Up to Eleven

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

After much deliberation, I have come to a decision for our latest Design Challenge. In this challenge, Liz Courts challenged you to come up with statistics to represent Eleven from the excellent new series Stranger Things. It wasn't an easy task, and trying to pick the best two entries from among the well thought out submissions was a bit difficult.

The prize for first place goes to Nargemn. I think telekineticist was a good choice to represent most of what we see Eleven do in the show.

Jon Cary snags second place with his submission, showing that there is more than one way to approximate Eleven's skills.

I'd also like to give a shout out honorable mention to Jeffery Swank for his choices. The eidolon angle to represent the demogorgon was clever.

Thanks to everyone for entering! Keep your eyes on the blog for future Design Challenges!

Adam Daigle
Developer

Logo is from the MakeItStranger.com website by Nelson Cash. You should totally go have fun with it.

Where the Winds of Limbo Roar

Monday, September 12, 2016

The Strange Aeons Adventure Path is in the wild, and for some characters, that means questioning the reality that they wake up and find themselves in. But whether coincidence or stars aligning correctly, another recent media release goes quite well with Strange Aeons, and is the focus of our latest Design Challenge!

If you can't tell by the image above, I mean the Stranger Things series, which is full of '80s nostalgia for folks 'round my age (which, turns out, also happens to be a good chunk of the Paizo staff), not to mention just a whole lot of fun. Without getting too spoilery, let's just say that a small town is about to get its world flipped Upside-Down, and conspiracies are afoot in the town of Hawkins, Indiana. But this is a challenge—and the challenge is: make Eleven for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

I like to give away prizes, so let's get to the meat of it: First prize is the ENTIRE Strange Aeons Adventure Path (all six volumes!), as well as a custom Paizo.com avatar with a piece of art from Strange Aeons. We will also be selecting a second place winner, who will win hardcover copies of both Occult Adventures and Horror Adventures! Your entry will be judged on presentation and theme, so let's get down to the rules for designing Eleven:

• Race Base race must be human.
• Ability Scores: 20 point buy.
• Template: You must use the young creature template.
• Automatic Bonus Progression: Use the Automatic Bonus Progression from Pathfinder Unchained.
• Wealth: One-half standard NPC wealth (as presented in the Core Rulebook), and no magic items that grant bonuses to AC, saving throws, and ability scores (as per Automatic Bonus Progression).

But that's not all! Here are the participation rules:

• One entry per poster. Employees of Paizo, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who is currently employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
• You must post your entries in this blog's discussion thread (please use spoiler tags).
• Entries must be in the following format:

Stat Block Format:

[b]Eleven  CR XX[/b]

[b]XP xxx[/b]
zzRace zzClass zzLevel
zzAlignment zzSize zzType
[b]Init[/b] +##; [b]Senses[/b] zz, zz,; Perception +##
[b]Aura[/b] zz (## ft., DC ##)

[b]----- Defense -----[/b]
[b]AC[/b] ##, touch ##, flat-footed # (+## zzModifier, +##zzModifier)
[b]hp[/b] ## (##d##+##); fast healing ##
[b]Fort[/b] +##, [b]Ref[/b] +##, [b]Will[/b] +##
[b]Defensive Abilities[/b] ##/zzAbility; [b]DR[/b] ##/zzMaterial; [b]Immune[/b] zz; [b]Resist[/b] zz ##, zz ##; [b]SR[/b] ##
[b]Weaknesses[/b] zz, zz

[b]----- Offense -----[/b]
[b]Speed[/b] ## ft., fly ## ft. (zzManeuverability)
[b]Melee[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage plus zzOthereffect), zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
[b]Ranged[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
[b]Space[/b] ## ft.; [b]Reach[/b] ## ft.
[b]Special Attacks[/b] zz, zz
[b]Spell-Like Abilities[/b] (CL ##zz; concentration +##)
At will—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]
1/day—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]

[b]zzClassName Spells[/b] (CL ##zz; concentration +##)
1st—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]
0 (at will)—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]

[b]----- Tactics -----[/b]
[b]Before Combat[/b] zzBeforeCombat
[b]During Combat[/b] zzDuringCombat
[b]Morale[/b] zzMorale

[b]----- Statistics -----[/b]
[b]Str[/b] ##, [b]Dex[/b] ##, [b]Con[/b] ##, [b]Int[/b] ##, [b]Wis[/b] ##, [b]Cha[/b] ##
[b]Base Atk[/b] +##; [b]CMB[/b] +## (+## zzConditionalmaneuverbonus); [b]CMD[/b] ## (## vs. zzManeuvername)
[b]Feats[/b] zzFeatname, zzFeatname
[b]Skills[/b] zzSkillname +##, zzSkillname +## (+## zzCondition); [b]Racial Modifiers[/b] +## zzSkillname, +## zzSkillname when zzCondition
[b]Traits[/b] zzTrait, zzTrait
[b]Languages[/b] zzLanguage
[b]SQ[/b] zz

[b]----- Special Abilities -----[/b]
[b]zzName (Ex/Sp/Su)[/b] zzDescription

• All entries due by Monday, October 10, 2016 at midnight Pacific time.
• You may use any Paizo-published material, but you must cite your sources.
• Selection of avatar art is subject to Paizo.com's Community Guidelines.

Remember, all entries must be posted in this blog's discussion thread by Monday, October 10, 2016!

Until We Meet in the Upside-Down,

Liz Courts
Community Manager

Logo is from the MakeItStranger.com website by Nelson Cash. You should totally go have fun with it.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

I have stared into the Abyss, and found it blinking back at me (it was a qlippoth). It is time to share the results of our design challenge contest, in which I tasked you, our fans, to take our iconics to the darker side of the alignment chart!

First of all, I would like to thank everybody for participating. There was a lot of really excellent entries, encompassing 29 different iconics, and all of them different enough from each other that I had a hard time choosing our finalists! Kyra the Cleric was the top favorite, with six different variations, followed by Jirelle the Swashbuckler, and all of the entries avoided the moustache-twirling evil that we try and avoid in our own antagonists. Well done, everyone! Let's get our runners-up out of the way, who will each earn $10 in store credit for their entries!

• Shardra, urban informant for hire, by MechaPoet
• Kyra Clone #666, by Duncan7291
• Vengeful Valeros, by WalterGM
• Ex-Gray Gardener Quinn, eyes of the House of Thrune, by NoMagicForYou
• Jirelle, first mate and monster, by TimD

But, as one of my cult favorite shows (and movie) says, there can be only one, and the winner is meloriel with a version of Lini the Druid. With a pretty universal reaction of " D: " among the staff that read the entry, this Lini embraces the darker, crueler aspects of nature.

Lini the Cruel—CR 3

After being viciously mauled by a snow leopard and left for dead by her Enclave, Lini managed to escape the beast with her life—barely. Horribly scarred and angry at both her kin and the beast, Lini treated her wounds as well as she could and bided her time, stalking the snow leopard over the course of days and learning its habits while using stealth and her magic to hide from its senses. Eventually Lini struck, sneaking into the snow leopard’s lair while it was out, killing all of its cubs and then beating the beast into submission (with heavy use of poisons). She turned the cubs pelts into a cloak, their teeth and claws into jewelry and spent the next two years breaking the snow leopard, viciously training it into her loyal defender. Now, she and Droogami stalk the lands as bandits and mercenaries, inflicting violence for coin and the sheer joy of it.

Stat Block:

XP 1,200

Female gnome druid (nature fang^ACG) 4

NE Small humanoid (gnome)

Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8

Defense

AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +2 Dex, +1 size)

hp 33 (4d8+12)

Fort +7 (+5 circumstance bonus vs. cold weather), Ref +3, Will +6; +2 vs. illusions

Defensive Abilities defensive training; Resist cold 4

Offense

Speed 20 ft.

Melee +1 sickle +7 (1d4+1) or dagger +6 (1d3/19-20)

Ranged dart +6 (1d3)

Special Attacks hatred, sneak attack +1d6, studied target +1 (1st, move action)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +5)
1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 12), prestidigitation, speak with animals

Druid Spells Prepared (CL 4th; concentration +6)
2nd—barkskin, bull's strength, stone discus^ACG
1st—call animal^APG, charm animal (DC 13), cure light wounds, produce flame
0 (at will)—detect magic, detect poison, light, stabilize

Tactics

Before Combat Lini applies poison to her weapons daily or before engaging enemies (using blue whinnis only when she intends to take someone alive). If she knows she will be fighting in a building or facing multiple enemies she casts call animal and handles or charms the animal as necessary at least an hour before approaching. Once prepared, Lini stalks her prey from afar studying them (with studied target) and her surroundings before approaching. She uses stealth and the terrain to her advantage, hiding behind or atop of buildings, trees and other obstacles. Before fighting she casts barkskin and bull’s strength on herself.

During Combat If Lini has called an animal to her side she directs the animal first, typically pushing it to enter the building and attack everyone inside or to attack a large group of enemies. She does not expect the animal to survive such tactics and does not make any effort to save or assist it. After the animal is unleashed or, if there is no called animal, Lini and Droogami stalk as near to their targets as they can without being spotted, from opposite directions. Lini studies her target and attacks from hiding with one of her poisoned weapons or stone discus while Droogami fights in melee combat. Once enemies are aware of her presence Lini prefers to fight in close ranged combat with her darts or produce flame using Acrobatics to remain mobile. If the terrain provides potential cover she utilizes skirmishing tactics, breaking line of sight with her enemies, stealthing to a different location and attacking again from hiding to gain her sneak attack damage. Once personally engaged in melee combat Lini fights with her sickle, flanking with Droogami at all times. If wounded, Lini temporarily retreats from combat leaving Droogami to continue the fight, heals herself with her wand of cure light wounds and then returns to combat (preferably unnoticed). Lini takes the time to cure Droogami if he is below half of his hit points, but only if doing so won’t cause her any harm. She will not put herself in danger for Droogami.

Morale Lini values her life above all others and will happily sacrifice anyone, including Droogami, to protect herself. Unless Lini orders otherwise, Droogami fights to the death to protect her. If Lini is reduced to half of her hit points she retreats to heal herself while Droogami continues fighting. Once she is healed, if Droogami still lives, Lini reenters combat, otherwise she flees using acrobatics and stealth to her advantage and hiding if necessary.

Statistics

Str 10, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 13

Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 14

Feats Skill Focus (Handle Animal), Weapon Finesse

Traits ambush training, local tough

Skills Acrobatics +4 (+0 to jump), Craft (alchemy) +7, Handle Animal +11, Heal +2 (+5 to treat poison), Intimidate +9, Knowledge (nature) +6, Perception +8, Ride +7, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +8, Survival +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Craft (alchemy), +2 Perception

Languages Common, Druidic, Gnome, Goblin, Sylvan

SQ gnome magic, nature bond (leopard named droogami), slayer talent (poison use^ACG), trackless step

Combat Gear wand of cure light wounds (25 charges), acid (4), alchemist's fire (2), black adder venom, blue whinnis, giant wasp poison, medium spider venom (2); Other Gear +1 wooden armor^APG, +1 sickle, dagger, dart (6), muleback cords^APG, antidote kit^UE, bedroll, belt pouch, belt pouch, cold weather outfit with cloak made from snow leopard cub fur, explorer's outfit, flint and steel, masterwork backpack^APG, mess kit^UE, snow leopard teeth and claw necklace, silent whistle^APG, silk rope (50 ft.), spell component pouch, training harness^ARG, training whip, waterskin, whet bone, wild dog (currently being trained as an attack dog; tricks: heel, stay), 5 pp, 64 gp, 16 sp, 10 cp

Droogami, snow leopard

N Medium animal

Init +5; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5

Defense

AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+5 Dex, +3 natural)

hp 26 (4d8+8)

Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +2

Defensive Abilities evasion

Offense

Speed 50 ft.; sprint

Melee bite +8 (1d6+3), 2 claws +8 (1d3+3)

Statistics

Str 17, Dex 21, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 21 (25 vs. trip)

Feats Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Finesse

Tricks Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Flank, Heel, Stay, Track

Skills Acrobatics +9 (+17 to jump), Climb +7, Perception +5, Stealth +12 (+16 in Undergrowth); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth in Undergrowth

SQ attack, come, defend, down, flank, heel, stay, track

Once again, thank you to everybody who participated, and congratulations to meloriel for their winning entry—not only did they win $25 in store credit, they also win a custom Paizo.com avatar!

In search of a restoration spell,

Liz Courts
Community Manager

Am I Evil? (Yes, I Am.)

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

What makes a villain? You get to answer that question in our latest Design Challenge, featuring our most well-known characters: our Iconic heroes.

With the completion of the Hell's Rebels Adventure Path, our thoughts have turned to scum and villainy in the Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path! While not everybody's cup of mint-flavored tea, it certainly is a change of pace from being more good-aligned (let me tell you about my veneficus witch some time), and I'm here to offer you a special contract challenge: turn one of our Pathfinder iconics into one of the bad guys.

Antipaladin Seelah, or Hellknight Seelah—you get to decide!

Okay, so that's not much of a stretch for Seltyiel (or the crew he's running around with in Pathfinder Comics: Hollow Mountain).

But sometimes it's just one incident to make a hero into the bad guy, and you get to design what that looks like! Your entry will be judged on presentation and theme, and we're offering a rare prize for the winning entry: A custom Paizo.com avatar with art selected from "The Hellfire Compact", "Wrath of Thrune", or Cheliax, the Infernal Empire. The winner will also receive $25 in store credit, and five runner-ups will get $10 in store credit.

Here are the rules to design your villain:

• Entry must be based on one of the non-evil Pathfinder iconics (but not any of the "Meet the Villains" characters). (A complete package of pregenerated characters for comparison is located here.)
• Character level: 4th. At least one class level must as the iconic as originally presented. (Seelah needs at least one level in paladin, for example.) Archetypes are encouraged, but not required.
• Ability Scores: 20 point buy
• Traits: Two, with a campaign trait from Hell's Vengeance Player's Guide (Amoral Mercenary, Apprentice Devilbinder, Asmodean Acolyte, Erratic Malefactor, Ex-Iomedean, Good Slip, Hellknight Aspirant, Local Tough, Scion of the Nine Circles, or Thrune Informant).
• Available Gold: 6,000 gp

But that's not all! I have some rules that I must pass down, and I think they might be Asmodean rather than Abadaran in origin...

• One entry per poster. Employees of Paizo, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who is currently employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
• You must post your entries in this blog's discussion thread (please use spoiler tags).
• Entries must be in the following format:

Stat Block Format:

[b]Mirror Universe Iconic  CR XX[/b]

[b]XP xxx[/b]
zzRace zzClass zzLevel
zzAlignment zzSize zzType
[b]Init[/b] +##; [b]Senses[/b] zz, zz,; Perception +##
[b]Aura[/b] zz (## ft., DC ##)

[b]----- Defense -----[/b]
[b]AC[/b] ##, touch ##, flat-footed # (+## zzModifier, +##zzModifier)
[b]hp[/b] ## (##d##+##); fast healing ##
[b]Fort[/b] +##, [b]Ref[/b] +##, [b]Will[/b] +##
[b]Defensive Abilities[/b] ##/zzAbility; [b]DR[/b] ##/zzMaterial; [b]Immune[/b] zz; [b]Resist[/b] zz ##, zz ##; [b]SR[/b] ##
[b]Weaknesses[/b] zz, zz

[b]----- Offense -----[/b]
[b]Speed[/b] ## ft., fly ## ft. (zzManeuverability)
[b]Melee[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage plus zzOthereffect), zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
[b]Ranged[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
[b]Space[/b] ## ft.; [b]Reach[/b] ## ft.
[b]Special Attacks[/b] zz, zz
[b]Spell-Like Abilities[/b] (CL ##zz; concentration +##)
At will—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]
1/day—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]

[b]zzClassName Spells[/b] (CL ##zz; concentration +##)
1st—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]
0 (at will)—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]

[b]----- Tactics -----[/b]
[b]Before Combat[/b] zzBeforeCombat
[b]During Combat[/b] zzDuringCombat
[b]Morale[/b] zzMorale

[b]----- Statistics -----[/b]
[b]Str[/b] ##, [b]Dex[/b] ##, [b]Con[/b] ##, [b]Int[/b] ##, [b]Wis[/b] ##, [b]Cha[/b] ##
[b]Base Atk[/b] +##; [b]CMB[/b] +## (+## zzConditionalmaneuverbonus); [b]CMD[/b] ## (## vs. zzManeuvername)
[b]Feats[/b] zzFeatname, zzFeatname
[b]Skills[/b] zzSkillname +##, zzSkillname +## (+## zzCondition); [b]Racial Modifiers[/b] +## zzSkillname, +## zzSkillname when zzCondition
[b]Traits[/b] zzTrait, zzTrait
[b]Languages[/b] zzLanguage
[b]SQ[/b] zz

[b]----- Special Abilities -----[/b]
[b]zzName (Ex/Sp/Su)[/b] zzDescription

• All entries due by Sunday, March 27, 2016 at midnight Pacific time.
• You may use any Paizo-published material, but you must cite your sources.
• Selection of avatar art is subject to Paizo.com's Community Guidelines.

Remember, all entries must be posted in this blog's discussion thread by Sunday, March 27, 2016!

In Her Infernal Majestrix's Name,

Liz Courts
Community Manager

He Lives, He Dies, He Lives Again!

Friday, September 25, 2015

I have received word from the beyond, and we have a winner for our Rasputin Redesign Challenge! Look closely into my eyes, and I will share secrets with you...

Redesigning Rasputin presents a multitude of challenges for those that picked up the gauntlet—not only backwards engineering a base starting point with ability scores, but also rethinking tactics, equipment, and stylistic approach. (And having to re-engineer entries to pick a winner was also challenging for the judges!) In the end, there can be only one winner, and that winner is: Iammars, with Grigori Rasputin, cult master mesmerist!

Grigori Rasputin, cult master mesmerist:

Grigori Rasputin  CR 17

XP 102,400
Male middle-aged human mesmerist (cult master) 18
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +22
Aura unholy aura (DC 22)

Defense

AC 23, touch 18, flat-footed 23 (+5 armor, +4 deflection, +4 insight)
hp 185 (18d8+92)
Fort +15, Ref +16, Will +26; +4 vs. death effects, domination, mind-affecting effects, and possession
Defensive Abilities fortification 50%, stitched soul; SR 25 vs. good

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee mwk dagger +12/+7/+2 (1d4–2/19–20)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +14/+9/+4 (1d8/×4)
Special Attacks bold stare (disorientation, sapped magic, susceptibility), hypnotic stare –-3, manifold tricks (5), mental potency +3, mesmerist tricks 18/day (faked death, fearsome guise, free in body, gift of will, meek facade, mesmeric mirror, psychosomatic surge, reflection of weakness [DC 28]) Mesmerist Spells Known (CL 18th; concentration +27)
6th (4/day)—demand (DC 27), overwhelming presence (DC 27), project image, true seeing
5th (6/day)—cloak of dreams (DC 26), feeblemind (DC 26), primal regression (DC 26), psychic asylum
4th (7/day)—freedom of movement, phantasmal killer (DC 23), restoration, greater synaptic pulse (DC 25), thoughtsense
3rd (7/day)—bestow curse (DC 22), confusion (DC 24), dispel magic, displacement, fear (DC 22), synaptic scramble (DC 24)
2nd (7/day)—aversion (DC 23), false life, levitate, mirror image, pilfering hand, placebo effect (DC 21)
1st (8/day)—faerie fire, heightened awareness, ill omen, psychic reading, quintessence, vanish (DC 20)
0 (at will)—dancing lights, detect magic, detect psychic significance, light, prestidigitation, read magic

TACTICS

Before Combat Within the Thrice-Tenth presbytery (area H6), Rasputin enjoys the benefits of the World Engine’s unholy aura and insight bonus to his AC. Rasputin casts cloak of dreams, displacement, false life, freedom of movement, levitate and mirror image. Aside from false life, these effects are not factored into his statistics.
During Combat Rasputin uses his stare to try to get his spells to stick on the PCs. He uses spells like confusion, overwhelming presence and primal regression to try to stop the PCs from acting properly. If a PC is being particularly troublesome, then they become the target of phantasmal killer.
Morale On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

STATISTICS

Str 7, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 28
Base Atk +13; CMB +11; CMD 29
Feats Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Diehard^B, Ectoplasmic Spell^B, Great Fortitude, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Leadership, Quicken Spell, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Spell Focus (enchantment), Spell Specialization (ill omen), Toughness
Skills Bluff +30, Diplomacy +45, Heal +19, Intimidate +30, Knowledge (arcana) +23, Perception +22, Sense Motive +22, Spellcraft +23, Use Magic Device +30
Languages Church Slavonic, Common, Russian
SQ fanatical devotion, fanatical stare, glib lie (DC 33)
Gear +1 moderate fortification chain shirt, mwk dagger, mwk Nagant M1895 revolver with 21 metal cartridges, belt of physical might +2 (Dex, Con), greater talisman of danger sense, greater talisman of healing power, greater talisman of warrior's courage, headband of alluring charisma +6, lucky horseshoe, mask of the mesmerist, ring of immolation^{AP 11}

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Stitched Soul (Su) Rasputin’s soul is stitched to his body with threads of fate, and he clings tenaciously to life. He gains Diehard as a bonus feat. In addition, when first reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than his current Con score, Rasputin dies, but he springs back to life 1d4 rounds later as if the target of a resurrection spell. If killed a second time, the Mad Monk again comes back to life 1d6 rounds later, as if the target of a raise dead spell (upon his return, he loses 50% of his remaining unused spell slots as if they had been used to cast spells). Only after Rasputin is slain for a third time do his soul’s stitches finally unravel from his corpse, releasing his malignant spirit into the ether.

Not only did Iammars swing for the fences in his entry, he nails it with choices that recreate the encounters in "Rasputin Must Die!" (like using project image to harass the PCs). To quote Brandon's commentary, "And just as I clung to historical accuracy to get to the germ of my Rasputin, this guy goes and uses the archetype's bonus Leadership feat to get a cohort, and pulls Anna-[redacted]-Vyrubova out of the history books and inserts HER into the action. Just awesome." Of course, it would be silly to not include Anna, so here you go!

Anna Vyurbova, biggest fan:

Anna Vyurbova

Female human psychic 16
N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Perception +6

Defense

AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 deflection, +1 natural)
hp 158 (16d6+100)
Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +17
SR 28
Weaknesses wheelchair bound

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +10/+5 (1d4–1/19–20)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +11/+6 (1d8/×4)
Special Attacks agonizing wound (1 round, DC 24, 4/day), painful reminder (3d6, 4/day), phrenic amplifications (mimic metamagic, ongoing defense, overpowering mind, turning shield, undercast surge), phrenic pool (9 points) Psychic Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th; concentration +22)
1/day—detect thoughts (DC 12), telepathic bond
Psychic Spells Known (CL 16th; concentration +22)
8th (3/day)—horrid wilting (DC 25), psychic crush IV (DC 25)
7th (5/day)—simulacrum, tower of iron will III, waves of exhaustion
6th (7/day)—contingency, dream travel (DC 22), mass inflict pain (DC 22), mental barrier V
5th (7/day)—explode head, life bubble (DC 21), psychic asylum, spell resistance, synapse overload (DC 21)
4th (7/day)—black tentacles, break enchantment, dimension door, mass pain strike (DC 20), thoughtsense
3rd (7/day)—analyze aura, dispel magic, displacement, heroism, vampiric touch
2nd (8/day)—bullet ward, false life, mirror image, pain strike (DC 18), pilfering hand, resist energy
1st (8/day)—burst of insight, comprehend languages, heightened awareness, ill omen, magic missile, persuasive goad (DC 18)
0 (at will)—daze, detect magic, detect psychic significance, light, mage hand, read magic, resistance, stabilize, virtue
Psychic Discipline Pain

TACTICS

Before Combat Anna casts heroism on both herself and Rasputin, while also casting displacement, false life, heightened awareness, life bubble, mirror image, and spell resistance. Displacement, life bubble, and mirror image are not factored into her statistics.
During Combat Anna attempts to do as much damage to the PCs as possible, making liberal use of quickened explode head combined with horrid wilting and psychic crush.
Morale Anna fights until her contingency whisks her away, her pain overcoming her and stopping her from doing anything else.

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 23, Wis 14, Cha 13
Base Atk +8; CMB +9; CMD 18
Feats Combat Casting, Empower Spell, Fearsome Spell, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Quicken Spell, Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Perfection (explode head), Toughness
Skills Bluff +22, Diplomacy +22, Heal +16, Knowledge (arcana) +29, Knowledge (nobility) +29, Knowledge (religion) +29, Sense Motive +23, Spellcraft +27
Languages Common, Russian
SQ live on (6d6, 7/day), mercies (dazed, nauseated, sickened, stunned), power from pain (max. 2)
Combat Gear bead of force, lesser persistent metamagic rod, wand of cure light wounds, wand of enervation (22 charges); Other Gear +1 mithral chain shirt, cloak of resistance +3, headband of mental prowess +2 (Int, Wis), ring of protection +1

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Contingency: When Anna is brought down to 25 hit points or less, she dimension doors away.

Wheelchair Bound: Anna can only move around in her wheelchair. Her speed is reduced by 10 feet unless both hands are free.

Iammars is the winner of a custom Paizo.com avatar selected from Occult Adventures, as well as $25 in store credit! But Iammars' entry wasn't the only one that got our attention. Milo v3's reanimated medium, Rannald's reanimated medium/formless adept psychic, Charlie Bell's mesmerist, and two interpretations of the occultist class from Meloriel and Corneleus Idaho were also among our favorite entries. Implement choices for the occultists, playing up the "why can't you just stay dead" for the medium, and solid tactical choices with Rasputin's new class made selecting our finalist a worthy encounter for our judges!

Thank you so much to everybody who entered—it was a (kinetic) blast to read through them all!

Until next time,

Brandon Hodge
Contributor

Liz Courts
Community Manager

He Must Die—Again!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

The arrival of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures with its host of psychic magic and class options means new ways to tell stories for the world of Golarion (and beyond). But what about some of our older adventures, particularly one about a Very Infamous Monk? Are you ready for a Design Challenge?

When Occult Adventures first made its way through playtesting, one question I often thought was, "How could our older adventures be retold with these new options?" Being a rather large fan of Russian fairy tales and folk lore, I am quite fond of the Reign of Winter Adventure Path, so of course, I immediately gravitated towards that one to pick for this Design Challenge.

What does this mean to you? It means I have thrown the gauntlet to everybody who loves creating stat blocks, whether you're they type who spends hours poring over new archetypes, class combinations, and gear selection, or just like putting together a fun NPC for your group to face. "Pray tell, Liz, what is the rules of this duel?" you might ask.

You get to make this guy, Grigori Rasputin, but this time, using one of the new character classes from Occult Adventures.

Grigori Rasputin returns—but as what? You get to decide!

For reference, here's his original stat block, as it appeared in "Rasputin Must Die!":

Spoilers for Reign of Winter AP:

Grigori Rasputin  CR 17

XP 102,400
Male middle-aged human oracle 18
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses true seeing; Perception +13
Aura unholy aura (DC 22)

Defense

AC 32, touch 22, flat-footed 32 (+10 armor, +4 deflection, +4 insight, +4 luck [touch only], +4 natural)
hp 192 (18d8+108)
Fort +16, Ref +12, Will +20; +4 vs. death effects, domination, mind-affecting effects, and possession
Defensive Abilities stitched soul; SR 25 vs. good

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +13/+8/+3 (1d4–1/19–20)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +14/+9/+4 (1d8/×4)
Oracle Spells Known (CL 18th; concentration +26)
9th (3/day)—astral projection, miracle (DC 27)
8th (6/day)—fire storm (DC 26), mass cure critical wounds, moment of prescience, stormbolts (DC 26)
7th (7/day)—blasphemy (DC 25), destruction (DC 25), ethereal jaunt, mass cure serious wounds, regenerate, reverse gravity (DC 25), vision, waves of ecstasy (DC 25)
6th (7/day)—antilife shell, blade barrier (DC 24), harm (DC 24), heal, mass cure moderate wounds, project image
5th (7/day)—contact other plane, flame strike (DC 23), greater forbid action (DC 23), mass cure light wounds, slay living (DC 23), telekinesis, true seeing
4th (8/day)—cure critical wounds, divine power, freedom of movement, scrying, sending, terrible remorse (DC 22), unholy blight (DC 22)
3rd (8/day)—bestow curse (DC 21), blindness/deafness (DC 21), clairaudience/clairvoyance, cure serious wounds, dispel magic, searing light
2nd (8/day)—cure moderate wounds, death knell (DC 20), dread bolt (DC 20), enthrall (DC 20), hold person (DC 20), levitate, minor image (DC 20), silence (DC 20), spectral hand
1st (8/day)—command (DC 19), cure light wounds, entropic shield, forbid action (DC 19), murderous command (DC 19), remove sickness (DC 19), unseen servant
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 18), detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound (DC 18), guidance, light, mage hand, read magic, resistance, stabilize, virtue
Mystery occult

TACTICS

Before Combat Within the Thrice-Tenth presbytery (area H6), Rasputin enjoys the benefits of the World Engine’s unholy aura and insight bonus to his AC. When faced with combat, Rasputin activates his ectoplasmic armor revelation and casts entropic shield, freedom of movement, levitate, moment of prescience, and true seeing. Once enemies are in sight, he casts antilife shell and spectral hand to enable him to use touch attacks beyond the field’s perimeter.
During Combat Under the protection of his antilife shell, Rasputin attempts to hinder opponents with reverse gravity and waves of ecstasy and turn foes against each other with terrible remorse and murderous command, before laying waste with such deadly effects as blade barrier, blasphemy, destruction, harm, stormbolts, and unholy blight. If wounded, Rasputin casts quickened cure spells while continuing to target enemies with offensive spells.
Morale On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

STATISTICS

Str 9, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 26
Base Atk +13; CMB +12; CMD 30
Feats Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Diehard^B, Ectoplasmic Spell^B, Expanded Arcana (2), Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Persuasive, Quicken Spell, Toughness
Skills Bluff +25, Diplomacy +30, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (nobility) +10, Knowledge (planes) +12, Knowledge (religion) +20, Perception +13, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +15, Use Magic Device +25
Languages Church Slavonic, Common, Russian
SQ oracle’s curse (haunted), revelations (ectoplasmic armor [+10, 18 hours/day], project psyche, shroud of retribution [3/day, 1d8+9], spectral spells [4/day], spirit walk [2/day, 18 rounds], sure soul [+4])
Gear mwk dagger, mwk Nagant M1895 revolver with 21 metal cartridges, amulet of natural armor +4, belt of physical perfection +2, cassock of the Black Monk, headband of mental prowess +4 (Wis, Cha)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Stitched Soul (Su) Rasputin’s soul is stitched to his body with threads of fate, and he clings tenaciously to life. He gains Diehard as a bonus feat. In addition, when first reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than his current Con score, Rasputin dies, but he springs back to life 1d4 rounds later as if the target of a resurrection spell. If killed a second time, the Mad Monk again comes back to life 1d6 rounds later, as if the target of a raise dead spell (upon his return, he loses 50% of his remaining unused spell slots as if they had been used to cast spells). Only after Rasputin is slain for a third time do his soul’s stitches finally unravel from his corpse, releasing his malignant spirit into the ether.

Your entry will be judged on presentation and adherence to theme, and to help me with that, I've brought in the man responsible not only for the original Pathfinder version of the Mad Monk, but was also one of the lead consultants on Occult Adventures as well: Brandon Hodge!

But what is the reward for all of your hard work? Something we've never offered before: A custom Paizo.com avatar with art selected from Occult Adventures, along with $25 in store credit. On Paizo.com, a custom avatar means either being a Paizo employee (or the subject of whim by a Paizo employee), so this is a rare opportunity for a unique avatar that nobody else has!

Now, onto the rules:

• One entry per poster. Employees of Paizo, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who is currently employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
• You must post your entries in this blog's discussion thread.
• All entries due Midnight, September 13th, 2015, Paizo time.
• Entries must be in the following format:
  Stat Block Format:

  [b]Grigori Rasputin  CR 17[/b]

  [b]XP 102,400[/b]
  zzAlignment zzSize zzType
  [b]Init[/b] +##; [b]Senses[/b] zz, zz,; Perception +##
  [b]Aura[/b] zz (## ft., DC ##)

  [b]----- Defense -----[/b]
  [b]AC[/b] ##, touch ##, flat-footed # (+## zzModifier, +##zzModifier)
  [b]hp[/b] ## (##d##+##); fast healing ##
  [b]Fort[/b] +##, [b]Ref[/b] +##, [b]Will[/b] +##
  [b]Defensive Abilities[/b] ##/zzAbility; [b]DR[/b] ##/zzMaterial; [b]Immune[/b] zz; [b]Resist[/b] zz ##, zz ##; [b]SR[/b] ##
  [b]Weaknesses[/b] zz, zz

  [b]----- Offense -----[/b]
  [b]Speed[/b] ## ft., fly ## ft. (zzManeuverability)
  [b]Melee[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage plus zzOthereffect), zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
  [b]Ranged[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
  [b]Space[/b] ## ft.; [b]Reach[/b] ## ft.
  [b]Special Attacks[/b] zz, zz
  [b]Spell-Like Abilities[/b] (CL ##zz; concentration +##)
  At will—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]
  1/day—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]

  [b]----- Tactics -----[/b]
  [b]Before Combat[/b] zzBeforeCombat
  [b]During Combat[/b] zzDuringCombat
  [b]Morale[/b] On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

  [b]----- Statistics -----[/b]
  [b]Str[/b] ##, [b]Dex[/b] ##, [b]Con[/b] ##, [b]Int[/b] ##, [b]Wis[/b] ##, [b]Cha[/b] ##
  [b]Base Atk[/b] +##; [b]CMB[/b] +## (+## zzConditionalmaneuverbonus); [b]CMD[/b] ## (## vs. zzManeuvername)
  [b]Feats[/b] zzFeatname, zzFeatname
  [b]Skills[/b] zzSkillname +##, zzSkillname +## (+## zzCondition); [b]Racial Modifiers[/b] +## zzSkillname, +## zzSkillname when zzCondition
  [b]Languages[/b] zzLanguage
  [b]SQ[/b] zz

  [b]----- Ecology -----[/b]
  [b]Environment[/b] zzClimate zzTerrain
  [b]Organization[/b] zz, zz, or zz
  [b]Treasure[/b] zzCategory

  [b]----- Special Abilities -----[/b]
  [b]zzName (Ex/Sp/Su)[/b] zzDescription

• Entry must be CR 17, must use a character class from Occult Adventures, and must include the stitched soul special ability.
• You may use any Paizo-published material, but you must cite your sources.
• Selection of avatar art is subject to Paizo.com's Community Guidelines.

Remember, all entries must be in by September 13th, 2015. Good luck in designing the Mad Monk Rasputin, and letting us kill him again—or try to!

Liz Courts
Community Manager