Chivane

Benjamin Medrano's page

388 posts. Alias of Cydeth (RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32).




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I wasn't sure where to put this, so my apologies if it's the wrong spot.

Where would be the best place to look for freelancers to write some PF2 content for me? Potentially for publication, but I'm not set on that just yet. I'm currently basing my assumptions on paying in the neighborhood of $0.10/word USD, but I'm well aware that I don't know what the standard pay currently is, and based that on some research I did over the past week.

If you're curious on why I'm doing this, some background below.

I'm a self-published fantasy author. While I've written some for both Pathfinder 1e and 2e, and gotten an adventure and compendium of magical items published for PF1 before, I've come to a realization, writing my books and RPG content draws from the same creative well. Unfortunately, this means that while I have started plenty of RPG content, actually finishing it takes a lot more energy than I can usually focus on it. I make a comfortable living (not amazing, but comfortable) writing my novels, and those have to take priority.

Yet at the same time, I'd love to have some of my settings turned into RPG material I could use, and maybe even publish it so my readers and others could use them. Which is why I decided that it could be worth hiring freelancers to write the material for me. In this case, I'm planning to start with an Ancestry from my Beesong Chronicles series called the apis (bee-people, mostly female), and if it works out well to see about expanding from there. The idea of a gazetteer for a small adventuring area, a few rules for the LitRPG setting to give it a bit more of that flavor, and possibly even an adventure are all things I'm considering. I have other material I'd like to have created as well, but... baby steps. I have to start somewhere.

So yeah. If you know where I should go to contact freelancers, or are one yourself, I'd love to hear from you! You can PM me if you'd prefer not to post publicly.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Hello,

Please cancel my Adventure Path Subscription. Thank you for all the adventures currently gracing my shelves!


Hello,

I set things up to start the Starfinder AP subscription with The Reach of Empire toward the beginning of August, (Order 4806830) but today my Pathfinder AP shipped without the order taking effect. Could you look into what caused this, please?


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So, last year my wife and I came to the banquet, and I asked about whether or not their would be non-dairy items on the menu. This led to others chiming in, from those who were asking about gluten free, vegan, or similar.

I know you all did your best, but there were some... hiccups. The lady who was indicating what didn't have dairy was wrong in a couple of cases, which could've been bad for my wife if she hadn't looked at the items in question more closely.

This is just a repeat of last year, really. Could we get a better idea of what sort of allergens will be in individual dishes this time around? Anaphylaxis isn't something I want to mess around with, and if we have to, we can go find food before the banquet. I'd just rather know ahead of time.

Thank you!


So, a few weeks ago a friend was running The Divinity Drive, and asked me to build something with which to challenge his party. Having only the vaguest of concepts of what his party had available, I created what I dubbed the mechabehir. It apparently somewhat scared the group, but I thought I'd share it.

Mechabehir:

Mechabehir CR 19/MR 1
XP 204,800
Agile bestiary monster creation (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures)
N Huge construct (robot)
Init +23/+3, dual initiative; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, superior optics; Perception +40
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 36, touch 13, flat-footed 31 (+3 Dex, +2 dodge, +23 natural, -2 size)
hp 199 (23d10+73); force field (0 hp, fast healing 19)
Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +11
Defensive Abilities evasion, reflective armor; DR 5/epic; Immune construct traits, electricity
Weaknesses vulnerability to critical hits, vulnerability to electricity
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 70 ft., climb 50 ft., fly 90 ft. (average)
Melee bite +30 (2d6+12/19-20 plus grab)
Ranged (M) +5 shocking burst rail gun +25 (3d10+5/×4 plus 1d6 electricity) or
. . (M) +5 shocking burst rail gun +25 (3d10+5/×4 plus 1d6 electricity)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks constrict, constrict (2d6+8), rake (6 claws +29, 1d6+8), swallow whole (AC 21, 19 hp)
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 26, Dex 16, Con —, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 8
Base Atk +23; CMB +33 (+37 grapple); CMD 48 (can't be tripped)
Feats Alertness, Cleave, Flyby Attack, Great Cleave, Greater Vital Strike, Hover, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Acrobatics +3 (+19 to jump), Climb +16, Fly +25, Perception +40, Sense Motive +4
SQ auto-destruct core, integrated weaponry
Other Gear +5 shocking burst rail gun, +5 shocking burst rail gun
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Auto-Destruct Core (DC 21) (Ex) As full rd act, can self destruct dealing 1d10 dmg/hit die (Ref half).
Cleave If you hit a foe, attack an adjacent target at the same attack bonus but take -2 AC.
Climb (50 feet) You have a Climb speed.
Constrict (Ex) On a successful grapple check, you deal 1d8+6 points of damage.
Construct Traits (+40 HP) Constructs have many immunities.
Damage Reduction (5/epic) You have Damage Reduction against all except Epic attacks (weapons with a +6 bonus).
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Dual Initiative (Ex) You act a second time each round at -20 from your normal initiative
Evasion (Ex) If succeed on Reflex save for half dam, take none instead.
Fly (90 feet, Average) You can fly!
Flyby Attack You can take a standard action during your move action while flying.
Force Field (fast healing 19, 95 hp) Force field absorbs damage first and has fast healing until depleted. 24-hr recharge.
Grab (Huge, Bite, Bite) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.
Hover Can hover in place without Fly checks, and kick up dust cloud if within 20 ft of ground.
Immunity to Ability Damage Immunity to ability damage
Immunity to Ability Drain Immunity to ability drain
Immunity to Bleed You are immune to bleed.
Immunity to Death and Necromancy effects You are immune to Death and Necromancy effects.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Electricity You are immune to electricity damage.
Immunity to Energy Drain Immune to energy drain
Immunity to Exhausted You are immune to the exhausted condition.
Immunity to Fatigue You are immune to the fatigued condition.
Immunity to Mind-Affecting effects You are immune to Mind-Affecting effects.
Immunity to Nonlethal Damage You are immune to Nonlethal Damage
Immunity to Paralysis You are immune to paralysis.
Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.
Immunity to Sleep You are immune to sleep effects.
Immunity to Stunning You are immune to being stunned.
Integrated Weaponry (Ex) You can have weapons installed into you. (Twin rail guns, can be used with the same action)
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Power Attack -6/+12 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Reflective Armor (Ex) The mechabehir's armor can deflect ray and energy weapon attacks. Against such attacks, there's a 50% chance to deflect the attack, and if deflected, roll 1d4. On a 1, the attack is reflected back at the attacker with the same attack and damage modifiers.
Superior Optics (Ex) The robot can see invisible creatures or objects as if they were visible.
Swallow Whole (AC 21, 19 HP) (Ex) You can swallow smaller targets whole.
Vital Strike [Mythic] Vital Strike multiplies dam bonus by number of extra weapon dice rolled.
Vulnerability to Critical Hits When take extra dam from a crit, stunned 1 rd (DC 15 Fort neg).
Vulnerability to Electricity You are vulnerable (+50% damage) to Electricity damage.

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I was trying to decide how to title this thread in a way that worked, and thus this came about. It isn't perfect, but I'm trying to be honest.

Last week I published a book, and I've been working on a few pieces of Pathfinder content to approximate some of the story elements.

Elementalist Warrior: This is a fighter archetype that I would view as most similar to the Synthesist Summoner. The fighter forms a contract with the spirit of an outsider which they can summon into their body or gear to boost their abilities. At the moment I've only created the 4 classic elemental spirits for this, but in many ways its designed to make them less magic-item dependent.

Dark Invoker: This prestige class was quite honestly inspired by the massive debate over spells with the Evil descriptor, and me wondering why a prestige class or the like didn't use the classic of 'how power corrupts' as a theme. This class sells their soul to a dark power and gains the ability to add dark invocations to their spells to make them more powerful. These invocations are limited to those spells that have the Evil Descriptor, but the dark invoker can add the descriptor to a number of spells they know. These invocations may also be used to summon fiends, giving increased flexibility.

Link to Content

Sorry about using an outside link for this, just wanting to keep closer control over the text.

If people want to give me feedback, I'd appreciate it, as I work on further content for my world. Unfortunately, trying to actually make everything work right would necessitate adjusting the entire system to a spell-point system...and I don't have time for that. Yet.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Hello, I was wanting to cancel my adventure path subscription. However, I want to cancel after the final volume of Hell's Vengeance, but before Strange Aeons. If this isn't possible, would you simply cancel my subscription?

Thank you.


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First and foremost, I did not design this archetype for combat or most types of games for a PC. This is more of an NPC class that I felt would fit well into a world where not all wizards are adventurers or capable of casting a spell on an instant's notice. I felt the archetype was also useful for some lower-magic campaigns, but it's primarily an NPC class.

I'll also note that I wrote it for fun in about half an hour. So if there are mistakes...I'm not terribly surprised. I tried to avoid them, though.

Academic Wizard (Wizard Archetype)
Some wizards aren’t the type to go out into the world and adventure. These academic wizards perform slow, careful magic, and tend to be far less dangerous than most of their brethren. However, the great knowledge of these academics is well known, and they have a knack for utilizing rituals.

Methodical Casting: An academic wizard casts spells more slowly than other wizards. Spells that would take an immediate or swift action to cast take him a full-round action. Spells that would take a standard, full-round, or 1 round casting time now take 1 minute to cast. Spells that take more than one round to cast, but less than 1 minute, take 1 minute per round of their original casting time. Spells that take 1 minute or more to cast have their casting time doubled.
An academic wizard can prepare one additional spell of each level he is capable of casting. Additionally, the academic wizard may choose to leave any number of spell slots open when preparing spells as normal. If a spell slot was left open, the wizard may use his spell book as a focus and cast a spell directly from his spell book by using a spell slot of the correct level. An academic wizard may not apply metamagic feats to spells cast in this manner, and the spellbook generally must occupy a hand during the spellcasting. This alters the wizard’s spellcasting.
Class Skills: An academic wizard gains 4 + Intelligence modifier skills per level, and at 1st level may choose 4 additional skills as class skills. This alters the wizard’s class skills.
Bardic Knowledge (Ex): An academic wizard adds half his class level (minimum 1) on all Knowledge skill checks and may make all Knowledge skill checks untrained. If the academic wizard possesses this ability from multiple classes, their levels stack to determine the total bonus.
Ritual Caster (Ex): An academic wizard finds occult rituals easier to cast than most other spellcasters. The academic wizard adds half his class level (minimum 1) to all non-Knowledge skill checks made to cast an occult ritual. If the academic wizard is the primary caster of an occult ritual he halves the casting time of the ritual (this does not reduce the number of skill checks required).


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Hello and thank you all for reading this! My name is Benjamin Medrano, and I have one published adventure with Adventure-a-Week, Beauty & Blood. Due to personal circumstances, I have not been able to finish any other adventures for publication since.

However, I have been working on several other projects in my free time. In particular I have been working on three Base Classes, though one is actually an Alternate Class. In addition, in the last week I came up with the idea for a fourth class, which is also in the document.

I am asking the aid of anyone willing to look over, playtest these classes, and give feedback. I am not the most prolific poster and have a day job that takes much of my free time, but I will respond as I am able. Please give any responses that you may have, as any information helps.

The four classes are:

Arcane Knight - A prepared intelligence caster that uses the sword as a primary, with magic to boost his abilities. He can infuse his weapons and armor with magic, take talents to boost his martial and magical abilities further, and cast buffing spells of up to 4th level. He possesses a full Base Attack Bonus, and can cast spells in Medium armor without arcane spell failure, and may gain the ability to cast in heavy armor or with shields. Has a ranged archetype and spontaneous caster archetype.

Dragonsoul - The dragonsoul is an alternate class of the summoner. Proficient in martial weapons, the dragonsoul manifests their soul as a draconic ally, and is able to gain a large number of draconic abilities as they level. The dragon may be large to begin with, which permits for a dragonrider styled character.

Noble - The noble uses the aristocrat as a basis for the class, but also grants a large number of class features, most notably Noble's Knacks, minor abilities that can be used a large number of times per day for aiding allies, combat, and more. Each noble is the scion of a different type of family, such as arcane, commerce, faith, or the underworld. The type of noble they are influences their abilities, and can make one noble vastly different from another.

Priest - The priest is an alternate class of the cleric. Suffering arcane spell failure in armor, the priest gets additional slots for domain spells, and gains divine energy that may be used to power divine gifts they gain as they level. There are a small number of universal divine gifts, including the ability to take additional domains, and each domain has a minimum of 2 divine gifts unique to it. Most domains have three divine gifts, and many of the gifts can be augmented with additional energy for greater effects.

Playtest Classes Link

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 aka Cydeth

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Seers of Pharasma
Alignment: N (leans toward NE)
Headquarters: Omenhall, River Kingdoms
Leader: Lord Jvarin Oakhand
Structure: Multi-factional religious order.
Scope: Regional
Resources: Town of Omenhall, thousands of recorded prophecies, and tens of thousands of gold pieces in liquid assets.
When Aroden died, many seers of Pharasma were driven mad by the event. Prophecy, once viewed as absolute, was broken seemingly irreparably, and yet some few still believe in it. The Seers of Pharasma are zealots who believe that prophecy wasn't destroyed, but fragmented into many paths, any of which may come true. So the Seers gathered the prophecies of maddened seers and began to study them. They believe that if they force one of them into coming true, it would restore prophecy to its former glory. They believe this to be a goal worth any price.
Structure and Leadership
Wildly disorganized to outsiders, the truth is that the Seers of Pharasma have very little order to their organization. Different factions of the Seers believe in different prophecies, which often brings them into conflict with one another as each vies to make its own prophecy supreme over the other, often contradictory, prophecies. Overseeing the others is Jvarin Oakhand, a wizard-priest turned lich who, began gathering prophecies of mad seers shortly after Aroden's death, and believes that he will see Aroden return at last.
Goals
The goal of the Seers of Pharasma is simplicity itself. They want to make one prophecy the 'true' prophecy of the world, and restore the absolute reign of prophecy to the world. They view this as a cause worth any price. The only issue is that different factions favor different prophecies, and they frequently come into conflict with each other. More than once have a group of Seers opposed a group of adventurers seeking to defeat a weak villain, only to aid the adventurers later after the miscreant has gained enough power to fit their own prophecy.
Public Perception
Most outsiders, including most followers of Pharasma, see the Seers of Pharasma as dangerous zealots. All too often the insane prophecies that the Seers cling to would cause untold destruction across the Inner Sea, and as such they are often distrusted or outright persecuted if identified.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 aka Cydeth

I'm one of the alternates (Benjamin Medrano, with the Chalice of Eternal Fire) and don't see any feedback other than what I got from the Critique thread, so if I could, I'd appreciate some feedback on my item.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 aka Cydeth

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Chalice of Eternal Fire
Aura moderate conjuration; CL 10th
Slot -; Price 50,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
Description
This chalice is crafted of solid gold with tiny inset rubies, forged into a rising whirlwind of flames. From within the chalice leaps a flickering bowl of flames. When held the chalice grants the wielder +1 to their caster level for any spell with the fire descriptor. The chalice has three charges each day, restored at dawn.
Using the chalice as a material focus for conjuration (calling or summoning) spell with the fire descriptor costs one charge. A calling spell increases the maximum hit dice that can be called by 2. Summoning spells grant the advanced simple template to a summoned monster with the fire subtype.
Additionally the wielder of the chalice may call on the power of the plane of fire, as a standard action that costs one charge. The chalice erupts with torrents of flame from the plane of fire, spraying it into the sky and raining down all around the wielder, but leaving them unharmed. All creatures within 30 feet of the chalice except for the wielder take 8d6 fire damage (Reflex DC 16 half).
Last, the wielder may drink the flames from the goblet, transforming their blood into flames and granting resistance to cold and fire, as well as lashing out at those who harm them. For 10 minutes the character gains energy resistance 15 to cold and fire, and any creature that damages the character with a non-reach melee attack takes 1d6 fire damage. Using this ability consumes 1 charge.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, fireball, lesser planar binding or lesser planar ally, resist energy; Cost 25,000 gp

Goblin Squad Member

My only request is to make certain that there are decent numbers of NPCs that you can interact with. My one complaint with EVE Online was that, aside from other players, you didn't really have any interaction with characters in the world itself. Heck, I think it would be awesome if you could hire adventuring parties yourself!

Anyway, my 2 copper.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

When talking with my GF, it came up that it was absurdly hard for a rogue who was specialized in theft (Sleight of Hand) to steal something. This is an idea of an optional rule to allow them to be able to do such somewhat better...any feedback would be appreciated. And I deliberately only did this with two skills that made the most sense to me.

When using the Steal combat maneuver, you may choose to use your ranks in Sleight of Hand in the place of your Base Attack Bonus for CMB. When using the Dirty Trick combat maneuver, you may choose to use your ranks in Acrobatics in the place of your Base Attack Bonus for CMB.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

First, I have to say the ability looks awesome. But just for clarification...are the penalties for the ability in addition to the two-weapon fighting penalties, or do they replace the penalties? Thanks.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I'll keep this mostly in spoiler mod.

Viorian:

Okay, in Viorian's entry and history it talks about how she was possessed by Chellan 5 years before when Karzoug woke, and it drug her to Xin-Shalast. There she's spent 5 years training under Chellan's command, and at this point is "little more than a mindless shell controlled by the sword of greed".

Now, this seems very odd to me as:
A) Chellan isn't an intelligent weapon
B) It talks about her pledging herself to Karzoug's service, when if mind controlled it seems very strange.

Since my party is all too likely to try to redeem her rather than kill her outright, my question is this: How should I go about allowing them to heal her of the damage that's been done? Break Enchantment on a new enchantment she's under, and which would be revealed in Arcane Sight? Removal of the weapon followed by a Greater Restoration? I'm just curious what other people think, as I'm still debating how to go about things.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Since I don't think that I've necessarily said it before, and I don't think it can be said enough...

Thank you.

Thank you for revitalizing the game that got me into roleplaying, and the game that I loved and was afraid I was going to have to abandon due to lack of support.

Thank you for being friendly, for answering questions online even when the fans are overzealous at times, and being involved in things. It is something that I haven't seen nearly as often or in depth before.

Thank you for producing products that awe me with their quality and the thought that goes into them.

Thank you for being willing to change and listening to us, regarding the various playtests and the huge amounts of feedback you receive.

Thank you for giving excellent customer service, and making it so that I've only had to deal with customer service once. ^_^

And last of all...Thank you for being a company that I feel I can give my loyalty to.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I'm currently running the tail end of Pathfinder #5, Sins of the Saviors in South Ogden, and looking for one or two more players. After the end of the current campaign I'm planning on starting an RP heavy Pathfinder game as well. If you want details just ask.

Email me at [MyForumName] At Yahoo dot com.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I subscribed to the Adventure Path line on Sunday the 13th, and it gave a choice between starting with the Varnhold Vanishing and Blood for Blood. After discussing things with my girlfriend, we chose to start with the Varnhold Vanishing and bought the PDFs of the first two volumes, assuming that we would receive Blood for Blood soon thereafter. Now, after receiving Varnhold Vanishing (which is awesome, I will add) I'm seeing that the subscription is skipping Blood for Blood, which essentially eliminates the entire point of why we decided to start with Varnhold Vanishing. Is there any way that we can get Blood for Blood without having to order it separately?

Thank you,
Cydeth

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

For an upcoming campaign I'm considering putting in a number of artifacts that my players can get their hands on, which (hopefully) will inspire them to go looking for the history/other pieces of their artifacts.

My idea is to break each item into multiple pieces, with each piece able to grant an item that it is made part of (another weapon, even a mundane one, for example) some enchantments that are part of the whole artifact. I think the concept is workable, but I would like the opinions/ideas of others. Following is a sample item that I worked up.

Adeira's Thorn:
Adeira’s Thorn – Made for the half-elven rogue Adeira, this weapon was imbued with power upon her death such that the evil cult that killed her attempted to destroy it to prevent it’s power from being used against them. Ironically, it was the act of using her own dagger to kill Adeira that imbued it with such power. It was separated into three parts; Pommel, hilt and blade, each was hidden far from one another, yet each retains a piece of the power of the whole. If re-united the resulting weapon would become more than the sum of its parts. Each part of the dagger, save for the blade, grants enchantments to another dagger that it is part of. These enchantments cannot be improved, and do not stack with existing enchantments, save for those upon the other parts.
Pommel – This simple pommel is made of silver with a small ruby glittering with internal light. The pommel grants another dagger the +1 keen spell storing properties, with the following benefit. The maximum level of spell that the weapon can store increases by 1 level for each piece of Adeira’s Thorn as part of the weapon (allowing a 5th level spell to be stored when the blade is complete). The hilt also allows the wielder to cast Invisibility (CL 5th) three times per day.
Hilt – A suitable, simple hilt of black leather and silver, little stands out about this portion of Adeira’s Thorn. The hilt grants another dagger the +2 ghost touch properties, as well as granting the wielder a +2 bonus to Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Perception and Stealth (this bonus increases by +2 per piece of Adeira’s Thorn as part of the weapon).
Blade – A curving, elegant mithril blade, the blade of Adeira’s Thorn is a work of art that outshines the rest of the blade, and shows what Adeira was most concerned with. The patterned blade possesses the +2 wounding properties, as well as granting the wielder +1d6 sneak attack (this increases by 1d6 per piece of Adeira’s Thorn as part of the weapon).
Completion Bonus – In addition to being a +5 ghost touch keen spell storing wounding mithril dagger and the other properties from each piece, Adeira’s Thorn functions as a Bane weapon against all followers of the cult which slew Adeira and automatically confirms any crits against them. Once per day the wielder may cast Greater Teleport (CL 20th) to any location in dim light or darker. If unable to go to the desired location, the ability takes her as close as possible.
Destruction – Adiera’s Thorn may be destroyed by sacrificing 10 of Adiera’s relatives on consecutive nights, on the same spot where she was slain.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

I've been running RotR for the past...year, about, and my party is about to run into Mokmurian, and I figured I'd post my slightly adapted one for my particular group.

Mokmurian:
Mokmurian
Male Stone Giant Transmuter 14
CE Large Humanoid (Giant)
Init +10 ; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, See Invisibility ;Perception +37
Defense
AC 34, touch 19, flat-footed 27 (+2 vs Good)
(+4 Armor, +3 defending club, +6 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +11 Natural, -1 Size)
hp 247 (12d8+14d6+130+14)
Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +19 (+2 vs Good)
Defensive Abilities DR 10/Admantine (140 points total); Immune Mental Control, Possession; Resist Fire 30
Offense
Spd 40 ft. (70 ft., Spider Climb), Fly 40 ft. Average
Melee +3 Defending Club +22/+17/+12/+7 (1d8+7)
Ranged Rock +21 (2d8+10)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Rock Throwing (180 ft.),
Spells: (CL 14th, Opposed Schools: Illusion, Enchantment)
7th—finger of death (DC 23), limited wish, reverse gravity
6th—acid fog, disintegrate (DC 22), flesh to stone (DC 22), quickened acid arrow, quickened scorching ray
5th—baleful polymorph (DC 21), overland flight, quickened shield, telekinesis (DC 21), wall of force
4th—dimension door, enervation, fire shield, mass reduce person (DC 20), polymorph, stoneskin
3rd—fireball (DC 19), fly, haste, greater magic weapon (already cast), lightning bolt (DC 19), slow (DC 19)
2nd—blindness/deafness, cat’s grace, glitterdust (DC 18), resist energy, scorching ray (2), see invisibility
1st—alarm (already cast), expeditious retreat, magic missile x2, protection from good, ray of enfeeblement, reduce person (DC 17)
0—arcane mark, disrupt undead, mage hand, prestidigitation, touch of fatigue (DC 16)
Statistics
Str 24, Dex 22, Con 21, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +16; CMB +24; CMD 41
Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack
Skills Climb +36, Knowledge (Arcane) +35, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +35, Knowledge (Engineering) +35, Knowledge (Geography) +35, Perception +37, Spellcraft +35, Stealth +28 (+36 in Rocky Terrain)
Languages Common, Draconic, Giant, Orc, Terran, Thassilonian
SQ Improved Rock Catching, Physical Enhancement (+3 Con), Telekinetic Fist 9/day, Change Shape 14 rounds/day, Arcane Bond (Hawk, Clathmere)
Combat Gear Wand of Bear’s Endurance (13 Charges), Rod of Lesser Quicken Spell
Other Gear +1 Defending Spell Storing club (vampiric touch), Bracers of Armor +4, Robe of Runes, Bag of Holding, Keyring, 5500 gp diamond dust

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Okay, so I'm weird. That said...

Tonight I was running a game, and the party was raiding the keep of a high level cleric of Asmodeus in Cheliax. Along the way they ran into his 8 year old daughter, who they let escape. Her governess got her out quickly, but when they reached her room they spotted a plush doll of an Erinyes on the floor where it was dropped. Our half-succubus rogue immediately claimed it, and the thought came to me that this would be awesome just in general. In my opinion, at least.

So...I'd like to request plush dolls of Succubi and Erinyes! Anyone else interested?

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Okay, tonight I ran a Summoner and a couple of assistants against my 2nd level party. This is using the most recent updates.

My party consisted of (tonight):
Caleth, 2nd level tiefling B&E Rogue
Fairheart, 2nd level half-orc Paladin (AC spec)
Farin, 2nd level half-elf Ranger (Archery Focus, Uses Bastard Sword)
Alex, 2nd level half-elf Druid (Two-Weapon Fighting)
Wood, 2nd level human Fighter (Tank)

The party was up against 4 human skeletons and the following Summoner and his pet.

Dverast Delvemaster:
Character Name: Dverast Delvemaster
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Gender: Male

Class & Level: Summoner 5
Race: Human (Skeletal Champion)
Init: +7
Speed: 30 ft.

Str: 12
Dex: 16
Con: -
Int: 12
Wis: 8
Cha: 18

HP: 57 (5d8+20)
AC: 20 (+3 Dexterity, +2 Natural, +5 Armor)
Touch: 13
Flat-Footed: 17

Fort: +5 (+1 Base, +4 Charisma)
Ref: +4 (+1 Base, +3 Dexterity)
Will: +3 (+4 Base, -1 Wisdom)

BA: +3
CMB: +4
CMD: 17

Attacks:
MW Bastard Sword +5 (1d10+1/19-20)
MW Light Crossbow +7 (1d8/19-20)

Skills:
Handle Animal (5 Ranks, +3 Class, +4 Charisma) +12
Knowledge(The Planes) (5 Ranks, +3 Class, +1 Intelligence) +9
Perception (5 Ranks, -1 Wisdom) +4
Spellcraft (5 Ranks, +1 Intelligence) +6

Languages:
Thassilonian
Abyssal

Feats:
Improved Initiative
Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Bastard Sword)
Arcane Strike
Spell Focus(Conjuration)
Augmented Summoning

Special Abilities:
DR 5/bludgeoning
Channel Resistance +4
Immunity to Cold
Darkvision 60ft
Undead Immunities
Skilled
Cantrips
Eidolon (Bloodleecher)
Life Link
Summon Monster III 7/day
Bond Senses 5 rounds/day
Shield Ally

Spells: (CL 5th)
1st- 5/day
2nd- 3/day

Spells Known: 6 4 3
0- Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Open/Close
1- Alarm, Magic Fang, Protection from Good, Shield
2- Bull's Strength, Haste, Invisibility

Equipment:
+1 Mithril Shirt
MW Bastard Sword
MW Light Crossbow
Spell Component Pouch
20 Bolts
Signet Ring
Ruby and Gold Circlet (450 gp)
4x Potion of Inflict Light Wounds
22 gp

Bloodleecher:
Name: Bloodleecher
Alignment: Chaotic-Evil
Gender: Male
Height & Weight: 4'2" & 240 lbs. (6' long)
Hair Color: Black with Glowing Red Runes
Eye Color: Molten Red

HD: 5
Race: Eidolon (Outsider)
Type: Quadruped
Size: Medium
Init: +3
Speed: 40 ft.

Str: 16
Dex: 16
Con: 14
Int: 7
Wis: 10
Cha: 11

HP: 47 (5d10+10)
AC: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 Natural)
Touch: 13
Flat-Footed: 16

Fort: +5 (+4 Base, +2 Con)
Ref: +5 (+4 Base, +3 Dex)
Will: +1 (+1 Base, +0 Wis)

BA: +5
CMB: +8
CMD: 21 (23 vs. Trip)

Attacks:
Bite +8 (2d6+4+1d6 Fire)
4 Claws +4 (1d6+1+1d6 Fire)

Skills:
Acrobatics (5 Ranks, Class +3, Dex +3) +11
Climb (5 Ranks, Class +3, Str +3) +11
Perception (5 Ranks, Class +3, Wis +0) +8
Stealth (5 Ranks, Class +3, Dex +3) +11

Languages:
Thassilonian
Abyssal

Feats:
Power Attack
Weapon Focus(Claw)
Improved Natural Attack(Bite)

Special Abilities:
Darkvision 60 ft.
Link
Share Spells
Evasion
Resist Fire 10

Evolutions: (Cost) 8 Total
Bite (Free)
2 Limbs (Legs, Free)
Claws (2)
Improved Damage (Bite, Claws, 2)
Energy Attack Fire (2)
Pounce (1)
Resistance (Fire, 1)

The party went through much of an ancient Thasilonian structure in the Lurkwood of Varisia, made by myself. Dverast was emplaced ages ago to protect the lowest level from intruders, and has grown mostly mad over the years. The party disabled a trap on the door to his room, which due to his charge, he could not leave without collapsing into a heap of dust. The party initially only saw the skeletons, blocking most of the 30' x 40' room, as they had set off his alarm on the door, and gave him time to prepare. Due to Protection From Good, Shield, and Haste, the party was severely outmatched and was nearly wiped out when Dverast summoned a pair of leopards, as at that time the fighter was missing. They managed to destroy the skeletons and take Bloodleecher to half life before retreating. They took a two day break before challenging the room again.

When they challenged the room again, they were bottlenecked by Bloodleecher in the entryway, but as they had triggered the alarm and run before entering, most of Dverast's spells were expended. He joined Bloodleecher in melee after casting Bull's Strength on both of them, trying to take down Fairheart the Paladin. Fairheart had a 23 AC vs. Dverast, and 27 vs. Bloodleecher due to Smite Evil, which made it a drawn out battle. Fortunately for Bloodleecher, he lacked the Evil Subtype, which kept him from being destroyed. The summons that Dverast tried this time were rolled over after dealing perhaps 5 damage apiece, but the party was forced to retreat after Fairheart and Wood were knocked unconscious, and Dverast couldn't pursue. As Bloodleecher was at 2 hp remaining, and Dverast was without any additional way to heal, they decided to cut their losses and wait.

My conclusions: The Eidolon is very impressive, especially when buffed and if you can get support. The summons are very situational, but it's far too easy for intelligent foes to make you waste them with the short duration, same with the spells. And it is not recommended to make an undead Summoner unless they have some way to heal themselves, as their Life Link is nearly useless.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Okay, I've liked elemental mages for a long, long time, and I decided I actually want to try and build school powers for them. If others would be willing to help come up with ideas, I'd appreciate it, but my thoughts are still in the beginning of brainstorming for how they would work.

What I've thought about thus far:

I'd like five variants in all. The four 'classic' elements (fire, water, air, and earth, just like the Elemental Bloodline of the sorcerer) and a 5th 'Master of the Four Elements'. The last would likely be just a variant of the Universal School Wizard, since I'm leery to give him too many advantages. I've primarily considered the Master of the Four, so I'd like to present what I have.

Master of the Four Elements: Replacing Hand of the Apprentice I see something along the lines of Produce Flame, but allow different energy types. Likely as not this would limit the damage of the ability a fair amount, and I think that limiting the range would be a good idea. As for Metamagic Mastery, I was thinking that perhaps replace the ability to spontaneously add metamagic feats with the ability to spontaneously change the energy type of a energy spell like fireball with one of the other energy types. Just like Energy Substitution, but keep it at the same rate of 1/day at 8th level, and 1 additional time per day per two levels. I'm not certain how well this will work, but as I said, it's my initial thoughts.

Elementalists: Honestly, trying to work these out is what makes me most hesitant. I'm thinking that they'll choose one of the other elements as a forbidden 'school', but I'm not certain how to categorize the spells. Those with specific subtypes? That do particular types of energy damage? It's a slippery slope that is going to take some work to figure out, and I would appreciate some ideas. That said, I was initially thinking that you would choose an element, and its opposite would become your opposed school, but I realized that there's a lot more variance than that. I can imagine Fire Mages who focus on heat which means that they might use Cold spells, which would mean that they couldn't have Water as an opposed school, which was why I was looking at letting them choose their opposed element.

Pardon my rambling, but if anyone is interested in helping work out these ideas, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Okay, I've been going over Seeker of Secrets over the last day since I got it, and I have a few issues that have shown up while reading it.

First, let me say that I love the material on ioun stones inside it, and a lot of the adventure ideas as well as the prestige classes. They all fit the feel I expected.

The problem came when I was looking at how to integrate characters into the Adventure Paths. The thing that jumped out at me was that all potential Pathfinders were required to present themselves at Absalom, and then spend (most likely) Three Years training there. That would take almost any character who decides that they want to join them in mid-game out of the entire campaign! And it also severely limits the ability of a player to build their history if they want to be a Pathfinder. Either they have to build their history around being a Pathfinder, or they have to be one of the 'extremely rare' individuals that draw the eye of Venture-Captains and gets promoted on the spot. Both trouble me.

On the side, there was another note of annoyance. In Pathfinder #2 it lists Sir Canayven Heidmarch as a Ranger 8, and his wife Sheila Heidmarch as a Fighter 3/ Monk 4. In Seeker of Secrets Sir Canayven is listed as a Rogue 3/ Aristocrat 3, and Sheila as a Sorcerer 6. I just want to know what is supposed to be accurate.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Okay, I'm looking for some feedback on a campaign I'm planning to run in Ustalav, and in particular on traits or potential traits for the game. A bit of background first though.

The game is going to be set in the town of Oaksbridge, a town founded 90 years earlier on the river separating the provinces of Lorzeri and Canterwall. The founder was a Pathfinder and adventurer known as Emanuel Viorel. A human with a passion for good ale, he retired here with seeds from all over to live the rest of his life experimenting with new brewing techniques. Since that time a town has grown up that focuses on brewing, and they have some minor fame for their beer. When the aristocracy was deposed in Canterwall, the local lord stepped down, only to be elected mayor. The game is going to involve both undead and therianthropes, and given the nature of Ustalav, I thought it fit. Now for the traits.

Race Traits:
Harrower (Varisian) - You are of the Varisian families that have long lived in Ustalav, and you have a great deal of faith in the art of Harrowing. You may purchase a Harrowing Deck for only 25gp, and you may choose Bluff, Perform, or Sleight of Hand, receiving a +1 Trait bonus on that skill and it is permanently a class skill.
Warrior Blood (Ulfen) - The ancient lineage of the Ulfen warriors flows through your veins, and it has lent you great strength many times. Due to this heritage, you have trained with weapons from an early age, and receive proficiency in any single Martial Weapon.
Heritage of Stone (Dwarf) - Your race once controlled the mountains to the west, until the orcs drove you from your homes. You have never forgotten, and never given up. You receive +2 to Fortitude saving throws.

Region Traits:
Monster Hunter[/b] - Ustalav has a long history of dangerous monsters, and as such has had many heroes who have fought them. Either a parent was such a hunter, or you've trained to become one, but this gives you insight into the creatures. You gain Knowledge(Local) and Knowledge(Religion) as class skills, and can make knowledge checks with them untrained.
Secrets of Emanuel Viorel - The founder of Oaksbridge was an eccentric, but he had a few secrets that he shared only when he was approaching the end of his life. These secrets have been passed down in Oaksbridge, and you have learned them. This ability functions like the Master Craftsman feat, save that it requires ranks in Profession(Brewer) and it gives no bonus on Profession checks. This ability only allows you to take Brew Potion, and no other craft feat.
Orc Hunter - You hate orcs with a burning rage, likely because of their tendency of taking human female slaves. Perhaps you knew someone who was enslaved, but you have learned to fight orcs to a great degree. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls against orcs.

Religion Traits:
Return to the Grave (Pharasma) - Your faith and devotion to Pharasma grants you the power to better return the undead to their graves. You may add your Charisma bonus to your Channel Positive Energy attempts to harm undead.
Star's Blessing (Desna) - You have always followed Desna, and she blesses you in return. You gain a +1 bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throws.
Blood of the Fallen (Pharasma) - The blood of the undead taints you, either because of an ancestor or from an attack. You gain +2 bonus against any Negative Energy effects.

These are just the traits that I've come up with so far, and I was wondering what people thought of them, and if they were balanced. Any feedback/suggestions would be appreciated.