KOTB

Keep on the borderrrrrlaaaaand

Concept

A KOTB-like run-through but with i) a few twists and ii) a sweaty, low-tech sword and sorcery aesthetic. The Borderlands lie near the edge of lands that are languishing in a dark age (the result of a magic apocalypse). Landscape is arid semi-desert. I’ve discovered in my bit of prep that the setting idea shares similarities with the Dark Sun world; it’s perhaps a ‘softer’ version in which most standard D&D tropes survive mechanically unchanged. I'd run the game so there's enough similarity to the original to trigger a few of the nostalgia chills. Obviously they'll be changes and surprises (and a different overall feel) to make the experience novel. Warning in advance: I don't intend to make it a huge dungeon crawler, though that will certainly be an element.

System: Pathfinder

Races: humans, tieflings only

Armor: perhaps an odd thing to focus on first, but I intend to restrict players to light or medium war harness to support feel. Worn in setting partly for reasons of the climate, but also for freedom of movement).

Two types of armour predominate (boosted versions of gladiator and provocator on SRD). Both are partial, piecemeal.

Light harness (reqs light arm prof)
Cost ........AC Bonus ....Max Dex Bonus .....Check Penalty .....Spell Fail ....Weight
15 coins... [+4].............+6 ................. 0 ..............10%.........15 lbs.

Medium harness (reqs med arm prof)
Cost.......... AC Bonus..... Max Dex Bonus ....Check Penalty .....Spell Fail.... Weight
75 coins .... [+6]............... +4 ............ -3 ..............20%...........30 lbs.

Heavy armor only exists as lamellar or other bulky lower tech forms.

Characters

Zilisha
Female Tiefling
Bloodrager (Abyssal Bloodline) 1
CG

Stats: 4d6k3 11 4d6k3 16 4d6k3 13 4d6k3 10 4d6k3 14 4d6k3 16
Str 16 Dex 11 (13) Con 14 Int 10 (12) Wis 13 Cha 16 (14)
They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and –2 Charisma.

• Darkvision: Tieflings can see perfectly in the dark for up to 60 feet
• Maw or Claw Some tieflings take on the more bestial aspects of their fiendish ancestors. These tieflings exhibit dangerous claws. The tiefling can choose two claws that each deal 1d4 points of damage. These attacks are primary natural attacks. This racial trait replaces the spell-like ability racial trait.
• Scaled Skin The skin of these tieflings provides some energy resistance, but is also as hard as armor. Choose one of the following energy types: cold, electricity, or fire. A tiefling with this trait gains resistance 5 in the chosen energy type (FIRE) and also gains a +1 natural armor bonus to AC. This racial trait replaces fiendish resistance.
• Prehensile Tail Many tieflings have tails, but some have long, flexible tails that can be used to carry items. While they cannot wield weapons with their tails, they can use them to retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action. This racial trait replaces fiendish sorcery
• Vestigial Wings Some tieflings possess a pair of undersized, withered, or stunted wings like a mockery of those of their fiendish forbearer. Sometimes these wings are leathery, like those of a bat. Other times they are covered with a scattering of black, red, or violet feathers. Rare manifestations can take even more bizarre forms. These wings do not provide the lift required for actual flight, but do have enough power to aid flight attained by some other method, and grant a +4 racial bonus on Fly skill checks. This racial trait replaces skilled.

Skills (6/level): Climb 1:7 Craft (Armor) 1:5 Diplomacy 1:6 (7 with Badlanders) Intimidate 1:6 Perception 1:5 Survival 1:5

BAB: +1 Fort 4 Ref 1 Will 1 Speed: 40’

Languages: Common, Abyssal, Infernal

HD: d10 HP: 8 / 8 (10 / 10) AC: 17 (15) Claw x2: +4, 1d4+3, (+6, 1d6+5) Planson: +4, 1d10+4 (+7, 1d10+7) Chakram: +2, 1d6+3, 30’

Feat: Improved Natural Armor: +1 natural armor

Traits: Human Affinity: Diplomacy is a class skill for all characters, paid for (1 skill point for free) at chargen. Add your class level to interact with characters of a similar profession/ background (e.g. fighters, etc).

Prideful Temper: You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls made against creatures that have insulted you until you actually succeed in dealing damage.

Bloodline Powers:

Claws: At 1st level, you grow claws while bloodraging. These claws are treated as natural weapons, allowing you to make two claw attacks as a full attack, using your full base attack bonus. These attacks deal 1d6 points of damage each (1d4 if you are Small) plus your Strength modifier. At 4th level, these claws are considered magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage resistance. At 8th level, the damage increases to 1d8 points (1d6 if you are Small). At 12th level, these claws become flaming weapons, which deal an additional 1d6 points of fire damage on a hit.

Bloodrage: 5 rds, free action to start, +4 Str & Con, +2 Will save, -2 AC, fatigued 2x # of rds

Fast Movement: +10’, not carrying a heavy load

Medium harness (reqs med arm prof) Cost.......... AC Bonus..... Max Dex Bonus ....Check Penalty .....Spell Fail.... Weight 75 coins .......... [+6].................. +4 .......................... -3 ..................20%.........30 lbs.

Equipment: 105

• Medium harness 75
• Planson 10
• Chakram (2) 2
• Barbarian’s kit 9

backpack, a belt pouch, a blanket, a flint and steel, an iron pot, rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin

• Grappling hook 1/87
• Artisan’s tools (Armorer) 5
• Whetstone 0.02/102.02
• Honing a blade with a whetstone requires about 15 minutes of work and grants the weapon a +1 bonus on your damage roll the first time you hit with it. This only works on nonmagical blades.
• Outfit, peasant’s (rags) 0.1
• Oil (2) 0.2
• 2 bullets, 6 tin pieces, 8 tin bits

Background: These arid lands are a brutal, unforgiving place, but the daily struggle for survival hasn’t dampened Zilisha’s spirits. She is grateful to be alive, and willing to help others (within reason). Even when things are going bad, she’s feeling good as Hell.

Appearance: Zilisha’s a big girl. Her skin is brick-red with little scales, her shoulder-length hair is black and wavy, and she has little horns on her forehead. She has undersized bat wings, and a tail that sways when she walks. Her fingernails are long, sharp and immaculate.

Classes

Classes and archetypes: mostly mechanically pretty close to RAW or RAW; other suggestions welcome but please try to get with the setting groove.

Warrior: Caravans guards, pit fighters, bandits. Likely ttracted to the borderlands to gain fame fortune and artefact weapons. Standard fighter mechs but you can swap heavy armour prof for exotic armor (partial) to make the most of those harnesses.

Ranger: Sweaty border scouts and bounty hunters. Mechanically as RAW;

Rogue: no fancy thieves guilds in this setting, but the rogue art persists in savage form

Wizard: only literate class, carrying encyclopaedia/ almanacs as well as spellbooks. School choice would hopefully emphasize this scholarly role. Player may wish to make this character a Psion instead-in which case we’ll swap out arcane magic for psionics across the setting.

Cleric: warrior priests who serve the grim but fair LN Lord of Skulls.

Druid: long-haired, beardy or flower-garlanded priests of the life force. Convocations create potions fonts to marshal the power of life and nature.

Badlander: barbarian mechanically, sweaty badland and desert-dwelling survivalist

Tiefling: only race that can be a sorcerer

House rules

Level/advancement: A low level setting starting at level one , E6-ish in that advancement is Fast until level 6, when it switches to medium-few high level characters exist

Traits: all characters take the compulsory trait Human Affinity and one further trait. Human Affinity: Diplomacy is a class skill for all characters, paid for (1 skill point for free) at chargen. Add your class level to interact with characters of a similar profession/ background (e.g. fighters, etc).

House rules: we'll use party initiative for most combats. I'll assign the party 'plot immunity' points that players win from good writing, , interesting play choices, etc.

Chargen: 20pt point buy OR roll your characters using the 4d6 , best of 3 method. If the character is disappointing, reroll the whole array, repeating til you get something playable. You can use the native roller or orokos as you wish...

Expectations

• Please give me an idea as to how freq you expect to post. I am after a flexible daily post rate. If you can’t post or need a break, let me know and I’ll put your character on hold. I’ll puppet characters either on request or when someone is randomly absent
• Please make a new character just for the setting, supporting the atmosphere.
• Please use the few terms -for currency, monsters, classes- that come up (if currency is 'bullets' not 'gps', try to get with the name change)
• Please make sure you know thoroughly the mechanics any class that you want to play
• Please choose spells, mechanics that are easy to rule in PbP
• Please be willing to engage in conversation and diplomacy- compulsory trait makes this an option for every class and player

Setting feel/current ideas

• two suns , three moons (one a ringed planet, obv.)
• hot semi-desert Badlands with stands of lush forest and ponds that are worshipped by the druids.
• currency: stamped heavy metal (lead alloy) spheres. Smaller transactions use [tin?] pieces (1 bullet = ten pieces) or barter.
• The Castellan is ex-bandit tuned bandit killer, now lording it over the keep and a lucrative trade in jewels
• Landscape once lush: ruins everywhere with ghouls, etc.
• Giant monsters spawn randomly on full double moon.

Languages

• Apeman
• Ancient: pre-apocalypse language that most writing uses; useful to read writings on ruins, etc.
• Badlander: spoken by wild Badlands barbarians
• Derro: Spoken By: derro, inhuman or otherworldly monsters, evil fey. This ancient tongue is spoken by strange eldritch entities, and certain ancient beings.
• Fiendish: The language of demons, devils, often also spoken by evil spirits.
• Half: spoken by dwarf-like halflings
• Necril. Spoken by undead. An ancient language of the dead, this whispering tongue is shared among undead and is also often associated with necromancy.
• Ophdian: spoken by serpentine monsters like ophidians; allows limited communication with snakes
• Signals: hunter-gather sign language , useful for silent comms during hunt or ambush
• Undercommon. Spoken By: trogs, morlocks, (deep halfs).
• Vegepygmy. Vegepygmy is not a spoken language since vegepygmies cannot speak. They communicate via a crude language of rhythmic taps, beats, and clicks.
• Wild: fey creatures, plant creatures; allows limited communication with intelligent animals like crows, apes, dogs, felines. Druids get this for free.
• Wanderer: a cant spoken by human wanderers, only partially comprehensible by those who know Common. Includes a mark language like hobo code.