Character Creation Rules

[TheFred]

The Story So Far

The characters have travelled to the frontier "town" of Front Courage (little more than a single dirt street, in actuality) with instructions to deal with the bandits in the area and help make it civilised. Unfortunately, the people of Front Courage don't much want to talk; it's clear that the bandits are a nuisance but, so long as they don't cause much trouble in the town itself, even the Sheriff would rather turn a blind eye than risk getting in trouble.

The bandit-hunters then visited a small, nameless prospecting village, where the people told them that the bandits regularly come to extort taxes. They considered waiting and setting up an ambush but, in the end, decided instead to roam around the countryside looking for bandit camps; a old retired hunter, injured by a notorious wild boar, gave them information on a possible location.

Whilst I typically prefer to introduce new characters in a way that fits the story, it's probably easier this time to retcon them into what's already happened. So long as your character is the sort who would have gone along with the above, we can say either that they travelled with the group from Brevoy, or met them either at Front Courage or the prospecting village. Alternatively, propose a means by which your character might promptly be introduced to the group (noting that they are now in the wilderness somewhere just south of the town).

Application Requirements

I don't have any particular preference for format and no real hard or fast rules; do whatever you think will make me like your character, include a sheet that's at least mostly done, and we're good. Just create a new thread in this area for your character.

I don't need (and frankly don't really want to read) a long novel of backstory. I just want enough to know where and how the character fits in the world, and that they make sense here.

I'm more interested in their personality, and how they will act and play in the game itself.

One thing I will ask for, though I won't enforce it, is a "complication" (in the Mutants and Masterminds sense) - that is, a weakness, flaw or other story element that makes life more difficult for your character in some way. This is just a prompt to try and encourage you to create interesting characters who aren't one-dimensional. If a character's complications impede them in the story I will reward (a small amount of) bonus XP or some other boon to make up for it.

Mechanics

Starting Level and XP: L3. Medium XP track, start with 5000 XP.

Ability Scores: 21 point buy.

HP: Max at L1, average thereafter (i.e. d6 is 3.5, d8 is 4.5, etc).

Traits: Two traits, plus a Kingmaker campaign trait. If you can't find a campaign trait you like, say so, and we may be able to find something else.

Feats: Gain feats as normal, plus an additional feat at L1. Furthermore, there are several houserules for specific feats (this is based on the popular "No Feat Tax" rules that everyone seems to love, but not quite the same):

• Combat Expertise, Power Attack/Piranha Strike, Deadly Aim and Weapon Finesse are all essentially gained for free (regardless of prerequisites). Agile Manoeuvres still exists but because PF works that way, free Weapon Finesse means you probably don't need it (unless you want to Dex-based Bull Rush or something).
• *New feat* Deft Manoeuvres combines Improved Trip/Disarm/Dirty Trick/Reposition/Steal/Feint. This means you get move-action feints, too.
• *New feat* Powerful Manoeuvres combines Improved Bull Rush/Drag/Overrun/Sunder.
• Precise Shot no longer requires Point Blank Shot as a prerequisite.
• Point Blank Shot still exists, but you can use Precise Shot as a prereq for basically everything which requires it.
• Point Blank Master can be taken if you have Point Blank Shot (but not Precise Shot), rather than needing Weapon Specialisation.
• Shot on the Run doesn't require Point Blank Shot OR Precise Shot.
• Dodge and Mobility are now one feat. We can call it "Dodgobility".
• Improved TWF gives the benefits of Greater TWF once your BAB is high enough.
• Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialisation, Greater Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Specialisation all give +1 AB and +1 damage.
• Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus and Improved Critical all apply to a whole weapon group (use the Fighter weapon groups).
• Improved Spring Attack does not require Nimble Moves and automatically gives the benefits of Greater Spring Attack once your BAB is high enough.
• Spring Attack lets you make an "attack action", like in 3.5 (so you can use Vital Strike, TWFing - see below - etc). If this actually turns out to be powerful I'll be perfectly happy.
• Vital Strike gives the benefits of Improved and Greater Vital Strike once your BAB is high enough. It's still not a great feat.
• Whirlwind Attack now requires Dex 13, Cleave, BAB +4 as its only prerequisites.
• Additional Traits lets you pick a second trait from one category (so you could have e.g. two social, one combat, one regional, one campaign).
• Craft Wand and Craft Staff are combined.
• Craft Magic Arms and Armour can be used to make helmets, bracers, and other wondrous items which are also kind of armour-like, at DM's discretion.
• Rapid Reload applies to either all firearms or all crossbows.
• Two-Weapon Fighting lets you use both weapons when you attack as a standard action once your BAB hits +6.

Skills: Everyone seems to like Background Skills, too, so let's use those.

Equipment: Start with 3000gp's worth of gear, plus three Potions of Cure Light Wounds.

Firearms: We're using the Guns Everywhere rules, with the following modifications/clarifications.

• Firearms are simple weapons and cost 10% of their listed values. Advanced firearms are common, and Early firearms are pretty out of date now.
• Any character who normally gets the Gunsmith class feature (i.e. Gunslinger) instead gets Gun Training. However you may still start with a battered firearm - just, instead of starting with a battered pistol, musket or blunderbuss you can start with a battered revolver or rifle (Pistoleros can choose a revolver but not a rifle, etc). You may still upgrade the battered firearm to masterwork by paying 300gp.
• The Mysterious Stranger Gunslinger gets Stranger's Fortune at L1 (instead of Gunsmith or Gun Training) and Gun Training 1 at L5. Any archetype which gets a variant of Gun Training (e.g. Musket Master, Pistolero) gets that at L1, and it just advances 4 levels faster. All other archetypes which swap out one or more Gun Training still do, and get them at their normal levels, they just get an extra Gun Training at L1.
• The bonus damage from Gun Training is limited to the number of levels in the class which grants it.
• Any character who would have gotten Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Firearms) but not Gunsmith instead gets +1 to damage with firearms (does not stack with Gun Training).

Most (sensible) first-party Paizo stuff (i.e. stuff found on Archives of Nethys) should be fine. I won't entirely rule out using homebrew or 3.5 material but I would encourage you to stick to standard PF in the first instance (if only for my own sanity).

Edited October 1, 2023 by TheFred (see edit history)