#lukedanger

[dujour13]

Asking in return for FFWF - what gave you the idea for Raqim/Seelah in the first place?

Thank you! unexpected treat 💕

It was one of those weird mixtures of inspiration life throws in your path. My friend @theory-of-the-crows had the thought that a good Seelah quest would incorporate a crisis of faith, and I really ate that idea up. Not that I think her faith is weak, but the Crusades are enough to test anybody's resolve. Around the same time my friend @offsidekineticist shared this kick-ass backstory tidbit about Seelah.

So I was thinking about Seelah a lot. She was also the first character I had a spark for when I played pwotr the first time, until I got derailed in a big way by “Hey Dreamboat.” I love her dearly and there’s a lot to explore in her character. That said I admit I am not well versed in her lore. I haven’t had a chance to read the books and modules she appears in.

As for Raqim! A few months before all that, I read the Pathfinder novel Death’s Heretic featuring Salim Ghadafar, a Rahadoumi Pure Legion fighter turned reluctant priest of Pharasma. (Let's just say if you want to read a good Pathfinder novel, read Liane Mercier’s Hellknight instead.) I did like his character concept anyway.

I also like Rahadoumi atheism as an act of collective defiance. (For example Siavash, who is Andoren, visits Manaket in one of his spin-off fics and despite his deep Desnanism has a lot of respect for them.) I guess Salim stuck in my mind more than I thought because I didn’t realize until later how similar their names sound (Raqim Ag Adar. oops).

There are a lot of things close to my heart that went into Raqim. It would be too much to explain. The important part is that he has a valorous heart that’s exactly in tune with Seelah’s, but they are polar opposites when it comes to faith, which I thought would lay the groundwork for an interesting crisis for both of them.

[monstersdownthepath]

A few Pathfinder werecreature questions, if you have the time. This is specifically around natural werecreatures (IE, those born to it) rather than afflicted (those bitten) ones.

Which form is their "true" form? Looking them up on Archives of Nethys in 2E it says the hybrid form is their natural one, but as I understand (and explicitly in 1E) they revert to their humanoid form if killed. Or was this a change between editions?

Do they only transform into their hybrid forms during a full moon, or are natural werecreatures able to pick between hybrid and animal forms? 2E describes them as cursed to 'transform into animals or animal-humanoid hybrids', suggesting natural werecreatures could have a choice whereas afflicted ones suffer the full moon frenzy and are forced into the hybrid form.

If a werecreature bites an animal while hunting it and the meat is then consumed by another humanoid, would the meat potentially pass on the curse, or does it only transfer if a creature is bitten directly? 1E seems to treat it more like a disease, while 2E only describes it only as a curse.

Running purely off 1e lore and looking a little bit into 2e:

A werebeast's true form is whatever it's parent's ancestry is. They're born as a man (shorthand for species, not gender) and can become beasts, but if they're born to werebeast parents, they'll often have little control over their transformations when they're first born and for some time into their childhood, leading to offspring that look like beast hybrids or even full animals.

Werebeasts can shift into hybrid or animal form at will, regardless of if they're natural-born or cursed, but natural-born werebeasts have a much greater degree of control over their bestial side and can change without making any checks. Cursed creatures can use their alternate forms, but must make concentration checks to do so without losing their minds. ALL werebeasts automatically change into their beastial forms during a full moon, but strictly speaking about the rules-as-written, only cursed beasts are stuck that way; natural ones can change back according to RAW. Natural werebeasts, again, have more control over their urges while moon-cursed, but the cursed completely black out as the monster within takes hold and have to make Will saves just to retain any shred of awareness of the time they were an animal.

This one's a fun one! As-written, no; there's no consequences to consuming the meat of a cursed creature that's been slain (to say nothing of creatures killed by the cursed one), because once they're slain the curse ends and they revert to normal (though it comes back if they're returned to life). Lore-wise, though, there's at least one creature in Pathfinder that results from the consumption of werebeast flesh, or the flesh of a creature killed by a werebeast, whether the beast is natural-born or cursed. The DM, however, may decide that such an act passes on Lycanthropic Corruption, a lesser form of the curse that nonetheless progresses like any other Corruption, gradually turning you into a full cursed beast.

[dujour13]

For the OC Creation Ask game, for Raqim: 3, 10, 18

Thank you 💕 I’ll be honest, I hesitated to reblog the question game but I did want to do some of these, so this was a welcome surprise!

3. How did you choose their name? 

An all-time fave. This live version especially. I still get goosebumps from it no matter how long I’ve had it on repeat. I had a list of names for him but as soon as I thought of this one it was hands down.

Also fitting because in his family Raqim is the favored son. I haven’t revealed the whole story yet, but he has trauma associated with that status and hates being special. There’s nothing he wants more than to fit in.

The lyrics aren’t very important but “sins forgotten” feels especially bitter because all the people he’s hurt are long dead. (He and Seelah will have a talk or two on that subject.)

10. If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person?

Only about 10% of Raqim is actually tailor-made for Seelah. When he first came to life he was supposed to romance Sosiel, and I even wrote a little of that, but the idea of giving Seelah a romance of her own with a stubborn-ass atheist and a crisis of faith was too interesting to pass up.

In the game he is romancing Sosiel though. (His romance is so beautiful I literally cried.) The crisis of faith angle could also be really interesting for Sosiel, but he has a lot to deal with already poor guy.

Certain things about Raqim, such as being a refugee as a child and struggling with regret, just happened to parallel Seelah’s story without being planned that way! Love when that happens.

On the other hand that 10% tailoring is made up of things I really doubled down on for Seelah’s sake, like the lost puppy vibe and the stubbornness. Sorry Seelah. I owe you a beer.

18. What is the most recent thing you've discovered about your OC? 

On top of the visions of aeons and azata he receives in Kenabres, he also has visions of rattling, twisting scales and curious, blinking reptilian eyes. These are the only visions that feel familiar to him, since he’s had them since childhood. (It would be indiscreet to talk about the IRL origin of this vision idea but well. personal experience)

[dujour13]

1, 9, 18 for Siavash on the KC ask game?

Thank you!! 💕 Great ask game!

What led the future Knight-Commander to take their base class?

Siavash was born to be a bard. He’s a dreamy, poetic Desnan soul who loves good stories and good cheer. His dad is a classically trained lutenist from whom Siavash inherited the musical talent but not the drive. Boy just wants to chill and play guitar on the beach. When he was a teenager he accidentally channeled bard enchantment magic during a recital and got in trouble with his music teacher, but that was nothing new. The spontaneous spellcasting is something he doesn’t have to work at, which suits him just fine. (And the bard equipment in the game was too good to pass up.)

9. How does their Background choice reflect their character, and how does it play into their build?

Knowing nothing about Pathfinder when I got the game I randomly gave him Andoren Diplomat for the persuasion bonus, but it turned out to lend a whole new and fitting dimension to his character I’m so retroactively happy about. As an agent of Avistan’s fledgling democracy and as an azata he’s all about freedom and egalitarianism, cheerfully spreading his ideology, very often in an irresponsible way. It couldn’t have suited him better. That career also establishes his averageness, which was something I was aiming for – he’s an unambitious low-level civil servant until his diplomatic caravan is attacked outside Kenabres.

18. Did any of their companions multiclass or take a PRC they do not start with, and if so what is the story behind this?

Answered here!

[dujour13]

If you'll forgive a little trolling after seeing your recent WIP... KC Ask Game, 1, 21, 30... for Knight Commander Woljif Jefto.

OMG THANK YOU this is so much fun 😂💕 (The Roleswap fic is up on AO3 such as it is. It could use a lot more fleshing out but the main lines are there.)

1. Do they think they're going to make it out alive?

That absolutely depends on how fast he can run.

He would say no—but he’s weighing the pros and cons, and trusts himself to know when to cut his losses. Our boy is constantly on the verge of hittin da bricks.

The only thing holding him back is the promise of profit (and in my fic this dreamboat bard he’s trying to impress).

21. Did they actually like something about being the KC?

Being KC is a golden opportunity to get rich, if you’re not bogged down by scruples. He’s going to milk this thing for all it’s worth.

And being top dog has its advantages. Woljif doesn’t necessarily enjoy ordering other people around, but he sure as Hells likes not being ordered around himself. It’s a balancing act—power’s great; responsibility, not so much. The Trickster path works out pretty well for him in that sense. A few good laughs and no skin off his nose.

There’s a real risk it’ll go to his head, but deep down he’s battling a bad case of impostor syndrome.

30. Did they choose to take the crossbow or the scroll to run away form Deskari right at the beginning?

(It’s so funny you asked this one because it’s one of the first most obviously Woljif decisions in the fic.)

The scroll, are you kiddin’?

[dujour13]

Already said in on PWOTR Pals, but happy birthday!

Thank you!! 💕💕💕 I have some Owlcatober reading to catch up on this weekend I'm looking forward to...

[mathlann]

For the WotR ask game - 1, 9, 22, 24? (assuming I haven't accidently double dipped...)

Nah, you're good! From this ask meme.

1. What led the future Knight-Commander to take their base class?

Answered here!

9. How does their Background choice reflect their character, and how does it play into their build?

Ligeia's original background was Noble-Leader and then later Ustalavic Peasant. The former approximates her social background, in that her father's government tax files job is noble. Any actual noble lineage in heavy dispute but when you're a 700 year old vampire who can just eat people who try to access the wrong archives, that's about as good as being a real duke. The latter just reflects her country of origin. Neither really play into her build at all since she rarely uses weapons but I switched to the second for (potentially) a little more reactivity especially for Ulbrig's quest line.

22. What is the Commander’s opinion of their mythic patrons/advisors - the Hand of the Inheritor, Aivu or the Desnan Adepts, Zacharias, the Aeon in the mirror, Hal, Yozz and Noticula, etc.?

Answered here!

24. When the option to pick was available, which mythic units did they unlock and why?

Haven't gotten far enough for Demon path yet. But Trickster definitely recruited the Warbarian Ragepriests. Because more angry people on the battlefield is always good. That, and Trickster!Ligeia kept investing in domains with her tricks so...they were kinda her priests. If she had chosen to ascend anyways.