as a sideline, unless a new opportunity presents itself...
Family
Mother – Mandya Longfellow (Deceased) - Mandya grew up on a farm just outside of Peaksdell town. It was always assumed locally that she would marry her childhood sweetheart, Joseph, as soon as they were old enough but Mandya had other ideas. Not long after her 16th birthday she ran away from home, joining up with a trade caravan that was passing through the area. She returned home a few months later but would never tell anyone what had happened. Soon after her return, she started to show signs of pregnancy and her parents were horrified at the shame that this would bring on the family but, luckily for them, Joseph was still willing to marry Mandya. They were happily married for over 20 years. Unfortunately, Mandya died two years ago of a wasting illness that local healers couldn't cure.
Father – Joseph Longfellow – 41 years old - Joseph married Osric's mother while she was pregnant and everyone locally assumed that he was the father of the baby. He was happy to go along with this and give Osric his name as he had always loved Mandya from the time that they were children and didn't want her to be shamed. He has never treated Osric any differently to his other children and has always been a loving father. He is a weaver and makes a comfortable living for his family in Peaksdell town. He is well respected in the town and is known as being friendly, honest and reliable.
Brother – Jon Longfellow – 20 years old - Jon takes after his father much more than Osric, both physically (obviously) and in personality. He enjoys life in Peaksdell and is content to follow is father's footsteps in the family business. Whilst he is the younger brother he often took on the role of his brother's protector when they were growing up, defending Osric from bullies. He is Osric's only true friend of his own age.
Uncle – Robin Silverwood – 36 years old - Robin is the younger brother of Osric's mother. In his youth he was a member of the Peaksdell garrison. After leaving service he went back home and took over running the family farm after his parents died. He is a solid and dependable character, not prone to emotional outbursts. He has always had a close relationship with Osric. He is a firm believer in the teachings of Abadar, god of civilisation and law, something that he has passed on to his nephew. Robin is now the only person who knows who Osric's real father is but his sister made him promise to keep this secret unless it was absolutely necessary to tell the truth.
Aunt – Caitlyn Silverwood – 28 years old - Caitlyn is the wife of Osric's uncle Robin. A loving and devoted wife, she is always welcoming to her husband's family. Unfortunately, the couple have not yet been able to have children of their own.
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Post by mike on Sept 17, 2016 16:34:53 GMT
Thanks Craig,
That's brilliant – exactly the sort of thing I was looking for.
I particularly like the bit about kicked out of the militia for being smarter that the commander – great stuff.
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Post by craigwilson on Sept 17, 2016 22:07:52 GMT
Hi Mike, just a quick question about equipment.
Firstly are we starting out with 3000gp as 3rd level characters, as per the core rulebook?
Secondly, are there any restrictions on what would be available? Specifically, magical items.
Thirdly, I would like to spend some of the money to get some more spells into my spellbook. Would there be sufficient spellcasters locally for me to have paid them for a look at their spellbooks, as per page 219 of the rulebook?
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Post by mike on Sept 18, 2016 9:20:51 GMT
Hi Craig
Short answer – unless specifically stated otherwise, all rules are as per the rule books
As to the specifics:
1/ Yes, you get 3,000 gp as per Table 12-4: Character Wealth by Level (Page 399)
2/ I have essentially ruled firearms out of the game, but other that there are no restrictions other than what 3,000 gp will buy you. More expensive items might be hard to obtain, but you won't need to worry about that for a while.
3/ There are other wizards around from whom you might crib. Also Peaksdell is large enough that there is an established market in spell scrolls of all kinds. So, no problem with you filling out you spellbook in this way.
Mike
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Post by chris on Sept 18, 2016 15:10:26 GMT
Exciting stuff. Does this mean we have enough players to start?
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Post by craigwilson on Sept 18, 2016 21:50:57 GMT
Thanks Mike. I've just finished off my character sheet, so I'm ready to go. I should be able to get down to Bedford on Monday evenings 2-3 times a month. How often are you planning to run the sessions?
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Post by neuromancer on Sept 19, 2016 10:25:34 GMT
Exciting stuff. Does this mean we have enough players to start? Just as its not to soon I have an operation this Wednesday so I will be out for a couple of weeks
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Post by mike on Sept 19, 2016 12:08:07 GMT
@chris – Yes, four players is fine – we can start as soon as everybody is ready @craig – We normally run these once a fortnight maurice – Unless anyone has an objections, I'm inclined to postpone until you're back on form again
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Post by neuromancer on Sept 23, 2016 12:15:43 GMT
@chris – Yes, four players is fine – we can start as soon as everybody is ready @craig – We normally run these once a fortnight maurice – Unless anyone has an objections, I'm inclined to postpone until you're back on form again I am back from hospital will try and make it down club on the next Monday to see how it goes - should be ok to start in 2 or 3 weeks I think.
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Post by mike on Sept 24, 2016 12:47:52 GMT
Thanks Maurice
Hope the op went well
Mike
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Post by mike on Sept 27, 2016 11:56:02 GMT
Hi all,
Spoke to Maurice last night, and the good news is that all seems to have gone well.
That said, I am ready start any time.
Could you all post here to let me know when you are available please?
Mike
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