Before we get started...

Unique: I hope you're still paying attention to the forums. If I don't hear from you by Friday night, unfortunately, I'm gonna have to find a new player.

Yes, I am still here. I've had some hectic days recently and so today I hope to finish my character. I'll post when that's complete so you can review for anything I've missed.

Great. I'm sorry if I sounded rushed; I get that real life gets in the way. As long as I've heard from you, I can be reasonably patient.

I did, yes. Submitting the sheet with notes in the Feats section. I was also having script errors intermittently, but I honestly think that was my browser being stupid - a reboot took care of that.

Keleth, I have an idea about that special item you wanted us to have. How about a scrying mirror keyed only to my home? That sounds like something my character would have/want.

I have submitted my character. I spent 138,825 gold. Not sure what else to use it on. :/

Heh, I'll take a look at your character and make suggestions. I'll try to spend this weekend coming up with your items.

I didn't spend everything either ;)

If you haven't already, spend more money on your primary weapon and armour - or, get a bigger Cloak of Resistance (if that's your Cloak). I spent 100k on a +5 Amulet of the Mighty Fists (the monk equivalent to a primary weapon) and 25k on a Cloak of Resistance +5.

So I just need to update with spell selections and I'm good. I got it partially done before I flew out, now that I'm back I'll get it done by Sunday and should be completely finalized. Inqs cast like a sorcerer so I won't need to maintain a separate list for spells memorized, thankfully.

I'm still working on the back story for my character. I don't think we ever decided if we had been a group for an extended period of time or if we just met to start this adventure.

I vote for knowing each other before hand but it also means we have to intertwine our back stories a bit more that to encompass our joined pasts.

Your guys thoughts?

I've read through the first book; you could opt to go for having been a party up till now, or meet up for the first time at the start of the quest line. I'll alter the opening scene for either case.

I think knowing each other would be nice :)

Thanks. :) I wasn't sure what the price limit was on any one item, so I could probably upgrade a few things.

I'm all for knowing each other. Not sure how to go about entwining our back stories. Any suggestions?

There, much closer to gp limit. ;) And I'm fine with our characters already knowing each other. (Pharasma, for those who don't know Paizo's Golarion, is concerned with fate, death, rebirth, souls, etc. Neutral, but undead are an abomination.)

So, character backgrounds. An easy way to do this would be to describe the background and then find links. So, here's Tiana's, others can feel free to identify in roads where Tiana may have met (or joined up with) you (I'm also happy to alter details as necessary):

Tiana is a Gnomish Monk. When she was very young her home was destroyed - it was collateral damage in a large military conflict, the last Great War. The Gnome village she was born into just happened to be a good staging point for an ambush. It didn't turn out well for the Gnomes. Tiana, a child at the time, was found by a trio of traveling monks and they brought her back with them to their order. She was raised by the monks and had a natural aptitude for the flowing style, although her take on the techniques and maneuvers earned her the nickname "Tiana the Trickster". Instead of seamlessly redirecting momentum and action, as the techniques were taught to do, Tiana, with a gleam in her eye and a smile on her lips, used the same principles to lure her opponents into technical traps. Causing them to strike their allies instead of her, or to misjudge her physical size and attack with too much power, miss and stumble and fall. When she turned sixteen, old enough - by Gnome standards - to make her own way in life, she left the order to see the world and discover where she had come from.

She joined a rowdy band of adventurers she met at a tavern in a small town near the monastery. For a year or so they wandered from place to place taking on odd jobs suited for wandering adventurers. Killing kobolds, goblins and bugbears. Ransacking dangerous dungeons at the promise of treasure, and even - unwittingly, for they only took the job because of the promise of reward and riches - stalling an Orc invasion of the Western provinces when they assassinated the head Shaman in the keep of her stronghold. The Shaman, when they fought her, had cursed the Paladin who held the group together and he did not survive the trek back to the Western Capital. Once he was buried the group disbanded and most of them went their separate ways. Tiana took the opportunity to seek out her heritage.

She traveled alone for a few months and returned to her homeland. The land was still scarred from the horrific battle that had taken place there more than a decade before - magic often leaves such scars that can only be mended by a great deal of time and patience. She found a small tribe of Gnomes living on the fringes of the magic-scarred wasteland, and the turned out to be her distant relatives. The few survivors who had remained near to all they had ever known. She told them of the riches in the West and the glorious cities she had seen. After some convincing they left with her for the nearest big city where she discovered an old friend had purchased a rundown inn and was fixing it up. He was happy to hire on her extended family as staff and provide them temporary housing until they found their own way. It was through him that she heard of another member of her former adventuring party who had just passed through the city looking for allies to go on a grand quest to find some ancient forgotten treasure. Longing for her old life, Tiana went after them.

She joined the new adventuring party a month later when she caught up with them an at icy passage. They were besieged by frost giants and her timely arrival saved their lives (although, they'd never admit to having been saved by a Gnome). The next year they battled giants, Minotaur's and other beasts on the quest that eventually led them to a young dragon's hoard and more wealth than they could ever have imagined. The quest complete and the prize in hand, many of the party left to find their own way.

Tiana was again, at a loss. She longed to make a difference, to take on a challenge that was worthy of her fist and skill. She wasn't really driven by the treasure like her companions were, but instead driven by the excitement and the freedom of the adventuring life. It was then she heard of the Lich Queen. The tales of the danger, the power and the stakes. She reached out to all the warriors, mages and clerics she knew, inquiring if any were willing - nay brave enough - to face the Lich Queen. She kept an open ear for tales of great heroes seeking the Lich Queen's lair. It was an adventure in itself to pull together (and find) a team. A crew with the skills, motivation and determination necessary, but eventually, after many trials and tests, they were ready.

Damn Candi, Way to set the bar :-) Sorry I haven't posted Dimal's back story yet, Candi scared me off. Just kidding, our daycare has been closed since before Christmas and its really hard to get any typing done with a 1 year old in your lap. I will have it posted by the end of the weekend.

Hope everyone is have a great time this holiday season!

I know just what you mean. I don't think I've ever made a character's backstory like Candi's. I'm working on mine. Be warned, it won't be very long.

Yah, holidays tend to cause delays. I should have your items ready by the end of the coming weekend, so once you guys settle in, we'll be good to start. Quick question: would you prefer a slower, RPing ramp in, or just jump into the fun?