Broken Zenith's page

2nd Edition Guide to the Guides

Hello All!

I've started the Guide to the Guides for 2nd edition! This will be just like the Pathfinder 1st Edition Guide to the Guides but for 2e.

If you know of any guides, please post them below.

2nd Edition Guide to the Guides

Dark, mysterious, and dripping with ominous potential, the Shadow Plane is a favorite of spellcasters and arcane experimenters. Both coterminous and coexistent with the Material Plane, this strange realm provides creatures for summons, energy for spells, and a risky shortcut for canny travelers.

In this tome you will find some secrets of the Shadow Plane unmasked. The Handbook to the Shadow Plane provides new denizens, hooks, and qualities for the Plane of Shadow, including new rules on traveling between layers of shadow, plane-specific encounters, and treasures you might plunder from this mysterious world.

Inside the Handbook to the Shadow Plane, you will find:
- - - Umbral paths, umbral portals, and the hazards therein.
- - - The maddening curse of the baleful moon.
- - - Memory stealing dusk snatchers and umbral hags.
- - - Shadow imbuements, umbral elixirs, and umbral compasses.
- - - Spells such as darken the inner light and shadow puzzle sphere.
- - - The shadow shaman spirit and the class-transforming shadow psychopomp hex.

Don't leave home without it!

Get it on Zenith Games, RPGnow/DriveThruRPG, or Paizo.com!

Hello All!

It's time to list all Starfinder Guides in the same place, similar to Pathfinder's Guide to the guides.

You can find the Starfinder Guide to the Guides below. Eventually, you'll be able to find guides to every class, race, and aspect of the Starfinder system within.

.

Starfinder Guide to the Guides

.

Please comment below with guides that are not yet on this list.

Also, please mark this post as an FAQ candidate to get it sticky'ed to the top of the forum.

Happy flying!

Starfinder Guide to the Guides

This one was a lot of fun! Some excellent items in here for every imaginable situation.

Benjamin Medrano has made something incredible with 365 Magic Items.

Inside you’ll find weapons and armor, shields and rings, rods, staves, crowns, and wondrous items of all sorts.

You’ll find magical sets, such as the celestial crescents and set of the fool. You’ll find sets of sin ranging from envy to wrath.

Within are weapons of incredible power, such as bonedrinker, blade of the moon, and the elemental wheel. Alongside them are commoner tools, such as the coin of good fortune and magistrate’s gavel.

Have a character concept? You’ll find something for it within. Need a campaign-driving MacGuffin? Try the pearl of life or crown of the necromantic lord (or dozens more).

Maybe you’d like an eternity seal to lock away a cursed treasure? Or an ephemeral breastplate for a quick escape? Or a clone amulet for the ultimate backup plan?

You’ll find all that, and hundreds upon hundreds more, within.

Enjoy.

You can check it out on Paizo, RPGnow or the Zenith Games Blog.

Let's mix up the playbook a bit.

The races presented within are more than just a collection of minor attribute bonuses and abilities designed to get a bit more damage out of a longsword. These races are unique, vivid, and bizarre in a balanced and instantly recognizable way. They change the game, and present an excellent, fascinating toolkit for players interested in variety.

With these bizarre races, nobody will forget who you are or what you look like. With these races, suddenly your game is new again.

• BUNNYTAURS: Halfling-rabbit centaurs, quick and alert but gripped by instinctual cowardice.
  
• KINDERCLOAKS: Plump, hooded shadows crafted from primitive magics that turn to petrified smoke in bright light.
  
• MERRIEPETALS: Revelrous flowers which exude a certain allure which makes them irresistable – or is it the hallucinogenic spores?
  
• MISBORN: Gangly psychopomp-touched humans with the ability to talk to the dead and see through planes.
  
• PAINTERLILIES: Two-dimensional sentient paintings, with the ability to meld onto surfaces.
  
• SHADOWFRIENDS: Frail fey giants created by a child's wish, disturbing in form but remarkably kind.
  
• BLESMOLFOLK: Sluggish, pain-immune mole rats, carving out vast labyrinths and dungeons. Blesmolfolk are divided between four distinct racial castes: industrious workers, crafty warriors, conniving consorts, and willful queens.

Available now on Paizo, RPGnow, and Zenith Games

Exploit your wildest emotions with the powerful maniac!

Maniacs are reckless arcane spellcasters that enter into an altered state of consciousness called rave. While in a rave, these rash enchanters draw upon a set of primal forceful emotions rooted deep in their psyche.

Burning emotions to fuel their magical abilities, maniacs harness powers that other arcane practitioners consider unreliable if not outright dangerous. Often ostracized by society and treated as lunatics by their peers, maniacs seek out extreme situations in which they can explore the full emotional array, drawing them towards a life of adventuring.

Included in Maniac Character Class:

The maniac character class, a wild 9th level spellcaster that harnesses emotions as fuel.

• 20 emotional raves for the maniac to exploit.
  
• 5 Maniac archetypes: the affector, fractured soul, fury, korybant, and tempermentalist.
  
• 7 favored class options, 3 magic items, and 2 maniac specific feats.

Get it at RPGnow, Paizo, or Zenith Games for only $0.99!

Add some challenge into your game with 101 Cursed Items!

101 Cursed Items presents a litany of memorable and engaging curses to use in your game. Each curse and drawback enhances the story and mythos of your campaign, providing additional challenges without seeming unfair.

The curses and drawbacks within range from goofy to punishing to campaign threatening, but they are always fun for both the GM and players, presenting unique complications that must be overcome for the party is to survive.

101 Cursed Items Includes:

A most unusual adventure for CR 5 leshy characters.

In We Be Leshys, the players control leshys out to protect the Brindlewild Forest. They survive a deadly trap, struggle against a corrupted friend, save their creator from a dangerous mob, and take on an insane, demon-summoning sorcerer. We Be Leshys includes nine new playable leshys which combine the aspects of a classic adventuring party with true floral flavor.

We Be Leshys is a one-shot adventure that serves as an excellent introduction to Pathfinder or a refreshing break for an experienced group. It is 28 pages long and only $1.99.

Included in We Be Leshys:

• A complex and detailed leshy adventure with high emotional stakes.
  
• Six new enemies and NPCs, including rift demons and (spoiler) a corrupted treant.
  
• Challenging social encounters and skill challenges to test the breadth of leshy abilities.
  
• Rules for adjusting difficulty to accommodate the needs of any group.
  
• Nine playable leshy characters, complete with unique abilities and personalities, including Briar, Skunk Cabbage, and Vine.

By Jeff Gomez and Mike Welham

This one is awesome, folks! Enjoy!

Get it today on the Zenith Games Blog, Paizo or RPGnow!

Witches gathered in occult circles. Crones toss human eyes into a cauldron. Cultists raise ancient kings from the dead.

This is the life of a paragon hag. It is a dark life, overflowing with mysterious power and evil pacts. These stooped crones will do anything for power. Their terror and cruelty are legendary.

Master occult rituals! Transform children into changelings! Broker lopsided deals with mortals!

Become the Hag.

Contained inside Paragon Hags and Occult Covens:

• Rules for forming Occult Covens both as a hag and as a mortal.
  
• The Hag Race, immortal and twisted beyond repair.
  
• The Paragon Hag class, complete with fearsome claws, ritual spells, 10 family bloodlines, mastery of occult rituals, and three archetypes.
  
• 19 New Feats, including Coven Training, Grandmother's Teeth, and Sympathetic Spell.
  
• 6 New Rituals, including Crone's Walk, Embrace Changeling, and the terrible Exact Price
  
• 3 New Spells: Hag's Ride, Hag's Touch, and Greater Hag's Touch.
  
• 3 New Hag Creatures: The Bone Hag, Hearth Hag, and Moon Hag.

Get it now on the Zenith Games Blog, Paizo, or RPGnow.

Want to write an adventure for Zenith Games? Just want to make sure your home game is amazing? Here are the top 12 tips for writing adventures from Zenith Games.

Link to Better Formatted Blog Post.

1: Show, Don't Tell
Don't tell the PCs something if they can see it for themselves. It's much more compelling to interact with a scene then to have it explained to you.

Bad: The inspector calls you into his office. He tells you about the murder in gruesome detail.
vs.
Good: The inspector calls you to the crime scene. He tells you what little he knows, but relies on you to draw conclusions from the area.

Bad: The newspaper says Dr. Jones has killed himself. Not a good sign.
vs.
Good: You turn the corner to find a crowd of people. When you force your way past them, you find Dr. Jones hanging from a tree branch. The villagers whisper of suicide.

2: Two to Four Quirky Characters
Don't overload your players with named characters. Two to four new important characters is the maximum for single game session. Each character should be describable in a single sentence, with one or two distinct physical and personality features. Think quirky or archetypal. More complex characters are only necessary for a few NPCs per campaign.

Additionally, NPC names should not sound anything like one another. No Sauron and Saruman, particularly if they are both evil wizards.

Bad: The dwarf before you is a stocky fellow, no more than chest height on an average human. His clothes, while well kept, are old and somewhat faded. On his left hand, he wears a ring bearing a star and lion, symbols of house Greygull. Massive black eyebrows cast a shadow onto his weather-worn face. This is a dwarf who has experienced much sorrow in his long life. Those brown eyes have seen disaster, even if the dwarf does not want to show it. Still, he maintains a firm upper lip, and talks with quiet confidence.
or
Bad: The dwarf scowls at you.
vs.
Good: Underneath the dwarf's massive black eyebrows, deep creases in his face hint at a sorrowful past.

Bad: A villager greets you at the door. "Welcome to my house! My name is Gunther, and I would be pleased to host you. Meet my wife Endria, and my two sons, Backan and Brukan. My daughter, the fair Veleania is out with the doctor's son Murton. If you need anything, just ask!"
vs.
Good: An red-cheeked, jolly looking fellow greet you at the door. "Welcome to my house! My name is Gunther, and I would be pleased to host you. If you need anything, just ask!" Gunther's wife and two sons stand nearby, eager to assist.

3: Consequences for Success/Failure
The plot should change depending on the character's success. Simply retreating from a fight or failing a skill challenge should make life harder or worse the PCs in some tangible way. If the outcome of an encounter is the same no matter what, then that encounter does not need to take place.

Bad: The troll devours the mayor's son, then disappears into the night. He begs you to continue on your quest to slay the beast, lest others should meet the same fate.
vs.
Good: The troll devours the mayor's son, then disappears into the night. The villagers now treat you with scorn, and the price of all items in town have doubled.. AND you still need to kill the troll.

Bad: You defeat the villain, but he teleports away. Drat!
vs.
Good: You defeat the villain, but he teleports away. However, the ring torn from his hand during the fight bears an unusual signet... A clue?

4: Three-Clue Rule & No Dead Ends
Provide at least three separate clues for important points. If your PCs can't find any clues, then they still move on with the story, but are penalized in some way. Perhaps they miss a crucial bit of information, or must expend resources to proceed. PCs should never reach an absolute dead end or have to rely on GM handholding to move forward.

Bad: You didn't find the letter ... so you wait around for a few days until something happens?
vs.
Good: You didn't find the letter or the footprints, but you did stumble upon a piece of torn cloth. Even if you missed all of these, you still have your previous information to work with. You can still go to the next victim's house, even if you are woefully unprepared for the horror that awaits you there.

5: No Timing Coincidences
The PCs should never randomly stumble across any event that takes less than 5 minutes to occur. Just happening to turn the corner to witness a murder reeks of unlikely coincidence. If the PCs observe something time sensitive, it should be a direct or indirect result of the PCs actions.

This rule can be stretched for the very start of an adventure, but no further. If you don't need to stretch this rule, don't.

Bad: You've arrived just in the nick of time! The cultists only have one minute before they complete their hours-long ritual.
vs.
Good: The cultists see you approach. "Damn them!" exclaims the leader. "We need to speed this up!" He draws a knife and slits the sacrifice's throat. "It's rough, but it will do! Finish the ritual!" The cultists look panicked, but skip to the last minute of the ceremony.
or
Good: "Perfect!" Exclaims the leader as you approach. "We need the presence of a god-blood to finish the ritual!" The cultists begin the last stanza of chanting.
or
Good: It looks like the ritual is nearly complete, but the cultists have stopped to argue about something. Once you are spotted, you are certain they will put aside their differences and finish the ceremony.

6: Context: When and Where?
Every scene has relation to the previous scene. If the location is new, words must be spent describing the distance between the two scenes, the time it took to get there, and what it looks like.

Bad: After dispatching with the griffons, you make your way into the village.
vs.
Good: It's another three miles (1 hour's travel) between the griffon nest and the village. The simple wooden shacks are a welcome relief from the oppressive darkness of the forest.

7: Variety is the Spice of Life
Don't fight the same enemies twice. Don't run the same skill check twice. Vary energy damage types, weaknesses, and strengths. Throw in a trap, poison, and a haunt. Make sure that everybody, regardless of his or her build, has a chance to shine. Jacob's Tower is built on this principle.

Bad: In the lair of the monkey king, there's loads of monkey to kill and plenty of climbing challenges. Strong characters, particularly rangers with favored enemy (monkeys) will go far.
vs.
Good: The monkey king has diversified his evil villain portfolio. The PCs fight strong apes, scale a tree, murder a bunch of feces-throwing monkeys, contend with rotting banana storage, then take on the spell casting monkey king himself. Everybody has a chance to contribute.

8: Social/Skill Encounters
Vary your encounters! For every one or two combats, include one skill or social encounter. Players (generally) like a mixture of both. Even better, make sure that a few encounters can be resolved through either combat or skills.

Bad: After slaying the guards at the gate, and then the knights in the courtyard, and then the evil advisor in the throne room, you now set your sights on the king in the treasury.
vs.
Good: You climb over the castle walls, then figure out the mechanisms for opening the main gate. You slay the knights, then convince the evil advisor to turn good. Finally, you set your sights on the king in the treasury - if he doesn't come quietly, you'll have to kill him.

9: Encounters Move the Plot Along
Encounters move the plot along - they don't interrupt it. Don't add encounters to take up space. All encounters should be important. If you can cut an encounter without changing the plot, then do it. If your adventure is too short, then add more PLOT or clue hunting. Don't just throw in encounters.

Bad: You've rescued the damsel! On the way back to the castle you encounter and kill a troll.
vs.
Good: You've rescued the damsel! On the way back, you encounter and kill a troll branded with the sign of Archduke Franz! Is he trying to stop the wedding? Perhaps you should approach the castle more carefully.
or
Good: You return to the castle after rescuing the damsel.

10: Encounters Have Set Pieces
Encounters of any sort - combat, social, or skill - should take place in interesting location that provides flavor and potential utility to the encounter.

Bad: The thief draws his dagger in the street.
vs.
Good: Under the shadows of Notre Dame, the thief draws his dagger.
vs.
Good: In the middle of the carnival, the thief draws his dagger.
vs.
Good: The thief draws his dagger, his face cast into grim shadows by the flaming market.
vs.
Good: The crowd turns their eyes from the juggler to you and the thief.

11: Encounters Have Gimmicks
Every fight should have some sort of gimmick. No fight should be fully described as the PCs vs. some creatures.

Bad: The misguided knight charges from across the field. Roll Initiative!
vs.
Good: The misguided knight charges from across the field. Be careful! He has an innocent damsel tied to his horse.
or
Good: The misguided knight charges from across the field. However, this knight is well known for his quick wit - perhaps he can be distracted or mollified with some clever word play?
or
Good: The misguided knight charges from across the field. This storm will make conditions challenging for the both of you.
or
Good: The misguided knight charges from across the field. The watching crowd is expecting a joust, and has even provided you with a horse. If you do poorly, they may turn against you.
or
Good: The misguided knight charges from across the bridge. Too much weight, and the whole thing could go plummeting to the cliff below!

12: Losing Actions isn't Fun
There are plenty of ways to lose actions in Pathfinder and other RPGs: Blindness, curses, paralysis, etc... While it might fun to inflict these on your enemies, losing your turn is not fun for the PCs. Whenever possible, avoid giving the villains abilities that prevent the PCs from acting. In the same vein, use weakening abilities sparingly. In general, save or suck should be avoided.

Instead, damage the PCs directly or throw obstacles at them. You really need to keep a PC occupied for a round? Don't paralyze them: Thrown them in a pit, place a weak enemy in front of them, require them to pull a lever, or encourage them to flee from a bomb. These all accomplish the same thing as paralysis (eating actions), but they allow the character to have a good time by taking actions to overcome challenges.

Bad: The sorcerer has bestow curse, blindness/deafness, hold person, and phantasmal killer. Have fun watching others take actions!
vs.
Good: The sorcerer has create pit, shout, summon monster, and fireball. Also, he's got some lackies. To reach him you must pull two levers simultaneously, then scale a pillar and break some glass.

Bonus: Writing Tips
Don't use "very.

Don't use "will."
Bad: After talking to the PCs, the dragon will attack.
vs.
Good: After talking to the PCs, the dragon attacks.

Minimize use of "that."

Minimize use of "is/was/are/has/have". Use action verbs!

Vary sentence length.

Vary word usage whenever possible. Don't use the same word in a paragraph more than once (articles/prepositions/conjunctions excluded).

Don't introduce something without saying what it is doing.
Bad: The man is green and has a big grin. He walks towards you.
vs.
Good: The green man walks towards you, grinning.

Link to Better Formatted Blog Post.

Want to playtest an awesome new module?

Zenith Games looking for Playtesters for We Be Leshys
Project Length: 1 playtest 3-4 hours long
Pay Rate: Copy of final module

Additional details: I'm looking for a few groups to playtest our upcoming We Be Leshys module by Jeff Gomez and Mike Welham . The module is about 3-4 hours long. It has its own custom leshys that the players will be play testing, so it's unlikely to fit into your existing campaign. After you run it, I'd like a few paragraphs on your thoughts, and I may ask additional questions. Your group will be credited in the final module (if you like), and you will receive a copy of the final module.

You'll need to be able to run it and get notes back to me before the end of May.

We Be Dragons will be found on our products page as well as Paizo and RPGnow.

Respond to: zenithgames.blog@gmail.com with your name, credits (if any - not required), and when you would be able to play. Subject line should be "We Be Leshys Playtester"
Respond by: May 10th, 2017 (though the sooner the better)

Why are there so many spells for flinging flame, but none for harvesting crops?

101 Spells for the Common Man brings arcane power back to the people.

Magic isn’t just for adventurers anymore. As the common folk go about their daily business, a select few augment their efforts using magic. No matter how rare magic is in your world, those working folk who possess the gift make good use of the following spells.

While these spells make life easier for the common man, a clever adventurer can find use for them as well. Rob a bank with silenced work, or create a distraction with awaken instruments. Jot down a confession with recorder’s quill or put a guard to sleep with bed-time story. Remove a watery obstacle with expeditious evaporation or track the passage of time with shadowdial. These spells bring life to your world while providing a fun, creative new toolkit for PCs.

Included in 101 Spells for the Common Man:

• 101 Level 0, 1, and 2 Spells, categorized by class and likely profession.
  
• The Arcane Worker, a new NPC class who mixes magic and raw skill to make his way in the world.
  
• 8 magical NPCs to inhabit your world, including the arcane artist and town doctor.
  
• Spells include abernathy's abacus, illusion of quality, and moneylender's mark, perfect for the successful banker.
  
• Boil water, create ice, and fortify wine, an excellent pairing with chefs of all levels.
  
• Create soil, locate stock, and scarecrow, turning a single farmer into a one man operation.
  
• Bed-time story, schedule, and track child for the parent with too much to manage.
  
• Enhance voice, perfect pitch, and game field for entertainers and musicians.

We had 18 writers contribute to this (even more than the Colossal Creatures Bestiary). It's a big one!

Get it now on Paizo, RPGnow, or the Zenith Games blog. Only $3.99!

Eat your Enemies! Live Forever! Curse Everyone you Meet! Undead Paragon Classes II is here!

I'm really happy how this turned out, with great comments in the playlists turning into some really awesome classes.

Ever wanted to play an undead? Undead Paragon Classes II introduces three new 1-20 player classes: the Ghoul, Lich and Mummy. These classes provide strong, balanced options for undead players while hitting all of the classics of each monster. Undead Paragon Classes also delivers a 0RP racial template, the Rotting Corpse, which can be added to any other race to make it undead. Why play a dwarf when you can play a rotting dwarf?
Included in Undead Paragon Classes:

• The Ghoul, a murderous cannibal who weakens his enemies with disease and paralysis, then feeds on their flesh.
  
• The Lich, an unbridled necromantic spell caster who burns his own soul in pursuit of greater power, and achieves immortality through a phylactery.
  
• The Mummy, a blasphemous servant of the divine who slings curses and infects his enemies with horrific rot.
  
• The Rotting Corpse, a 0RP racial template that can be added to any other race to make them undead (From Undead Paragon Classes I).
  
• 17 Undead Feats, such as Bloody, Remove Head, and Grave Rider (From Undead Paragon Classes I).
  
• Raise Undead, a new spell that allows for transformation into an undead creature (From Undead Paragon Classes I).

You may find Undead Paragon Classes II on Paizo, RPGnow, or the Zenith Games Blog.

Undead Paragon Classes II is (shockingly) the sequel to Undead Paragon Classes I. Undead Paragon Classes I: Skeleton, Zombie and Vampire has also gotten a facelift. If you don't have it yet, you can find it on Paizo, RPGnow, or the Zenith Games Blog.

We have two open calls right now, so I figured it would be good to break them into their own thread. Each pitch should be a separate e-mail, and the pitch should be in the body of the e-mail.

We are looking for SPELLS FOR THE COMMON MAN & CURSED ITEMS.

Zenith Games is looking for Authors for the Spells for the Common Man
Project Length: Any number of Spells
Pay Rate: $.01 Per word
Additional details: Why are there so many spells for shooting fire at your enemies, but virtually no spells for tending to your crops?
I'm looking for authors to write Spells for the Common Man. These are spells designed to assist the common man in his day-to-day tasks and occupations. The book will also contain a new NPC class, the Arcane Worker. Here is a list of medieval jobs for inspirations.
Please send me a single fully formatted spell for the common man as a pitch, as well as your credits and a writing sample/published product (spell related if possible) Your pitch should be somewhere a 0-3rd level spell (lower is better) and it should be interesting instead of simply replacing an occupation. A spell that grows crops is far less interesting than a spell that turns intruding flies to manure. Any combat application (not needed) should be purely secondary and situational.
If you have pitched us before, please feel free to pitch us again! If you have never pitched anything before, now is your chance! We are looking for plenty of authors for this one.
Respond to: zenithgames.blog@gmail.com with your name, credits, and pitch. Subject line should be "Spells for the Common Man Pitch"
Respond by: January 15th, but sooner is better.

Zenith Games is looking for Authors for Cursed Items
Project Length: Any number of cursed items
Pay Rate: $.01 Per word
Additional details:
Please send me a single, fully written cursed item as a pitch, as well as your credits and a writing sample/published product (item related if possible). Make sure that your item isn't a reskin of an existing Paizo item, and that it make the game more FUN(NY) and INTERESTING instead of annoying.
If you have pitched us before (or are currently pitching us for Spells for the Common Man), please feel free to pitch us again! If you have never pitched anything before, now is your chance! We are looking for plenty of authors for this one.
Respond to: zenithgames.blog@gmail.com with your name, credits, and pitch. Subject line should be "Cursed Items Pitch"
Respond by: January 31st, but sooner is better.

Undead Paragon Classes II: Ghoul, Lich & Mummy

Come look over Undead Paragon Classes II! Make comments both in the Google doc and in this thread (though this thread is betteR)

Undead Paragon Classes II is the sequel to Undead Paragon Classes: Skeleton, Zombie & Vampire. In addition to nine classes, Undead Paragon Classes I, II & III will provide the options for Zenith Games’ upcoming “We Be Zombies” adventure (after the success of We Be Dragons).

Paragon Ghoul
The paragon ghoul hungers for flesh: fresh is good, but rotten is better. Every profane meal fuels a dark power that burns into his vicious assaults. The paragon ghoul’s fangs and claws do not merely rend meat from bone. They corrupt their victims with sickness and pain, transforming them into easy prey.
Role: The paragon ghoul’s cannibalistic hunger shapes him into a relentless killer. He weakens and devours his prey, and feeds on their corpses to regain strength.

Paragon Lich
Paragon liches are the true masters of undeath. They wield necromantic energy like a hurricane, draining their souls in pursuit of greater power. Paragon liches are willing to sacrifice anything to multiply their power. They gladly give their own humanity to taste life immortal, and split their own soul in exchange for dominion over death.
Role: Paragon liches are powerful spellcasters who specialize in necromancy. They weaken themselves to harm others, but are capable of evading death by hiding their souls in phylacteries.

Paragon Mummy
Only the faithful are worthy of undeath. Paragon mummies are servants of the divine, twisted and returned to labor even after their demise. Priests and shamans, these ancient corpses wield the powers of their gods through broken frames. While most remain loyal to their masters, many hijack divine rituals and serve only themselves.
Role: While the multifaceted magic of a paragon mummies is useful both in and out of battle, the paragon mummy herself is more than equipped to step into the fray. She delivers curse and curse, and draws many blasphemous traits from the shambling zombie.

Take a look! Make comments! Hold nothing back!

Undead Paragon Classes II: Ghoul, Lich & Mummy

What Secrets Does the Occultist Hide?

There is power all around us, and it settles in the things of the world. Attuned to psychic currents, the occultist wields might in the form of powerful implements. Their expanding collection confuses the uninformed, but some see the truth: in the right hands, each of these innocuous items is more powerful than a wizard’s staff.

Inside these pages, you'll find new occultist material to enhance your game!

• 3 Archetypes: The Invoker, the Tattooed Occultist, and the Totemist
  
• 22 Occult Implements: 10 Totem Implements and 12 Planar Implements
  
• 4 Feats: Dual Enhancement, Echoes of Mending, Echoes of Servitude, and Mental Ki
  
• 2 Spells: Empower Implement and Lock the Flow
  
• 1 Sample Occultist: Keron Tiel, the Tattoed Traveler

You can find Occult Secrets: The Occultist on Paizo, RPGnow, or the Zenith Games blog. Check it out!

Occult Secrets: The Occultist is now live. Enjoy!

Occult Secrets: The Spiritualist is now live!

What Secrets Does the Spiritualist Hide?

No mere conjurer of cheap tricks, the Spiritualist serves as a conduit between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. Together with his possessing phantom, this spellcaster offers an incredible level of flavor and power to players adventurous enough to risk the occult.

Inside these pages, find new spiritualist material to enhance your game!

• 3 Archetypes: The Forgotten, Poltergeist, and Totem Bound.
  
• 4 Emotional Foci: Ancestral, Curiosity, Location, and Totemic.
  
• 11 Spells, including: Detonate Phantom, Ectoplasmic Harvest, and Piece Soul
  
• 6 Feats, such as Cleaning Recall and Phantom Insight.
  
• 2 Occult Rituals: Child's Guardian and Command the Forgotten.
  
• 2 Sample Spiritualists: Kalari, Vengeful Survivor, and Darag Chainwalker, Warden of the Forgotten.

Balanced, enjoyable, and easy to use in your game, Occult Secrets: The Spiritualist provides fantastic new class options for the Spiritualist. Get it today! Available on Paizo, RPGnow, or the Zenith Games Blog.

Occult Secrets: The Spiritualist is by the fantastic Landon Winkler.

Happy Leftover Day! Here's the leftovers from The Gobbler Thanksgiving module, the awakened turkey. Enjoy!
.
Awakened Turkey Playable Race
Awakened turkeys are rare enough. Despite their near- human intelligence, they are often hunted down for their mouthwatering flesh. Some view awakened turkeys as just meals with enough sense to be scared. Other pity the poor creatures between every mouthful. A few, however recognize the awakened turkey as a valuable part of an adventuring team, a hero just waiting to be discovered.
The poor fools. Don’t they know how delicious their travelling companion is? They’ll change their mind to the tune of grumbling bellies when they run out of rations.
I mean, the awakened turkey is a noble and powerful creature. Woe to those who would get on their bad side (the top is their bad side – their good side is right where those scrumptious legs meet the hips).
.
Standard Racial Traits
Ability Score Racial Traits: Awakened turkeys are hardy (delicious) and have strong leadership skills, but are really and truly dumb. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma and -2 Intelligence.
Size: Awakened turkeys are Small creatures, and thus gain +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a -1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
Type: Awakened turkeys are magical beasts with the augmented animal subtype.
Base Speed: Awakened turkeys have a base speed of 20 feet.
Natural Glider: Though an awakened turkey’s wings aren’t strong enough for flying, they can glide. They take no damage from falls. In addition, they can move up to 5 feet in any horizontal direction for every 1 foot they fall, at a speed of 60 feet per round. They cannot actually gain height by gliding, merely coast in other directions as they fall. If subjected to a strong wind or any other effect that causes them to rise they can take
advantage of it in order to increase the distance they can glide.
Languages: Awakened Turkeys begin play speaking Common. Awakened Turkeys with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Auran, Drow Sign Language (strangely enough, it comes naturally to them), Gnome, Halfling, and Tegu.
.
Defensive Racial Traits
Feathered Protection: An awakened turkey’s feathers grant an extra layer of protection, providing a +2 natural armor bonus to AC. However, if the awakened turkey takes any fire damage, the feathers burn away and the bonus is lost until the awakened turkey is restored to maximum hit points.
.
Offensive Racial Traits
Natural Weapon: Awakened turkeys possess a bite natural attack that inflicts 1d3 points of damage on a hit. This is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the awakened turkey wields a manufactured weapon.
.
Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Animalistic: Awakened turkeys gain a +4 bonus on Handle Animal checks. Handle animal is always considered a class skill for awakened turkies.
Tough, Not Tender: Awakened turkeys gain Toughness as a bonus feat at first level.
.
Other Racial Traits
Delicious: Despite their best intentions, awakened turkeys are delicious. Animals attacking awakened turkeys gain a +2 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls with bite attacks, and a +2 morale bonus to CMB checks to grapple, pin and swallow whole.

A Thanksgiving special for only $1!

Every year for the past six years, Giblet Turkey Farms and Slaughterhouse has suffered some great tragedy on the eve of Turkey Day. Gunter and Drumstick Giblet hire the party to protect their prestigious institution and get to the bottom of these mysterious matters. Through the night the PCs are visited by the Ghost of Turkeys Past, the Ghost of Turkeys Present, and the Ghost of Turkeys Future before coming face to face with the fearsome Gobbler.
Included in “The Gobbler:”

The best monsters are big. Really, really big.

Within these pages, you will find 81 creatures of colossal size, from CR 1 all the way to CR 26 (as well as a CR 33 and CR 40 monstrosity): straightforward enemies like the bearhemoth and sharknado, nuanced complexities like the draconic abomination and dreamer's nightmare, pushovers like the rusted colossus and pastorix, and megabosses like the tribunal wheel and harbinger of time. You’ll find animals, constructs, dragons, swarms, spellcasters, angels, brain eaters, kaiju, dimension hoppers, living siege weapons, and really big raccoons. In fact, you'll find every type and CR in the game.

Need a colossal creature for an epic battle at any level? You'll find it in the Colossal Creatures Bestiary.

This bestiary contains 81 colossal creatures, including:

• Dragon Molt: The discarded molt of a great wyrm, animated and given purpose.
  
• Etherworld Fisher: An ethereal jellyfish who taunts and traps its foes through dimensional rifts.
  
• Grave Blob: A mobile mass grave with death on his many brains.
  
• Harbinger of Time: A CR 40 apocalypse-bringer, who grinds the world to dust under the inevitable march of time.
  
• Kongimus Rex and Dracozilla: The King Kong and Godzilla of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game (forget about that silly tarrasque).
  
• Tribunal Wheel: A CR 33 judge, jury, and executioner of epic proportions.
  
• Yuggothian Shambler: A floral weapon of war for the hideous mi-go, complete with laser beams and spore launchers.

You can find it on the Zenith Games Blog, at Paizo or at RPGnow for $4.99. Take your pick!

A most unusual adventure for CR 4 dragon characters.

In We Be Dragons, the players control dragon wyrmlings out to avenge the genocide of their families. They struggle to save their adopted father against an assassination attempt, work with humans to locate the killer, and take on both a poaching company and a fallen paladin obsessed with the extinction of all dragons. We Be Dragons includes nine new playable dragons which combine the aspects of a classic adventuring party with true draconic flavor.

We Be Dragons is a one-shot adventure that serves as an excellent introduction to Pathfinder or a refreshing break for an experienced group. It is 24 pages long, fully illustrated, and only $1.99.

Included in We Be Dragons:

• A complex and detailed draconic adventure with high emotional stakes.
  
• Seven new enemies and NPCs, including poachers and a fallen paladin.
  
• Challenging social encounters and skill challenges to test the breadth of draconic abilities.
  
• Rules for adjusting difficulty to accommodate the needs of any group.
  
• Nine new playable dragon characters, complete with unique abilities and personalities, including Arcane, Corruptor, Harmonic, Radiant, and Iron.

You can find it on our blog, at Paizo or at RPGnow. Take your pick!

Praise for We Be Dragons

• 5/5 "Absolutely amazing... This is an amazing story of fallen paladins and dragons adding their treasure to their very first horde ... Look no further! ... A very well done adventure that I will definitely be running every time I have a new group. Zenith Games, keep up the good work and make more draconic adventures for everyone!" - Jerry A.
  
• 5/5 "For $1.99 this adventure is a BARGAIN" - Curtisin
  
• 4.5/5 "What's not to love?!? ... There is so much to love about this adventure. If there was a text book example of how to write an adventure for dragon PCs, this would be it ... The adventure is that good ... Whether run as a one-shot or as an introduction for a dragon-PC themed campaign, players and GMs will find We Be Dragons to be a refreshing break from the normal routine" - Donald Robinson
  
• "This was a really fun adventure to run and fun for my players as well ... Playing a dragon was a seamless transition. It felt like a breath of fresh air ... both familiar and new in a fun way ... It really was a blast to run ... My players are looking forward to future installments!" - Ryan T.
  
• "Everyone enjoyed playing dragons and everyone felt like they were playing a dragon ... they would like to play it again sometime ... the challenge was a good one and we really enjoyed the game" - Scott J.
  
• "It's a fantastic little module at a fantastic price point. Very cool." - Swoosh

Celebrate this July 4th with an Independence Day themed module, or throw a firework show in your own adventure!

The PCs have entered into a fireworks show in the independent village of Washingtown. They hope to beat opposing teams and win the star-spangled banner for themselves! Through their perilous journey they navigate complex firework crafting rules, defeat enemies such as freedom eagles and the statue of liberty, and destroy Renedict Barnald, a half-elf who sold his soul to the dark god of fireworks.

Included in Rocket's Red Flare:

• Extensive and awesome rules for crafting your own fireworks using magic or skill, as well as firework descriptions based on your choices.
  
• The patriotic village of Washington and characters such as Uncle Sam, Renedict Barnald, and Samadam.
  
• Three new creatures: The Freedom Eagle, the Statue of Biberty, and the Firework Elemental.
  
• Sparklers, hot dogs, and griffon burgers.
  
• Did I mention the firework crafting rules? Transform your spells into fireworks!
  

Besides, like all of our holiday modules, it's only $0.99!

Rocket's Red Flare can be found on the Zenith Games website. It should be up on Paizo and RPGnow within the next few days.

Zenith Games looking for Playtesters for Rocket's Red Flare: An Independence Day Tale
Project Length: 1 playtest 2-4 hours long
Pay Rate: Copy of final module

Additional details: I'm looking for a few groups to playtest our upcoming Rocket's Red Flare module. The module is about 2-4 hours long, meant for 4th-6th level characters. You'll be entered into a competitive fireworks show, and possibly have to deal with some deadly competition!

After you run it, I'd like a few paragraphs on your thoughts, and I may ask additional questions. Your group will be credited in the final module (if you like), and you will receive a copy of the final module. You must be able to run it and get feedback back to me by the 12th.

Rocket's Red Flare will be found on our products page as well as Paizo and RPGnow.

Respond to: zenithgames.blog@gmail.com with your name, credits (if any - not required), and when you would be able to play. Subject line should be "Rocket's Red Flare Playtester"
Respond by: June 10th, 2016 (though the sooner the better)

Superhero Classes: Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath is out! Three classes for the price of one ($2.99)!

It’s a bird, it’s a dragon, it’s a superhero! Faster than a speeding arrow, more powerful than a rampaging troll, capable of leaping tall castles in a single bound! Superhero Classes: Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath introduces three new base classes for the superhero fans among us. They remain true to the source material, flexible enough to build nearly any superhero you can think of, and friendly enough to the fantasy landscape to fit into any campaign.

Included in Superhero Classes:

• The Superhuman, a man of mithryl who can fly, wrestle giants, shoot lasers out of his eyes, or anything else you might expect from a superhuman (Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter)
  
• The Animalman, a superhero who draws inspiration from the animal kingdom and takes their powers for his own (Batman, Antman, Spiderman, Wolverine)
  
• The Telepath, a superhero who can both dominate his enemies and use telekinesis to physically demolish his foes (Professor X, Jean Grey, Emma Frost)
  
• A synopsis of what it means to be a superhero adventurer!

Zenith Games is looking for Playtesters for We Be Dragons

I'm looking for a few groups to playtest our upcoming We Be Dragons module. The module is about 2-4 hours long. It has its own custom dragons that the players will be play testing, so it's unlikely to fit into your existing campaign. After you run it, I'd like a few paragraphs on your thoughts, and I may ask additional questions. Your group will be credited in the final module (if you like), and you will receive a copy of the final module.

We Be Dragons will be found on our products page as well as Paizo and RPGnow.

E-mail me at zenithgames.blog@gmail.com with your name, credits (if any - not required), and when you would be able to play. Subject line should be "We Be Dragons Playtester"
Respond by: June 10th, 2016 (though the sooner the better)

Superhero Classes - Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath

Hello Everyone,

Zenith Games has more classes coming at you, but first they need some playtesting! These three are superhero classes, and that means a few things.

Superhero classes are played just like any other class in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. They have the same relative power as the other classes, and are designed to fit easily beside them. A party might consist of a wizard, rogue, and superhuman, or perhaps a paladin, alchemist, and telepath. Or, a party may decide to try their luck as Troll-man, Ooze-man, and Bat-man, or even recreate their favorite crime fighting teams from popular fiction.

1: Ability Score Increases: Much of a superhero’s power comes from intrinsic capabilities. Superheroes gain strange and terrifying powers, but they also develop basic abilities to the highest levels. Superheroes gain bonuses to their ability scores as they increase in level, usually +3 to three abilities scores by 20th level. Given that the increases are distributed over three ability scores, these bonuses cannot be game breaking. Compare these increases with the barbarian, who gains a +8 bonus to Strength and Constitution when raging by 20th level.

2: Natural Power: Superheroes draw from the same force as the gods and mystical beasts. Theirs is a natural power, a perfection of mental and physical form that comes with practice, reflection and luck of the draw. As such, most superhero powers are extraordinary abilities or supernatural abilities. Very few superhero powers are spell-like abilities or spells themselves.

3: Permanent Abilities: A superhero’s capabilities are not limited by fatigue. He does not need to recharge his superpowers, nor does he need to rest to recover strength. A superhero either has a power, or he does not – with few exceptions, a superhero cannot run out of an ability, and may use everything at his disposal freely throughout the day. This aspect of superheroics allows for the early permenant receipt of unusual abilities, but at very weak levels. For example, a superhero may gain flight at level 2, but he will only have a fly speed of 5 feet and a maneuverability of clumsy (which will, of course, improve over time). A superhero can even gain fast healing, though fast healing 1 by level 8 and fast healing 2 by level 18 isn’t going to be game breaking by any means.

The three classes I have for you today are the Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath

Superhuman (think Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel): It’s a bird, it’s a dragon, it’s a superhuman! Faster than a speeding arrow, more powerful than a rampaging troll, capable of leaping tall castles in a single bound! The superhuman is everything that most adventurers aspire to be – strong, fast, and stalwart, a man or woman with the powers of a god. Superhumans are known for powerful grace. Whether descending from the clouds, healing from fatal wounds, or seeing through solid stone, superhumans make even the impossible seem easy.

Role: Superhumans are powerful and hearty. They belong in the thick of combat where they can put their physical might to the test. Many superhumans make also excellent scouts, combining super movement such as flight with super senses such as x-ray vision.

Animalman (Think Batman, Spiderman, Antman, Wolverine/Trollman):There is much inspiration to be found in nature. From the bat, to the spider, to the ooze, the animalman believes that power can be drawn from all creatures, no matter how large or how small. Humans and their kin are, after all, relatively weak next to the wonders of the animal kingdom. What is an opposable thumb compared with the regenerative power of the troll or the furnace of a dragon’s breath? All animalmen choose a single animal to serve as their guide and muse. As animalmen grow in strength, they gain the abilities of the creature they model.

Role: An animalman’s role in an adventuring party mimics his animal’s role in nature. While many act as front line combatants, others rely on speed, guile, or sheer invulnerability to achieve their goals.

Telepath (Think Professor X, Jean Grey, Emma Frost): A strong mind is the only weapon a telepath needs, and she wields it fiercely. She leverages her intellect to make attacks from afar, shove her opponents or physically lift them into the air and throw them. She uses her wisdom to protect herself, with mental armor and telepathically enhanced constitution. She uses her force of will to influence her enemies, charming, stunning, or dominating them as the situation merits. The telepath is a multifaceted superhuman, an adventurer who knows that the mind is mightier than the sword.

Role: The telepath contributes in martial combat, subterfuge, and wars of will. She hones her mind into a weapon to deal physical damage or mentally overpower her enemies.

Take a look! Make comments! Hold nothing back!

Superhero Classes - Superhuman, Animalman and Telepath

Many people balk at giving the PCs fast healing or regenerations of any type, and I'm interested in hearing thoughts on both sides.

Here are my own. Fast healing is useful in three situations: in combat healing, out of combat healing, and edge cases.

In Combat Healing: The average combat, anywhere from level 1 to level 20, lasts about 4 rounds. If a character with fast healing 1 is damaged before his first turn of combat, then he heals four hit points. At level 4, those 4 extra hit points are equivalent to the Toughness feat, but as the character gains levels fast healing 1 lags behind. In terms of in combat hit points, a character needs to gain fast healing 1 for every 4 levels he has. Of course, however, fast healing has other uses which far outshine it’s meager in combat healing abilities.

Out of Combat Healing: By 3rd or 4th level, all parties have an easy way to heal out of combat: a wand of cure light wounds. These cheap (750gp) items mean that a party of any reasonable level need not worry about out of combat healing. After each encounter, it is simple to heal up to full hit points. While fast healing does save a few gold pieces (each hp healed by the wand costs about 3gp), it’s not a valuable part of the equation. Instead, it's simple, ease of use time saver.

Edge Cases: Here is where fast healing really shows its worth. Fast healing essentially provides immunity to bleed damage, and has the capability to bring creatures below 0hp back to fighting status without outside help. Given that low fast healing is weaker than the Toughness feat during combat, and unnecessary outside of combat due to healing items, these edge cases represent fast healing’s true worth – a valuable, but not overpowered, investment for some characters.

As a frame of reference, eidolons can gain fast healing 1 with a 4 evolution point investment, barbarians can gain fast healing 1 per six levels while raging with a rage power, an inquisitor can use his judgement to gain fast healing 1 per three levels, and a spell eater gains fast healing 1 per three levels while bloodraging,

I think that fast healing 1 is about feat power at about character level 8 or so (when a fighter would have around 65 hp). What are your thoughts? Would the following feat be too powerful? Too weak?

Fast Healing
Prerequisites: Character level 8
You gain fast healing 1. At 16 Hit Die, and every eight Hit Die thereafter, your fast healing increases by 1.

Ever wanted to play an undead? Undead Paragon Classes introduces three new 1-20 player classes: the Skeleton, Zombie and Vampire. These classes provide strong, balanced options for undead players while hitting all of the classics of each monster. Undead Paragon Classes also delivers a 0RP racial template, the Rotting Corpse, which can be added to any other race to make it undead. Why play a dwarf when you can play a rotting dwarf?

Dip multiple undead classes! Infiltrate the ranks of the living! Start an all-undead campaign! Literally spill your guts on your enemies!

You can find Undead Paragon Classes on the Zenith Games blog or the Paizo Store.

Included in Undead Paragon Classes:

• The Skeleton, a foot soldier of the undead who wields steel and iron while terrifying the weak.
  
• The Zombie, an unkillable monstrosity, who gets in close to impart disease, sicken or release insects from his host corpse.
  
• The Vampire, master of those he summons, those he dominates, and those he creates, though reliant on a constant source of blood to function.
  
• The Rotting Corpse, a 0RP racial template that can be added to any other race to make them undead. Start the game as an undead! Play in an all undead campaign!
  
• 17 new undead feats, such as Remove Head, Wraith-Touched and Grave Rider.
  
• Raise Undead, a new spell that allows for transformation into an undead creature.
  

Jacob’s Tower is the critically acclaimed mega-dungeon for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Regardless of your world, plot, or players, it is easily run in any campaign or as a mega-dungeon.

You can find more information or purchase on the Zenith Games Blog or on the Paizo Store.

Jacob's Tower is an adventure for three to six 1st through 13th level PCs using the Pathfinder RPG rules. It is 152 pages long and meticulously play tested—that's 13 different modules for the price of one. These modules can be inserted piecemeal into a campaign or run as an mega-dungeon campaign.

The dungeon is designed to test a party’s versatility and flexibility, utilizing every skill and creature type in the book over every three Levels. It both introduces new players to the wonders of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and gives experienced players a non-traditional setting in which to test their skills.

Praise for "Jacob's Tower:"

• "I love this dungeon. It's so cleverly put together, the levels are varied enough to remain interesting whilst still tied together enough to feel cohesive, and I'm super impressed with the seamless integration of a variety of skills into each level. It's inspired me to improve my GMing. I can't say enough good things about this dungeon." —Anonymous
  
• "Honestly, you made me look good. Fun traps, ghouls, great imagery with the feral animals, a fantastic fight against Posy and a bluffed PC... and with all the DCs spelled out I ran the game like a pro. Got lots of compliments" —David
  
• "I've been running this, and my players absolutely love how varied it is and how so much comes into play! I'm wondering, do you know anyone else who has made similar things? I can't get enough!" —Anonymous
  
• "I finally ran this level for my players the other week! And it was amazing. ...Overall, this level was one of the best sessions I've run. Thanks for writing it!" —Anonymous
  
• "This is a great dungeon! I'm coming from both running it as a GM and playing it as a player, and in both situations I've found it really fun!" —Jack John
  
• "I just wanted to drop you a line and say thanks / good job on writing up these adventures! ... It was an absolutely enjoyable experience for a DM. :)" —Anonymous
  
• "I absolutely love Jacob's Tower, it's been amazing to run it for my players and they've been shocked at how they've been using skill checks they didn't even know existed." —ChaosWraith
  
• "You only want 10 dollars for it all? You da real MVP :P" —Colin MacDonald
  

The module where level 1 characters fight a great wyrm dragon!

You can find more information and purchase on the Zenith Games Blog or on the Paizo Store.

A non-linear search for hidden artifacts that culminates in an attack on a huge red dragon, "Dragons are Above My Pay Grade" provides heroes with an electrifying start to their careers. Who doesn’t want to fight a dragon, even if it is above your pay grade?

"Dragons are Above My Pay Grade" is an adventure for three to six 1st level PCs using the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules. It is 23 pages long, fully illustrated and in color.

Sunstone Island seemed like the perfect opportunity. Idyllic weather, pleasant beaches, docile animals, and, most importantly, a mine absolutely bursting with gold. Peter Grimples, owner of the Grimples Mining Corporation, was so enthusiastic to exploit these virgin resources that he personally headed the mining colony on this remote island.

Can the heroes collect enough dragon-slaying weapons to defeat Varaug before he destroys the mining colony along with any chance of future employment? How could the party’s first contract go so wrong?

"Dragons Are above My Pay Grade" features a mining town, a fleshed out island with wild beasts and tropical hazards, a range of mini-dungeons and challenges, and a host of original enemies, spells, poisons, items, and traps. And, of course, the opportunity for a 1st level character to face a red wyrm!

This is for the guys commenting on the Guide to the Guides to talk about medics.

No one likes playing the medic of the party. It's not flashy or glamorous but every party needs one. At low to mid level a party won't survive without one and at higher levels a medic can raise dead characters. Especially useful without any means to instantly travel to a city. Being the medic means you are a team player. In a standard party of four it is absolutely mandatory to have one. A Rogue or someone with it's abilities to disarm and disable traps and unlock doors another vital requirement. I have seen a party without these two things and they don't last long unless you have a generous and nice Game Master.

The Best medic is The Life Mystery Oracle. Everything about them screams Healer. All spells with the word Cure in them go on your spell list before anything else. The bonus spells for their mystery most all go towards healing and curing. One immediate disadvantage is Simple Weapons only and their curses. Medium armor and shield proficiency provide enough protection before magic.
To start depending on race Clouded Vision or Tongues are the least of the curses to deal with. I prefer Tongues since most PCs have the option depending on Intelligence to pick one of your languages you speak in combat. Clouded Vision is useful if you are picking a race that doesn't offer Dark vision.
I prefer Aaasimars over Humans. While the extra feat is hard to pass up the aasimar offers dark vision, bonus to Perception and three Channeling feats. The three together give your channeling a lot more versatility. With an Aasimar you then can take Tongues Curse which I have found the least restrictive.
Now the first revelation I often pick is Safe Curing. It lets you cast Cure spells with provoking attacks of opportunity. With medium armor and a shield you can stand behind the frontline warriors and heal with little fear. The second revelation is Channel. Pick Selective and Extra Channel quickly afterwards if not before. Those two revelations allow you to heal the party in a wide variety of situations without too much difficulty. I suggest Reach Metamagic feat at some point.
Being the medic I pick spells that heal or buff the party I don't get through my mystery. Blessing of Fervor being the best spell at mid level Heroes Feast at higher levels. This is where it becomes painful because your spell selection is limited and you need to consider party needs over your wants. This is where Channeling makes the difference. I play Lawful or True Neutral for this reason. Pick Versatile Channel. You now at a slightly lower power cause damage with your channel. With the assimar feats your channeling becomes offensive. A high Charisma and Extra Channel gives you the ability to inflict some damage in between healing party members.
The disadvantage for being the medic is you are not a damage dealer. A level or even two of fighter helps this somewhat. The first two levels of fighter give you two combat feats. I recommend Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot. I suggest using a bow unless you take a penalty for strength. The reload time on a Crossbow is a minimum of a Move action for a Light and for a Heavy a Full Round action. A bow has no reload time with damage comparable. While painful to do because you lose ninth level spells three levels of Gunslinger Musket Master Archtype gives you a boost in offensive capacity. At third level you reload Muskets as a one handed firearm, with Rapid Reload and Alchemical Cartridges this becomes a Free Action. D12 damage against Touch AC at Forty feet makes the loss of ninth level spells almost worth it.
Another route to take is take two levels of Envoy and one level of Holy Vindicator. At second level Envoy there is an ability that lets you channel both positive or negative energy at your level. The one level of Vindicator allows you to spend a channel to boost your AC by your channel damage.

I've made a guide to the Alchemist! Comments, questions, and concerns are appreciated. Let me know if you disagree with anything, or if I've left anything out.

Zenith's Guide to the Alchemist

Need a Thanksgiving one-shot? Want it to be free? Boy, have I got you covered.

You need The Gobbler.

Every year for the past six years, Giblet Turkey Farms and Slaughterhouse has suffered some great tragedy on the eve of Turkey Day. Gunter and Drumstick Giblet have hired the party to protect their prestigious institution and get to the bottom of these mysterious matters. Through the night the PCs are visited by the Ghost of Turkeys Past, the Ghost of Turkeys Present, and the Ghost of Turkeys Future before coming face to face with the fearsome Gobbler.
Included in “The Gobbler:”
- Four delicious turkey-based enemies
- A bizarre yearly ritual of slaughter in the town of Pilgrim’s Rest
- A mysterious new holiday themed curse
- Two sticks of butter and a dash of nutmeg

You can read The Gobbler here. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Need a Thanksgiving one-shot? Want it to be free? Boy, have I got you covered.

You need The Gobbler.

Every year for the past six years, Giblet Turkey Farms and Slaughterhouse has suffered some great tragedy on the eve of Turkey Day. Gunter and Drumstick Giblet have hired the party to protect their prestigious institution and get to the bottom of these mysterious matters. Through the night the PCs are visited by the Ghost of Turkeys Past, the Ghost of Turkeys Present, and the Ghost of Turkeys Future before coming face to face with the fearsome Gobbler.
Included in “The Gobbler:”
- Four delicious turkey-based enemies
- A bizarre yearly ritual of slaughter in the town of Pilgrim’s Rest
- A mysterious new holiday themed curse
- Two sticks of butter and a dash of nutmeg

You can read The Gobbler here.

I've made a guide to the Ninja! Comments, questions, and concerns are appreciated. Let me know if you disagree with anything, or if I've left anything out.

Part I: Introduction, Attributes, & Races
Part II: Ninja Tricks
Part III: Feats
Part IV: Equipment, Multi-Classing, & Builds

Pathfinder doesn't have a great way of dealing with large groups of enemies. Sure, you can apply the horde or swarm rules, but these don't seem like accurate representations of fighting enemies. Anything more than half a dozen enemies and combat gets seriously bogged down.

I've been using the Score and Squad templates in my game for the past dozen sessions. The results are fair, balanced encounters that accurately represent large groups of enemies. I would be interested in hearing other people's thoughts. The rules will be updated here.

This guide is not mine, but since it's going on the Comprehensive Guide to the Guides it should have a discussion thread.

Face_P0lluti0n’s Guide to Weapon Finesse Discussion

Discuss if you have comments!

Alright, who can come up with a more damaging martial build than Teddy Rosy? He's a Human Two-Handed Weapon (archetype) fighter with a Falchion. He doesn't mess around with spring attack or anything craze. There is nothing revolutionary about the build - he grabs all the usual feats. I'm just curious if there is any way to get even more damage.

His 12th Level DPR against an AC 27 enemy is 81.

Or, a better formatted and more thorough look here.

So, two-handed really is the best way to go. Does somebody have something better? Or anything obvious I've missed?

Anybody have the average flat flat footed AC of monsters by CR? I can find their average AC and average touch ac (here), but not their average flat footed.

I don't understand why rogues get such a bad reputation.

Let's compare Rogues to melee Fighters. I'll be breaking each class down into roughly equivalent class features and directly comparing them.

Thoughts? Does anybody disagree with any of these comparisons? Are there any class features I am missing?

Ideally, responses in this thread will take up one of the three questions posed above, or explain why a class feature comparison is not a viable way of comparing classes. That will help frame the discussion and should make this a more specific and organized conversation.

I'll likely update this post with more info here after I get some responses: Why the Rogue is Not Underpowered

There are plenty of posts on this forum about inter-character conflict leading to inter-player conflict. I wrote up a little ditty to help people out, and I would love to hear people's thoughts and experiences.

How to Prevent Inter-Party Conflict

Let's get a few things straight. Conflict between characters isn't always bad. If the Paladin is constantly chastising the Rogue for stealing, the wizard turns out to be a traitor, or the barbarian keeps slaughtering the Bard's patrons, it can make for some excellent roleplaying. However, when inter-character conflict turns into inter-player conflict, gaming groups can fall apart. Although it can be deadly, preventing inter-player conflict isn't actually that difficult, provided the conflict actually comes from the game (nothing you can do if two players naturally don't like each other). Let's look at inter-party conflict from three perspectives: The GM, the Instigator, and the Victim.*

I'll likely be making revisions and edits as you guys comment. You can check the updated version here: How to Prevent Inter-Party Conflict

I wanted a spellcaster with a similar mechanic to a Barbarian's Rage - So, I made the Mage. The mage can enter into a meditation, gaining +4 to her spellcasting stat and a +1 to CL. She also gains access to "meditation powers" to mirror the barbarian's rage powers. However, she is vulnerable while meditating, and "befuddled" upon exiting it.

Here is the fluff:

Deeply introverted and intelligent, the mage has a deep and healthy respect for the power she wields. Often found on impassable mountaintops, in deserted forests, or deep within abandoned ruins, she values solitary refinement of understanding above all else. After years of meditation and quiet contemplation, some mages find it freeing to use their powers actively, shaping the world to suit their own ideals. The few mages that do venture out into danger do so to further their own comprehension of the universe, or set in motion some larger and more sophisticated goal.

Role: By entering into a trance like state called meditation, the mage can boost her own abilities by sacrificing her defenses. Mages are able to cast spells more powerfully than their sorcerer and wizard brethren, but are often unable to defend themselves should the danger get too close. Intelligent, wise, and worldly the Mage often acts as a stabilizing force for a party, calmly recommending the best course of action in any given situation.

And here is the crunch: The Mage

Thoughts?

I see a lot of new GM's asking for general advice, so I wrote up a little ditty. Here it is.

This list will be updated and revised here: 10 Tips for New GM's. What have I missed?

I've created a dungeon with a time limit, and I want to see if people think it would be too hard.

The dungeon spirals inward through 8 battle encounters and 6 skill encounters. As our heroes move forward, the back wall closes in after them at a rate of one square a round. This means that our heroes need to finish the dungeon within about 140 rounds. Obviously, they won't be able to sleep, and both buffing and strategizing will need to be done quickly.

Is 140 rounds enough to do 8 battle encounters and 6 skill encounters with no sleeping. Each Battle is as APL or APL-1, except for the Boss which is at APL+2. Assuming Party of four level 6 characters.

For more details, you can find the whole thing here: Jacob's Tower, Level 6: Gauntlet