DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Ebiris]

Well, it sounds like I can drop instant death with the points freed up from the class section. I won't recalculate it and allocate remaining excess points, this isn't a real build I'm taking anywhere it's just a demonstration of the thought behind choosing perks and items. And the importance of reading the notes section.

[Anastasia]

Well, it sounds like I can drop instant death with the points freed up from the class section. I won't recalculate it and allocate remaining excess points, this isn't a real build I'm taking anywhere it's just a demonstration of the thought behind choosing perks and items. And the importance of reading the notes section.

Yes. For serious I'm glad people are making mistakes. That provides the best learning for everyone.

[Iron Dragoon]

Looks good so far.

Perks: Spell Resistance (200), Gestalt (300), Feat: Spear Master (100), Feat: Flagbearer (100), Violence (100), Rebel (200), Benefactor (200), Crusader (100, LG discount)

Okay, a few notes.

1. This isn't a Pathfinder jump, but I handwaved that because this demonstration isn't about the D&D mechanics, it's a way to learn how to make builds from jump documents. Normally as this is a jump that uses the 3.5 D&D rules, you'd be stuck to those. Jumps generally don't offer that sort of flexibility unless it says they do, or have a perk or drawback that allows it.
2. Looking at things, you got the feat perk twice. As a general rule, unless a perk says you can purchase it more than once or a jumpdoc says you can, you can only buy a perk once. Using it to buy Pathfinder perks is off label as well, though I vaguely handwaved it when you asked, so that part's on me.

Gotcha, I thought you could buy as many feats as you wanted as long as you had points. So I'd have to pick between the two, and spend the 100 points elsewhere. Got it.

Classes: (10) Paladin (0)//Bard (300)

You applied the free class correctly to your build, this is good. However, you did miss one important part: Classes are not discounted. However, you may choose one base class to purchase at a discount. So you could apply that to bard and get paladin 10//bard 10 for only 150 points. You could either use the other 150 to go to paladin 20//bard 20 (and maybe a PrC thrown in) or spend the 150 points on other purchases.

Ah, gotcha. I thought the discount, in this case, *was* the free Paladin block. In that case, yeah, I'd bump it to 20.

Logic/Background-

Logic-wise, there's not a lot to explain aside from combat style and Gestalt. Combat-wise, she'll fight sort of Spartan-style with a spear and shield, with a banner/crest on the spear for Flagbearer.

Gestalt-wise, she's a Paladin//Bard using some Pathfinder Archetypes (Sacred Shield and Arcane Duelist) to be built into a front-line tank, singing songs and orating for Inspiration and commands.

Background- She's an orphan raised by the Church. She leaned towards Bardic abilities while she served in the church choir as a child and could tell the stories from the scriptures in a way that made them come alive. However, she was rambunctious and prone to conflict. In an effort curb and channel it, the priests put a local Paladin in charge of her, hoping the exercise would sap her energy. Unfortunately for them, she took to it like a fish to water.

Obligatory repaste of the previous bit about Pathfinder, just in case a reader missed it the first time.

Anyway, I think you're missing one part here, and in retrospect this jump doesn't really explain it so this is my fault. It assumes knowledge you don't have so let me run this down for you. Namely that every entry into this world is a drop-in. Normally in jumpchain when you choose an identity you gain that identity's memories and life experiences, which lets you slide right into that role (amid other things, but beyond the scope of this discussion).

However, as everyone in this jump is a drop-in, that means you insert without a lifetime's experience. In other words, whomever fills out this jumpdoc is inserted as is, like in a crossover fanfic or isekai where a character is dropped into a new world.  They get the purchases they made. So if you were the one who filled it out, Iddy, you'd appear in the universe of Balmuria with all of the powers, abilities and items you purchased here.

Oh! I thought this was more like a character that like... Stepped into a portal or was chosen or something from their normal life, and not one that was just created out of the ether.

[Corwin]

Balmuria Jumpchain
Alignment: True Neutral
Perks: Honest and Forthright (100), Rebel (200), Gestalt (300), Bystander (50), Undecided (100), Planar Perinarch (200)
Classes: Sorcerer 30//Monk 30 (900)
Items: Adventurer's Kit, Gold, Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50), Warm Blanket (100), Godseed (500)
Drawbacks: Perfect Head (+100), All-Aligned (+200), Slaadnapped (+600), Enlisted (+600)

Rule 0'd really is too cheap here.

[Anastasia]

Balmuria Jumpchain
Alignment: True Neutral
Perks: Honest and Forthright (100), Rebel (200), Gestalt (300), Bystander (50), Undecided (100), Planar Perinarch (200)
Classes: Sorcerer 30//Monk 30 (900)
Items: Adventurer's Kit, Gold, Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50), Warm Blanket (100), Godseed (500)
Drawbacks: Perfect Head (+100), All-Aligned (+200), Slaadnapped (+600), Enlisted (+600)

Rule 0'd really is too cheap here.

Points add up.

I do like the build here even if I'm surprised at multiple people choosing Rebel. Really though, I do agree that the True Neutral perks are all quite good and worth a discount. It's a shame that the class for TN is druid, but you're certainly getting your points worth anyway.

This build is definitely more aggressive than the others, with a lot more drawbacks. You'd run into the clause in drawbacks that reads this:

You can take as many drawbacks as you like. However, the more you take, the more they conspire to work together to make your life difficult. This isn't too noticeable unless you hit 1,000 or more points in drawbacks, at which point it rapidly escalates.

I'd suspect shenanigans like the following, just for example.

1. When on a time sensitive mission for Enlisted, and one you're invested in personally, you get slaadnapped which complicates everything.
2. You run into a cloud of Unseelie pixies who cause harm to goodly creatures whenever they touch them, which includes sitting on your head.

None of those are truly impossible, but you'd have extra headaches on top of it.

[Ebiris]

I was tempted by Rebel too. It's really good for housecleaning, for tipping you off that an organisation might give you trouble despite its benevolent front, giving you pretext for going after organisations you know are bad, or even just letting you know who's susceptible to a bribe if you want to engage in some of that corruption yourself. Genuinely a really great perk.

[Corwin]

Yeah, it really is. Aside from the obvious use, and as a PC/Jumper you're going to get involved in investigations or as Eb said to facilitate some corruption of your own, it's good for keeping your own house clean because you'll inevitably have organizations of your own. We had Sylvie vet Aurora's forces for this exact reason.

[Anastasia]

My take on it from the analysis I did for the jump (as an in house method of quality control and creative writing):

Rebel: 4/10

Odd name for the perk. Anyway, it's not a terrible information source, but it's not specific. It merely tells you if a particular person or organization is corrupt. Useful but not broad, nor is it specific in details. There's not a ton of utility to be found here on account of that. Ironically, a lawful neutral inquisitor would likely enjoy this perk more than a chaotic good hero.

I just don't think it's that great personally, and there's like a dozen other things I'd buy here before that. It's interesting to see how different people interpret and value perks, though. Good stuff.

[Nephrite]

Age: 23
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good
Parks: Spell Access (50), Gestalt (300), Honest and Forthright (50), Medi's Stash (600), Damage Reduction (200), Spell Resistance (200), Benefactor (200), Honorable (100)
Classes: Druid 20, Dragonheart Shapeshifter 10 // Monk 30 (600)
Items: Adventurer's Kit, Gold
Drawbacks: Enlisted (+600), Rule 0'ed (+600), Perfect Head (+100)


This is entirely my take on the musing we had some years ago about what would happen if any of the Vastwoods characters would end up in Balmuria, so this is literally just my interpretation of Gildas brought there with some fudging for appropriate levels in that regard.

It feels like, if that were to be the case, Enlisted would be a given. Also Perfect Head is rather obligatory for someone like that.

[Anastasia]

Age: 23
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good
Parks: Spell Access (50), Gestalt (300), Honest and Forthright (50), Medi's Stash (600), Damage Reduction (200), Spell Resistance (200), Benefactor (200), Honorable (100)
Classes: Druid 20, Dragonheart Shapeshifter 10 // Monk 30 (600)
Items: Adventurer's Kit, Gold
Drawbacks: Enlisted (+600), Rule 0'ed (+600), Perfect Head (+100)


This is entirely my take on the musing we had some years ago about what would happen if any of the Vastwoods characters would end up in Balmuria, so this is literally just my interpretation of Gildas brought there with some fudging for appropriate levels in that regard.

It feels like, if that were to be the case, Enlisted would be a given. Also Perfect Head is rather obligatory for someone like that.

That feels about right for that, yes. Why Spell Access, though? Otherwise a lot of it is what I would expect for that situation.

Medi's Stash is an item, not a perk and should be listed in items.

Anyway, it's been super interesting to see how each of you approached this and more interesting to see how you handled the jumpdoc. Good stuff, I hope it's been illuminating.

[Nephrite]

I think I misinterpreted what it does vs. whether someone like a Druid would need it, really.

[Anastasia]

Okay, so odds are I run some of this jumpchain game idea before when/if (probably when but being honest) I get back to B6. This isn't 100% set in stone yet, but I'd like to get into chargen a little bit. To be clear this is purely the flavor end of it. The mechanical end of it is TBA so don't even worry about that. I'm not going to answer questions about that until I have it sorted out on my end, so focus on the flavor.

Anyway, the rules for chargen are as follows:

- You can be from any world you want, so long as you are entirely human in ability. No super powers, nothing of note brought in with you. Basic talents are fine of course. Young, old, in between, whatever. It doesn't matter much, just go with your concept, but for the sake of everything please choose adult (18 years old or older) characters.

- Additionally the world you come from must be no more advanced than than our world in 2021.

- Y'all are more than welcome to collaborate on characters together, share ideas and make characters that are already connected/know each other. Feel free to have fun with this. I encourage you all to post and discuss any ideas you have and share them. I'd like a group that gets along well from the get-go. You don't have to know each other of course, but at the least some compatibility between personalities would be great.

- Questions and discussion in this thread is heavily encouraged.

- Obviously, your character should be someone who would find the premise of jumpchains an interesting one rather than the type who would survive one jump and go home. This should go without saying but it's always worth being clear.

- If you choose to come from a known world (in other words the world of a known setting), your group will never jump to that world. Feel free to use this tactically if there's a world you like but really don't want to visit. However, as a courtesy, run it by the others first to make sure no one objects. A modern Earth without any notable flavor doesn't bar any jumps, nor does any sort of generic world. I reserve veto rights as well just in case.

[Ebiris]

Not narrowing too much just yet, but I'll probably go with someone from normal modern earth with a decent anime/video game knowledge, at least in pop culture terms. I feel the conceit works best with someone who understands and appreciates the fictional nature of the places being jumped to, who gets the fannish 'meet your heroes' aspect and has useful metaknowledge of the settings to make use of.

[Iron Dragoon]

I'll throw in a couple ideas I've been bouncing around. It really depends on the group; while I don't mind being the odd character out, if everyone goes modern-day normal people, then I'm not sure how well something like a fantasy/medieval would mesh. Not in the character-to-character interactions, but more in the "lets explain every single modern thing" sense.

For modern, I'm thinking of something like a college student (like nursing or law), with hobbies of movie watching and hiking/camping.

For fantasy/medieval, either a blacksmith or woodsman/hunter type.

[Corwin]

Iddy's concern is valid, all-modern Earth is probably best.
To take Eb's words to their natural conclusion, what we need is a chuuni PC.