Mystery Science Pathfinder 3000 - A Play by Post RPG Campaign

This thread is a Play by Post Pathfinder campaign, and is primarily intended for the players who will be taking part in the campaign. The first 3 sections of the rules are provided below, EVERYONE posting to this thread should read those 3 sections. By posting to this thread you are agreeing to abide by them.

Mystery Science Pathfinder 3000 Play by Post Rules

  1. Follow all forum rules. While the GM (TheHippy) will be moderating the game itself, any violation of forum rules will be reported to the forum mods for appropriate action.

  2. Peanut Gallery
    a) Posts from the peanut gallery (non-players) will be allowed for now. If this becomes too much of a distraction from the game, we may ask the mods to split those comments off into a separate thread, and keep peanut gallery posts there moving forward.
    b) When responding to peanut gallery posts as a player, please use the forum block quote function and note your response as OOC (as described below in the Posting Responses section). As a player, please try to keep the other response rules in mind. Responding to the peanut gallery is fine, just try to make sure that your post is also moving the story forward in some way.

  3. Party size, and joining the party
    a) Maximum party size is 8 players + the GM.
    b) If you would like to join, PM the GM to see if there is a slot open.
    c) If there is a slot open, you will be asked to present your character concept for pending approval. Once approved, you will be asked to generate a character to present for final approval. Help will be made available for those who are new to the Pathfinder system, or even RPGs in general.


The full rules for the campaign are on Google Docs at the following link. All players in the campaign are expected to know and abide by the full rules:
Mystery Science Pathfinder 3000 Play by Post Rules

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Adventure background:

The Devilā€™s Bargain

There is a curious, but well-known landmark in the Land of Taldor, near the small village of Telhain. The ancient stone roof of a perfectly circular tower sits on the bald, rocky top of a large hill. There is no known entrance to the structure, and the legends that surround it only deepen the mystery.

The Elves of nearby Kyonin call it Talv GĆŗl Mindon, and they say it is the site of an ancient battle between two powerful wizards. One of the wizards built an impenetrable tower filled with traps, as well as all of his knowledge and treasure. The other built a castle in the sky from which to launch his attack. The sky wizard prevailed by having the ground swallow up the tower of his rival, who was trapped forever in a prison of his own design.

The Dwarves of the Five Kingdoms name the landmark Hallanarā€™s Ascent. In their legends it is the pinnacle of a Dwarven civilization that lived far below. As is often the case with Dwarves, ā€˜pinnacleā€™ is meant in both a figurative and literal sense. Those legends tell of the once proud Dwarven civilization that was the first to emerge from the underground. They aspired to touch the sky, but when their tallest tower broke through the ground it ushered in their downfall, as they were invaded by surface dwellers. They sealed off the hidden entrance far too late to prevent their doom.

As for the residents of the nearby human village of Telhain, when they are not trying to ignore that it exists, they call it Devilā€™s Bargain, or Devilā€™s Hill. Those who will speak of it say that an evil warlord who aspired to rule the land built the tower on the largest hill he could find, and then made a pact with a Devil to give him dominion over all that he could survey from the highest windows of his tower. As soon as the bargain was struck, the Devil encased the entire tower in stone, so that the warlord ruled nothing more than the tower he had already built. In time, the encased tower came to resemble more a natural extension of the hill itself, although the top of the hill to this day will not grow grass or trees because of the evil nature of the demons and devils that dwell there now.

None can truly say why the buried tower was built, or by whom, for if anyone has found a way into the tower, they have held their secret close.

GM Notes: Once we have the characters in the starting party submitted, approved, and transcribed by the GM, we will get things started in earnest, this may take a few days.

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So ā€¦ Mart Eden-Prairie is heading to Telhain with a caravan or wagon train on unspecified business ā€œin the westā€. Any questions about his business are deflected by comments about how that is not interesting, letā€™s talk about you instead. (Bluff check 21 if a roll is called for.)

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Bonnie Kennison is already in Telhain, at loose ends and trying to stay out of troubleā€¦ but not too much out of trouble.

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It is early spring, and finding a caravan from the capital city Oppara that is passing by Telhain is not difficult for Mart. His offhand comments about business ā€œin the westā€ are mostly met with disinterest, however, one dour wagon driver responds with ā€œWell, itā€™s good your business is not in the east. Those Casmar nomads would just as likely kill you as trade with you.ā€

Both Bonnie and Mart find lodging at the Devilā€™s Rest, Telhainā€™s only Inn. The proprieter is Branim Bloodforge, a cheerful Dwarf who also happens to be the only non human resident of Telhain.

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Mart drops off his gear in his room. That stuff is heavy! Then he takes his lyre and heads down (assuming rooms are on an upper floor) into the common room. As a gnome, he is the only person there shorter than the innkeeper.

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This is Bonnidyr ā€œBonnieā€ Kennisonā€¦

The white shirt is short and tucked into a belt which holds a sheathed dagger on the right side and a belt pouch full of nameless stuff on the left. Sheā€™s wearing doeskin breeches about the same color as her vest and the medieval equivalent of Doc Martens.

She also has a backpack and quarterstaff in her room.

If itā€™s before 10 AM she is also in her room, snoring. Otherwise she is lounging in the common room. Having grown up in an inn on the road outside Korvosa, sheā€™s known lots of dwarves and speaks their language fluently, if that becomes relevant with Branim. (Diplomacy roll of 17 if called for.)

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Hey guys- I found this ring and when I put it on, I turn invisible. Should I keep the precious ring?

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Mart looks at the newcomer. Does he recognize him?

OOC: I played with a guy back in the late eighties who tried to begin every adventure that way. Don, is that you?

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Mart, Iā€™m in the peanut gallery. Stop breaking the fourth wall!

And also, I just checked my driverā€™s license and Iā€™m not Don.

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Mart will try to get a read of the room (Sense Motive check 21*). If all seems hunky dory he will get a mug of ale and sit down at a table to people-watch.

'* nat 20, if that matters

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What time of day is it, and how much do drinks and such cost in this place?

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ā€œHmpf, Iā€™ve heard that thereā€™s a Dwarven owned inn aboutā€¦I need to talk to himā€¦ā€

Coleman Francis eyes the Devilā€™s Tower, and thinks aloud, again; surveying the safest and quickest route to the inn he seeksā€¦

ā€œI just know that fink Cherokee Jack has something to do with all thisā€¦ I just wish I hadnā€™t lost his tracks by putting my faith in that Rangerā€¦ā€

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It is early evening when Mart gets settled into his room, and makes his way to the common room. Bonnie is already there, sizing up the establishment. A few locals are at the bar, keeping to themselves, and studiously ignoring Bonnie.

Mart notices that one or two of the locals look at him with interest. While they seem to be suspicious of Bonnie, they display curiousity with regard the gnome who just entered the room toting a lyre.

Branim also quickly makes his way over to Mart, and says with a wink, ā€œFirst drink is on the house for any cousin of the Earth. Itā€™s good to see a minstrel in here as well, so feel free to put out your hat. If you plan to stay a while, and drum up enough business for me, we might could work out a deal. Now, what can I get ya?ā€

Bonnie is far enough away not to overhear the conversation, and was not offered a free drink. A cup of the local ale is 4 cp, a cup of Branimā€™s special Dwarven Stout is 5 cp, as is the mead. A cup of Whiskey is 1 sp, as is a pitcher of the local wine. Elven wines from Kyonin are also available by the bottle for 10 gp.

GMs Note: Coleman (odd name for a Dwarf, must lose something in the translation) reminds himself (Knowledge History 16 [Knowledge skills can be used untrained, but cannot reveal any information that has a DC over 10]) that while most humans refer to the tower as the Devilā€™s Bargain, the Dwarves have long known it as Hallanarā€™s Ascent. Hallanar is not a reference to anyone in particular, but is rather a reference to the Dwarven concept of Heaven.

A caravan is making its way past the tower, heading west, and breaking Colemanā€™s reverie. A quick check with one of the wagon drivers reveals that it is just a few minutes down the road, and they are indeed headed in that direction. A gnome sits on the bench next to the driver, making idle conversation with him about some unspecified business he has in the west.

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In a typical dwarven style, Coleman (Coal Men - a line of dwarves that specialize in mining coal and other related products) scoots the gnome over to find a seat close to the driver:

Grunts, looks over disapprovingly towards the gnome, then pretends to admire nature as he tries to listen in on any conversations.

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The driver notices that Coleman is eyeing the driverā€™s bench, and warns him off with, ā€œSeats are for paying customers only.ā€

GMā€™s Note: Coleman could ignore the driver and attempt to take a seat regardless, however, the caravan boasts a number of well armed guards. In order to do so, Coleman would first need to make an athletics test to see if he could jump on the moving wagon.

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ā€œOkay, okay, how about I ride in the back, can you get me close to an inn?ā€

Coleman flexes his tired feet, remembering heā€™s been traveling for a while.

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Coleman convinces (Diplomacy result 14) the driver to slow the wagon so he can hop in the back without risking a spill. The driver turns to watch as Coleman pulls himself into the wagon and finds himself surrounded by caged chickens, who begin squawking indignantly at the presence of a new passenger. Once he is satisfied that the Dwarf is safely stowed amongst the livestock, the driver turns back around and sets off down the road again. The caravan rolls into Telhain just minutes later.

GMā€™s note: the events involving Coleman and the caravan happened prior to the previous events in the Inn, and it is assumed that Coleman is still getting settled into his room currently.

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Flash forward back to the inn:

Mart tells the innkeeper that he may be in town for a few days, but how long he stays depends on how his business goes. He will take a room for the night, and consider further arrangements tomorrow.
He then takes a few sips of dwarven ale, then puts his hat out and unwraps his lyre. He begins to play a cheery melody (Perform [string] check 25).

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GMā€™s Note: I am going to waive lodging fees for the first night in the Devilā€™s Rest, as I had not intended to get the adventure started until the next morning. Drinks are a different matter of course.

The local patrons who were not paying attention to Mart, are certainly doing so now that he has struck up a tune. Fingers and toes begin tapping, and the general disposition of the room is beginning to get a bit more cheery.

In his room, Coleman hears the Bard begin playing, and decides now would be a good time to make his way down to talk with the Dwarven proprietor, who was a bit busy when he first arrived.

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