(OOC) Character Creation Thread

What Language should the Party Speak?

You may select 1 option.

  • Erenlander
  • Norther (Dornish)
  • Colonial (Sarcosan)
  • Courtier (High Sarcosan)
  • Danisil
  • High Elven
  • Snow Elf Patrol Sign
  • Old Dwarven
  • Clan Dwarvish
  • Halfling
  • Orcish
  • Black Tongue
  • Trader's Tongue
  • Sylvan
  • Sundered Tongues
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Jun 17, 2025 6:59 pm
Question for

@WhiteDwarf

@WanderOne


Would you be all right with the party already knowing each other at least a few months before the adventure starts?
Greemology had agreed to it.

If not, in a dog-eat-dog, cutthroat setting like Midnight we would probably be very wary at first meeting and paranoid about keeping secrets from each other for a long time after. And I'd rather not do that but it's not all up to me, you know?
Jun 17, 2025 7:26 pm
I have no problem Seelah already knowing party members. 100%, seems sensible.
Jun 17, 2025 7:52 pm
Me thinks, I will trade that small metal mirror in for 10 gp of treated leather usable to make other things. It is kinda like having gold on you.

Yeah. You all know that Azote is all unlawful and wanted elf. Handy to have around as long as you're not under the shadow's edge. You're 100% sure she has did in a number of shadow's men and not at all popular with shadow. When you associate with an ELF, you know what side your on.

For trade goods: Azote has 10gp of treated leather, a day's trail rations, 3 flask of lamp oil, & a nice bar of soap.
Last edited June 17, 2025 7:58 pm
Jun 17, 2025 8:45 pm
WanderOne says:
Me thinks, I will trade that small metal mirror in for 10 gp of treated leather usable to make other things. It is kinda like having gold on you.

Yeah. You all know that Azote is all unlawful and wanted elf. Handy to have around as long as you're not under the shadow's edge. You're 100% sure she has did in a number of shadow's men and not at all popular with shadow. When you associate with an ELF, you know what side your on.

For trade goods: Azote has 10gp of treated leather, a day's trail rations, 3 flask of lamp oil, & a nice bar of soap.
Úlfr lives in the wilderness to avoid the law, and his mother was a known spellcaster, her only saving grace being that most of civilization thinks her dead. So while he trades near town sometimes, he mostly lives an outlaw life. He's also huge, even for a Dorn, which puts a lot of townsfolk on edge anyway.
Last edited June 17, 2025 8:46 pm
Jun 17, 2025 10:14 pm
Úlfr makes a fine spot for so much shorter Azote (4'8") to hide at. Not being seen is usually best for Azote. He makes a portable shadow.

So, with Úlfr's exposure to magic, he shouldn't have any trouble believing what Azote may do.
Last edited June 17, 2025 10:15 pm
Jun 18, 2025 2:57 am
REDID my languages after recalibrating Skill points to only 1 rank in Linguistics,

TL;DR version:

Dwarven Clan & Erenlander & Trader's Tongue: Fluency and Literacy

Colonial (Sarcosan) & Norther (Dorn) : Basic only, end of list
[ +- ] explanation
Petra (name change) Pestlegrind = dwarrow herbalist on Healer path as I've said.

Backstory rewrite, her life highlights...or lowlights:
[ +- ] family lost



After dad/grandma dead she had to strike out on her own to avoid bringing legates down on her dad's crew of his ferry + towed barge named the Lelie. She met up with the party on the road, in whatever order suits all of you, soon after that.



SPELLS: Petra's powers manifest as Dwarven folktales made real such as
[ +- ] spells
Petra travels with this gear...

NEW: common thieves' tools

--
[ +- ] list
Last edited June 18, 2025 5:53 am
Jun 18, 2025 3:43 am
Wow. I thought that I gave the GM the chainsaw....
Jun 18, 2025 3:56 am
Mica_pun_worthy says:
REDID my languages after recalibrating Skill points to only 1 rank in Linguistics,

TL;DR version:

Dwarven Clan & Erenlander & Trader's Tongue: Fluency and Literacy

Colonial (Sarcosan) & Norther (Dorn) : Basic only, end of list
[ +- ] explanation
Petra (name change) Pestlegrind is an dwarrow herbalist on Healer path as I've said.

Backstory rewrite, her life highlights...or lowlights:
[ +- ] family lost



After dad/grandma dead she had to strike out on her own to avoid bringing legates down on her dad's crew of his ferry + towed barge named the Lelie. She met up with the party on the road, in whatever order suits all of you, soon after that.



SPELLS: Petra's powers manifest as Dwarven folktales made real such as
[ +- ] spells
Petra travels with this gear...

NEW: common thieves' tools

--
[ +- ] list
So... don't you need a linguistics point for every language you want literacy for? That was my understanding.
Jun 18, 2025 4:37 am
Greemology says:


So... don't you need a linguistics point for every language you want literacy for? That was my understanding.
You need a "point" to spend for Literacy was my understanding. I got 3 free points for an Intelligence modifier 2 (plus the game core book gives you +1) at Level 1, and my rank in Linguistics at Level 1 was another point to spend that could be 'banked' until a later level according to the rules.

I waited till Level 2 to use that rank point for Literacy in...something, Erenlander or Trader's Tongue or Clan Dwarven, I'm really tired now. But I had already previously used my Intelligence modifier points to gain some Literacy i.e. 'increased my competency.'

If that's wrong, and that's fairly likely given lack of sleep and other factors, I'm sure GM will see this convo and apply what John Scalzi calls the 'mallet of gentle correction.'
Last edited June 18, 2025 4:39 am
Jun 18, 2025 8:52 am
[ +- ] I don't know what you're talking about.
Yes, it's a point per language for literacy in that language.
Background skills are on. Essentially two additional skill points per level to spend on specific skills. Adventure Skill Points can cross over, Background Skill Points cannot become Adventure Skill Points. Basically, at this point, do this: Look at your skills, if you have points in background skills, refund yourself up to 6 of those. Use them for Adventure Skill Points. If you have less than 6 spent on Background Skills, you now have extra points to spend in them until you reach six.
Adventuring Skills
Acrobatics
Bluff
Climb
Diplomacy
Disable Device
Disguise
Escape Artist
Fly
Heal
Intimidate
Knowledge (arcana)
Knowledge (dungeoneering)
Knowledge (local)
Knowledge (nature)
Knowledge (shadow)
Knowledge (spirit)
Perception
Ride
Sense Motive
Spellcraft
Stealth
Survival
Swim
Use Magic Device
Background Skills
Appraise
Artistry
Craft
Handle Animal
Knowledge (engineering)
Knowledge (geography)
Knowledge (history, (the old gods))
Knowledge (nobility)
Linguistics
Lore
Perform
Profession
Sleight of Hand
Jun 18, 2025 1:11 pm
@HeroOfSometimes, I’m trying to get my noggin around the language categories (basic/convo/fluent), and how languages improve by-level. Let me run down what I’m doing, and please redirect me if I’m off-track.

Seelah has Int 10, so at level 1 she starts with 1 language point (Erelander/starts at Basic, correct?). At level 1 I take a rank in Linguistics, giving her Norther (also, if I understand correctly, starting at Basic). Level 2, I move Erelander and Norther to Conversational, and I take another rank in Linguistics for Trade Tongue (Basic). Finally, at level 3, Erelander and Norther move to Fluent, Trade Tongue moves to Conversational, and a third rank in Linguistics gets me Colonial (at Basic). Does all that track, or is our ebony guardian a bit more or a bit less gifted with gab than I think she is?

Thought about literacy among all that, but I just don’t think Seelah would be in a place to try learning to read her languages. Seems a bit out of her reach really. So prolly stay with spoken languages strictly, for now.

Cheers. :)
Jun 18, 2025 1:28 pm
[ +- ] WhiteDwarf
Lvl 1: Automatic: Erenlander (3), or Fluent, Bonus: Any (can choose to put your starting (1) point from Int any any language you choose)
Synergy with Erenlander: Dornish (2),
[ +- ] Low Sarcosan (2)
Any other languages or literacy you pick up beyond this point requires investments of Language Points. Anytime you rank up linguistics, you gain a language point.

For this game, I'm allowing Linguistics Ranks to be higher than your level. You get (2) Background Skills Points every level, including first, you can drop into linguistics. You can also use your Adventure Skill Points on Background Skills.

Without that investment, there is no progression of languages.

Languages acquired this way still provide synergy.
Example: you spend (2) points to gain High Elven (2), or Conversational, you gain Danisil (1) once you hit High Elven (2). The synergys are more of a art than a science. Feel free to ask for clarifications.

Reason being is, RAW the language system in Midnight is extremely oppressive. And quite frankly I'm trying to find always to mitigate some of that hurdle without eliminating it entirely. It's new territory and I'm trying to walk a fine line, we may end up making it trivial in the end, but I don't want to do away with it entirely.

Hope that helps.
Jun 18, 2025 2:36 pm
@HeroOfSometimes: Thumbs up to everything you have posted since 2 am last night, special thanks for allowing 'more Linguistics ranks than your level,' and for the Background Skills addition. The latter will really help bring character roleplay concepts to life and not merely overcome built-in hurdles.

I will redo my Skill ranks on a work break, sorry for my 'competencies' confusion.


EDIT: Skill ranks done.

(But I keep re-counting them to make sure I didn't mess up.

3 bonus Skill points for Favored Class option,

+6 "free" from new House Rule but must be put into same 2 Background Skills at every level: Profession (Healer) and Craft (Alchemy for medicine)

+6 per level (Int mod 2) from Channeler = total 27 to spend.)
Last edited June 18, 2025 4:20 pm
Jun 18, 2025 4:11 pm
RE-DID Languages to fix last night's error:


BY LEVEL 3 :
with 2 grand total Linguistics Skill Point-ranks, and the 3 starting Intelligence points for Languages, and Free racial languages/points to spend in specified languages

Dwarven Clan & Erenlander: Fluency & Literacy

Trader's Tongue: Fluency only

Norther (Dorn) and Colonial (Sarcosan) : Conversational
[ +- ] Explanations
Last edited June 18, 2025 4:27 pm
Jun 18, 2025 6:55 pm
Languages for Seelah

Fluent: Erelander (free as an Erelander PC)
Conversational: Norther, Colonial, Orcish (I need to fluff my backstory for that one), and Trade Tongue
Total of 7 ranks in Linguistics, between selecting all those and getting them to Conversational competency over three character levels. The sheet calculates only 5 slots used, but I feel like I did all the math correctly.

Conversational competency seems to incur no penalty for Intimidate, my one face skill presently, so I figured I’d get them to there just for now.

Note, the rule for Background Skills: we get 2 skill ranks per level, doesn’t say it has to be two separate skills per level. I’m more or less dumping all mine into Linguistics.

Suggestions and kind criticism always welcomed, in case I’m off-track. :)
Jun 18, 2025 7:26 pm
WhiteDwarf says:


Suggestions and kind criticism always welcomed, in case I’m off-track. :)
The rules do say that you need to pick two separate Background Skills. That may not have been explicitly spelled out, but it was implied when the GM said (paraphrasing) that "two" of your applicable Class Skills from the "Background" list get 3 free ranks in each of them, freeing up 6 Skill points to put elsewhere.

You choose the two Background skills at level 1 and they cannot be changed.
Jun 18, 2025 7:47 pm
Mica_pun_worthy says:
The rules do say that you need to pick two separate Background Skills. That may not have been explicitly spelled out, but it was implied when the GM said (paraphrasing) that "two" of your applicable Class Skills from the "Background" list get 3 free ranks in each of them, freeing up 6 Skill points to put elsewhere.

You choose the two Background skills at level 1 and they cannot be changed.
Uh, not too bring out the mallet again too quickly, but I'm not familiar with the rule that they have to be placed in the same skill each level? I just meant that background skill points can't be used for adventuring skills.

Sorry if I was confusing, and if that rule exists, let me know, I can adjust, I've just never heard of it.
Jun 18, 2025 7:47 pm
I'm lost "Background skills"???... I thought that I was done with character, but I have Zero knowledge of anything called 'background skills'???

Azote has Rogue Class Skills, Channeler Class Skills, & Spiritual Channeler's Skills. As well as Skill Bonus (feature), Favored Class Bonuses, Racial Skill Bonus, Racial Climbing Skill & Natural Bond Skills.

but no Background skills. Naturefriend, I thought was my background.

Rogue's Skills points 11, Channeler's Skills points 14, Skill Bonus feature points 3, Favored Class points 3, Racial Skill Bonus points 2, & Natural Bond points 4.
Last edited June 18, 2025 7:56 pm
Jun 18, 2025 8:04 pm
From the Pathfinder PRD:

In a campaign that uses the background skills system, each character gains an additional 2 skill ranks per level, which must be spent on background skills.

It’s intuited that it’s two separate skills per level, bc the game normally only allows skill ranks not to exceed character level. But having the ability to put more ranks into Linguistics seems to supersede that. Again, it’s not specifically stated that it has to be two separate skills.

But I am flexible. :)
Jun 18, 2025 8:04 pm
WanderOne says:
I'm lost "Background skills"???... I thought that I was done with character, but I have Zero knowledge of anything called 'background skills'???

Azote has Rogue Class Skills, Channeler Class Skills, & Spiritual Channeler's Skills. As well as Skill Bonus (feature), Favored Class Bonuses, Racial Skill Bonus, Racial Climbing Skill & Natural Bond Skills.

but no Background skills. Naturefriend, I thought was my background.

Rogue's Skills points 11, Channeler's Skills points 14, Skill Bonus feature points 3, Favored Class points 3, Racial Skill Bonus points 2, & Natural Bond points 4.
Most easily it's just 2 extra skill points per level, so at level 3 it's 6, that must be placed in these skills:
Background Skills
Appraise
Artistry
Craft
Handle Animal
Knowledge (engineering)
Knowledge (geography)
Knowledge (history, (the old gods))
Knowledge (nobility)
Linguistics
Lore
Perform
Profession
Sleight of Hand

The idea is to flesh out a character more who may be strapped for skill points.
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