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.
Tengu arn't my favorite race but it makes me think about how they fit into my homebrew world and how they might interact with the PCs. I'm acutally takeing a few notes for next Monday.
Maybe next week we can see some Tiefling/Assamar love? =3
changeling, hobgoblins, or kitsune. I would love to see what archetypes the first two in particular would get (hobgoblin monk or gunslinger, changeling witch or sorc soo many shiny things 0.0).
after the signal kite I thought "weird, but perhaps useful", but when I read the terror kite description I just asked myself what you are smoking. I'm not saying I dislike it, nore do I like, I just think it's crazy. But I always like minigames in games, but this took me perhaps a little bit too much by surprise.
Anyhow for next week, since you already presented goblins, I won't ask for them again (altough they obviously deserve two presentations). So please tell us about all the different dwarven beers you've thought up. We know you have, no use denying it.
I not only want names and effects, but full recipes.
Edit: is the strength bonus from the feat untyped and thus stacks with everything?
Edit2: strength is probably size bonus as you just repeated what the spell does. Intention seems clear now.
after the signal kite I thought "weird, but perhaps useful", but when I read the terror kite description I just asked myself what you are smoking. I'm not saying I dislike it, nore do I like, I just think it's crazy. But I always like minigames in games, but this took me perhaps a little bit too much by surprise.
Just to throw something in about kite fighting, my wife and her family are natives of Hong Kong and her father talks foldly of kite fighting as a favorite adolescent hobby. So, while I too am a bit surprised by an item specifically for this, it is a time honored Asain game of chance/competation and fits well into an Asian themed campaign...
@Jeffrey Palmer
I've heard of kite fighting, but when some muggers surprise me in the alley, don't won't use kites, and I sure as hell won't defend myself with a kite. I mean, can I use my kite to sunder the weapon of a giant?
It seems like they wanted to make a cool mini-game (me like) but used existing mechanics (or at least key words) which makes it weird.
Is there really someone who takes weapon specialization kites? Will there be kites for real combat that drop bombs? Can I have a kite of flaming burst? How much ale did it take to think of this?
Questions over Questions.
Perhaps I'm just missing a critical piece.
In my opinion it would have been better to have a chapter about mini games, and the use of certain skills, abilities, items instead of packing a mini-game in an item description.
But again, I didn't say I dislike the idea, it just baffled me, and still confuses me and I can't really explain why.
I hope the preservationist got a mini-game too, like you've got a list of your summon spell, you draw some, got like 200 life and every turn you throw your monster into the ring and try to take the life of your opponent away, pika pika!
I don't know why people are so baffled by this kite fighting thing or the idea of 'minigames' existing in Pathfinder. I mean, all the rules are right there and it is just a fun thing they thought up for tengus.
Richard- Yes, preservationists can already do that. It is called looking up the monster's stats and running the combat normally! ;)
after the signal kite I thought "weird, but perhaps useful", but when I read the terror kite description I just asked myself what you are smoking. I'm not saying I dislike it, nore do I like, I just think it's crazy. But I always like minigames in games, but this took me perhaps a little bit too much by surprise.
It kind of strikes me as filler material, personally.
after the signal kite I thought "weird, but perhaps useful", but when I read the terror kite description I just asked myself what you are smoking. I'm not saying I dislike it, nore do I like, I just think it's crazy. But I always like minigames in games, but this took me perhaps a little bit too much by surprise.
Anyhow for next week, since you already presented goblins, I won't ask for them again (altough they obviously deserve two presentations). So please tell us about all the different dwarven beers you've thought up. We know you have, no use denying it.
I not only want names and effects, but full recipes.
Edit: is the strength bonus from the feat untyped and thus stacks with everything?
Edit2: strength is probably size bonus as you just repeated what the spell does. Intention seems clear now.
Yes, the bonus is a size bonus, as the alter self spell.
There is no mini game for kite battles in the book, but it may be a great subject for a future blog. I'll have to brainstorm with Chuko...er, I mean James Jacobs.
I vote for more Gnome stuff, or Catfolk? and Bunnies? Anyone else agree?
I'm hoping for a sphinx-like race that combines the features of gnomes and bunnies.
EDIT:
I always picture tengu as avian versions of the kif from C.J. Cherryh's Chanur series.
Tall but stooped, with the tips of their beaks or snouts extending from the darkness of their black robes, sharp-clawed and sharp-tongued, gifted linguists, sinister thieves, unexpected sensitive appetites, cruel and ambitious.
I love that tengu picture; he makes me think of some raven necromancer, eating the eyes of his victims to see what they saw in life (sorry, I'm morbid). Hmm, maybe a sin-eater inquisitor?
And for that bit with the long-nose transformation, I can see you covering for it another way: take Perform (comedy) and make your gigantic schnozzle a part of the act. "No respect, no respect! I'm mortified!"
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Adventure Path, Comics, Battles Case Subscriber
Aketh wrote:
donato wrote:
Construct race, please!
Yeah, if there's a construct race, I would love to see it.
There isn't, other than the options in the rae builder. All the races that are detailed have been published in bestiaries with the exception of the Dragon Empire Gazeteer races.
Let me tell you, I am LOVING this trend toward giving races spell-like abilities through feats. I think it adds some really interesting flavor to possible characters.
I may be behind on the times here, but I noticed that the spell header above says "Tengu Spells." I know the player companion series of books had race-specific spells, but does this mean we're going to be seeing race-specific spells added to the Roleplaying Game series with this book? This is important for me to know because I consider any roleplaying game book to be "core" and would therefore start allowing race-specific spells in my game.
I may be behind on the times here, but I noticed that the spell header above says "Tengu Spells." I know the player companion series of books had race-specific spells, but does this mean we're going to be seeing race-specific spells added to the Roleplaying Game series with this book? This is important for me to know because I consider any roleplaying game book to be "core" and would therefore start allowing race-specific spells in my game.
Also +1 to Catfolk and Vanara while we're at it.
*ahem* Kweh
The headers mostly has to do with the section in the book the spell is found in, but there are spells that only target or affect members of specific races. So, yes, there are some race specific spells in the book, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
Good to know. I should have been more clear by saying "spells only certain races have access to casting" (like only a tengu may cast the spell above) instead of "race-specific." I'll take the omission of this in your reply as a hint that isn't the case. Groovy stuff.
Stratagemini
Jadeite
Black Powder Chocobo
Spaarky
doc the grey
Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer
Gorbacz
