Male Imp | AC 22 (tch 17, ff 17) | CMD 18 | F +2, R +10, W +6 (+10 vs enchantment) | Init +5 | Per +22 | HP 70/70 | Effects:
Kizziar swoops low over the attackers' front line, suggesting to one of the barbarians directly engaged with the Hellknights, "Run for your life! You'll die if you don't flee now!"
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
While his conjured tentacles continue to obstruct the barbarians, Vespartius attempts to turn them against one another with a spell of confusion, targeting the center of their onrushing horde.
The turtle formation is now mostly complete, and a few spells and arrows are loosed, though Paralictor Ekdikésis growls to hold until the last of the Hellknights have managed to successfully disengage from the assault and join the formation, not wanting to risk friendly fire until necessary.
Kizziar:
As the imp tries to enspell a barbarian, the man looks up, seemingly confused for a moment, before his eyes glow even brighter, and he roars, futility swinging at the imp who is well out of reach. This leaves him open though, and the defending Hellknight runs him through, before nodding at the imp in gratitude and hurrying back to the formation.
Almost all the Hellknights are in formation now, and the barbarians are between 60 and 90 feet away. The Paralictor has ordered everyone to hold fire, though yours are not the only attacks to have gone out before the command. Within your formation the light level is normal, and up to 100 feet out it is dim, and beyond that is darkness.
As a side note: this will be a larger combat, and while I still want you to make all appropriate rolls, I'm going to abstract things a bit until you get into a more small-scale situation. I don't want to use mass combat rules, since you all aren't commanders yet. That may come in the future though! Just so there's no confusion.
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
I think Morvan might be right. Consider my last post to be what I do as soon as the order to fire is given.
Vespartius: You're still quite a ways away from the formation, according to your post here. Which actually reminds me that I forgot to roll a certain perception check!
Finally some of the barbarians have noticed your spellcasting, and three of them peel off from the main group in your direction, their eyes glowing fiercely in the dim light.
Giving Vespartius a chance to redo his action for this turn.
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
Seeing the barbarians advancing toward him, Vespartius calls on the innate power of his bonded ring of sustenance to float 20 ft straight up.
With just a few exceptions, the Hellknights are assembled, which is timely, because with a roar the hoard smashes into the front line, spears and axes meeting thick armor and shields.
Those of you who readied attacks managed to get them off. Damage has been recorded. Only those on the front line (I believe just Morvan and Kallant) have to worry about being hit atm.
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
Based on my assessment of the rounds, I think Vespartius can take another turn now. If not, please tell me.
Vespartius continues to float upward to around 40 ft. He then tears a hole in the fabric of the plane, opening a 30 ft deep extradimensional pit beneath the horde but far enough away from the Hellknight line not to hinder it at the moment.
Meanwhile, the tentacles he summoned continue to grasp at the enemy rear.
Male Imp | AC 22 (tch 17, ff 17) | CMD 18 | F +2, R +10, W +6 (+10 vs enchantment) | Init +5 | Per +22 | HP 70/70 | Effects:
Kizziar makes an aerial charge down towards one of the barbarians approaching Vespartius, shrieking at the top of his lungs before stabbing at his target's back with his stinger, dispelling his invisibility.
AC 23 Touch 12 FF 21 CMD 23 | Fort +9 Ref +8 Will +5 | Initiative +2 | Perception +13, Darkvision 60-ft
Active buffs: corruption resistance against evil & Resist Energy (fire) 10
Would you mind if Kallant was able to switch hit and fight defensively to avoid the first attack? Cause after that he'll be hit most every round with his lower AC.
Kallant looses his readied arrow when the barbarians get within the 60 feet of his darkvision.
Then, he drops his warbow behind him and draws his Silversheen readying to strike.
Male Human Warpriest 1 | AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 | CMD 14 (16 vs disarm, trip) | HP 10/10 | Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4 | Init +1 | Perception +3 | Blessings 3/3 |
Spells:
1st - 2/2
| Conditions:
The barbarian's axe slides off the armor of force as Morgan's heavy mace slams into the warrior. Smiling as he feels Asmodeus's blessing flow through him, Morvan lays into the Ulfen, swinging his mace in two hands.
Swift action: spend point of fervor to cast divine favor. Full attack.
The battle quickly turns, as the disciplined and magically superior Hellknights let loose, spells and arrows flying and melee weapons striking true. Almost a score of the barbarians are slain, and many more are left disabled. They are undeterred though, climbing over the bodies of their dead, their glowing eyes and feral screams unrelenting as they swarm your patch of light.
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
Male Human Warpriest 1 | AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 | CMD 14 (16 vs disarm, trip) | HP 10/10 | Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4 | Init +1 | Perception +3 | Blessings 3/3 |
Spells:
1st - 2/2
| Conditions:
Just noticed my base attack should be +5, not +4.
Further shrugging off the hits of the raging horde, Morvan continues striking the barbarians before him, seeking to lay them low, mace held in an iron grip in both hands.
Your world turns into a confused whirling blur as a solid, metallic... something... strikes you in midair, wrapping around your and pulling you away from the fight.
The barbarian hoard is quickly being whittled down, them losing five or more for every Hellknight that goes down. They quickly begin retreating, running surprisingly fast, sometimes even on all fours like beasts. A moment later you see why, as a screaming streak of fire slams into your formation.
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
Realizing that struggling against whatever grabbed him will have little to no effect, Vespartius tries to twist his head around to see what it is while shouting "HELP!" as loud as he can.
Meanwhile, his summoned tentacles attempt to restrain the fleeing foes.
I'm assuming you won't be able to escape within 2 rounds, and even with a nat 20 nobody has a perception high enough to hear you considering how far away you are and also that they just got exploded. So. I'll start pming you here soon.
The explosion knocks many Hellknights down, and even those that manage to keep their feet are confused and dazed, wobbling around and shaking their heads in a vain attempt to clear them. The Paralictor, still intimidatingly radiant, points towards the retreating barbarians, and one of his squad flies off quickly enough to leave a ripple of dust in her wake, sniping the retreating figures with spells to detain them. The Paralictor starts barking orders and with typical Hellknight efficiency, the camp is brought back to order. Those who can heal begin doing so, spells and channeled positive energy called forth. The dead and missing are recorded, and the bodies of fallen enemies are laid out. All in all seven Hellknights are dead, and one missing. A minor loss, considering the size of the force that was laid against you.
As clean up operations come to a close, a Godclaw signifer comes to find each of you. The Paralictor requests your presence, and the signifer escorts you to his tent.
Inside the tent Paralictor Ekdikésis is still in his bloody underpadding, tending to his sword while another Hellknight tends to a deep gash on his back. You salute, and he lazily returns it, his eyes dilated and breath shallow.
"Thank you for coming," he says, his voice raspy.
"It seems that after rolecall, one of your Order is missing. His body is not among the dead or the living. Do you know his whereabouts?"
Male Human Warpriest 1 | AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 | CMD 14 (16 vs disarm, trip) | HP 10/10 | Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4 | Init +1 | Perception +3 | Blessings 3/3 |
Spells:
1st - 2/2
| Conditions:
I'd like to do a bit of roleplaying for immediately after the fireball. It's in the spoiler. I also didn't realize that Vespartius had edited his post to be off away from the group, so I don't think Morvan noticed him running off. If I had, Morvan would have countermanded that real quick.
Fireball Aftermath:
Morvan quickly stands after the blast knocks him on his back, ready to face down a resurgent charge from the barbarians. However, they continue running, and he finds himself merely able to stare after them. Casting a spell on himself to begin the healing process, Morvan turns to look over his squad and notices that Vespartius is missing, as well as the majority being heavily wounded. "Signifier Trasalor, we may have need of your wand to at least partially patch us up. Do any of you know where Signifier Caudex went?"
Morvan grimaces as the Godclaw signifier comes to get them. Since Vespartius had yet to report in, he suspected that he was about to receive word of Vespartius's corpse being found. Though irritated that Vespartius hadn't formed up with the Order of the Gate soldiers when ordered, he did his best to control it. He was now properly clad in his armor, as befit giving a report.
He saluted the Paralictor as he entered the tent. Prepared for news that Vespartius's body had been found, Morvan is surprised when he is told that he is missing. Responding to the Paralictor's question, Morvan is unable to keep his anger at Vespartius from creeping into his voice slightly. "I presume, Paralictor, you are referring to Signifier Caudex. I ordered my squad to form up shortly before your order to Turtle, heavy south. He reported that his familiar servant had seen the group of charging Ulfen, and said he had several spells that could help if he had clear line of sight. From what I can tell, he then moved off away from the main group to a separate location from which to strike. I was unaware of his decision to do so, or I would have countermanded that immediately. If you have not found his body, then I surmise it may have been carried off by who or whatever was behind this assault on our camp. I know nothing of his current whereabouts should he be alive, but if he is, he will find himself digging our latrines for the remainder of the journey - at a minimum, and without the aid of magic."
M Elf Wizard (Spellslinger) 6 / Gunslinger (Gun tank)1/HK Signifier 1 | hp [68/68] | AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 | Init +6 | Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +7 | Perc + 9
before the meeting:
spellcraft:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
To identify the explosion spell
perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
to find Vespartius
Urashu nods at Maralictor Fellis, pulling out his wand as he surveys the scene. No, Sir, I haven't seen Vespartius since the initial charge. He offers everyone a use of the wand, noting that most of the others were hit harder than him.
At the meeting, Urashu stands at attention, again reviewing the fight in his mind, trying remember any hint of Vespartius location.
AC 23 Touch 12 FF 21 CMD 23 | Fort +9 Ref +8 Will +5 | Initiative +2 | Perception +13, Darkvision 60-ft
Active buffs: corruption resistance against evil & Resist Energy (fire) 10
"Oww. That's going to leave a bruise." Kallant struggles to stand. His pajamas continue to burn with a slight glow and a wisps of smoke. Seeing the enemy retreating, he cleans and sheathes his Silversheen.
After he unsuccessfully looks around for his missing squady, he accompanies Morvan to the paralictor. His pajamas are still unclean from the battle with obvious wounds.
With nothing constructive to add to the conversation of officers, he keeps silent and eyes front.
Spellcraft: It is nothing like any spell you've seen before.
Perception: You cannot see him.
Morvan Fellis wrote:
"I presume, Paralictor, you are referring to Signifier Caudex. I ordered my squad to form up shortly before your order to Turtle, heavy south. He reported that his familiar servant had seen the group of charging Ulfen, and said he had several spells that could help if he had clear line of sight. From what I can tell, he then moved off away from the main group to a separate location from which to strike. I was unaware of his decision to do so, or I would have countermanded that immediately. If you have not found his body, then I surmise it may have been carried off by who or whatever was behind this assault on our camp. I know nothing of his current whereabouts should he be alive, but if he is, he will find himself digging our latrines for the remainder of the journey - at a minimum, and without the aid of magic."
The paladin smirks a little bit at your comment, nodding knowingly.
"Well for now, lets focus on getting him back before anything worse happens. Do you have anything of his we can use as a scrying link? Tracking him down otherwise will prove problematic. And we're short of resources as is."
Male Human Warpriest 1 | AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 | CMD 14 (16 vs disarm, trip) | HP 10/10 | Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4 | Init +1 | Perception +3 | Blessings 3/3 |
Spells:
1st - 2/2
| Conditions:
Morvan is surprised by the Paralictor's decision to locate Vespartius, as he thought Vespartius would just be left behind. "I believe we should have some of his gear in his tent. We will retrieve it."
I'm hoping Vespartius didn't have all of his equipment with him.
LE male human (Chelaxian) conjurer 5/diabolist 3 | AC 16 (tch 12, ff 14) | CMD 14 | F +3, R +4, W +6 (+10 vs divination) | Init +2 | Per +0, SM +11 | HP 61/61 | arcane bond 1/1
Male Imp | AC 22 (tch 17, ff 17) | CMD 18 | F +2, R +10, W +6 (+10 vs enchantment) | Init +5 | Per +22 | HP 70/70 | Effects:
As the squad exits the tent, Kizziar comes diving out of the sky, landing in front of them. "Vespartius was grabbed by some kind of flying creature. I didn't get a good look at it, but it grappled him and flew off. If it would be any use in our search for him, be advised that I can contact Asmodeus and ask some yes or no questions," he informs them telepathically.
I would assume that Vespartius left his scroll of lesser planar binding in its scroll box in his tent, as it wouldn't be of any use in the fight.
Male Human Warpriest 1 | AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 | CMD 14 (16 vs disarm, trip) | HP 10/10 | Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4 | Init +1 | Perception +3 | Blessings 3/3 |
Spells:
1st - 2/2
| Conditions:
Morvan considers the Imp for a moment before motioning it to follow him to Vespartius's tent and softly saying, "That notification during the battle might have been a bit more useful. If Signifier Caudex was going to go off alone, did he not prepare any invisibility spells?"
Morvan will go to Vespartius's tent to retrieve any of Vespartius's belongings that might be there.
I was hoping for some clothing or something - the sort of thing that is more personal than a scroll.
Male Imp | AC 22 (tch 17, ff 17) | CMD 18 | F +2, R +10, W +6 (+10 vs enchantment) | Init +5 | Per +22 | HP 70/70 | Effects:
Yes, we will be sure to obtain your explicit approval before launching such escapades in the future. Vespartius had no invisibility magic prepared, as illusion is one of his opposition schools. He believed the he could evade the barbarians easily enough, and thought that the importance of obstructing the portal quickly outweighed the risk of another foe approaching undetected. Evidently he was in error, Kizziar mentally responds.
He then searches Vespartius' bed. It looks like this scroll box of his is the best we'll get. Perhaps we should seek out the most accomplished diviner in the caravan?
It doesn't look like scrying makes any distinction between different kinds of possessions. If we can find someone who can cast discern location it doesn't matter anyway.
“Thank you sirs,” the woman said gratefully, “If there’s anything you might need, please contact me.”
Her eyes and tattoos glowed briefly, a pale neon green, and each of the three others on the floating island felt a small push on their minds.
“Thank you,” she repeated, and teleported out, glowing purple this time.
“Do remind me, this area is under a dimensional lock, correct?” the Vicarius asked mildly, turning to the lich.
“Yes,” the lich replied, irritation coloring its raspy voice.
“What is she?” the Vicarius asked.
“Powerful enough to get in a fight with a quasi-deity and not lose,” the third man replied, the everburning flames on his mask dancing hypnotically.
“And she’s coming to us for help,” the Vicarius sighed, “I’m not sure we have the resources for this. Not without calling in favors I don’t particularly want to call in.”
“The gratitude and favor of someone as powerful as she is should not be overlooked. It is not unlikely that she will fully ascend. A demigoddess ally is worth a great deal,” the burning man replied.
“And the fact that she’s your neighbor has nothing to do with it I’m sure,” the Vicarius replied, arms crossed. The burning man shrugged.
“It only profits me if you succeed. I will assist as I may.”
“I’m sure,” the Vicarius growled, nodding to the lich before turning away and striding through a portal, back to his Citadel.
“You can leave too now,” the lich grumbled raspily, “I’ve got work to do.”
“Of course,” the masked man said, bowing slightly before turning and walking through a different portal.
The lich looked around his domain, ruined islands floating, tethered together in darkness. Then began its spells.
********************************
Greetings ladies and gentlemen. Some time ago, I ran a game (feel free to read over it) that was tragically cut short due to a number of issues on my end, primarily moving and losing all my notes. However, with the release of books such as Path of the Hellknight, Hell Unleashed, and the Adventurer’s Guide, I have decided to rewrite it and run it again. Lucky you!
Gameplay notes:
You will all be members of the Hellknight Order of the Gate. This is an important mindset difference from most games, as you are NOT adventurers. You will be a military squad, with all the advantages and restrictions of such. While I’m not in the military, I went to a military school and have worked with every branch of the US armed forces except for the Navy, as well as the militaries of several other countries. This game will reflect some of that mindset. Being able to identify and accomplish both short and long term objectives will be a key factor in your success.
You will most likely only get to level 13-15. However, your enemies will have WIDELY varying strengths. Again, unlike most adventures, your enemies will NOT scale to you. You might face anything from CR ½ to CR 25. It will be up to your intelligence gathering skills and the mission parameters to determine how to deal with threats (direct combat will almost never be your only option). I will not hold back, and I have no qualms with character death. That being said, your superiors are not fools, and will not intentionally send you on missions beyond your capacity to deal with. And in addition, once you become valuable enough to the order, being revived is not out of the question.
One of the advantages of being part of an organization like the Hellknights is access to resources. While we will not be using the rules presented in the Faction Guide, they were used as a guideline for what kinds of things you will have access to, and how to move up in rank. Being familiar with them will be helpful.
In the same vein, reading through the Order of the Gate entry in Path of the Hellknight will also help with your mindset and rp. If you do not have access to this book, pm me and I will be more than happy to summarize for you.
On languages: unless there is a good in-game reason for an outsider to speak Taldane, they will not. A confusing number of outsiders speak Common for whatever reason. In my game, they do not. This shouldn’t be a huge issue unless you plan on going the conjurer route and do a lot of calling/binding, as most outsiders you’ll meet in game will have good in-game reasons to speak your language. But I don’t want you to be surprised.
Final note: in the latter half of the game, some technological elements will be introduced. While you will not have much in the way of access to them, they will still be present. I only include this because some people do not like sci-fi in their fantasy, and I don’t want anybody to be unpleasantly surprised.
Character Creation:
Characters will start at level 5. 25 point buy, max hp at all levels.
2 traits, or 3 traits and a drawback
All characters will need to either take levels in Hellknight/Hellknight Signifier, or take the Hellknight Obedience feat. If you take the prestige class, you must take at least two levels, and they must be taken no later than level 8 (to allow for 6/9 casters such as the magus). You must qualify in all aspects, except for killing a devil, which will be taken care of later (see below). If you choose to take the feat, it must be taken at character creation (so sometime between levels 1-5).
Psychic casters may qualify for Hellknight Signifier with the Logical Spell feat, instead of having to take Arcane Armor Training or Warrior Priest. All other requirements remain the same.
All casters that get their spells from a deity must follow one that is either lawful, or non-chaotic and has the magic domain.
I am not expressly disallowing Paladins. HOWEVER: more than most orders, the Order of the Gate is more LE than LN. So if you decide to submit a Paladin, be aware of two things. One, it will reduce your chances of getting in (pretty drastically, depending on your level of roleplaying), and two, you will probably fall (the same thing applies to LG clerics/warpriests/inquisitors of a NG deity of magic). You have been warned.
You will receive starting equipment of a masterwork set of armor (your choice), a mithral dagger, and one other masterwork weapon of your choice that you have proficiency with. You will receive 5,500 gp with which to purchase magic items, enchantments, or any other gear you might need. This is going to be a fairly low treasure game, so be prepared to make every item count.
All Paizo material is allowed. No 3PP. All races will be allowed, but obviously the more uncommon your race, the better your rp will have to be. As a general rule of thumb, that’s how I will operate.
Recruitment and Qualification:
This was an aspect that I was not clear on up-front last time, and unintentionally upset some people. Recruitment will consist of two phases. Character creation, and then qualification. Character creation will obviously be where you write up your characters stats and backstory, and then submit it for review. Once approved, you will then proceed to part two, which is qualification.
Qualification consists of defeating a devil in one on one combat, to meet the Hellknight requirement. As said above, I will NOT hold back. However, you will be allowed to submit a second character if your first dies. JUST BECAUSE YOU QUALIFY DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL BE SELECTED! It merely means that you are now eligible to be selected. If you die during qualification, you will be allowed to submit a second character. If your second character also dies, then that’s it. This is already going to be a long recruitment, and I don’t want to drag it out any longer than necessary.
Some notes on the devil fight:
You will not be allowed to cast any short-term buffs previous to the fight. However, if you have buffs that have a duration longer than an hour, you will be able to use those, just make sure you make note of them and mark them off your spells/extracts/whatever.
This will be a called devil, not a summoned devil, so it will have access to its summon SLA. If it manages to summon another devil, you will have to defeat that one also. However, this will only be used if you also summon something, or have an eidolon/animal companion/combat capable familiar.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Recruitment will end June18th (though depending on participation it may be extended).
I'll probably try running Vorgal Veil again, though I'm not 100% committed to the magus class.
If anyone is on the fence for this; this quest is really engaging. It's intricately detailed, unpredictable, and does quite a bit that I've rarely done in pathfinder quests. Plus max HP!
This looks interesting. I was thinking about making a Warpriest dedicated to Asmodeus, but the Warpriest doesn't qualify for the Warrior Priest feat, as it lacks the domain and mystery class features. Would you allow the Blessings class feature of the Warpriest to count for purposes of qualifying for the feat, should I decide to take levels in Hellknight Signifier?
This looks interesting. I was thinking about making a Warpriest dedicated to Asmodeus, but the Warpriest doesn't qualify for the Warrior Priest feat, as it lacks the domain and mystery class features. Would you allow the Blessings class feature of the Warpriest to count for purposes of qualifying for the feat, should I decide to take levels in Hellknight Signifier?
While I normally like hellkight commanders, I figure the impact of one would be lost in a a party with a larger number of them.
Would a covert operative/stealth based character be welcome?
(With the obedience feat, of course)
Unless I can find a way to make the stealth work with the armor, and with the relatively low wealth, I don't think that's plausible.
So, an unchanined rouge, perhaps.
Of course. Though if you go with the PrC, you will receive your Hellknight Plate for free (probably should have noted that in the original post...), and with enough levels the armor check penalty can be negated, so don't feel limited.
Looks very interesting. I'll probably submit some form of arcane caster, but first: Do our characters know anything about the nature of the qualifying battle, such as the type of devil, terrain, starting distance, etc?
This looks interesting. I was thinking about making a Warpriest dedicated to Asmodeus, but the Warpriest doesn't qualify for the Warrior Priest feat, as it lacks the domain and mystery class features. Would you allow the Blessings class feature of the Warpriest to count for purposes of qualifying for the feat, should I decide to take levels in Hellknight Signifier?
Yes.
Related question, how would you say the Catechesis class feature of the Signifier prestige class pertains to the Warpriest's abilities? Would it only affect Blessings, or would it affect other class features, such as sacred weapon?
Catechesis wrote:
Catechesis (Ex): If a Hellknight signifer has the Warrior Priest feat, his Hellknight signifer level stacks with other divine spellcasting classes for determining the effects of those classes’ domain powers, inquisitions, and mysteries. This doesn’t grant any new powers or abilities. In addition, a signifer with the Warrior Priest feat gains Alignment Channel (chaos) as a bonus feat, and treats his Hellknight signifer levels as cleric levels when determining the amount of damage chaotic outsiders are either healed or dealt, and when determining their saving throw DCs to halve this damage.
d20pfsrd's new website is down, but the old google site is still up, and has the Hellknight Obedience feat listed on it (sans Orders, of course). Link
Thanks
The Sesquipedalian Thaumaturge wrote:
Looks very interesting. I'll probably submit some form of arcane caster, but first: Do our characters know anything about the nature of the qualifying battle, such as the type of devil, terrain, starting distance, etc?
Yes, you would know a ton about it. You've spent approximately the last 3 years or so preparing for it. If you have access, Hell Unleashed has an article about it. If you don't, let me know and we can PM.
This looks interesting. I was thinking about making a Warpriest dedicated to Asmodeus, but the Warpriest doesn't qualify for the Warrior Priest feat, as it lacks the domain and mystery class features. Would you allow the Blessings class feature of the Warpriest to count for purposes of qualifying for the feat, should I decide to take levels in Hellknight Signifier?
Yes.
Related question, how would you say the Catechesis class feature of the Signifier prestige class pertains to the Warpriest's abilities? Would it only affect Blessings, or would it affect other class features, such as sacred weapon?
Catechesis wrote:
Catechesis (Ex): If a Hellknight signifer has the Warrior Priest feat, his Hellknight signifer level stacks with other divine spellcasting classes for determining the effects of those classes’ domain powers, inquisitions, and mysteries. This doesn’t grant any new powers or abilities. In addition, a signifer with the Warrior Priest feat gains Alignment Channel (chaos) as a bonus feat, and treats his Hellknight signifer levels as cleric levels when determining the amount of damage chaotic outsiders are either healed or dealt, and when determining their saving throw DCs to halve this damage.
On the matter of aasimar or tieflings, can we roll on the alternate table to see if we get something we like?
I'm torn about allowing this. On the one hand, I think it's got lots of flavorful options, and I love flavor. On the other though, there's too much disparity in the power levels of what you can get, and both those races are fairly strong anyway, so I'm going to say no.
Is there a way to get it in a special material (Mithril) at a reasonable time?
More or less decides if I would take the feat or the class.
You probably wouldn't be able to afford it until level 9 or 10
Makes sense, but you can't even get into the class using rouge till 8, so far from a long wait.
So, last question before I set into making a charecter-
Would you prefer a farely normal charecter, or one of my charecters thst uses a lot of unorthodox options to get an odd result?
My preference is based pretty much on two things. In-game: whether you can accomplish the mission. Out of game: how good a roleplayer (and to a lesser extent, writer) you are. That's pretty much the extent of my concern. Other than that, play whatever you want. I want you to enjoy this every bit as much as I'm sure I will.
Is there a way to get it in a special material (Mithril) at a reasonable time?
More or less decides if I would take the feat or the class.
You probably wouldn't be able to afford it until level 9 or 10
Makes sense, but you can't even get into the class using rouge till 8, so far from a long wait.
So, last question before I set into making a charecter-
Would you prefer a farely normal charecter, or one of my charecters thst uses a lot of unorthodox options to get an odd result?
My preference is based pretty much on two things. In-game: whether you can accomplish the mission. Out of game: how good a roleplayer (and to a lesser extent, writer) you are. That's pretty much the extent of my concern. Other than that, play whatever you want. I want you to enjoy this every bit as much as I'm sure I will.
Will pick a name when i can recycle an alias, otherwise will make new
Fiendish Vessel... and Blip:
Unnamed Hero
Qlippoth-spawn tiefling cleric (fiendish vessel) of Apollyon 5 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Blood of Fiends 23, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 170, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 264)
NE Medium outsider (native)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 22, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+10 armor, +1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 48 (5d8+8)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +8; +2 trait bonus vs. fear and compulsion when acting in service of liege or legitimate leader, +2 bonus vs. traps and hazards while underground
Resist fire 5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee +1 switchscythe +8 (2d4+7/×4) or
. . mithral dagger +8 (1d4+4/19-20)
Ranged light crossbow +4 (1d8/19-20)
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +8)
. . 6/day—lightning arc (1d6+2 electricity), touch of evil (2 rounds)
Cleric Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +8)
. . 1/day—fiendish augury
Cleric (Fiendish Vessel) Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +8)
. . 3rd—gaseous form[D]
. . 2nd—align weapon (evil only)[D]
. . 1st—cause fear[D] (DC 14)
. . D Domain spell; Domains Air, Evil (Daemon[APG] subdomain)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 14
Base Atk +3; CMB +7; CMD 18
Feats Heavy Armor Proficiency, Power Attack, Warrior Priest[UM]
Traits aspiring Hellknight (Cheliax), authoritarian, hellknight initiate
Skills Acrobatics -4 (-8 to jump), Fly +0, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (planes) +8, Spellcraft +8; Racial Modifiers +4 Fly
Languages Common, Infernal
SQ channel evil, darklands guide, fiendish familiar, fiendish summonining, prehensile tail[ARG], umbral unmasking
Combat Gear wand of cure moderate wounds (5 charges), wand of shield (25 charges); Other Gear +1 Hellknight plate[ISWG], +1 switchscythe, crossbow bolts (10), light crossbow, mithral dagger, cloak of quick reflexes +1/+2[MA], belt pouch, canteen[UE], flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), heretic's fork, holy text (Apollyon)[UE], masterwork backpack[APG], mess kit[UE], prayer book, silver holy symbol of Apollyon, soap, spell component pouch, thumbscrew, masterwork, trail rations (5), wrist sheath, spring loaded, 8 sp, 20 cp
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Special Abilities
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Channel Evil 3d4 (5/day, DC 14) (Su) Heals evil creatures and sickens and harms good creatures in a 30-ft radius.
Cleric (Fiendish Vessel) Domain (Air) Granted Powers: You can manipulate lightning, mist, and wind, traffic with air creatures, and are resistant to electricity damage.
Cleric (Fiendish Vessel) Domain (Daemon) Darklands Guide +2 to saves vs. traps and hazards while underground.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Energy Resistance, Fire (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Fire attacks.
Familiar Bonus: You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Fiendish Augury (1/day) (Sp) You may use your fiendish familiar to cast augury once per day.
Fiendish Familiar Familiar acts as a divine focus and your channel evil can center on it.
Fiendish Summonining You can only summon fiendish creatures and evil outsiders of your patron's alignment.
Lightning Arc 1d6+2 electricity (6/day) (Sp) As a standard action, ranged touch attack deals electricity dam to foe in 30 ft.
Power Attack -1/+2 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Prehensile Tail Your tail can retrieve small objects on your person as a swift action.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Speak with Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Touch of Evil (2 rounds, 6/day) (Sp) With a melee touch attack, target is sickened and counted as good-aligned for the purpose of [Evil] spells.
Umbral Unmasking You cast no shadow (DC 15 Perception to notice)
Warrior Priest +2 on concentration checks when casting defensively or grappling.
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Blip
Cacodaemon (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 64)
NE Tiny outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+7 natural, +2 size)
hp 24 (3d10+3); fast healing 2
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5
DR 5/good or silver; Immune acid, death effects, disease, poison; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10
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Offense
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Speed 5 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect)
Melee bite +6 (1d4+1)
Space 2½ ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks disease, soul lock
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +7)
. . Constant—detect good, detect magic
. . At will—invisibility (self only)
. . 3/day—lesser confusion (DC 12)
. . 1/week—ommune commune (cl 12th, six questions)
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Statistics
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Str 12, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 12
Base Atk +3; CMB +1; CMD 12
Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-12 to jump), Bluff +7, Fly +18, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +7, Spellcraft +4, Stealth +14
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ change shape (2 of the following forms: lizard, octopus, small scorpion, venomous snake; polymorph), improved evasion
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (2 of the following forms: lizard, octopus, Small scorpion, venomous snake; polymorp You can change your form.
Damage Reduction (5/good or silver) You have Damage Reduction against all except Good or Silver attacks.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Disease (Su) Cacodaemonia: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 12; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d2 Wis damage, cure 2 consecutive saves. In addition to the normal effects of the disease, as long as a victim is infected, the cacodaemon can telepathically communic
Energy Resistance, Cold (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Energy Resistance, Electricity (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Electricity attacks.
Energy Resistance, Fire (10) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Fire attacks.
Fast Healing 2 (Ex) Heal damage every round unless you are killed.
Fly (50 feet, Perfect) You can fly!
Immunity to Acid You are immune to acid damage.
Immunity to Death Effects You are immune to death effects.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save.
Soul Lock (DC 12) (Su) Once per day as a full-round action, a cacodaemon can ingest the spirit of any sentient creature that has died within the last minute. This causes a soul gem to grow inside of the cacodaemon's gut, which it can regurgitate as a standard action. A sou
Telepathy (100 feet) (Su) Communicate telepathically if the target has a language.
Will pick a name when i can recycle an alias, otherwise will make new
** spoiler omitted **...
Without even looking at anything else, remember that as a Hellknight you must be lawful, and as a cleric your deity must either be lawful or be non-chaotic and grant the magic domain.
Can character crafting skills effect starting items?
The rouge in question is likely to have a large number of mundane alchemical items, and if the skill can effect how much you start with, that would be good to know.
Can character crafting skills effect starting items?
The rouge in question is likely to have a large number of mundane alchemical items, and if the skill can effect how much you start with, that would be good to know.
Unfortunately, no concepts are really coming to mind for me, as of now. I'll think on it a bit more, but for now, I think I'm going to have to bow out. I'm sure you'll have plenty of amazing submissions, whether I'm involved or not, so happy gaming!
Alright, had some time so here's my submission--Melii the halfling medium. A former slave trained to copy books for her master, Melii happened upon some tomes that detailed occult rituals. She learned how to perform a seance to call spirits into her body, giving her the strength and courage to slay her master and escape slavery.
His was the first of many deaths. She relishes the taste of power she gets when she channels a spirit, and uses it to her own benefit, not caring who has to get hurt in the process. She pledged herself to the Order of the Gate to impose order on the world and bolster her own power.
Her stats reflect having performed a seance for the champion spirit, the most common spirit she would channel. I have not factored in the benefits of Hellknight Obedience until I have more information about the feat.
Let me know if anything looks funky or if you have any questions.
Alrighty: here's the Order of the Gates reckoning and boons.
Reckoning: Etch complex symbols of penitence into your flesh with a dagger. Gain a +4 bonus on Will saving throws to resist divination spells and spell-like abilities.
Boons:
1: Focus of Mind (Su) You gain one gaze ability from the list detailed as part of the assiduous gaze class feature of the Hellknight signifer prestige class (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige 29). You can choose only a gaze that a Hellknight signifer could choose at 4th level. If you already have the assiduous gaze ability, you can select one additional gaze. Additionally, if you do not already have one, you receive the mask described in the prestige class's signifer mask class feature (and also detailed on page 63), as well as the benefits of the Hellknight signifer prestige class's signifer mask supernatural ability; you must be wearing a signifer mask to use this ability.
2: Armored Spellcasting (Ex) You have mastered the delicate and yet taxing art of casting spells in your Hellknight armor. You can ignore the spell failure chance of any armor with "Hellknight" in the name.
3: Unfathomable Gaze (Su) You are able to focus your staunch Hellknight training into a spell-like ritual that allows you to glean information that could be vital to your mission of enforcing he law. Once per day, while wearing a signifer mask, you can use vision as a spell-like ability, treating your total character level as your caster level. Unlike casting the spell normally, you are not fatigued after this ability is complete, as your raining allows you to shake off what might tire lesser individuals.
Alright, had some time so here's my submission--Melii the halfling medium. A former slave trained to copy books for her master, Melii happened upon some tomes that detailed occult rituals. She learned how to perform a seance to call spirits into her body, giving her the strength and courage to slay her master and escape slavery.
His was the first of many deaths. She relishes the taste of power she gets when she channels a spirit, and uses it to her own benefit, not caring who has to get hurt in the process. She pledged herself to the Order of the Gate to impose order on the world and bolster her own power.
Her stats reflect having performed a seance for the champion spirit, the most common spirit she would channel. I have not factored in the benefits of Hellknight Obedience until I have more information about the feat.
Let me know if anything looks funky or if you have any questions.
I will do my best to give you a thorough review, but the medium is a fairly complex class, so it may take me somewhat longer. I will however say that I'd like a somewhat more in-depth background than that. I like details. Show me some of her life. Show me your motivation to become a Hellknight. There are many ways of imposing order on the world. Why would a halfling of all races choose the Hellknights?
Um, how would playing as a familiar work in your game?
Honestly I'm not sure. Unless you could speak or your master took Improved Familiar there's not really a ton of ways for you to meaningfully interact. Take a look at the old game linked in the op for examples of how the familiar there was used. I have no real objection to you playing that, but there really wouldn't be much involvement on your part.
