Sometime in the next week or so, Ultimate Campaign will be shipping out to a game store or mailbox near you. In anticipation of the release of this 256-page hardcover, we are taking a look at what you can expect to find inside. In the past three weeks, we have looked at character backgrounds, the downtime system, and rules for the GM to add to their campaign. This week, we are looking at the final chapter of the book, Kingdoms and War!
Ultimate Campaign: WAR! What is it Good For?
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Sometime in the next week or so, Ultimate Campaign will be shipping out to a game store or mailbox near you. In anticipation of the release of this 256-page hardcover, we are taking a look at what you can expect to find inside. In the past three weeks, we have looked at character backgrounds, the downtime system, and rules for the GM to add to their campaign. This week, we are looking at the final chapter of the book, Kingdoms and War!
Built from the popular rules found in the Kingmaker Adventure Path, this chapter takes those rules to the next level, giving you new options to allow your PCs to conquer any part of the world (or at the very least, declare war on the parts they cannot conquer). First up are rules for building and expanding a kingdom. These rules are a refined version from those in Kingmaker, but if you used those rules, these will be very familiar to you. The big thing we added here was a variety of new rules and options for your kingdom. We expanded just about everything from rulership types to buildings that you can construct in your cities. Here are just a few examples.
Bank 28 BP, 1 Lot Kingdom Economy +4 Special Base value +2,000 gp
A secure building for storing valuables and granting loans.
Palace 108 BP, 4 Lots Kingdom Economy +2, Loyalty +6, Stability +2; Fame +1 Discount Mansion, Mint, Noble Villa Special Base value +1,000 gp; you may make two special edicts per turn (see page 229), but take a -2 penalty on kingdom checks associated with each special edict Settlement Law +2
A grand edifice and walled grounds demonstrating one's wealth, power, and authority to the world.
What good is a kingdom if you can't declare war on your neighbors? To that end, we added the war rules from Kingmaker and expanded upon them. This system is not a tactical war simulation, but it works perfectly in a narrative game, with quick and simple resolution with meaningful results. We greatly expanded the sample units and armies in this section of the book as well. Take a look at a few of these stat blocks!
Illustration by Jim Nelson
Drow Army XP 400
CE Medium army of drow (warrior 3) hp 3; ACR 1 DV 11; OM +3, ranged Tactics dirty fighters, false retreat, sniper support, spellbreaker Special darkvision, light sensitivity, poison, spell resistance Speed 2; Consumption 1 Note +2 OM due to spell-like abilities
Tarrasque XP 102,400
N Fine army of one tarrasque hp 93; ACR 17 DV 27; OM +21, ranged Tactics defensive wall, relentless brutality, siegebreaker, spellbreaker, withdraw Special cannibalize; fear; grab; immune to ability damage, bleed, disease, energy drain, fear, paralysis, petrification, and poison; low-light vision; regeneration 40; scent; significant defense; spell resistance Speed 2; Consumption 8
Note +4 OM due to feats and monster special abilities
Well, that about wraps up our look at Ultimate Campaign. You should be able to find this book in stores very soon. Pick it up and expand your campaign!
In just over two weeks, Ultimate Campaign should hit your local game store or your mailbox. In the build up to the release of this new 256-page hardcover expansion to the Pathfinder rules line, we are showing off some of the things you will find inside.
Ultimate Campaign: Behind the Screen
Thursday, May 9, 2013
In just over two weeks, Ultimate Campaign should hit your local game store or your mailbox. In the build up to the release of this new 256-page hardcover expansion to the Pathfinder rules line, we are showing off some of the things you will find inside.
This week, we are taking a look at Chapter 3, which is absolutely packed with new systems for GMs to use in their game. Each one of these sections is designed around one theme and they are easily added to any existing campaign when the story calls for that particular theme. For example, if the player's travel to a kingdom where honor is valued above all else, Ultimate Campaign includes four pages of rules on honor and how it can be incorporated into the game. Are the heroes tasked with exploring a great, uncharted wilderness? No problem, there are six pages detailing rules for exploration in a wide variety of terrains, covering everything from hazards of travel to random map generation!
Illustration by Sam Burley
All told, this chapter contains 15 sections detailing various rules systems you can add to your game, including rules for alignment shifting, making contacts, developing relationships, and retraining. This last section is sure to be popular at your table, allowing characters to spend some time to change almost everything, from feats and skills to class features and archetypes. You can even retrain your class levels, given enough time and a suitable teacher!
One of my favorite sections of this chapter includes rules for playing young characters, before they start their adventuring career. It includes rules for young members of all of the core races, guidelines for available classes, and tips for roleplaying and the types of encounters young characters might face. While this is only a short section at the end of the chapter, I can think of a number of games that would have greatly benefitted starting the story before the PCs became the heroes they are today.
That about wraps up this week. Next week, we are going to take a look at the final chapter of the book, dealing with kingdoms and war!
The release of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign is getting ever closer. Whether it's kingdom-building or leading an army, starting a business or crafting magic items, Ultimate Campaign is for all of the adventures that take place outside of the dungeon. The pages of the newest Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover provide all kinds of useful information for your campaign, but many fantastic illustrations are contained within! Check some of them out!
Ultimate Campaign Art Preview!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The release of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign is getting ever closer. Whether it's kingdom-building or leading an army, starting a business or crafting magic items, Ultimate Campaign is for all of the adventures that take place outside of the dungeon. The pages of the newest Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover provide all kinds of useful information for your campaign, but many fantastic illustrations are contained within! Check some of them out!
Being a ruler has many responsibilities, but also many rewards.
Eidolons and other companion creatures are more fun when treated as a separate character rather than an obedient stat block.
Retraining rules allow you to replace a feat, change an ability score increase, or improve your hit points.
The quest to find a missing family member is a driving force for many heroes.
The section on marriage talks about how a spouse (or any relationship) can be an ally or an adversary.
Illustrations by Sam Burley, Eric Belisle, Lydia Schuchmann, and Maichol Quinto
Kingdom-building rules allow PCs to control their own country—or be the power behind the throne.
Followers, apprentices, and similar companions can be positive or negative plot hooks for a PC.
A character's lineage is a chain of characters linking a PC to the history of the campaign setting.
Illustrations by Denman Rooke, Jim Nelson, and Grafit Studio
In just about three weeks or so, you should be seeing Ultimate Campaign arrive in mailboxes and on store shelves. In anticipation of the release of this 256-page hardcover, each week we are offering up a preview of what you will find inside.
Ultimate Campaign: I Could Use Some Downtime
Thursday, May 2, 2013
In just about three weeks or so, you should be seeing Ultimate Campaign arrive in mailboxes and on store shelves. In anticipation of the release of this 256-page hardcover, each week we are offering up a preview of what you will find inside.
Last week, we took a look at Chapter 1, which includes a mountain of tables for helping you determine your character's backstory. This week, we are moving on to Chapter 2, which is focused entirely on downtime. Heroes don't spend every waking moment plundering tombs and fighting evils. (If they did, they would reach 20th level before their next birthday.) The downtime system helps you plan the time your character spends between adventures.
This versatile system allows a character to undertake a number of different tasks to improve himself or build his standing within the town he lives in. Need to swap out a feat? The downtime system lets you do that. Want to train up your hit points because you rolled poorly last time you gained a level? It's in there too. Have you always wanted to open up your own tavern, or thieves guild, or wizard academy? The downtime system has extensive rules for building a business or guild.
Using this system you can spend the time between adventures earning various types of currencies and spending those currencies to get the business, home, or fortress you've always wanted. Structures and organizations are built in pieces, buying each room and group individually so that you can get exactly what you want! Check out a few of the rooms you can build.
Illustration by Eric Belisle
Ballroom
Earnings gp or Influence +10 Benefit bonus on Perform checks Create 19 Goods, 19 Labor (760 gp); Time 40 days Size 40-60 squares Upgrades To Auditorium; Upgrades From Common Room
This large open room is intended for dances, receptions, and other elaborate events. The superior acoustics and decor grant a +2 bonus on all Perform checks made in this room.
Bar
Earnings gp or Influence +10 Benefit bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information Create 6 Goods, 1 Influence, 5 Labor (250 gp); Time 16 days Size 10-20 squares
A Bar stores a selection of drinks and includes a counter for preparing them. After spending an hour with local people in this room, for the next 24 hours you gain a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks you make to gather information in the settlement.
Bath
Earnings gp or Influence +3 Benefit bonus on Fortitude saves against disease Create 3 Goods, 1 Influence, 2 Labor (130 gp); Time 8 days Size 3-6 squares Upgrade From Sauna
A Bath contains a single large bathtub or multiple smaller basins, along with a stove for heating water. After spending 1 hour in this room, you gain a +2 bonus on your next ongoing Fortitude save against disease.
That's all for this week. Next week we will delve into the systems for GMs to add to their campaigns!
This time there's more than just strange stories and bizarre powers amping up the threats, though. With the godlike powers soon to be unleashed in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Mythic Adventures, there's about to be a whole new caliber of heroes in need of threats to overcome, and Bestiary 4 provides. Just as characters of any level might have mythic powers, the same is true of monsters. Infused with mythic power, legends like the immortal guardian dragon, faith-fueled juggernauts, and vampiric leanen sidhe rise to rampage across your campaign. But shattering all past power levels are truly world-ending terrors like demon lords, Great Old Ones, elohim, kaiju, and more! Simply put, no Bestiary has ever been as deadly as this.
Announcing Bestiary 4!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Get ready for even more monsters—Bestiary 4 is coming this Fall!
We've searched through dozens of real-world bestiaries, countless online sources, reports of strangeness from all over the world, our favorite films and fiction, and right here on our own message boards to compile another collection of creatures even more diabolical than those that have come before. Like the first three, Bestiary 4 has more than 300 pages and features hundreds of monsters of a terrifying variety appropriate for every Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign.
This time there's more than just strange stories and bizarre powers amping up the threats, though. With the godlike powers soon to be unleashed in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Mythic Adventures, there's about to be a whole new caliber of heroes in need of threats to overcome, and Bestiary 4 provides. Just as characters of any level might have mythic powers, the same is true of monsters. Infused with mythic power, legends like the immortal guardian dragon, faith-fueled juggernauts, and vampiric leanen sidhe rise to rampage across your campaign. But shattering all past power levels are truly world-ending terrors like demon lords, Great Old Ones, elohim, kaiju, and more! Simply put, no Bestiary has ever been as deadly as this.
But even though mythic creatures function exactly as normal Pathfinder RPG monsters and are useable even in non-mythic games, they comprise but a small percentage of this collection's total terror. Inside, you'll find beasties of every Challenge Rating, of all your favorite creature types, and appropriate for adventures of every level. So what should you expect?
Favorites from past bestiaries, like new clockwork creatures, drakes, and gremlins!
The return of nearly forgotten foes like formians, nosferatu, and even the terrifying almiraj!
Nightmares from both the real world—like argus, einherjar, and pickled punks—and the world of Golarion—like fleshwarps, gallowdead, and psychopomps!
Terrors from your favorite fiction and film, like bodysnatchers, Grendel, and nightgaunts!
The newest generations of Bestiary regulars, like slag giants, blood golems, and the enigmatic outer dragons!
Entirely new terrors, like karkinoi, necrocrafts, owbs, and soulbound shells!
New templates like divine guardian, mummified, and shadow, to multiply your current creature collection!
New player-friendly races, familiars, and constructs offering characters a host of new options!
Mythic threats!
And much, much more!
Beyond giving gamers the creatures they've been begging for and expanding every GM's monstrous arsenal, each Pathfinder Bestiary has a very general theme. With Bestiary 4... well, just take a look at Wayne Reynolds's newest cover and take your best guess at the sorts of stories that influenced our selections.
We'll have plenty more to say about and show off from Bestiary 4 in the months leading up to its Fall release, but for now, check out that awesome cover and start dropping menacing hints to your players—because terrible things are on the way.
In about a month, Ultimate Campaign will arrive in stores and your mailbox, helping both players and Game Masters add a wealth of new detail and exciting new rules to their game. Every week from now until launch, we will be previewing parts of this book to show you what it has in store!
Ultimate Campaign: When I Was Growing Up...
Thursday, April 25, 2013
In about a month, Ultimate Campaign will arrive in stores and your mailbox, helping both players and Game Masters add a wealth of new detail and exciting new rules to their game. Every week from now until launch, we will be previewing parts of this book to show you what it has in store!
Ultimate Campaign is divided up into four meaty chapters, each one focusing on a different part of your game. The first chapter is devoted to characters and their backstories, giving you a system for determining what happened to your character before the campaign got underway. With over 50 tables in this book, this system is designed so that you can roll randomly to determine your backstory if you prefer, based upon a number of simple character decisions, such as race and class. Alternatively, you can just pick the background that best suits your character.
The results of these tables determine what options you have in selecting your starting traits, which are greatly expanded in this chapter. In addition, some of the backgrounds might qualify you for an exciting new type of feat, the story feat. These special feats can only be taken if your character meets specific story prerequisites. While they give you a simple bonus at first, the feat itself improves if you accomplish an in-game goal. You can only have one such feat at a time, until you complete the goal of that feat, at which point you can select another one if you qualify. Take a look at this example.
Arisen (Story)
Escaping death strengthened your bond to life, but fills you with a need for answers.
Prerequisite: You must have been slain and brought back from the dead, or have the Left to Die or Cursed Birth background. Benefit: You don’t die until your negative hit point total is equal to or greater than 4 + your Constitution score. Once per day as a standard action, you can force yourself to carry on by strength of will alone, gaining 1 temporary hit point per hit die. These temporary hit points last for 10 minutes. Normal: You die when your negative hit point total is equal to or greater than your Constitution score. Goal: You meet in person and hear the words of your deity or your deity’s chosen herald. If you worship a pantheon of deities, you must meet and hear a member of that pantheon—a herald does not suffice in this case. If you worship no specific deity, you must hear the words of an appropriate entity of the GM’s choice. Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against death effects and fear effects. In addition, the caster level of any conjuration (healing) spell that is cast on you increases by 1 for the purposes of its effects on you alone.
That about wraps up the first preview for Ultimate Campaign. Come back next week for a peek into what our iconics do between adventures!
It's Savannah again. The prodigal intern from last summer returns... for Spring Break anyhow. It's been an accidental intern reunion here at Paizo, as my predecessor Jerome is helping out in the warehouse this week. Personally, I think I've got the better end of the deal, since I get to tell you all about some of our upcoming products and how exciting they're looking. So, from the depths of the Editorial Pit and my appropriated computer comes an intern's-eye view (when that view isn't "hiding on pallets from the cave raptors.")
Pathfinder Preview!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
It's Savannah again. The prodigal intern from last summer returns... for Spring Break anyhow. It's been an accidental intern reunion here at Paizo, as my predecessor Jerome is helping out in the warehouse this week. Personally, I think I've got the better end of the deal, since I get to tell you all about some of our upcoming products and how exciting they're looking. So, from the depths of the Editorial Pit and my appropriated computer comes an intern's-eye view (when that view isn't "hiding on pallets from the cave raptors.")
Do you want the power to challenge the gods themselves? Then Mythic Adventures is the book for you! This is the perfect resource to help you take our game up a notch, and give your characters the power to challenge the gods themselves. Mythic Adventures allows you to take up new mythic magic items, artifacts, and legendary items, utilize news feats and spells, and walk one of six mythic paths. However, with mythic heroes also come mythic foes, and this book has over 40 of them, including mythic versions of the minotaur and the medusa!
Next up is the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Demons Revisited. This book showcases some of Pathfinder's most vicious and well-known demons and provides in-depth information, such as what sins they arise from. The balor, the succubus, and the vrock are among the demons mentioned here, but Demons Revisited doesn't stop there! There are a list of named demons, some of them from previous Pathfinder products, and some of them brand new, but each of them unique in their own horrendously cruel ways. This can help to add some spice to the conjurations of your villains (or your PCs) and nothing says "personal" quite like a named summons. As an added bonus, this book ties in with the upcoming Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path!
Speaking of Wrath of the Righteous, The Worldwound Incursion is also up for August. One of the most exciting aspects of this Adventure Path is that it is the first to utilize the rules of Mythic Adventures, making it a truly epic adventure! On top of that, there will be six demon lords featured in Wrath of the Righteous, and the first of them will be in The Worldwound Incursion's bestiary.
Continuing our demonic theme is Pathfinder Player Companion: Demon Hunter's Handbook. This book explains exactly how to eradicate or control demonkind through might or magic. To help, there are all sorts of archetypes, feats, spells, and magic items to give you just what you need to take care of the vilest of demons and purge them from the land (or take their power for yourself...). Don't travel to the Abyss without one!
For the fans of steampunk out there comes Wardens of the Reborn Forge by Paizo's own Patrick Renie. This module takes place in the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar, which has withstood the ravages of the Mana Wastes thanks to the amazing inventions of its citizenry. When the clockwork guardians start attacking the townspeople, though, the power balance of the city is thrown into disarray. Can our heroes discover the cause behind these attacks and save Alkenstar from itself?
In case you were wondering about what you were going play some of these awesome adventures on, you can look no further than the Pathfinder Map Pack: Evil Ruins for all of your creepy, dungeon-crawling needs! From spider haunts to profane altars to overflowing ossuaries, this map pack brings all the horror and dark ambiance of unhallowed ruins to your game.
If frightening ruins aren't what your game calls for, then the Flip-Mat: Basic Terrain Multi-Pack might be just what you need. Its full-color textures include grassland, stone floor, street, and water. It also folds up to be travel sized, making it great for the GM on the go.
If you haven't had enough of demons yet, then I'd suggest that you check out the new Pathfinder Tales novel from fan-favorite (and intern-favorite) author Dave Gross: King of Chaos. This is another adventure featuring Count Varian Jeggare and his wisecracking hellspawn bodyguard, Radovan. This time they find themselves mixed up in the battle at the Worldwound as the demons break free of the wardstones. In addition to being an excellent book with interesting characters, King of Chaos is also a great resource for those who are running or playing Wrath of the Righteous.
To round out our Worldwound-themed August comes a new set of Pathfinder Item Cards. These cards represent the trove of treasure that characters can amass, as well as the medals that heroes can earn in their service against the demon hordes and the legendary artifacts that they will need to defeat the Abyssal armies.
From Paizo's collaboration with Lone Shark Games comes an entirely new breed of game: The Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set. This is a cooperative card game for one to four players. Choose a class and select your cards to create a unique character to play through your first adventure, the Burnt Offerings Adventure Deck. If you want even more card game goodness, then check out the Rise of the Runelords Character Add-On Deck, which adds on 110 cards worth of new classes (including druid, monk, paladin, and my favorite, barbarian), new items, and enough cards to expand to five or six players.
All right, well that's a wrap. Let's hope that writing this was a good enough offering that I don't get thrown to the cave raptors. Hope you enjoy all the new products!
As we gear-up for the release of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign, we thought we'd share these new free, downloadable wallpapers featuring the epic cover art by Wayne Reynolds. Whether it's kingdom-building or leading an army, starting a business or crafting magic items, Ultimate Campaign is for all of the adventures that take place outside of the dungeon. Pre-order your copy today!
Illustrations by Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here.
Ultimate Campaign Wallpaper!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
As we gear-up for the release of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign, we thought we'd share these new free, downloadable wallpapers featuring the epic cover art by Wayne Reynolds. Whether it's kingdom-building or leading an army, starting a business or crafting magic items, Ultimate Campaign is for all of the adventures that take place outside of the dungeon. Pre-order your copy today!
If you heard the trumpeting and roar of cheers last week, that was us, as we just sent our first hardcover of 2013, Ultimate Campaign, off to the printer. This is just the beginning of that book's long journey from the realm of electronic files into the real world, but now that it's out of our hands we can start sharing some of the secrets locked away within this guide to greater gaming.
Ultimate Campaign: The Total Game Changer
Thursday, February 7, 2013
If you heard the trumpeting and roar of cheers last week, that was us, as we just sent our first hardcover of 2013, Ultimate Campaign, off to the printer. This is just the beginning of that book's long journey from the realm of electronic files into the real world, but now that it's out of our hands we can start sharing some of the secrets locked away within this guide to greater gaming.
So, without too many spoilers, here are ten tantalizing teasers about Ultimate Campaign to tide you over while it's printing.
10. Do Over! Ready for something different? Wish you hadn't taken that one suboptimal feat at first level? Eager to test out the newest base class? The choices you made yesterday don't have to sour the game you're playing today now that you have complete rules allowing characters to retrain class features, whether they be feats and skill ranks or entire class levels!
9. There's a Table for That. How many siblings does your dwarf character have? What were your parents' professions? What has your alchemist character been up to before you started playing him? What is your relationship to your fellow adventurers? You'll know, because with the background generator, there are tables for all that and much, much, much more.
8. Build a Legend. The downtime system unlocks awesome new challenges for your character to take on between adventures, like creating a headquarters for your adventures, starting a tavern, or even building a castle. With downtime, use your wealth, influence, and magic to shape your game world like never before.
7. You're the Boss. Downtime isn't just about building structures; it's also about building groups. Once you've constructed a temple to your own glory, you're going to need sycophants to staff it. Cults, mercenary companies, thieves guilds, ships crews, and more are ready and awaiting your orders.
6. Alain Is a Jerk. Sutter and I tackle the fiction snippets at the start of each chapter, and this time around you'll love to hate our pompous iconic cavalier.
5. It's Going To Be Good To Be the King. Are you the heir to a lost dynasty, seeking to reclaim your throne? Of course you are! And now you can turn your quest into a benefit for your character with story feats, a new breed of feat that helps drive you toward a character objective and that gets even better once you achieve your goal.
4. Play Harry Potter. Or Arya Stark, or Aang the Last Airbender, or whomever your favorite young hero might be, with rules for playing young characters.
3. Theater of War. A dramatic system for running massive battles gives you a way to quantify your tales of battle. Lead skirmishes between war bands, decide the outcome of legendary battles, or even take your nation's knights toe to toe against the towering tarrasque!
2. On Your Honor. Honor points allow your valorous knight, your noble samurai, your rogue with a criminal code, or any other character with rigid guiding principles to gain benefits from their strict lifestyles. Choose a code to live by or create your own!
1. Kneel Before Me! The Kingdom Building rules popularized during the Kingmaker Adventure Path have been revised and expanded, allowing you to found a dynasty, build cities, and chart the course of your nation in more depth and with more control then ever before!
Late last week, we posted up a few quick FAQ issues to resolve some problems involving the monk. There has been a lot of discussion on the monk on the boards, and while it has taken us a while to come up with some solutions, we have made a few simple changes to address these concerns. I wanted to take this blog post to review these changes and to announce a few more.
Monkeying Around
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Late last week, we posted up a few quick FAQ issues to resolve some problems involving the monk. There has been a lot of discussion on the monk on the boards, and while it has taken us a while to come up with some solutions, we have made a few simple changes to address these concerns. I wanted to take this blog post to review these changes and to announce a few more.
Flurry of Blows: We have decided to reverse a previous ruling (that came from this very blog) that stated you needed to use two weapons when using flurry of blows (or a combination of weapon attacks and unarmed strikes). You can now make all of your attacks with just one weapon, or substitute any number of these attacks with an unarmed strike. Of course, if you have a pair of weapons and want to keep using both of them, that still works as well.
Ki Pool: Monks typically have problems bypassing DR with their unarmed strikes, forcing them to rely on weapons to deal with many forms of DR. We have decided to add a new ability to the Ki Pool monk class feature. At 7th level, a monk's unarmed strikes count as cold iron and silver for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction, so long as he has at least 1 point remaining in his ki pool.
Amulet of Mighty Fists: On Friday, we posted up a FAQ that stated that the enhancement bonus from an amulet of mighty fists does allow natural attacks and unarmed strikes to bypass damage reduction if the enhancement bonus is at least +3 (as with other weapons, see page 562 of the Core Rulebook). In addition, we have decided to adjust the price of the amulet of mighty fists. The new prices are as follows: 4,000 gp (+1), 16,000 gp (+2), 36,000 gp (+3), 64,000 gp (+4), 100,000 gp (+5). Accordingly, the costs to create these amulets are also reduced to the following: 2,000 gp (+1), 8,000 gp (+2), 18,000 gp (+3), 32,000 gp (+4), 50,000 gp (+5). This makes this item priced a bit more competitively for monks and creatures that rely on natural attacks. I should note that this change will be reflected in future printings of the Core Rulebook, Ultimate Equipment, and the NPC Codex.
Well, that about wraps up our current thoughts on the monk. Thanks to all the folks on the boards that provided us with feedback on this class.
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: NPC Codex is a first for Paizo—a 320-page Bestiary-style book full of NPC stat blocks instead of monsters. We’ve asked designer/developer Sean K Reynolds to answer some questions about this latest release for the Pathfinder RPG, and why NPC Codex is a must for your Pathfinder game.
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here.
NPC Codex Q&A
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: NPC Codex is a first for Paizo—a 320-page Bestiary-style book full of NPC stat blocks instead of monsters. We’ve asked designer/developer Sean K Reynolds to answer some questions about this latest release for the Pathfinder RPG, and why NPC Codex is a must for your Pathfinder game.
Why should I get NPC Codex?
The NPC Codex can save you time. If you're a GM, prepping stat blocks for a game takes a lot of work, and NPC Codex has full stat blocks for over 300 NPCs. That's 20 of each of the core character classes (cleric, fighter, and so on), 4 of each of the prestige classes, and 10 of each of the NPC classes (adept, commoner, and so on), all ready to drop into your game with no prep required. Appendix 1 has 45 animal companion stat blocks for various companions at different druid levels. Appendix 2 has 7 pages of themed encounter groups (such as "barbarian warband" and "pirate crew") at low, medium, and high levels, telling you exactly which NPC stat blocks you should use to build that encounter.
If you're a player, you can use those NPC stat blocks for cohorts or followers. If you're playing a druid or a ranger, you can use the animal companion stat blocks from Appendix 2 for your animal companion. If you need a character for a pick-up game, NPC Codex includes three stat blocks for each of Paizo's iconic characters (at level 1, 7, and 13).
What books does NPC Codex use?
The NPC Codex uses classes, races, feats, spells, and magic items from the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. A few of the animal companion stat blocks use monster feats from the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, such as Improved Natural Attack or Multiattack.
The Core Rulebook gives you many options, and we wanted to demonstrate that you can use those options to create hundreds of unique, interesting characters. By just using the Core Rulebook, NPC Codex allows players who don't own any other books to get full use out of it, and players who do use the APG and so on are still able to swap in feats, spells, and items from those other books. We are looking forward to the opportunity to publish a similar book using the APG character classes, archetypes from Ultimate Magic, and so on.
Are these NPCs generic, or are they unique characters?
There is a mix of both. Each NPC is presented with a generic role, such as "fire cleric." As each page has a stat block, full-body illustration, and tactics for the character, some NPCs (especially spellcasters with long stat blocks) only have a few lines left for personal information. Whenever there was room, we gave the NPC a specific name, background, goals, and suggestions for using the NPC in a combat encounter and roleplaying encounter. For example, after the "fire cleric" stat block is information about Aleksion Coric, who uses the flame of truth to burn away impurity and rebellion.
Of course, if you just need a stat block and not a character concept, you can replace that descriptive text with something more appropriate to your campaign.
How easily can I fit these NPCs into my game?
We wanted to give you many standard options for each character class, but also to give you some unusual characters that may have a unique role in your campaign. In general, every other character for each of the base classes is a typical representative of that class. For example, the 1st-level wizard is a typical adventuring mage and the 3rd-level wizard is a mercenary universalist, but the 2nd-level wizard is a street magician enchanter and the 4th-level wizard is a diviner working as a private investigator. By giving you a "normal" member of that class at every other level, at most you're only one CR away from what you need for an encounter.
Chapter 3 presents characters of levels 1–10 for each of the five NPC classes. If you need a stat block for a simple beggar, pig farmer, shopkeeper, sailor, carpenter, guard, squire, or similar non-adventuring characters, this chapter has it covered.
Are the stat blocks customizable?
Completely! If you want the dwarf mountaineer (ranger 7) to use a battleaxe instead of a warhammer, just swap the weapon and keep playing. If you want the sylvan protector (druid 3) to have an animal companion instead of the Air domain, grab an animal companion stat block from Appendix 2 and you're good to go. If you're willing to do a little more leg work, you can even change the NPC's race or add an archetype. The purpose of NPC Codex is to give you complete stat blocks you can use right out of the book, but if you like to tinker, go for it.
Is there new art?
Of course! Just like the Bestiary, every page of NPCs has a full-body illustration from Paizo artist favorites such as Chris Seaman, Tyler Walpole, Scott Purdy, and Roberto Pitturu.
The Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex is set to release on tomorrow, Wednesday, November 21. Each of the NPC Codex's pages features a full-body illustration by one of many Paizo artist favorites. Here's a sneak peek at some new characters to add to your Pathfinder game!
NPC Codex Art Preview
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex is set to release on tomorrow, Wednesday, November 21. Each of the NPC Codex's pages features a full-body illustration by one of many Paizo artist favorites. Here's a sneak peek at some new characters to add to your Pathfinder game!
Illustration by Jorge Fares
Stage magicians use their skills to entertain nobles in theaters and crowds of commoners on street corners.
Illustration by Scott Purdy
There are few things more terrifying than a half-orc barbarian with a double axe.
Illustration by Jason Rainville
A gruff, no-nonsense sort, a constable prefers a stern warning to violence, but doesn't hesitate to crack a belligerent nuisance over the head.
Illustration by Chris Seaman
Nimble for a dwarf, an iron duelist excels at hit-and-run tactics.
... Mythic Adventures Playtest Wednesday, November 14, 2012 ... Welcome to the long-awaited playtest of Mythic Adventures. This exciting book, due out in August 2013, gives you the chance to play a hero that is a cut above the ordinary sellsword, more powerful than your average hedge wizard, and able to take on challenges far beyond those of his ordinary contemporaries. Like Hercules and Achilles, these heroes inspire legends with their every deed, facing horrible foes and taking on dangerous...
Mythic Adventures Playtest
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Welcome to the long-awaited playtest of Mythic Adventures. This exciting book, due out in August 2013, gives you the chance to play a hero that is a cut above the ordinary sellsword, more powerful than your average hedge wizard, and able to take on challenges far beyond those of his ordinary contemporaries. Like Hercules and Achilles, these heroes inspire legends with their every deed, facing horrible foes and taking on dangerous quests that most would consider impossible. This playtest is a sample of the rules, giving you all the tools you need to run a mythic game or two right now, as well as the chance to tell us what works and what needs work.
Mythic Adventures is more than an ordinary sourcebook. It offers players and GMs a new way to play the Pathfinder RPG, from the humble beginnings of 1st level, to the lofty realms of power of 20th. You can use these rules to run a campaign where the players are mythic from the first session just as easily as you can use them to run a campaign where they are only mythic for a single game. The mythic rules can be used how you want, at any point in the campaign.
Put simply, the mythic rules allow characters (and monsters) to break some of the fundamental rules of the game. They allow a character to cheat death, to change the outcome of die rolls, and even to act twice in one turn. While mythic characters do get some statistical bonuses to denote their raw potential, much of their power comes from what they can do that others cannot, at least without having quite a few more levels. How many levels is the big question. This is where you come in.
The playtest of these rules is important to help us balance the overall system. These powers and abilities add a lot to the capabilities of characters and monsters, and it’s important to see how much this addition affects the overall power balance of the game. We need you to use these rules in your game, even if for just one or two sessions, and to give us your impression as to how the rules affect the game. While your initial impression from just reading the rules is valuable, actual play experience is by far more useful to our process. When playtesting the rules, please keep the following points in mind.
Please check the forum for any similar topics before posting, and add to an existing thread whenever possible.
Please try to read the entire document before posting. You may find that your question is answered in a later section of the rules.
Remember, we would prefer actual playtest feedback. Use the rules, don’t just imagine how they might work.
Be civil! Remember that everyone on the forum is here for the same goal, to make a better game. Remember that the experience of others may be different from your own and starting an argument over a differing viewpoint does no service to the playtest. Posters who violate these guidelines will find themselves given a timeout and have offending threads locked.
Have fun. These rules are designed to add an extra edge of excitement to your game, allowing you to throw over-the-top situations at your characters. Share your stories with us and your fellow playtesters.
Now get out there, grab the document, give it a read, and play! I am looking forward to reading your thoughts, comments, and criticisms about these rules. The playtest will run from now until noon (PST) on Monday, January 14th. See you on the boards.
... NPC Codex Preview: Animals Can't Vote Tuesday, November 6, 2012The NPC Codex is just 2 weeks away, and it's time to talk about an often-forgotten, underprivileged group of creatures: animal companions! ... In addition to featuring hundreds of complete NPC stat blocks, this book presents 45 fully statted animal companions, generally two or three for each effective druid level. An asterisk (*) after an animal companion's name indicates that only druids (not rangers) can select that type of...
NPC Codex Preview: Animals Can't Vote
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The NPC Codex is just 2 weeks away, and it's time to talk about an often-forgotten, underprivileged group of creatures: animal companions!
In addition to featuring hundreds of complete NPC stat blocks, this book presents 45 fully statted animal companions, generally two or three for each effective druid level. An asterisk (*) after an animal companion's name indicates that only druids (not rangers) can select that type of companion.
The druids in the NPC Codex are built with a nature domain instead of an animal companion, but it's a simple matter to replace the domain spells and domain granted powers for an animal companion. Likewise, the rangers are built with nature bond (companions), but as that has no effect on the ranger's stat block, it's easy to replace that ability with an animal companion.
Because animal companions have the same stats whether the character is a PC or an NPC, you can even use these animal companion stat blocks for your PCs.
Remember, it's election day in the US—vote, because animals can't!
... NPC Codex Preview #1 Tuesday, October 23, 2012Prepping for a game can sometimes be a chore. You’ve got a plot to develop, monsters and treasure to assign, and NPCs to create. Over the past few years, we’ve given the busy GM plenty of tools to fill out their adventures with a wide variety of monsters and treasure, and now we are giving you everything you need to populate your world with NPCs as well. ... The NPC Codex is set to release in just over a month and we thought it was time for...
NPC Codex Preview #1
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Prepping for a game can sometimes be a chore. You’ve got a plot to develop, monsters and treasure to assign, and NPCs to create. Over the past few years, we’ve given the busy GM plenty of tools to fill out their adventures with a wide variety of monsters and treasure, and now we are giving you everything you need to populate your world with NPCs as well.
The NPC Codex is set to release in just over a month and we thought it was time for you to take a look at what you can expect from this 320-page tome of NPC glory. In the coming weeks, we’ll examine exactly what you’ll find inside. This week, we thought we would show you what a sample spread in the book looks like. You will notice that these two druids do not have animal companions, but there is an appendix in the back of the book with animal companions of every level. Also note the handy tab in the upper corners of the pages, making it easy to find the stat block you are looking for while flipping through the book.
Tune in next week for another look at this exciting sourcebook and find out what hauntingly terrible NPCs you might find within.
Meet the Iconics: Imrijka Thursday, October 11, 2012 ... Wails regularly echo through the eastern wing of Gravecharge, Pharasma's cathedral in the university city of Lepidstadt. Yet such aren't the breathless screams of the dead that so often ring through the corners of Ustalav, but rather the cries of life. Since its construction, Gravecharge has maintained a clean and well-supervised hospice for sick and orphaned youths. Just as the goddess Pharasma concerns herself with the transition of...
Meet the Iconics: Imrijka
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wails regularly echo through the eastern wing of Gravecharge, Pharasma's cathedral in the university city of Lepidstadt. Yet such aren't the breathless screams of the dead that so often ring through the corners of Ustalav, but rather the cries of life. Since its construction, Gravecharge has maintained a clean and well-supervised hospice for sick and orphaned youths. Just as the goddess Pharasma concerns herself with the transition of life to death, so does she cherish even the most tragic lives.
Imrijka came to Gravecharge in the arms of a city watchman, wrapped in a tattered uniform and held at arm's length. The guard claimed his patrol had found "the thing" during their dawn patrol to the Spiral Cromlech, a Kellid ruin overlooking the city that was notorious for ill fortune and mysterious disappearances—but never for mysterious appearances. Hearing a babe bawling amid the moon-bleached standing stones, the guards bold enough to investigate momentarily took her for some stray fiend-child and almost slew her amid the eerie ruins. Identifying her as a half-orc infant did little to stay the hands of those ready to mete out death, but the argument that matters of life and death should be left to Pharasma sheathed the blades of those not truly eager to spill a child's blood—regardless of the color of her skin.
Dubbed Imrijka after Gravecharge's first high priestess, Imrijka Castavelik, the pistachio-skinned girl was cleaned, clothed, and given a place among the cathedral's other orphans. At first she terrified those youths, being larger, stronger, and more vicious in her biting than some children double her age. But only for a time. The priestesses of Pharasma explained the mysteries of their goddess's will and the vastness and variety of her creations, teaching the children that they were blessed to have such a unique new sister. For a time, behind the cathedral's walls, that was even the truth.
Illstruation by Wayne Reynolds
When she was old enough to understand and be understood, Imrijka reported to the offices of Jarlos Teym, Gravecharge's high exorcist, for the first time. He asked her a great deal about her life, how she felt about her studies, the clergy, the other children, and if there was anything he could do to make things more comfortable for her. A shy girl, Imrijka declined. Subsequent discussions bent toward the future, Imrijka's dreams, her prayers, and her vision for a long life. Finally, though, after months of building a rapport with the girl, Teym asked about her past. But for Imrijka, life began with the cathedral, priestesses, and other orphans. Teym pressed, insisting on answers, even verifying them with magic. After one particularly intense interview, a confused Imrijka finally started asking her own questions: Why did it matter? Why did Teym care? Couldn't what she might be outweigh what she might have been?
Deeming her mature enough to know, Teym explained his tenacity: someone had come to adopt Imrijka. Thrice. Every Kuthona for the past 3 years. First came a man dressed like a count's footman, articulate and with more questions than answers. He left after raising the clergy's suspicions with his too-pointed inquiries about Imrijka. A year later he returned, this time with a human woman of vulpine beauty who claimed to be Imrijka's mother—though her apparent age made that only the barest possibility. It was Teym's own suspicions and skill at discerning lies that kept the strangers from Imrijka, and the unusual pair left with wordless detachment. Finally, only a few months past—days before Teym's first meeting with Imrijka—the two strangers returned, led by a man dressed in white and silver. The bold newcomer spoke as one used to being obeyed and demanded Imrijka be handed over to him. Teym personally denied him, insisting to know what right he had to the girl. A father's right, the man persisted. The high exorcist ordered them out of the cathedral in that instant, but before they obeyed the man in white smiled. "She's not like us," he said, eyes glimmering. "Excellent."
Despite Teym's explanation, Imrijka understood only that her parents had come for her and that the high exorcist had sent them away. She held back both questions and tears, nodding blankly until Teym excused her. But she didn't return to her room. Rather, she exited through the front doors of Gravecharge and out onto the snowy streets—where someone waited.
A man in white sat upon the icy benches of the nearby circle, slowly feeding bits of shredded meat to the crows. Seeing Imrijka enter the plaza through the flurry of sound-deadening snow, he rose and walked toward her. Wary, she approached. In his gloved hand appeared a strange token, a disk etched with barbaric symbols and a figure impaled upon a spear. She reached for it.
A merciless iron arrow shattered the man's hand, sending the strange icon spiraling into the snow. Teym stood across the circle, another arrow nocked in his bent hawthorn bow. Around him whipped the black-edged crimson of Pharasma's inquisitors, woven flames that engulfed any flakes the whirling wind blew against them. "Back, girl," he commanded in a voice Imrijka had never heard him use.
The man in white might have been carved of ice. He had never flinched. Though the icon was knocked away, a tangle of disjoined fingers and bloodless flesh-ribbons remained outstretched toward Imrijka. Her small tusks clattered against her teeth, but she didn't scream.
"Another time, dear," the man whispered, just for her. Then the snow whirled around him. For a moment he seemed to be one with the cold, a blizzard-born prince. Then he was gone, leaving Imrijka cold and frightened—but not alone. High Exorcist Teym's cloak around her was heavy, and warm, and smelled strongly of tobacco and dust—what Imrijka imagined a grandfather should smell like. It didn't smell anything like the man in white.
Until Imrijka reached maturity and was fully able to defend herself, she rarely left Gravecharge Cathedral. When finally she did, it was in the crimson and black of an initiate inquisitor of Pharasma's faith. Even after the retirement of High Exorcist Teym, she continued to serve the church and the man she'd adopted as her grandfather, assisting him in his more scholarly pursuits as a consultant on religious antiquities at the University of Lepidstadt. She's traveled much of Ustalav and beyond—guarded an expedition to the boney towers of Kalexcourt, spent a night in the haunted hotel known as House Beumhal, been shouted off the porch of retired monster hunter Ailson Kinder (but not before getting her copy of Hunter's Moon signed), and had numerous other adventures. She regularly returns to Gravecharge, where several of her childhood companions have grown into positions within the church's sphere of influence—including Brel Vhalsik, an argumentative Kellid theologian with whom she shares a complicated relationship. But increasingly her interests and Teym's research send her beyond Ustalav's borders, where she treads with her goddess's blessing, bringing judgment to all who would violate the laws of life and death. In her travels she's faced significant prejudice, but tales of Pharasma's "monster monster-hunter" and Imrijka's ever-present arsenal convince most bigots to keep their fool mouths firmly shut. Through it all, she's never seen the man in white again—at least, not with total confidence, as there have been far too many shadows and half-recognized faces to be sure. She recovered his strange gift on that snowy day and wears the disk openly, hoping that someone someday might recognize it and lead her to some hint of where she came from and who she was. But for now, the future holds far greater promises for Imrijka, and she strides into it boldly, confident in her faith, where she's going, and who she is.
... Choose Your Enemy Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Since the Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex is so packed with images of worthy allies and deadly foes, we’re starting the previews for it a bit early. This time, check out a crew of mid-level marauders, which you’ll find both in this expansive character catalog and in the Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex Box (the humanoid-heavy sibling of the Bestiary Box). Be sure to watch this space in the coming weeks for even more NPC Codex action! ... Illustrations by Jason...
Choose Your Enemy
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Since the Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex is so packed with images of worthy allies and deadly foes, we’re starting the previews for it a bit early. This time, check out a crew of mid-level marauders, which you’ll find both in this expansive character catalog and in the Pathfinder RPG NPC Codex Box (the humanoid-heavy sibling of the Bestiary Box). Be sure to watch this space in the coming weeks for even more NPC Codex action!
Illustrations by Jason Engle, Damien Mammoliti, and Miroslav Petrov
... NPCs on the March! Monday, October 1, 2012 We're still a couple of months out from the release of Pathfinder RPG: NPC Codex, but all of the awesome art in that book refuses to be contained! Check out a sampling of 10 fantastically deadly characters by 10 fantastically talented artists. Also, be sure to watch this space in the coming weeks for in-depth previews of Pathfinder RPG: NPC Codex—releasing this December. ... F. Wesley Schneider ... Editor-in-Chief
NPCs on the March!
Monday, October 1, 2012
We're still a couple of months out from the release of Pathfinder RPG: NPC Codex, but all of the awesome art in that book refuses to be contained! Check out a sampling of 10 fantastically deadly characters by 10 fantastically talented artists. Also, be sure to watch this space in the coming weeks for in-depth previews of Pathfinder RPG: NPC Codex—releasing this December.
... FAQs of Life Tuesday, September 25, 2012 The facts are, we are crazy busy in the office this week trying to get some books to the printer, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. ... If you use Two-Weapon Fighting on your turn to attack with two weapons, do you also take that penalty on attacks of opportunity made before the start of your next turn? How long do the penalties last? ... No, the penalties end as soon as you have completed the full-attack action that allowed you to attack with...
FAQs of Life
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The facts are, we are crazy busy in the office this week trying to get some books to the printer, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet.
If you use Two-Weapon Fighting on your turn to attack with two weapons, do you also take that penalty on attacks of opportunity made before the start of your next turn? How long do the penalties last?
No, the penalties end as soon as you have completed the full-attack action that allowed you to attack with both weapons. Any attacks of opportunity you make are at your normal attack bonus. Generally speaking, penalties on attacks made during your turn do not carry over to attacks of opportunity unless they specifically state otherwise (such as the penalty from using Power Attack).
Can you pick up or manipulate an object in a square within your reach? Does this provoke an attack of opportunity? Does it provoke even if the foe can reach the object, but not your space?
The rules are a little hazy here, but to put it simply, you can affect objects and creatures within your reach. When picking up or manipulating objects, you generally provoke an attack of opportunity, but only against foes that can reach your space. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity from foes that cannot reach you, no matter what action you are taking, even if it includes reaching into a threatened space. Although it might seem realistic to allow an attack in such a case, it would make the game far too complicated.
Can I take a 5-foot step in the middle of my attempt to use the Cleave feat, to bring another foe within reach?
No. Cleave is a special action and the conditions for that action are checked at the moment you begin your action. At that moment, all of the available targets are checked to make sure they adjacent to each other and within reach. You cannot take a 5-foot step in the middle of the action and check conditions again. If you do not have two targets within reach, adjacent to each other at the start of the attack, you could not even attempt to make an attack using Cleave.
Well, I hope that clears up a few things. See you all next week.
... Free Beginner Box Transitions Download Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Taking that step from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box to the complete Pathfinder Roleplaying Game just got a lot easier with the Pathfinder RPG: Beginner Box Transitions. Players and Game Masters alike can download this free PDF to take what they learned in the Beginner Box and expand upon it, learning how to read and understand new facets of the Pathfinder RPG rules, how to advance characters to 6th level...
Free Beginner Box Transitions Download
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Taking that step from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box to the complete Pathfinder Roleplaying Game just got a lot easier with the Pathfinder RPG: Beginner Box Transitions. Players and Game Masters alike can download this free PDF to take what they learned in the Beginner Box and expand upon it, learning how to read and understand new facets of the Pathfinder RPG rules, how to advance characters to 6th level and beyond, and ways to unlock the entire arsenal of Pathfinder RPG adventures and accessories. For players not quite ready to step into the wider world of the Pathfinder RPG, this document also presents detailed guidelines on adapting Pathfinder RPG adventures for use with the Beginner Box, presenting another free download, Pathfinder Module: Master of the Fallen Fortress, as an example. With Pathfinder RPG: Beginner Box Transitions, the jump between your Beginner Box game and the endless possibilities of the full Pathfinder RPG just got a lot easier. Unlock a whole new world of adventure with this free download now!
... The FAQ That Time Forgot Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Every once and a while I like to take a break from my current design challenges to tackle some frequently asked questions from our files. We've got some bigger issues to tackle soon, but these are a start. ... Ultimate Combat seems to imply that the Totem Warrior archetype (from the Advanced Player's Guide) allows you to take more than one type of totem rage powers. Is this an erratum for the Totem Warrior archetype? ... No, the line in...
The FAQ That Time Forgot
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Every once and a while I like to take a break from my current design challenges to tackle some frequently asked questions from our files. We've got some bigger issues to tackle soon, but these are a start.
Ultimate Combat seems to imply that the Totem Warrior archetype (from the Advanced Player's Guide) allows you to take more than one type of totem rage powers. Is this an erratum for the Totem Warrior archetype?
No, the line in Ultimate Combat is in error. We will get that fixed in the next printing. Until then, the restriction on only taking totem rage powers from one group remains in place.
When you cast a spell that allows you to make a ranged touch attack, such as scorching ray, and an enemy is within reach, do you provoke two attacks of opportunity?
Yes, you provoke two attacks of opportunity, one for casting the spell and one for making a ranged attack, since these are two separate events. As a note, since all of the rays are fired simultaneously (in the case of scorching ray), you would only provoke one attack of opportunity for making the ranged attack, even if you fired more than one ray.
The Greater Trip feat allows you to take an attack of opportunity against a foe that you trip. The Vicious Stomp feat allows you to take an attack of opportunity against a foe that falls prone adjacent to you. If you have both these feats and trip a foe, do you get to make two attacks of opportunity (assuming that you can)?
Yes, the two triggering acts are similar here but they are different. One occurs when you trip a foe. The other occurs when a foe falls prone. It requires a large number of feats to accomplish, but you can really pile on the attacks with this combination.
Does the ring of continuation (Ultimate Equipment, page 168) allow you to cast time stop with a duration of 24 hours?
This item has had some unintended consequences and needs a fix. Change the second sentence of the description to read as follows: "Whenever the wearer of the ring casts a spell with a range of personal and a duration of 10 minutes per level or greater, that spell remains in effect for 24 hours or until the wearer casts another spell with a range of personal (whichever comes first)."
Charm person makes a humanoid "friendly" to you, as per the rules found in the Diplomacy skill, but it also allows you to issue orders to the target, making an opposed Charisma check to convince the target to do something that it would not normally do. How does that work?
The charm person spell (and charm monster by extension) makes the target your friend. It will treat you kindly (although maybe not your allies) and will generally help you as long as your interests align. This is mostly in the purview of the GM. If you ask the creature to do something that it would not normally do (in relation to your friendship), that is when the opposed Charisma check comes into play. For example, if you use charm person to befriend an orc, the orc might share his grog with you and talk with you about the upcoming raid on a nearby settlement. If you asked him to help you fight some skeletons, he might very well lend a hand. If you asked him to help you till a field, however, you might need to make that check to convince him to do it.
That about wraps it up for this week. Keep those questions coming.
... Mythic Playtest Sneak Peek Tuesday, September 4, 2012 The open playtest for Mythic Adventures should be ready by the end of September, but right now here's a sneak peek: a custom mythic minotaur! ... The terminology and formatting of some of these abilities may change—we're revealing this now to give you an idea of how an existing monster can be upgraded with mythic abilities to make it a CR-appropriate challenge for mythic PCs or a difficult (but not impossible) challenge for...
Mythic Playtest Sneak Peek
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The open playtest for Mythic Adventures should be ready by the end of September, but right now here's a sneak peek: a custom mythic minotaur!
The terminology and formatting of some of these abilities may change—we're revealing this now to give you an idea of how an existing monster can be upgraded with mythic abilities to make it a CR-appropriate challenge for mythic PCs or a difficult (but not impossible) challenge for nonmythic PCs. Note the MR (mythic rating) listing after the CR, "mythic" subtype, increased stats such as natural armor and hit points, DR, SR, mythic power, oubliette, the (mythic) tag after the Power Attack feat, and domain mastery. Weird!
Mythic Minotaur CR 4/MR 2
XP 2,400
CE Large monstrous humanoid (mythic) Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
Defense
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16 (+7 natural, –1 size) hp 65 (6d10+32) Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +5 Defensive Abilities natural cunning; DR 5/epic; SR 17
Offense
Speed 30 ft. Melee greataxe +10/+5 (3d6+7/x3), gore +5 (1d6+2) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks mythic power (2/day, 1d6), oubliette, powerful charge (gore +15, 2d6+7), push (gore, 10 ft.)
Statistics
Str 21, Dex 10, Con 15, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 8 Base Atk +6; CMB +12 (+14 bull rush); CMD 22 Feats Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack (mythic) Skills Intimidate +5, Perception +10, Stealth +2, Survival +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival Languages Giant SQ domain mastery
Environment
Environment temperate ruins or underground Organization solitary Treasure double (greataxe, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Domain Mastery (Su) A minotaur may designated one area (no greater than 100 feet on a side) as its personal domain (typically a maze or other confusing structure). As a move action, the minotaur can teleport from one point in its domain to any other point in its domain, as if using greater teleport. In addition, whenever the minotaur must make a saving throw while inside its domain, it can roll twice and take the better result. A minotaur can change its domain once per week. Natural Cunning (Ex) Although minotaurs are not especially intelligent, they have innate cunning and logical ability. This gives them immunity to maze spells and prevents them from ever becoming lost. Further, they are never caught flat-footed. Oubliette (Su) Whenever the minotaur hits a creature with its gore attack as part of a powerful charge, the target must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or be sent into an extradimensional prison, as per the maze spell but lasting for no more than 1d4+1 rounds. The saving throw is Wisdom-based and includes a +2 racial modifier.
... Mythic Adventures Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Just over a week ago, at Gen Con, we announced the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover book due to come out next August: Mythic Adventures. Since then, there has been a fury of speculation and excitement about this book, so I thought I would give a recap of what we’ve said so far about this new addition to the game. ... What is mythic?The mythic rules offer a new way to play Pathfinder. It uses all the rules that you are familiar with, but it...
Mythic Adventures
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Just over a week ago, at Gen Con, we announced the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcover book due to come out next August: Mythic Adventures. Since then, there has been a fury of speculation and excitement about this book, so I thought I would give a recap of what we’ve said so far about this new addition to the game.
What is mythic?
The mythic rules offer a new way to play Pathfinder. It uses all the rules that you are familiar with, but it adds a new layer to the game. Mythic adventurers are elevated above their non-mythic counterparts, gaining powers and abilities beyond their reach that allow them to take on tougher foes and more daunting challenges. A mythic character takes on the agents of deities, rushes headlong into the abyss, and strives to build a legend, all while facing off against a wide variety of foes, from common monsters to other mythic characters. If Elric, Fafhrd, Gray Mouser, Hercules, or King Arthur were created in Pathfinder, they would be mythic characters.
Is this a replacement for epic rules?
Mythic is not epic. You can use the mythic rules with 1st-level characters just as easily as you can with 20th-level characters. You can even use the mythic rules to continue to grow in power once your PCs reach 20th level, taking on some of the toughest adversaries in the game, from ancient dragons to demon lords. Meanwhile a low-level mythic character might take on monsters that you are already familiar with, at a level where non-mythic characters would face certain doom.
So, how does mythic work?
Each mythic character must select a mythic path, which defines some of the powers and abilities he gains, in addition to a few features gained by all mythic characters. As a character advances, his mythic tier might increase. Starting at 1st tier, a mythic character is quite a bit more resilient and can draw upon his mythic power to accomplish incredible deeds. Once he reaches 10th tier (the upper limit of mythic power), he is an unstoppable force, akin to a demigod in some respects.
Mythic tiers are not gained by accumulating experience points. Instead, a mythic character has to accomplish a specific number of deeds to achieve the next tier of mythic power. Using this system, your mythic tier is not tied to your character level. You still gain XP as normal, still gain levels as normal, but occasionally you might increase your mythic tier as well, adding a few new mythic abilities and powers to your character.
It is important to note that while mythic rules add to the game, they do not necessarily make the game more complex.
What are the mythic paths?
The rules currently include six paths for a mythic character to choose from. Each path offers a unique set of abilities to choose from, as well as some abilities that appear in more than one path. The paths you can choose from are as follows:
Archmage: Master of arcane magic, able to call upon his mythic power to cast extra spells, penetrate defenses, and even cast greater versions of existing spells.
Champion: Unequalled in his skill with weapons and styles of fighting. The champion can call upon his mythic power to make devastating attacks, quickly move across any battlefield, and strike many foes with a single swing.
Hierophant: In tune with the gods, be they deities or the spirits of the natural world, the hierophant is the master of divine magic. The hierophant can heal even the most deadly wounds, bring back allies from the dead, and wield the power of the gods.
Marshal: A leader of unparalleled vision, the marshal elevates those around him, granting powerful abilities and bonuses to his allies, even if they are not mythic themselves. Entire armies flock to his banner, and his close friends find his council invaluable.
Trickster: The master of many deceptions, the trickster can influence the world around him in both subtle ways (with a smile) and more direct ways (with a dagger in the back).
Warden: Few can withstand the sort of punishment that the warden takes regularly. No foe frightens this warrior, because he knows that no blow could possibly lay him low. The warden uses his resiliency to protect his allies, the people around him, and the lands he calls home.
What else will be in Mythic Adventures?
In short, everything you need to add mythic rules to your game. The book will contain the mythic paths, deeds, feats, spells, magic items, artifacts, monsters, and a short sample adventure to get you started. In addition, Mythic Adventures will include plenty of tips and advice for playing a mythic character and running a mythic campaign. It will also feature ways that you can add mythic rules to your existing campaign, even if it’s only for an adventure or two.
Mythic monsters?
Oh yes. There will be mythic monsters. This book will include a selection of monsters, from upgrades of existing beasts, such as the mythic minotaur and medusa, to entirely new creations. In addition, there will be a number of simple templates and rules to allow a GM to make any monster mythic. There are also going to be a number of other toys to go in the GMs toolbox to help make a game that can challenge such powerful characters.
Can I have it NOW?
Not quite yet. Mythic Adventures will be released at Gen Con 2013, but you’ll get a chance to play with the rules well before that. We will be releasing a select portion of the rules set, to give you a chance to play with the rules, tell us what works and what needs work. This playtest will hopefully get underway by the end of September, but we will make sure to give you a firm date as soon as we have one. Until then, I want to leave you with this one little mythic rule for you to chew on.
Amazing Initiative (Ex): At 2nd tier, a mythic character gains a +20 mythic bonus on his initiative checks. In addition, he can spend one use of his mythic power each round to take an additional turn, treating his initiative for this second turn as his initiative roll without the +20 mythic bonus. Using this ability is a free action that must be decided at the end of his first action during the round.
Ultimate Equipment Preview: The Devil's in the Details
... Ultimate Equipment Preview: The Devil's in the Details Tuesday, August 14, 2012 The pit fiend roared in triumph as it lifted Merisiel off the ground, crushing her in its mighty clawed fist. The elf struggled to free herself, but to no effect—the devil’s grasp was just too strong. ... Brandishing a glowing longsword blessed by the gods, Valeros crept up behind the fiend, scrambling up a ridge of burning brimstone. With a grunt, the warrior leapt from the rock, bringing his holy blade down...
Ultimate Equipment Preview: The Devil's in the Details
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The pit fiend roared in triumph as it lifted Merisiel off the ground, crushing her in its mighty clawed fist. The elf struggled to free herself, but to no effect—the devil’s grasp was just too strong.
Brandishing a glowing longsword blessed by the gods, Valeros crept up behind the fiend, scrambling up a ridge of burning brimstone. With a grunt, the warrior leapt from the rock, bringing his holy blade down upon the devil with all the strength he could muster. The sword sliced through the devil’s arm, cleaving nearly to the bone, forcing the fiend to drop Merisiel and turning its roar of triumph into a howl of pain.
“Sorry it took me so long to save you,” Valeros remarked with a grin. “I was distracted by the mountain of treasure over there”.
Ultimate Equipment releases in just a few days at Gen Con! For our final preview of this gigantic tome of gear and magic items, our heroes are facing off against a terrible CR 20 pit fiend. While that’s certainly a tough fight, it also comes with a huge pile of loot!
Due to their varied nature, outsiders can possess treasure of any type, and this pit fiend has 200,000 gp worth of treasure to hand out. In addition to the mountain of more common loot, this is also a good time to look at some of the items you can’t get through one of the random tables—in this case, artifacts. In addition to the treasure from the tables, this pit fiend is also guarding a terrible artifact called the skullsoul, an object that Valeros and Merisiel are no doubt trying to destroy.
Treasure Type F: Combatant Gear
100,000 gp Reward (total value 99,235 gp) celestial armor, +1 nullifying bastard sword, ring of foe focus, ring of counterspells, figurine of wondrous power (gold lions), void pennant
Treasure Type G: Spellcaster Gear
100,000 gp Reward (total value 101,125 gp) ring of return, grounding rod, heretic’s bane, scroll of resurrection, wand of pain strike
Artifact skullsoul
Now that’s a pile of magic items that might be worth braving the depths of hell for! Of course, they might end up using up some of the treasure to recover from their encounter with the pit fiend (I’m thinking that scroll of resurrection seems like it might see some use). There are so many new items in this pile, I can’t even show off every spread that contains them. I guess you’ll just have to check them out yourself in a few days.
Well, that brings to a close the final preview of Ultimate Equipment. We hope you like what you saw. This book is due to be hitting bookshelves and the mailboxes of subscribers any day now! If you’re planning on attending Gencon, we’ll have a huge pile of the books ready for all of your equipment needs first thing on Thursday...
Ultimate Equipment Preview: Never Laugh at Live Dragons!
... Ultimate Equipment Preview: Never Laugh at Live Dragons! Tuesday, August 7, 2012 The only sound that echoed through the vast cavern was the crunch of their boots on the frost-covered stone. Up ahead, nestled between drifts of snow and covered in a glaze of shimmering ice, was the treasure that the pair had heard so much about. Not two weeks ago, while talking to a drunken sod who had lost four fingers to the cold, Valeros had learned about the treasure of the white wyrm. Now both he and...
Ultimate Equipment Preview: Never Laugh at Live Dragons!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The only sound that echoed through the vast cavern was the crunch of their boots on the frost-covered stone. Up ahead, nestled between drifts of snow and covered in a glaze of shimmering ice, was the treasure that the pair had heard so much about. Not two weeks ago, while talking to a drunken sod who had lost four fingers to the cold, Valeros had learned about the treasure of the white wyrm. Now both he and Merisiel were here, ready to plunder the vast fortune.
"I told you the beast was probably dead," Merisiel said, scanning the cavern. "No one has heard from it in years. Even that old fool said as much."
"Maybe it flew south for the winter," Valeros replied with a snort as he retrieved the sacks from his pack. After taking just one step forward, the grin slid from his face as a blast of freezing cold erupted from the shadows at the back of the cavern. The blast brought the warrior to his knees, ice coating his hands, arms, and face.
Merisiel wisely leaped behind a gigantic icy stalagmite to avoid the frosty breath of the ancient white dragon that emerged from the shadows...
We are under 2 weeks away from the release of Ultimate Equipment. This week's preview takes a look at the treasure horde of a CR 15 ancient white dragon—not that poor Valeros and Merisiel are destined to get their hands on it.
Dragons are known for their vast treasure hoards, and thus have access to the mighty treasure types H and I. Since they also have triple the normal amount of treasure, we have a total of 87,000 gp worth of loot to distribute. Let's start with something big and spend 75,000 gp on a big roll on treasure type I and then let's fill it out with some lesser loot from treasure type C.
Treasure Type I: Treasure Hoard 75,000 gp Reward (total value 69,120 gp)
50,000 cp, 6,000 sp, 400 gp, 70 pp, avalanche shield, ring of energy shroud (cold), staff of tricks, wand of sleet storm, flawless star sapphire (worth 7,000 gp), platinum scepter with gold inlay (worth 1,200 gp)
Treasure Type C: Art Objects 10,000 gp Reward plus a 2,000 gp Reward (total value 11,900 gp)
unmelting ice shard (worth 10,000 gp), platinum censer with ornate markings (worth 800 gp), decorated platinum plate (worth 1,100 gp)
I am not even sure they would be able to carry that many coins out of the lair, since they weigh more than 1,100 pounds, but I am sure they would try. The treasure for this hoard could have taken a number of different paths, focusing instead on a mountain of lesser items, such as (undoubtedly frozen) potions, wands, and scrolls, as you might typically find on the table for treasure type I, but since this is a dragon hoard, I thought it would be best to stick with a mountain of coins, with a variety of valuable objects sticking out of the heap.
That brings to a close this week's treasure roll. Next week, in our final preview, it will be time for our heroes to travel to the depths of hell for their most fearsome challenge yet!
Ultimate Equipment Preview: Oh, For a Muse of Fire!
... Ultimate Equipment Preview: Oh, For a Muse of Fire! Tuesday, July 31, 2012 The massive burning blade of the fire giant whipped through the air in a horizontal stroke, just inches above Merisiel’s head. She deftly lunged to the side to avoid the deadly strike, but singed one of her long graceful ears in the process. ... “Your assistance would be greatly appreciated,” she shouted at Valeros, who was busy fending off a pack of flaming hounds across the room. Her lunge transformed into a roll...
Ultimate Equipment Preview: Oh, For a Muse of Fire!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The massive burning blade of the fire giant whipped through the air in a horizontal stroke, just inches above Merisiel’s head. She deftly lunged to the side to avoid the deadly strike, but singed one of her long graceful ears in the process.
“Your assistance would be greatly appreciated,” she shouted at Valeros, who was busy fending off a pack of flaming hounds across the room. Her lunge transformed into a roll past the giant’s right knee, the blade of her dagger finding purchase in a seam of his ensorcelled armor. Roaring with pain, the giant pulled back and raised his sword overhead.
Avoiding the flaming maws of the hell hounds, Valeros brought his blade down on the head of one of the snapping beasts, dousing its fires for good before turning to take on a pair of the hounds coming up from behind. “I’m beginning to think the diadem of the giant lord might not be worth this price!”
Valeros might be unsure, but you are definitely going to want to get your hands on all the valuable items packed in the pages of Ultimate Equipment, due out in just 3 weeks. This preview includes more treasure from this mighty tome—specifically, the loot from a CR 11 encounter with a fire giant and a pack of hell hounds.
Fire Giants are humanoids that can possess a number of different treasure types, but for this encounter we are going to be focusing on Type E: Armor and Weapons with a splash of Type B: Coins and Gems. With 10,500 gp worth of loot to give out, we are sure to have some great items.
Treasure Type E: Armor and Weapons
8,000 gp Reward (total value 8,000 gp) +1 defiant full plate (humanoid [elf]), +1 greatsword
Treasure Type B: Coins and Gems
2,500 gp Reward (total value 2,450 gp)
600 gp, opal (worth 450 gp), unworked topaz gemstone (worth 300 gp), diadem set with a single flawless black pearl (worth 1,100 gp)
Looks like Merisiel is going to have a difficult time hurting that fire giant. One of the great things about this system is the ability to customize the treasure to suit the needs of the encounter. Even if you feel like rolling randomly on the many tables throughout the book, you can still pick and choose specific pieces to enhance your encounters. This week, I made sure that the most valuable gemstone was actually a piece of jewelry (the rules for creating and pricing jewelry can be found in the preview spread from last week looking at art objects); that way it would fit the story I was trying to tell.
Well, that wraps up this week. Next week, our brave heroes will be going for some big treasure, while trying to plunder the lair of an ancient white dragon!
... Ultimate Equipment Preview: Are You My Mummy?! Tuesday, July 24, 2012 Valeros slashed out desperately with both of his blades as he pushed back away from the trio of mummies that had emerged from the darkened crypt. Ancient, ensorcelled bandages fell to the floor in a cloud of dust as the arm of one of the horrors was severed at the elbow. Apparently uncaring of the grievous wound, the mummy continued to shamble forward, reaching out with its remaining hand as it tried to find the...
Ultimate Equipment Preview: Are You My Mummy?!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Valeros slashed out desperately with both of his blades as he pushed back away from the trio of mummies that had emerged from the darkened crypt. Ancient, ensorcelled bandages fell to the floor in a cloud of dust as the arm of one of the horrors was severed at the elbow. Apparently uncaring of the grievous wound, the mummy continued to shamble forward, reaching out with its remaining hand as it tried to find the warrior's throat. Valeros continued to backpedal, but suddenly pitched over onto his back, his foot stumbling over one of the many canopic jars that littered the floor.
Quite suddenly, Merisiel emerged from the shadows and drove the blade of her rapier through the first mummy's head just as it was reaching down to finish off Valeros. As the undead thing collapsed to the floor, Merisiel extended her hand to help the fighter off the floor.
"There had better be some valuable treasure in this tomb" she said with a wink before turning to face the remaining mummies.
Merisiel, and all of you players and GMs out there, are sure to get all the valuable treasure you need in just 4 weeks with the release of Ultimate Equipment. Each week, leading up to the book's release, we are going to be showing off a sample treasure haul from this mighty tome. Up this week, the loot from a CR 8 encounter with a trio of mummies.
Mummies, being undead, can have a wide variety of treasure types. Since we have 5,000 gp to spend on treasure for this encounter, I think we will give out something from Treasure Type F: Combatant Gear and a little something from Treasure Type C: Art Objects. Undead don't usually have art objects, but it makes sense for this encounter and the treasure types are flexible in this way.
Treasure Type F: Combatant Gear
4,000 gp Reward (total value 3,705 gp)
mithril shirt, masterwork longspear, buffering cap, potion of remove paralysis
Treasure Type C: Art Objects
1,000 gp Reward (total value 1,200 gp)
gold mask (worth 450 gp), gold-and-platinum statue of a deity (worth 750 gp)
Not a bad haul for one encounter, and you can easily picture one of the mummies wearing the mask, while the other valuables are located in the tomb itself, with the statue as the center point of the room. You could even put the statue on some sort of trap, which might give you the opportunity to add even more treasure to the encounter. One of the great things about this book is that sometimes the charts and tables can give you ideas to flesh out the encounter and add an extra level of detail to the surroundings. After all, the players always pay attention to the loot.
Well, that's all for this week. Next week, our brave heroes will be facing off against a fire giant and his hell hound minions!
... Ultimate Equipment Preview: Roll Up Some Loot! Tuesday, July 17, 2012Rumor has it that everyone, both players and GMs, love to get their hands on new gear. From the new sword that would be perfect for your PC—or even better in the hands of a villain—to a wizard’s staff, gear and magic items have always been an exciting part of the game. Fortunately for all those treasure seekers out there, we’re just five weeks away from Gen Con and the release Ultimate Equipment, the next exciting...
Ultimate Equipment Preview: Roll Up Some Loot!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Rumor has it that everyone, both players and GMs, love to get their hands on new gear. From the new sword that would be perfect for your PC—or even better in the hands of a villain—to a wizard’s staff, gear and magic items have always been an exciting part of the game. Fortunately for all those treasure seekers out there, we’re just five weeks away from Gen Con and the release Ultimate Equipment, the next exciting hardcover book for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
The new toys in this book are divided up into a series of handy chapters, starting with nonmagical weapons, armor, and gear. The book then moves on to present endless pages on new magic items, from rods, staves, and rings, to artifacts and intelligent items. This mighty tome contains more wondrous items than any other book in the Pathfinder library, conveniently divided up by the slot that it occupies.
Over the next five weeks, we are going to be looking at some of the items in this book, but instead of just showing off a few spreads, I thought this would be a great excuse to take a look at the random treasure generation system found in the appendix. Each week, I’ll use the system to generate a few pieces of treasure for you to drool over. This week, we’re going to start out with something simple: the treasure trove of a goblin tribe. Assuming the entire tribe is approximately a CR 5 encounter, we’ve got 2,300 gp worth of loot to assign. Since goblins are humanoids, they can have a wide variety of treasure types, so we are going to go with Treasure Type D: Coins and Small objects. As you can see, this table has a variety of entries for me to choose from, but to equal 2,300 gp, I’m going to take a 2,000 gp entry and a 300 gp entry. I could mix it up with some other tables as well, but I’m going to keep it simple this week. Rolling up the two entries, I get the following:
2,000 gp Reward (total value 1,910 gp)
60 gp, 5 pp, potion of levitate, scroll of hydraulic torrent, and a scroll of mass cure light wounds
300 gp Reward (total value 482 gp)
40 sp, 28 gp, potion of bull’s strength, and a scroll of flaming sphere
Each reward gives the GM a series of additional rolls to make in the appendix and throughout the rest of the book to determine treasure to assign for the encounter. If I instead wanted a bunch of minor treasures, I could have bought four 500 gp rewards and one 300 gp reward. The result would have been a lot more coins and lower-priced items. You might notice that my 300 gp reward came out a bit over, while the 2,000 gp reward ended up a bit under (with the total coming out at 2,392 gp). The system is balanced so that over time, most of your treasure rolls should average out to give the party the right amount of treasure.
Well, that about wraps up this week. Now that we’ve covered some of the basics, next week we’ll be fighting a trio of vengeful mummies to see what loot they might have, and will be taking a look at some of the brand new items you can find in this book.
... Strategic Redesigns: Bestiary Box Preview Tuesday, July 10, 2012 When planning for the Bestiary Box, we knew there were a few monsters that needed new art. They either didn’t fit in the pawn format, they were monster variants, or they were just missing art. There were also a handful of monsters that just deserved new art. ... Sure, the old art was suitable for the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, but we knew that sometimes it’s good to shake things up and do them over. There are many reasons to...
Strategic Redesigns: Bestiary Box Preview
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
When planning for the Bestiary Box, we knew there were a few monsters that needed new art. They either didn’t fit in the pawn format, they were monster variants, or they were just missing art. There were also a handful of monsters that just deserved new art.
Sure, the old art was suitable for the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, but we knew that sometimes it’s good to shake things up and do them over. There are many reasons to do this: It adds value to the box. We knew that you would want new art because... well... new art is flipping cool. Sometimes our ideas about the monster in question have evolved, and we wanted to express that evolution graphically. Other times we just thought we could do better.
For our last Bestiary Box preview, we thought we would share these somewhat random shots of new pawn art. This isn’t all of the new art in the box, but it gives you a good idea of some of the cool new renderings you’ll find when you get your paws on this exciting product.
... Dragons Reloaded: Bestiary Box Preview Tuesday, July 3, 2012In last week's blog I covered some of our rationale for creating the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary Box, and unleashed some of the new elemental pawn art you'll find in that box. This week we are continuing our look at the new art with the most iconic enemies in fantasy—chromatic dragons! ... When it came to creating the dragon pawns for this box, dragons posed a particular challenge. While the art for the dragons in...
Dragons Reloaded: Bestiary Box Preview
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
In last week's blog I covered some of our rationale for creating the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary Box, and unleashed some of the new elemental pawn art you'll find in that box. This week we are continuing our look at the new art with the most iconic enemies in fantasy—chromatic dragons!
When it came to creating the dragon pawns for this box, dragons posed a particular challenge. While the art for the dragons in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary is great, none of those pieces were commissioned with anything like pawns in mind. Their majestic wings, razor-sharp claws, and toothy maws were designed to look scary on the printed page, but their grandeur couldn't be confined to the measurements of a pawn without cropping. And let's face it, cropped dragons just didn't look nearly as scary. We went back to the drawing board, and tasked Ben Wootten with creating awe-inspiring dragons that would fit on pawns. Personally, I think he did a phenomenal job. I think you'll agree.
... Elementary Solutions: Bestiary Box Preview Tuesday, June 26, 2012 While I enjoy painting miniatures, and I'm a fast painter, I'll be the first to admit that painting minis is a time-consuming art. GMing takes a lot of time all by itself and not everyone has the time or talent to make minis fit the evocative stories their imaginations conjure. Also, minis can be expensive. Even with the release of the Pathfinder Battles minis line, we realize that sometimes cash-strapped GMs needed a...
Elementary Solutions: Bestiary Box Preview
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
While I enjoy painting miniatures, and I'm a fast painter, I'll be the first to admit that painting minis is a time-consuming art. GMing takes a lot of time all by itself and not everyone has the time or talent to make minis fit the evocative stories their imaginations conjure. Also, minis can be expensive. Even with the release of the Pathfinder Battles minis line, we realize that sometimes cash-strapped GMs needed a less-expensive way to make their game tables look as exciting as the stories in their head.
Enter pawns. These were first released with the Pathfinder Beginner Box, and once GMs everywhere got their hands on these easy and inexpensive ways to populate their Flip-Mats and Map Packs, we knew folks would want more.
Utilizing much of the art from the Bestiary, we were confronted by many art challenges in populating this box. Some of the art from that book just didn't fit templates for the pawns. Other times we lacked art for some of the monsters presented in the book. What was the solution? More art!
Here's the first preview of some of the new art for the Bestiary Box—elementals. In the coming weeks we'll look at some more of the new art for this set. Until then, enjoy these elemental gems.
... Lisa Stevens Gamerati Interview Thursday, June 21, 2012A few weeks back Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens joined a hangout on Gamerati+ where Gen Con owner Peter Adkison and numerous other participants asked her a variety of questions about Paizo, Pathfinder Online, her gaming history, and whatever else came to mind. Check out what was asked and what insider info she had to share! ... You can check out the rest of the video interview at the Paizo Publishing channel on YouTube. Thanks to Ed Healy for...
Lisa Stevens Gamerati Interview
Thursday, June 21, 2012
A few weeks back Paizo CEO Lisa Stevens joined a hangout on Gamerati+ where Gen Con owner Peter Adkison and numerous other participants asked her a variety of questions about Paizo, Pathfinder Online, her gaming history, and whatever else came to mind. Check out what was asked and what insider info she had to share!
You can check out the rest of the video interview at the Paizo Publishing channel on YouTube. Thanks to Ed Healy for putting this interview series together. You can find more news and interviews from gaming industry luminaries at Gamerati.
... Preview: Player Character Folio Tuesday, June 12, 2012Now that the Advanced Race Guide is just about ready to ship out to subscribers and stores everywhere, it's time to take a look at another product that is due to release very soon, one that will give you a great new way to record your new dhamphir bard! ... The Player Character Folio is 16 pages of character sheet glory, containing spots for you to record not just your vital statistics and gear, but things like your family history,...
Preview: Player Character Folio
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Now that the Advanced Race Guide is just about ready to ship out to subscribers and stores everywhere, it's time to take a look at another product that is due to release very soon, one that will give you a great new way to record your new dhamphir bard!
The Player Character Folio is 16 pages of character sheet glory, containing spots for you to record not just your vital statistics and gear, but things like your family history, adventure record, and how many dragons you've slain. Normally, we would just put up some artwork from the product, but the Player Character Folio has a few tricks inside, so we thought it best to show off a few photos of the actual folio.
As you can see, when you open the folio, it's got a two-panel cover that opens to reveal a folder pocket with some handy reference tables and your main page, which contains all of your vital statistics. We designed it this way so that these numbers would always be available to you during play, no matter what page you happen to be on.
Here you can see the first spread of the folio, which is naturally dedicated to combat. Of course, all of your vital statistics are still at your disposal.
Here is a closer look at that vital statistics panel, open to the page for spellcasters to record their important information.
Record all of your vital background info on this spread, including a map of your hideout and a character sketch!
Finally, we give you all the room you need to record the gear carried and worn by your character. Of course, there are a number of other spreads in this book, including my personal favorite, in which you can record the various achievements you have accomplished during play, but if you want to see that list, you'll have to wait for the Player Character Folio to hit store shelves in July.
Advanced Race Guide Preview: It's Almost Here!—Kasatha
... Advanced Race Guide Preview: It's Almost Here! Tuesday, June 5, 2012 The Advanced Race Guide will be shipping out to subscribers and stores in the very near future. As we wrap up our previews of this mighty tome, it’s time to for a peek into Chapter 4 and the rules for building your own race. ... This section of the book received a good deal of playtesting late last year and we made a large number of tweaks and changes to take that feedback into account. For example, the core races do not...
Advanced Race Guide Preview: It's Almost Here!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The Advanced Race Guide will be shipping out to subscribers and stores in the very near future. As we wrap up our previews of this mighty tome, it’s time to for a peek into Chapter 4 and the rules for building your own race.
This section of the book received a good deal of playtesting late last year and we made a large number of tweaks and changes to take that feedback into account. For example, the core races do not all add up to the exact same point value as they did in the playtest. In addition to showing you how the existing races are built, we included a number of examples of new races that you can build using this system. Take a look at the Kasatha.
Kasatha
Hunters and raiders of the wasteland, the clannish, four-armed kasatha guard their territories by way of lightning-fast raids and terrifying assaults. As young adults, some members of this race roam the world for a full year looking for adventure and treasure to bring back to their clans. A renegade few decide to forsake their clan and spend their life adventuring.
Movement Racial Traits
Jumper
Terrain stride (desert)
2 RP
1 RP
Other Racial Traits
Multi-armed (4 arms)
8 RP
Total
20 RP
While more powerful than most races (which usually have a cost of about 10), a kasatha makes for an interesting addition to any game, either as a PC (perhaps one level lower than the rest of the party) or as an exotic NPC or even a villain. The above format is written for the race builder in particular. Here are the racial traits in a more traditional layout.
Kasatha Racial Traits
+2 Dex, +2 Wis: Kasatha are both nimble and wise. Medium: Kasatha are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed: Kasatha have a base speed of 30 feet. Defensive Training, Greater: Kasatha receive a +2 dodge bonus to their Armor Class. Desert Runner: Kasatha receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments. Stalker: Kasatha always treat Perception and Stealth as a class skill. Jumper: Kasatha are always treated as if having a running start when making Acrobatics skill checks to jump. Desert Stride: Kasatha can move through difficult terrain in a desert environment at their normal speed. Magically altered desert terrain affects them normally. Multi-Armed: Kasatha possess four arms. While all of the arms can wield weapons, all but one are considered off-hand weapons. Kasatha take the normal penalties for two-weapon fighting when using more than one weapon.
Well, that about wraps up the previews of the Advanced Race Guide. Grab a copy, and explore the exciting race options that await you within.
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Of Dreams and Nightmares—Dreamweaver (Witch)
... Advanced Race Guide Preview: Of Dreams and Nightmares Tuesday, May 22, 2012 While every child may curse her mother as a hag from time to time, changelings are justified to make such claims. Cursed offshoots of hag liaisons in the mortal world who are dropped at the door of mortal adoptive parents, all changelings are affected by their heritage in some way. Some rebel against it, but many come to terms with it, using the power of their heritage for their own purposes or to aid the...
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Of Dreams and Nightmares
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
While every child may curse her mother as a hag from time to time, changelings are justified to make such claims. Cursed offshoots of hag liaisons in the mortal world who are dropped at the door of mortal adoptive parents, all changelings are affected by their heritage in some way. Some rebel against it, but many come to terms with it, using the power of their heritage for their own purposes or to aid the innocent.
It’s not surprising that many changelings gravitate toward the witch class since that class’s powers complement both the abilities and the theme of the race. In this week’s preview, we will take a look at the first race presented in Chapter 3 of the Advanced Race Guide by sharing the archetype presented in the section: the Dreamweaver, a witch empowered by dreams and nightmares.
Illustration by Rayph Beisner
Dreamweaver (Witch)
A changeling dreamweaver draws upon her hag heritage to ply the dream realms in order to touch mortal minds and souls, for good or ill. A dreamweaver witch has the following class features.
Class Skills: The dreamweaver adds Sense Motive to her list of class skills and removes Healing from her list of class skills.
Patron: A dreamweaver’s patron is normally portents or stars (Ultimate Magic 83).
Spells: A dreamweaver replaces some of her patron’s spells with the following: 2nd—sow thoughts (see below), 4th—dust of twilight (Advanced Player's Guide), 6th—deep slumber, 8th—modify memory, 10th—dream, 12th—cloak of dreams (Advanced Player's Guide), 14th—ethereal jaunt, 16th—moment of prescience, 18th—astral projection.
Dream Spinner (Su): At 2nd level, when a dreamweaver casts a mind-affecting spell on a target that is sleeping because of her slumber hex or a spell she cast, she adds +1 to the mind-affecting spell’s DC. If the target succeeds at the saving throw against the spell, it does not wake up, nor does it have any recollection of having resisted a spell. If appropriate, the dreamweaver may incorporate elements of a mind-affecting spell (i.e., sow thought, suggestion, and so on) into the target’s subconscious so it believes the spell’s effects originated in its dreams (the details of how these elements fit into the dream is up to the GM). This ability replaces the witch’s hex gained at 2nd level.
Dream Thief (Su): At 6th level, a dreamweaver can alter the sleeping mind of any creature that is sleeping because of her slumber hex or a spell she cast. She can reshape one of the target’s memories as if using modify memory. Alternatively, she may insert herself into the dreaming memories of the target, prompting the target’s mind to show her some specific information; the dreamer’s subconscious may resist, or try to deceive her with out-of-context memories, similar to the way a corpse can resist when questioned with speak with dead. A Will save negates either effect (DC equal to that of the witch’s hex). Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day. This ability replaces the witch’s hex gained at 6th level.
Dream Possession (Su): At 10th level, a dreamweaver can take control of any creature that is sleeping because of her slumber hex or a spell she cast. This effect functions as magic jar, using the witch’s familiar acting as the soul receptacle. A Will save negates either effect (DC equal to that of the witch’s hex). Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day. This ability replaces the witch’s hex gained at 10th level.
Major Hexes: The following major hexes complement the dreamweaver archetype: nightmare, vision (Advanced Player's Guide).
Grand Hexes: The following grand hexes complement the dreamweaver archetype: eternal slumber (Advanced Player's Guide); dire prophecy (Ultimate Magic).
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Letting the Cat out of the Bag—Catfolk Rogue Talents
... Advanced Race Guide Preview: Letting the Cat out of the Bag Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Actually, we are letting the cat out of the book. Last week, after previewing the tengu section of the Advanced Race Guide, we asked you what you wanted to see next. We received many good suggestions, but it seems that many of you wanted to see the catfolk. ... These lithe and agile creatures make excellent monks, rangers, and especially rogues, but they also have a mysterious side, as they are sometimes...
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Letting the Cat out of the Bag
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Actually, we are letting the cat out of the book. Last week, after previewing the tengu section of the Advanced Race Guide, we asked you what you wanted to see next. We received many good suggestions, but it seems that many of you wanted to see the catfolk.
These lithe and agile creatures make excellent monks, rangers, and especially rogues, but they also have a mysterious side, as they are sometimes able to control luck and can draw on supernatural powers and spells that are very catlike in nature. This week’s preview examines just some examples of these themes in the catfolk section.
Illustration by Kieran Yanner
Catfolk Rogue Talents
The following rogue talents can only be taken by catfolk.
Deadly Scratch (Ex): A catfolk rogue with this talent can apply poison to her claws without accidentally poisoning herself. A catfolk rogue must have the cat’s claws racial trait and the poison use class feature before taking this talent.
Disarming Luck (Ex): Once per day, when a catfolk rogue attempts to disable a device and fails by 5 or more, she can reroll the check as a free action. She must take the result of the reroll, even if it’s worse than the original roll.
Graceful Faller (Ex): A catfolk rogue with this talent lands on her feet even when she takes lethal damage from a fall. If the catfolk rogue also has the nimble faller racial trait, she takes damage from any fall as if it were 20 feet shorter than it actually is.
Nimble Climber (Ex): A catfolk rogue with this talent gains a +4 bonus on Climb checks. If she has the climber racial trait, she can take 10 on her Climb checks even when in immediate danger or distracted.
Single-Minded Appraiser (Ex): A catfolk rogue with this talent is skilled at determining the value of sparkly things. She can always take 10 when appraising gems and jewelry.
Vicious Claws (Ex): A catfolk with this talent uses d8s to roll sneak attack damage instead of d6s, but only when she uses her claws to make the sneak attack. A catfolk rogue must have the cat’s claws racial trait before taking this talent.
Catfolk Feats
Catfolk have access to the following feats.
Black Cat
Bad luck befalls those who dare to cross you. Prerequisite: Catfolk. Benefit: Once per day as an immediate action, when you are hit by a melee attack, you can force the opponent who made the attack to reroll it with a –4 penalty. The opponent must take the result of the second attack roll. This is a supernatural ability. Special: If you take this feat and don’t already have all black fur, your fur turns completely black when you take this feat.
Catfolk Magic Items
The following magic items are often created and used by catfolk.
This pair of magical softpaw boots (see above) allows the catfolk wearing them to gain extra maneuverability while moving through hazardous areas. As a free action, the wearer can click her heels together to grant herself a +5 competence bonus on Acrobatics checks made to move through threatened squares or to move through an enemy’s space without provoking attacks of opportunity for up to 10 rounds per day. The rounds need not be consecutive. Furthermore, anytime the wearer of the boots successfully moves though the space of an enemy without provoking an attack of opportunity, she gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls against that enemy until the end of her turn.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cat’s grace; Cost 700 gp
Catfolk Spells
Catfolk have access to the following spells.
Steal breath School transmutation [air]; Level bard 2, druid 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, witch 2 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target one living creature Duration 1 round (see text) Saving Throw Fortitude negates; see text; Spell Resistance yes
You pull the breath from a creature’s lungs, dealing damage and leaving it unable to speak, use breath weapons, or cast spells with verbal components. If the target fails its saving throw, it takes 2d6 points of damage, and it cannot speak, use breath weapons, or do anything else requiring breathing, and a visible line of swirling air leaves the target’s mouth and enters your mouth.
If, during the duration, the target moves out of range or line of effect to you, the spell immediately ends. This spell has no effect on creatures that do not need to breathe air.
... Advanced Race Guide Preview: Wark, Wark, Wark! Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Some time ago I played in a campaign that Jason Bulmahn was running. One of the many highlights of the campaign was Chuko. This was James Jacobs's tengu character, who always shouted Wark! when he was excited. My whole conception of tengus comes from Chuko. They are strange little creatures that steal and mark things with flags. Tengus can be unreasonable and stupidly heroic. Chuko was not the sharpest egg in the nest,...
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Wark, Wark, Wark!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Some time ago I played in a campaign that Jason Bulmahn was running. One of the many highlights of the campaign was Chuko. This was James Jacobs's tengu character, who always shouted "Wark!" when he was excited. My whole conception of tengus comes from Chuko. They are strange little creatures that steal and mark things with flags. Tengus can be unreasonable and stupidly heroic. Chuko was not the sharpest egg in the nest, just a strange little outcast in a far-off land. James played it to the hilt. If you get the chance to play Pathfinder with James, make him play a tengu. Oh, and make him wear a silly hat.
Sorry for the last bit, James.
When it came to reviewing the tengu section of Advanced Race Guide, there was a lot that made me shout, "Wark!" I think Chuko would approve! Now I want to play a tengu.
Here are just a few highlights from the section.
Tengu Equipment
Tengus have access to the following equipment.
Illustration by Paul Guzenko
Signal Kite Kit: Though wingless, tengus have long cast their thoughts toward the sky and flight. Built from paper glued to bamboo frames, their kites are painted with various colors and pictures. In addition to flying kites as a leisure activity, tengus also fly kites of various shades and patterns to send signal messages. Tengus have developed an extensive code of signals and can use their kites to display complex messages visible at great distances. A signal kite kit includes six small colored kites that can be hooked together in different patterns to facilitate complex messages. The kit also includes a spool and 300 feet of twine. Sending or interpreting a signal kite's message functions as described in the Bluff skill, but the sender and anyone trying to understand the message must also know Tengu.
Terror Kite: This small kite is usually painted with a fierce face and bright colors and is edged with serrated wooden blades. Its twine is strengthened by soaking it in glue and sometimes with crushed glass to give it a slight cutting edge. The kite has hardness 5 and 3 hit points. Participants in a kite battle make alternating sunder combat maneuvers against each other's kites; each successful maneuver allows a competitor to roll 1d6 points of damage against the opponent's kite. When a kite reaches 0 hit points, it is broken or its string is cut, and its player loses the match. In some matches, points are awarded for touching the kite's top to the opponent's string, with the winner being the first to reach a set point total. Those interested in kite-fighting may select the terror kite as a weapon for the purpose of feats such as Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, and apply these bonuses on kite damage rolls and on their sunder combat maneuver attempts made while using terror kites.
Tengu Feats
Tengu have access to the following feats.
Long-Nose Form
You can shift into the form of a human with an unusually long nose. Prerequisites: Character level 3rd, tengu. Benefit: Once per day, you can assume the form of a human whose nose is the length of your beak. This spell-like ability functions as alter self with a caster level equal to your level. While in this form you gain the scent ability and a +2 bonus to your Strength score. Because your long nose in this form clearly indicates you are not fully human, you do not gain the normal bonus to Disguise checks for using a polymorph effect (however, you could possibly explain the nose as an unfortunate curse or deformity, or hide it with an item such as a plague doctor's mask).
Tengu Spells
Tengus have access to the following spells.
Theft Ward School abjuration; Level cleric 1, inquisitor 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, witch 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range touch Target one object Duration 1 day
You ward a single object in your possession against theft. You gain a +10 bonus on Perception checks to notice someone trying to take the object from you.
Hey! Tell us what you want to see next. We want to know what you're excited about.
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Kill it With Fire!—Fire Bomber (Alchemist)
... Advanced Race Guide Preview: Kill it With Fire! Tuesday, May 1, 2012 Everyone knows goblins have an unnatural love of fire. They love to see it flicker and burn to the sounds of their enemies' screams. While goblin adventurers, in an effort to get along with other more squeamish races, may control their pyromaniac urgings, others learn to harness that power and focus it into devastating force. ... Of course, since the goblin section of the Advanced Race Guide has plenty of options for...
Advanced Race Guide Preview: Kill it With Fire!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Everyone knows goblins have an unnatural love of fire. They love to see it flicker and burn to the sounds of their enemies' screams. While goblin adventurers, in an effort to get along with other more squeamish races, may control their pyromaniac urgings, others learn to harness that power and focus it into devastating force.
Of course, since the goblin section of the Advanced Race Guide has plenty of options for fiery destruction, an alchemist archetype focusing on fire seemed like a good fit, so this week we present you with the fire bomber. As you'll notice from this archetype, there are many more options for goblin mayhem in this book, from a host of feats to some new discoveries, but you will just have to wait until the book comes out to check those out.
Fire Bomber (Alchemist)
Fire bombers are exceptionally good at using bombs to burn creatures and blow things up, but are not quite as good at creating other types of bombs or extracts. A fire bomber has the following class features.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A fire bomber treats torches as a simple weapon.
Illustration by Andrew Hou
Fire Bombardier (Su or Ex): At 1st level, when a fire bomber throws a bomb that deals fire damage, all creatures in the splash radius take an additional point of damage per die of fire damage dealt. Fire bombers only add their Intelligence bonus to damage from bombs or alchemical substances that deal fire damage. This otherwise works like the alchemist's bomb and throw anything abilities. This ability alters bomb and throw anything.
Bonus Feats: A fire bomber can select the Burn! Burn! Burn!, Fire Tamer, or Flame Heart feat in place of a discovery.
Fiery Cocktail (Su): At 4th level, whenever a fire bomber uses a discovery that deals damage other than fire damage, he can split the damage dice evenly between the bomb's primary damage type and 1d6 points of fire damage; when there is an odd number of damage dice, the odd die of damage comes from the primary damage type. For example, an 8th-level fire bomber could throw a concussive bomb that deals 2d6 points of fire damage and 3d4 points of sonic damage. Additional effects from the bomb still apply, but the save DC for admixture bombs is reduced by 2. This replaces the alchemist's 4th-level discovery.
Fire Body (Ex): At 8th level, a fire bomber adds elemental body I to his extract list as a 3rd-level extract. Elemental body extracts prepared using fire body are limited to fire elementals only. This ability replaces poison resistance +6.
Improved Fire Body (Ex): At 10th level, fire bombers add elemental body II to their spell list as a 4th-level extract. Elemental body extracts prepared using improved fire body are limited to fire elementals only. This ability replaces poison immunity.
Greater Fire Body (Ex): At 14th level, fire bombers add elemental body IV to their spell list as a 5th-level extract. Elemental body extracts prepared using greater fire body are limited to fire elementals only. This ability replaces persistent mutagen.
Discoveries: The following discoveries complement the fire bomber archetype: fire brand, rocket bomb (see sidebar); explosive bombs, fast bombs, inferno bomb, precise bombs (Advanced Player's Guide); breath weapon bomb, explosive missile, immolation bomb (Ultimate Combat); bottled ooze, confusion bomb, strafe bomb (Ultimate Magic).
... Versatility is a Human Virtue Tuesday, April 24, 2012 ... Illustration by Eric BraddockWhen planning out Advanced Race Guide we knew that humans were going to give us some trouble. What do you give the race that has the cleanest slate and the most open-ended bonus options? We sat down and had to ask what makes humans... well, human. ... We came up with a short list of human virtues. One of the strongest human virtues on the list was versatility. Humans are downright tenacious in their...
Versatility is a Human Virtue
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Illustration by Eric Braddock
When planning out Advanced Race Guide we knew that humans were going to give us some trouble. What do you give the race that has the cleanest slate and the most open-ended bonus options? We sat down and had to ask what makes humans... well, human.
We came up with a short list of human virtues. One of the strongest human virtues on the list was versatility. Humans are downright tenacious in their ability to adapt and thrive. Few human cultures are tied to the ancient traditions and stubborn cultural and martial forms of other races. Even humans in well-established cultures have a dramatic tendency to delve deep into their experience and intrinsic gumption to not only survive but also thrive when the chips are down. The following group of human racial feats was designed to emulate human’s intrinsic versatility.
Critical Versatility (Combat)
An open mind and combat training grant versatility to your critical hits. Prerequisites: Fighter level 11th, human. Benefit: Once per day, you can spend 1 hour practicing maneuvers to gain one single critical feat that you meet the prerequisites for. You gain the benefits of the chosen critical feat until you choose to practice a different critical feat.
Fast Learner
Your progress gains extra versatility. Prerequisites: Int 13, human. Benefit: When you gain a level in a favored class, you gain both +1 hit point and +1 skill rank instead of choosing either one or the other benefit or you can choose an alternate class reward.
Martial Mastery (Combat)
You broaden your study of weapons to encompass multiple similar weapons. Prerequisites: Martial Versatility, fighter level 16th, human. Benefit: Each combat feat you have that applies to a specific weapon (e.g., Weapon Focus) can be used with all weapons in the same weapon group (Ultimate Combat 45).
Martial Versatility (Combat)
You further broaden your study of weapons to encompass multiple similar weapons. Prerequisites: Fighter level 4th, human. Benefit: Choose one combat feat you know that applies to a specific weapon (e.g., Weapon Focus). You can use that feat with any weapon within the same weapon group. Special: You may take this feat more than once. Each time it applies to a different feat.
Next week we will start delving into the next chapter of the book with a look at an old favorite.
... A New Leaf for Companions Tuesday, April 17, 2012Hey, everyone. Last week we got a little sidetracked, but we are back this week with the promised preview of the Advanced Race Guide. As part of the treesinger druid archetype, elves can gain a number of plant companions in place of a druid’s normal natural bond ability. Below you will find the full rules for these leafy companions. ... Plant CompanionsEach plant companion has different starting sizes, speed, attacks, ability scores, and...
A New Leaf for Companions
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Hey, everyone. Last week we got a little sidetracked, but we are back this week with the promised preview of the Advanced Race Guide. As part of the treesinger druid archetype, elves can gain a number of plant companions in place of a druid’s normal natural bond ability. Below you will find the full rules for these leafy companions.
Plant Companions
Each plant companion has different starting sizes, speed, attacks, ability scores, and special qualities. All plant attacks are made using the creature’s full base attack bonus unless otherwise noted. Plant attacks add the plant’s Strength modifier on the damage roll, unless it has only one attack, in which case it adds 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier. Some plant companions have special abilities, such as scent. Plant companions cannot gain armor or weapon proficiency feats, even as they advance in hit dice, and cannot use manufactured weapons at all unless their description says otherwise.
As you gain levels, your plant companion grows in power as well. It gains the same bonuses that are gained by animal companions, noted on Table 3–8: Animal Companion Base Statistics on page 52 of the Core Rulebook. Each plant companion gains an additional bonus, usually at 4th or 7th level, as listed with each plant choice. Instead of taking the listed benefit at 4th level, you can instead choose to increase the companion’s Strength and Constitution by 2.
Illustration by Anna Christenson
Carnivorous Flower
Starting Statistics:Size Small; Speed 30 ft., climb 10 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
4th-Level Advancement:Size Medium; Attack bite (2d6); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex –2, Con +2; Special Attacks rage (1/day, as the barbarian class feature for 6 rounds).
Crawling Vine
Starting Statistics:Size Medium; Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d4); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2; Special Attacks grab; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.
4th-Level Advancement:Size Large; AC +1 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4; Special Attacks constrict 1d6.
Puffball (Floating Fungus)
Starting Statistics:Size Small; Speed 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (average); AC +1 natural armor; Attack thorn (1d4 plus poison); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6; Special Attacks poison (Frequency 1 round [6], Effect 1 Con damage, Cure 1 save, Con-based DC); Special Qualities low-light vision.
4th-Level Advancement:Ability Scores Str +2, Con +2.
Sapling Treant
Starting Statistics:Size Medium; Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d6); Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7; Special Qualities double damage against objects, low-light vision.
4th-Level Advancement:Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack 2 slams (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.
Next week will continue on our tour of Chapter 1: Core Races with a look at some new feats for human characters.
... Advanced Race Guide: Art Preview Thursday, April 12, 2012We wrested our Advanced Race Guide preview back out of the hands of Tuesday's pernicious pirates. Inside this upcoming tome of cutting-edge characters and radical races you'll find all the information you need on creating members of all three of the races previewed here, along with any other exotic beings you’ve ever wanted to play or can possibly imagine. Check back next Tuesday for your first look at some of the Advanced Race...
Advanced Race Guide: Art Preview
Thursday, April 12, 2012
We wrested our Advanced Race Guide preview back out of the hands of Tuesday's pernicious pirates. Inside this upcoming tome of cutting-edge characters and radical races you'll find all the information you need on creating members of all three of the races previewed here, along with any other exotic beings you’ve ever wanted to play or can possibly imagine. Check back next Tuesday for your first look at some of the Advanced Race Guide's new rules, with a focus on its woodsier wonders...
Really this time.
Illustrations by Ben Wootten, Anna Christenson and Rayph Beisner
... The Advanced Race Guide is Coming! Tuesday, April 3, 2012We've been talking about it for many months now, but we're finally getting close to the release of the Advanced Race Guide. So, the time has come to start giving you some previews of this hefty tome of racial options and lore. ... To start, I thought I'd give you an overview of what to expect in the book. Inside, you will find four large, meaty chapters, filled with rules and information concerning all of the core races and just...
The Advanced Race Guide is Coming!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
We've been talking about it for many months now, but we're finally getting close to the release of the Advanced Race Guide. So, the time has come to start giving you some previews of this hefty tome of racial options and lore.
To start, I thought I'd give you an overview of what to expect in the book. Inside, you will find four large, meaty chapters, filled with rules and information concerning all of the core races and just about every player-friendly race you'll find in the Bestiary, Bestiary 2, or Bestiary 3. The first chapter covers the core races, giving you ten pages of information about the race, including new alternate racial traits, favored class options (for all of the classes), archetypes, feats, gear, spells, and magic items. Following this up in the second chapter are sixteen races given six full pages each to explore new options, including alternate racial traits, a handful of favored class options, archetypes, and some additional rules to round out your choices. While not as common as the core races, any one of these selected races would make for a fine PC or companion (with your GM's approval, of course). Finally, we shift focus to fifteen uncommon races. Each one of these gets two pages, presenting race history, a few alternate traits, favored class options, an archetype a few additional rules to get you going.
After giving you a mountain of racial options for 38 different races, you'd think we would be just about out of space, but no. The final chapter of the book contains a complete system for designing your own races, balancing them against the others in the book, or even going above and beyond, creating more powerful races that emulate monsters from a Bestiary or your own imagination. This system went through a significant playtest a while back, and we think that with the final tuning, you're really going to enjoy tinkering with this system.
But enough of my rambling. Let me give you a brief preview of what you can expect in Chapter One of the book. Take a look at this art from the stonelord paladin archetype found in the dwarf section. This guy slowly transforms into stone as he goes up in level, gaining DR, a host of immunities, and the ability to summon a small earth elemental to serve him! Next week, we will continue to explore Chapter One, looking at some leafy friends.
... Carnage at Your Fingertips Tuesday, March 27, 2012Do you like your combats bloody? When you score a critical hit or your enemy fumbles, do you want viscera to spray across the screen in you mind? Do you like the sound of your vanquished foe’s body slam against the walls of that cliff you threw him down? Then you probably already have the GameMastery Critical Hit Deck and Critical Fumble Deck. Paizo now offers them in digital form, as the iCrit and iFumble apps and they are available for...
Carnage at Your Fingertips
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Do you like your combats bloody? When you score a critical hit or your enemy fumbles, do you want viscera to spray across the screen in you mind? Do you like the sound of your vanquished foe’s body slam against the walls of that cliff you threw him down? Then you probably already have the GameMastery Critical Hit Deck and Critical Fumble Deck. Paizo now offers them in digital form, as the iCrit and iFumble apps and they are available for both iPhone and Android.
The iPhone versions of these apps have been up for a while. Many of you have already downloaded them and we’re glad you like it. We hope the Android users will be just as pleased with the new versions.
This is the beginning. We are moving forward with more digital tools. We want to make tools that are useful and fun. We want to make tools that you will use and love because they aid the game you love to play.
We have some ideas. We have some secret plans. But you folks have an opinion on everything, and as a group, you folks buy nearly everything. What do you want to see in future phone and tablet tools for Pathfinder?
... Advanced Race Guide is Away! Tuesday, March 13, 2012Last week we sent the Advanced Race Guide to the printer. In the very near future we’ll be sharing some previews of this book, which is chock-full of new options for characters of all playable races. Until then, we thought we would whet your appetite by showing off this books amazing cover, painted by the lovely and talented Wayne Reynolds. ... And now, just for fun, if you were writing a caption for this cover, what would it be? You get...
Advanced Race Guide is Away!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Last week we sent the Advanced Race Guide to the printer. In the very near future we’ll be sharing some previews of this book, which is chock-full of new options for characters of all playable races. Until then, we thought we would whet your appetite by showing off this books amazing cover, painted by the lovely and talented Wayne Reynolds.
And now, just for fun, if you were writing a caption for this cover, what would it be? You get extra points for fun, creativity, and humor... as well as good taste.
... Ultimate Equipment: What's Missing? Tuesday, March 6, 2012Now that we’re wrapping up the last of the Advanced Race Guide, the design team is starting to work on Ultimate Equipment. This hardcover will cover all kinds of mundane and magical items for the Pathfinder RPG. As we have a little time before the text goes over to the editors, we’d like to give you one last chance to provide feedback for the book. Is there a kind of magic item that you’d like to see in this book? Is there an item...
Ultimate Equipment: What's Missing?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Now that we’re wrapping up the last of the Advanced Race Guide, the design team is starting to work on Ultimate Equipment. This hardcover will cover all kinds of mundane and magical items for the Pathfinder RPG. As we have a little time before the text goes over to the editors, we’d like to give you one last chance to provide feedback for the book. Is there a kind of magic item that you’d like to see in this book? Is there an item category that’s lacking? Is there a class or game mechanic that is underrepresented in the item lists? Leave your feedback to this blog entry and we’ll see what else we can cram into the book!
Edit: Just to clarify, this book is basically a "shopping catalogue" of items fantasy adventurers may want to own and have a reasonable chance of purchasing. It isn't introducing any new rule systems or subsystems (such as legacy weapons), rework character wealth by level or the problems with the "big six" magic items, or introduce new magic item slots, new classes or archetypes, clarifications or expansions of the crafting or magic item pricing rules, castles and furniture, shift existing items to different slots, include magical equivalents of technological items (cell phones, portable stoves), items that duplicate or invalidate class abilities or feats, or futuristic weapons. We are adding new magic items to every single magic item slot. In particular, we'd like to know if there are any mundane items, weapons, or armor that fill a niche which isn't already covered in the game.
... Bride of the FAQ Attack! Tuesday, February 28, 2012She’s ready to pounce! ... If I have the pounce ability and I charge with a lance, do my iterative lance attacks get the extra damage multiplier from charging? ... No, for two reasons. ... One, because a lance only deals extra damage when you’re riding a charging mount—not when you are charging. ... Two, even if you have an unusual combination of rules that allows you to ignore the above limitation, it doesn’t makes sense that those...
Bride of the FAQ Attack!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
She’s ready to pounce!
If I have the pounce ability and I charge with a lance, do my iterative lance attacks get the extra damage multiplier from charging?
No, for two reasons.
One, because a lance only deals extra damage when you’re riding a charging mount—not when you are charging.
Two, even if you have an unusual combination of rules that allows you to ignore the above limitation, it doesn’t makes sense that those iterative attacks gain the damage bonus. To make that second attack, you have to pull the lance back and stab forward again, and that stab doesn’t have the benefit of the charge’s momentum. (The Core Rulebook doesn’t state that you only get the damage multiplier on the first attack with a lance because there is no rule in the Core Rulebook that allows a PC to charge and take multiple attacks with a weapon, so that combination didn’t need to be addressed.)
If I drink a potion, do I automatically forgo my save against that potion?
No. Nothing in the potion rules says it changes whether or not you get a saving throw against the spell stored in the potion. Even if someone hands you a potion of poison and tells you it’s a potion of cure serious wounds, you still get a save.
Does the dodge bonus from the “offensive defensive” rogue talent (Advanced Player’s Guide, page 131) stack with itself? Does it apply to everyone, or just to the target I’m attacking?
There are two issues relating to this rogue talent.
One, in the first printing it provided a +1 circumstance bonus against the attacked target, which was a very weak ability. The second printing update changed it from a circumstance bonus to a dodge bonus, but accidentally omitted the “against that creature” text, which made it a very strong ability.
Two, it doesn’t specify whether the dodge bonus stacks with itself, and because this creates a strange place in the rules where bonuses don’t stack from the same source but dodge bonuses always stack. While we haven’t reached a final decision on what to do about this talent, we are leaning toward this solution: the dodge bonus only applies against the creature you sneak attacked, and the dodge bonus does not stack with itself. This prevents you from getting a dodge bonus to AC against a strong creature by sneak attacking a weak creature, and prevents you from reaching an absurdly high AC by sneak attacking multiple times in the same round.
... Revenge of the Son of the FAQ Attack! Tuesday, February 21, 2012It’s back, and it wants revenge! ... Inappropriately Sized Firearms (Ultimate Combat, page 136): Does this allow a Medium or smaller creature to use larger firearms of any size? ... The text of the rule is, The size of a firearm never affects how many hands you need to use to shoot it. The intent of that rule was to prevent a Medium character from using a Small rifle as a one-handed pistol; it wasn’t intended to let a Medium...
Revenge of the Son of the FAQ Attack!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
It’s back, and it wants revenge!
Inappropriately Sized Firearms (Ultimate Combat, page 136): Does this allow a Medium or smaller creature to use larger firearms of any size?
The text of the rule is, "The size of a firearm never affects how many hands you need to use to shoot it." The intent of that rule was to prevent a Medium character from using a Small rifle as a one-handed pistol; it wasn’t intended to let a Medium character use a Large, Huge, Gargantuan, or Colossal two-handed firearm as a two-handed weapon. Just like with non-firearms, a creature cannot wield a weapon that’s far too big or small for it. Specifically in the case of firearms, a Medium character can’t use a two-handed firearm sized for a Large or larger creature, and a Small character can’t use a two-handed firearm sized for a Medium or larger creature.
Pounce (Bestiary, page 302): If have this ability, can I make iterative attacks with weapons as part of my full attack?
Any attack sequence you can perform as a full attack is allowed as part of the charge-pounce-full attack. For example, a barbarian with the greater beast totem rage power gains pounce universal monster ability and could make iterative attacks with manufactured weapons as part of her charge-pounce-full attack.
Spell Combat (Ultimate Magic, page 10): Can a magus use this ability with cantrips?
Yes. It is not limited to spells of level 1 or higher.
Rage Mutagen (Ultimate Combat, page 25): Is the Strength bonus for this archetype ability in addition to the normal bonus for a Strength mutagen?
No, the +6 replaces the normal +4 Strength bonus of the alchemist’s Strength mutagen. This will be clarified in a future printing of Ultimate Combat.
Page 25—In the Ragechemist archetype, in the Rage Mutagen class feature, change the first sentence to read as follows:
"At 2nd level, whenever a ragechemist creates a mutagen that improves his Strength, that mutagen’s bonus to Strength increases by +2 and penalizes the alchemist’s Intelligence score."
... Revenge of the FAQ Attack! Tuesday, February 14, 2012Last week’s FAQ blog was so popular, we made a sequel! ... In a world where FAQs run rampant... ... What does “with” in the Special line for the Feral Combat Training feat (Ultimate Combat, page 101) mean for monks making a flurry of blows? ... Normally a monk who has natural attacks (such as a lizardfolk monk with claw attacks) cannot use those natural attacks as part of a flurry of blows (Core Rulebook 57). Feral Combat Training...
Revenge of the FAQ Attack!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Last week’s FAQ blog was so popular, we made a sequel!
In a world where FAQs run rampant...
What does “with” in the Special line for the Feral Combat Training feat (Ultimate Combat, page 101) mean for monks making a flurry of blows?
Normally a monk who has natural attacks (such as a lizardfolk monk with claw attacks) cannot use those natural attacks as part of a flurry of blows (Core Rulebook 57). Feral Combat Training allows you to use the selected natural attack as if it were a monk weapon—you can use it as one of your flurry of blows attacks, use it to deploy special attacks that require you to use a monk weapon, apply the effects of the natural weapon (such as a poisonous bite) for each flurry of blows attack, and so on.
The feat does not allow you to make your normal flurry of blows attack sequence plus one or more natural attacks with the natural weapon. In other words, if you can flurry for four attacks per round, with this feat you still only make four attacks per round... but any number of those attacks may be with the selected natural weapon.
Can I use Cleave (Core Rulebook, page 119) or Great Cleave (page 124) to cleave to or from an image created by a mirror image spell (page 315)?
No. If your initial attack hit the caster, you can’t cleave to an image as if it were an actual creature. If your initial attack hit an image, you failed to hit your intended target (the caster), and therefore can’t cleave. As you can’t specifically target an image (because you can’t tell the images from the actual caster), you likewise can’t aim for an image and try to cleave to another image.
Can I use magic missile (Core Rulebook, page 309) to destroy one or more images from a mirror image spell (page 315)?
No. Magic missile targets a creature and does not require an attack roll, so it bypasses all the images and always hits the caster.
... FAQ Attack! Tuesday, February 7, 2012It’s time to address some FAQs! These answers will be added to the official FAQ later this week. ... How is the negative energy affinity monster ability (Bestiary 2, page 299) supposed to work? ... The intent of this ability is that the creature is healed by negative energy (like an undead) and harmed by positive energy (like an undead); this is automatic and has nothing to do with the intent of the target or the energy-wielder. However, as written,...
FAQ Attack!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
It’s time to address some FAQs! These answers will be added to the official FAQ later this week.
How is the negative energy affinity monster ability (Bestiary 2, page 299) supposed to work?
The intent of this ability is that the creature is healed by negative energy (like an undead) and harmed by positive energy (like an undead); this is automatic and has nothing to do with the intent of the target or the energy-wielder. However, as written, the ability is a bit confusing because of the phrase “reacts to,” which doesn’t have a clear definition. This ability will be changed in the next printing of Bestiary 2.
Update: Page 299—In the description of the Negative Energy Affinity ability, replace the current entry with the following:
Negative Energy Affinity (Ex) The creature is alive, but is treated as undead for all effects that affect undead differently than living creatures, such as cure spells and channeled energy. Format: negative energy affinity; Location: Defensive Abilities.
Is the aquatic sorcerer bloodline (Advanced Players Guide, page 136) supposed to get geyser as a bonus spell at sorcerer level 9, even though that’s normally a 5th-level sorcerer/wizard spell and unavailable to sorcerers before caster level 10?
Yes, and the sorcerer learns it as a 4th-level spell. Note that geyser is also a 4th-level druid spell (available at character level 7), so the aquatic sorcerer gaining it at character level 9 as a 4th-level arcane spell isn’t too powerful.
Can a magus use spellstrike (Ultimate Magic, page 10) to cast a touch spell, move, and make a melee attack with a weapon to deliver the touch spell, all in the same round?
Yes. Other than deploying the spell with a melee weapon attack instead of a melee touch attack, the magus spellstrike ability doesn’t change the normal rules for using touch spells in combat (Core Rulebook 185). So, just like casting a touch spell, a magus could use spellstrike to cast a touch spell, take a move toward an enemy, then (as a free action) make a melee attack with his weapon to deliver the spell.
On a related topic, the magus touching his held weapon doesn’t count as “touching anything or anyone” when determining if he discharges the spell. A magus could even use the spellstrike ability, miss with his melee attack to deliver the spell, be disarmed by an opponent (or drop the weapon voluntarily, for whatever reason), and still be holding the charge in his hand, just like a normal spellcaster. Furthermore, the weaponless magus could pick up a weapon (even that same weapon) with that hand without automatically discharging the spell, and then attempt to use the weapon to deliver the spell. However, if the magus touches anything other than a weapon with that hand (such as retrieving a potion), that discharges the spell as normal.
Basically, the spellstrike gives the magus more options when it comes to delivering touch spells; it’s not supposed to make it more difficult for the magus to use touch spells.
... Analyzing a Magic Item Stat Block Tuesday, January 10, 2012 ... Illustration by Damien MammolitiAs Ryan Dancey, Clark Peterson, Neil Spicer, and I work our way through the last wondrous item submissions for RPG Superstar, I've come to realize two things. One, magic item stat blocks convey a lot of information, and two, many people don't understand what goes into a magic item stat block. In this blog, I'll dissect a magic item stat block and explain what goes where, and why. ... Item Name:...
Analyzing a Magic Item Stat Block
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Illustration by Damien Mammoliti
As Ryan Dancey, Clark Peterson, Neil Spicer, and I work our way through the last wondrous item submissions for RPG Superstar, I've come to realize two things. One, magic item stat blocks convey a lot of information, and two, many people don't understand what goes into a magic item stat block. In this blog, I'll dissect a magic item stat block and explain what goes where, and why.
Item Name: This section is self-evident. The magic item name header in the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook looks like this is in all caps, but it's just a text style—don't type yours in all caps!
Aura: This section exists so the GM can quickly tell a player what schools of magic the item uses. This is noteworthy only if the PC fails the Spellcraft check to identify the item and needs an idea of what it may do. Auras are always written as "faint," "moderate," or "strong," plus the appropriate school or schools, and perhaps a subschool if relevant.
CL: The caster level tells you what caster level the item operates at. This means you don't have to specify a caster level in the item's description—if you find an orb that can create a fireball, it doesn't need to say "fireball (10d6)." Unless otherwise specified, the item uses this caster level for all of its abilities. The caster level should include the ordinal abbreviation for that number: "CL 1st" instead of just "CL 1," "CL 2nd" instead of just "CL 2," and so on.
Slot: This slot tells you which of the magic item "body slots" the item uses (Core Rulebook 459). If you have to hold the item in your hand (like a rod of wonder) or if it doesn't use a slot at all (like an ioun stone), it's listed slot is "none." (Paizo used to put a dash there for slotless items but no longer does it that way.)
Price: This is the item's market price—how much you'd pay for it if you bought it from an NPC. This is never expressed as a fraction or decimal; "12 gp, 5 sp" is correct, "12.5 gp" is not, nor is "12 1/2 gp." If the item costs more than 999 gp, put a comma in to separate the thousands ("20,000 gp" instead of "20000 gp" or "20.000 gp"). If your item costs more than 200,000 gp, it's probably an artifact rather than a regular magic item. If the item has several types (like a figurine of wondrous power) with different costs, each is listed here, separated by commas.
Weight: This is how much the item weighs, in pounds (abbreviated "lb." for 1 pound or less and "lbs." for 2 or more pounds). Most common items in the game have a specific weight, just for consistency. For example, boots weigh 1 lb., so players don't have to remember different boot weights. Some light items, like gems, headbands, and rings, have a standard weight of "—," which means individually their weight isn't important (though the GM can rule that a chest full of them has weight). When in doubt, find a similar item in the Core Rulebook and use the listed weight.
Description (Header): This is a text format we call a "breaker"—the all caps and lines above and below the text are just an applied style. Like the title, don't type this line in all caps, and don't add underlining.
Description (Paragraph): The paragraph description of a magic item should say (1) what it looks like, (2) what the item does, and (3) how often you can use the item.
Normally, using a magic item is a standard action. You shouldn't give an item a shorter activation time than that because it messes with the "action economy" of the combat round—a player who tries to create a faster item is trying to do more than one magical thing per round.
Whether or not using an item provokes an attack of opportunity is built into how it's activated (Core Rulebook 458). This means for command word items you don't need to say that it's a standard action to activate and that it doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity—that's assumed for all command word items. In fact, the assumption is if an item doesn't say how you activate it, it's a command word item.
Magic items that have effects requiring saving throws should include those saves in the item description. If it's duplicating a spell, the default save DC is the minimum for casting that spell: 10 + 1.5 x the spell's level.
If you refer to specific spells, italicize them, like fireball or pearl of power. If you refer to feats or skill names, capitalize them, like Power Attack, Weapon Focus (longsword), Perception, or Knowledge (local). There's very little else in the game that always requires capitalization—you don't capitalize class names (cleric), race names (dwarf), combat maneuvers (grapple, trip), or other specific rules (breath weapon, drowning, trample, poison).
Construction (Header): Like the Description header, this is not all caps and not manually underlined.
Requirements: This section is all the stuff a character needs to create the item using an item-crafting feat. List the crafting feat first (capitalized), followed by spell names (italicized), followed by any other requirements such as needing ranks in a skill (capitalized) or an ability like channel energy.
Cost: This is the item's sale cost—how much a PC could get for selling it to an NPC. This is always half the item's Price (with the exception of magic weapons, magic armor, and items with expensive material components or foci, because the extra cost is factored in differently). If your item's Cost isn't half its Price, you've done it wrong. All rules for the Price apply to the Cost (no decimals, no fractions, separate variants with commas).
Phew! That's a whole lot of nitpicking, but it can make the difference between a professional-looking item and an amateur-looking one, and between a reasonable item and an overpowered item.
Pathfinder Battles Preview: One More Look at the Bad Guys
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: One More Look at the Bad Guys Friday, January 6, 2012January 11th is the official release date for Pathfinder Battles: Heroes & Monsters, our first big set of prepainted miniatures produced in cooperation with WizKids! That means we have only two more chances to show off the final sculpts of minis we've previously revealed only as digital renders or pre-production samples. A few commenters on last week's preview blog also suggested some size comparison shots,...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: One More Look at the Bad Guys
Friday, January 6, 2012
January 11th is the official release date for Pathfinder Battles: Heroes & Monsters, our first big set of prepainted miniatures produced in cooperation with WizKids! That means we have only two more chances to show off the final sculpts of minis we've previously revealed only as digital renders or pre-production samples. A few commenters on last week's preview blog also suggested some size comparison shots, which we've thrown together below.
Two weeks from today, we'll begin to reveal some of the amazing miniatures in store for our next set, Rise of the Runelords. We now have photos of paint masters for about half of that set, so you can expect to see some amazing, full-color images pretty much immediately.
But that's the future, and the first set isn't even out yet. It deserves just a little bit more time in the sun.
Once again, these are photos of actual miniatures from the Heroes & Monsters set. Enjoy!
Up first we have the Zombie, a common menace that can't wait to sink its teeth into your player characters. As I chronicled several preview blogs ago, this guy started out with a kind of goofy "dancing" pose, but his revised look is more of an undead lunge, and I'm really pleased with how he turned out.
This rare Werewolf retains very little of his original clothing, and almost none of his humanity. The black paint scheme perfectly matches the common Wolf in this same set, giving you both bestial forms of a lycanthropic menace.
This haunting fellow, the rare Spectre, is enormously spooky. The detailed sculpt of his wispy bottom half looks really great in-hand, as many of you will no doubt discover only a few days from now.
Here we have the uncommon Venomous Snake, looking like it's slithered directly off the page of the Pathfinder Bestiary. Ssssssweet!
Speaking of snakes, who better to accompany the Venomous Snake than the rare Medusa, one of the best sculpts in the set? WizKids did a great job capturing the likeness of this iconic creature, and I'm willing to bet she becomes one of the break-out favorites of the set.
And here's my absolute favorite of the bunch, the rare Ettin. I don't think there's ever been a better prepainted mini of this two-headed giant, who absolutely towers over the other figures in this set.
Don't believe me? Check this out:
See what I mean? This guy is huuuuuge. Ok, he's actually Large, in game terms, but he really pushes the envelope, and is sure to elicit gasps from your players when you plunk him on the table!
Of course, the special promotional Huge Black Dragon (who actually is Huge) is the real masterpiece of the set. Here he is standing next to the Medusa, who really ought to start fast-talking soon. Acid breath cuts right through stone, so I imagine it does a good number of filmy white cloth and slightly scaly skin...
That's it! The final look at the monsters of Heroes & Monsters. Next week, we'll take one more look at the heroes, and after that, we're off to Varisia to take a very early peek at the Rise of the Runelords!
Only five days until the official release of Heroes & Monsters! Order your copies today before they are gone forever (something I suspect will be happening sooner rather than later)!
Pathfinder Battles Preview: From Digital Renders to Final Product
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: From Digital Renders to Final Product Friday, December 30, 2011When we first started revealing images from the Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters set, all we had to show off were the very earliest computer-rendered images from the first few weeks of production. These gave a good idea of the quality we were shooting for with this first set of prepainted miniatures, but the digital renders lacked some of the depth and paint steps of the final miniatures. ......
Pathfinder Battles Preview: From Digital Renders to Final Product
Friday, December 30, 2011
When we first started revealing images from the Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters set, all we had to show off were the very earliest computer-rendered images from the first few weeks of production. These gave a good idea of the quality we were shooting for with this first set of prepainted miniatures, but the digital renders lacked some of the depth and paint steps of the final miniatures.
Now that we’ve revealed the complete set in one way or the other and we stand on the precipice of the actual release, I wanted to go back through the set and update a few minis that you’ve only seen in digital form thus far. Below are actual photos of actual miniatures from the Heroes & Monsters set.
This little guy was one of the very first digital renders we revealed way back in August. Here’s the wily Gnome Fighter in all his final glory, complete with a tankard on his belt and bright orange hair to terrify his enemies. This uncommon miniature comes packed with the Dire Rat we showed off two weeks ago.
Next up is the rare Half-Orc Barbarian, one of the set’s most complex figures in terms of pose and detail. This figure looks wonderful in-hand, and makes a fantastic mini for the archetypal, well, half-orc barbarian. Good? Bad? He’s the one with the axe.
This rare Vampire, on the other hand, is all bad guy. WizKids did a great job bringing out the complex detail on the Vampire’s stylish armor. Whether he gets you with his upraised sword, his nasty fangs, or his essence-draining touch, the Vampire will get you one way or the other.
This sexy lady with red demon wings is looking for a good time, and promises a kiss you will never forget (note: do not actually make out with your Pathfinder Battles figures). She’s the rare Succubus, and she’s not pleased with your remark that Bettie Page hairdos are so 2002.
This bad boy, the rare Troll, leaps off the cover of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary to menace your gaming table. Sure, he looks a little like he’s got his hands in the air like he just don’t care, but those jazz hands will tear your player character to shreds, which will then be devoured by his jazz tusks. He will kick your azz.
Also awesome: The more than 25 paint masters for the next set, Rise of the Runelords, that WizKids brought over for approval this afternoon. I won’t be revealing any of those until after Heroes & Monsters is out, but when I crassly mentioned how I thought you guys would react upon seeing them, James Jacobs was friendly enough to offer two G-rated corrections. In his words, you will “poop your pantaloons,” or “brown your britches.”
I couldn’t have said it better (or cleaner) myself!
... Puzzling Races Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Last week Sean shared a list of the featured races appearing in the Advanced Race Guide. He’s a softie, intoxicated with a dose of holiday cheer, and was hopped up on the sugary goodness that is Andrew Vallas’s mom’s delicious baklava. (She sends a care package with enough for everyone in the Paizo offices just in time for Christmas and it is marvelous. Phenomenal even...but I digress.) ... This week, you get me. I’m not nearly as charitable, I’m...
Puzzling Races
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Last week Sean shared a list of the featured races appearing in the Advanced Race Guide. He’s a softie, intoxicated with a dose of holiday cheer, and was hopped up on the sugary goodness that is Andrew Vallas’s mom’s delicious baklava. (She sends a care package with enough for everyone in the Paizo offices just in time for Christmas and it is marvelous. Phenomenal even...but I digress.)
This week, you get me. I’m not nearly as charitable, I’m a bit of a humbug, and all my baklava is long gone, so I’m going to make you work for the next preview. As Sean explained last week, Chapter 3 of the Advanced Race Guide provides information about 14 uncommon races. Below you’ll find the first letter of the name of each of those races. Let’s see how long it takes you to correctly guess them all.
Using the Beginner Box to Create a Pathfinder Society Character
... Using the Beginner Box to Create a Pathfinder Society Character Monday, December 26, 2011 I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and is looking forward to an exciting new year. I am sure quite a few folks gave or received the Beginner Box as presents this past weekend. Inside that box, there is a flyer for Pathfinder Society that includes a link to the website but no explanation of how to integrate the play or rules from the Beginner Box into use for Pathfinder Society play. ... One of...
Using the Beginner Box to Create a Pathfinder Society Character
Monday, December 26, 2011
I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and is looking forward to an exciting new year. I am sure quite a few folks gave or received the Beginner Box as presents this past weekend. Inside that box, there is a flyer for Pathfinder Society that includes a link to the website but no explanation of how to integrate the play or rules from the Beginner Box into use for Pathfinder Society play.
One of the earliest experiences I had during my first week at Paizo was Erik Mona, our publisher, handing me the Beginner Box and advising me we needed to have a guide that allowed players to create a legal Pathfinder Society character using just the Beginner Box rules. As I had not seen it until that moment, the task seemed quite daunting.
Like many of you, I had looked forward to the release of the Beginner Box with much anticipation and I liked what I found inside. I was scheduled to go to a trade show the following week and the airplane flight gave me plenty of time to read through everything in the box. The pawns also served as a good conversation piece for the people seated near me on the plane between Seattle and Chicago. It was at 36,000 feet that I started formulating ideas of what I thought should be included in a character creation guide.
Once I was back in Seattle, I posted a list of ideas and solicited suggestions from the Pathfinder Society Venture-Captains and Venture-Lieutenants. We brainstormed a good bit about what I had missed that should be included or what I had placed in it that should be taken out. We worked at the phrasing of sentences, brainstormed several more times about missed ideas, and finally arrived at the finished free product. The guide provides a step–by–step walkthrough of the Pathfinder Society character creation process while referring you back to the Hero’s Handbook. These instructions allow for a seamless transition from the Beginner Box to Pathfinder Society play. A special thank you goes out to Boston Venture-Captain Don Walker for his incredible amount of wordsmithing that went into the final document.
If you have any questions, especially if you are new to Pathfinder and Pathfinder Society, please visit the Pathfinder Society messageboards. Our Venture-Captains and Venture-Lieutenants are more than happy to answer any questions you might have, whether they are about how to find a local Pathfinder Society game or about how some rule works that is found in the Core Rulebook but not in the Beginner Box.
If you have never experienced Pathfinder Society, I encourage you to make a New Year’s resolution to give it a try. If you can’t find a game in your area, there are options for play-by-post Pathfinder Society sessions. If you are a veteran of the campaign, I look forward to working with you in 2012 to make Pathfinder Society even better than it is now.
... Illustration by Klaus Scherwinski Advanced Race Guide: Featured Races Tuesday, December 20, 2011Now that we’re wrapping up the last of the Advanced Race Guide, we’ve decided to give you a very early sneak peek at some of its contents. While Chapter 1 covers the races in the Core Rulebook, Chapter 2: Featured Races gives more details on many popular but less common races for the game, plus game mechanics like alternate racial traits and favored class options (like you saw for the core...
Illustration by Klaus Scherwinski
Advanced Race Guide: Featured Races
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Now that we’re wrapping up the last of the Advanced Race Guide, we’ve decided to give you a very early sneak peek at some of its contents. While Chapter 1 covers the races in the Core Rulebook, Chapter 2: Featured Races gives more details on many popular but less common races for the game, plus game mechanics like alternate racial traits and favored class options (like you saw for the core races in the Advanced Player’s Guide) and some other neat stuff you’ll find out about later. Here’s the list of races in this chapter, each getting 6 pages:
Aasimar
Catfolk
Dhampir
Drow
Fetchling
Goblin
Hobgoblin
Ifrit
Kobold
Orc
Oread
Ratfolk
Sylph
Tengu
Tiefling
Undine
If your favorite non-core PC race isn’t listed here, don’t worry—there are 14 races getting two pages each in Chapter 3, and the build-a-race options in Chapter 4 give you even more choices.
Pathfinder Battles Preview: A Gaggle of Goblins and Gargoyles
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: A Gaggle of Goblins and Gargoyles Friday, December 8, 2011Today’s preview blog marks an important milestone for the Heroes & Monsters set of prepainted Pathfinder Battles miniatures. With this preview, we’ve revealed all 40 miniatures in the set! In the few more weeks leading up to the formal release of Heroes & Monsters (looking like very early January, at this point), I’ll go back through the set and show off painted versions of early unpainted preview...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: A Gaggle of Goblins and Gargoyles
Friday, December 8, 2011
Today’s preview blog marks an important milestone for the Heroes & Monsters set of prepainted Pathfinder Battles miniatures. With this preview, we’ve revealed all 40 miniatures in the set! In the few more weeks leading up to the formal release of Heroes & Monsters (looking like very early January, at this point), I’ll go back through the set and show off painted versions of early unpainted preview sculpts and digital renders, but with the images below, you will have seen (in one form or another) every single miniature in our first Pathfinder Battles set.
The most elusive preview image for Heroes & Monsters has been this Gargoyle, based on art from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. Like his counterparts perched upon gothic buildings, the Gargoyle blended in well with his surroundings, and I never managed to add him to the preview pile until now. There’s no reason we’ve been holding him back—he’s a really cool miniature, with sweeping wings and big curved horns. If you’re feeling adventurous, a coat of paint on this guy could make him into a demon or devil too.
Next up we have all four goblins in the Heroes & Monsters set. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that we had to remove the Goblin Mystic sculpt for quality control reasons (his noggin was way, way, way too big), leaving us in a significant pickle. Unfortunately, there was no time to add a full-on new goblin sculpt, so we made the best of a bad situation, and decided to add a re-decoed Goblin Hero in place of the badly sized Mystic. The four goblins in the set, from left to right in the image above, are Goblin Warrior, Goblin Hero, Goblin Hero, and Goblin Warrior.
We’ve painted these similar miniatures in two distinctive paint schemes, making it possible to imagine them as members of different goblin tribes. The two Goblin Warrior sculpts are very minor variations with very slight pose differences. The Goblin Heroes are the same sculpt painted differently.
The goblin minis come two to a pack, so you should be able to start your goblin horde fairly quickly. The next set, Rise of the Runelords, has several more goblins on the way, including a Goblin Warchanter, Goblin Commando, Goblin Commando on Goblin Dog, and a goblin chief astride a giant gecko.
... Familiar Foes Thursday, December 8, 2011Having written several of the monsters for Bestiary 3 during my long-ago days as a freelancer (I can’t believe it’s almost been 6 months since I started work as a developer!), I have a lot of reasons to be excited for its upcoming debut. While it was fun working on the beasties from various mythologies, I would be lying if I said all of my favorites came from that background, because this book is simply so packed with monsters both new and old. For...
Familiar Foes
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Having written several of the monsters for Bestiary 3 during my long-ago days as a freelancer (I can’t believe it’s almost been 6 months since I started work as a developer!), I have a lot of reasons to be excited for its upcoming debut. While it was fun working on the beasties from various mythologies, I would be lying if I said all of my favorites came from that background, because this book is simply so packed with monsters both new and old. For example, check out these four creatures, some sinister beings hinted at in the Pathfinder campaign setting, others beasts of RPG legend finally updated for the Pathfinder RPG. Recognize any favorites? Discover or rediscover more than 300 legendary monsters when Bestiary 3 releases later this month!
Illustrations by Jean-Baptiste Reynaud, Tyler Walpole, Carolina Eade, and Dmitry Burmak
... Unflinching Evil Tuesday, December 6, 2011 When brainstorming a new hardcover bestiary, we have many goals. These books give us an opportunity to support new Adventure Paths and other products. A new 300-plus-page volume of monsters gives us a chance to delve deep into the world’s mythologies and find new and interesting creatures from stories around the world. We get to express our love for classic creatures, exploring the genre’s rich history and smoothing out some of its wackiness. But...
Unflinching Evil
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
When brainstorming a new hardcover bestiary, we have many goals. These books give us an opportunity to support new Adventure Paths and other products. A new 300-plus-page volume of monsters gives us a chance to delve deep into the world’s mythologies and find new and interesting creatures from stories around the world. We get to express our love for classic creatures, exploring the genre’s rich history and smoothing out some of its wackiness. But it also gives us the opportunity to be evil.
And we love us some evil.
Monsters have the potential to take on a number of roles in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. They can help a GM illuminate his or her campaign world. Monsters can serve as the impetus for adventure, calling the characters to quests with both words and actions. There is little doubt, though, that the chief job of monsters is to bring the hurt. Some of the best monsters are unflinching in their evil, and that’s the way we like them. While any monster has the potential for true evil, few fill that role like undead. And Bestiary 3has a large portion of undead. From the life-draining hollow serpent, to the soul trapping demilich, to the ship-wreaking sea bonze, all of these monsters have an all-consuming hatred for living things and the living world that has forsaken them. Even on the rare occasions where diplomacy is employed and parley is engaged, all but the most hopeful or deluded adventurer knows that an encounter with undead is doomed to end in the destruction of that corrupt thing or with character death. Their foul nature leaves little room for any middle ground. Even the gun-toting pale stranger—a gunslinger risen from the grave to right some past wrong—is corrupt, evil, and must eventually be put down to make the world a better, safer place.
So if you are like me, you love your monsters purely evil, and like to unleash hordes of unredeemable and creepy undead at your party, you are going to like what you find when you crack open Bestiary 3. While Halloween is long gone, consider celebrating a nightmarish holiday season with the ghastly things you find within its pages. You can start with this one: the tzitzimitl, and creature of apocalyptic evil, which exists only to blot out the sun and end all life that dares come across its path.
Illustration by Kieran Yanner
Tzitzimitl CR 19
XP 204,800
NE Gargantuan undead Init +9; Sensesarcane sight, darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Perception +31
Defense
AC 35, touch 11, flat-footed 30 (+5 Dex, +24 natural, –4 size) hp 319 (22d8+220); fast healing 15 Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +19 Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, light to dark; DR 15/bludgeoning and good; Immune cold, electricity, undead traits; Resist fire 15; SR 30
Offense
Speed 50 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Melee bite +26 (2d8+14 plus 3d6 electricity and energy drain), 2 claws +27 (2d6+14/19–20 plus 3d6 electricity) Ranged eye beam +17 touch (10d6 electricity and 10d6 force) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks eclipse, energy drain (2 levels, DC 31) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 19th; concentration +29)
Constant—arcane sight, fly, true seeing
At will—bestow curse (DC 24), deeper darkness
3/day—animate dead, contagion (DC 23), greater teleport, haste
1/day—create undead, temporal stasis (DC 28), wail of the banshee (DC 29)
Statistics
Str 39, Dex 21, Con —, Int 20, Wis 23, Cha 30 Base Atk +16; CMB +29; CMD 44 Feats Awesome Blow, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Fly +35, Knowledge (arcana) +28, Knowledge (nature) +27, Knowledge (planes) +25, Knowledge (religion) +30, Perception +31, Sense Motive +31, Spellcraft +23, Survival +21, Use Magic Device +30 Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Common
Ecology
Environment any Organization solitary Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Eclipse (Su) Anytime a tzitzimitl casts deeper darkness, any creatures in the area of darkness when it is created take 8d6 points of cold damage (DC 31 Fortitude for half). Any creature that takes damage from this effect becomes staggered as long as it remains in the area of darkness and for 1d4 rounds after it leaves that area. The save DC is Charisma-based. Eye Beam (Su) As a standard action, a tzitzimitl can fire a glowing beam of force from its eyes at a range of 100 feet as a ranged touch attack dealing 10d6 points of force damage and 10d6 points of electricity damage. Light to Dark (Su) As an immediate action up to three times per day, a tzitzimitl can convert a positive energy effect that affects it into negative energy. Doing so transforms the entire effect, such that it affects other creatures as well. A tzitzimitl can transform channeled positive energy in this way even if the positive energy would not otherwise harm it.
... It's RPG Superstar Time! Monday, December 5, 2011Tomorrow marks the official launch of RPG Superstar 2012, Paizo’s annual open-call RPG design competition! That means a lot of excitement here at the Paizo offices, because if this year’s Superstar is anything like the previous four, we’re about to discover some serious design talent that will help us years into the future. ... As in previous years, the final winner of this year’s RPG Superstar will receive a contract to write a Pathfinder...
It's RPG Superstar Time!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tomorrow marks the official launch of RPG Superstar 2012, Paizo’s annual open-call RPG design competition! That means a lot of excitement here at the Paizo offices, because if this year’s Superstar is anything like the previous four, we’re about to discover some serious design talent that will help us years into the future.
And while winning the chance to write a published Pathfinder Module is great, it’s also important to remember that RPG Superstar offers value to more than just the single winner. This year, the three finalists will also earn a contract to write a Pathfinder Society Scenario, a downloadable adventure sanctioned for play in Paizo’s worldwide Pathfinder Society mega-campaign. The first Pathfinder Society Scenario from last year’s finalists, Jerall Toi’s The Edge of Heaven just came out last week, and the two additional sequels that make up the “Quest for Perfection” campaign arc are all being written by RPG Superstar finalist and semi-finalist alumni.
Speaking of prizes for finalists, did you know that Pathfinder Adventure Path developer Rob McCreary first came to our attention as a finalist in the first year of RPG Superstar? He didn’t win the final challenge, but his hard work and excellent creativity made him a natural choice when a staff position opened a few years ago, and he’s now one of the most important elements of Paizo’s monthly editorial effort here at the Paizo offices.
This year’s competition begins tomorrow with an open call that asks you to submit an original wondrous item by January 6, 2012. If you can use your 300 words wisely (and awesomely) enough to earn a place in the judges’ Top 32, you’re on your way to what might just become a RPG design career! As a special treat, we plan to include selected wondrous items from this year’s Top 32 in 2012’s Ultimate Equipment Pathfinder RPG hardcover, which will also include selected favorites from previous years.
See paizo.com/rpgsuperstar for more details, a complete RPG Superstar calendar, and rules for Round 1.
So start sharpening your pencils and shaking up your creativity. The next RPG Superstar could be you!
... Illustrations by Eric Belisle and Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here. Monsters Are Coming! Thursday, December 1, 2011The time draws nigh for Bestiary 3, so while you sharpen your blade and prepare your spells in advance of the monstrous onslaught, here's a little something to keep your mind on your task. ... Christopher Carey ... Editor ...
Illustrations by Eric Belisle and Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here.
Monsters Are Coming!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The time draws nigh for Bestiary 3, so while you sharpen your blade and prepare your spells in advance of the monstrous onslaught, here's a little something to keep your mind on your task.
... Misfit Love Tuesday, November 29, 2011 Shhhhh... Don’t tell anyone, but here at Paizo we love our classic and misfit monsters. There is a tendency to look back at some of the oddball monsters that popped up in the sources of our youth and lament on how strange or even dumb they are. We take a different tact. Instead we revel in their strange and iconic natures. Any chance we get, we look for reason why even the most inexplicable monsters might exist in a fantasy world. ... If you’re a fan...
Misfit Love
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Shhhhh... Don’t tell anyone, but here at Paizo we love our classic and misfit monsters. There is a tendency to look back at some of the oddball monsters that popped up in the sources of our youth and lament on how strange or even dumb they are. We take a different tact. Instead we revel in their strange and iconic natures. Any chance we get, we look for reason why even the most inexplicable monsters might exist in a fantasy world.
If you’re a fan of our Misfit Monsters Redeemed, you will like how many of those monsters show up in Bestiary 3. From the strangely philosophical flail snail, to those inexplicable fan favorites, the flumphs, to the downright creepy wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing, let’s just say this book is full of some strange old friends. But wait, there’s more!
Misfit Monsters Redeemed is not the only source of inspiration for the classic and misfit monsters that made the cut for Bestiary 3. Many Bonus Bestiary monsters found their way into Bestiary 3—from the axe beak, to the caryatid column, to the unholy huecuva—old favorites abound in this tome.
Now for those of you who buy nearly all of Paizo’s products, and are maybe becoming worried that you’ve seen many of the classic monsters that are appearing in Bestiary 3, don’t worry. While most of the monsters see updates, new information, and maybe some streamlining of mechanics, there are also some old favorites that show up for the first time in a Paizo product. Some of those highlights include the penanggalen, the vodyanoi, and one of my favorite old monsters, the kamadan, which is previewed below, along with its two variants: the dusk and polar kamadan.
Illustration by Eric Belisle
Kamadan CR 4
XP 1,200
NE Large magical beast Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
Defense
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural, –1 size) hp 42 (5d10+15) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Offense
Speed 40 ft. Melee bite +7 (1d6+3), 2 claws +7 (1d3+3), snakes +2 (1d4+1) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with snakes) Special Attacks breath weapon (30-ft. cone, sleep, Fortitude DC 15 negates, usable every 1d4 rounds), pounce
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 9 Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22 (26 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 when jumping), Perception +8, Stealth +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth Languages Aklo
Ecology
Environment temperate or warm plains Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–9) Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Breath Weapon (Su) A kamadan can exhale a cone of gas that makes living creatures fall asleep for 5 minutes (Fortitude DC 15 negates). Slapping or wounding awakens a creature put to sleep by this attack, but normal noise does not. This is a sleep effect. The save DC is Constitution-based. Snakes (Ex) A kamadan’s snakes attack simultaneously; this is always a secondary attack.
Dusk Kamadan (CR +1): A dusk kamadan has midnight black fur and snakes bearing black and red ring patterns on their bodies. A dusk kamadan has the advanced creature template, and its snakes have a poisonous bite: Snakes—injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Polar Kamadan (CR +2): A polar kamadan has white fur with black spots like a snow leopard. Its snakes are furred as well. A polar kamadan has the advanced creature template and batlike wings that grant it a fly speed of 60 ft. (average). The breath weapon of a polar kamadan is particularly cold—those who succumb to it also suffer 1d4 points of Dexterity damage from numbness.
Well, that’s it for this week. Come back next week when we unleash more monsters that will make their appearance in Bestiary 3!
Pathfinder Battles Preview: A Frosty Black Friday!
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: A Frosty Black Friday! Friday, November 17, 2011The Paizo offices may be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, but nothing can stop the relentless march of preview images for the upcoming Heroes & Monsters set! ... This week’s preview blog is a special treat in that it features only one miniature. But for my money, I think it’s the coolest miniature in the entire set! I’m talking about the Frost Giant! ... The Frost Giant towers over the other miniatures in the...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: A Frosty Black Friday!
Friday, November 17, 2011
The Paizo offices may be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, but nothing can stop the relentless march of preview images for the upcoming Heroes & Monsters set!
This week’s preview blog is a special treat in that it features only one miniature. But for my money, I think it’s the coolest miniature in the entire set! I’m talking about the Frost Giant!
The Frost Giant towers over the other miniatures in the set, raising his nasty axe high for a deadly blow to the head of any player character within his considerable reach. The larger size of the miniature really helps to accentuate the fine details of the sculpt, and this figure looks great standing next to his kin from other companies miniature sets.
But his “look” isn’t the only thing that makes the Frost Giant stand out. He’s got a trick up his sleeve. Literally.
Look closely and you’ll notice that this version of the Frost Giant holds a different weapon in his left hand, a mighty sword! Given the difference, you might think that Heroes & Monsters contains two different Frost Giant miniatures, but you’d be wrong!
The Frost Giant comes complete with two different left hands, each holding a different weapon!
WizKids sculpted the Frost Giant with an empty socket at its left wrist. The miniature comes with a choice of two different weapons, which you can snap in and out with ease. I’ve seen prepainted plastic miniatures with different parts before (a necklace here, a chain there), but I’ve never seen anything like the versatility of this mini before, and I think it bodes very well for future sets, which could hold similar surprises of their own.
Making big miniatures like this more modular is a nice way to diversify your doubles, and I’ll confess that it’s simply cool to play with this thing, changing one weapon for the other or adjusting the wrist to pull off the coolest pose.
So if you’re lucky enough to find the Frost Giant in your Heroes & Monsters booster and a friend asks “Did you get the one with the sword or the one with the axe?” you can answer:
“I got them both!”
That’s it for this week. We’re back to at least three previews next week, and we’re getting close to a complete set reveal! Happy Black Friday, everyone!
Pathfinder Reference Document: Now 20% Cooler with Indexes
... Pathfinder Reference Document: Now 20% Cooler with Indexes Thursday, November 24, 2011The new PRD has been out for a while now, but a new feature may have gone unnoticed by some. Recently, we've added a set of indices to the PRD (look toward the bottom of the menu on the left-hand side of the page). These indices were originally created as mobile content so that anyone trying to look up a single reference on their phones would have an easier time doing it. It quickly became obvious that...
Pathfinder Reference Document: Now 20% Cooler with Indexes
Thursday, November 24, 2011
The new PRD has been out for a while now, but a new feature may have gone unnoticed by some. Recently, we've added a set of indices to the PRD (look toward the bottom of the menu on the left-hand side of the page). These indices were originally created as mobile content so that anyone trying to look up a single reference on their phones would have an easier time doing it. It quickly became obvious that we should also give the people on their desktops and iPads similar capabilities. We had all of the data right there, but we just needed to apply it a little differently. At first we only offered feats and spells, but eventually we were able to add magic items and spell lists. Each addition has been a little more complicated than the last.
The first two, feats and spells, are alphabetical indices with filters that allow the user to sort data by book. Originally, this was the only data really available to us and was sufficient for those lists, but the magic item index gave us reason to develop that a little further. Knowing that people often like to browse through the magic item index looking for a particular type of item—such hunting for a new suit of armor or filling in an empty ring slot—we created our index filters for that page with this in mind.
After that, most of our requests for these types of indices came in two forms: spell lists and monsters. And though we've not yet created a monster index, this is certainly something we’re considering for the future. Spell lists, however, have been tackled, and you can now pick from any class and then filter spells by book and spell level. This has become a valuable resource and probably useful for a lot of people, especially those not as familiar with spells in the more recent books, like Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat, but who would like to give them a try.
The indices are still evolving, and we appreciate all of your feedback and hope that everyone gets a lot of use out of them!
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: Spidery Secrets! Friday, November 17, 2011With the very first Pathfinder prepainted miniatures, Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes, in stores now, interest in the Pathfinder Battles miniatures line has really heated up. Now that many of you have our first four miniatures in hand, it should be clear that WizKids is shooting for very high quality sculpts and paint jobs on all of the Pathfinder Battles miniatures. I think Heroes & Monsters keeps up (and in some cases...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: Spidery Secrets!
Friday, November 17, 2011
With the very first Pathfinder prepainted miniatures, Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes, in stores now, interest in the Pathfinder Battles miniatures line has really heated up. Now that many of you have our first four miniatures in hand, it should be clear that WizKids is shooting for very high quality sculpts and paint jobs on all of the Pathfinder Battles miniatures. I think Heroes & Monsters keeps up (and in some cases exceeds) the high quality standards set by Beginner Box Heroes, and in a few short weeks, you’ll be able to see what I’m talking about with your own eyes.
Until then, we’ve got more previews to reveal! The early January release date for Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters is fast approaching, and I find that we’ve pretty much announced all of the 40 miniatures in the set. I wanted to include at least one complete surprise this week, and this penultimate look brings us a single miniature away from a complete set reveal. We’ll get to that last one next week or beyond, but for now, let’s look at some creepy critters from Heroes & Monsters!
First up we have the Giant Spider, a nasty, poisonous fellow who clocks in at the common rarity. Bright red coloration is nature’s way of saying “I’m going to kill you,” and in this regard the Giant Spider is just as deadly as the bright red Venomous Snake we showed off a couple of weeks ago. Don’t forget your antivenom!
This Skeleton makes a good buddy for the Giant Spider, in that they’d both probably feel at home in the same sort of desolate dungeon environments. They also both make excellent adversaries for low-level adventurers. Both of them are commons. Many of the folks here in the office who see the Skeleton say, “wow, he looks just like he stepped out of a Ray Harryhausen movie!” Which is nice to hear, as it’s exactly what we were going for. If you look closely you can see a nice inking effect that WizKids added to the Skeleton’s shield to better sell the wood grain. It looks wonderful in person.
Sure, a Medium Giant Spider is cool, but take it from me. A Large Giant Caveweaver Spider is much, much cooler. This guy absolutely towers over lesser spiders, and he’s even been useful in scaring a few of our “adult” employees who have a very childish reaction to spiders (I’m looking at you, Bulmahn). Heh, heh, heh. Though you can’t quite see it in these photographs, the Giant Caveweaver Spider has a really cool red design on its back that is sure to have your player characters (and Jason Bulmahn) scampering for the exit. Everyone will be glad to hear that this is a rare miniature, so it’ll thankfully be a long time before these guys overrun the Earth.
Lastly, I wanted to provide a group photo of this week’s previews, so you can get a sense of just how huge that Giant Caveweaver Spider really is. Imagine that the Skeleton is the same height as a normal man, and you’ll get a strong idea that messing around with the Giant Caveweaver is a really, really bad idea!
Ok, ok, ok. I hear the skeptics already. There’s nothing terribly revolutionary about spiders and skeletons, no matter how cool they might look.
To which I say, fair enough. So next week, I’m going to show you a Heroes & Monsters figure with a feature unlike anything you’ve seen before in a prepainted miniature! I still can’t believe how awesome and innovative it is, and it’s been sitting on my desk for a month!
As usual, I’ll try to monitor the discussion thread here on the blog. Let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see from the set, and I will make sure we cover it shortly!
... Enter the Dragon! Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Unless you’ve been trapped in jotund troll’s lair for the past few months, you’ve probably noticed that here at Paizo we’ve been exploring a number of Asian themes for the Pathfinder RPG. From the release of the ninja and samurai alternate classes in Ultimate Combat to the Jade Regent Adventure Path, we’ve definitely had the myths and monstrous challenges of the East on our minds. ... To kick off our preview of the soon-to-be-released...
Enter the Dragon!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Unless you’ve been trapped in jotund troll’s lair for the past few months, you’ve probably noticed that here at Paizo we’ve been exploring a number of Asian themes for the Pathfinder RPG. From the release of the ninja and samurai alternate classes in Ultimate Combat to the Jade Regent Adventure Path, we’ve definitely had the myths and monstrous challenges of the East on our minds.
To kick off our preview of the soon-to-be-released Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3, we are going to continue on with that theme and unleash one of the great challenges of the Dragon Empires—the forest dragon!
Just one of a suite of new imperial dragons—serpentine agents of ancient lands and cosmic balance—these fickle and malevolent creatures wind their way through the forest mists. And while they are capable of the wingless flight common to dragons of their ilk, they prefer to hunt on the forest floor, waylaying those foolish enough to trespass upon their emerald domain.
Illustration by Jim Nelson
Young Forest Dragon CR 10
XP 9,600
CE Large dragon (earth) Init +5; Senses dragon senses, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +15
Defense
AC 22, touch 10, flat-footed 21 (+1 Dex, +12 natural, –1 size) hp 126 (11d12+55) Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +8 Immune paralysis, poison, sleep
Offense
Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 200 ft. (poor) Melee bite +17 (2d6+9), 2 claws +16 (1d8+6), gore +16 (1d8+9), tail slap +14 (1d8+9) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite and gore) Special Attacks breath weapon (40-ft. cone, 6d6 piercing damage, DC 19) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +12)
At will—pass without trace Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +12)
1st (4/day)—obscuring mist, shield
0 (at-will)—ghost sound, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue
Statistics
Str 23, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 12 Base Atk +11; CMB +18; CMD 29 (33 vs. trip) Feats Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 when jumping), Bluff +15, Climb +28, Fly –3, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (arcana, nature) +9, Perception +15, Stealth +17, Survival +10 Languages Common, Draconic SQ sound imitation, woodland stride
Bestiary 3 features adult and ancient versions of this dragon and three versions of the other imperial dragons—sea dragons, sky dragons, sovereign dragons, and underworld dragons—as well as rules for you to make your own imperial dragon menace. This monstrous supplement also features a host of other, similarly themed monsters. From a template for the noble guardian foo creatures, to the treacherous spidery jorogumos, to the ancient and otherworldly kami, and a host of new deadly oni, Bestiary 3 has enough monsters to stock an entire Dragon Empires campaign!
Not planning on adventuring in that part of Golarion for a while? Don’t fret. Next week we will be looking at a host of other monsters in Bestiary 3 that we’re sure can find a place in any one of your upcoming adventures. Until then, beware the twisting trail and cunning tactics of the forest dragon!
... Two New Kami Thursday, November 10, 2011 We’re coming up on the release of Bestiary 3 in the near future, and as readers of the Jade Regent Adventure Path have noticed, we’re already using monsters from that book in the adventures! This is more or less a necessity, since when you travel to the far side of the world, you expect to see brand-new creatures and monsters, after all. We’ve been filling the Jade Regent bestiaries with all sorts of monsters inspired from Asian mythology and...
Two New Kami
Thursday, November 10, 2011
We’re coming up on the release of Bestiary 3 in the near future, and as readers of the Jade Regent Adventure Path have noticed, we’re already using monsters from that book in the adventures! This is more or less a necessity, since when you travel to the far side of the world, you expect to see brand-new creatures and monsters, after all. We’ve been filling the Jade Regent bestiaries with all sorts of monsters inspired from Asian mythology and folklore, but we need more—and that’s where Bestiary 3 comes in.
One of the new types of monsters introduced in Bestiary 3 and the Jade Regent Adventure Path are the kami—usually (but not always) benevolent native outsiders who exist to protect that which cannot really protect itself from the advance of humanity and civilization. Pathfinder #52 and Bestiary 3 present several kami, ranging from CR 2 all the way up to CR 20.
Presented below are two of the kami who have roles to play in “Forest of Spirits.” We’re simply presenting their statistics here—what roles they play in the adventure must remain a secret until you play it or run it for your group!
Kami Subtype: Kami are a race of native outsiders who serve to protect what they refer to as “wards”—animals, plants, objects, and even locations—from being harmed or dishonored. All kami are outsiders with the native subtype. A kami possesses the following traits unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry.
Immune to bleed, mind-affecting effects, petrification, and polymorph effects.
Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Although they are native outsiders, kami do not eat, drink, or breathe.
Telepathy.
Fast Healing (Ex) As long as a kami is within 120 feet of its ward, it gains fast healing. The amount of fast healing it gains depends on the type of kami.
Merge with Ward (Su) As a standard action, a kami can merge its body and mind with its ward. When merged, the kami can observe the surrounding region with its senses as if it were using its own body, as well as via any senses its ward might have. It has no control over its ward, nor can it communicate or otherwise take any action other than to emerge from its ward as a standard action. A kami must be adjacent to its ward to merge with or emerge from it. If its ward is a creature, plant, or object, the kami can emerge mounted on the creature provided the kami’s body is at least one size category smaller than the creature. If its ward is a location, the kami may emerge at any point within that location.
Ward (Su) A kami has a specific ward—a creature with an Intelligence score of 2 or lower (usually an animal or vermin), a plant (not a plant creature), an object, or a location. The type of ward is listed in parentheses in the kami’s stat block. Several of a kami’s abilities function only when it is either merged with its ward or within 120 feet of it. If a kami’s ward is portable and travels with the kami to another plane, the kami does not gain the extraplanar subtype on that other plane as long as its ward remains within 120 feet. If a ward is destroyed while a kami is merged with it, the kami dies (no save). If a ward is destroyed while a kami is not merged with it, the kami loses its merge with ward ability and its fast healing, and becomes permanently sickened.
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size) hp 19 (3d10+3); fast healing 2 Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +8 DR 5/cold iron; Immune bleed, mind-affecting effects, petrification, polymorph; Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Offense
Speed 30 ft. Melee improvised weapon +4 (1d4+2/x3) Ranged improvised weapon +6 (1d3+2/x3) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +8)
At will—invisibility (self only), statue (self only)
3/day—hide from animals, purify food and drink
1/week—commune with nature (CL 12th)
Statistics
Str 8, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 14 Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 11 Feats Alertness, Catch Off-GuardB, Iron Will, Throw AnythingB Skills Heal +9, Knowledge (nature) +6, Perception +11, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +15, Survival +9 Languages Common SQ improvised weapon mastery, merge with ward, ward (minor works of civilization)
Ecology
Environment any Organization solitary, pair, or gang (3–8) Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Improvised Weapon Mastery (Ex) A shikigami gains Catch Off-Guard and Throw Anything as bonus feats, and adds its Charisma modifier instead of its Strength modifier to damage done with any improvised weapon, as attacks it makes with such weapons seem supernaturally lucky in landing damaging blows. Although a shikigami is Tiny, it never provokes attacks of opportunity when it attacks an adjacent foe with a melee weapon. If a shikigami critically hits an opponent with an improvised weapon, it deals x3 damage.
Illustration by Mariusz Gandzel
Zuishin CR 10
XP 9,600
LG Medium outsider (kami, native) Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect evil, see invisibility; Perception +20
Defense
AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +3 Dex, +4 natural) hp 123 (13d10+52); fast healing 5 Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +14 DR 10/cold iron; Immune bleed, mind-affecting effects, petrification, polymorph; Resist acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 21
Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect, 40 ft. without armor) Melee +1 holy halberd +18/+13/+8 (1d10+7/x3) Ranged +1 holy composite longbow +20/+15/+10 (1d8+5/x3) Special Attacks healing arrow, holy weapons Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +18)
Constant—detect evil, see invisibility
At will—cure light wounds, dimension door
3/day—alarm, breath of life, dispel magic, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, restoration
1/day—dispel evil (DC 20), heal, true seeing
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 21, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 18, Cha 21 Base Atk +13; CMB +17; CMD 34 (can’t be tripped) Feats Improved Initiative, Improved Precise Shot, Iron Will, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow) Skills Fly +10, Heal +20, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (nature) +16, Perception +20, Sense Motive +20, Stealth +18 Languages Common; telepathy 100 ft. SQ merge with ward, ward (gate, doorway, or shrine)
Ecology
Environment any Organization solitary, pair, or warband (3–8) Treasure double (+1 composite longbow [+4 Str], +1 halberd, masterwork breastplate, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Healing Arrow (Su) As a swift action, a zuishin can infuse an arrow it fires to carry any of the following effects: breath of life, cure light wounds, heal, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, or restoration. Using one of these effects consumes a use of the same spell-like ability. The zuishin must make a touch attack to deliver the effect to the target—the target takes no damage from the arrow. Holy Weapons (Su) Any weapon wielded by a zuishin is treated as if it had the holy special ability. A zuishin creates arrows out of nothing as part of its attacks with any bow it wields.
... So, you're new here? Tuesday, November 8, 2011With the release of the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box, there are bound to be some new folks here on the blog. One of the questions we get from time to time concerning the line of RPG products is: Where do I start and what is required for me to play? So, I thought I would take this blog to go over the existing core RPG products, telling you what you need to upgrade to the full game and what you can expect to find in each of the hardcover books....
So, you're new here?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
With the release of the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box, there are bound to be some new folks here on the blog. One of the questions we get from time to time concerning the line of RPG products is: Where do I start and what is required for me to play? So, I thought I would take this blog to go over the existing core RPG products, telling you what you need to upgrade to the full game and what you can expect to find in each of the hardcover books.
Core Rulebook
It goes without saying that if you are looking to upgrade to the full version of the game, the first book on your radar should be the Core Rulebook. This mighty 576-page tome contains all the rules for both players and Game Masters to get started. It includes 7 races, 11 classes, over 500 spells, and a mountain of magic items. If you are coming from the Beginner Box, there is much here that you will recognize, but there is a lot of new content for you to explore as well. The classes go all the way up to 20th level and you have a lot more control when customizing a character. When making the change, be sure to do it incrementally. Much of the content in this book can be added piecemeal so you don’t have to overwhelm new players. Of all the books in the RPG line, this one is the most important. If you are coming from the Beginner Box and want more information on what you can expect to find in here, check out the free Beginner Box Player Pack.
Bestiary
The only thing the Core Rulebook does not contain is new monsters. For that we have the Bestiary. This 320-page book contains over 300 monsters, ranging from the lowly kobold to the incredibly deadly ancient dragons, with plenty of monsters to challenge a group of any level. If you are the GM, you will need this book. As a bonus, with a bit of work, many of the monsters in this book could work with a Beginner Box campaign. If you need even more monsters, we’ve got you covered there too. Check out Bestiary 2, and next month, we are releasing Bestiary 3. Each one of these beastly books contains over 300 new monsters to add to your game.
GM Screen
The Game Master keeps lots of secrets from his players, at least until they uncover them. To help keep notes and certain die rolls private, you can pick up the GM Screen. With some great art on the player side, this screen is packed with handy reference tables on the GM side to prevent you from having to flip through the Core Rulebook quite as often. While its not vital to the gaming experience, having a good GM Screen can speed up the game and keep the players in the dark about the GMs evil plans.
GameMastery Guide
Being the Game Master can be tricky. There are lots of details to juggle and the players have a tendency to mess up even the best-laid plots and plans. The GameMastery Guide gives the GM a host of tips, tricks, and tools to make life behind the screen easy. It includes a wealth of information to aid in running the game, a mountain of sample NPCs, and additional rules to handle tricky situations, like a chase through a crowded city street. If you’re new to the job of being a GM, this book contains a lot of information to help you run a successful and exciting game.
Advanced Player’s Guide
Once you’ve had a chance to play and experiment with all the Core Rulebook has to offer, its time to move on to the Advanced Player’s Guide. This book contains six new classes to play with, including the alchemist, inquisitor, and witch, as well as a ton of new options for all of the classes from the Core Rulebook. There are new feats, spells, and equipment for both players and GMs alike. While it’s called “Advanced,” most of the rules in this book are no more complicated than those in the Core Rulebook; there are just more to choose from.
Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat
Following up the Advanced Player’s Guide is a pair of books that explore two of the most important concepts in the game: Magic and Combat. In Ultimate Magic, you get all sorts of rules, tips, and advice for using magic in your game, as both a player and a GM. There is a new class (the magus), as well as a bunch of feats and spells related to magic and spellcasting. There are also rules for magical constructs, spellbooks, and different types of magic. In Ultimate Combat, we look at the fine art of using sharp pieces of metal to slay monsters. The book includes rules for black powder firearms and a new class, the gunslinger, as well as a bunch of new options for every character that wields a weapon or a fist. Like the Advanced Player’s Guide, these books supplement the Core Rulebook, and while not required to play, they add a number of new, exciting options.
So, What Do I Need to Get Started?
Well, if you are new to the game, you probably want to start with the Beginner Box, but after that, you might want to check out the Core Rulebook. You can even pick up a PDF of the rules for just $10 to get started. After that, it really depends. If you’re the GM, then you should probably grab the Bestiary too (also available as an inexpensive PDF). The Core Rulebook will keep you busy for a while, but when you are ready to add more to your game, check out some of the other books mentioned above. A world of adventure awaits.
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: Crazy-Good Commons Friday, November 4, 2011Just yesterday, the fine folks from WizKids stopped by the Paizo offices to drop off the final batch of Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters miniatures. I now have, sitting on my desk, actual production-run copies of all 41 miniatures in the set, from the lowly Goblin Warrior to the mighty Huge Black Dragon. Looking at them all lined up on my desk, I’m very impressed with the quality WizKids brought to bear on this...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: Crazy-Good Commons
Friday, November 4, 2011
Just yesterday, the fine folks from WizKids stopped by the Paizo offices to drop off the final batch of Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters miniatures. I now have, sitting on my desk, actual production-run copies of all 41 miniatures in the set, from the lowly Goblin Warrior to the mighty Huge Black Dragon. Looking at them all lined up on my desk, I’m very impressed with the quality WizKids brought to bear on this set, and I think players are going to be absolutely thrilled with them. As much as I like sharing these images with you every Friday, there’s just something special about holding these miniatures in your hand that can never come through on a photograph.
I’ll begin revealing images of these final miniatures starting next week. This week’s batch is the last of the pre-production samples. Generally speaking, these look identical to the final versions except they haven’t yet been attached to the bases. I’ll see about showing off the bottoms of the bases next week, too, as they look a little different from prepainted plastic miniatures you’ve probably seen from other companies, in that you can actually read the name of the monster and other helpful information. More on that soon.
Today I want to focus on some of the common miniatures in the Heroes & Monsters set. When I first came into the prepainted miniature business, my understanding was that common miniatures often had very few paint steps, and were basically created as “cheaply” as possible as a way of subsidizing the more complicated miniatures pegged to the more scarce rarities. While there is some element of that in the Pathfinder Battles line (very complex minis are indeed more likely to be rarer), I was very pleasantly surprised to see the amount of quality and detail WizKids put into even the common miniatures in the set.
When I’ve showed the production samples around the office, it’s often been commons like the Orc Warrior or Lizardfolk Champion that folks identify as their favorites. With Pathfinder Battles, we let game utility dictate rarity more than things like sculpt complexity or paint steps. If you might want a ton of a certain creature in your game, we did everything we could to put that creature at the common rarity. If you only needed one, we made it a rare, and so on.
Here are preview images of three such common creatures, starting with the friendly (or not-so-friendly) fellows who tend to show up every time your player characters get into trouble in a town or city: the watch!
Here we have the lowly Watch Guard, the rank-and-file police or guard who peers through the darkness with his lantern and impales criminals with his simple spear. You can almost hear him say, “Wot’s all this, then?” as he advances toward your criminal player characters, with very little sense that they might have six or seven levels on him and weapons that cost more than he will earn in a year of cleaning up the city.
Every good gaggle of guards needs a leader, so when we were first planning this set, I asked WizKids to add a Watch Captain to the list. The guy they came back with looked pretty cool, but I thought he was a bit too regular-looking to fully pull off the “captain” rank, so I busted him down. He’s now the Watch Officer, nervously looking over his shoulder for a future set that might include his direct superior.
Or perhaps he’s nervous about an attack from this next common, the mighty Orc Brute! WizKids did an awesome job with the set’s two orcs (the Orc Warrior, taken directly from the Pathfinder Bestiary illustration, is even better than this one). This guy is ready to knock your head off with a nasty club capped with a bunch of nails. If it came down to the fight between the Orc Brute and both of the Watch figures put together, my vote goes to the orc. As Wesley Snipes once famously said: “Always bet on green.”
That’s it for this week. With a full set of finished minis to show off, next week’s preview will be the cream of the crop. Let me know what you’d like to see, and I’ll be sure to add it to the list!
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: Spooky Salutations! Friday, October 28, 2011All-Hallow’s Eve is almost upon us, so I’ve decided to shake up the regular preview regime and show off a few spooooooooky Pathfinder Battles miniatures from the forthcoming Heroes & Monsters set, regardless of their distribution rarity within the set. ... First up is the Zombie, one of the most iconic horror creatures of all time. We figured that most GMs would appreciate a horde of these undead critters, so we’ve...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: Spooky Salutations!
Friday, October 28, 2011
All-Hallow’s Eve is almost upon us, so I’ve decided to shake up the regular preview regime and show off a few spooooooooky Pathfinder Battles miniatures from the forthcoming Heroes & Monsters set, regardless of their distribution rarity within the set.
First up is the Zombie, one of the most iconic horror creatures of all time. We figured that most GMs would appreciate a horde of these undead critters, so we’ve placed him in the common rarity—the better to overrun your player characters, of course!
This guy was a real struggle to get right. The first digital sculpts we received had his hands in the air like he was some kind of dancing fool, but after a bit of tweaking I think he’s finally in a correct “grasp/lunge” sort of stance. The photo doesn’t quite do justice to the details on this figure. Parts of his skull and ribcage are peeking through holes in his rotted skin. Yuck!
Next up we have the Werewolf, a fearsome foe from myth and legend. This lupine horror lunges straight at your player characters with one set of claws up in the air for a killing strike! I especially like the way that the Werewolf still has remnants of his human outfit, such as the torn bits of his pants around the waist and the single leather bracer on his left hand. WizKids has also added a nice drybrushing effect to highlight the contours of the rare Werewolf’s fur. And though I don’t have a photo to show this week, gamers will be happy to know that the regular Wolf in this set has exactly the same color fur, meaning that you could use both miniatures to represent different stages of the Werewolf’s lycanthropy.
Lastly we have a creepy rare critter that you definitely don’t want showing up outside your door whispering “trick or treat.” Keeping the door shut won’t keep him out, because he is incorporeal and can walk right though! Beware, the Spectre!
Super-dedicated Pathfinder fans might notice that this Spectre miniature is not based on the Spectre illustration in the Pathfinder Bestiary. That’s probably OK, I reasoned, since the illustration of that creature in the Bestiary wasn’t originally a Spectre either, and its wispy bottom half and dwarf upper half didn’t strike the right pose for a miniature, anyway. Knowing that we needed a Spectre in our set, we looked through our entire art archive and pulled the best-looking “spectral dead” image we could find. Thus was born this nasty critter, who can double for just about any type of incorporeal undead in the game.
Yes, it would be an even cooler miniature if we’d figured out some way to incorporate transparent plastic into the figure, but for this first set we didn’t have the time to do that kind of trickery.
I’m happy to report that that isn’t the case for future sets, however, and plenty of creepy and cool minis with see-through bits are just over the horizon
So there you have it. Three of the creepiest minis from Heroes & Monsters, soon to be appearing on your gaming table. They won’t make it in time to share Halloween with you, but since they’re scheduled for a December release, I suggest making room for them at Christmas dinner.
I hear they’re ravenous.
Next Week: I reveal photos of some of the set’s amazing common creatures!
... All Hallows' Eve Tuesday, October 25, 2011 Its that time of year again, and if you’re anything like me, its time to run a spooky and frightful Halloween-themed game for your players. This year, we here on the design team thought we would give you a few tricks and treats to bring to the game table. ... Frightening Encounters d%EncounterAvg CRSource ... 1–82d4 skeletons2Bestiary 250 ... 9–131 dire wolf3Bestiary 278 ... 14–191d3 giant spiders3Bestiary 258 ... 20–221 vampiric mist3Bestiary 2...
All Hallows' Eve
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Its that time of year again, and if you’re anything like me, its time to run a spooky and frightful Halloween-themed game for your players. This year, we here on the design team thought we would give you a few tricks and treats to bring to the game table.
You will also find that a lot of these monster entries have other versions presented on the spread, such as the bat swam on the same page with dire bat, giving you even more options to use in your game. Of course, no Halloween game would be complete with a treat to go with such mean tricks.
Appearing to be little more than a flimsy paper mask with a crude face painted on the front, this simple magic item changes the appearance of the wearer for 1 hour, as if under the effects of disguise self. The appearance of the wearer is random, and always over-exaggerated and slightly whimsical (granting only a +5 bonus on Disguise skill checks instead of the usual +10). After 1 hour, the wearer returns to normal and the mask crumbles away. To determine the wearer’s appearance, roll on the following chart.
d6
Appearance
1
Dwarf
2
Elf
3
Gnome
4
Goblin
5
Orc
6
Skeleton
7
Werewolf
8
Zombie
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, disguise self; Cost 200 gp
This sugary taffy comes in a wide variety of fruit flavors. Unwrapping the taffy and chewing it is a move action for the first round, and a swift action on each round after that. Those who eat this taffy act as if under the effects of haste for as long as they chew it, up to 5 rounds. Each round after the first, however, they must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or lose the effects of the haste and instead become sickened for 1 hour. The DC of this saving throw increase by 1 each round that the taffy has been chewed in the past 24 hours (after the first round).
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, haste; Cost 250 gp
We hope these fun rules spark your imagination this holiday weekend. Got a Pathfinder-themed event planned? Tell us about it in the comments thread of this blog.
... Pathfinder Battles Preview: Uncommon Courtesy Friday, October 21, 2011I’m pleased to report that I have now seen preproduction samples of all 41 miniatures in the Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters set, and I am thrilled with how they look! At long last we have discovered the “perfect” goblin skin tone, and the big meaty Ettin finally has the proper ink wash to make him a truly menacing brute. Things are really coming together, and folks around the Paizo office are blown away by the...
Pathfinder Battles Preview: Uncommon Courtesy
Friday, October 21, 2011
I’m pleased to report that I have now seen preproduction samples of all 41 miniatures in the Pathfinder Battles Heroes & Monsters set, and I am thrilled with how they look! At long last we have discovered the “perfect” goblin skin tone, and the big meaty Ettin finally has the proper ink wash to make him a truly menacing brute. Things are really coming together, and folks around the Paizo office are blown away by the quality of the sculpts and paint jobs of the entire line. The commons in particular are amazingly impressive, with far better paint jobs than most gamers are used to at that rarity. WizKids has done a tremendous job both in the initial execution, and in keeping up with a bewildering amount of changes and suggestions from Paizo aimed at making these minis as close to perfect as possible.
To that end, we’ve been shaking up the rarity scheme a bit, so while I was planning to reveal the entire uncommon list today, we’re going to have to wait another week since a few minis are moving around and I don’t want to reveal anything that might change later.
But I do want to share some uncommon images with you! As I explained last week, we see the uncommon rarity as the perfect landing point for player character miniatures (the “heroes” in Heroes & Monsters). While everyone needs multiple orcs and goblins, you probably don’t need a whole army of human rangers or dwarf clerics or what have you.
Today’s blog shows off three of the uncommons (that won’t be changing rarities) no one outside the office has seen yet. Two of them are player character types, while the third is a creature you’ll use again and again.
Our first miniature this week is the Dwarf Fighter, a doughty dude in plate armor and a fancy winged helmet. If you’ve got a copy of the Inner Sea World Guide you probably recognize this guy from the back cover. He means business!
Next up is our Half-Elf Cleric, in this case a crusading warrior of Iomedae. I really like the way WizKids emblazoned her holy symbol on her tabard. And since she’s using a sword and wearing plate mail armor, this miniature easily doubles as a fighter or paladin.
Last up this week is a nasty Venomous Snake, whose image comes straight out of the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary. A bright red coat is nature’s way of saying “I am going to murder you,” and it’ll be fun to watch your players squirm like Indiana Jones when this little guy hits the table.
That’s it for previews this week! But here we are at the end of the post, and I can’t spoil that uncommon list I was planning to, and I feel terrible! So, in order to make up for this egregious slight, here’s a list of a few rares in the set that we haven’t previously announced!
There are a lot more rares than that, but I’ve got to hold onto some of my cards. The set doesn’t come out until December, and we’ve got plenty more blogs to go before the set releases!
So let me know if there are other topics you’d like me to cover on these Friday blogs, and I’ll do my best to do so!
... The Beginner Box Bash! Thursday, October 20, 2011Looking for a chance to check out the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box and celebrate the biggest Pathfinder RPG release since the Core Rulebook? Then you’ll want to head to your local game store for the Beginner Box Bash! ... Venture-Captains across the world are organizing gaming days on October 29th and 30th to bring together Pathfinder players, debut the Beginner Box, teach new gamers how to play, and introduce players new and...
The Beginner Box Bash!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Looking for a chance to check out the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box and celebrate the biggest Pathfinder RPG release since the Core Rulebook? Then you’ll want to head to your local game store for the Beginner Box Bash!
Venture-Captains across the world are organizing gaming days on October 29th and 30th to bring together Pathfinder players, debut the Beginner Box, teach new gamers how to play, and introduce players new and old to the Pathfinder Society Organized Play Program. The day’s events include four new, one-hour quests highlighting the Beginner Box characters and rules. Special Beginner Box Bash punch cards allow players to keep track of their adventures and learn more about the Pathfinder RPG and Pathfinder Society. Those who complete all four adventures will receive a special reward: a Pathfinder Society Chronicle sheet to welcome them into the Pathfinder Society (or to enhance any existing Pathfinder Society character).
Ready to find out where and on what day the Beginner Box Bash is happening in your area? Just check for your region on our Beginner Bash page for all the locations currently signed up. This list is still expanding, so be sure to check back for updates as we get closer to the weekend of the 29th. Additionally, if you’re a game store owner, or want to get your local game store involved in the Beginner Box Bash, there’s still time! Please contact your regional Venture-Captain for details.
As always, we couldn’t pull off such an exciting event without the help of all of our amazing Pathfinder Society Game Masters. We know our Game Masters’ time is valuable, and we want to thank them in advance for all their effort. To show our appreciation, all Game Masters who run four events during the Beginner Box Bash can expect their own special Pathfinder Society Chronicle sheet. If you’re a Pathfinder Society Game Master interested in running games at your local Beginner Box Bash, please contact your local Venture Captain for details.
Thanks to everyone for all their enthusiasm and support for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box, and we’ll see you at the Beginner Box Bash on October 29th and 30th!
Mike Brock Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator
... Beginner Box Add-On Content is Live! Thursday, October 20, 2011 You’ve heard all about it, you’ve seen the unboxing, and pretty soon you’ll have your hands on your own copy of the highly awaited Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box. But why wait for your first look at the Beginner Box now that paizo.com/beginnerbox is live?! ... Just follow the link, or click on the new logo to the top left of this page, to head on over to the Beginner Box page, where you’ll find tons of details on...
Just follow the link, or click on the new logo to the top left of this page, to head on over to the Beginner Box page, where you’ll find tons of details on the box itself, Wizkids’ Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes Miniatures Set, pregenerated characters and character sheets, new Beginner Box discussion forums, and two free expansion PDFs packed with new content for players and Game Masters alike. In the first of these PDFs, the Beginner Box Player Pack, heroes will find new abilities, feats, skills, and equipment for every Beginner Box class, as well as a completely new base class, the barbarian, who storms into adventure with a brutal new way to play. In the Beginner Box GM Kit, Game Masters will find new monsters and magic items, a complete new adventure, and details on how to expand their adventures beyond the Beginner Box experience.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been gaming since the beginning, whether you’ve already charged into adventure or you’re just ready to find out what the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box is all about, check out paizo.com/beginnerbox for all the news and new content you’ll need to make someone’s first fantasy roleplaying adventure as thrilling and memorable as your own.
... Advanced Race Guide Playtest Wrap-Up Tuesday, October 18, 2011 ... Illustration by Scott PurdyToday is the final day of the Advanced Race Guide playtest. If you haven’t posted your comments on the playtest document, get them on the playtest messageboard today. ... I want to thank everyone who participated in the playtest and commented on the first iteration of the race builder. Your feedback is going to help us improve the system so that we can make a truly excellent tool for GMs to build...
Advanced Race Guide Playtest Wrap-Up
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Illustration by Scott Purdy
Today is the final day of the Advanced Race Guide playtest. If you haven’t posted your comments on the playtest document, get them on the playtest messageboard today.
I want to thank everyone who participated in the playtest and commented on the first iteration of the race builder. Your feedback is going to help us improve the system so that we can make a truly excellent tool for GMs to build races for any Pathfinder game.
So what did we learn from the playtest? A lot of things! Here are some of the highlights.
First off, as we suspected, some of our initial pricing was off. While costing all of the core races at 10 points in the system helped us create a rough baseline for standard races, it also created some problems with individual racial ability and trait costing. Some abilities were too cheap and others were too expensive. Those abilities are being reexamined and the values will be more balanced and intuitive in the final race builder.
Second, we learned that we needed to open up some of the prerequisites and expand the options presented the final race builder. Many people pointed out that the Tiny size option being limited to the fey type was far too restrictive. A number of playtesters had some really interesting ideas that required Tiny creatures of types other than fey. My personal favorite was the idea that many of you had to create a race of toy solider constructs. On a related note, we learned that may of you were very eager to make dragon-type races, not just dragon-themed races using the humanoid or monstrous human type. You can expect to see the ability to create dragon-type races in the final document.
Some of the best feedback from the playtest came in the form of the actual races that the participants built and the suggestions of racial abilities that folks came up with. Reading through those fun and exciting race builds, comments on those builds from other playtesters, and the very long wish list of racial abilities that people wanted to see gave us lot of ideas for expanding the system. We are looking forward to seeing any additions you post today.
... Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box Preview! Thursday, October 6, 2011 The Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box is scheduled for an October 26th release! The very first copies arrived here at the Paizo offices just this week, and we’re thrilled with how great the product looks, and how much value we managed to pack into the box. ... But don’t take my word for it! Take a look at the embedded video below, in which I open a copy of the Beginner Box and show off its shiny new contents! ... We’re enormously...
Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box Preview!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box is scheduled for an October 26th release! The very first copies arrived here at the Paizo offices just this week, and we’re thrilled with how great the product looks, and how much value we managed to pack into the box.
But don’t take my word for it! Take a look at the embedded video below, in which I open a copy of the Beginner Box and show off its shiny new contents!
We’re enormously proud of the work our team put into this introductory boxed set, and we can’t wait to introduce a new generation of gamers to the fun and excitement of tabletop RPGs!
We’ll keep watch on the comment thread below throughout the day, and we’ll do our best to answer any questions you may have about the Beginner Box’s contents, goals, or really anything to do with the product. So take a quick look and let us know what you think!
Erik Mona Publisher
PS: I recently had a chance to sit down for an interview with the fine folks over at the Know Direction Pathfinder podcast. We talked a lot about the Beginner Box, as well as the Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes prepainted miniatures from WizKids, which are scheduled for a November 9th release. Give the podcast a listen for even more information about our exciting plans for the future!
... Advanced Race Guide Playtest Tuesday, October 4, 2011 ... Illustration by Francesco GrazianiFor over two years now, we've released a plethora of new classes, feats, spells, and other options for your character, but the one area we've never really explored too deeply is races. The Advanced Race Guide is going to change all that with a bunch of new races explored in detail and new options and tools based specifically on your character's race. ... Included in this mighty tome is a system for...
Advanced Race Guide Playtest
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Illustration by Francesco Graziani
For over two years now, we've released a plethora of new classes, feats, spells, and other options for your character, but the one area we've never really explored too deeply is races. The Advanced Race Guide is going to change all that with a bunch of new races explored in detail and new options and tools based specifically on your character's race.
Included in this mighty tome is a system for building your own race, using a simple point-based mechanic. While this won't be legal for Pathfinder Society Organized Play, this system will allow players and GMs to add new and innovative races to their game, as well as to add some of the more monstrous options to the party roster. Building a system like this is not easy, and balancing it is even trickier, which is why we want you to playtest this system early and give us your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions for making it better.
This system is available now. Go grab the document right here and read through it. Build a race or two and introduce them to your game. Post your ideas and feedback to the Advanced Race Guide Playtest Board. Make sure to add your custom races to the New Races thread. This playtest will be open for the next two weeks. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Combat Maneuvers and Weapon Special Features Tuesday, September 27, 2011 ... Page 199 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook says, “When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver, make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus. Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, feats, and other effects. These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver.” That last sentence implies that some weapons apply their bonuses...
Combat Maneuvers and Weapon Special Features
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Page 199 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook says, “When you attempt to perform a combat maneuver, make an attack roll and add your CMB in place of your normal attack bonus. Add any bonuses you currently have on attack rolls due to spells, feats, and other effects. These bonuses must be applicable to the weapon or attack used to perform the maneuver.” That last sentence implies that some weapons apply their bonuses on combat maneuver checks, and some do not. So how do you know which weapons do? The answer depends on what kind of combat maneuver you’re attempting, and in some cases what kind of weapon you’re using.
Disarm, sunder, and trip are normally the only kinds of combat maneuvers in which you’re actually using a weapon (natural weapons and unarmed strikes are considered weapons for this purpose) to perform the maneuver, and therefore the weapon’s bonuses (enhancement bonuses, feats such as Weapon Focus, fighter weapon training, and so on) apply to the roll.
For other maneuvers, either you’re not using a weapon at all, or the weapon is incidental to making the maneuver and its bonuses shouldn’t make you better at attempting the maneuver. For example, just because you have a +5 greatsword doesn’t mean it gives you a +5 bonus on dirty trick checks (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 320), and just because you have a +5 dagger doesn’t mean it gives you a +5 bonus on grapple checks. Of course, the GM is free to rule that in certain circumstances, a creature can apply weapon bonuses for these maneuvers, such as when using a sap in a dirty trick maneuver to hit an opponent in a sensitive spot.
There is a special exception to the above rules. If you’re using a weapon with the trip special feature, and you’re attempting a drag or reposition combat maneuver (Advanced Player’s Guide 321–322), you may apply the weapon’s bonuses to the roll because trip weapons are also suitable for dragging and repositioning (this also means we don’t have to add “drag” and “reposition” weapon properties to existing weapons).
Additionally, the polearm master fighter archetype (Advanced Player’s Guide 106) has an ability called sweeping fend that allows the fighter to use any spear or polearm to make bull rush or trip maneuvers. For the bull rush, this is a specific exception that overrides the general rule of “weapon bonuses don’t apply on bull rushes.” For the trip, the text as written is redundant because anyone can already use a weapon as part of a trip attempt, so giving the polearm master this ability has no effect. This ability needs to be updated as follows.
Update: On page 106 of the Advanced Player’s Guide, Polearm Master, Sweeping Fend ability, delete the second sentence. Replace the first sentence with “At 13th level, a polearm master can use any spear or polearm to make bull rush maneuvers, though he takes a –4 penalty on combat maneuver checks when making such attempts. When using a spear or polearm to make a trip maneuver, he treats these weapons as if they had the trip weapon feature.”
... Stealth Playtest, Round Two Tuesday, September 20, 2011 ... Illustration by Christian PearceIn case you missed it, a few weeks ago the Pathfinder design team previewed some changes we were considering making to the Stealth skill. Like any design endeavor, game design benefits from iteration. After letting all of you playtest the rules and let us know what you thought of the first draft, we went back to the drawing board and made some changes based on that fantastic feedback. ... In this...
Stealth Playtest, Round Two
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Illustration by Christian Pearce
In case you missed it, a few weeks ago the Pathfinder design team previewed some changes we were considering making to the Stealth skill. Like any design endeavor, game design benefits from iteration. After letting all of you playtest the rules and let us know what you thought of the first draft, we went back to the drawing board and made some changes based on that fantastic feedback.
In this round of playtesting, you'll find that we've cleared up some action issues. We have opened up the possibilities for using standard actions with the Stealth skill, as long as those standard actions do not attack creatures. In this way, the Stealth skill mirrors the rules found in the invisibility spell; at least as far as what actions you can attempt while you are hidden without automatically ending that condition.
Speaking of hidden, while we have kept the invisible condition, and have even strengthened the wording on that condition a bit, we have also created a lesser, connected condition called hidden. You gain the hidden condition when you benefit from Stealth, and you gain the invisible condition when you use a spell or effect that makes you visually undetectable, like the invisibility spell. Hidden is the base condition, and invisible is an upgrade of that condition.
Lastly, we have added some small language changes to explain how the hidden condition interacts with some universal monster rules dealing with senses—specifically blindsense, blindsight, scent, and tremorsense.
Just like the last round of playtesting, keep in mind that these changes are not yet official. While you are free to use them in your home game—and we would like you to do so—these changes are not yet ready for Pathfinder Society play. This time around we are going to give you two weeks to playtest and comment on these proposed changes, so tell us what you think sometime before October 3rd. We'll announce the final version in the Design Tuesday blog sometime after the playtest is completed, and make changes to the rules using the Pathfinder RPG FAQ system.
Stealth
(Dex; Armor Check Penalty) You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes or strike from an unseen position. This skill covers hiding and moving silently.
Check: Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Usually a Stealth check is made at the start of an action when you have some kind of cover (except for soft cover) or concealment. You cannot spend a free action to initiate Stealth, but if you spend a free action while under the effects of Stealth, you must make a new Stealth check to continue its effects. You can always spend a swift action to stay immobile and make a Stealth check. You can move up to half your speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half your speed and up to your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty on the Stealth check. It's usually impossible to use Stealth while taking an immediate action, a full-round action, or any action to make an attack, unless you are subject to greater invisibility or a similar effect, or you are sniping (see below). When you make your Stealth check, those creatures that didn't succeed at the opposed roll treat you as hidden until the start of your next action or until the end of your turn if you do not end your turn with cover or concealment. You are not hidden from creatures that are observing you (creatures that you didn't have cover or concealment from) or that succeed at the opposed check.
A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.
Attacking while Hidden: Usually, making an attack against a creature ends the hidden condition. For purposes of Stealth, an attack includes any spell targeting a foe or whose area or effect includes a foe. Actions directed at an unattended object do not end Stealth. Causing harm indirectly is not an attack. If during your last action you were hidden to a creature, you are still considered hidden when you make the first attack of that new action.
Other Perception Checks: If a creature makes a Perception check as a move action to notice a hidden creature, the DC of the Perception check is the hidden creature's last Stealth check. This is also the case if a creature makes a Perception check to notice a hidden creature because the perceiving creature is entering an area where it could possibly notice a hidden creature.
Sniping: If you already are hidden to a target and you are at least 10 feet away from that target, as a standard action, you can make one ranged attack against that target and immediately make an opposed Stealth check to stay hidden. You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check when attempting to snipe.
Creating a Diversion to Hide: You can use Bluff to allow you to use Stealth. If you do not have cover or concealment, as a swift action, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Sense Motive of opponents that can see you. If you are successful, you are considered to have concealment from those creatures (but you do not gain the percent miss chance from concealment) until the end of your next action, you make an attack (as defined in the Attacking while Hidden section, above), or the end of your turn, whichever happens first.
Action: Usually making a Stealth check is not an action. Using Stealth is part of the action you are taking.
Special: If you are subject to the invisibility or greater invisibility spells or a similar effect, you gain a +40 bonus on Stealth checks while you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks while you're moving. If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a bonus on Stealth checks (see Chapter 5).
Conditions
Hidden: You are difficult to detect but you not invisible. A hidden creature gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls against sighted opponents, and ignores its opponents' Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). You do not have line of sight to a creature or object that is hidden from you.
Invisible: Invisible creatures are visually undetectable. An invisible creature or object gains the benefits of the hidden condition. An invisible object or creature gains total concealment.
Universal Monster Rules
Blindsense (Ex) Using nonvisual senses, such as acute smell or hearing, a creature with blindsense notices things it cannot see. The creature usually does not need to make Perception checks notice hidden creatures or to pinpoint the location of an invisible creature within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the creature cannot see still has total concealment from the creature with blindsense, and the creature still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see. Format: blindsense 60 ft.; Location: Senses.
Blindsight (Ex) This ability is similar to blindsense, but is far more discerning. Using nonvisual senses, such as sensitivity to vibrations, keen smell, acute hearing, or echolocation, a creature with blindsight maneuvers and fights as well as a sighted creature. invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, as is the hidden condition, though the creature must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern that creature or object. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text. The creature usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures within this range. Unless noted otherwise, blindsight is continuous, and the creature need do nothing to use it. Some forms of blindsight, however, must be triggered as a free action. If so, this is noted in the creature's description. If a creature must trigger its blindsight ability, the creature gains the benefits of blindsight only during its turn. Format: blindsight 60 ft.; Location: Senses.
Scent (Ex) This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights.
The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range.
When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When it is within 5 feet of the source, the creature pinpoints the source's location or notices a hidden creature.
A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry's odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility. Format: scent; Location: Senses.
Tremorsense (Ex) A creature with tremorsense is sensitive to vibrations in the ground and can automatically notice hidden creatures and objects as well as pinpoint invisible creatures and objects in contact with the ground. Aquatic creatures with tremorsense can also sense the location of creatures moving through water. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text. Format: tremorsense 60 ft.; Location: Senses.
... The Most Dangerous Site in Gaming Monday, September 19, 2011About a decade ago, the unwritten rules for success in the tabletop roleplaying game industry were rewritten by the most dangerous man in gaming. Ryan Dancey, then a vice president at Wizards of the Coast, championed the idea of open gaming. This idea was clearly crazy. Take the crown jewels of the most popular roleplaying game in history and give them away to your competition, for free? Madness! ... In retrospect, it was not so...
The Most Dangerous Site in Gaming
Monday, September 19, 2011
About a decade ago, the unwritten rules for success in the tabletop roleplaying game industry were rewritten by the most dangerous man in gaming. Ryan Dancey, then a vice president at Wizards of the Coast, championed the idea of "open gaming." This idea was clearly crazy. Take the crown jewels of the most popular roleplaying game in history and give them away to your competition, for free? Madness!
In retrospect, it was not so crazy after all. That decision changed the entire industry. Hundreds of publishers, including Paizo, have since taken advantage of Ryan's foresight. The core innovation was the OGL, the Open Gaming License, but the real meat was in the SRD: the System Reference Document, the rules you actually needed to play the game.
The original SRD was a collection of exported Microsoft Word documents. The rules you needed were in there, but it wasn't very user friendly. Over the years, fans have taken it upon themselves to organize and hyperlink that content, earning the enduring gratitude of countless gamers.
When Paizo launched the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, we stood on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. Open gaming is at the heart of everything we do. What better way to help the fans play their favorite game than to publish the rules, for free, in an accessible and hyperlinked format? And so, the PRD was born: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document.
We take our commitment to open gaming seriously, so we update the PRD with the open content from each of our new rulebooks. For the release of Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat, we decided to put a little extra into our revision. Take a look at the new Pathfinder Reference Document. Now look at it using your phone, or your iPad. Notice anything different? That's right, it doesn't suck anymore! We've put a lot of effort into making it as useable as possible.
I hope this latest presentation of the rules to the world's best roleplaying game makes lots of people happy. Happy people have a way of becoming happy customers, and that's the key to our ability to keep on producing great content for your game.
P.S. The current PRD consists of over 2,000 files and more than 50,000 hyperlinks and is produced by tiny robots from our original InDesign documents, so there are bound to be some problems. Please post here if you find any.
... Beginner Box Sneak Preview Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Learning to play the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is about to get easier than ever before, as in just a few short weeks the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box hits the shelves of a game store near you! With the imminent release of this mighty boxed set—filled to bursting with easy-to-master rules, multiple adventures, creature tokens, dice, a Flip-Mat play surface, pregenerated character sheets, tons of tools to start...
Beginner Box Sneak Preview
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Learning to play the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is about to get easier than ever before, as in just a few short weeks the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box hits the shelves of a game store near you! With the imminent release of this mighty boxed set—filled to bursting with easy-to-master rules, multiple adventures, creature tokens, dice, a Flip-Mat play surface, pregenerated character sheets, tons of tools to start building your own campaign, and much, much more—here's the first of several previews to whet your appetite for innovative new ways to tell the stories you've always wanted to tell and bring the adventure of tabletop roleplaying to whole new audiences.
To start things off, check out a few pages from the Bestiary chapter of the new Game Master's Guide, or one of the four pregenerated character sheets included in the set, this one detailing everything you'll need to play the dauntless cleric Kyra.
Game Master's Guide Bestiary Preview: From the heart of the Beginner Box's 94-page Game Master's Guide, here are eight fearsome and familiar foes, exhibiting just a hint of their streamlined rules, and proving that easy to use doesn't mean any less deadly. Download the PDF preview (1.6 MB zip/pdf)
Cleric Pregenerated Character Sheet Preview: What good is a pregenerated character if you don't know how to use it? Check out a complete Beginner Box pregenerated character sheet, designed to not only allow players to dive into the action immediately, but also explain each key ability and character feature at a glance, making sure players are spending their time adventuring, not looking up rules. This sample sheet is only one of four included in the Beginner Box. Download the PDF preview (1.8 MB zip/pdf)
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Beginner Box releases this October, but be sure to check back right here in the coming weeks for more details, discussions, and exciting revelations about the newest and most exciting way to learn and play the Pathfinder RPG!
... Free Stuff on Our Website! Thursday, September 1, 2011 ... Check out our Community Use Package!So some of you may or may not know that we updated some parts of our Community Use Package the other day. Some of you may or may not know what that even means, which is a darn shame, since we put out some really cool, really free stuff that people don't even know about. In addition to the Player's Guides for each new Adventure Path we put out every six months, below is a list of some neato...
So some of you may or may not know that we updated some parts of our Community Use Package the other day. Some of you may or may not know what that even means, which is a darn shame, since we put out some really cool, really free stuff that people don't even know about. In addition to the Player's Guides for each new Adventure Path we put out every six months, below is a list of some neato things that we put on our site that you can use for free under our Community Use Policy.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document
At Gen Con, I realized that a lot of people didn't know that you don't even need to buy most of our products to enjoy them, and that we put up all our rules on our own website for free. It's kind of this insane marketing scheme we have, where we like our customers so much that we give you all the rules you need to play our game for free, and it totally works. It's called the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document, and it's a giant archive of all our rules, so that you can play the game without even opening your book up. It's searchable, official, totally free, and updated often.
Community Use Package
The Community Use Package consist of files we provide freely on our website, including big ol' maps of our world, symbols to put on your own maps, character sheets, and other cool icons and logos to use as you may. We're pretty down with our fans using things we make to express their appreciation for our products, and you can use a lot of our campaign setting stuff for your own needs as long as you comply with our Community Use Policy.
Pathfinder Society Introductory Scenarios
Pathfinder Society Organized Play is getting pretty popular. We just kicked off Season 3 of Pathfinder Society a couple months ago, and to commemorate the event we released three free full-length scenarios to introduce new and veteran players alike to the exciting world of our organized play campaign! Scroll down to the bottom of the linked page here and check them out! In addition, you can get yourself a free copy of the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play on our website as well.
Free RPG Day
If you don't know about Free RPG Day already, you've been missing out. But that's okay! Because you can still download the products we release on these esteemed occasions on our website. Our last Free PRG Day product was the module We Be Goblins, which is an absolute blast, and in the past we've put out the much-acclaimed Master of the Fallen Fortress module and the Pathfinder RPG Bonus Bestiary, which includes plenty of baddies to throw at your players.
... Encounters with Flying Cats Tuesday, August 30, 2011 ... Fresh meat! We have to keep the cave raptors downstairs fed!Hi there! My name is Meredith Kniest, and I'm the latest edition of the Paizo Intern. I've been asked to explain a bit about myself and my experience at Paizo so far, which frankly is an awesome relief from staring at Excel spreadsheets. Oh, the joys of interning. ... I'm currently a senior at the University of Washington studying English and French. After having scoured...
Encounters with Flying Cats
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Fresh meat! We have to keep the cave raptors downstairs fed!
Hi there! My name is Meredith Kniest, and I'm the latest edition of the Paizo Intern. I've been asked to explain a bit about myself and my experience at Paizo so far, which frankly is an awesome relief from staring at Excel spreadsheets. Oh, the joys of interning.
I'm currently a senior at the University of Washington studying English and French. After having scoured internship postings in the greater Seattle area for months, and with gloomy national job forecasts echoing about my brain in the available space between Shakespeare and Balzac, I was beginning to resign myself to a long and dismal job search. That's when I came across Wesley's ad for an editing internship with Paizo. With a peculiar amount of trepidation did I apply—after all, the closest I've ever come to playing a tabletop RPG was creating fantasy adventures for my little brother using Playmobil people and Lincoln Logs, long ago, in the dusty days before Zelda took her first three-dimensional step, when Doug was the best show on television.
Three weeks into the position, I've learned a great deal about the Pathfinder universe, though I still feel like the greenest noob since Leeroy Jenkins, especially around the other Paizo employees, whose daily conversation—Hey, have we ever used flying cats as monsters? and Do we have a rule for wading through water?—flits by my ears like Miles Davis at a fifth-grade band concert.
My first intern assignment is to continue a job begun by interns of yesteryear: cataloging all of the Pathfinder rules not included in the Core Rulebook.
Yes, ALL of them.
It took me a couple of days to comprehend the daunting scale of this task. It's doubtful that it will be finished by me. Or by anyone, ever. I was discouraged, I won't lie. I had hoped to really wow my new employers with amazing ninja cataloging skills. (Hey, I take pride in my work. It keeps me going after caffeine has worn off.
However, I've been finding solace and diversion in the compelling, sometimes morbid storytelling that seems to make Pathfinder unique. I'm used to video game storytelling. Pathfinder is on a whole new, deeper, infinitely more variable and complex level than video games are capable of. Often I completely forget to catalog a rule or a stat block because I'm gripped by the lycanthropy of Duristan Silvio Ariesir or the perversions of the Runelords of Runeforge.
Feel free to send me your prayers, your derision, or any obscure Pathfinder rules you can think of. I'll be here, reading about the Blood Veil in Korvosa and, possibly, forgetting to do my job.
... Stealth Playtest Tuesday, August 23, 2011 ... Illustration by Yngvar ApslundHere at Paizo, the design team has a host of challenges. Some of the greatest challenges come when dealing with the rules of our game that don't work as well as we would like. For a number of weeks we have been talking about the issues concerning the Stealth skill. Over the course of those conversations we have come up with many ideas to improve this skill and make its use both clearer and more playable. ... So,...
Stealth Playtest
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Illustration by Yngvar Apslund
Here at Paizo, the design team has a host of challenges. Some of the greatest challenges come when dealing with the rules of our game that don't work as well as we would like. For a number of weeks we have been talking about the issues concerning the Stealth skill. Over the course of those conversations we have come up with many ideas to improve this skill and make its use both clearer and more playable.
So, here is our crazy idea: We are thinking about just rewriting the skill. This is our first stab at a rewrite, but before we make any definitive change, we want to unleash our crazy ideas to you—the Pathfinder players—to poke holes in, give us input on, and playtest. The following changes to the Stealth rules are by no means final, nowhere near official, and definitely not usable in Pathfinder Society. They're here for you to read, think on, playtest, and then for you to give us feedback. We will be listening for the next week. Have fun!
Stealth
(Dex; Armor Check Penalty)
You are skilled at avoiding detection, allowing you to slip past foes or strike from an unseen position. This skill covers hiding and moving silently.
Check: Your Stealth check is opposed by the Perception check of anyone who might notice you. Usually a Stealth check is made at the start of a free, move, or swift action when you start that action with either some kind of cover (except for soft cover) or concealment. You can always spend a swift action to stay immobile and make a Stealth check. You cannot spend a free action to initiate a Stealth check, but if you spend a free action while under the effects of Stealth, you must make a new Stealth check in order to continue the effects of Stealth. You can move up to half your normal speed and use Stealth at no penalty. When moving at a speed greater than half and up to your normal speed, you take a –5 penalty. It's usually impossible to use Stealth while taking an immediate action, standard action, or a full-round action, unless you are subject to greater invisibility or a similar effect, you are sniping (see below), or you are using a standard action to ready an action. When you make your Stealth check, those creatures that didn't succeed at the opposed roll treat you as invisible until the start of your next action or until the end of your turn if you do not end your turn with cover or concealment. When you use Stealth, creatures that are observing you (creatures that you didn't have cover or concealment from) or that succeed at the opposed check do not treat you as invisible.
A creature larger or smaller than Medium takes a size bonus or penalty on Stealth checks depending on its size category: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16.
Attacking from Invisibility: Usually making an attack against a creature ends the invisible condition. If during your last action were invisible to a creature, you are still considered invisible when you make the first attack of that new action.
Other Perception Checks: If a creature makes a Perception check as a move action to notice an invisible creature, the DC of the Perception check is the invisible creature's last Stealth check. This is also the case if a creature makes a Perception check to notice an invisible creature because the perceiving creature is entering an area where it could possibly notice an invisible creature.
Sniping: If you already are invisible to a target and you are 10 feet from that target, as a standard action, you can make one ranged attack against that target and immediately make an opposed Stealth check to stay invisible. You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check when attempting to snipe.
Creating a Diversion to Hide: If you do not have cover or concealment, as a standard action, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed by the Perception of opponents that can see you. On a success, you become invisible to those creatures and can move up to half your speed. When you do this, you take a –10 penalty on the Bluff check.
Action: Usually making a Stealth check is not an action. Using Stealth is part of the action are taking.
Special: If you are subject to the invisibility or greater invisibility spells or a similar effect, you gain a +40 bonus on Stealth checks while you are immobile, or a +20 bonus on Stealth checks while you're moving.
If you have the Stealthy feat, you get a bonus on Stealth checks (see Chapter 5).
... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here. Ready for Combat! Thursday, August 18, 2011With Ultimate Combat fighting its way into eager hands, it's time to adorn your desktops with some appropriate wallpaper, featuring the ever-awesome art of Wayne Reynolds. ... Christopher Carey ... Editor ...
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here.
Ready for Combat!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
With Ultimate Combat fighting its way into eager hands, it's time to adorn your desktops with some appropriate wallpaper, featuring the ever-awesome art of Wayne Reynolds.
... Early Pathfinder RPG Product Previews Tuesday, August 16, 2011Just in case you missed the announcements and updates at Gen Con 2011, here's some news on the next few Pathfinder RPG products. ... Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box ... Pawns from the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box.The Beginner Box contains: A 64-page player book with information on the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard classes up to level 5; skills; feats; equipment; and rules for combat, adventuring, and how to handle leveling up.;...
Early Pathfinder RPG Product Previews
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Just in case you missed the announcements and updates at Gen Con 2011, here's some news on the next few Pathfinder RPG products.
A 64-page player book with information on the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard classes up to level 5; skills; feats; equipment; and rules for combat, adventuring, and how to handle leveling up.
A 96-page GM book with a sample adventure; information on running the game; creating a campaign; 12 pages of magic items; 24 pages of monsters; a sample campaign starting area; and advice on building your own adventures.
Other materials such as a Flip-Mat, three pages of cardboard pawns for PCs and monsters (see photo for an example), pregenerated characters, and a blank character sheet.
When the Beginner Box is released, we'll have additional free online content for players (the barbarian class, new spells, new feats, and new rogue talents) and GMs (an adventure, more magic items, and more monsters). The Beginner Box directs players and GMs to look online for this additional content.
This 320-page book has 283 pages of monsters, including new monster categories such as clockwork, demodand, div, kami, and kyton (some of which are subtypes). If you're a GM running a high-level game, you'll find 36 monsters at CR 15 or higher (more than 20 of which aren't outsiders).
This comprehensive guide to rules on fantasy races includes 10 pages on each race in the Core Rulebook (including humans), six pages each on featured races such as aasimar, catfolk, goblins, orcs, and tieflings, two pages each on uncommon races such as duergar, gillmen, kitsune, and suli, and a 38-page chapter on designing your own balanced 0-HD races.
Ultimate Equipment
This is a collection of all the nonmagical and magical gear we've published, updated and all in one place, and that's only half of this book. It'll also include random magic item tables for everything in the book, with items sorted by slot to make it easier to finish up gear for PC and NPCs.
... Gen Con Announcement Recap! Wednesday, August 10, 2011 ... ENnie Awards: Product of the Year ... (for the Advanced Players Guide)Whew... another Gen Con over and done with! We had a great time at the show, in no small part due to the incredible support of our fans and customers. You all are the BEST! ... In a Gen Con filled with highlights, though, for me one of the most incredible moments came about 15 minutes after the Ennie Awards wrapped up, when we went up to the Pathfinder Society...
Gen Con Announcement Recap!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
ENnie Awards: Product of the Year (for the Advanced Players Guide)
Whew... another Gen Con over and done with! We had a great time at the show, in no small part due to the incredible support of our fans and customers. You all are the BEST!
In a Gen Con filled with highlights, though, for me one of the most incredible moments came about 15 minutes after the Ennie Awards wrapped up, when we went up to the Pathfinder Society Organized Play room to announce to a room of several hundred gamers that we’d won. The uproar of cheers that filled the room when Erik climbed up on his chair and made that announcement was overwhelming. Pictured is one of those many awards—the trophy for Product of the Year (Advanced Player’s Guide) held up with an enormous room of hundreds of Pathfinder Society GMs and players in the background.
We also made a large number of announcements at Gen Con for products coming out in the months ahead. Most of these announcements can be found here and there on paizo.com, but I thought I’d group them all up here in this post so everyone can find out about them at once.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Coming at the end of the year is Pathfinder Bestiary 3, followed next Spring by the Advanced Race Guide (a big hardcover book that’ll give you new options for ALL of the zero Hit Die races we’ve published to that point, as well as rules for building your own races of any power level), and then next Gen Con with Ultimate Equipment (a hardcover filled to the brim with new toys and magic items for any Pathfinder character).
Pathfinder Adventure Path: At long last, we’ve started the Jade Regent Adventure Path! But once you’re done traveling over the frozen Crown of the World and exploring Tian Xia, be ready next February for some good old-fashioned plundering and mayhem with the pirate-themed Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. And then, next Gen Con, we celebrate five years of Pathfinder and ten years of Paizo by returning to where it all began—the Shattered Star Adventure Path brings it all back to Varisia with a frantic search to be the first to recover and rebuild an ancient Thassilonian artifact—the original Sihedron Symbol—before it’s too late!
Pathfinder Player Companion: After debuting Goblins of Golarion at Gen Con, we’re ready to finish out the three-part exploration of the faiths of the Inner Sea with Faiths of Corruption. Two months later, the Dragon Empires Primer gives players all they need to know to make characters from Tian Xia. And early next year, Pirates of the Inner Sea will finally let you unleash your inner buccaneer!
Pathfinder Modules: We’ll be heading back to Varisia even earlier than Magnimar: City of Monuments and the Shattered Star Adventure Path, though, with Feast of Ravenmoor, a low-level module set in the Varisian hinterlands. Two months later, test your mettle in The Ruby Phoenix Tournament, and then next January find out what our latest RPG Superstar winner, Sam Zeitlin, has in store for you in The Midnight Mirror!
Pathfinder Battles: After WizKids releases the initial set of prepainted plastic Pathfinder miniatures of Merisiel, Kyra, Valeros, and Ezren (Pathfinder Beginner Box Heroes, which ties into the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box), you can look forward first to the 40-miniature set of Heroes and Monsters, to be followed up later next year by the Rise of the Runelords set.
And finally... the announcement that I was the most excited for: a 420-page hardcover compilation of Rise of the Runelords, fully updated to the Pathfinder rules and expanded with new encounters and tons of new artwork, due for release at PaizoCon 5 next June!
... Meet the Iconics: Reiko August 4, 2011Reiko is the iconic character for the ninja class from Ultimate Combat. To read the story for Hayato, the iconic samurai, or Lirianne, the iconic gunslinger—both classes also featured in Ultimate Combat—click here and here. ... Situated on the western coast of Minkai, Reiko’s home town of White Wave was a quiet fishing village, little more than a collection of shacks and cabins clinging to a steep cliff face overlooking the harbor. Crushed...
Meet the Iconics: Reiko
August 4, 2011
Reiko is the iconic character for the ninja class from Ultimate Combat. To read the story for Hayato, the iconic samurai, or Lirianne, the iconic gunslinger—both classes also featured in Ultimate Combat—click here and here.
Situated on the western coast of Minkai, Reiko’s home town of White Wave was a quiet fishing village, little more than a collection of shacks and cabins clinging to a steep cliff face overlooking the harbor. Crushed under oppressive humidity in the summer, the air thick with clouds of stinging flies and gnats, and subject to dangerous storms in the winter, White Wave had little to offer any lord, and thus little was demanded of it.
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
All that changed when Reiko was twelve. Due to bureaucratic disputes and shifting borders between noble fiefdoms, White Wave fell under the control of a new lord—Entobe Hisashi—and this one had grand plans for the holding. The sea cliffs would be the perfect place for a new shrine, a series of shining towers that would please the gods and bring favor upon the Entobe family for generations. An ambitious project, it would take many hands to complete. And Lord Entobe knew precisely where to find them.
When Reiko thinks of her childhood, she no longer remembers searching through tide pools, or climbing high up the dangerous cliff walls to the sounds of her mother’s laughter and her father’s anxious scolding. Instead, she remembers the smell and taste of rock dust in her mouth, her fingernails smashed and bleeding from hauling rocks. She remembers the long hours of toil in the cruelly hot sun, carrying water for the townsfolk forced to cut stone in the quarry, their fishing dories left to rot in the harbor. Yet most of all, she remembers the faces of her parents growing steadily leaner as they made her take their rations of rice and soup.
For many months, the people toiled. Lord Entobe’s enforcers brooked no laziness—as they deemed it when the old or young keeled over from exhaustion—and punishments were severe. The village’s tiny graveyard filled quickly, and soon bodies began to wash up on the shore as townsfolk too exhausted to dig graves cast their deceased loved ones into the sea.
And then, seemingly overnight, the gods turned against the project. Shortly after dusk one night, three of the five tower foundations collapsed, killing one of the crueler taskmasters. Though it meant months more work, the people secretly took joy in the irony, and that joy sustained them as they began to clear away rubble and rebuild. Yet strange things kept happening to the necessary supplies. Tools were broken. Timbers rotted. Stone turned brittle, and rope frayed and snapped. Guards died in mysterious ways, always seemingly accidental. The fury and fear of the overseers and the architects was a wonder to behold, and the common folk secretly toasted whatever kami were responsible.
Only one house did not share in the amusement. Though they said nothing to her, Reiko could tell that her parents were tense, and the arguments that came through her walls after they thought she was asleep ran late into the night. And then one painfully hot summer evening, unable to sleep despite her exhaustion, Reiko left her room and found a black-clad figure crawling through a second-story window.
Before Reiko could scream, the figure was at her side, hand covering her mouth. And then the tight-fitting black cowl was removed, and Reiko was looking into the solemn eyes of her mother.
After that night, many things changed. Reiko learned that her mother was no shepherd girl from the inland fields, as she had always been told, but had instead grown up in the mountains as part of a clan of ninja, a deadly but honorable band of assassins and spies with a history going back hundreds of years. On the run after an ill-fated ambush, she hid out in the tiny village and fell in love with a simple fisherman—Reiko’s father. Despite her husband’s concern and disapproval, Reiko’s mother began to teach their daughter some of the secrets of the clan. Though she flatly refused to take Reiko on any of the solitary raids with which she plagued Entobe’s people, the two spent many hours together in the darkness, climbing the cliffs of White Wave, practicing with the swords her mother kept hidden in their rafters, and moving silently across rooftops and ship rigging. Reiko proved a capable student, and at last there was something to look forward to after days of backbreaking labor.
And then Reiko’s mother went too far. Caught in the act of sabotaging a stone-hauling cart, she killed several of the overseers before escaping back to their home. Immediately she hid her gear in the midden and put an end to her and Reiko’s midnight activities. But it was too late.
Furious, Lord Entobe himself came to the site, arriving in a grand procession of warriors, spellcasters—and investigators. The afternoon after his arrival, he halted construction and ordered the townsfolk to assemble. Reiko and her mother—both assigned to the task of serving tea to the guards for the day—stood at the back of the crowd, watching Entobe take the makeshift stage that had been erected in his honor.
Addressing the crowd, Entobe announced that the person behind the attacks had been discovered, and that the treachery in their midst would be ending. Then he held up a familiar object—the black mask belonging to Reiko’s mother, still damp and stained from the trash heap.
That was when the guards parted ranks to reveal Reiko’s father, bound at wrists and ankles. There was no mistaking the gash across his throat, nor the red stain trailing down his shirt.
Reiko shrieked and rushed forward, but her mother caught her shoulder and spun her around. Their eyes met.
“Run, little spider,” her mother said. Then a hidden blade dropped from her sleeve into her hand, and she leapt for the mob of guards on the stage.
Reiko ran. Using all the skills her mother had taught her, she slipped out of the village and away down the cliffs, evading Entobe’s guards and dogs. For days she ran along the sea’s edge, keeping to the stones at low tide to leave no prints or scent trails, until she was sure that she was far from Entobe’s holdings. Then she turned east, into the mountains, in search of her mother’s clan.
In the end, she found them—yet not in the way she expected. For Entobe had also uncovered her mother’s clan allegiance, and in a fit of pique had hired them to hunt down any remaining members of her family. One again, Reiko found herself on the run. And this time she didn’t stop until she was far, far to the west, on the shores of a strange land called Avistan.
Today, Reiko is a grown woman. Cool and aloof, quick with a cutting remark or withering glare, she’s nevertheless managed to get along for nearly ten years in a land where Minkai itself is a legend, and ninja are little more than exotic fairy tales. Though she’s studied with the most capable thieves and assassins in the region, Reiko has yet to find the carefully codified engagements of honor and subtlety that her mother spoke of, and grows tired of Avistan’s seemingly endless collection of brute highwaymen and lowbrow killers. Still, the lack of corrupt lords like Entobe in places like Andoran—her new nation of choice—is a small comfort, and she’s heard whispers that a secret branch of the Eagle Knights may be exactly what she’s looking for. Regardless of whether such rumors pan out, and despite a decade on foreign soil, Reiko still views her time around the Inner Sea as a training exercise. Someday soon, she’ll retrace her steps back to Minkai. And when she does, both the Entobe family and her mother’s traitorous clan will finally learn the magnitude of their mistake.
... Ultimate Combat Preview #3 Tuesday, August 2, 2011We are just a few short days away from the release of Ultimate Combat and many of the subscribers already have copies of this mighty battle tome on the way to their doorsteps. For those of you not so lucky, let's take a look at some of the other great material you can expect to find inside. ... Aside from the plethora of archetypes and feats, this book has a lot of other great rules and subsystems for you to use in your game. There are...
Ultimate Combat Preview #3
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
We are just a few short days away from the release of Ultimate Combat and many of the subscribers already have copies of this mighty battle tome on the way to their doorsteps. For those of you not so lucky, let's take a look at some of the other great material you can expect to find inside.
Aside from the plethora of archetypes and feats, this book has a lot of other great rules and subsystems for you to use in your game. There are pages and pages of new weapons, eastern weapons, gladiator weapons, primitive weapons, and firearms. Of course, in addition to a good trusty nine-section whip, you will also find a host of armors and few new materials. For example, take a look at what you get out of that expensive golden sword.
Gold: Typically only used for ceremonial weapons and armor, metal equipment made from gold is fragile, heavy, and expensive. Often golden armor is gold-plated rather than constructed entirely from gold. The rules below are for the rare item constructed entirely of gold rather than being gold-plated.
Gold-plated items triple the base cost of weapons and armor and have the same properties as the item the gold is plating. Items constructed purely of gold cost 10 times the normal cost for items of their type. Gold items weigh 50% more than typical weapons or armor of their type.
Weapons: Gold is often too soft to hold a decent edge, but light weapons that do piercing or slashing damage can be constructed of gold or some nearly gold alloy. They take a –2 penalty on damage rolls (minimum 1 damage).
Gold weapons have a hardness of half their base weapons’ and also have the fragile quality.
Armor: Gold can be fashioned into light or medium metal armor. The softness and the weight of the metal decrease the armor/shield bonus by 2, and increase the armor check penalty by 2. Gold armor has a hardness of 5.
As you can see, not exactly the best material for making weapons or armor, but you sure do look pretty using it. Speaking of which, the one area where you really want to impress those watching your battle skills is the arena. Ultimate Combat has an extensive system for handling combat in the arena. Getting the crowd on your side in this sort of struggle is just as important as avoiding the giant hammer swinging toward your head. These checks work much like the Diplomacy skill, but with some very different results. Take a look at the two ends of the spectrum.
Hostile: The crowd does not like what it is seeing. Hostile crowds demoralize combatants in a performance combat. In these battles, while the crowd is hostile toward a given side, those combatants take a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws. This is a mind-affecting effect.
If the crowd is hostile toward a side of the combat and a member of that side fails a performance combat check by 5 or more, that side automatically loses the performance part of the combat. This can be important for the story of the game, or if the PCs are participating in serialized performance combats.
Helpful: The crowd loves what it is seeing from a given side. Audience members stand up, chant, cheer, and scream for the combatants to push on toward ultimate success. A helpful crowd grants its chosen champions a +2 morale bonus on all attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws. This is a mind-affecting effect.
If the crowd is helpful toward one side of the combat and a member of that side succeeds at a performance combat check, that side gains a victory point.
Winning the crowd is vital if you want the emperor to give you that all-important thumbs-up at the end of the bout. If things do go poorly, it's best to hop on the nearest boat, wagon, or airship and get out of town. This is where vehicle combat comes into play. Lucky for you, there is an entire chapter devoted to the subject, including ramming, maneuverability, and plenty of checks to make sure your speeding wagon does not go off a cliff. There are even a large number of stat blocks for different types of vehicles. This one is bound to be popular.
Illustration by Dmitry Burmak
Alchemical Dragon
Colossal air vehicle Squares 60 (20 ft. by 75 ft.); Cost 100,000 gp
Defense
AC 2; Hardness 5 hp 900 (449) Base Save +0
Offense
Maximum Speed 100 ft.; Acceleration 30 ft. CMB +8; CMD 18 Ramming Damage 8d8
Description
This ship is made of wood and is usually crafted in the shape of a dragon. It is held aloft purely by its alchemical engine, a complicated and dangerous device that has a tendency to explode when the vehicle becomes wrecked. When this happens, if the alchemical dragon has a driver, that driver can make a DC 30 driving check as an immediate action. If the check fails, the alchemical engine explodes, dealing 10d10 points of fire damage to all objects and creatures within a 60-foot radius of the alchemical engine. A DC 20 Reflex save halves the damage. An alchemical dragon can carry up to 20 tons of cargo or 70 passengers.
Propulsion alchemical (6 squares of alchemical engines in the middle of the ship; hardness 8, hp 120) Driving Check Craft (alchemy) or Knowledge (arcana) +10 to the DC Forward Facing the ship’s forward Driving Device steering wheel Driving Space the nine squares around the steering wheel that sits at the front of the ship Crew 10 Decks 1 Weapons Up to 6 Large direct-fire siege engines in banks of 3 positioned on the port and starboard sides of the alchemical dragon, or up to 4 Huge direct-fire siege engines in banks of two on the port and starboard sides of the ship. The siege engines may only fire out the sides of the ship they are positioned on. They cannot be swiveled to fire toward the forward or aft sides of the ship.
I can think of a number of villains that would love to have one of these, and even more PCs that would want to take it from them.
Well, that about wraps up the previews for Ultimate Combat. There is a lot more to find and discover on your own, including expanded rules for duels, siege weapons, combat spells, and so much more. You’ll be able to get your hands on this book any day now. I am sure we will see many of you grabbing your copies at Gen Con later this week. See you there.
Meet the Iconics: Lirianne Thursday, July 28th, 2011Lirianne is the iconic character for the gunslinger class from Ultimate Combat. To read the story for Hayato, the iconic samurai—another class featured in Ultimate Combat—click here. ... Shieldmarshal Dahmok's greatest failing was teaching his middle daughter to read. After the loss of their mother, a lively but capricious elven explorer who viewed ten years and three children as a fling, he had hoped to rear homebody children....
Meet the Iconics: Lirianne
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
Lirianne is the iconic character for the gunslinger class from Ultimate Combat. To read the story for Hayato, the iconic samurai—another class featured in Ultimate Combat—click here.
Shieldmarshal Dahmok's greatest failing was teaching his middle daughter to read. After the loss of their mother, a lively but capricious elven explorer who viewed ten years and three children as a "fling," he had hoped to rear homebody children. Even with their halfblood status stretching the years he spent with his treasured children, the old marshal shuddered at the knowledge that one was already slipping away.
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
While older Suzeressa took to the practical household arts and younger Milliceene pursued a love of natural sciences, middle-born Lirianne lost herself for hours at a time in tales of shining knights, devious fairies, and mighty dragons—all subjects absent from her homeland of Alkenstar. Raised among bricks, smoke, and bureaucracy, the young half-elf dreamed of the life of adventure and fantasy promised by the collection of fairy tales left by her absent mother and her own ever-growing library of penny dreadfuls. Naturally, she aspired to follow in her father's footsteps and become a shieldmarshal, protecting Alkenstar from the hostile giants and hideous mutations of the Mana Wastes. Preferring to keep his little girl safe at home, Dahmok calmly explained she could never become a shieldmarshal, running with the first excuse he could come up with—that her beloved long hair would become entangled in firearm mechanisms. To his surprise, he awoke the next morning to discover Lirianne grinning like a fool, with her long tresses roughly chopped, eagerly packed and ready to follow him to work.
For twenty years, the little half-elf pushed herself to meet ever more insane requirements laid down by her aging father. Schoolmates nicknamed her "the Phantom" as she vanished often to practice her quick draw or memorize technical volumes. Tutors and governesses thought her adle-brained as she sat staring, redrawing engineer's schematics in her mind rather than follow her lessons. Even before she was old enough to entertain her first romance, she had mastered the construction and firing of a rifle, and could reckon complex trajectories by eye alone.
An old man and long since retired by the time his daughter reached womanhood, Dahmok could no longer forbid her entry into the shieldmarshals. But the old patriot's influence lived on in his successors, and to honor his service they assigned Lirianne to a quiet domestic position, safeguarding farming settlements along the secure Alkenstar-Martel road. Ten years of her life passed rounding up drunks and mediating water rights, eating away at her passion for adventure in ways her father's disapproval never could. Her childhood dreams eventually forgotten, Lirianne's steely eyes dulled with the tarnish of a thousand mundane details.
It was kismet when a storm of wild magic blew off the Spellscar Desert, past Alkenstar, and into her jurisdiction. The rampant arcane energy, fallout from centuries of wizard warfare, warped space and time around it. The magical swells lashed out, reshaping hillsides, boiling sand into glass, and calling forth bizarre creatures from the dawn of history. The only marshal at hand, Lirianne leapt into service. As townsfolk huddled in their cellars and buildings crumbled into twisted forms of misbegotten wood and bone, a bolt of green lightning lashed out, striking the half-elf even as she confronted the storm's abominations.
Lirianne awoke soaking and half-drowned on distant shores. The bizarre country was flush with thick forests and green hills—plant life like she'd never seen. Wandering inland, she soon encountered a lumber caravan beset by malicious fey. In a heartbeat, a childhood's worth of stories welled up inside her, and she rushed into battle with a passion long since forgotten. The grateful caravan loaded her with all the supplies and information she could manage, confirming that her inexplicable odyssey had deposited her cleanly in the midst of those same shining knights, devious fairies, and mighty dragons who had occupied so much of her youth.
Now a wanderer in the strange land of Avistan, Lirianne struggles to balance her resurgence of childhood wonder and adult dedication to justice, all while confronting her long-ignored elven blood. While thoughts of family and the familiar industrial life of Alkenstar occasionally tug at her roaming heart, sights remain unseen and people remain unsaved, and Lirianne will be damned if she'll fail in either.
... Ultimate Combat Preview #2 Tuesday, July 26, 2011During the preview banquet at PaizoCon this year, I boasted that Ultimate Combat had a gigantic feats chapter, which started off with a seven-page table, summarizing all the feats. While that is impressive, I realized later that I made a mistake—the feats table is nine pages long! ... This week we're going to take a look at the feats chapter a bit more closely, since it is such an important part of this book. This chapter contains 256...
Ultimate Combat Preview #2
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
During the preview banquet at PaizoCon this year, I boasted that Ultimate Combat had a gigantic feats chapter, which started off with a seven-page table, summarizing all the feats. While that is impressive, I realized later that I made a mistake—the feats table is nine pages long!
This week we're going to take a look at the feats chapter a bit more closely, since it is such an important part of this book. This chapter contains 256 feats, suitable for characters of every race and class. There are feats to grant bonuses with nets, feats that let you mix a hex with an unarmed strike, and feats that nearly let you rip off your opponents head! While many of them are combat feats, there are a few new feat categories as well. Grit feats modify and amplify the abilities of the gunslinger class, while style feats represent fighting forms and techniques, primarily employed by martial art masters, such as the monk. Take a look at this chain of style feats.
Illustration by Dmitry Burmak
Crane Style (Combat, Style)
Your unarmed fighting techniques blend poise with graceful defense. Prerequisites: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +2 or monk level 1st. Benefit: You take only a –2 penalty on attack rolls for fighting defensively. While using this style and fighting defensively or using the total defense action, you gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class.
Crane Wing (Combat)
You move with the speed and finesse of an avian hunter, your sweeping blocks and graceful motions allowing you to deflect melee attacks with ease. Prerequisites: Crane Style, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +5 or monk level 5th. Benefit: Once per round while using Crane Style, when you have at least one hand free and are either fighting defensively or using the total defense action, you can deflect one melee weapon attack that would normally hit you. You expend no action to deflect the attack, but you must be aware of it and not flat-footed. An attack so deflected deals no damage to you.
Crane Riposte (Combat)
You use your defensive abilities to make overpowering counterattacks. Prerequisites: Crane Style, Crane Wing, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +8 or monk level 7th. Benefit: You take only a –1 penalty on attack rolls for fighting defensively. Whenever you use Crane Wing to deflect an opponent's attack, you can make an attack of opportunity against that opponent after the attack is deflected.
This is one of the easiest style feats to qualify for, but the trick with these feats is that you cannot utilize more than one style feat at a time, and you cannot use the other feats in the chain unless you are using the base style feat as well. While this means you can get some pretty good abilities if you just focus on one chain, getting into multiple chains forces you to make decisions about which abilities you want on a given round.
Of course, the chapter also features some new teamwork feats and a new classification of feats called Performance feats, which give you an edge when fighting in an arena or other theater of blood. Take a look at these two, one from each category.
Shake It Off (Teamwork)
You support your allies and help them recover from crippling effects. Benefit: When you are adjacent to one or more allies who also have this feat, you gain a +1 bonus on saving throws per such ally (maximum +4).
Murderer's Circle (Combat, Performance)
After savaging your foe, you circle like a hunter ready for the kill. Prerequisites: Dodge, Acrobatics 4 ranks. Benefit: When you spend a swift action to make a performance combat check after scoring a critical hit or performing a combat maneuver, and you are adjacent to the target of the critical hit or combat maneuver, you can move to any other space that is adjacent to the target without provoking attacks of opportunity. You must have a clear path to that space and the ability to reach it by spending a move action. If you end this move in any space other than the one where you started, you gain a +2 bonus on the performance combat check.
I must admit, I picked those two to show off due mainly to their awesome names. There are a lot of really great feats in this book and I would love to show off all of them to you, but you'll just have to check them out for yourself when the book releases next week. For our final preview, we're going to take a look at some of the great new rules systems found in this book, including vehicle combat!
... Ultimate Combat Preview #1 Tuesday, July 19, 2011Time slips by so quickly during the summer months that it seems like a new rulebook is just around the corner. As it turns out, Ultimate Combat is due to release in just a few weeks. From now until Gen Con, we will be showing off some of the exciting new options for characters and GMs alike that hide inside this blood-drenched tome. ... To kick things off, I can think of no better way than to take a look at the classes chapter of Ultimate...
Ultimate Combat Preview #1
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Time slips by so quickly during the summer months that it seems like a new rulebook is just around the corner. As it turns out, Ultimate Combat is due to release in just a few weeks. From now until Gen Con, we will be showing off some of the exciting new options for characters and GMs alike that hide inside this blood-drenched tome.
To kick things off, I can think of no better way than to take a look at the classes chapter of Ultimate Combat. This book features one brand-new class, the gunslinger, as well as two alternate classes, the ninja and the samurai. In addition, all of the classes that focus on melee or ranged combat get a host of new archetypes in this book. Take a look a this list.
Illustration by Mauricio Herrera
Alchemist: This section presents the beastmorph and ragechemist archetypes. Barbarian: This section includes the armored hulk, scarred rager, sea reaver, titan mauler, true primitive, urban barbarian, and wild rager. Bard: This section includes the archaeologist, daredevil, and dervish dancer. Cavalier: This section includes the beast rider, emissary, gendarme, honor guard, luring cavalier, musketeer, standard bearer, and strategist. Cleric: This section includes the crusader, divine strategist, evangelist, and merciful healer. Druid: This section includes the ape shaman, bat shaman, and boar shaman, as well as the world walker. Fighter: This section includes the armor master, brawler, cad, dragoon, gladiator, tactician, thunderstriker, tower shield specialist, unarmed fighter, and unbreakable. Gunslinger: This section includes the gun tank, musket master, mysterious stranger, and pistolero. Inquisitor: This section includes the iconoclast, spellbreaker, and witch hunter. Magus: This section includes the kensai, myrmidarch, skirnir, and soul forger. Monk: This section includes the flowing monk, maneuver master, martial artist, master of many styles, sensei, sohei, and tetori. Paladin: This section includes the divine hunter, empyreal knight, holy gun, holy tactician, knight of the sepulcher, and sacred shield. Ranger: This section includes the battle scout, deep walker, falconer, trophy hunter, warden, and wild stalker. Rogue: This section includes new rogue talents, plus the bandit, chameleon, charlatan, driver, knife master, pirate, roof runner, sanctified rogue, and survivalist. Wizard: This section includes the arcane bomber, siege mage, and spellslinger.
Of course, some of these classes get other new rules as well, such as rage powers, rogue talents, and the like. Some of these archetypes can make for some versatile and powerful characters. I myself am playing with one of these archetypes in a campaign being run by our illustrious publisher, Erik Mona. Take a look at the Maneuver Master.
Maneuver Master (Archetype)
The maneuver master specializes in more complicated moves than simple damage-dealing strikes. Bonus Feat: In addition to normal monk bonus feats, a maneuver master may select any Improved combat maneuver feat (such as Improved Overrun) as a bonus feat. At 6th level and above, he may select any Greater combat maneuver feat (such as Greater Grapple) as a bonus feat. At 10th level and above, he may select any maneuver Strike feat (such as Tripping Strike) as a bonus feat. Flurry of Maneuvers (Ex): At 1st level, as part of a full-attack action, a maneuver master can make one additional combat maneuver, regardless of whether the maneuver normally replaces a melee attack or requires a standard action. The maneuver master uses his monk level in place of his base attack bonus to determine his CMB for the bonus maneuvers, though all combat maneuver checks suffer a –2 penalty when using a flurry. At 8th level, a maneuver master may attempt a second additional combat maneuver, with an additional –3 penalty on combat maneuver checks. At 15th level, a maneuver master may attempt a third additional combat maneuver, with an additional –7 penalty on combat maneuver checks. This ability replaces flurry of blows. Maneuver Defense (Ex): At 3rd level, if a maneuver master has an Improved combat maneuver feat, any creature attempting that maneuver against the maneuver master provokes an attack of opportunity, even if it would not normally do so. This ability replaces still mind. Reliable Maneuver (Ex): At 4th level, as a swift action, a maneuver master may spend 1 point from his ki pool before attempting a combat maneuver. He can roll his combat maneuver check for that maneuver twice and use the better result. This ability replaces slow fall. Meditative Maneuver (Ex): At 5th level, as a swift action, a maneuver master can add his Wisdom modifier on any combat maneuver check he makes before the beginning of his next turn. He must choose which combat maneuver check to grant the bonus to before making the combat maneuver check. This ability replaces purity of body. Sweeping Maneuver (Ex): At 11th level, a maneuver master can make two combat maneuvers as a standard action, as long as neither maneuver requires the maneuver master to move. He may perform two identical maneuvers against two adjacent enemies, or he may perform two different combat maneuvers against the same target. This ability replaces diamond body. Whirlwind Maneuver (Ex): At 15th level, once per day as a full-round action, a maneuver master can attempt a single combat maneuver against every opponent he threatens, as long as the combat maneuver does not require movement. He makes a single combat maneuver check, and it applies to all targets. This ability replaces quivering palm.
After the first session, I can tell you that this archetype has been a blast to play. We will be looking at some of the fun toys for the monk in more detail next week, but let me close out with one last list of class-filled fun. Here is the revised and expanded list of fighter weapon groups. Weapons marked with one asterisk (*) can be found in the Advanced Player's Guide, while those with two asterisks (**) are from Ultimate Combat. Enjoy and see you all next week.
Axes: bardiche*, battleaxe, dwarven waraxe, greataxe, handaxe, heavy pick, hooked axe**, knuckle axe**, light pick, mattock**, orc double axe, pata**, and throwing axe Blades, Heavy: bastard sword, chakram*, double chicken saber**, double walking stick katana**, elven curve blade, falcata*, falchion, greatsword, great terbutje**, katana**, khopesh*, longsword, nine-ring broadsword**, nodachi**, scimitar, scythe, seven-branched sword**, shotel**, temple sword*, terbutje**, and two-bladed sword Blades, Light: bayonet*, butterfly sword**, dagger, gladius**, kama, kerambit**, kukri, pata**, quadrens**, rapier, short sword, sica**, sickle, starknife, swordbreaker dagger*, sword cane*, and wakizashi** Bows: composite longbow, composite shortbow, longbow, and shortbow Close: bayonet*, brass knuckles*, cestus**, dan bong**, emei piercer**, fighting fan**, gauntlet, heavy shield, iron brush**, light shield, madu**, mere club**, punching dagger, sap, scizore**, spiked armor, spiked gauntlet, spiked shield, tekko-kagi**, tonfa**, unarmed strike, wooden stake*, and wushu dart** Crossbows: double crossbow*, hand crossbow, heavy crossbow, heavy repeating crossbow, light crossbow, light repeating crossbow, and tube arrow shooter** Double: dire flail, dwarven urgrosh, gnome hooked hammer, orc double axe, quarterstaff, and two-bladed sword Firearms: all one-handed**, two-handed**, and siege firearms** Flails: chain spear*, dire flail, double chained kama**, flail, flying blade**, heavy flail, kusarigama**, kyoketsu shoge**, meteor hammer**, morningstar, nine-section whip**, nunchaku, sansetsukon**, scorpion whip**, spiked chain, urumi**, and whip Hammers: aklys**, battle aspergillum*, club, greatclub, heavy mace, light hammer, light mace, mere club**, taiaha**, tetsubo**, wahaika**, and warhammer Monk: bo staff**, brass knuckles**, butterfly sword**, cestus*, dan bong**, double chained kama**, double chicken saber**, emei piercer**, fighting fan**, jutte**, kama, kusarigama**, kyoketsu shoge**, lungshuan tamo**, monk's spade**, nine-ring broadsword**, nine-section whip**, nunchaku, quarterstaff, rope dart**, sai, sansetsukon**, seven-branched sword**, shang gou**, shuriken, siangham, tiger fork**, tonfa**, tri-point double-edged sword**, unarmed strike, urumi**, wushu dart** Natural: unarmed strike and all natural weapons, such as bite, claw, gore, tail, and wing Polearms: bardiche*, bec de corbin*, bill*, glaive, glaive-guisarme*, guisarme, halberd, hooked lance**, lucerne hammer*, mancatcher*, monk's spade**, naginata**, nodachi**, ranseur, rohomphaia**,tepoztopili**, and tiger fork** Spears: amentum**, boar spear*, javelin, harpoon**, lance, longspear, pilum*, shortspear, sibat**, spear, tiger fork**, and trident Thrown: aklys**, amentum**, atlatl**, blowgun, bolas, boomerang*, chakram*, club, dagger, dart, halfling sling staff, harpoon**, javelin, lasso*, kestros**, light hammer, net, poisoned sand tube**, rope dart**, shortspear, shuriken, sling, spear, starknife, throwing axe, throwing shield**, trident, and wushu dart** Siege Engines: all siege engines**
... Outmaneuvered II: Revenge of the Grappled Tuesday, July 12, 2011About a month ago I was punished... er.., I mean rewarded with the task of answering questions about combat maneuvers in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The blog was so well received that I quickly promised to do another one in short order. Well, projects flew by, and I got pulled away, and short order dragged out into weeks, but now I'm back, and here to answer more pressing questions about combat maneuvers. Ready?...
Outmaneuvered II: Revenge of the Grappled
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
About a month ago I was punished... er.., I mean rewarded with the task of answering questions about combat maneuvers in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The blog was so well received that I quickly promised to do another one in short order. Well, projects flew by, and I got pulled away, and short order dragged out into weeks, but now I'm back, and here to answer more pressing questions about combat maneuvers.
Ready?
Illustration by Tyler Walpole
Question:What kind of attacks can you make while you are being grappled? Specifically, if I'm being grappled, can I forgo escaping the grapple to make a full-attack action with a natural, unarmed attack, or attack with light weapon, getting any and all iterative attacks if possible with that action?
Yes. Furthermore, you don't even have to make these attacks against the creature grappling you. While do suffer the normal –2 penalties on attack rolls while grappled, and you are limited in the types of attacks you can make, you gain all the normal attack rolls such an action would normally give you against any creature within your reach.
If you're the one grappling the creature, you can also make your normal attacks, but realize that this ends the grapple. Most of the time you're better off selecting the grapple option that allows you to deal damage to your target as a single unarmed attack, natural attack, or an attack with a light weapon. While you do not get more damage potential based on any iterative attacks, you do not have to make an attack roll. The damage is automatic with the successful grapple check. And let's face it; if you're performing this maneuver, chances are you're pretty good at it.
Lastly, while it should go without saying, keep in mind that attacks of opportunity are not possible while you are grappled, unless you have some feat or other effect that specifically allows them in that condition.
Question: Both the bull rush and drag combat maneuvers say that you have to move the foe in a straight line either forward or backward, depending on the combat maneuver you are performing. What exactly does that mean if the person performing the maneuver is moving diagonally?
When one of these maneuvers tells you to move a foe forward or backward in a straight line, start by placing a point in the middle of your space and make a line to the center of your target's space. Then extend that line in the direction you are trying to move your foe. If you succeed in performing the maneuver you can move your foe into any square that line crosses, depending on how much movement your check grants you.
In the case of a bull rush, if you do not move into the square your foe occupied, and you move that creature more than 5 feet, you cannot reposition this line based on the opponent's new location. The bull rush continues to follow the original line. But if you do move into a new space as part of the maneuver and then continue to move your foe, you can reposition the line of movement each time you change the location of your space, granting you more options when it comes to your foe's final positioning.
When adjudicating the movement of larger creatures, this system may create movement that seems out of the ordinary or conceptually improbable. Your GM has final discretion when determining what squares you can bull rush or drag a creature into or out of.
... Surviving Dagon... Tuesday, July 5, 2011If you've ever crawled out from the depths of the Abyssal sea of Ishiar after battling Dagon and his infinite number of monstrous creations for days on end, you may have an idea of what finals week of my last quarter at Western was like. The stress was immense, and I'm just as confused as you are as to what the Shadow in the Sea was doing in Bellingham, Washington. Nonetheless, I emerged victorious—or at least alive. When I found out I got the...
Surviving Dagon...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
If you've ever crawled out from the depths of the Abyssal sea of Ishiar after battling Dagon and his infinite number of monstrous creations for days on end, you may have an idea of what finals week of my last quarter at Western was like. The stress was immense, and I'm just as confused as you are as to what the Shadow in the Sea was doing in Bellingham, Washington. Nonetheless, I emerged victorious—or at least alive. When I found out I got the job for Pathfinder Developer at Paizo a few weeks later, it was like breaking through the Outer Rifts and finding myself in Elysium. I'd done it! I'd finished college and gotten the job and was now working in the same offices as the authorial titans of roleplaying lore! Hooray!
I'd gotten a taste of what it was like to work among the titans over a year ago, while I was Editorial Intern at Paizo. I shared a cube with Crystal, and it was a bit quieter around the office, and I was paralyzed most days with excitement and anxiety at the mere prospect of being in the same building as all these writers whose names I had seen countless times on the books among my shelves at home.
Now, I share a cube with the editors, Judy, James, and Chris, and Wes says I'll be moving over to the developer side in a while. It's not as quiet in the office, since the company's grown a lot even since just last year, and there are a ton of new faces since I last stepped foot in the building. It's exciting to work alongside both people I've worked with before and those whose names I've only seen in print, and I'm looking forward to contributing my humble services alongside these industry giants. They've got me working hard already, and I'm currently concentrating on Faiths of Corruption and the Jade Regent Player's Guide, which are going to be totally sweet, let me tell you.
While my joining the Paizo team is pretty exciting in and of itself (I'm excited anyway!), I am also pleased to report that the PRD has been updated to include rules from both Bestiary 2 and Ultimate Magic. Check it out!
... Outmaneuvered Tuesday, June 7, 2011Even in the midst of PaizoCon preparation, the design staff just loves those crazy little rules questions that pop up on the messageboards, during actual play, or that just randomly stray into our heads when we are designing an archetype or putting the finishing touches on a monster. Since I just returned from Comicpalooza in Houston, I had a number of those questions come up while conversing with players or that popped up during play, and shared those...
Outmaneuvered
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Even in the midst of PaizoCon preparation, the design staff just loves those crazy little rules questions that pop up on the messageboards, during actual play, or that just randomly stray into our heads when we are designing an archetype or putting the finishing touches on a monster.
Since I just returned from Comicpalooza in Houston, I had a number of those questions come up while conversing with players or that popped up during play, and shared those experiences when I returned. Well, no good deed goes unpunished. While in the middle of sharing my experiences, Jason quickly pointed out that we needed a Design Tuesday blog. So let's look at some question and answers involving everyone's favorite subject—combat maneuvers! Today I'll go over a couple of pressing ones. We will get into more minutia next week.
Illustration by Allision Theus
Question: Standing up provokes an attack of opportunity. I can attempt to trip a creature with an attack of opportunity. Can I use the trip combat maneuver to keep my opponent down on the ground?
In a word, no. By far this was the most common combat maneuver question at the show that people asked me. I had folks try to use it in the game, and I can understand why. As a tactic, it seems pretty powerful. Too powerful, and that's why there are some subtle timing issues that are going on when a creature attempts to stand up and provokes the attack of opportunity.
When the attack of opportunity is provoked for standing up, the creature is still prone, since an attack of opportunity interrupts the action that provoked it. Since that's the case, the creature is still prone when the attack is provoked, and you cannot trip a prone creature, as it is already prone.
Okay, all you trip monkeys out there, don't fret overly much. If you want an effect similar to the one you desire, you just have to pay a higher action cost. Use the ready action. Just make sure your triggered action is "after the creature stands up from being prone" or something similar. I know, it's not nearly as sexy (or free) but I have faith you'll find a way to make it work to the detriment of those wily monsters.
Question: A creature grappling an opponent typically needs to make two combat maneuver checks to pin someone (one to grapple, the next to pin). If you're pinned, do you also need to succeed at two checks to escape, one for the grab and the other for the pin?
The answer to this question is also no. When a creature is pinned, it gains this more severe version of the grappled condition, and the two conditions do not stack (as described in the pinned condition). While this means that you do not take both the penalties for both the grapple and the pin, this also means that pinned supersedes the grapple condition; it does not compound it. For this reason you only need to succeed one combat maneuver or Escape Artist check to escape either a grapple or a pin.
... Ultimate Cantrips Tuesday, May 24, 2011 ... Illustration by Craig J Spearing ... It didn't take long for many of you to notice that there were no 0-level spells in Ultimate Magic. We made finding this omission easy when we inadvertently left some 0-level spell names in the section containing sample spellbooks. While future printings of the book will fix this problem by deleting the mention of those 0-level spells, until then, we thought you might like to see the developed 0-level spells...
Ultimate Cantrips
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Illustration by Craig J Spearing
It didn't take long for many of you to notice that there were no 0-level spells in Ultimate Magic. We made finding this omission easy when we inadvertently left some 0-level spell names in the section containing sample spellbooks. While future printings of the book will fix this problem by deleting the mention of those 0-level spells, until then, we thought you might like to see the developed 0-level spells that didn't make it in the book.
The following spells are different from your standard cantrips. They are rare cantrips. Spellcasters that gain access to all 0-level spells at 1st level do not gain access to rare cantrips. A spellcaster gains access to rare cantrips only by uncovering their secrets in some other way. Some are guarded by jealous mages, while others are lost in missing libraries or molder on forgotten scrolls.
These cantrips are not legal in Pathfinder Society play. Note that penumbra was changed into the higher-level spell protective penumbra. The cantrip version is similar, but does not replace its higher-level counterpart.
Breeze School evocation (air); Level sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a miniature fan) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target one creature or object Duration 1 hour (D) Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
You create a light wind that blows against the target, from a direction of your choice. The breeze grants the subject a +2 bonus on saves against very hot conditions, severe heat, breath weapons, and saves against cloud vapors and gases (such as cloudkill, stinking cloud, and inhaled poisons). This spell does not function without air or underwater.
You can only have one breeze active at any one time. If you cast this spell while another casting is still in effect, the previous casting is dispelled.
Drench School conjuration (creation) [water]; Level sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target one creature or object of size Large or smaller Duration 1 round Saving Throw Reflex negates (object); Spell Resistance yes (object)
A sudden downpour soaks the target creature or object. The rain follows the subject up to the range of the spell, soaking the target with water. If the target is on fire, the flames are automatically extinguished. Fires smaller than campfires (such as lanterns and torches) are automatically extinguished by this spell.
Jolt School transmutation [electricity]; Level sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Effect spark of electricity Duration instantaneous Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance Yes
You cause a spark of electricity to strike the target with a successful ranged touch attack. The spell deals 1d3 points of electricity damage.
Penumbra School evocation [darkness]; Level sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a bit of soot) Range touch Target creature or object touched Duration 10 minutes/level (D) Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
This spell keeps the creature or object touched slightly in shadow. The target of this spell does not suffer any penalties or blindness caused by bright light, such as those from light sensitivity or light blindness.
You can have only one penumbra spell active at any one time. If you cast this spell while another casting is still in effect, the previous casting is dispelled.
Root School transmutation [earth]; Level sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a pinch of dirt) Range touch Target creature touched Duration 1 minute (D) Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
This spell strengthens the subject's connection to the ground below, bolstering its defense against combat maneuvers. It gains a +2 insight bonus to its CMD to resist being moved or tripped and a +2 competence bonus on all Acrobatics checks made to balance or remain standing on earth, sand, stone, or a similar rocky substance.
Scoop School evocation [force]; Level sorcerer/wizard 0 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Effect 6 inch diameter container of force
Duration concentration Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
You will a small vessel of force into existence. As a move action, you can direct the container up to 15 feet per round in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the container ever exceeds the spell's range. You can dip the container to pick up or drop a liquid as a move action. The vessel holds up to 1 pint of liquid or small objects, weighing up to 5 pounds. You can also gather up a pint of liquid or small objects spread cross a surface with 1 minute of careful concentration.
... Powerful Words Tuesday, May 17, 2011It is just about here. The newest addition to the Pathfinder RPG line releases this week and you should be able to find Ultimate Magic online or at your local game store any day now. For our final look into this mighty tome of magic, we are going to look at the Words of Power chapter. ... Words of power is an alternative system of spellcasting that allows the wordcaster to create spells using any of the words that he knows. While these spells still...
Powerful Words
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
It is just about here. The newest addition to the Pathfinder RPG line releases this week and you should be able to find Ultimate Magic online or at your local game store any day now. For our final look into this mighty tome of magic, we are going to look at the Words of Power chapter.
Words of power is an alternative system of spellcasting that allows the wordcaster to create spells using any of the words that he knows. While these spells still consume specific slots, what goes in each slot each day depends entirely upon what words the wordscaster knows and how he wants to combine them.
This system went through significant revision throughout the playtesting process. Originally, the system was based on points, with each word added to a spell costing a set amount. A wordcaster could add nearly any number of words so long as the spell slot in question had enough points to pay for them. While this was supremely flexible, most found the point tracking to be too cumbersome and prone to abuse. The new system allows a wordcaster to add one effect word of a level equal to the spell slot used, or multiple words of a lower level. In addition, each spell can have one of a number of different target words (which are not counted against the total number of words in the spell) and they can include one or more meta words (which add power and flexibility to the spell). This means that most spells can be built quite easily if that is what the caster wants (which is certainly the case on the GMs side of the screen), but each can also be carefully crafted out of multiple words to create interesting and unique effects. Take the following effect words for example.
Accelerate (Time) School transmutation; Level alchemist 2, bard 2, magus 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, summoner 2 Duration 1 round/level Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless) Target Restrictions selected
The target of a wordspell with this effect word can take one additional move action each turn. This move action can come before, after, or between other actions, but not during a full-round action. Boost: If the target takes a full-attack action, it can, instead of taking an extra move action, make one additional attack at its highest attack bonus.
Perfect Form (Body) School transmutation; Level alchemist 4, bard 4, cleric 4, druid 4, magus 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, summoner 4 Duration 1 round/level Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless) Target Restriction personal, selected
The target of a wordspell with this effect word receives a +4 enhancement to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.
Accelerate is a simple enough word, granting its target an additional move action. Perfect form is also relatively straight-forward, granting a +4 bonus to physical ability scores. One of the great things about this system is that the two could be combined by any class capable of casting both into one 5th-level wordspell that enacts both effects simultaneously.
Things get really interesting with the addition of meta words. These words allow a spellcaster to access even greater powers without, necessarily, using up a higher spell slot. For example, the boost meta words can be used with the accelerate word to grant an extra attack instead of a move action. Boosting the selected target word allows a wordspell to affect more than one target, but this has the side effect of increasing the level of spell by three levels. While meta words add a great deal of flexibility to how a wordcaster uses his magic, there is a limit to the number of meta words a wordcaster can use per day. Take a look at this powerful meta word.
Irresistible Level 5
Targets of a wordspell with this meta word must roll their saving throws twice and take the worse result. This meta word increases the level of all the effect words in the wordspell that allow a saving throw by two levels.
As you can see, there are a great deal of possibilities with the words of power system, especially with over 120 effect words at your disposal. And with that, we wrap up our look at Ultimate Magic. We hope you use it to add a bit of magic to your game. In the coming months, expect to hear a lot about the companion to this book, Ultimate Combat, due out in August. Until then.
... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Adventure Begins Here! Wednesday, May 11, 2011The first RPG product I ever purchased came in a red box, with a fighter laying the smack down on a red dragon. I was 12 and I've never stopped gaming since. I suspect that this fall some young whippersnappers will see this Beginner Box, pick it up, and begin their own journey into this great hobby of ours. With this amazing art from Wayne Reynolds, how can they not? And what can you do to make their journey...
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Adventure Begins Here!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The first RPG product I ever purchased came in a red box, with a fighter laying the smack down on a red dragon. I was 12 and I've never stopped gaming since. I suspect that this fall some young whippersnappers will see this Beginner Box, pick it up, and begin their own journey into this great hobby of ours. With this amazing art from Wayne Reynolds, how can they not? And what can you do to make their journey easier?
... Feat of Magic Tuesday, May 10, 2011Due to hit subscribers and store shelves in just a few days, we are continuing our look into Ultimate Magic. This week we are diving into the feats chapter, with a bonus look at spells. ... At 20 pages long, the feats chapter is by no means huge, but it does feature a little something for just about every spellcaster in the game, with a few options for nonspellcasters thrown in for good measure. While a number of these feats are here to complement one of...
Feat of Magic
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Due to hit subscribers and store shelves in just a few days, we are continuing our look into Ultimate Magic. This week we are diving into the feats chapter, with a bonus look at spells.
At 20 pages long, the feats chapter is by no means huge, but it does feature a little something for just about every spellcaster in the game, with a few options for nonspellcasters thrown in for good measure. While a number of these feats are here to complement one of the new archetypes, some fill out some holes left by the APG. For example, Extra Evolution gives the summoner more points to use when building his eidolon. Looking through the feat lists, though, I am drawn to the feats that allow characters to explore the game in new and interesting ways. Take a look at this one.
Eldritch Heritage
You are descended from a long line of sorcerers, and some portion of their power flows in your veins. Prerequisites: Cha 13, Skill Focus with the class skill of bloodline selected for this feat (see below), character level 3rd. Benefit: Select one sorcerer bloodline. You must have Skill focus in the class skill that bloodline grants to a sorcerer at 1st level (for example, Heal for the celestial bloodline). This bloodline cannot be a bloodline you already have. You gain the first-level bloodline power for the selected bloodline. For purposes of using that power, treat your sorcerer level as equal to your character level – 2, even if you have levels in sorcerer. You do not gain any of the other bloodline abilities.
Bloodlines—they're not just for sorcerers anymore.
Moving on, this book has a number of metamagic feats, as well, for every spellcaster to play with. While a number of these add effects to spells that deal a specific kind of energy damage, my personal favorite (due to some recent frustrating encounters) has to be this one.
Piercing Spell (Metamagic)
Your studies have helped you develop methods to overcome spell resistance. Benefit: When you cast a piercing spell against a target with spell resistance, it treats the spell resistance of the target as 5 lower than its actual SR. A piercing spell uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell's actual level.
Not surprisingly, this book also includes a sizable number of new spells for every spellcaster in the game. There are new symbol spells, new spells for the polymorph subschool (undead anatomy has been long awaited), and plenty of unique spells for some of the newer spellcasting classes (like witch and inquisitor). In addition, there are a lot spells designed specifically to add a bit of interesting flavor to the spellcaster's arsenal. Looking to flesh out your evil bard? Take a look at this spell.
Illustration by Tyler Walpole
Haunting Choir School necromancy [mind-affecting, pain]; Level bard 3 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Area 30-ft.-radius emanation Duration concentration + 2 rounds Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You create a spectral choir and conduct its tortured, ghostly moans, deluding listeners into believing they are suffering the torments of the dead. The transparent singers occupy a 10-foot cube, but they are intangible and do not interfere with creatures in any physical way, nor can they be attacked. Creatures within 30 feet of the choir experience wracking pain that causes them to take a –2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks. Individuals who exit the area of effect take these penalties for an additional 2 rounds before the delusion wears off.
I was about to wrap up the blog right there, but then I remember seeing this spell. I will end with this festive magic. Next week, we will wrap up our previews with one last look at the words of power alternative spellcasting system. Enjoy.
Snapdragon Fireworks School transmutation [fire, light]; Level bard 2, sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components S, V, M (a bundle of sulfur wrapped in cloth) Range long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) Effect dragon-shaped fireworks Duration 1 round/level Saving Throw Reflex negates; Spell Resistance yes
A favorite display at halfling midsummer festivals, this spell lets you create fireworks in the shape of tiny dragons. Once per round, as a move action, you may designate a target 5-foot-square within range and launch a pyrotechnic in that direction. The pyrotechnic takes a zigzag path from you to that square, always missing creatures and objects in its path, and detonates in that square with a bang and a colorful burst of fire and light. Creatures in the target square take 1d4 points of fire damage and are dazzled for 1 round (Reflex half, a successful save negates the dazzled condition). Normally when this spell is used as part of a festival, the chosen target is high in the sky to increase visibility and protect observers.
... The Beginner Box Thursday, May 5, 2011 For many months now, a good portion of the staff here at Paizo has been slaving away in secret, working on a project that has only been mentioned in hushed tones and vague inferences. While its existence has become common knowledge, few outside the halls of Paizo know much about this rumored product. Well, the time for secrecy is over! Now it is time to take our first look at the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box! ... Personally, I have wanted...
The Beginner Box
Thursday, May 5, 2011
For many months now, a good portion of the staff here at Paizo has been slaving away in secret, working on a project that has only been mentioned in hushed tones and vague inferences. While its existence has become common knowledge, few outside the halls of Paizo know much about this rumored product. Well, the time for secrecy is over! Now it is time to take our first look at the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box!
Personally, I have wanted to do this project since the early days of the Pathfinder RPG. A beginner set not unlike this one is what got me into gaming over 20 years ago. While I can't go into all the details of this impressive box just yet, it is time to give you some of the basic details about what to expect from the Beginner Box and what it will contain.
First off, this box is designed to contain everything that a new gamer needs to begin playing the Pathfinder RPG, from dice and pawns to a simplified rules set and an exciting starter adventure. There are enough rules in this box to take characters all the way up to 5th level, and plenty of tools for the GM to create countless hours of play. But that's not all. Take a look at this list of components.
A 64-page Hero's Handbook, detailing character creation, spells, equipment, and general rules for playing the game
A 96-page Game Master's Guide packed with adventures, monsters, magical treasures, and advice on how to narrate the game and control the challenges faced by the heroes
A complete set of 7 high-impact polyhedral dice
More than 80 full-color pawns depicting tons of heroes, monsters, and even a fearsome black dragon
Four pregenerated character sheets to throw you right into the action
Four blank character sheets to record the statistics and deeds of your custom-made hero
A durable, reusable, double-sided Flip-Mat play surface that works with any kind of marker
Suffice it to say, that is a lot to pack into one box. I am going to have a lot more to say about this particular product in the coming months (especially during the banquet at this year's PaizoCon). Until then.
Magus Preview Tuesday, April 26, 2011 ... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Every Tuesday until the book's release, we are going to be digging into some of the new rules and options you will find in Ultimate Magic. After a bit of a mix up last week, this week we are going to take a look at the new base class, the magus, and the archetypes slated to appear in this book. ... From its first appearance as part of the playtest of this book, the magus has gone through a number of iterations. The...
Magus Preview
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Every Tuesday until the book's release, we are going to be digging into some of the new rules and options you will find in Ultimate Magic. After a bit of a mix up last week, this week we are going to take a look at the new base class, the magus, and the archetypes slated to appear in this book.
From its first appearance as part of the playtest of this book, the magus has gone through a number of iterations. The second playtest version of the class is, in fact, quite a bit similar to the final version of the class, with a number of clarifications made to make things work a bit more smoothly. Take a look at the revised spell strike ability, for example.
Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of "touch" from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals x2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.
As you can see, we clarified how the attack worked, and how critical hits were handled when using this ability. In addition, we replaced the pool spell abilities with ones that are a bit more in line with the flavor of the class. Take a look at these.
Spell Recall (Su): At 4th level, the magus learns to use his arcane pool to recall spells he has already cast. With a swift action he can recall any single magus spell that he has already prepared and cast that day by expending a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the spell's level (minimum 1). The spell is prepared again, just as if it had not been cast. Improved Spell Recall (Su): At 11th level, the magus's ability to recall spells using his arcane pool becomes more efficient. Whenever he recalls a spell with spell recall, he expends a number of points from his arcane pool equal to 1/2 the spell's level (minimum 1). Furthermore, instead of recalling a used spell, as a swift action the magus can prepare a spell of the same level that he has in his spellbook. He does so by expending a number of points from his arcane pool equal to the spell's level (minimum 1). The magus cannot apply metamagic feats to a spell prepared in this way. The magus does not need to reference his spellbook to prepare a spell in this way.
So, that is a taste of the sorts of changes you can expect to see with the base class itself, but how about those archetypes? Here is a list of all the magus archetypes in the book, with a short description of each.
Magus Archetypes Bladebound: A magus with this archtype is bound to a special sword, called a black blade, that gains powers, and over time, sentience. Hexcrafter: Using the powers of a witch, this magus can use hexes and can curse his enemies. Spellblade: Capable of creating a light blade of pure force, the spellblade can wield two weapons and still cast his spells. Staff Magus: Skilled at using the quarterstaff, these powerful magi can eventually treat any magic staff as a deadly weapon.
That wraps up our preview for this week. Come back next week when we will examine some of the ways this book will help you master magic.
... Illustration by Kieran Yanner ... Ultimate Magic: Witches and Wizards Tuesday, April 19, 2011This week's theme is witches and wizards: two new familiars, two new patron themes, and two arcane discoveries. New Familiars The following are two of the many new familiars presented in Ultimate Magic. ... Fox CR 1/4 ... XP 100 ... N Tiny animal ... Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8 ... Defense ... AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size) ... hp 5...
Illustration by Kieran Yanner
Ultimate Magic: Witches and Wizards
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
This week's theme is witches and wizards: two new familiars, two new patron themes, and two arcane discoveries.
New Familiars
The following are two of the many new familiars presented in Ultimate Magic.
Fox CR 1/4 XP 100
N Tiny animal Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent;
Perception +8 Defense AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12
(+2 Dex, +2 size) hp 5 (1d8+1) Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1 Offense Speed 40 ft. Melee bite +1 (1d3-1) Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Statistics Str 9, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 9 (13 vs. trip) Feats Skill Focus (Perception) Skills Acrobatics +2 (+10
jumping), Perception +8, Stealth +10, Survival +1 (+5 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when
jumping, +4 Survival when tracking by scent Ecology Environment any Organization solitary, pair, or
skulk (3–12) Treasure none
Foxes are small, doglike carnivores with narrow snouts and bushy tails. A fox's master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves.
Hedgehog CR 1/8 XP 50
N Diminutive animal Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception
+1 Defense AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 15
(+3 Dex, +1 natural, +4 size) hp 2 (1d8–2) Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +1 Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Statistics Str 1, Dex 16, Con 6, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7 Base Atk +0; CMB –1; CMD 4 (8 vs. trip) Feats Athletic Skills Climb +5, Stealth +19,
Swim +5 Ecology Environment tropical or
temperate forests Organization solitary or pair Treasure none Special
Abilities Spiny Defense (Ex) As a move
action, a hedgehog can roll itself up into a spiny ball. While rolled
up, it gains a +1 enhancement bonus to its existing natural armor, and
any creature attempting to grapple the hedgehog takes 1d3 damage on
making a grapple check. While rolled up, a hedgehog cannot take any
action other than leaving this state. The hedgehog can leave this state
as a move action.
Hedgehogs are spiny, insectivorous mammals. When threatened, a hedgehog
rolls up into a spiny ball as a defense mechanism. A hedgehog's master gains a +2 bonus on Will saves
Witch Patron Themes
The following are some of the alternative witch patron themes presented
in Ultimate Magic.
Arcane discoveries are a new option presented in Ultimate Magic. A wizard can learn an arcane discovery in place of a regular feat or wizard bonus feat.
Fast Study: Normally, a
wizard spends 1 hour preparing all of his spells for the day, or
proportionately less if he only prepares some spells, with a minimum of
15 minutes of preparation. Thanks to mental discipline and clever
mnemonics, you can prepare all of your spells in only 15 minutes, and
your minimum preparation time is only 1 minute. You must be at least a
5th-level wizard to select this discovery. Multimorph (Su): Your studies
in transmogrification have increased your control over shapechanging
spells. When you cast a spell of the polymorph subschool on yourself,
you may expend 1 minute of the spell's duration as a standard action to
assume another form allowed by the spell. You can do this as often as
you like, subject to the duration of the spell. You must be at least a
5th-level wizard to select this discovery.
... Magic Archetypes Tuesday, April 12, 2011For the next month or so, every Tuesday we are going to be digging into some of the new rules and options you will find in Ultimate Magic, which is due to release in May. This week, we'll take a look at some of the new archetypes that take up a full 32 pages of this 256 page tome. ... One of the first things you will notice about this book is that the new classes from the Advanced Player's Guide receive archetypes in this book (except the cavalier,...
Magic Archetypes
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
For the next month or so, every Tuesday we are going to be digging into some of the new rules and options you will find in Ultimate Magic, which is due to release in May. This week, we'll take a look at some of the new archetypes that take up a full 32 pages of this 256 page tome.
One of the first things you will notice about this book is that the new classes from the Advanced Player's Guide receive archetypes in this book (except the cavalier, who does not use magic). Here is an example of a new alchemist archetype, the vivisectionist.
Vivisectionist (Archetype)
A vivisectionist studies bodies to better understand their function. Unlike a chirurgeon, a vivisectionist's goals are not related to healing, but rather to experimentation and knowledge that most people would consider evil. A vivisectionist has the following class features. Sneak Attack: At 1st level, a vivisectionist gains the sneak attack ability as a rogue of the same level. If a character already has sneak attack from another class, the levels from the classes that grant sneak attack stack to determine the effective rogue level for the sneak attack's extra damage dice (so an alchemist 1/rogue 1 has a +1d6 sneak attack like a 2nd-level rogue, an alchemist 2/rogue 1 has a +2d6 sneak attack like a 3rd-level rogue, and so on). This ability replaces bomb. Torturer's Eye: At 2nd level, a vivisectionist adds deathwatch to his formula book as a 1st-level extract. Cruel Anatomist: At 3rd level, a vivisectionist may use his Knowledge (nature) skill bonus in place of his Heal skill bonus. Torturous Transformation: At 7th level, a vivisectionist adds anthropomorphic animal to his formula book as a 2nd-level extract. When he uses this extract, he injects it into an animal as part of a 2-hour surgical procedure. By using multiple doses of this extract as part of the surgery, he multiplies the duration by the number of extracts used.
At 9th level, a vivisectionist adds awaken and baleful polymorph to his formula book as 3rd-level extracts. When he uses the awaken and baleful polymorph extract, he injects it into the target (not a plant) as part of a 24-hour surgical procedure. He can make anthropomorphic animal permanent on a creature by spending 7,500 gp.
At 15th level, a vivisectionist adds regenerate to his formula book as a 5th-level extract. Bleeding Attack: A vivisectionist may select the bleeding attack rogue talent in place of a discovery. Crippling Strike: At 10th level or later, a vivisectionist may select the crippling strike rogue talent in place of a discovery. Discoveries: The following discoveries complement the vivisectionist archetype: alchemical simulacrum*, concentrate poison, doppelganger simulacrum*, feral mutagen, parasitic twin*, plague bomb*, poison bomb, preserve organs*, sticky bomb, tentacle*, tumor familiar*, vestigial arm*, and wings*.
Of course, the classes from the Core Rulebook receive a number of new archetypes as well. Take a look at the Undead Lord archetype for the cleric.
Illustration by Eric Belisle
Undead Lord (Archetype)
An undead lord is a cleric focused on using necromancy to control undead. Her flock is the walking dead and her choir the keening spirits of the damned. This unliving congregation is the manifestation of her unceasing love affair with death.
A cleric cannot take the undead lord archetype unless her deity's portfolio includes the Death domain or a similar domain that promotes undeath. An undead lord has the following class features. Death Magic: An undead lord must select the Death domain (and the Undead subdomain from the Advanced Player's Guide, if available in the campaign). She does not gain a second domain. In all other respects, this works like and replaces the standard cleric's domain ability.
Corpse Companion (Su): With a ritual requiring 8 hours, an undead lord can animate a single skeleton or zombie whose Hit Dice do not exceed her cleric level. This corpse companion automatically follows her commands and does not need to be controlled by her. She cannot have more than one corpse companion at a time. It does not count against the number of Hit Dice of undead controlled by other methods. She can use this ability to create a variant skeleton such as a bloody or burning skeleton, but its Hit Dice cannot exceed half her cleric level. She can dismiss her companion as a standard action, which destroys it. Bonus Feats: All undead lords gain Command Undead as a bonus feat. In addition, at 10th level, she may select one of the following as a bonus feat: Channel Smite, Extra Channel, Improved Channel, Quick Channel, Skeleton Summoner*, Undead Master*. Unlife Healer (Su): At 8th level, the undead lord's spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities used to heal undead heal an extra 50% damage. At 16th level, these effects automatically heal the maximum possible damage for the effect + the extra 50%. This does not stack with abilities or feats such as Empower Spell or Maximize Spell.
Well, that about wraps up this week. Next week, we will take a look at the magus. Before I go, here is one last bit to get you excited for this book. A complete list of all the archtypes found in Ultimate Magic (except for those sneaky magus archetypes, I'll save those for next week). Each one of these classes has other rules bits associated with them as well, but we will talk about those in a future blog. Enjoy.
Class Archetypes Alchemist: The chirurgeon, clone master, internal alchemist, mindchemist, preservationist, psychonaut, reanimator, and vivisectionist archetypes. Bard: The animal speaker, celebrity, demagogue, dirge bard, geisha, songhealer, and sound striker archetypes. Cleric: The cloistered cleric, separatist, theologian, and undead lord cleric archetypes. Druid: The dragon shaman, menhir savant, mooncaller, pack lord, reincarnated druid, saurian shaman, shark shaman, and storm druid archetypes. Inquisitor: The exorcist, heretic, infiltrator, preacher, and sin eater archetypes. Monk: The high-fantasy qinggong monk archetype. Oracle: The dual-cursed oracle, enlightened philosopher, planar oracle, possessed oracle, seer, and stargazer archetypes. Paladin: This section presents the oathbound paladin archetype. Ranger: The magic trap using trapper archetype. Sorcerer: The crossblooded and wildblooded archetypes. Summoner: The broodmaster, evolutionist, master summoner, and synthesist archetypes. Witch: The beast-bonded, gravewalker, hedge witch, and sea witch archetypes. Wizard: The metal elementalist and wood elementalist wizard schools and the scrollmaster wizard archetype.
Ultimate Magic Previews Start Next Week! Tuesday, April 5, 2011 The newest hardcover for the Pathfinder RPG, Ultimate Magic, is scheduled to ship mid-May, so for the next six weeks we're previewing material from the book. Get ready for: New options and archetypes for every base spellcasting class; More information on the magus class and Words of Power system; New familiars; New magical feats; New spell descriptors and new spells; Guidelines for designing new spells. ... Stay tuned! ......
Ultimate Magic Previews Start Next Week!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The newest hardcover for the Pathfinder RPG, Ultimate Magic, is scheduled to ship mid-May, so for the next six weeks we're previewing material from the book. Get ready for:
New options and archetypes for every base spellcasting class
More information on the magus class and Words of Power system
Monkey See, Monkey Do? An FAQ on Intelligent Animals
... Illustration by Mauricio Herrera ... Monkey See, Monkey Do? An FAQ on Intelligent Animals Tuesday, March 29, 2011This is an odd FAQ item that we see pop up on occasion in a variety of different places. What happens when an animal gets an increased Intelligence score? There are a lot of different ways this can happen, and a number of strange routes that a GM could take when resolving this issue. Today, we are going to attempt to untangle this particular knot and see if we can't come up...
Illustration by Mauricio Herrera
Monkey See, Monkey Do? An FAQ on Intelligent Animals
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
This is an odd FAQ item that we see pop up on occasion in a variety of different places. What happens when an animal gets an increased Intelligence score? There are a lot of different ways this can happen, and a number of strange routes that a GM could take when resolving this issue. Today, we are going to attempt to untangle this particular knot and see if we can't come up with some guidelines that make sense.
There are many ways an animal can gain intelligence. It can gain hit dice and apply its ability score boost to Int. It can gain the advanced simple template. A druid could cast awaken on it. Regardless of the source, an increase in Int comes with all of the standard bonuses, such as additional skill points. Once a creature's Int reaches 3, it also gains a language. This is where things start to get tricky. "Really, now my pet monkey can talk?" Well, not really. Allow me to explain.
Gaining a language does not necessarily grant the ability to speak. Most animals do not possess the correct anatomy for speech. While a very intelligent dolphin might be taught to understand Common, there's no way for him speak it. There is also the issue of learning the language. The rules are mostly silent on this front, due to ease of play for PCs, but a GM should feel safe in assuming that it might take years to actually teach Common to an intelligent animal. All of this, of course, assumes that the animal even bothers to fill that language slot. Possessing the ability to use a language does not necessarily mean that such an ability is utilized.
Another aspect of intelligent animals is tool use. There are a number of feats that convey an understanding and the proper use of weapons and armor. Generally speaking, these feats are off-limits to animals, but when their intelligence reaches 3, the rules state that they can use any feat that they are physically capable of using. Some people take this to mean that they can equip their animal companion in chainmail and arm him with a greatsword given the correct feats. While you could interpret the rules in this way, the "capable of use" clause is very important. Most weapons require thumbs to use properly, and even then, few animals would choose to use an artificial weapon in place of the natural weapons that have served them all their life. It's what they were born with, after all, and virtually no amount of training will change that. In the end, the GM should feel free to restrict such choices if he feels that they take away from the feel of his campaign. The rules themselves are left a little vague to give the GM the latitude to make the call that's right for his campaign.
The Handle Animal skill functions similarly no matter how intelligent an animal becomes. A character must still make Handle Animal checks to train his animal and get him to perform the appropriate tasks. A GM should, however, make exceptions in the case of how such an intelligent animal might react in absence of instructions. It might not know to unlock a door to escape a burning building—as that's a fact that's learned over time and experience—but a smart animal might have a better chance of finding a way out.
The spell awaken changes much of this, however, since the spell is specifically designed to raise a creature up to sentience. GMs should feel free to loosen the above guidelines in the case of animals who have been the subject of this spell (since they become magical beasts), but should also note that awakened animals do not continue to serve as animal companions or familiars. Such creatures gain their own desires and feelings, and may seek to set out on their own to determine their own fate. They may not leave right away, but GMs should keep in mind that eventually any such creatures (or trees) may wish to leave to find their fortune.
Note that while the monster guidelines talk about a maximum Int for an animal, this only applies to the creation process. Giving an animal a higher Intelligence score does not somehow transform it into a magical beast, unless the effect says otherwise, such as in the case of awaken. Animals can grow to have an Int higher than 2 through a variety of means, but they should not, as a general rule, be created that way.
Well, that about wraps up our look at intelligent animals. We hope these guidelines and ideas help inform the issue in your game. If you have any further questions on the topic, ask them in the comments to this blog. Until next time!
... I Drank What? An FAQ on Poison Tuesday, March 22, 2011 For quite a while now there has been a bit of confusion on how poison is applied in the Pathfinder RPG. While the application of a single dose is simple enough, the rules allow for the stacking of poisons that causes them to combine into a more powerful effect. There are, unfortunately, some timing issues with these rules that can make poisons a bit tricky to adjudicate during play. Since this issue is a bit more complex than your...
I Drank What? An FAQ on Poison
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
For quite a while now there has been a bit of confusion on how poison is applied in the Pathfinder RPG. While the application of a single dose is simple enough, the rules allow for the stacking of poisons that causes them to combine into a more powerful effect. There are, unfortunately, some timing issues with these rules that can make poisons a bit tricky to adjudicate during play. Since this issue is a bit more complex than your average FAQ issue, the design team thought it would be a good idea to take a more in depth look at the issue here.
Poisons fall under the category of afflictions. They each have a save, a frequency, an effect, and a cure. At the most simple level, this means that when a character comes into contact with the poison, she gets a save. If the save succeeds, the poison has no effect, regardless of the cure entry. If the saving throw is failed, the character takes the effect and must continue to makes saves, dictated by the frequency, or continue to take the effect with each failed save. The only way to be free of the poison at this point is to meet the conditions of the cure entry, usually one or more successful saving throws (usually consecutively if more than one).
When a character is subject to more than 1 dose of the same poison, things get interesting. Each dose increases the DC by +2 and increases the total duration listed in the frequency by half of the original duration. Due to timing, however, this can make for a rather confusing situation. When does the DC increase apply? When are the saving throws made? When is the duration increased? To keep things simple, use the following guidelines.
1. Whenever a character is exposed to a poison (regardless of method), that character gets a saving throw to negate the poison. 2. The saving throw DC is increased by +2 for every active dose currently affecting the character. Poisons that were cured, have run through their entire frequency, or were negated with a successful initial saving throw do not increase the DC. 3. The character must make a saving throw against every poison affecting him on his turn, but may make the saving throw at any point during his turn. If a poisoned character delays his turn, he must immediately make these saving throws. They are not delayed. 4. Unless the poison has an onset time, the character takes the effect of the poison every time he fails a saving throw against the poison, even when additional doses are inflicted. 5. The total duration of the poison listed in the frequency only increases by half the original duration and only when the initial saving throw against a dose is failed. If the initial saving throw is made, the duration is not increased. 6. If a character is exposed to multiple doses of inhaled and ingested poisons simultaneously, only one save is made at the higher DC. If the save fails, the character is subject to all of the doses, but still only takes the effect once for the failed saving throw. If the save succeeds, the character avoids all of the doses. 7. Finally, if the character is exposed to a poison that is similar, but not the same, such as having a slightly different frequency or DC, it is treated as a different affliction that is tracked separately, even if it has the same name or other identical entries.
So, keeping these rules in mind, let's take a look at a few scenarios using poison and how they are resolved. In all cases, the character is exposed to greenblood oil, an injury poison, with a DC of 13, a frequency of 1/round for 4 rounds, an effect of 1 Con damage, and a cure entry of 1 save.
Scenario A: Valeros is hit by an arrow coated in greenblood oil. He fails the DC 13 Fort save and takes 1 point of Con damage. At the end of his turn, he fails a saving throw against the poison and takes 1 more point of Con damage. Before his second turn, he gets hit again and must attempt a DC 15 Fort save (because 1 dose is already affecting him). He fails this save as well, which deals another point of Con damage, increases the save DC he must make each round to 15, and extends the total duration by 2 rounds.
Scenario B: Valeros is hit by a pair of arrows coated in greenblood oil, during the turn of one enemy archer. He fails the first DC 13 Fort save and takes 1 point of Con damage. He then must make a DC 15 Fort save for the second arrow. He makes this save and suffers no ill effect. On his turn, he must make a DC 13 For save (since only 1 dose of the poison is in effect). He makes this save and takes no damage, as the poison ends. If he is hit again on the next turn, his save would reset to DC 13.
Scenario C: Valeros is hit by a pair of arrows coated in greenblood oil. He fails the DC 13 Fort save and takes 1 point of Con damage. He then must make a DC 15 Fort save for the second arrow. He fails this save and takes 1 point of Con damage. On his turn, he must make another DC 15 Fort save, which he fails, causing him to take yet another point of Con damage. On the next turn, the archer fires an arrow coated in special greenblood oil poison, with a DC of 20. It hits poor Valeros, who fails the save and now must track the two poisons separately (since they are not identical). To add to his misery, another arrow coated in ordinary greenblood oil poison hits him as well, forcing him to make a DC 17 Fortitude save, which he also fails, increasing the total duration to 8 rounds (1 of which has passed). Valeros is in trouble.
As you can see, poison is a deadly business. Monsters that can use injury poison, such as spiders and centipedes, should not be taken lightly. Best to stock up on a scroll or two of neutralize poison, or better yet, a wand.
... Manipulating Terrain Tuesday, March 15, 2011For the last installment of the Design Tuesday blog on terrain, we are going to look at a relatively new type of terrain—terrain that you can actively manipulate. This kind of terrain can grant a creature a variety of effects, from an attack, to cover, to a special or enhanced mode of movement. ... Some of the examples of this type of terrain will look familiar. Much of it can already be found within existing encounters. Where this is the...
Manipulating Terrain
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
For the last installment of the Design Tuesday blog on terrain, we are going to look at a relatively new type of terrain—terrain that you can actively manipulate. This kind of terrain can grant a creature a variety of effects, from an attack, to cover, to a special or enhanced mode of movement.
Some of the examples of this type of terrain will look familiar. Much of it can already be found within existing encounters. Where this is the case, it is up to you, the GM, to decide whether or not you wish to allow the special terrain effects described below.
Other samples of this type of terrain are new. Some, like the blink crystal, grant magical effects, and can add a sense of mystery and danger, as well as the possibility for strange tactics on the part of the PCs and their opponents.
Like the hazardous terrain presented last week, these new terrain types straddle the line between terrain and new dangers. Based on how much of this terrain you plan to use, you may want to consider adjusting the CR of encounters that use these more active forms of terrain, especially if their use grants one side of the combat more advantage than their foes.
Alchemical Devices: This terrain is actually a broad class of similarly acting terrains. They can be as simple as a workbench cluttered with beakers filled with roiling concoctions, or as complex as a distiller or even stranger alchemical machines. Manipulating such devices requires a standard action and any number of skill checks. Toppling a table requires a Strength check. Making a distiller shoot a gout of highly-pressurized alchemical gas may require a Disable Device check, a Craft (alchemy) check, or even a Strength check, if the PCs are using a strategic application of brute force. Interacting with more complex machinery usually requires a Disable Device check, though a higher DC Craft (alchemy) or Knowledge (arcana) check may do in a pinch.
Whatever the type of alchemical device, the basic rules for its manipulation are as follows. A successful check made as a standard action creates a 15-foot cone (or alternatively a 20-foot line) of damaging energy, controlled by the creature that successfully manipulated the device. It deals damage to creatures within the area of effect. A Reflex or a Fortitude DC halves the damage. Often alchemical devices create an area of acid, but the destructive energy could be cold, electrical, fire, or in rare cases even sonic or force damage, depending on the nature of the device.
To add more flavor and danger to specific alchemical devices, you can layer on additional conditions and effects. You could add bleed damage (which works well for acid or even fire damage devices), have creatures knocked prone on a failed saving throw (for sonic or force damage devices), or have a failed saving throw entangle creatures for 1d4 rounds (for cold damage devices) or even daze creatures for 1 round (for electrical damage devices).
The following are some suggestions for baseline effects of alchemical devices based on the base CR of the encounter.
Simple Alchemical Device (CR 1–5): Activating—DC 14 check; Effect—DC 12 Reflex saving throw for 2d6 acid, fire, or electrical damage, or a DC 12 Fortitude saving throw if the device deals cold, sonic, or force damage.
Complicated Alchemical Device (CR 6–10): Activating—DC 17 check; Effect—DC 15 Reflex saving throw for 3d6 acid, fire, or electrical damage, or a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw if the device deals cold, sonic, or force damage.
Advanced Alchemical Device (CR 11–15): Activating—DC 22 check; Effect—DC 20 Reflex saving throw for 4d6 acid, fire, or electrical damage, or a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw if the device deals cold, sonic, or force damage.
Magic-Infused Alchemical Device (CR 16+): Activating—DC 27 check; Effect—DC 25 Reflex saving throw for 4d6 acid, fire, or electrical damage, or a DC 25 Fortitude saving throw if the device deals cold, sonic, or force damage.
Blink Crystal: These strange, cloudy-white crystals glow with a faint purplish radiance. Typically blink crystals are the size of large gemstones, and they are always set in a statue or some similar large and immobile casing. If a blink crystal is removed from its casing, it loses its magic and becomes nothing more than a large piece of common quartz (worth 10 gp). A creature adjacent to a blink crystal can touch it as a free action, which causes the creature to teleport up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space on stable ground within line of sight. Touching a blink crystal as a swift action along with a successful DC 20 Spellcraft or Use Magical Device check can increase the range of the teleport to 40 feet. Failing this check allows the creature to teleport 20 feet.
Bubbling Caldron: A size Large bubbling caldron can be tipped over with a DC 15 Strength check made as a standard action. Doing so releases a 30-foot cone of boiling liquid from the caldron in the direction of the creature’s choosing, and deals 2d6 fire damage to all creatures within the cone’s area. A successful DC 12 Reflex saving throw halves the damage.
The liquid makes the area of the cone slippery (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 412) until it dries or dissipates. The cone of liquid affects creatures on the ground only. Flying or levitating creatures can avoid the liquid and its damaging effect.
Chandelier: Successfully leaping onto a chandelier allows a creature to hang from it and use its momentum to increase the power of a jump before the end of the leaping creature’s next turn. A creature is flat-footed while it hangs or balances on chandelier.
Using the momentum of the chandelier grants the leaping creature a +5 circumstance bonus on Acrobatic checks made to jump off the chandelier, and the jump is considered to have a running start for purposes of determining the DC of the check.
Chandeliers have size categories like creatures do. They are typically size Small or larger. A chandelier can easily support a single creature of its own size or smaller.
A creature larger than the chandelier’s size (or two creatures of the same size or smaller than the chandelier) can attempt to hang on it or use it to gain the bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump, but at the end of the creature’s turn (or the second creature’s turn, if two creatures are using the chandelier for the same effect), the chandelier breaks free from its supports and both the chandelier and any creatures hanging from it fall to the ground. If either a creature two or more size categories larger than the chandelier or three smaller creatures leap on to the chandelier, the chandelier and those hanging on it fall immediately. Creatures take normal damage from the fall plus an additional 1d10 damage from the falling chandelier. At the GM’s discretion, extremely large or heavy chandeliers or chandeliers with sharp protrusions or other dangers can deal additional damage upon a fall.
Furniture: From flipping over a table to using a gong as makeshift shield, a movable piece of furniture can be manipulated to create partial cover for a short period of time. A creature that is adjacent to the piece of movable furniture can attempt a Strength check as a move-equivalent action to gain cover from the item until the start of its next turn.
The DC of the Strength check depends on the size of the furniture. The base is DC 10 for size Small furniture, and the DC increases by 5 for each size category over Small (moving a Medium piece of furniture is DC 15, moving a Large piece of furniture is DC 20, and so on). A creature cannot attempt this manipulation if it is two or more size categories smaller than the piece of movable furniture it wants to manipulate.
Rug: A creature can spend a standard action to attempt to pull a rug out from under creatures standing atop the rug. This requires a DC 15 or higher Strength check, depending on the size of the rug. If successful, each creature standing atop the rug (some of its space must be on atop the rug) must succeed on a DC 12 Reflex saving throw or fall prone. Creatures that cannot be tripped are immune to this effect. Rugs that are larger than a 4-square area require higher Strength checks. The DC increases by 2 for every additional 2 squares of rug area beyond 4 squares.
... Illustration by Kieran Yanner ... Hazardous Terrain Tuesday, March 8, 2011In last week's Design Tuesday blog, I delved into the importance of terrain to push your encounter design to the next level, and provided you with some design philosophy to ponder when designing your own terrain. This week, I'm back with some concrete examples. ... The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game assumes combatants are able to use their movement abilities with little or no hindrance. Sure, there are walls, doors,...
Illustration by Kieran Yanner
Hazardous Terrain
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
In last week's Design Tuesday blog, I delved into the importance of terrain to push your encounter design to the next level, and provided you with some design philosophy to ponder when designing your own terrain. This week, I'm back with some concrete examples.
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game assumes combatants are able to use their movement abilities with little or no hindrance. Sure, there are walls, doors, and difficult terrain to navigate, or maybe some obscuring effects to grant a little concealment, but for the most part PCs and monsters have free reign to move about the rooms and corridors of the dungeon as they wish. The following types of terrain are all exceptions to this norm. While some act as difficult terrain, they present further hazards while navigating the battlefield.
One thing to keep in mind about all of these new terrain types is that they typically work best as smaller, tactically placed patches. You may be tempted to fill an entire battlefield with one of these new terrains, but doing this should be the exception rather than the rule. They all work best when they give characters a choice between freedom and danger. When properly placed, they can reward the use of combat maneuvers and spells that grant increased mobility to allies or restrict or force the movement of enemies, and may limit the opportunities to make charge attacks without stymieing that tactic outright.
You may notice that these new terrain types are very similar to the hazards presented on pages 244–245 of the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide. So what is the difference between these terrains and hazards? These hazardous terrains involve slightly more choice on the part of combatant than hazards do. Most, if not all, have effects when a character chooses to move into or is forced into them, and those effects should be relatively easy to determine before the combatant enters them, either by way of their physical characteristic or an easy Knowledge check (DC 10) of the appropriate type.
Anchor Stone: This strange stone has a debilitating gravitational effect on those who do not traverse over it quickly. Each time a creature starts its turn on an area of anchor stone, it must succeed at a DC 12 Fortitude saving throw. Any creature that fails can only take a 5-foot step on its turn. Any creature that succeeds at the saving throw must move at half speed on its turn.
To take the effects of anchor stone, a creature must be standing on or touching the stone. Anchor stone has no effect on those who fly over it or otherwise do not have physical contact with the stone.
Some areas of anchor stone are more powerful than others, having a DC of 15, 20, or even higher.
Choke Spores: This type of fungus thrives in subterranean caves and other damp and lightless areas. The first time a creature starts its turn within an area containing choke spores, the poison of the fungus is released, inflicting those within that space with the following poison.
Choke Spore Poison
Type poison, inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 14
Frequency 1/round for 1d4 rounds
Effect 1 Dex and 1 Wis damage; Cure 1 save
Once an area of choke spores releases its poison, that area becomes dormant for 1 day. With a single standard action, a creature can use fire (from a torch, a flaming magical weapon, or a similar implement) to destroy all the choke spore balls within all 5-foot-squares adjacent to the creature. Acid, cold, and fire damage from area effect spells automatically destroy patches of choke spores within the spells' effect areas.
Fey Mist: This strange swirling mist of purple and green gas and motes of light dazzles those who stray within it. Fey mist provides concealment. Furthermore, a living, non-fey creature that starts its turn within the mist must make a DC 12 Will saving throw or become confused for 1 round. Those that make their saving throws are dazzled for 1 round instead. This is an enchantment effect.
Some areas of fey mist are more powerful than others, and have and require a DC 15, DC 20, or even DC 25 Will saving throw to avoid its confusion.
Flame: A house is on fire and that flame rages in large areas, a hellish landscape burns around you, or a large bonfire rages in a clearing where a coven of witches chant evil incantations. While the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook has rules for forest fires, sometimes you may want to have a section of an encounter area that just burns.
When a creature starts its turn with its space fully within an area of flame, it takes 1d6 points of fire damage, and if the creature is wearing metal armor, it is affected as if by a heat metal spell. A creature that starts its turn with its space only partially within an area of flame must succeed at a DC 12 Reflex saving throw or take the damage and the heat metal effect if it is wearing metal armor. A creature that moves through areas of flame must make a DC 12 Reflex saving throw or take 1d6 points of fire damage, but avoids the heat metal effect. This save is made the first time a creature moves into flame with a move action or when it is affected by something that pushes or otherwise forces the creature into an area of flame.
Supernatural or powerful flames can have higher DCs. A raging fire can have a DC of 15 or the fires of Hell can have a DC of 20, 25, or 30 depending on the power of the flames.
Areas of flame often create smoke, the effects of which can be found on page 444 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook.
Haunted Ground: These areas of accursed ground are often the sites of horrid crimes or intense and bloody battles. The intense fear of those who lost their lives lingers and saturates the area. This fear affects living creatures that stray within these areas. A living creature that starts its turn in an area of haunted ground must succeed at a DC 15 Will saving throw or become shaken for 1d4 rounds. If the creature is already shaken, it becomes frightened for the same duration instead. Frightened creatures become panicked for the same duration instead. Creatures that are immune to fear effects are immune to haunted ground.
Razor Rubble: Either rubble made of sharp stone, or laced with small sharp blades, this terrain functions like difficult terrain (see Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook193), but each square a creature enters deals 1 point of damage to that creature. A creature moving at half speed, or that succeeds at a DC 15 Acrobatics check as a free action when first moving into an area of razor rubble can avoid the damaging affects for the round but not the difficult terrain effect.
Slick Ice: A frozen lake, a sheen of thick ice on a dungeon or cavern floor, or some other cold and slick surface, slick ice can be hard to traverse, but can also increase the speed of creatures that are agile or foolhardy enough to utilize its surface's lack of friction.
A creature traversing slick ice at more than half speed is required to make a DC 15 Acrobatic check at the start of the movement. Failure causes the creature to fall prone at the start of the movement. Running or charging on slick ice increases the DC by 5, with the same effect on a failed skill check. A creature that succeeds at this check by 5 or more can increase its move across the ice by 10 feet, but is considered flat-footed until the start of its next turn. Creatures (like those with enough levels of barbarian or rogue) that can't be caught flat-footed at the start of combat are immune to this flat-footed effect as well.
Tentacle Mold: This strange vermillion fungus clings to the moist walls, floors, and even ceilings of dungeons and caverns. When a living creature is in or near a patch of this fungus, acidic pseudopods lash out, with sickening effect.
When a living creature starts it turn in an area of or in a square next to (if it clings to the walls or the ceiling) of tentacle mold, it must make a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw; on a failed saving throw the creature takes 1 acid damage and is sickened for 1 round. Though the effect is like a poison, this is not actually a poison effect; the strange chemistry of this kind of mold makes it more alchemical in nature.
Gunslinger Reloaded Monday, March 7, 2011Are you ready for some more fun with fantasy firearms? Well, ready or not, we are unleashing the second round of the Ultimate Combat playtest! In this round, we're bringing you the updated version of the gunslinger—a full 1–20 class in its own right, unhinged from the fighter class. This new version of the gunslinger has more deeds, many of the older deeds have been reshuffled and repriced, and we are providing you with more guns to play...
Gunslinger Reloaded
Monday, March 7, 2011
Are you ready for some more fun with fantasy firearms? Well, ready or not, we are unleashing the second round of the Ultimate Combat playtest! In this round, we're bringing you the updated version of the gunslinger—a full 1–20 class in its own right, unhinged from the fighter class.
This new version of the gunslinger has more deeds, many of the older deeds have been reshuffled and repriced, and we are providing you with more guns to play with—including advanced firearms for those of you who want to go whole hog into the era where guns dominate the battlefield.
Not only will you get the updated crunchy bits you crave for playtesting, we also have a sidebar to help GMs determine what role (if any) firearms have in their campaign. This sidebar also talks about how firearm and gunslinger rules change with the level of firearms you have in your campaign.
So photocopy some character sheets, grab your dice, load up that pepperbox with alchemical cartridges, and playtest away. We will be listening to your observations and results on the messageboards. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, the new version of the class is Pathfinder Society legal, so if you haven't done so already, find you local group, and start playing!
Design Tuesday: Fun with Terrain—First Things First
... Illustration by Kevin Yan ... Design Tuesday: Fun with Terrain Tuesday, March 1, 2011When designing an encounter, it's tempting to focus the majority of your attention on the mix of monsters and villains. After all, coming up with interesting enemy synergies and evocative scenes of terror, threat, and evil-doing go a long way in making encounters both memorable and fun. Often neglected, though, is making sure that the setting you place these bad guys in offers both threat and opportunity...
Illustration by Kevin Yan
Design Tuesday: Fun with Terrain
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
When designing an encounter, it's tempting to focus the majority of your attention on the mix of monsters and villains. After all, coming up with interesting enemy synergies and evocative scenes of terror, threat, and evil-doing go a long way in making encounters both memorable and fun. Often neglected, though, is making sure that the setting you place these bad guys in offers both threat and opportunity of its own. When designed correctly, the terrain of an encounter can provide opportunity and challenges that not only compliment the opponents that you select, but can make combat the stuff of gaming stories for years to come.
First Things First
There are two ways to go about terrain selection for your encounter. The first is to think about the environment that you want to set your encounters, or an entire adventure, within, and filling it with the proper terrain. When it comes to dungeon and cavern settings, much of this work is already done for you. Take a look at Chapter 13 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, especially pages 410&ndash416, and you'll find a good selection of terrain types to stock your dungeon. You'll also want to check out pages 193—194 of the Core Rulebook as it has the rules for difficult terrain and obstacles, and maybe take a peek at pages 244–245 Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide for some sample hazards to play with.
Picking proper terrain is all about creating interesting exceptions, so the first thing you'll want to do is make decisions about the baseline terrain for your dungeon. Unless your group is full of seasoned Pathfinder veterans, you'll want to set those baselines at or near the base assumptions of the Pathfinder rules: Masonry walls, flagstone, and wooden doors are a good start. For the most part you, and your players will not have to think about these areas of terrain at all. They're the standard dungeon dressing everyone is use to. Then you'll want to think about the possible exceptions for your dungeon. Are parts of the dungeon in disrepair? Are parts of the dungeon in the midst of construction? Does the dungeon serve as an entryway to a subterranean cave system? Does it lead to an underground river or water or magma? Once you are done imagining your dungeon, and maybe even sketching it on some graph paper, you can start to figure out where the exceptions sit, and then start brainstorming possibilities that you can't find in the rules... but we will get to that later.
Straying deeper into Chapter 13, you can make similar choices for large areas of terrain that are not dungeons, but the principles are the same. Find your baseline, and then ponder the possibility of interesting and evocative exceptions to that baseline. Take some notes, ponder some possibilities, and search the rules for similar types of terrain.
The other way to go about creating interesting environments is to think about the monsters and villains you want in your encounter in the adventure, and ask yourself two questions. The first question is, what kind of terrain compliments the monsters' or villains' tactics? The second question is, what kind of terrain compliments your PCs' abilities? Answering the second question can be a little tricky, especially if your end result is being designed for a nonspecific group of PCs (say you're writing an adventure for a convention or Pathfinder Society open call, or you're already thinking about next year's RPG Superstar). More often than not, you'll want to try to fill your encounters with terrain that does both simultaneously. This creates better-balanced encounters that don't favor one side or the other overly much, which not only tend to create more exciting encounters, but can also bypass the need to adjust the CR of your encounters because terrain favors one side more than the other.
Whenever possible, it's best to use a mixture of these two approaches. Treat each one as lenses toward your ultimate goal—to create a fun game experience in a world that seem rich, vibrant, and full of possibilities and potential dangers for the PCs to explore.
Designing New Terrain
Whenever you get the itch to create a new piece of terrain, you should shoot toward making your terrain challenging to interact with but not overly frustrating. In general, you will want one of two speeds for your new terrain. The first speed is terrain that has automatic effects when a creature spends an action to interact with it, but the effect is always constant. Unlocked doors, stairs, and small passageways all fall under this category. They talk directly to the action economy of the game. Someone must spend an action or slightly modify her normal actions in order to use them (think squeezing, opening doors, or basic difficult terrain). This type of terrain is easy to use, quick to remember, but it lacks variability. Some of the most exciting terrain features effects that do not guarantee success, or, better yet, feature varying degrees of success.
Enter the second speed of terrain, where actions are often required, but the effect is variable. Usually such variability is tied to the uses of a skill. For most terrain you will want to pick a basic skill that can be used untrained and that makes sense for the terrain type. Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist, Fly, Survival, Swim, and even raw Strength checks are some obvious examples, with Acrobatics already doing a lot of the heavy lifting with the terrain found in the Core Rulebook (see hewn stone floors, rubble, and slippery floors). But don't be afraid to mix it up a little with other skills, even those that can't be used untrained (Disable Device, Ride, and even Stealth are some personal favorites). Creating such terrain is just another way where PCs (or monsters) with high skill bonuses have an opportunity to shine, but at a cost. Failure is a possibility.
When creating new terrain, it is not only important to make sure that they work within the normal rules of the Pathfinder RPG but that they are also the right fit for the PC and creature mix you are designing encounters and adventure for. Designing a fight on a frozen lake may seem like fun, but the last thing you want to do is slow down the encounter to a crawl with every creature being forced to make an Acrobatics check in order to accomplish any kind of movement whatsoever. Consider creating relatively safe areas (maybe areas covered with snow or rough ice that grants more traction), giving clumsy creatures slightly suboptimal movement choices, while allowing agile creatures to gamble for success, or even the possibility of greater effect. With those sheets of ice, consider giving them the possibility of bonuses when higher Acrobatics checks are rolled.
Can We Get Some Examples?
With some of terrain philosophy out of the way, start fooling around with creating your own terrain. Tune in next Tuesday for some new pre-made terrain objects to spice up your game. Next week we will be focusing on some terrain primarily designed to limit or focus movement and action types, and the week after we will unleash some crazy terrain options that grant new action options, such as movement and even some terrain that grants creatures special attacks.
... Spell Design: Depletable Statistics Tuesday, February 8, 2011We're just about ready to send Ultimate Magic off to the printer! The last chapter is a big collection of spells, and Chapter 2 includes a 12-page section about spell design, complete with an analysis of what goes in the spell stat block and benchmarks of good, typical, and poor spells for each spell level. One of the topics discussed in that section is the idea of depletable statistics—numbers in a creature's stat block...
Spell Design: Depletable Statistics
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
We're just about ready to send Ultimate Magic off to the printer! The last chapter is a big collection of spells, and Chapter 2 includes a 12-page section about spell design, complete with an analysis of what goes in the spell stat block and benchmarks of good, typical, and poor spells for each spell level. One of the topics discussed in that section is the idea of "depletable statistics"—numbers in a creature's stat block that kill or incapacitate the creature when the number reaches 0. Examples of depletable statistics are hit points, ability scores, or even levels or Hit Dice—knock those down to 0, such as with fireball, poison, or enervation, and the creature is out of the fight. The primary depletable statistic is hit points, of course, and the advantage of attacking hit points is all characters are able to deal hit point damage, so blasting an opponent with a direct damage spell allows the party fighter and rogue to work toward eliminating that opponent.
By comparison, a creature's stat block has many numbers that are not depletable statistics—not that you can't penalize those numbers, but reducing them may not have an adverse effect on the target and won't eventually kill them. For example, a spell that gives a target a –10 attack penalty has little effect on a sorcerer casting fireball, as would a spell that gave her a –10 penalty on her Will saving throw; despite her poor attack rolls and miserable Will saves, she is still quite capable of blasting her opponents to bits, whether these penalties are –10 or –100. Similarly, a fighter with a –10 penalty on Fortitude saving throws can still swing a sword, as can one with a –10 penalty to Armor Class; the fighter is still viable despite these penalties. These enemies may be vulnerable to other attacks because of these penalties (the sorcerer with a –10 Will save is a sucker for charm person, and the fighter with a –10 penalty on Fort saves is wary of poisons) but the penalties themselves won't kill them. Attack bonuses, saving throw bonuses, Armor Class, CMD, CMB, initiative, speed, skill modifiers, and most other game statistics aren't depletable statistics. This is not to say that targeting these numbers is a bad idea—a brute monster with a –20 penalty on its attack roll is no longer a threat and easy to dispatch—but doing so doesn't have a reachable goal of disabling that opponent with these penalties. Furthermore, spells that penalize these statistics generally don't stack with themselves; multiple castings of bane don't result in greater attack penalties, multiple castings of slow don't make enemies immobile or unable to take actions, and so on.
The idea of a game stat being a depletable statistic or not is a helpful concept when you're comparing the power levels of two spells. Because balancing spells lacks the formulae of pricing magic items, comparison is the only way to judge whether or not a new spell is at the appropriate spell level, and in most cases it comes down to which spell is more effective at disabling an opponent, often by targeting depletable statistics.
... Illustrations by Andrew Hou. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier. ... We Love Goblins! Friday, February 4, 2011We definitely love goblins here at Paizo. In fact, more than anything we love them blinded, helpless, and fascinated. And with this new wallpaper, you can too! This wallpaper uses artwork from the soon-to-arrive Condition Cards, the latest Game Mastery card set from Paizo. With these cards you'll be able to easily keep track of the Pathfinder RPG's most common conditions, making...
Illustrations by Andrew Hou. Wallpaper design by Crystal Frasier.
We Love Goblins!
Friday, February 4, 2011
We definitely love goblins here at Paizo. In fact, more than anything we love them blinded, helpless, and fascinated. And with this new wallpaper, you can too! This wallpaper uses artwork from the soon-to-arrive Condition Cards, the latest Game Mastery card set from Paizo. With these cards you'll be able to easily keep track of the Pathfinder RPG's most common conditions, making it so you'll never miss a modifier again!
... The Magic Item Will See You Now Tuesday, February 1, 2011Welcome to the final installment of a three-part series of Design Tuesday blogs exploring Intelligent Magic Items. Part 1 of this series can be found here. Part 2 can be found here. ... Intelligent Magic Items: Part 3 ... We've looked at how you design the history and the mechanics behind intelligent magic items, but now its time to put this information to use and look at some sample intelligent magic items. Using some art from the...
The Magic Item Will See You Now
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Welcome to the final installment of a three-part series of Design Tuesday blogs exploring Intelligent Magic Items. Part 1 of this series can be found here. Part 2 can be found here.
Intelligent Magic Items: Part 3
We've looked at how you design the history and the mechanics behind intelligent magic items, but now its time to put this information to use and look at some sample intelligent magic items. Using some art from the upcoming Carrion Crown Item Card Deck, we've created a pair of interesting intelligent items, ready to drop right into your game. These items vary wildly in cost, power, and personality, exploring the various concepts and rules that make intelligent magic items fun.
Each item starts off with a physical description, a history, notes on its personality and goals, as well as a complete write-up on its powers, cost, and ego.
Darnisan, the Lord's Cloak Made from a regal purple cloth with a red lining, with golden trim, this cloak gives of an aura of majesty
History: Crafted by the vizier of a decadent kingdom for a wealthy nobleman, this cloak was imbued with sentience so that it might spy on the nobleman's business dealings and report to the vizier. As the months went by, however, the cloak realized it was meant for greatness and that neither man was worthy of its power. Calling itself Darnisan, it revealed itself to the nobleman, pretending to be an agent of his god, and told him of his vizier's treachery. Enraged, the nobleman confronted his vizier, and in the ensuing battle, both were slain. Unfortunately for Darnisan, it was buried with its master, and has been waiting in his tomb ever since for the right individual to claim it and its power. Personality: Darnisan is slow to reveal its true nature to anyone with the arrogance to don it. It usually takes a bit of time to determine if the wearer is worthy and how best to shape him into a true and noble leader before making itself known. Darnisan is haughty and thinks very highly of itself. It seeks to be the mantle of a great ruler and will encourage its wearer in whatever way it can to lead him into greatness, even if that means mortal danger. If Darnisan finds its wearer to be unworthy, it might eventually form a plan to be rid of him and to end up in the hands of a more worthy individual. Should Darnisan gain control of a character, it immediately attempts to take control of the situation or find a more worthy host. Powers: Darnisan is a cloak of minor displacement that also grants its wearer a +2 resistance bonus on saving throws. It also has the hiding special ability, described in the previous article, which it uses to make itself invisible if someone truly unworthy finds it. It has a special purpose, to be worn by and defend a ruling monarch or leader of a large city. If it finds its wearer promising, it can cast resist energy and stoneskin on its wearer each once per day (caster level 7th). Finally, the cloak has the uncaring drawback, as it truly does not care about its wearer, only the greatness that such a wearer might bestow on the cloak. This only applies if the cloak does not think the wearer could be great, and as such, the ego reduction is only a –1. Darnisan has the following statistics. Alignment Lawful neutral. Int 14 Wis 12 Cha 16 Abilities senses 30 ft., speech Cost 51,300 gp Ego 15
Thirst, the Vampire Blade Forged in ages past, this worn, wicked sword is stained with the blood of its victims and marred by the countless battles it has fought
History: Back in a more barbaric age, this sword was made for the sole purpose of taking life. Given to a powerful warrior, Thirst, as it would later be known, was used to carve a swath of death and destruction across the land, changing hands sometimes more than once in a single day. As the years passed, all of the souls that were claimed by the blade began to coalesce into a single consciousness, one that desired only more life. It hungers for blood and for the life of living creatures. Those who wield the blade for long periods of time find that it draws in their life force, causing them to hunger for life at the same time. This can turn the wielder into a vampire. Its current wielder is one such individual, a powerful vampire that uses Thirst to slay countless innocent creatures every night. It remains at its side to this day, consuming just as much life as its master. Personality: Thirst knows nothing of pity or remorse. It seeks only to kill and consume. It grows angry and restless when not in use, and should it go more than a few days without killing, it grows hostile to its wielder and attempts to control him to go on a murderous rampage. Thirst is very powerful, making it worth keeping, but should it gain control of its wielder, it becomes a serious danger to all those around it. Powers: Thirst is a +2 keen vicious wounding longsword. When Thirst is used to perform a coup de grace, the DC to avoid death is increased by +4. Thirst can cast vampiric touch three times per day (caster level 18th). Slaying all creatures is its special purpose, and it can cast enervation at will, but only when targeting a living creature. Finally, whenever the blade is used to coup de grace a creature, its wielder gains a permanent negative level. If the wielder dies due to negative levels in this way, he rises as a vampire 24 hours later. Alignment Chaotic Evil Int 10 Wis 14 Cha 20 Abilities telepathy, darkvision 120 ft. Cost 191,815 gp Ego 21
That's all for this series. Tune in next week for the start of a brand-new series of Design Tuesday articles.
Ultimate Combat Playtest Away! Monday, January 24, 2011Surprise! It's playtest time again. ... Today we are unleashing the playtest for Ultimate Combat, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released later this year. In this playtest you'll get a first shot at playing the gunslinger, ninja, and samurai alternative classes. ... Each alternative class gives you 20 full levels of blazing barrels, silent death, or relentless resolve, depending on the class. You can find...
Ultimate Combat Playtest Away!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Surprise! It's playtest time again.
Today we are unleashing the playtest for Ultimate Combat, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released later this year.
In this playtest you'll get a first shot at playing the gunslinger, ninja, and samurai alternative classes.
Each alternative class gives you 20 full levels of blazing barrels, silent death, or relentless resolve, depending on the class. You can find these classes as a free PDF. Once you have downloaded the classes and used them in your game, wander over to the messageboards, where you'll find places to discuss the classes and post your playtest results. We look forward to hearing what you have to say about these three new classes.
This playtest lasts three weeks, until Monday February 14th.
Tune in next week for Part 3 of the Intelligent Magic Item design blog. We figured you wouldn't mind the delay if you got three new classes to chew on.
In Soviet Pathfinder, Ring Wears You! Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Welcome to the second installment of a three-part series of Design Tuesday blogs exploring Intelligent Magic Items. Part 1 of this series can be found here. ... Intelligent Magic Items: Part 2 ... Last week, we examined the basics of adding an intelligent magic item to your campaign. This week, we are investigating the process of determining the powers and abilities of intelligent magic items. While this process is not too...
In Soviet Pathfinder, Ring Wears You!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Welcome to the second installment of a three-part series of Design Tuesday blogs exploring Intelligent Magic Items. Part 1 of this series can be found here.
Intelligent Magic Items: Part 2
Last week, we examined the basics of adding an intelligent magic item to your campaign. This week, we are investigating the process of determining the powers and abilities of intelligent magic items. While this process is not too complicated, what powers are given to an item greatly influence how it interacts with the game.
The process used in building intelligent magic items is relatively straightforward, moving from one step to the next, but there are a number of particular tips that are worth noting.
Cost: The price for an intelligent magic item can go up very quickly. As a result, intelligent magic items tend to be out of the reach of most low-level characters. This is one area, however, where the GM can relax the usual wealth guidelines a bit if it serves the story. In addition, the item might not have access to or choose to use certain abilities until its possessor is suitably experienced, meaning that the item's approximate value might increase over time, making it more affordable at lower levels. This can even extend to the powers granted by the base item on which the intelligent item is built. For example, an intelligent ring of protection might start out granting a +1 deflection bonus and be perfectly suitable for a low-level hero, but as time goes on, this bonus might increase and other abilities might reveal themselves as the ring learns to trust its possessor.
Ego: Most of the time, an intelligent magic item is more than willing to work with its possessor, but those with a high ego often try to control the relationship. When building an item, you should decide how its personality affects its ego score. While not all items act in this way, the following general guidelines should help you determine the item's personality. Items with an ego less than 10 are generally passive, willing to work with their possessors almost unquestioningly. Items with egos between 11 and 19 are confident and sometimes quarrel with their possessors if it is something they are passionate about. Items with egos between 20 and 30 are arrogant and believe they know what is best almost all the time. They are difficult to control. An item with an ego greater than 30 almost always tries to dominate the situation, seeing its possessor as a vessel for its supreme will, a tool to be used to achieve its ends.
Base Item: The base item can tell you a lot about the item and its story. As a general rule, items with interesting mechanics make for better base items. A cloak of arachnida is a lot more evocative than a cloak of resistance +2, but it is not always a bad thing to have a less interesting item as basis of an intelligent item. The cloak of resistance is more of a blank slate, allowing you to associate nearly any personality with the item, whereas the cloak of arachnida only makes sense with backgrounds and personalities of a specific flavor.
Keeping these in mind, along with the item's background and story, deciding on most of its powers and abilities is an easy process. The most interesting part is deciding on its powers and special purpose (if it has one). While Table 15–24 gives a good starting point for powers, it is not particularly evocative, primarily because the powers on this list are made to be used with any magic item in the game. You should feel free to use these as a guideline to design specific powers that better fit the item's theme, type, and backstory. To assist you in this process, here is a list of new powers designed for specific item types or story ideas, including their costs and ego modifiers.
Hiding: The item can make itself invisible as per the spell once per day. Although it cannot be actively used while hidden in this way, any constant powers or bonuses it grants or possesses remain active. Item Type: Any. Price Modifier: 1,200 gp. Ego Modifier: +1.
Leaping: The item can leap to its possessor's hand or become instantly equipped. As long as the possessor has the item on his person, as a free action he can call out to the item, causing it to jump into his hand (if that is how it is wielded) or equip itself in the appropriate slot (if it takes up a slot). Items that are not wielded or do not take up a slot cannot have this power. The possessor must have a free hand or the appropriate slot free for this ability to function. Item Type: Special. Price Modifier: 2,000 gp. Ego Modifier: +1.
Maneuvering: Whenever this weapon is used to perform one specific type of combat maneuver, usually disarm or sunder, the possessor receives a +2 bonus on the check and does not provoke attacks of opportunity when attempting the combat maneuver. This does not stack with the bonus gained from the feat that grants the same bonus, such as Improved Disarm. Item Type: Weapon. Price Modifier: 8,000 gp. Ego Modifier: +1.
Proficiency: The possessor is automatically considered proficient in the weapon's use. This power does not grant the possessor the ability to use other weapons of the same type or to use this magically granted proficiency to meet prerequisites. Item Type: Weapon. Price Modifier: 2,000 gp. Ego Modifier: +1.
Recharging: The item regains one charge each day that it does not use a power that consumes a charge. If the item is a wand, it is not destroyed when it is reduced to 0 charges. The item cannot have more charges than its maximum (50 for a wand, 10 for a staff). Item Type: Staff, Wand, or other charged item. Price Modifier: 18,000 gp. Ego Modifier: +2.
In addition to powers, you might want to consider giving the item a drawback or two, to fit with its flavor. These drawbacks reduce the ego of the item, but do not otherwise affect its cost. An item should not have more than one drawback. A caster that crafts an intelligent item cannot build it with a drawback. These develop naturally over time or as the result of a botched creation attempt.
Forgetful: The item does not remember its possessor. Each morning it treats its possessor as if it does not know him. As a result, he must constantly earn its trust. Ego Modifier: –1.
Secretive: The item's special powers are not discernable by detect magic or identify. The special powers can be identified with analyze dweomer. The powers and the abilities of the base item can be learned normally. Ego Modifier: –1.
Singing: The item sings or talks at inappropriate times, giving its possessor a –4 penalty on Stealth skill checks. The item must possess the ability to speak to have this drawback. Ego Modifier: –1.
Split: The item has two alignments, and each day the GM determines which one of the alignments manifests. These alignments are always opposite one another. Ego Modifier: –2.
Uncaring: The item does not care about its possessor's safety or goals, and will gladly put him in harm's way if it gets the item closer to its purpose. As a result, the possessor must make a Will save against the item's Ego each day. If the save fails, the item does not function that day, unless events or the actions of the possessor bring it closer to its purpose. Ego Modifier: –3.
Unreliable: The item is very old and has forgotten how to reliably use its abilities. Whenever a possessor attempts to use its powers, there is a 25% chance that the power does not work. Ego Modifier: –2.
That about wraps up our look at creating intelligent magic items. Next week we'll conclude this series by giving you a number of sample intelligent magic items.
... Illustrations by Mauricio Herrera and Peter Lazarski. Widescreen version here. ... Long Live The Gorilla King! Friday, January 14, 2010It's no secret that I love gorillas, apes, and monkeys. My avatar here at Paizo is a monkey, my personal Facebook icon for a long time was a Bili Ape, and I'm always calling my kids little monkeys. (They are the Savage Horde, after all.) When I asked the art department to create a series of wallpapers, you can only imagine my delight when Crystal showed me...
Illustrations by Mauricio Herrera and Peter Lazarski. Widescreen version here.
Long Live The Gorilla King!
Friday, January 14, 2010
It's no secret that I love gorillas, apes, and monkeys. My avatar here at Paizo is a monkey, my personal Facebook icon for a long time was a Bili Ape, and I'm always calling my kids little monkeys. (They are the Savage Horde, after all.) When I asked the art department to create a series of wallpapers, you can only imagine my delight when Crystal showed me the wallpaper below. It's about as perfect a wallpaper as I could ask for: the Gorilla King, swarms of monkeys in the background, and all of the Pathfinder hardback covers. It's been on my computer since Crystal finished it a week ago, and now it can be on yours.
... Pathfinder to get the new Smart Sword Tuesday, January 11, 2011Welcome to the first Design Tuesday blog, a series of blogs that explore the rules of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be exploring intelligent magic items and how to use them in your game. ... Intelligent Magic Items: Part 1 ... Adding magic items to your game is already a time-consuming process. As a GM, you must evaluate the party's needs, look at their wealth levels, and assign...
Pathfinder to get the new Smart Sword
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Welcome to the first Design Tuesday blog, a series of blogs that explore the rules of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Over the next few weeks, we're going to be exploring intelligent magic items and how to use them in your game.
Intelligent Magic Items: Part 1
Adding magic items to your game is already a time-consuming process. As a GM, you must evaluate the party's needs, look at their wealth levels, and assign appropriate and fun items to the hoards they might discover. Adding an intelligent magic item to the mix is often seen as one step too many, combining the treasure distribution rules with many of the aspects of NPC creation. There are, however, a number of reasons to put an intelligent magic item into your game, making them more than worth the extra effort.
Intelligent magic items are a useful way for the GM to directly participate in the narrative of the campaign whenever it's convenient. The magic item is always with the group, but unlike an ordinary NPC, no one expects an intelligent magic item to participate in every conversation or combat. An actual NPC that fades in and out of the scene can be jarring to some and, when forgotten, can lead to awkward situations where the only solution is to revise history. An intelligent magic item, however, can easily speak up when it has something vital to add, and can just as easily be silent without breaking any sense of verisimilitude. Intelligent items are a perfect means for adding twists and turns to an adventure, while allowing the PCs to feel like they are in control.
Before adding an intelligent magic item into your game, you should first design an adventure or plotline around the object. To get the most out of an intelligent item, it should be featured heavily in at least one adventure or arc in the campaign. This makes the item special and lets it stand out. Giving the item this much spotlight will also greatly help develop its personality and background. This adventure does not have to take place the moment the item is acquired, but it should be known during the process of creating the item, as it will drive many of your design decisions. Treat the item like an NPC. It has motivations and some sort of goal or desire. At the very least, it has a history to draw upon. Here are a few example adventure seeds that involve some sort of intelligent item:
The magic item was once the property of a renowned adventurer who died in a deadly dungeon. The item remembers much of the layout of that dungeon and might be able to aid its new owner in navigating the deathtrap.
The magic item was used to store the soul of a powerful spellcaster who desperately wants to be restored to life. The item knows the one way that this can be accomplished—by taking the item to a unique mountaintop shrine.
The item was once the property of an angelic being, but fell into the hands of an evil creature that never knew its true power. Now recovered, the item wishes to complete the quest of its slain master. Unknown to the item, its original master still lives and is seeking the item.
These are just some of the possible stories that involve an intelligent item. Once you've got the background and goal of the magic item worked out, it's time to design the item and introduce it to the group. We'll cover some design tips and tricks in part 2 of this series, so for now, let's look at how to introduce the item to the group. There are many ways that an intelligent item might find its way into the hands of a PC, the simplest being inclusion in a treasure hoard or as part of a villain's gear. There are also less conventional means that you might want to consider:
The item belongs to a merchant who is tired of its constant bickering and talking and is desperate to be rid of the item. He practically gives it away to the first PC who seems remotely interested in it.
The item's previous owner thought it was haunted and threw it away—down a well, into a fireplace, etc. The PCs stumble upon it and save it from destruction or neglect.
The PCs encounter the item's current owner, who the item finds totally unsuitable to its purpose. In an obvious battle of wills, the item forces its current owner to hand the item over to the most suitable PC.
Once the PCs have the item, it's time for it to introduce itself. This should not happen right away. Intelligent items have a tendency to make themselves known only once their owner has proven to be worthwhile (or so terribly unsuitable to the item that it cannot stand the misuse any longer). This should be a memorable encounter, where the item suddenly speaks out or uses an ability unknown to its new owner. After the first encounter, the PCs will undoubtedly have a lot of questions for the item. Make sure to be careful with what the PCs know at first. The item cannot usually leave if its owner decides to mistreat it, and as a result, most intelligent magic items guard their secrets carefully and only reveal all to an owner that they trust implicitly. Remember the item's true goals or purpose throughout this process. While the PCs should not learn this right away, they might get a clue from these first conversations.
From this point onward, the item can act as an occasional source of information, throwing out bits and pieces of knowledge as needed by the GM, so long as they can be made to fit in the object's story. The item can be used as a foil for a PC who thinks too much of himself, or to bolster a lowly character's confidence. An intelligent magic item is a valuable tool, one that every GM should consider adding to the campaign.
That's all for this week. Next week we'll look at the mechanics behind designing an intelligent magic item, and even give you some new rules to work with.
Golarion Day: Return of the Sable Company Thursday, January 6, 2010Howdy, everyone! So, hot on the heels of the announcement of Design Tuesdays, I'm here to unveil the first installment of Golarion Day! Every Thursday, we'll try to do a post that expands the world of Golarion in some small way. Sometimes, this might be a tiny new rules element. Other times, it might be a bit of lore. It could be a brief look into an upcoming product or an interview with someone who's worked on the world of...
Golarion Day: Return of the Sable Company
Thursday, January 6, 2010
Howdy, everyone! So, hot on the heels of the announcement of "Design Tuesdays," I'm here to unveil the first installment of "Golarion Day!" Every Thursday, we'll try to do a post that expands the world of Golarion in some small way. Sometimes, this might be a tiny new rules element. Other times, it might be a bit of lore. It could be a brief look into an upcoming product or an interview with someone who's worked on the world of Golarion. Or, as in today's case, it could be a quick update of older rules to the current Pathfinder RPG system. Let me know what you think, and if you have any special requests for future Golarion Days, let me know that as well!
So, back in the day in the Guide to Korvosa, we told you about a group of rangers called the Sable Company. Exported from my homebrew game (where they were known as Skyriders), these highly trained city guards patrol the skies above Korvosa on hippogriffs that they've bonded with. In Guide to Korvosa, we handled this bit of fun flavor by simply introducing a new feat: "Sable Company Marine," which let rangers select hippogriffs as an animal companion. And for a few years, all was well and good.
Then we went and did something unthinkable. We changed games. And in the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, we didn't even bother to keep the poor hippogriff around. The griffin was there, sure, but no sign of his less cultured kin.
I'll be honest. I was a bit surprised to see the hippogriff become the most-missed monster from the Bestiary. I would have assumed something bigger and badder, like missing titans or nightwalkers or inevitables would get folks riled up, but I was wrong. So when it came time to do Bestiary 2, it was obvious what monsters we needed to include—chief among them was the hippogriff.
But the job still wasn't finished, because we'd also changed the way rangers get animal companions, and we'd even changed the way animal companions work.
So, until we actually get around to revisiting Korvosa's Sable Company in print (which, I bet, we'll do some day in the future), check out the following rules for allowing rangers to gain hippogriffs as animal companions. Note that we've changed the way you gain a hippogriff from a mere feat to a ranger archetype—this is because hippogriffs are pretty powerful creatures as far as animal companions go, and not all rangers have the right stuff to serve in the Sable Company. It requires the sacrifice of some traditional ranger training in order to master a bond with a hippogriff, in addition to being a member of the Sable Company itself. It's up to your GM whether the Sable Company is hiring. (Basically, you need your GM's permission to select this archetype, and your GM may require your character to perform certain duties as befits your responsibilities in the Sable Company.) In fact, if your GM's cool with it, you can adjust the adjustments and flavor of the archetype so that other classes can get access to hippogriffs as riding companions—you can even use these rules as a sort of template to open up "animal companions" for similarly powered magical beasts. Because who wouldn't want to play a halfling ankheg rider?
Anyway, here you go: Pathfinder-compatible updates for the Sable Company of Korvosa!
Ranger Archetype: Sable Company Marine
Illustration by Florian Stitz
You graduated from the elite hippogriff-riding school of the Endrin Military Academy. Not only can you ride a hippogriff with great skill, you have also formed a close bond with a particular mount. A Sable Company Marine has the following class features:
Hippogriff Companion: You can gain a hippogriff as a companion. This ability works identically to hunter's bond when used to gain an animal companion, but can only be used to gain a hippogriff (see below for rules for hippogriff companions). You gain a +2 bonus on Ride checks made when riding your hippogriff companion, and whenever you are within 20 feet of your hippogriff, it gains a +2 morale bonus on all saving throws made against fear effects. This ability replaces favored terrain and hunter's bond.
Hippogriff Companions
Starting Statistics: Size Large; Speed 40 ft., fly 50 ft. (average); AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite 1d6; Ability Scores Str 15, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 9; Special Qualities darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent.
4th-Level Advancement: Speed fly 100 ft. (average); Attack bite 1d6, 2 claws 1d4; Ability Scores Dex +2, Con +2.
... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Design Tuesdays Tuesday, January 4, 20112011 is here at last, and with the start of the new year, we've got a new program that we are happy to unveil. Every Tuesday, you are going to see a blog from one of the members of the design team (that being Sean K Reynolds, Stephen Radney MacFarland, or myself), looking into the mechanics of the game and giving you tips, tricks, and tools to make your game run smoothly and easily. ... I am hoping to use these...
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Design Tuesdays
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
2011 is here at last, and with the start of the new year, we've got a new program that we are happy to unveil. Every Tuesday, you are going to see a blog from one of the members of the design team (that being Sean K Reynolds, Stephen Radney MacFarland, or myself), looking into the mechanics of the game and giving you tips, tricks, and tools to make your game run smoothly and easily.
I am hoping to use these blogs to present new and interesting rules and ideas to use at the game table, perhaps even a few serials, where we explore a concept or idea more deeply. For example, we might run a series of blogs that explore intelligent magic items and how they can be used in your game, giving you a host of samples, and presenting a few new abilities. Or, we might spend a few weeks looking at the rules for afflictions, and adding a couple of new curses, diseases, and poisons to use in your game. Now, I have a list of ideas for what we might use to fill up this space, but here at the outset, I thought it might be useful to ask you, the reader, what you want to see appear in this space. I'll leave the campaign-specific material and preview for the other days of the week—this space will be used exclusively to look at the rules of the game.
I want to hear what you want to see. Check out this thread on our messageboards and add your thoughts to the growing discussion. See you next week.
... Illustrations by Eric Belisle and Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here. ... Release the Hordes! December 31, 2010It’s the last day of 2010, and once again the Paizo offices are closed, this time in honor of the new year. It’s been an amazing 2010 here at Paizo, and we managed to cap it with a great new hardcover book. Bestiary 2 has begun to arrive in stores and in hands around the world, making it easy to surprise your players with new monsters during your games this weekend. Bestiary...
Illustrations by Eric Belisle and Wayne Reynolds. Widescreen version here.
Release the Hordes!
December 31, 2010
It’s the last day of 2010, and once again the Paizo offices are closed, this time in honor of the new year. It’s been an amazing 2010 here at Paizo, and we managed to cap it with a great new hardcover book. Bestiary 2 has begun to arrive in stores and in hands around the world, making it easy to surprise your players with new monsters during your games this weekend. Bestiary 2 is full of some great adversaries for you to defeat, and the poster we recently released will help you keep track of which ones have met their demise at the hands of your players. In honor of both the new year and the release of Bestiary 2, here’s another great wallpaper from our art team!
... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Ultimate Magus Feedback Tuesday, December 14, 2010As you can imagine, life around here is all about Ultimate Magic. So being the new entity, I get to write a bit in the blog about the project. I know; it's a rough life. ... You rules junkies will already know all about this, but one of the great parts of the book is the new base class—the magus. If you're anything like me, some days you wake up and ask yourself: How do I kill my enemies today,...
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Ultimate Magus Feedback
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
As you can imagine, life around here is all about Ultimate Magic. So being the new "entity, " I get to write a bit in the blog about the project. I know; it's a rough life.
You rules junkies will already know all about this, but one of the great parts of the book is the new base class—the magus.
If you're anything like me, some days you wake up and ask yourself: How do I kill my enemies today, with steel or spell? Now I don't have to choose. The magus is a slayer dilettante extreme, using both to beat down the bad guys.
I know, I know, you've seen your share of multiclass spell-swords. You're not easily wooed, but the magus is worth checking out, if you haven't already. While it has a respectable spell list that is very wiz-bang and a little bufferish, the key to the class is the arcane pool. While some arcane magic comes from ancient bloodlines or the rigor of magical formulae, magi are among the creatures blessed with a well of arcane energy that they can learn to focus with flair of a swashbuckler, using a spell as dirk. This pool allows the magus to enchant weapons with a touch, mimic the abilities of other arcane classes' spells (like calling a familiar, or using metamagic feats), and even recreate entire spells. It's arcane power mixed with weapon mastery at its most fluid.
With just a little more time left to go, we are working on the finishing touches for the class, and one of the things we have to do is finish the archetypes. We have a good list right now, but we're interesting in hearing what you have to say. What is your dream archetype for the magus? What interesting flavor of magus character are you looking to play?
Talk at me here. And if you are playtesting the magus, and you haven't posted your feedback on this class yet, make sure you post to the Round 3 – Revised Magus: Playtest. You have until December 20th.
... Extra, Extra, Read All About It! Thursday, December 9, 2010The past year has been a great one for Paizo and Pathfinder and we've been happy to help spread the Pathfinder message far and wide. Last week we had the opportunity to sit down with the fine folks from the Atomic Array podcast. It's their 50th episode and they wanted to make it a Pathfinder show, so we had James Jacobs take the time to talk to them about the upcoming Inner Sea World Guide hardcover (due in February). They also...
Extra, Extra, Read All About It!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The past year has been a great one for Paizo and Pathfinder and we've been happy to help spread the Pathfinder message far and wide. Last week we had the opportunity to sit down with the fine folks from the Atomic Array podcast. It's their 50th episode and they wanted to make it a Pathfinder show, so we had James Jacobs take the time to talk to them about the upcoming Inner Sea World Guide hardcover (due in February). They also had Greg Vaughan on to talk about his just released module, The Witchwar Legacy. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.
With the holiday season already here, we couldn't be happier to have been featured on Wired.com's Geek Dad Holiday Buying Guide. Every year the Geek Dad site puts together a list of the coolest products available that year. This year we had 5 products mentioned, a Paizo first!
... Magus Revisited Monday, December 6, 2010Today begins the third round of the Ultimate Magic playtest, with another look at the new magus base class. This is a class that many of you have already been playing with since the first playtest round a few months ago. We took a great deal of your feedback and heavily revised a number of elements of this class. While it is not yet perfect, it is a huge step in the right direction. ... The magus blends the powers of both a fighter and a wizard, and...
Magus Revisited
Monday, December 6, 2010
Today begins the third round of the Ultimate Magic playtest, with another look at the new magus base class. This is a class that many of you have already been playing with since the first playtest round a few months ago. We took a great deal of your feedback and heavily revised a number of elements of this class. While it is not yet perfect, it is a huge step in the right direction.
The magus blends the powers of both a fighter and a wizard, and the revised version cleaves a little closer to that theme, focusing on the ability to make melee attacks and cast spells at the same time. The biggest change comes in the addition of an arcane pool that fuels many of the classes iconic abilities. You can find this revised class as a free PDF at this link. Once you have downloaded the class and updated it in your game, check out the messageboards, where you will find a new board dedicated to this round of the playtest.
This playtest cycle will last two weeks, until Monday, December 20th, and this version will be the last version released until the book itself comes out in April.
So update the magus in your game today. I look forward to seeing your comments and ideas concerning these changes. See you on the boards.
... Ultimate Magic Playtest Monday, November 22, 2010Welcome to the second part of the playtest of Ultimate Magic, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released early next year. ... We received a great deal of valuable feedback on the new magus class, but now we are going to take a look at something quite a bit different. This section of the playtest takes a look at a new way of using magic in the game with Words of Power. This system allows spellcasters to build...
Ultimate Magic Playtest
Monday, November 22, 2010
Welcome to the second part of the playtest of Ultimate Magic, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released early next year.
We received a great deal of valuable feedback on the new magus class, but now we are going to take a look at something quite a bit different. This section of the playtest takes a look at a new way of using magic in the game with Words of Power. This system allows spellcasters to "build" their own spells, creating variable and versatile effects. Since the system is so different and new, it is not part of the Pathfinder Society organized play program, but you should give it a try in your home game or maybe in a game designed specifically to test these rules.
In this playtest, we are just giving you a small part of a greater system, representing the basic pieces needed to play a sorcerer or wizard using Words of Power. These elements can and will be applied to other classes, and indeed many of the "words" are tagged for classes outside the scope of this playtest, for now we are just focusing on the wizard and sorcerer. Once you've had a chance to play with these rules, you can post your results to the playtest messageboards. If you just want to give some general feedback or ideas, you can also check out the feedback messageboards.
This playtest cycle will last two weeks, until Monday, December 6th. We also hope to release another draft of the magus in the coming days, for a bit of additional playtest based off the feedback from the first round.
So, get a copy of the Words of Power system and use it in your game. We look forward to seeing your constructive feedback and playtest reports. See you on the boards.
... Introducing Paizo's Newest Monsters Wednesday, November 17, 2010Last week we showed you a few pictures of the first few copies of Bestiary 2 to straggle into the office. But we've been remiss in introducing the Pathfinder community at large to the two newest monsters to grace Paizo HQ with their presence. They showed up here around the same time I started at the company, so it's easy to see why their arrival slipped under the radar. They serve as the official golem watch-monsters,...
Introducing Paizo's Newest Monsters
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Last week we showed you a few pictures of the first few copies of Bestiary 2 to straggle into the office. But we've been remiss in introducing the Pathfinder community at large to the two newest monsters to grace Paizo HQ with their presence. They showed up here around the same time I started at the company, so it's easy to see why their arrival slipped under the radar. They serve as the official golem watch-monsters, guarding our most prized possessions. Here they are, for example, stealthily lurking at the top of the stairs outside Lisa's office.
Sulley (left) is a Gemini and enjoys long walks on the beach, games of Candyland, and Gary Busey movies. Mike (right) is a perfect match for anyone smitten by a "bad boy" type and dreams of one day having a gaze attack and growing more eyestalks. And for those of you who were expecting new monster art, well, who am I to disappoint?
... Where Do I Hang My Greatsword? Monday, November 15, 2010Coming to work at Paizo is like coming home. When I first started working at Wizards of the Coast I worked with Erik, had regular chats with Jason, and Lisa and Sean were always nearby, stalking the shadows, waiting to strike. ... Those were good times and I'm looking forward to revive them in my new digs. I'm excited about doing more work on the Pathfinder RPG. Throughout the development of 4e I watched its rise with keen interest....
Where Do I Hang My Greatsword?
Monday, November 15, 2010
Coming to work at Paizo is like coming home. When I first started working at Wizards of the Coast I worked with Erik, had regular chats with Jason, and Lisa and Sean were always nearby, stalking the shadows, waiting to strike.
Those were good times and I'm looking forward to revive them in my new digs. I'm excited about doing more work on the Pathfinder RPG. Throughout the development of 4e I watched its rise with keen interest. As a subscriber, I was already a Paizo fanboy. I wanted to see the solutions that Paizo would put forward, because I love RPGs and I know there is never a single solution to a design challenge. I also wanted to see my friends succeed.
Paizo's solutions were stellar and so it was no surprise that the successes have been triumphant.
When I left Wizards and was invited to work on the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide as a freelancer, I jumped at the chance. When Paizo invited me to join their staff, I eagerly leaped again. Now amidst many old friends and quite a few new ones, I look forward to making sure that you, the Pathfinder player, get the game you deserve with each and every product: a game that's exciting, evocative, and fun. So my job is to make sure you at least get what you're accustomed to and more. It's going to be a fantastic challenge.
... Celebrating Take Your Monster to Work Day Thursday, November 11, 2010Most of us aren't in the office today. But the printer proof of Bestiary 2 is! Wes Schneider ... Managing Editor ...
Celebrating Take Your Monster to Work Day
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Most of us aren't in the office today. But the printer proof of Bestiary 2 is!
... Jason & Sean at Neoncon! Thursday, November 4, 2010This weekend designers Jason Bulmahn and Sean K Reynolds will be prowling the Las Vegas strip under the pretext of being guests at Neoncon. If you're planning on attending Neoncon, make sure you seek those guys out and say hi! If you have pseudo-celebrity paralysis, though, and need more of an icebreaker, I've included some suggestions along with their schedules below. And don't worry, while he looks scary, it's the other one you need to...
Jason & Sean at Neoncon!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
This weekend designers Jason Bulmahn and Sean K Reynolds will be prowling the Las Vegas strip under the pretext of being guests at Neoncon. If you're planning on attending Neoncon, make sure you seek those guys out and say "hi!" If you have pseudo-celebrity paralysis, though, and need more of an icebreaker, I've included some suggestions along with their schedules below. And don't worry, while he looks scary, it's the other one you need to worry about.
Jason Bulmahn's NeonCon Schedule
Friday
Friday, 10 a.m.: Game Designer 101
Friday, 11 a.m.: Pathfinder RPG Design Time
Friday, 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Friday, 7 p.m.: Game Designer 101
Saturday
Saturday, 10 a.m.: Game Designer 101
Saturday, 11 a.m.: Pathfinder RPG Design Time
Saturday, 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Sunday
Sunday, 10 a.m.: Game Designer 101
Sunday, 3 p.m.: Game Designer 101
Icebreakers:
I hear you're doing an early playtest of "Words of Power" from Ultimate Magic here at the show. What's the deal?
What happened to the kangaroo that used to be on your desk?
Why, Jason? Just why?
Sean K Reynolds's NeonCon Schedule
Friday
Friday 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Friday 4 p.m.: Deities and Your Campaign World
Friday 6 p.m.: Miniatures Assembly 101
Friday 9 p.m.: Stories We Only Tell In Person
Saturday
Saturday 10:30 a.m.: Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Saturday 2 p.m.: Designing Content for the Pathfinder RPG
Saturday 4 p.m.: Filing Off the Serial Numbers
Saturday 6:30 p.m.: Miniatures Painting 101
Plus crashing other seminars
Icebreakers
What's the coolest thing in Ultimate Magic that I don't know about?
Who's your favorite Pathfinder deity?
How's your weekly lunchtime painting group going?
I heard you're a scary germophobe. Is this true?
Why does your office look like you're moving... and then an earthquake happened... and then the apocalypse hit?
Tom Rex Found some Dinosaur Art for you Delicious People!
Tom Rex Found some Dinosaur Art for you Delicious People! Friday, October 29, 2010Greetings, meat-flavored fans! What's the scoop? Tom noticed that there is a shocking... no, criminal lack of dinosaur-themed art on this blog. Tom realized this when the Boss changed his messageboard avatar that there was unknown dinosaur artwork lurking on Paizo's servers. Tom likes dinosaur pictures, because they inspire Tom. And because Tom is so much more handsome in real life, dinosaur art makes Tom feel...
Tom Rex Found some Dinosaur Art for you Delicious People!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Greetings, meat-flavored fans! What's the scoop? Tom noticed that there is a shocking... no, criminal lack of dinosaur-themed art on this blog. Tom realized this when the Boss changed his messageboard avatar that there was unknown dinosaur artwork lurking on Paizo's servers. Tom likes dinosaur pictures, because they inspire Tom. And because Tom is so much more handsome in real life, dinosaur art makes Tom feel better about his tiny forelimbs and the recent scandals about Tom being a cannibal. (What can Tom say! Tom's friends and family are delicious.)
Anyway, back on subject, Tom! Tom went sniffing through the still-to-be-published art (did you know that Tom's olfactory senses are among the most highly developed in the world? Tom can smell you wherever you hide, so it's better to not bother and just let Tom eat you alive is what Tom is saying). And not only did he find the image that Boss Jacobs stole for his new avatar, but three others! Two from some big book about monsters, and another from some book about some sort of lost city with a big lake in the middle where there are dinosaurs. One of them is not REALLY a dinosaur, but Tom still has fond memories of the Todd Tylosaurus and his megalodon gumbo, so Tom's okay including him in the art preview. That's the scoop on that!
P.S. Sarah is on another continent. Tom, as a result, doesn't known who the artists are for these wonderful pictures. So don't ask Tom who made this art! Tom assumes the artists are yummy, though, and you don't need to know someone's name to know that. That's also the scoop on that.
Mega Monster Meltdown! Tuesday, October 26, 2010All these Bestiary 2 monsters are CR 20 or higher. Deal with it! ... If you can. ... Illustration by Eric BelisleIllustration by Eva Widermann ... Illustrations by Jorge Maese ... Wes Schneider ... Managing Editor ...
Mega Monster Meltdown!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
All these Bestiary 2 monsters are CR 20 or higher. Deal with it!
... It Came from the Public Domain! Friday, October 8, 2010In penance for yesterday's blog post being all mean about not giving out new art and punishing folks and all that, I present to you four more monsters from the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2! What do these monsters all have in common? They're all based on monsters that come from mythology or the public domain—see if you can recognize any of them! Look for Bestiary 2 in bookstores, hobby stores, and on paizo.com...
It Came from the Public Domain!
Friday, October 8, 2010
In penance for yesterday's blog post being all mean about not giving out new art and punishing folks and all that, I present to you four more monsters from the upcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2! What do these monsters all have in common? They're all based on monsters that come from mythology or the public domain—see if you can recognize any of them! Look for Bestiary 2 in bookstores, hobby stores, and on paizo.com in November.
... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Ultimate Magic Tuesday, October 5, 2010With Bestiary 2 down, it's time to start working on the next massive hardcover: Ultimate Magic. Check back at this spot soon for details on the second part of the Ultimate Magic playtest. ... Wes Schneider ... Managing Editor ...
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Ultimate Magic
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
With Bestiary 2 down, it's time to start working on the next massive hardcover: Ultimate Magic. Check back at this spot soon for details on the second part of the Ultimate Magic playtest.
... Vanquished Beasts! Friday, October 1, 2010If you've been paying attention over the last few weeks, you've probably noticed a lot of talk about the whole office putting great effort into wrapping up the forthcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2. Well, as of the end of the day Wednesday, the beasts—over 300 of them— were successfully wrangled into line, made to look sharp, and shipped off to the printer. Look for Bestiary 2 in bookstores, hobby stores, and on paizo.com...
Vanquished Beasts!
Friday, October 1, 2010
If you've been paying attention over the last few weeks, you've probably noticed a lot of talk about the whole office putting great effort into wrapping up the forthcoming Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2. Well, as of the end of the day Wednesday, the beasts—over 300 of them— were successfully wrangled into line, made to look sharp, and shipped off to the printer. Look for Bestiary 2 in bookstores, hobby stores, and on paizo.com in November. In celebration of this event, check out these lovely images:
... Illustration by Florian Stitz ... Nobody Expects an Intro Set! Thursday, September 30, 2010This past Monday I spoiled on the Paizo Twitter feed that we're beginning the process of working on a Pathfinder intro set. Jason quickly retweeted it and it spread from there. So, what do we mean exactly when we say an intro set? First off we're not 100% sure of anything yet. What we do know is that it'll be useful for more than a couple of sessions, will be a great PFRPG teaching tool, and will...
Illustration by Florian Stitz
Nobody Expects an Intro Set!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
This past Monday I spoiled on the Paizo Twitter feed that we're beginning the process of working on a Pathfinder intro set. Jason quickly retweeted it and it spread from there. So, what do we mean exactly when we say an intro set? First off we're not 100% sure of anything yet. What we do know is that it'll be useful for more than a couple of sessions, will be a great PFRPG teaching tool, and will help us get more people playing Pathfinder. It'll probably come in a box, it might have counters and/or tokens, probably a Flip-Mat or two, most likely cover a good range of levels, and have a handful of classes and a good collection of feats. Essentially it'll be everything you need to get people playing, and learning, the game. Because the more people playing, the more opportunity for gaming, and we can all do with more gaming right?
We're at the very beginning of this process and nothing is set in stone though. Getting some feedback would be really helpful, though, so what would you like to see in an introductory Pathfinder product?
Inside the Pit: Monster Design 101 Monday, September 27, 2010Now that Bestiary 2 is wrapping up and Misfit Monsters Redeemed will soon arrive in all its flumph-loving, snail-flailing glory, Wes has asked me to give you all a quick lesson in monster concept design. Although everybody approaches monster design differently, while developing Misfit Monsters, we decided to codify certain key design principles by illustrating them on the Editorial Pit whiteboard. The attached image, sometimes known...
Inside the Pit: Monster Design 101
Monday, September 27, 2010
Now that Bestiary 2 is wrapping up and Misfit Monsters Redeemed will soon arrive in all its flumph-loving, snail-flailing glory, Wes has asked me to give you all a quick lesson in monster concept design. Although everybody approaches monster design differently, while developing Misfit Monsters, we decided to codify certain key design principles by illustrating them on the Editorial Pit whiteboard. The attached image, sometimes known simply as the Aboleth Flowchart, represents a basic but often overlooked tenet in the creation of new monsters for Golarion. (The diagram for lesson number two, the so-called "Mad Wizard Rule," is somewhat less technical, as it's just the phrase "Did an insane wizard create it?" surrounded by a cloud of a tiny "no"s and a drawing of me stabbing myself in the eye with a highlighter.)
I hope you found this peek inside the design team's methods and philosophies educational! Next time on Inside the Pit: how to make Managing Editor Wes Schneider weep like a frightened child! (Hint: It involves spreadsheets and the 2011 product schedule.)
... 2 Many Monsters! Tuesday, September 21, 2010This is the final week of editing before we ship the Bestiary 2 off to the printer and that means the whole office is neck deep in monsters. Since we've nowhere else to put them in the ever-more-crowded editorial pit, I thought a nice way to get them out from underfoot would be to exile a few to the blog. So here are a handful of beasties we no longer need immediately on hand. Enjoy! ... Art by Damian MammolitiArt by Andrew Hou ... Art by...
2 Many Monsters!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
This is the final week of editing before we ship the Bestiary 2 off to the printer and that means the whole office is neck deep in monsters. Since we've nowhere else to put them in the ever-more-crowded editorial pit, I thought a nice way to get them out from underfoot would be to exile a few to the blog. So here are a handful of beasties we no longer need immediately on hand. Enjoy!
... Ultimate Magic Playtest Monday, September 20, 2010 ... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Welcome to the playtest of the Ultimate Magic, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released early next year. ... The playtest begins with a look at the Magus, a brand-new base class that blends the powers of a wizard with the martial prowess of a fighter. You can find this class as a free PDF in your downloads up at the top of this page or at this link. Once you have...
Ultimate Magic Playtest
Monday, September 20, 2010
Illustration by Wayne Reynolds
Welcome to the playtest of the Ultimate Magic, a new sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, due to be released early next year.
The playtest begins with a look at the Magus, a brand-new base class that blends the powers of a wizard with the martial prowess of a fighter. You can find this class as a free PDF in your downloads up at the top of this page or at this link. Once you have downloaded the class and used it in your game, check out the messageboards, where you will find a pair of boards dedicated to this playtest.
This playtest cycle will last two weeks, until Monday, October 4th, and it will be followed shortly thereafter by another cycle containing the Words of Power alternate spellcasting system.
So grab the Magus and use him in your game today. We are looking forward to seeing your feedback and comments concerning this new class. See you on the boards.
... Illustration by Wayne Reynolds ... Prepare to Play with Fire Friday, September 17, 2010The open playtest for Ultimate Magic begins Monday. ... Wes Schneider ... Managing Editor
Bestiary Breakdown Tuesday, September 7, 2010Greetings, fun-sized friend morsels! What's the scoop? Tom Rex here, bringing you the latest that's outrageous, from the present to the Cretaceous! (Tom wrote that himself. Tom took some poetry classes in college.) And today that means another blog picking up the slack from James Jacobs. ... According to Boss Sutter, Jacobs was supposed to write a blog post titled Bestiary Breakdown. Which is accurate because, thanks to the Bestiary 2, James Jacobs...
Bestiary Breakdown
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Greetings, fun-sized friend morsels! What's the scoop? Tom Rex here, bringing you the latest that's outrageous, from the present to the Cretaceous! (Tom wrote that himself. Tom took some poetry classes in college.) And today that means another blog picking up the slack from James Jacobs.
According to Boss Sutter, Jacobs was supposed to write a blog post titled "Bestiary Breakdown." Which is accurate because, thanks to the Bestiary 2, James Jacobs is indeed breaking down! Ha! If you don't believe Tom, just observe the attached exclusive photographs. (Tom apologizes for the blurriness. The cameraman was both rude and delicious, and Tom's hands are built for holding massive prey in place while it's thrashing, not operating tiny iPhone camera.)
As you can see, James Jacobs was not having a good day—at least not until he reached the dinosaur section. Then things got better. Tom does what Tom can to keep the little people happy. (Tom has read the philosophy behind Kobe beef.)
... Exiles of Zirnakaynin, with Special Guest Stars Thursday, August 26, 2010After a long hiatus because of convention season, the drow nobles game continued with a hunt for the kidnapped acting matron of the House Azrinae—and split into two groups of PCs when Ylvirixna (Rob McCreary) and Alivora (James Jacobs) decided the matron (decerebrated by mi-go) was no longer in charge and ran off with her body. Confounded by this betrayal, Rackutio (Josh Frost), Phyxafein (Tim Nightengale), and...
Exiles of Zirnakaynin, with Special Guest Stars
Thursday, August 26, 2010
After a long hiatus because of convention season, the drow nobles game continued with a hunt for the kidnapped acting matron of the House Azrinae—and split into two groups of PCs when Ylvirixna (Rob McCreary) and Alivora (James Jacobs) decided the matron (decerebrated by mi-go) was no longer in charge and ran off with her body. Confounded by this betrayal, Rackutio (Josh Frost), Phyxafein (Tim Nightengale), and Verandia (Jodi Lane) returned to the drow city of Far Parathra to plan their next move. Or so they thought.
The group couldn't find Zwimessa (Crystal Frasier) when they left to find the matron that morning (Crystal missed that session). Zwimessa, meanwhile, couldn't find any of the others when she woke—their rooms were empty, and the drow commoner prisoner they had taken from their occupied house was dead in one of the rooms. Hiring a diviner in Far Parathra, Zwimessa found that her family members had been kidnapped, and paid the mage to teleport her to where they were held, bringing two mage-called demons (Kelly Marie and Troy Siefker) with her for extra muscle.
Zwimessa, Fumerott (Kelly), and Poograh (Troy) arrived just outside of a strange laboratory where three mi-go had Alivorah, Phyxafein, Rackutio, Verandia, and Ylvirixna strapped to tables, with needles in their skulls connected to strange metal canisters. After routing the mi-go, Zwimessa's team freed the others, though Ylvirixna's brain had been removed and had to be put back in her skull with some powerful healing magic. Retrieving their gear from a nearby nook, the drow followed an escape tunnel (with a comatose Ylvirixna riding Alivorah's snake-like phantom steed).
The tunnel opened up into a cavern with several mi-go crates (each marked with magical runes) and a strange underground lake. While investigating the crates, they spotted movement in the murky water, and something hurled a rock at Zwimessa.
