This is the thread where we coordinate the War for the Crown campaign being undertaken by group D&D3.
For an explanation on our approach to the Paizo Player's Guides, check out this post written by icy: https://culture.vg/forum/topic?t=7324
CHARACTER TIPS
- Important skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (noblility), Performance, Profession, Sense Motive, and Stealth
- Thematically appropriate combat feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Disarm, Lunge, Spring Attack, and Weapon Finesse
- Some characters that are native to Taldor, preferrably middle or upper class
- Characters who can blend into the social scene or investigate strange events
- Character class spread with diverse abilities
- Taldor is stubbornly humanocentric with a particular stigma against half-orcs, half-elves, and geniekin
- The practical gods of Taldor are considered: Abadar, Cayden Cailean, Norgorber, and Shelyn but there are sizable cults to others
- Useful languages: Common (obviously), Azlanti, Celestial, Elven, Kelish
- Recommended familiars: cat, hawk, mouse, lizard, monkey, owl, rat, raven, toad, and weasel
- Recommended animal companions: bear, bird, camel, big cat, small cat, crocodile, dog, horse, venomous snake, and wolf. Of these, however, only the bird, small cat, dog, and horse are generally considered appropriate at aristocratic gatherings
You guys have already created your characters and have a decent spread of the above, but you still have time to talk amongst yourselves and make tweaks to fill in any blanks or cover any weaknesses before the first session. The campaign begins in Oppara, glittering capital of the empire, with the assumption that each character has done something minor that nonetheless proved sufficient to earn the attention of some noble circles and led to their recruitment by Lady Martella Lotheed.
icy has already explained the concept of campaign traits in the previously linked thread so I won't repeat it here for brevity's sake, except to remind you of this: "Note that if you have a very explicit character and backstory in your mind that doesn't fit any of these traits, you're not obligated to take any of them. You won't get the bonuses, but D&D is about far more than just bonuses. So pick a trait only if you find one that sounds cool to you and you wouldn't mind having it."
CAMPAIGN TRAITS
Athletic Champion: Your physique and skill brought you into the public eye, and a winning smile helps you stay there. Taldor honors its extraordinary athletes, celebrating them as cultural heroes. Whether you were a gladiator, a runner, a wrestler, or any other competitor, your most recent victory caused someone important to sit up and take notice. You may never have a political career in front of you, but for now your name is helping to bring a little extra money in, and maybe that’s good enough. Select two of the following skills: Climb, Diplomacy, Perception, and Swim. You gain a +1 trait bonus on checks with those skills, and they are always class skills for you. In addition, you are accustomed to maneuvering through crowds; you gain a +2 trait bonus on checks to navigate through a crowd or resist being moved against your will, including spells and bull rush, drag, and reposition combat maneuvers.
Child of Oppara: You belong to a noble family that matters in Taldor, though as the story begins you may or may not be on good terms with your relatives. Your upbringing among the city’s well-to-do gives you an upper hand when it comes to knowledge of high society, and you start the game with a modest inheritance. With Princess Eutropia’s efforts to provide for Taldor’s common citizens and overturn years of tradition, new lines are being quietly drawn in the sand, and you have found yourself embroiled in these intrigues whether you intended to be or not. With this trait, the assumption is that you belong to a minor noble family (and can make up your family name). In this case, your family keeps a small manor in Aroden’s View or Senate’s Hill. If you want to be a member of one of Oppara’s major noble families, you must take the Noble Scion feat at 1st level. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Appraise and Knowledge (nobility) checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you. The Noble Scion feat does not have a Charisma prerequisite for you. In addition, you start play with a noble’s outfit, a signet ring, and a single additional nonmagical item worth no more than 200 gp.
Disgraced Noble: Your noble family used to matter, until your father took a stand against Maxillar Pythareus, the commander of Taldor’s military. True or not, the accusations Pythareus leveled against your family in return destroyed your reputation and isolated you from the society you grew up in. Now the only thing that matters to you is clawing your way back up the social ladder, either for your own quality of life or to clear your family’s name. You’ve had to practice deception as you began working your way back into Taldan social circles; you gain a +2 trait bonus on Bluff checks to conceal your identity and a +2 bonus on Linguistics checks to spot or produce forgeries, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you. Once each day, you can choose a single humanoid you believe to have been involved in the conspiracy to destroy your family; you gain a +1 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls against that NPC for a number of rounds equal to your character level. At 10th level, this bonus increases to +2.
Rising Star: All too often, great minds must suffer for their art, but you’re one of the lucky ones. Your skills attracted the attention of a noble patron who pays for your food, housing, and tools. As your patron introduces you to other cultural elites, you’re slowly learning to navigate the treacherous waters of high society, but you still remember the lean times when each meal was a hard-won treasure. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Sense Motive and Survival checks, as well as checks using a single Craft or Perform skill of your choice; one of these skills is always a class skill for you. Once each day, you can invoke your patron’s reputation or name one of your own prominent works to gain a +2 circumstance bonus on a single Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check. You begin the game with a masterwork musical instrument or tool appropriate to the Craft or Perform skill you selected, a gift from your patron.
Senatorial Hopeful: While you belong to a noble family, hailing from the outlying prefectures means you lack the pull and wealth needed to rub shoulders with the stars of Oppara’s social scene. Your life has been quiet, isolated from the thrum of fashion and pop culture, but you see this as a source of insight and aim to help people by someday joining the senate. It’ll be a long journey, but you’ve already begun learning which hands to shake and how to listen carefully when others tell you what they want. You gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy and Knowledge (local) checks, and both of these skills are always class skills for you. Once each week you can call on family connections to obtain a single piece of equipment or consumable magic item (such as a potion or scroll) worth up to your character level × 25 gp. Delivery of the goods you request takes 1d4 days. At 10th level, the potential value of a magical item increases to your character level × 50 gp, and your requests can also include spellcasting services and wands.
Taldan Patriot: You love your country, its history, and its people... even though they may not love you back. Whether you’re a bureaucrat, a minor noble, or a soldier, you want your community to be the best it can be and you channel that love into a position in service to the people of Taldor. You gain a +1 bonus on all Sense Motive and Knowledge (history) checks, and these skills are always class skills for you. In addition, once per day you can recall a specific fact about a Taldan noble’s personality—quirks such as a hobby or pet peeve—including information you would normally learn as a discovery check in social combat.
Young Reformer: Perhaps you were born at the bottom of Taldan society and you’re tired of seeing your friends and family toil endlessly with no hope of a better life, or maybe your privileged outlook was shattered by empathy or tragedy. Either way, you know the system is broken, and you’ve dedicated your life to fixing it. But tradition rules Taldor as much as any Grand Prince, and change requires more influence than you have… so far. You’ve got a few friends and allies, and plenty of determination, but while you work toward the power you need to change the nation, you’ll have to resort to more discrete ways of righting wrongs and curbing the abuses of the upper class. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Disable Device and Knowledge (local) checks, and one of these skills is always a class skill for you. Once per day, you can call upon your co-conspirators to have “made arrangements” on your behalf, allowing you to attempt a Knowledge (local) check in place of a single Bluff, Disable Device, Intimidate, or Sleight of Hand check. The DC of this Knowledge (local) check is equal to the DC of the skill check it replaces. Whatever arrangements you make—for doors left unlocked, guards strong-armed out of your way, stolen keys left for you to find—must be reasonable to have anticipated and achieved beforehand; you could arrange to have a noble convinced you’re a very important diplomat traveling in disguise, for example, but if a fight breaks out you could not rely on your network of contacts to feint for you in combat. You don’t have to use this ability in advance; you can announce its use as you encounter a challenge, implying you foresaw this challenge and made arrangements prior to your arrival.