Gnaws

Thanks for the feedback; great questions! I'll dig in a bit more, without overdoing it, because I really do like some backstory to come out during inter-party conversations and, if my app makes it through, I already have the intention of posting further diary entries as Emms reflects on the events of the campaign as it progresses. The Haven I agree that the way Emms is most likely to fit into a group is as a scavenger and runner. I also see her being willing to help out however she can in the general day-to-day life tasks in a community. It's a little ironic because she feels like she's escaped this group dynamic of using and being used, but it isn't unlike the current situation. She helps out and is rewarded with the safety of a community with more defence and comfort. They're rewarded with another set of helping hands and someone willing to risk venturing out to gather. People are still using each other, just in more amiable ways. Whether or not loyalty, friendship, and true connections start to form... only time will tell! I do think being helpful and present in this community does feel uncomfortable and strange for her, but it's pushing her towards who she thinks she should be. The fears of being useless and a failure again are definitely still there, at least from time to time. Even though Emms writes in her diary that she isn't running anymore, I don't think that she's not a flight risk. Obviously she's not going to peace out and screw over the party in the campaign, but I do think there is room to explore that conflict and how she responds to events and danger during the game. And that's the thing, right? As the authour, Emms is an unreliable narrator. She speaks of leaving her gang as a positive and makes it sound like everyone was just benefitting from each other without any true connection, but is that true or is she trying to convince herself that running and leaving them to die wasn't as terrible a thing as it might actually have been? She spent a couple years with these people, so I think the latter, and you're right to ask about that. The Gang The gang dynamics would definitely see a central leader, the inner circle, and then everyone else, which is where Emms would be. She entered the gang through a romantic relationship with its leader. It was short-lived; Emms was just the arm candy at the time. When she was dumped for the next girl in line, she stuck around because of the safety that the gang offered. That was more when she had to start earning her keep and when she began to get involved with petty crimes and other unsavory acts. She was a bottom rung; sent out to take care of business that higher ranking members of the gang wouldn't stoop to do themselves lest they get caught or incriminated. She stole, she sabotaged rival gangs, she carried out some beatings on gang members who stepped out of line. There were some real connections in there, sure, but this is where Emms' current feelings on having left the gang stem from. She wasn't a good person for a good bit there. She regrets it, but she also acknowledges that it kept her fed, sheltered, and safe during a time in her life when she would have otherwise been homeless. And it wasn't all bad. Like you mentioned, she learned things from the gang. She learned how to fight (if you can call it that), she learned how to shoot a gun, how to ride and perform basic maintenance on a bike, how to interact with other people, particularly those that come across as intimidating. A lot of those skills are going to be coming in handy now! In the end, though, she ran. She assumes everyone else in the room with her when she did died, though really she only saw one person get bitten and another get attacked when they tried to help. I'm sure she'll definitely never encounter someone from the gang again in the future, though 😅 A bad memory My fist connects with her jaw and she staggers backwards. Her legs give out and she crumples to the ground. My hand stings. It's covered in blood. Her face is worse though. Someone- I don't know who- hands me a pipe. I don't really register it, but then I'm pushed forward. I raise the pipe; she looks up. Her eyes tell me everything. She's me. Me three years ago. Alone. Scared. Nothing to her name. She messed up and now she risks losing everything. All that separates her life from mine is a metal pipe and a hard bitch. The pipe clatters to the ground. "She gets the message," I say, turning and walking away. Oh babe, I'll pay for that later. A good memory Martin's hand guides my own. "Now," he begins. "Like I taught you. Deep breathe and-" The gunshot rings out and a hole punches through the target, straight through the bullseye. We both start laughing, I'm jumping up and down, I throw my arms around the big man and give him a hug. "Well Miles, you're a real patch now." Martin's the only one who calls me Miles and he's talking about the gang patch. Sewn onto your jacket once you become a full member. "I'll tell Daniel you're ready." I smile and tell him that I'll see Daniel before he does; I was invited over to his place for dinner to celebrate. Martin's smile dies and he tells me, "I'll talk to Daniel about that too. You find somewhere else to celebrate tonight." At first I just feel hurt and confused, then I get the implication. I nod. Martin's always looked out for me more than everyone else, but I didn't know how deep that streak went. I do now. Her Family This one's easier and shorter to cover. Emms never lived up to her parents' expectations of her and when things between her parents got bad and they divorced, some of that anger was directed towards Emms and she ran away and ended up in Denver. Their judgements followed her and haunted her, though. Her fear of failure; that's where it all stemmed from. When it turned out that Emms couldn't handle the real world on her own- couldn't finish her education, couldn't find a job, ended up in the gang- it was her parents' voices that she heard and that pushed her further down that path. Part of Emms' "awakening" with the onset of the dead rising is because she no longer knows if her parents are alive and that helps lay those voices that doubt her to rest, at least partially. If she ran into them again, would she be able to look them in the eye? I honestly don't know, but she's trying to change herself into someone who doesn't live under their shadow anymore, for sure. Specific words that haunt her, spoken by her father after Emms received a single failing grade on a highschool report card: "If this is your best, Emily, then you might as well not try at all."

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' * HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 2 The chaos at the fishery had subsided, for the moment. Below, Caltrix spoke to the two assailants who had, for the moment, seemingly surrendered. Val didn't trust it, though. She looked below, at the vat that Caltrix had fallen into. Not a chance in hell she was going to risk getting covered in that. She remained on the rooftop, watching the scene below for any sign of treachery from the two thugs. OOC ACTIONS 1. Delay Action IF Voss/Ruffio move to attack, Valerica will attack Ruffio

Emily "Emms" Riley Archetype: The Reformed Key Att/Skill: Agility/Mobility Drive: This is my chance; stop running PC Anchor: Issues: Ashamed of my past NPC Anchor: Strength Agility Wits Empathy 2 5 3 3 Close Combat 1 Mobility 3 Scout 1 Medicine 0 Endure 1 Ranged Combat 2 Survival 1 Manipulation 2 Force 0 Stealth 1 Tech 0 Leadership 0 TALENTS HEALTH 3. Unharmed GathererYou get +2 to Stealth when you are on your own. *Prerequisite*: You brought back food that kept others alive. 2. Bruised [ ] 1. Battered [ ] 0. Broken [ ] Critical Injuries Stress Experience Encumbrance Weapons Bonus Damage Rounds Range Revolver +2 2 Short Armour Protection Penalty "Everyone has a side of them they ain't proud of, you just get to choose which side the steering wheel's on." Emms has a body that's lean and mean; maybe even leaner and meaner since shit went south. She's small enough to look like she'd break easy, but hard enough to keep her on her feet. Her tattoos are her focal point and give her that 'previous gang member' vibe, but in reality they hide a girl who just didn't know where she belonged. GEAR ITEM QUALITY SLOTS AMOUNT BONUS Big revolver 1 Lockpick - Stealth +2 Stored Items Location OTHER ITEMS Big tarp and rope Vehicle Maneuverability Damage Hull Armour Motorbike From the Diary of Emily Riley, page 1 Well, here we are. Been awhile since I put pen to paper. Someone here said it might help to write out my thoughts, do some journaling. Said I looked haunted. No shit, lady, we're all haunted. Actually things aren't too bad. Seems kinda crazy, right? World's gone to hell but it's still a hell I'd take over the old one. No more politicians for one lol. Am I allowed to write that? Fuck it, I'm doing it. Alright, Emms, get to the point. You're deflecting. Buying time. Running. Big surprise there - I've spent my whole life running. There, I said it. Too bad Dad's not here to see it, he'd have a heart attack. I told you Emily, he'd say. Told you you needed to go to school and get a good job. Settle down. You keep going down this road you're going to get yourself killed. Well maybe, but school don't mean much now, does it? Big brains might actually be more attractive to the walkers, maybe I lucked out. lol I'm going to burn this after I'm done writing it, so I might as well come clean. Purify my soul, or whatever people do. Maybe life would have been better if I'd kept through school. Maybe a lot of things. But I took the easy way out. I ran. I'm fast, so it was easy. Things got bad between Mom and Dad, I ran. Grades in school weren't good enough, I ran. Couldn't get a job, I stole. It's just a different type of running. People ask what my tattoos are for. Sometimes. Everyone's got a story for them, right? Punchline is mine just cover up the bits of me I didn't want the world to see. To make me feel like someone else. I told you, I been running a long time. The effort just seemed to be too much, you know? The acceptance of failure was better than the hurt of it. Ran away to Denver. Dropped out of school. Started hanging out with "like-minded individuals". Except they weren't like-minded. Not in the end. I tried to fit in. I did the drugs, drank the booze, slept around. I got the bike, stole, got in fights. I was a real badass, hey? Real piece of shit. I knew it then, just didn't want to face the truth. Didn't want all the running to seem like it had been for nothing. We said we were friends but we were just a group of broken people using each other. Look where it had gotten me. I'd lost my way. I was a good girl. Once. Had the whole world ahead of me. Thought I still did but waking up drunk with a black eye on the floor of a bar called The End of the Line can put things into perspective. So can the apocalypse. Things look a whole lot different on this side. And what did I do when it all started? You guessed it. Smart girl. I ran. We were all sitting around having a good time when a fucking walker - we didn't know what they was then- burst into the room. Started tearing up Dale right in front of us all. Some of them tried to help him. I bolted out that door like an olympic gold medalist. Kept running. Kept hiding. Things got bad. Then I found this place. It's not home, but it's getting there. No one knew me. Didn't know where I'd come from, who I'd been. Fresh slate. Some of them are scared, sure. It's the tattoos. Draw a picture on a piece of paper, you're an artist. Put it on your skin and you're a threat. This is one of the only places that's safe now, though, so I've done what I can to show that's not who I am. I'm helping people. And you know what? I'm good at it. People trust me. People talk to me. Here, I'm a little bit successful, which is a little bit better than I was before. You were right, Dad, I wasn't applying myself. Well I'm trying to make up for that now. Hope you're proud. Hope you're okay. You know what's pissing me off, though? This actually helped. Fucking journaling. Guess I won't burn this, just keep it close. Read it when things seem tough. You're doing alright, Emms. You're not running anymore.

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 1 "The end has come for Gaedran Lamm and any who stand with him," Valerica calls down into the room, hoping that if the thug's loyalty to Lamm is thin that he might decide that he has better places to be. In the end, it's just a ploy to unsettle him, though. The adrenaline of real combat fuels her, the nearness of her vengeance on Lamm is so close, and Valerica doesn't truly believe that her words will make a difference. She keeps her focus on her target, firing a quick barrage of arrows in an attempt to put him down. OOC ACTIONS Action 1: Demoralize (Ruffio) Action 2: Hunted Shot; first shot that hits deals precision damage Action 3: Strike

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 1 As the halfling throws open the window and jumps through, Valerica takes a moment to find the best angle, focuses in on her target, and fires. OOC Since Valerica is on the end of the skylight, I'm taking a step if needed, to move above or below the skylight on the map in order to find the best angle to fire on the enemy in the lower room. ACTIONS Action 1: Step Action 2: Hunt Prey on Overseer Ruffio Action 3: Hunted Shot; first shot that hits deals precision damage (as per Discord, Ruffio's partial cover is negated by flat-footed; unless my 5 foot step manages to negate the partial cover, but unlikely)

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 2 While her arrows hadn't hit their mark, they had succeeded in chasing the woman below back underneath the docks. Valerica considers dropping from the rooftop to chase her quarry, but the sounds of escalating battle from inside the fishery press more heavily on her. "Let's leave her for now," she tells Caltrix, before moving towards the rope they had tied off. Hopefully she can find a perch on the fishery rooftop where she provide some support for those fighting within. OOC Not much I can do here since the tightrope breaks up my movement, but I'll look at getting into an advantageous position for next round. ACTIONS Action 1: Stride (to rope) Action 2: Balance (to get across rope) - will use hero point if it is the difference between failure and success Action 3: Stride (to find a window or vantage point looking down into the fishery)

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 2 And just like that, things were in motion. As the halfling next to her moved to drop the anchor, Valerica remained focused on the woman prowling the docks below, gauging her reaction. If her next movements proved to be hostile, Valerica would keep her pinned down. OOC Basically, my intent here is to study the female prowling the docks. When Caltrix releases the anchor, if I have reason to believe that the female is hostile, I'd like to attack. Otherwise Valerica will try to remain quiet and get across the rope between our rooftop and the main warehouse rooftop. ACTIONS Free Action: Delay Action (to see woman on docks' reaction to anchor falling) Action 1: Society check (on woman on docks) to determine who she is as she comes more into view after anchor falls If woman appears hostile: Action 2: (target: woman on docks) Action 3: (target: woman on docks) 2 attacks: first that hits gains additional 1d8 precision damage If woman doesn't appear hostile/Valerica can't tell: Action 2: Stride (to rope) Action 3: Balance (to get across rope)

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 1 Things were quiet. Too quiet. That was either really good, or really bad. Valerica didn't know which. Her hand clenched her bow tightly as she laid prone on the warehouse roof, watching for any sign of trouble. Up until now her dreams of vengeance had just been that, but now here she was laying in wait and ready to fight. She thought that she'd be hungry for Lamm's blood if the opportunity ever arose but all she felt right now was nervousness and fear. This wasn't a daydream. She took several breathes; glanced at the halfling on the roof with her. She hoped that she could trust them if things went south. A lot of this whole thing was relying on faith, she realized, far too late. She looked back at Lamm's warehouse. There was a door back here, and her thought was that if things went south, someone might try to flank the group on the other side of the warehouse. She'd be waiting. OOC ACTIONS

I agree that attacking anyone we manage to distract and lure outside is the plan. Whatever her regular disposition may be, Valerica is here on a mission of vengeance and anyone allied with Lamm is just as bad in her eyes. I think having archers on the roof makes sense if we're approaching from the A3 side, but if we're coming in from the A2 side where the children were making deliveries I'm unsure if there is another structure in close range there to be atop (can only see 15 feet on that side of the map so it's possible there is another building somewhere in that next 45 feet)? I think as long as we can figure out if there's a structure on that side, then we're good to go with Valerica/Caltrix perched in range. Whoever is going to be the face for the group managing the distraction can really choose to tell whatever tale they want like Saithor suggested (delivery, city workers, raising funds, etc).

My bow is just a shortbow so I need to stay within 60ft. Regardless, the warehouse is small enough that if we were sniping from back a bit or another group went to a different entrance, etc. I think it would be fairly easy to close the distance again in a single turn of movement actions. I'm a strong advocate of the fake delivery tactic and dealing with whoever comes out. Valerica is not a seasoned tactician and the blunt approach would work well enough, unless someone in the party takes charge of a plan.

#2 is my vote

Valerica Radache Human (Versatile)Humanity's versatility and ambition have fueled its ascendance to be the most common ancestry in most nations throughout the world. Select a general feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.; ArtisanAs an apprentice, you practiced a particular form of building or crafting, developing specialized skill. You might have been a blacksmith's apprentice toiling over the forge for countless hours, a young tailor sewing garments of all kinds, or a shipwright shaping the hulls of ships. Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Guild Lore skill. You gain the Specialty Crafting skill feat.; Ranger (Precision; 1); (TBA) Archetype; Harrow Card: 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception (E): +7 | Fort (E): +6 | Ref (E): +9| Will (T): +5 | | SkillsTrained: Acrobatics (+7); Crafting (+3); Lore/Guild (+3); Medicine (+5); Nature (+5); Society (+3); Stealth (+7); Survival (+5) Untrained: Arcana (+0); Athletics (+2); Deception (+0); Diplomacy (+0); Intimidation (+0); Occultism (+0); Performance (+0); Religion (+2); Thievery (+4) | AttributesSTR +2 [14] DEX +4 [18] CON +1 [12] INT +0 [10] WIS +2 [14] CHA +0 [10] | AttacksUnarmed: Fist +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d4+2 B (Crit 2d4+4); Agile; Finesse; Nonlethal; Unarmed Melee: Shortsword +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6+2 P/S (Crit 2d6+4); Agile; Finesse; Versatile S. Ranged: Shortbow +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6 P (Crit 2d6+1d10); Deadly d10; Range 60' | Precision Damage+1d8 You have trained to aim for your prey’s weak points. The first time you hit your hunted prey in a round, you also deal 1d8 additional precision damage. (Precision damage increases the damage you already deal, using the same type, but is ineffective against creatures that lack vital organs or weak points.) |Hero Pts.Heroic Effort: When you Fail or Critically Fail any, non-secret, check you may spend a Hero Point and improve your degree of Success by a single step, a Critical Failure becomes a Failure, and a Failure becomes a Success . Heroic Recovery: At the end of any turn in which you would gain the Dying condition, or your current Dying condition would increase you may spend a single Hero Point to stabilize with zero Hit Points. You do not gain the Wounded condition or increase it's value from losing the Dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease it's value. Undying Heroism: At the start of any turn in which you have zero Hit Points and are not currently Dying you may spend a single Hero Point to recover a number of Hit Points equal to your level.: 1 Valerica walked with Ihrin through the streets into West Dock. Now that it was just the two of them, Valerica didn't feel as vulnerable and she opened up to the other woman about her own tragedy related to Lamm. She told her about her would-be fiancé's murder and her own quickly approaching descent into poverty; the money was nearly spent and the smithy wouldn't be able to survive another round of taxes. She told her that she'd been training under Vencarlo Orsini for a year getting ready for this day where she could finally get back at Lamm. You'd think with her get-up she'd be the last one I confided in. The memory of Ihrin's own words came back to her: "I'm a decent talker, and performance tends to loosen lips in my experience." Maybe there's really something to that. The pair arrived at a tavern close to the heart of West Dock. A faded wooden sign hung from a single rusty hook. The Salty something or other- she couldn't make out the last word on the sign. It was the type of place she'd never go to normally, so it was probably perfect. "I'm going to get some food, I can get you some if you need?" Once Ihrin answers, they head inside and Valerica finds a seat somewhere along a wall, giving her a good view of the room. She'll enjoy some food, hopefully enjoy Ihrin's performance, and keep an eye peeled for anyone of note. It's not super late in the day; hopefully they aren't wasting their time. OOC Valerica orders some food. Looks like this costs 1c for a poor meal (have to fit in with the locals) - she'll also pay for Ihrin's if she wants food. ACTIONS #7: Surveillance - using perception, to observe the patrons of the tavern. Fictionally, this probably follows 's own action

Valerica Radache Human (Versatile)Humanity's versatility and ambition have fueled its ascendance to be the most common ancestry in most nations throughout the world. Select a general feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.; ArtisanAs an apprentice, you practiced a particular form of building or crafting, developing specialized skill. You might have been a blacksmith's apprentice toiling over the forge for countless hours, a young tailor sewing garments of all kinds, or a shipwright shaping the hulls of ships. Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Guild Lore skill. You gain the Specialty Crafting skill feat.; Ranger (Precision; 1); (TBA) Archetype; Harrow Card: 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception (E): +7 | Fort (E): +6 | Ref (E): +9| Will (T): +5 | | SkillsTrained: Acrobatics (+7); Crafting (+3); Lore/Guild (+3); Medicine (+5); Nature (+5); Society (+3); Stealth (+7); Survival (+5) Untrained: Arcana (+0); Athletics (+2); Deception (+0); Diplomacy (+0); Intimidation (+0); Occultism (+0); Performance (+0); Religion (+2); Thievery (+4) | AttributesSTR +2 [14] DEX +4 [18] CON +1 [12] INT +0 [10] WIS +2 [14] CHA +0 [10] | AttacksUnarmed: Fist +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d4+2 B (Crit 2d4+4); Agile; Finesse; Nonlethal; Unarmed Melee: Shortsword +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6+2 P/S (Crit 2d6+4); Agile; Finesse; Versatile S. Ranged: Shortbow +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6 P (Crit 2d6+1d10); Deadly d10; Range 60' | Precision Damage+1d8 You have trained to aim for your prey’s weak points. The first time you hit your hunted prey in a round, you also deal 1d8 additional precision damage. (Precision damage increases the damage you already deal, using the same type, but is ineffective against creatures that lack vital organs or weak points.) |Hero Pts.Heroic Effort: When you Fail or Critically Fail any, non-secret, check you may spend a Hero Point and improve your degree of Success by a single step, a Critical Failure becomes a Failure, and a Failure becomes a Success . Heroic Recovery: At the end of any turn in which you would gain the Dying condition, or your current Dying condition would increase you may spend a single Hero Point to stabilize with zero Hit Points. You do not gain the Wounded condition or increase it's value from losing the Dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease it's value. Undying Heroism: At the start of any turn in which you have zero Hit Points and are not currently Dying you may spend a single Hero Point to recover a number of Hit Points equal to your level.: 1 "Why don't you and I go together then, Ihrin?" Truth be told, Valerica was relieved; Ihrin had been the only one to shake her hand in the entryway, had also confessed that she was new to... whatever this was, was agreeing with her proposal, and despite her odd clothing, she made Valerica feel more at ease because of it. She was real. "I'm familiar with the people of this district. I can keep an eye out while you work a crowd or whatever; maybe someone will stand out as suspicious." Valerica stepped into the privacy of a side room for a moment and removed her leathers, storing them in her backpack. There wasn't much she could do about her bow, and she would be keeping her sword at hand, but at least wandering around town in her normal clothing wouldn't send as strong of a message to anyone else. She rejoined the group, hefting the backpack back over her shoulders. "I'm ready if you are." OOC ACTIONS

Valerica Radache Human (Versatile)Humanity's versatility and ambition have fueled its ascendance to be the most common ancestry in most nations throughout the world. Select a general feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.; ArtisanAs an apprentice, you practiced a particular form of building or crafting, developing specialized skill. You might have been a blacksmith's apprentice toiling over the forge for countless hours, a young tailor sewing garments of all kinds, or a shipwright shaping the hulls of ships. Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Guild Lore skill. You gain the Specialty Crafting skill feat.; Ranger (Precision; 1); (TBA) Archetype; Harrow Card: 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception (E): +7 | Fort (E): +6 | Ref (E): +9| Will (T): +5 | | SkillsTrained: Acrobatics (+7); Crafting (+3); Lore/Guild (+3); Medicine (+5); Nature (+5); Society (+3); Stealth (+7); Survival (+5) Untrained: Arcana (+0); Athletics (+2); Deception (+0); Diplomacy (+0); Intimidation (+0); Occultism (+0); Performance (+0); Religion (+2); Thievery (+4) | AttributesSTR +2 [14] DEX +4 [18] CON +1 [12] INT +0 [10] WIS +2 [14] CHA +0 [10] | AttacksUnarmed: Fist +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d4+2 B (Crit 2d4+4); Agile; Finesse; Nonlethal; Unarmed Melee: Shortsword +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6+2 P/S (Crit 2d6+4); Agile; Finesse; Versatile S. Ranged: Shortbow +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6 P (Crit 2d6+1d10); Deadly d10; Range 60' | Precision Damage+1d8 You have trained to aim for your prey’s weak points. The first time you hit your hunted prey in a round, you also deal 1d8 additional precision damage. (Precision damage increases the damage you already deal, using the same type, but is ineffective against creatures that lack vital organs or weak points.) |Hero Pts.Heroic Effort: When you Fail or Critically Fail any, non-secret, check you may spend a Hero Point and improve your degree of Success by a single step, a Critical Failure becomes a Failure, and a Failure becomes a Success . Heroic Recovery: At the end of any turn in which you would gain the Dying condition, or your current Dying condition would increase you may spend a single Hero Point to stabilize with zero Hit Points. You do not gain the Wounded condition or increase it's value from losing the Dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease it's value. Undying Heroism: At the start of any turn in which you have zero Hit Points and are not currently Dying you may spend a single Hero Point to recover a number of Hit Points equal to your level.: 1 Valerica had been silent since the greeting in the main entrance of the shop, watching the others in the building and doing her best to assess their characters. They all clearly came from different backgrounds and weren't all the type to be trusted, but she could tell that they were all honest in their hatred for Lamm. For now, at least, she felt like their differences wouldn't be an issue as they were aligned in that goal. Whatever had happened with Zellara had also been unsettling and Valerica found herself idly touching pieces of furniture, walls, and small objects afterwards to convince herself that the illusion was over. She wouldn't pretend to understand what had happened, but magic was common enough in Korvosa that she was able to keep her head. Some of the group have started sharing their stories about what Lamm has done to them and Valerica opens her mouth to tell them about Aramis' murder, but emotion begins to well up inside her and she stops herself. After a moment she has pushed down her emotion again. "I think Aquila brings up a good point. If we all head to West Dock together, we could end up drawing Lamm's attention to ourselves instead of the other way around. I'll admit that I don't like the idea of getting mixed up in this on my own, though. Maybe smaller groups or a buddy system would work?" She looks in Carthen's direction. "And you're right that we need more information. Should we agree to regroup here later on and share our findings?" OOC ACTIONS

Valerica Radache Human (Versatile)Humanity's versatility and ambition have fueled its ascendance to be the most common ancestry in most nations throughout the world. Select a general feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.; ArtisanAs an apprentice, you practiced a particular form of building or crafting, developing specialized skill. You might have been a blacksmith's apprentice toiling over the forge for countless hours, a young tailor sewing garments of all kinds, or a shipwright shaping the hulls of ships. Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Guild Lore skill. You gain the Specialty Crafting skill feat.; Ranger (Precision; 1); (TBA) Archetype; Harrow Card: 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception (E): +7 | Fort (E): +6 | Ref (E): +9| Will (T): +5 | | SkillsTrained: Acrobatics (+7); Crafting (+3); Lore/Guild (+3); Medicine (+5); Nature (+5); Society (+3); Stealth (+7); Survival (+5) Untrained: Arcana (+0); Athletics (+2); Deception (+0); Diplomacy (+0); Intimidation (+0); Occultism (+0); Performance (+0); Religion (+2); Thievery (+4) | AttributesSTR +2 [14] DEX +4 [18] CON +1 [12] INT +0 [10] WIS +2 [14] CHA +0 [10] | AttacksUnarmed: Fist +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d4+2 B (Crit 2d4+4); Agile; Finesse; Nonlethal; Unarmed Melee: Shortsword +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6+2 P/S (Crit 2d6+4); Agile; Finesse; Versatile S. Ranged: Shortbow +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6 P (Crit 2d6+1d10); Deadly d10; Range 60' | Precision Damage+1d8 You have trained to aim for your prey’s weak points. The first time you hit your hunted prey in a round, you also deal 1d8 additional precision damage. (Precision damage increases the damage you already deal, using the same type, but is ineffective against creatures that lack vital organs or weak points.) |Hero Pts.Heroic Effort: When you Fail or Critically Fail any, non-secret, check you may spend a Hero Point and improve your degree of Success by a single step, a Critical Failure becomes a Failure, and a Failure becomes a Success . Heroic Recovery: At the end of any turn in which you would gain the Dying condition, or your current Dying condition would increase you may spend a single Hero Point to stabilize with zero Hit Points. You do not gain the Wounded condition or increase it's value from losing the Dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease it's value. Undying Heroism: At the start of any turn in which you have zero Hit Points and are not currently Dying you may spend a single Hero Point to recover a number of Hit Points equal to your level.: 1 Valerica hadn't moved any further into the building; the silence weighing around her and reinforcing her nerves about this whole thing being some elaborate setup. Then the door had opened behind her and she turned, watching as several others made their way into the room. In their looks she saw her own nervousness and hesitations reflected, but also that hard gleam of determination. The 'others' that the note had mentioned, surely; brought together by that single name. Gaedren Lamm. If Lamm had impacted even this handful of others the same way that he had herself, then Valerica's heart bled for them. How many other lives had the villain destroyed? The number of them gave her confidence; strength in numbers, after all. Valerica's attention snapped back as an oddly dressed woman spoke. Val smiled. "Hi, uhm, good evening. Yes, I think so. There's no one here, though; I'm not sure if we're supposed to just wander in?" Calm down, Val. Take a breath. She did, and then awkwardly extended a hand. "I'm Val. Valerica. My friends call me Val." You're implying that they're not your friends. She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes. Opened them again. "Sorry, I'm a bit nervous. I don't do this often?" Now you're implying that they do do this often. Val ignored her thoughts but kept her mouth shut this time, letting her hand continue to hang awkwardly outstretched in the air. OOC ACTIONS

Valerica Radache Human (Versatile)Humanity's versatility and ambition have fueled its ascendance to be the most common ancestry in most nations throughout the world. Select a general feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.; ArtisanAs an apprentice, you practiced a particular form of building or crafting, developing specialized skill. You might have been a blacksmith's apprentice toiling over the forge for countless hours, a young tailor sewing garments of all kinds, or a shipwright shaping the hulls of ships. Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Strength or Intelligence, and one is a free ability boost. You're trained in the Crafting skill and the Guild Lore skill. You gain the Specialty Crafting skill feat.; Ranger (Precision; 1); (TBA) Archetype; Harrow Card: 'The Owl' HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception (E): +7 | Fort (E): +6 | Ref (E): +9| Will (T): +5 | | SkillsTrained: Acrobatics (+7); Crafting (+3); Lore/Guild (+3); Medicine (+5); Nature (+5); Society (+3); Stealth (+7); Survival (+5) Untrained: Arcana (+0); Athletics (+2); Deception (+0); Diplomacy (+0); Intimidation (+0); Occultism (+0); Performance (+0); Religion (+2); Thievery (+4) | AttributesSTR +2 [14] DEX +4 [18] CON +1 [12] INT +0 [10] WIS +2 [14] CHA +0 [10] | AttacksUnarmed: Fist +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d4+2 B (Crit 2d4+4); Agile; Finesse; Nonlethal; Unarmed Melee: Shortsword +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6+2 P/S (Crit 2d6+4); Agile; Finesse; Versatile S. Ranged: Shortbow +7 (Dex 4; Trained 3); 1d6 P (Crit 2d6+1d10); Deadly d10; Range 60' | Precision Damage+1d8 You have trained to aim for your prey’s weak points. The first time you hit your hunted prey in a round, you also deal 1d8 additional precision damage. (Precision damage increases the damage you already deal, using the same type, but is ineffective against creatures that lack vital organs or weak points.) |Hero Pts.Heroic Effort: When you Fail or Critically Fail any, non-secret, check you may spend a Hero Point and improve your degree of Success by a single step, a Critical Failure becomes a Failure, and a Failure becomes a Success . Heroic Recovery: At the end of any turn in which you would gain the Dying condition, or your current Dying condition would increase you may spend a single Hero Point to stabilize with zero Hit Points. You do not gain the Wounded condition or increase it's value from losing the Dying condition in this way, but if you already had that condition, you don't lose it or decrease it's value. Undying Heroism: At the start of any turn in which you have zero Hit Points and are not currently Dying you may spend a single Hero Point to recover a number of Hit Points equal to your level.: 1 Valerica made her way through the streets towards 3 Lancet Street. It wasn't far from the smithy, but coming upon sunset made the streets of Korvosa more intimidating; fresh dangers lurking just beyond the growing shadows. She put a hand on the hilt of her sword to reassure herself. She had expected to learn the rapier during her time with Vencarlo but the aged swordmaster hadn't allowed it. "You don't learn to blacksmith by forging plate; you don't learn the blade by starting with a rapier," he had told her. It had made sense and so she forged herself a shortsword and he had taught her that. With that memory came Vencarlo's warning from earlier, "I worry for your safety, Valerica. Remember the lessons I taught you. Be cautious, be vigilant, be patient." Valerica didn't feel like she was being any of those things at the moment, Orsini wouldn't approve. It hadn't even been a question when she found the Harrow card and moments after her teacher left she was pulling the rolled up bundle out from underneath her bed, unrolling it to reveal her go-kit; leather armor, her weapons, and what she hoped was an appropriately stocked backpack. Vencarlo might disapprove, but he would have to understand. Her heart beat as she turned onto Lancet Street. Was she ready for this? Had she trained enough? Her doubts brought Valerica to a stop. Sparring with Vencarlo in the yard was one thing, but this? This could get her killed. This could be a trap. It could be Gaedren Lamm himself waiting for her ahead; somehow knowing that she'd been seeking him all this time and now here to run her through like he had Aramis. Gaedren Lamm. The name echoed in her head as if it were her hammer, shaping the steel of her resolve. Whatever she found inside 3 Lancet Street didn't matter; if it brought her closer to ending Gaedren Lamm and ensuring that he would never ruin another family, then it was worth whatever outcome awaited her. Valerica pulled the Harrow Card from her pouch and looked it over once more, confirming the street number. She looked up at the house that she had subconsciously ended up in front of. 3 Lancet Street. She went in. OOC Included a more "real" picture of how I envision Valerica looking when dressed in adventuring gear rather than casual clothing. Continued to shamelessly steal Vedast's templates. ACTIONS

Valerica Radache Human • Precision Ranger 1 • 'The Owl' * HP: 20/20 | AC:18 | Speed: 30'+5' from Fleet |Senses: Normal | Lang: Common; Dwarven Perception +7 | Fort +6 | Ref +9| Will +5| Hero Pts: 1 OOC ACTIONS

This is my first play by post outside of my own group so if someone is able to just straight up outline best rolling practices for me, that would be great 😅 Like, with the society check mentioned, I'm assuming I don't roll, wait for the GM to respond, and then continue? What is the best flow for things like that?

Here is my not-so-wall-of-text post: Valerica was originally intended as a switch hitter, but I've dialed back on that a bit to free up some more useful feats. She will primarily be attacking from ranged with a shortbow (composite once I can find it) but has a shortsword that she can use when in melee. I'm planning to get her into the medic dedication first so she'll need to be able to have some survivability in the frontline when needed. Long term, after I've picked up enough medic feats, Valerica will branch out into the archer dedication to pick up a few more offensive options. In general, I want her to be mobile and versatile so that she can move around the battlefield assisting in whatever way is most appropriate at the time. For background, pretty much all of her connections are dead (bad omen for all of you) except for Vencarlo Orisini, who Zen has helped tie in to my backstory, so I imagine they'll come up. She also has her smithy as an ongoing backstory focus I'll be playing with, trying to pull it up out of the gutter and make it profitable again.

1.2 Some changes made: changed Harrow card to The Owl along with rewrite of that section adjusted character build to move away from dual-wield secondary skills and focus more on medicine and ranged abilities swapped CON and WIS values minor change to gear inserted a reference to history with medicine into backstory replaced Harn Covan in backstory with Vencarlo Orisini of the Orisini academy 1.3 swapped Assurance from General Training feat to Toughness as level 2 awards a skill feat and will take assurance then removed Thieve's Tools that had been left in from base template oops

Valerica would most commonly be found working at her failing smithy in Midland, Shaw Arms; a name she'll never share now. This would be somewhere between S11 and S12. Outside of that, she could be anywhere across Midland, but rarely ventures further than that at current. Medic is one of the archetypes I was waffling on. I'll either take that or archery, based on how other builds are looking but will fill that archetype if no one else is.

Hey, thanks! Great question. With these surface-level interactions, I was really thinking of it like working retail 😬. She's worked in the smithy and has been able to have these relationships with people coming into the shop, especially the regulars, but after Aramis' death, she realizes that she doesn't actually know any of those people, and most of them aren't even coming by the smithy anymore. It's only been just over a year since Aramis' passing; a lot of that time was spent in grief and training to hunt down Lamm, and I think where we are now, Val is just starting to come to terms with her grief and towards a place where she is capable of getting out and actually speaking to people again. The loneliness is really just the absence of that relationship and her need to make new connections to fill that void. Taken as a whole, I think the challenge for her will be A) coming to terms with her grief, and B) having meaningful conversations when she is used to the more transactional conversations she would have had in the forge. She'll definitely have a bit of social anxiety, but isn't hiding from these opportunities; at the root of it, I think she's most worried about not finding what she's looking for. That being said, Val is determined. She is kind and really cares for her family, her friends, and her community. She'll fight for those relationships. What interests me most about this character is that she doesn't have this past as an adventurer or anything. She was just another Korvosan citizen and she's just recently been trained in the basics of combat, bringing her to her (sorry for the meta) level 1 state. She has her own traumas, her own inadequacies, but also her own strengths; I'm really interested in exploring how in this adventure path she can change from this girl with heart into someone who can be a true hero for her people.

Just dropping by to say that this game sounds great. I'd never heard of Grim Hollow and it looks so far up my alley. Not going to apply at the eleventh hour because you've got several strong party members already but have fun!

Appreciate the tips, all 3 of you! I probably won't end up throwing a character in here since there's already plenty of submissions and I don't want to steal a spot someone else is excited for, but I appreciate the explanation all the same <3

Maybe this is a silly question, but how do you attach roll results to your posts? Can you see the results before submitting a post, or do you need to submit then edit the results back in?