A Green Thumb

Gardeners of Immonhiel

Many of the gods of good bring their healing powers to bear on the world. Much of the time this is only accessible through the use of divine might. This week’s deity choose to bring healing to the world that requires no magic and does so even in places where the divine is outlawed, like Rahadoum. Immonhiel is the Empyreal Lord of herbs, medicine, and toads, and he is the patron of chronically ill. Today we look at three possible sects for our healing minded god that you may want to use in your games.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Immonhiel. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of Balm-Bringer. What character do you make?

For more information on Immonhiel

Immonhiel’s Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Immonhiel’s Archives of Nethys Page 

The Gardeners

In the wilds of the River Kingdoms dwell an entire commune of Immonhiel worshipers. They live on a plot of land made up of fertile soil near the bank of one of the many flowing arms of the Sellen River. It is on this small commune that The Gardeners raise a variety of crops. Some of which they sell as food, but most of which are rare or newly bred healing herbs.

The groups is made up of five families that sought to better understand their patron. Each family has a history of plant breeding some for alchemical purposes, others for healing, but all have passed down agricultural secrets for generations. Many witches, alchemists, and brewers come to The Gardeners for their special herbs.

The Tree-Root Tribe

Although more frog-like than toad-like the Grippli tribe known as The Tree-Root are staunch followers of the Balm-Bringer. Worship of Immonhiel spread among the tribe when a travelling healer brought the then chief’s son back from the brink of death. The chief proclaimed the Empyreal Lord the patron of the entire tribe.

The healers of Immonhiel are now the moral center of the tribe. Being chosen to be one of the sacred herbalists is considered the greatest honor among the grippli. And among the tribes in the region the Tree-Root tribe is held in great esteem due to their often miraculous healing powers.

The Bramble Brewers

Half-Elves are often written off by both their parent races. However, they tend to be innovative combining aspects of both their parent’s cultures. The Bramble Brewers merge their human side’s need for change with their elf side’s love of nature under the auspices of their patron deity Immonhiel.

These alchemists’ concoctions are made from all natural ingredients as they shy away from the bizarre chemicals many of their peers use. Because of this many of their extracts and even their mutagen have effects that outwardly mimic plant life. Becoming a Bramble Brewer is a calling and any half-elf alchemist who wishes to learn their ways can.

From the simplest herb can come great healing as can from the simplest of followers of this week’s deity. Who is your disciple of Immonhiel? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Balm-Bringer? Where does their devotion to this Empyreal Lord come from? Let me know in the comments.

If the CRB has helped you take a closer look at those inspired by the divine, please consider showing support and become one of my patrons by donating to my Patreon or making a donation to my Paypal. Looking for more out of the CRB? Then you’re in luck! Facebook, Google +, Tumblr, and Twitter all have a CRB presence. And if you’re as impatient as I am, have the CRB pushed directly to your Kindle with every new post by signing up for Kindle Subscriptions.

Those Who Stand

Faithful of Soralyn

In the realms of the celestial the Empyreal Lords look over those things that the major gods miss in their portfolios. Some are warriors, some art artists, and others are protectors. Soralyon is the Empyreal Lord of guardians, magic, and monuments and this week we’re gonna take a look at three possible sects for this powerful angel.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Soralyon. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Mystic Angel. What character do you make?

For more information on Soralyon

Soralyon’s Pathfinder Wiki Page 

Soralyon’s Archives of Nethys Page 

The Momumentalists

In most of the world Empyreal Lords are worshiped like saints, as servitors to the higher gods. In Magnimar there are numerous cults dedicated to these elevated celestial beings, and one of the three most revered of these beings is The Mystic Angel. The Monumentalists see the city as their holy protectorate with all of the statues and structures new and old strewn around the city for them to keep watch over. The cult believes that all the monuments are somehow connected but only Soralyon knows how and thus far has been unwilling to share his secret.

The sect takes the study of the monuments of Magnimar very seriously. They are one of the few mystery cults that practice out in the open. Membership requires little more than an affection – some would say obsession – with the city’s historical structures. Those who join can come from any class but often all have a background in history, engineering, art, or the arcane.

The Star-Struck

Soralyon is said to be the keeper of magical secrets, things even Nethys doesn’t know. Although it is said he shares these secrets with a deserving few, what ‘deserving’ means is up for debate. The Star-Struck believe that The Mystic Angel will only reveal these secrets to those who seek it themselves and get close. The answers, they posit, are in the stars and so to the heaven’s they search for their patron’s secrets.

Because The Star-Struck seek their answers in the heavens they are all astronomers of one sort or another. Many casters join the group seek a means to expand their power, but also more mundane star seekers can find a home within the sect as well. Their leader is actually a Lunar Naga named Hexilcris who claims to have felt the touch of Soralyon personally.

The Storm Dogs

The Empyreal Lord’s home is Steward’s Stone which watches over the chaos of the Maelstrom. It is said that Soralyon is a guardian of the world against that chaos, specifically chaotic magic. The Storm Dogs hunt down creatures and spellcasters that attempt to subvert reality.

The sect is a small group hardly ever growing more than a dozen members at a time. They work in small to covertly to contain situations they deem unstable. Although all members have been touched somehow by magic, not everyone is a caster. Most in fact specialize in countering magic in one form or another.

Like the monuments they revere these worshipers stand tall against adversity. Who is your disciple of Soralyon? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Mystic Angel? Where does their devotion to this Empyreal Lord come from? Let me know in the comments.

If the CRB has helped you take a closer look at those inspired by the divine, please consider showing support and become one of my patrons by donating to my Patreon or making a donation to my Paypal. Looking for more out of the CRB? Then you’re in luck! Facebook, Google +, Tumblr, and Twitter all have a CRB presence. And if you’re as impatient as I am, have the CRB pushed directly to your Kindle with every new post by signing up for Kindle Subscriptions.

Troubled Waters

The Wracked of Roqoloros

Water is often seen as the bringer of life; a symbol of healing and a resource any living being cannot survive without. But when that life-sustaining element is corrupted or tainted, you get death and disease. Among the foul outsiders of the lower planes, one being represents the corruption of water and that is Roqorolos, the Daemon Harbinger of castaways, fouled water, and oceans. Today we peek into the depths of his followers and present to you three possible sects of The Prince of the Wracked.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game that we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Roqorolos. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Seadrinker. What character do you make?

For more information on Roqorolos

Roqorolos’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Roqorolos’s Archives of Nethys Page 

The Poisoned Well

The Daemon Harbinger Roqorolos serves Apollyon, the Horsemen of Pestilence. His domain over fouled water serves the purposes of his master. And the members of the Poisoned Well, in turn, serve the purposes of the Prince of the Wracked. They do so by befouling the water of settlements large and small to spread disease amongst the populace.

The members of this small sect consider themselves connoisseurs of waterborne contagions, both mundane and magical. Each settlement they seek to ravage is a chance for them to test their newest creations. Alchemists, Investigators, arcane casters of all kinds, and some of the most twisted druids on Golarion make up the core of these demented bringers of blight.

The Broken Bow

Those who find themselves stranded on small islands often fall to madness. These castaways can lose it enough to beg for the blessings of The Seadrinker. These damned souls please the daemon harbinger and The Broken Bow find favor from Roqorolos by stranding these unfortunate souls.

The Broken Bow is actually an extended family of weresharks and their skinwalker kin who occupy the Valashmai Sea off the Southern coast of Tian Xia. They hide in plain sight as movers of cargo – albeit often illicit things. They pick their targets when in port and then attack the chosen ship, sinking it and devouring most of its crew and passengers. They leave one sad soul alive and he usually wakes on some small uninhabited island.

The Lost

When one seeks the favor of Roqorolos, one must suffer his purview. The Lost is a group of oracles who take this suffering and solitude to the extreme in order to gain clarity from their master. Each member secludes themselves for seven years on an isolated island with no contact with other sentient beings. Every day they drink the salty ocean water in an attempt to poison their own bodies.

The Lost keep a shrine somewhere in The Shackles, where others of Roqorolos’ faithful come to find them for guidance. Although they are all considered oracles and conduits to the Daemon Harbinger, not all of them are of the oracle class. Shaman, druids, clerics, and even some sorcerers find a home among those who choose exile. The sect will accept any who can survive their seven years.

As corrupt as the befouled water of their lord are the followers of The Prince of the Wracked. Who is your disciple of Roqorolos? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Seadrinker? Where does their devotion to this Daemon Harbinger come from? Let me know in the comments.

If the CRB has helped you take a closer look at those inspired by the divine, please consider showing support and become one of my patrons by donating to my Patreon or making a donation to my Paypal. Looking for more out of the CRB? Then you’re in luck! Facebook, Google +, Tumblr, and Twitter all have a CRB presence. And if you’re as impatient as I am, have the CRB pushed directly to your Kindle with every new post by signing up for Kindle Subscriptions.

Back to the Past

Musings on Flashbacks in the Gaming Narrative

Lately, I’ve been thinking about narratives that work in books which could be used in RPGs. Most games tend to be pretty straightforward with play being in the moment. Things like cutscenes, flashbacks, and dream sequences can often seem more like the GM talking to himself, or like one player getting the spotlight for a longer period of time than anyone else. And you certainly don’t a want to use cutscenes to shift to the villain’s point in the plot like you might in a book or a movie, because you don’t want to give things away to your players. For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about flashbacks and the ways they can be used in games to strengthen the narrative.

One of the things I like about flashbacks is it allows character growth for players who may not be the best at writing backstories. Not everyone is like me and has a five-page character background, and although some GMs might not like that, I understand that not everyone is a writer. Flashbacks can help draw out portions of a character’s past during play which can give the player a deeper connection to the game and the GM some things for the player to use as hooks later.

There’s a game I played once that had an awesome mechanic to draw out these narratives from the players; I played it at a one-day gaming event and it left a lasting impression on me. 3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars is basically Starship Troopers the game, but what got me was the flashback mechanic. You could use a flashback twice each session; once to have a critical success and once to flee and not take damage.

This mechanic worked by telling the GM that you wanted to cash in on the ability to do either of these things during the battle. I think there were poker chips or another token that represented each use. Once you did this you had to narrate a brief flashback that explained why you’d be good at doing the thing that you were about to do. For my critical success, I narrated being a standout basketball player in high school known for my jump shot, and that was why throwing my grenade directly into the mouth of the bug-alien would succeed.

I’m not sure how this method could transfer over to games like my current game of choice, Pathfinder, but having players narrate their critical hits or critical failures in terms of a flashback could work. The difficulty then becomes monopolizing time. The problem with flashbacks is they often only include one person’s character. This can leave other players out in the cold if they aren’t short narratives like in 3:16. So how do we bring the whole party into that moment?

One way requires quite a bit of work on behalf of the GM. The flashback must be prepared ahead of time. NPCs that represent people that the player having the flashback might meet need to be premade so they can be handed out to the other players. This should allow the GM to include the entire group in the cutscene, but as mentioned it is far more work.

You could attempt a more fluid version of this, and as the player mentions people he interacts with during the flashback hand those sheets out to the other players. This requires some trust in the person telling their character’s history. They need to be able to come up with enough peripheral characters to allow the whole group to play along. And both methods require the player flashing-back to trust the other players won’t mess with their “moment.”

I haven’t personally used a lot of flashbacks in my games. Pathfinder isn’t really geared toward the way more narrative games are. It is something I’m looking to incorporate more into my play, though, and I hope my thoughts on it might allow you to do so as well.

In what ways have you used flashbacks or other cutscenes in your games? How have you incorporated these narratives into games that aren’t specifically designed with them in mind? In what ways do you keep all your players engrossed when one person’s character currently has the spotlight?

Your past informs your future. If today’s article has helped you expand your narrative tools, please consider becoming a supporter. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.

Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory

Using Loses to Help Advance Your Story

A lot of times when going to see a film people are expecting the happy ending. Except for maybe a handful of horror movies the villain doesn’t win. Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the three original films because it leaves us with the villain out ahead. So why don’t we see the big bad actually being the victor in most games? Is losing that bad for the heroes? There’s an old adage about learning more in defeat than in victory. So can your heroes learn from a decisive loss to your antagonist?

I think it all depends on how you frame it. A loss shouldn’t be the end result of an entire campaign. But one or even multiple losses during the middle part of a game can often compel the heroes to do better. In the search for pieces of an artifact what if the big bad’s minions get there first and make off with some of the pieces. This happens often but in most games I find the heroes are always winning the day. But they still have a chance to defeat the villain before he can actually put the artifact to use, even if he has collected all the pieces.

One of the other hurdles I see is that many groups will fight to the death at every instance. Especially when a GM usually fudged die rolls or doesn’t allow character deaths, the players will just try and persevere. It often needs to be impressed upon the players early in a campaign that it’s ok to flee. Or even if the bad guy has the ability to kill the players he choose not to. Let them know that they would have died but he thinks their beneath him and so he doesn’t finish them off.

Capturing player’s is a difficult method of handing the party a loss. If we look at the end of Empire Solo’s capture is part of the party’s defeat. But in a game the player of solo would now be out of a character and that can be unfair. I find capturing important NPCs works better for this type of defeat so that the group still has some one to rescue but one player doesn’t need to make a new character.

The last issue is the sparing use of defeat. If the players feel like they are being stymied at every turn then they’ll feel like they have no chance. In wrestling the bad guy will often beat on the good guy for a while building up hatred in the fans. But the good guy needs to get a little back, even if he gets cut off again not to soon after. This is called the hope spot and you need to give your players hope.

The ebb and flow of the games drama can be seen in victories and losses. And it’s ok to have more losses than victories because if the player’s succeed in the end all that heartbreak will be vindicated. The question becomes what is the right win to loss ratio for your group. That’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself. But if you can find the right balance you can really enhance your story telling.

I’ve used defeats in my game but how have you used them in yours? How many losses are you willing to give your players? How do you guide your players to a setback without killing them? What kinds of failures are your group able to handle?

Everyone likes a big win after any defeat. If the CRB has helped you find your success, please consider becoming a supporter. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.