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.

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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.

Following Your Own Path

Ways of Making a Pre-Written Adventure Your Own

I am not now, nor have I ever really been a fan of sandbox games. Just because that’s true does not mean, however, that I believe a story must be a straight shot with immutable conclusions. There are many ways for GMs to roll with the punches of their players and make minor adjustments or additions to a game with a defined plot. Many veteran GMs have learned this fine art but I think it’s time to share some ideas with new GMs trying to find their way in the hobby for the first time.

The first way a world can be made to feel more dynamic is its people, so your NPCs are going to help make the game more interesting. Your PCs are going to latch onto all the NPCs you didn’t expect them to like and ignore all the ones you thought would tickle their fancy. This is a fact of gaming. So even when you are throwing in a character that’s only supposed to be met once, you have to be prepared to bring them back if need be.

In one of my games, the players met with a woman who runs the dockside area, kind of like a mob boss. They found a locket that belonged to her father in an underwater part of a dungeon and returned it to her. This was a literally supposed to be a throwaway part of the adventure. There was the possibility they may not even have found the locket or met the NPC. Upon meeting her they took an interest in her and as a side quest for the adventure they’ve run errands for her and we even roleplayed a whole shopping excursion where they wanted some items that only a black-marketeer could find.

I’ve also discussed my dislike for random encounters . But I do add encounters – especially during travel – that are placed to give the players a way to see what’s going on in the region they’re in. Many modules and adventure paths also add these one-off encounters that have nothing to do with the plot. You can expand on these and add other aspects to it to connect the characters past, making their previous actions matter.

As an example one of the Pathfinder adventure paths has an encounter with some boggards. The players are meant to defeat them but my players have a tendency to try and redeem anything that isn’t undead or an evil outsider, so they tried to make the boggards change their way and let them go. Later they encountered a few dead hunters that another group of boggards had killed earlier and this put the characters on a path to hunt down the boggards who wouldn’t change their ways.

A book earlier in the campaign they faced off against another group of boggards and a boggard “witch” escaped. I decided to add this character to the encounter as a recurring villain. Later, when the player went to save the hunter’s younger son who was going to be sacrificed to their dark god, they found this witch leading their efforts. She escaped again and has popped up two books later.

This list of NPCs that have become allies, acquaintances, and recurring enemies – there is a wererat my players hate – is a mile long. The one big rule is don’t force an NPC on the players. Let them pick the ones they like and make those ones a part of your story. A robust cast of characters from the unnamed shopkeeper, to the escaped minor villain, to the town guard whose barbershop quartet you are going to go see can become important characters. And, if need be, events can be made more personal if one of these friendly characters meet their demise by your villains.

Some GMs are afraid of character death, but really a dying character can be a great way to have a little fun and play with the script of the game. One of the characters in my game died and the player really wanted to play something else, so we came up with an idea. The character was resurrected but turned on his partners. He stole a few pieces of the McGuffin they were hunting down and might have kidnapped their paladin – the player was leaving the game. Now the players have a new challenge to overcome to complete their quest. It wasn’t originally a part of the game layout, but it makes the game something created by the character and their actions and not wholly what was written.

So there are plenty of opportunities to put your stamp on a game as a GM. Even if you’re running a module, there are points where you can veer off while still keeping the overall plot intact. Don’t be afraid to try new things, and most of all, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

In what ways have you made a module your own? What characters did you not expect to become reoccurring that have? How have you adjusted your own stories to take into account the decisions of the players?

Everyone likes to put their stamp on things. If the CRB has helped you get that stamp ready, 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.

Random Roll 103 - The Randomness

This week’s character presents an interesting conundrum from a background perspective, two actually. The first is he’s raised in an elven homeland, but on the elven home land chart he rolled a non-elven town or village. How can you be from an elven homeland but not from an elven town? The second is his drawback being race. How can one be uncomfortable around others not his race when he is basically a bastard half breed? Does he not trust anyone who isn’t an elf or a human? Or does he truly not trust any of his parent races and only feel comfortable around other half-elves? We’ve gotta lot of work cut out for us so let’s see what we can come up with.

Gender:Male

Race:Half-Elf

Human Ethnicity:Shoanti (Skoan-Quah)

Nationality:Varisian

Age:26

Height:6’ 4”

Weight:180

Alignment:Chaotic Good

Str: 11

Dex: 18

Con: 12

Int: 15

Wis: 10

Cha: 10

Homeland: Raised in an Elven Homeland - Non-Elven Town or Village

Parents: Both of your parents are alive.

Siblings: You have no siblings.

Circumstance of Birth: [Prophesied] Your birth was foretold, as recently as during the last generation to as far back as thousands of years ago.

Parent's Profession: Thieves

Major Childhood Event: [Competition Champion] You distinguished yourself at an early age when you won a competition. This might have been a martial contest of arms, a showing of apprentice magicians, high stakes gambling, or something mundane like an eating championship.

Influential Associate:[The Fool] One of your close associates was a clown who mocked propriety and custom, instead engaging in wild and somewhat random actions from time to time. After a while, you learned that there was simple wisdom to this foolery—a careless worldview that taught you how to cast off concern.

Conflict: [Major Theft] You stole expensive items.

Conflict Subject: Leader.

Conflict Motivation: Family.

Conflict Resolution: [You Enjoyed It] Those who cling to petty morals have no understanding of what true freedom and power is. The fact is, you enjoyed your part in the conflict and would do it all over again if the opportunity presented itself. Many people know of your misdeed, and they also realize your complete lack of remorse.

Deity/Religious Philosophy: Count Ranalc

Romantic Relationship(s):[Several Inconsequential Relationships] You have had many lovers but no long-lasting, meaningful relationships.

Drawback:[Race] You are truly comfortable only around others of your race, and you have a hard time putting faith or trust in those of races different from your own.

(Trait) Child of the Streets

(Trait) Failed Apprentice

(Trait) Influence

(Trait) Prophesied

(Trait) Shaper of Reality

(Trait) Unpredictable

(Story Feat) Champion

(Drawback) Xenophobic

In the comments give us your ideas for how to make this into a fully realized character? What class would this character take up? What was the prophecy of his birth? What Competition did he win? Who was his foolish friend? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Flood of Lies

Heretics of Geryon

Each layer of Hell has its own ruler that represents the purpose of that particular area. We’ve looked at a number of these archdevils, including Barbatos, Dispater, Mammon, and Belial. This week we take to the fifth layer of Hell known as Stygia and try to come up with followers of Geryon, the archdevil of forbidden lore, heresies, and snakes. Presented are three sects you might use in your game.

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 Geryon. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Serpent. What character do you make?

For more information on Geryon

Geryon’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Geryon’s Archives of Nethys Page

The Oath Bearers

This sect of followers of Geyron seeks to emulate his diabolic followers that man the Library of Oaths in Stygia. Masters of the deal, they seek out the desperate and the lost with honey words of vows to help better their situation; if only they make a promise. These oaths are kept secure in special books that each acolyte binds themselves and are stored in a central library, presumed to be in Abasalom, for safekeeping when full.

Becoming an Oath Bearer is a promise in and of itself. The first oath recorded by each supplicant is their own before becoming a full member. Because each pledge is also recorded in the infernal library in Stygia, divine power is unnecessary when coercing one, but many of this sect’s followers are still clerics. Bards also make up a number of the small group’s membership, but really anyone who can talk a good game has a chance at becoming and Oath Bearer.

The Fetid Water

Every lie told on the material plane becomes a drop of poison that fills the swamps of Stygia. The Fetid Water is a group of assassins who have dedicated themselves to Lord of Filth. Unlike most assassins guilds that have an image to uphold, the members of the Fetid Water more closely resemble homeless urchins living in a sewer than a proper guild. They specifically take jobs where one person betrayed another by breaking a promise and have an odd habit of showing up just when someone wishes a liar dead.

The leader of the cult is a Chelish oracle named AverniusKreuger. Although he has lost his ability to see, he says he has visions of where his assassins need to be. They operate out of the sewers in Egorian but their influence spreads as far as Riddleport in Varisia to the North and Augustana in Andoran to the East. Those few who know about The Fetid Water call them the liar’s death.

The Lost Prophets

Geryon was one of the Asura Rana before becoming an archdevil. Mixing his former life’s love for taking over ruined holy sites and abandoned deific domains with his no positions as the master of all lies, he has become known as the source of all great heresies. The Lost Prophets look to spread heresy on Golarion in the name of their master. They do so by creating completely new deities that fit the needs of those they wish to convert, or by claiming to be a small sect of an existing deity; twisting the chosen god’s dogma until the unwitting congregation is too far gone to do anything about it.

These false clerics are consummate liars with the ability to contort the emotions of their small groups of worshipers. Although a few true clerics of Geryon join the sect’s ranks, sorcerers, bards, and mesmerists make up a large portion of their numbers. Many of the downtrodden folk they claim as a “flock” don’t know the difference between divine intervention and arcane magic.

Like their master, these serpents revel in what is unknown and what is untrue. Who is your disciple of Geryon? What lie has brought them to worship the Source of Lies? Where does their devotion to this Archdevil 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.

Character 102 - Vasuman Walia

I write the intro to these things after I actually write the character. It gives me a chance to comment on difficulties I may have had and my process. I say that specifically because I am going to point out that even I cannot tie everything together. As I was writing the background I thought I had hit on all the little tidbits, but upon rereading the random rolls post I realized I missed something. I liked what I had and I couldn’t see shoehorning another piece into it, so you will find that the influential person – the academic – has been left out. It just goes to show that this is not always easy and it’s ok if you miss a piece when creating your character.

As for character choices I went looking through the Advanced Races Guide for some information on Suli but there wasn’t a lot. I wanted to play on their natural ability as negotiators, his worship of the Empyreal Lord of communication and music, and his need for pleasure. Although charisma was not his best stat it was still good so I choose the celebrity bard archetype from Ultimate Magic.

Vasuman Walia

The nation of Katapesh has become a common home for Vudrani who seek a life outside of the caste system of their homeland. The people of The Impossible Kingdoms have spread through the region, finding homes not just in the cities, but in the towns and villages as well. The city of El-Fatar, where adventures come to plumb the depths of ancient ruins, is where the Walia family have made their home now on three generations.

VasumanWalia is one of nine children born to Bhupati, a farmer who inherited his land from his father before him. The boy was in many ways the most unremarkable of his brothers and sisters; not the strongest, fastest, or most attractive. And he most certainly was not the smartest, a fact that infuriated his father often.

The boy did have a good heart and a decent voice, and could often be heard in the kitchen singing as his mother prepared meals. His lack of critical thinking occasionally caused him to act out of bad judgment, even if he meant well. He once overheard his father complain about how a merchant “robbed him blind” and so he snuck into the trader’s caravan and stole a few mostly worthless trinkets to recoup his father’s losses. He would never understand why his dad was so mad, but he made him return the baubles.

Vasuman also had a tendency to literally get lost in his own thoughts. He desperately wanted to be famous. Seeing all the powerful warriors, wizards, and occasional scoundrels flock to his city made him dream of that kind of life. Often while practicing swordsmanship or pretending to learn spells he would find himself lost in the desert. Sometimes he could find his way home, other times his eldest siblings would have to search for him.

On one adventure among the dunes the boy ran into a man sitting under a palm tree. He was like no person Vasuman had ever seen before with bronzed skin and eyes that almost sparkled like stars in the night sky. The man at first seemed insulted by the interruption of his nap but he soon realized it was just a boy.

The two talked well into the night with both Vasuman and the man losing all sense of time. The being explained that he was a janni, a type of genie that lived on Golarion itself. The boy asked about wishes, which from a grown less innocent man would have been a grave breach of etiquette, but the janni let it slide with a few tactful words. Before the night was through he told the boy that he too would feel the pull of the elements and left him with that thought at the gates of his parent’s farmhouse.

Eventually, as he aged Vasuman began to see that his chance meeting may not have been by chance. His own blood seems to have been laced with that of the janni, and like the mortal genie he was blessed with the natural ability to understand the desires of people and play to their wants. With a honeyed word and a pleasant tune, the young Vudrani began to make a name for himself in his hometown.

Vasuman hopes to one day be known throughout Golarion for, well, anything really. But that day is not today. Today he starts his adventure in the deserts of Katapesh.

Did you come up with something similar to Vasuman? Which class did your suli gravitate to? What creature did he meet as a child? Why did he steal from a merchant? Who was her academic influence? If you haven’t written your background yet you still have a chance.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Random Roll 102 - The Randomness

This week’s character should prove interesting. A lot to work with in the stats especially an intelligence of five. An unlucky roll got me a seven and the Suli’s racial negative took it down even further. I personally tend to play skill monkeys and high intelligence characters so this kind of roll would definitely have force me to play outside of my comfort zone. So I’ll look over the background bits and see if I can’t make it all add up.

Gender:Male

Race:Suli

Human Ethnicity:Vadruni

Nationality:Katapesh

Age: 16

Height:5’ 7”

Weight:186

Alignment:Neutral Good

Str: 13

Dex: 16

Con: 11

Int: 5

Wis: 16

Cha: 14

Homeland: Town or Village

Parents: Both of your parents are alive.

Siblings: You have 8 biological siblings.

- biological younger sister

- biological older sister

- biological older brother

- biological younger brother

- biological older brother

- biological younger sister

- biological younger sister

- biological younger brother

Circumstance of Birth: [Middle-Class Birth] You were born to the middle class, which includes merchants, artisans, and tradespeople. You likely grew up in a good-sized settlement, and one of your parents is likely associated with a guild or other trade organization. As a free person, you don't experience the bondage of serfdom or peasantry, but you also lack the privilege of the nobility.

Parent's Profession: Yeomen

Major Childhood Event: [Met a Fantastic Creature] When you were only a child, you made contact with a magical creature, such as a dragon, unicorn, genie, pixie, or similar creature. You learned a powerful lesson or a magic trick from that creature. This meeting changed your life and made you different from the other children.

Influential Associate:[The Academic] One of your associates had such a lust for knowledge that she could never be satisfied with simple answers or obvious solutions. This desire for knowledge frequently exceeded her need for companionship, but you were the single exception. Through this association you developed a keen appreciation for numbers, geometry, logic, hard study, and problem solving.

Conflict: [Minor Theft] You stole several small or inexpensive items that belonged to someone else.

Conflict Subject: Merchant.

Conflict Motivation: Money.

Conflict Resolution: [Denial] You feel little if any regret, and deny the event mostly so others won’t judge you. Few if any know of your part in the conflict, and your constant denials are meant to keep it that way.

Deity/Religious Philosophy:Seramaydiel

Romantic Relationship(s):[One Significant Relationship] You had a true love once, but that time has passed.

Drawback:[Pleasure] You crave luxury, entertainment, and pleasure. You might indulge in every passing fancy or hold strong against a temptation that constantly eats at you.

(Trait) Artisan

(Trait) Empyreal Focus

(Trait) Gifted Adept

(Trait) Kin Guardian

(Trait) Mathematical Prodigy

(Trait) Merchant

(Trait) Militia Veteran

(Trait) Savanna Child

(Drawback) Hedonistic

In the comments give us your ideas for how to make this into a fully realized character? What class would this character gravitate towards? What fantastic creature did he meet as a child? Why would an academic take interest in a child who wasn’t at all bright? Who are all of his eight siblings? And don’t forget to stay tuned Friday when my background hits the CRB.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but makes you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to created please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me right – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Silent Night

Faithful of The Black Butterfly

Some beings come from the very fabric of what it means to be good, or evil, and others are created by mere chance. Even true gods don’t always understand their own power and today’s being of divine power was formed by accident from the creation of the stars by the deity Desna. The Empyreal Lord known as The Black Butterfly is concerned with distance, silence, and space. We look today at this defender against the madness of the Dark Tapestry and I present you with three possible sects to The Silence Between.

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 Black Butterfly. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of The Silence Between. What character do you make?

For more information on Black Butterfly

Black Butterfly’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Black Butterfly’s Archives of Nethys Page

Monks of the Black Tower

There is a saying about becoming the monster you hunt. Delving too much into how any evil creature thinks and acts is likely to rub off on the one studying them. This is even truer when the creatures you wish to understand are the personifications of madness. But the Monks of the Black Tower do just that as they study the Dark Tapestry – the void between the stars – for hints into the workings of the great old ones and the outer gods.

Wizards, sorcerers, occultists, oracles, and astronomers make up the membership of the Monks. They each take a vow of silence, as to speak the names of these eldritch creatures is to invite them into your heart. They also take a vow of isolation never to leave the monastery again. All of their findings are kept on scrolls that are locked away until the information is needed to battle specific threats.

Void Hunters

Whereas the Monks of the Black Tower isolate themselves, the Void Hunters actively seek out the agents of their enemies on Golarion. Far older than the Monks. it is believed that one of the members of this sect was the founder of the Black Tower Monastery. The Hunters are believed to have come into existence as some of the earliest explorers of the crashed starship in Numeria. They were very active in Osirian during the second age in AR -1498, where they fought against a mysterious cult they discover from their findings in Numeria.

The Void Hunters consists of active field agents who work in small cells to hunt down agents of the mysterious Dominion of the Black. Any person who has felt the touch of these emissaries of the void can join. Often, though, hunters and investigators of the occult find their way into the ranks. Clerics, rangers, investigators, occultists and other psychic classes make up the core of this sect.

The Silent Gift

Battle against the unknown isn’t the only way followers of the Black Butterfly make their presence felt on Golarion. Like many Empyreal Lords, there is a small mystery cult to The Silence Between in the city-state of Magnimar. Their existence is mostly unrealized but their impact is felt by many of the most downtrodden of the citizens of the City of Monuments.

Most of the sect members were at one point destitute themselves and know what it means to want for even basic necessities. As such the cult members perform seemingly random acts of charity every day, often taking from the well-off to give to those truly in need. The leader is a shadow dancer by the name of NyvenWildershins, a Varisian who grew up in the shadow of the irespan known as Underbridge. His followers are mostly rogues and a few clerics to the Black Butterfly who came from the slums of the city they call home.

Some fight the darkness and some use it to do good, but all pay homage to this chaotic deity. Who is your disciple of Black Butterfly? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to The Silence Between? Where does their devotion to this Empyreal Lord come from? Let me know in the comments.

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Character 101 - Amere Inistar

I had a rough go with this week’s random rolls. It was tough trying to stick with the lore of the world and two aspects of the rolls that didn’t mesh well. Our Dhampir this week had some kind of academy training but didn’t really have the intelligence to be an arcane caster or any type of learned person. She was almost assuredly going to be a martial of some type with the strength of sixteen but finding the names of actual martial academies in Andoran proved difficult. Although I never found the school of combat I was looking for I did find other inspiration.

Along with class, one note on mechanics I will make is that I dislike that Dhampir start out at such an old age. I know they are longer-lived than humans but it makes having living parents and siblings tough. Paizo made adjustments to the Aasimar and Tiefling, reflecting that because they are raised by humans they generally reach the age of maturity when a human would. So although they’ll live longer eventually they have a starting age for play now more in line with humans. To that end even though I rolled 130 years old for this Dhampir I am disregarding that and making her in her early twenties.

As for class I decided on cavalier. I knew I needed a martial and the cavalier fit into the background I had been generating. Although, in this case, she could have just as easily been a fighter as, unlike many of the other characters I have come up with, the class wasn’t central to the character.

Amere Inistar

When you’re born in Claes everyone is always talking about history. For such a small fishing town the people there tend to act much like big city folk; not that a certain amount of pride is unwarranted. One of their own is the commander of the Eagle Knights. But as a child, the legend of General Reginald Cormoth is not easy to live up to.

Being held to the standard of the General was nothing compared to what Amere would later learn was common treatment for those of her kind. Born after an attack by vampires on the village, the eldest Inistar daughter retained some of the taint after her mother was bitten. Most Dhampirs cause the death of their mother during birth and are often ostracized by family and their community. But Amere was loved by birth her parents and, for the most part, accepted by the community at large.

Life is not without its conflicts, and although the Dhampir lived a life that would be considered idyllic by the standards of most of her race, she did butt heads often with her younger sister. Kalistree despised the fact that her sister had an otherworldly beauty about her as well as the fact that she was stronger than even most of the boys in their village. The younger Inistar girl was constantly playing pranks and trying to ruin her sister’s reputation.

In the battle with her sister, Amere would not always stay on the right side of the law. Although she never got caught, she would occasionally break or mar things her sister loved, even if they didn’t technically belong to the younger Inistar girl. The war of the sisters would never be won but Amere never felt too bad about what she did.

Being a Dhampir in a small town felt confining to Amere as she grew up. She longed to see the world around her. She would pray to Desna for the chance to travel the world and meet new people. Her parents knew they couldn’t keep her there forever so they reached out to a friend in Almas. Keiron was a man who came from Claes but unlike the General, he wasn’t world famous. What he was, though, was a man who knew everybody.

Amere left home to see Andoran with Keiron, sent on her way with a hand knit hat from her mother. He traveled from Almas to Augustana to Carpenden; he did business everywhere. And anywhere they went, there were the Eagle Knights. What had been her childhood obsession of pushing away the trial of living up to General Cormoth’s legacy became a young adulthood of trying to embrace it. And with her mentor’s help, she was enrolled in one of the military academies in Augustana.

Although she graduated for the academy with high commendations in the Andoran Defense sword style, a life in the military was not for her. Amere knew that the Eagle Knights recruitment methods were often non-traditional so she decided that she would make a name for herself on the road. With her trusty steed, the girlfriend she met at school, and her dedication to the order of the shield and the protection of her people, AmereInistad headed out into the wider world looking for adventure.

Amere is the direction I went but who was your Dhampir? Which class did your character become? Who was the well-connect friend? What academy did she go to? How why did she commit minor crimes either for or against a family member? If you haven’t written your background yet you still have a chance.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to get the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon. And to keep up with my other musings and thoughts you can follow the CRB on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.