Candrak's Fun Facts about Goblins #1

Horse Hate 

Goblins excel at riding animals, but they don’t quite get horses. In fact, their hatred of all things horse is matched only by their fear of horses, who tend to step on goblins who get too close

On the Level

To answer Johnno's question re levelling, let's try to organise a specific time to get the levelling organised.  I'd suggest doing your levelling in PCGen for your own records and updating characters manually in FG.

It's worth trying to explain the 'module' setup I'm using.  By 'module' I mean that in the FG2 sense rather than in an old school RPG sense.  If I'm ever on and you jump on and can't find your characters, it's because I don't have the campaign 'module' open because I'm working on one of the other 'modules'.  The caharacters are stored in the campaign 'module' only.  At the moment this is usually the "burnt offerings" adventure path 'module' or the "Sandpoint" location 'module' I have with all the Sandpoint stuff in it.  There's a bit of an overhead in switching between modules - exporting processes, etc.  Also bear in mind there isn't much I can do in the campaign module prep wise, so I'll be  just sitting there while you guys play with your characters in the main campaign 'module'.  Having said that I'm perfectly happy to set a time and let you guys spend as many hours as you want playing with characters.

It will be heaps better if we can coordinate though, so I don't have to stop what I'm doing prep wise whenever you jump on.  Of course you can just jump on and chat with me, or try out new features of FG no probs!  And chances are I'll be tired anyway, so I'll probably welcome and excuse to stop and switch off the brain.  If I'm on a roll though, or mid-way through building a particular bit please bear with me if I say "give me 30 mins" or something.  Just thought it was worth explaining that so yo don't think I'm just being annoying.

I have a heap of tokens too that I am slowly organizing.  These too are organised into the modules as seems to be the accepted sensible practice for memory or processing efficiency reasons or some such.  So I don't have the goblin tokens in the main campaign module, they are in the modules that need goblins.

Hit Points

As for hit points I am offering this deal.

Option 1 - take average rounded up.  

• D8 average is 4.5..rounds up to 5
• D10 is 5.5 rounds up to 6

Option 2 - roll and take your chances

Rolls will be done in FG for added nail-biting tension.  You can re-roll 1s and 2s but you have to take the second roll, according to my calculations this actually gives an expected outcome of:

• 5.25 for D8
• 6.3 for D10

So you can see that option 2 on average gives a slightly better outcome....but with an element of risk :-)  But you guys aren't wussy...are you?

Burnt Offereings

Having a week off is giving me a chance to read the module again, which is good because I seem to pick up something I missed every time I give it a quick read through.  Luckily the bits I've improvised so far have been gelling well with the published content and beleive it or not, I am already looking forward to sessions that I estimate will be 6 or more sessions away when I estimate you will discover X.  I just wish I could see the looks on your faces when it's all revealed!

Subscription Shipment #2

Got an email today that my next subscription shipment has shipped,  this time with the Adventure Path and 2 extra modules because I added in the module subscription and elected to start my subscription from the module before the latest one (so I started with 2).  All up, that's the 3 modules delivered for $47 plus perpetual download rights to the pdf versions the moment they shipped.  I reckon this Paizo stuff is some of the best quality RPG stuff that's ever been produced and they are selling for a very reasonable price.  Here's to a strong Aussie dollar driving cheap RPG costs :-).

Ken Henry Interview

Speaking of which, there was a pretty interesting interview with Ken Henry on the ABC site that I watched on tuesday.  It's about 35 mins so make a cuppa but a very interesting account.  He is of the opinion that the euro is doomed and always was, because of an unwillingness of member states to drive fiscal balancing between the member states. He also made a very interesting point about the criticisms of the stimulus packages regarding price gouging. His point was that it didn't really matter at a macroeconomic level if sectors of economy inflated prices to grab more of the stimulus money because the whole point of a macroeconomic stimulus response is to get money into the economy fast.  If someone inflates prices and takes some more of it than they should, then on a macroeconomic level that's actually good.  It doesn't stop them being scumbags, but its not damaging to macroeconomic strategy.

Dangerous Liaisons

With some ruthless interrogation the heroes discover much from the goblin prisoner, the trail leads to the graveyard and to the watchmen on duty the night before the attack.  What was so important about the body of Father Tobyn that the five tribes got together in an eleborate plot to take it.  And who is the mysterious "elfsy longshanks"?  What's happened to the missing watchman, Joffrey?  Is Williams really as innocent as he appears?  Leena sure doesn't think so!

Candrak, lured into a compromising position by the beautiful Shopkeeper's daughter, performs like a god.  Word is sure to spread around the ladies of the town that Candrak can really perform where it counts.  Where on earth did a young ranger learn to do that anyway?  When the father returned unexpectedly, things go south quickly.  Candrak takes his beating like a man and the Shopkeep's daughter cries foul. Leena is quick to believe her, and despite some breathtakingly obvious warning signs, Candrak takes a beating from Leena...again...and gets knocked unconscious...again...

The heroes take to the Tickwood with Lord Aldern Foxglove for a boar hunt.  Kitted out with brand new horses, courtesy of the good Lord, the party dispatches the boar with ease, but on the way home are ambushed by band of goblins, not at all usual for the Tickwood.  The danger is soon forgotten as the heroes once again find themselves in the Rusty Dragon Inn, sitting down to a fresh roast boar for the evening meal.  Aldern, already smitten with Leena, appears to be drifting into the realm of obsession.  Will Leena get tired of all this attention? Only time will tell...after all, he is a little bit rich, and that can make up for a lot of sins right?

Purely as a hypothetical, I wonder where Candrak will be in nine months?

Experience

400xp  (RP - questioning of the goblin)
600xp  (RP- unravelling the chain of events surrounding the goblin raid)
600xp  (1 Boar)
800xp  (6 Goblins)
400xp  (1 Goblin Commando)
2800xp  Total Party XP

Blukvard

930  (Party XP)
25  (RP - stopping to smell the...err...pie)
50  (RP - Investigations around the missing watchman)
50  (mystery bonus XP*)
1055 Total XP

Candrak

930  (Party XP)
25  (cinematic moment in the forest - 3 shots, 3 kills)
25  (RP - figuring out that the town attack was a diversion)
75  (RP - the shopkeep's daughter debacle)
50  (RP - bonus for actually sleeping with her - I never thought you'd do that - but what 24 y.o. bachelor with no ties to the town wouldn't sleep with the best looking girl in town)
75  (mystery bonus XP*)
1280 Total XP

Leena

930  (Party XP)
25  (RP - keeping Lord Foxglove on the hook)
25  (RP - defending Shayliss's honour)
25  (RP - keeping an eye on that liar Watchman Williams)
50  (mystery bonus XP*)
1055 Total XP

*  tempting as is it to assume that the "mystery XP" is a bit of random Dave balancing or something, rest assured there is method to the mystery, it really does mean something...

Dungeon Painter

The maps for the general store basement, battleground for often punched Candrak, and the forest encounter were created using a nifty little tool called dungeon painter.  It's online, free, and was pretty easy to use.  Obviously a little limited in what it can do, but none-the-less I had a basement ready to use in about 5 minutes.  Handy for those last minute "I need a map" situations.  I challenge any of you to load it up and not whip up a small dungeon...you know...just for fun :-)

Tokens

Well I think the few tokens I managed to grab looked ok and added to the whole experience.  Sorry I didn't have one for you in the rush to get them working Russ.  I spent most of the time fiddling about and searching the forums for a description on how to include them, but I have it sussed now.

Kudos to Adam this week for identifying how the modifiers pop-up thing worked.  And thanks for updating your individual modifier descriptions.  I noticed your Hawk Clan one John, worked well, I immediately knew what it was for whenever it came up. Thanks Russ for the quick support on looking up rules on the PRD and posting to the chat.

Love at First Fight

Leena, weary from days on the road, finds her way to Sandpoint and the Rusty Dragon Inn. Candrak recognises her as a half-blood runaway from the Hawk clan, earning a punch in the face for his trouble.  Goblins attack the town and disrupt the consecration of the Cathedral, and the three heroes are thrown together by fate in a bond forged in the heat of battle.

The Goblins are driven off or killed.  The heroes enjoy their new status as the talk of the town, having dispatched nearly half the goblins single handed.  Talk also abounds of the goblin that was captured by the sheriff and imprisoned for questioning.

They save both a bunch of school children and a visiting noble, Aldern Foxglove from being killed by goblins...and they all notice the rather besotted look that overcomes him whenever he spies the leggy Leena.

Experience Points

11 goblins 1350 xp
1 goblin warchanter 400xp
1 goblin commando 400xp
1 goblin dog 400xp

total 2685 party xp

Blukvard

895   (Party XP)

50     (RP - leaving pet to guard the children)

25     (cinematic - stumbling leap over sacks to ignominious safety)

970 TOTAL XP

Candrak

895   (Party XP)

25     (cinematic leap onto barrels)

50     (RP - calm in the face of petulant runaway pugilist)
50     (mystery bonus x2)

1020 TOTAL XP

Leena

895   (Party XP)
25     (cinematic rock upon which goblins crashed in 2nd fight)
25     (mystery bonus)
945 TOTAL XP

Shoanti

Languages: Common, Shoanti
Favored Regions: Belkzen, Lands of the Linnorm Kings, Varisia
Favored Religions: Desna, Gorum, Gozreh, Pharasma, ancestor worship, totemism
Full Names: Arrow Catcher, Break Bones, Hawk Dancer, Eats What He Kills, Earth Hammer, One Tooth, Ready-Klar, Sky Whisper, Thousand Bones, Thunders When Sleeps, Who Kills Twice
Female Names: Ahalak, Beshkee, Imenda, Nalmida, Tanjah, Tekrakai, Yavenee, Zova
Male Names: Akrem, Belor, Garidan, Hargev, Krojun, Shadfrar, Vachedi
Appearance: Shoanti possess widely varying skin tones from deeply tanned to dark brown, although most are of a ruddy complexion. Hair is considered a dangerous weakness in hand-to-hand combat, so both men and women typically shave their heads, save for shamans and the elderly.

Shoanti Culture

Known for their warlike nature and proud traditions, the Shoanti are a disparate people, bound together by honor and tradition. Shoanti history is steeped in conf lict, from their brutally heroic legends to the defeats of the recent past and the harshness of their modern lives. Shaped by strife, the Shoanti are stalwart, tenacious, and suspicious people, oath-sworn to regain all that was once theirs and honor-bound to avenge themselves against all schemers who would dare call them barbarians.

When Shoanti youths reach majority, they must undergo a rite of passage to become adults. Upon completing this rite of passage, they receive their first tattoo. These tattoos are an important part of Shoanti life, and can be quite extensive and beautiful. Hundreds of different tattoo designs exist; each is chosen and traced by a tribe’s shaman, drawn from an expansive traditional assortment of symbols with their own varied meanings and implications.

The Shoanti are given a birth name when born, but once they becomes adults, they are also given a full name—it is generally by this honorific (which is always a short phrase) that they are called in everyday life. These full names can change several times during a Shoanti’s life. Birth names are generally used only by close family or lovers. Shoanti who abandon their clan to live among others typically revert to using their birth names as their standard name—a practice that many traditional Shoanti find shameful.

The Clans

The Shoanti are not one people but rather many quahs (“clans”) united by heritage, tradition, and lifestyle. These various quahs largely respect one another and their lands, making disagreements over resources, territory, and politics—widely held to be distasteful and duplicitous—few. When conf licts do arise, small skirmishes and individual battles between the quahs’ champions quickly determine whom the spirits favor. The current seven quahs are summarized below.

Lyrune-Quah (Moon Clan): Expert archers and hunters, these Shoanti hunt by dusk and travel by the light of the moon. They dwell in the Cinderlands of Varisia, and revere creatures that hunt by moonlight, such as bats and owls.

Shadde-Quah (Axe Clan): The Shadde- Quah are expert divers and fishermen, and prefer to dwell in the coastal regions along northern Varisia or the southern Lands of the Linnorm Kings. They revere creatures that rely upon the sea for their livelihood, such as fish or sea birds.

Shriikirri-Quah (Hawk Clan): This clan, more than any other, regards animals as holy and mystic. Few rival their skill as animal trainers. They revere all animals, but particularly favor the hawk. They range far in their travels, but can usually be found in north-central Varisia.

Shundar-Quah (Spire Clan): The Shundar-Quah see themselves as diplomats and storytellers—it is in large part thanks to their efforts that the seven quahs have enjoyed what peace they have with each other. Members of the Spire Clan revere the ancient Thassilonian monoliths that can be found throughout their preferred territories on the Storval Plateau or western Belkzen.

Sklar-Quah (Sun Clan): The most warlike of the quahs, the Sun Clan are the most intolerant of outsiders and the most likely to wage war against non-Shoanti. Their greatest warriors are the burn-riders—elite mounted cavalry who excel at using fire to win battles. They dwell in the southern Cinderlands, and revere the horse above all other animals.

Skoan-Quah (Skull Clan): The Skoan-Quah are the most sinister of the clans, for they associate with the dead and guard the many Shoanti burial grounds in the eastern Cinderlands and among the Mindspin Mountains. They venerate the spirits of animals and favor those associated with death, such as vultures or beetles.

Tamiir-Quah (Wind Clan): The Wind Clan are perhaps the most secluded of the quahs, venturing out of the mountains of northwestern Varisia or the southern Lands of the Linnorm Kings only to raid lowlanders for valuable resources. They venerate f lying animals above all others.

Death of a God

Just over a century ago, the god of humanity died. His name was Aroden, and he not only lifted humanity out of the ashes and terror of the Age of Darkness (an age that followed the meteoric cataclysm known as Earthfall), but founded the greatest city in the world—Absalom. He defeated the foul wizardking Tar-Baphon. He drove back the demon lord of the Locust Host from the nation of Sarkoris. He eventually left the world to join the divine host after setting humanity on course for a great destiny. Prophecies said that when humanity was ready to ascend back to the pinnacle it once held in the ancient times of Old Azlant, Aroden would return to the world to usher in a new Age of Glory. But instead of returning at the appointed time, Aroden, the god of humanity, died.

The death of the god of humanity marked the beginning of a new age. The previous ages had names to inspire and bolster the spirit—the Age of Destiny, the Age of Enthronement. But this new age is not a time of plenty. It is the Age of Lost Omens, for if a god cannot fulfill his own prophecy, what chance have any others of coming true? Aroden’s death scarred the world with storms and madness. To the north, the world split open and the festering armies of the Abyss spilled out through a tear in reality known today as the Worldwound. To the south, the idyllic gulf of Abendego was consumed by a perpetual hurricane whose winds and waves drowned nations. And in the heartland of the Inner Sea region, where Aroden had been prophesied to return, civil war erupted and thousands died before the diabolic House of Thrune seized power.

The Age of Lost Omens has now entered its second century, and in the 11 decades since Aroden’s death, the world has become a darker place. A place where ancient, sinful wizards known as runelords threaten to waken from 10,000 years of slumber. A place where nations are ruled by criminals or devil worshipers or worse. A place where once-great empires now wallow in self-indulgent paranoia or bloody, endless revolutions. A place where nothing is foretold, and anything can happen. A place in need of heroes like never before—the Inner Sea of Golarion