Curaigh's page

Hey guys I was in an accident (yes another one) that totaled the car (well truck) and got a bit beat up. I'll update as soon as I can.

Ouch!

'another' = double ouch!!
Hope all is, and continues to be, well.

I got a finalist in a writing competition and will be afk for a couple days. I will continue to lurk through my phone however.

I'm usually painting a couple at a time, bits and pieces here...depending on what color I have up at the time.

Actually PAINTING... I'd say probably a day. I come and go back to things, I DON'T have a major setup with 15 different colors of blue already made... so when I mix a color, I usually finish what I need to with that color.

+1

I generally have two going, so when I mix the color it can dry on one while I work on the other. Doing just one takes the same amount of time for me.
So 5-6 hours per mini (but again I get two done :)

I havenae done PbP in over a year. Is it preferred to put speech in bold?

Traitor's Shoes

(writing is a little weak here, but the effect is good. Not quite superstar, though)

I like the spots, and tying invis to an escape is a good plan. Dim door should put you out of most visible ranges though and cape of the montebank does something similar with smoke (my item for last year came to close to mimikcing the cape :) which is much cheaper.

I do like the escape from tricky situation though, so that is where I would focus. 'Tricky situations' might need to be defined. Basing it on an opponent's denied dexterity could be difficult to track (not too difficulut, and seems an odd time to leave when your opponent is at a disadvantage.) Also struggling with standard/swift compatability.

Traitor's implies something I think simply running away misses. That said, I like the name and blood spots in the description. Nice job.

Another variant on the poison bottle, for practice:

Venom Ampoule
Each scale of the viper is intricately inscribed with a design of a venomous creature or toxic plant or fungus.

I think I have seen one of these snake ampoules in an antique shop, so nice job on the image. :) I think this should be moderate not faint necromancy. Alphabetize the spells, but I do not think chill metal is necessary. The chilling seems mostly cosmetic to me, but maybe it is important that a poison 'condenses' and I am missing it. I do wonder how to get poison from the outside of the bottle onto my blade or arrow... *

Only seven poisons qualify on the PFRD, but leaving it 'any' is a good choice allowing for other sources. For 9000, I could buy 45+ poisons or 24 poison scrolls... pricing is a little steep, but accurate. Maybe it will be cheaper to drop the second spell?

The bold sentence is choppy and passive. I would drop 'venemous' or 'toxic' and an 'or'. Try switching 'is' with 'inscribed' (and 'are' with 'formed/shaped' in first sentence. :) to increase active voice.

These are nitpicks, overall I think this is a good design. Nice. :)
*

I assure you trying to get mushrooms of any size out of a potion bottle is going to be much more fiddly.

Arrgg! Curse you Captain RPG SuperObvious!!!

Up until the ability for the trowel to reveal hidden tracks, it was a really neat item. Something I could see lots of groups buying and using.

Also, you should have listed a numerical penalty to tracking that the altered tracks give -5? -10? -5 and must reroll?

I think this is more interesting than you think, but there's still too many and unclear abilities.

Thanks. :)

Was the third ability too SAK? and not sure I understand your comment about the penalty...? Thanks again.

Is it august already? Wow, time flies.

I should write up another item, or pick one of my less-favorites to put up here. But not today, I think. Returning from vacations always screw things up.

Welcome back :)

I found this one uninspired, but for the sake of staying on the practice wagon, here is my july item.

I will do critiques on ampoule and shoes tomorrow. O:)

Eric Clingenpeel wrote:

Curaigh wrote:

I use a lot of WoW minis when I need large. The bases are the right size and many sculpts overhang the base so putting them on a huge base is also doable.

WOW (and I don't mean the game name) Those are pretty awesome. I think I'm going to have to save up for some or hunt them on ebay for my Master Summoner... :D

Ok, I'd like to thank you Curaigh for posting about these WoW minis, my wife on the other hand would like to have other words with you than thanks... ;) I found a good store on EBay and got most of those for a buck each, the Sarmoth 2 for $1. Plus, since I bought like 10 minis from them they gave me a great deal on shipping. Now I can't wait until next week when they come. I just hope I can get them before Thursday when I play my Master Summoner next... :D

** spoiler omitted **

Eric. You're drooling.

*grin* you are welcome and to your mate, my apologies. If you got the fire rager for a buck though, I think you will be pleased, I have never seen it for less than eight :) (so I will check them out. :)

@brassbaboon. I have a number of reaper familiar packs and I often paint those as elementals. I have a fire drake and a lightning drake for example. One Mage Knight Mini I have always wanted to get some use from is an earth elemental of sorts. Mostly rocky humanoid with an elf sticking out the top, his arms melded into the rock's arms. I cannae find a picture though. :)

I use a lot of WoW minis when I need large. The bases are the right size and many sculpts overhang the base so putting them on a huge base is also doable. :)

Earth elemental: bog elemental

Water elemental: wave caller or crashing wave spirit, or Sarmoth he could also go as an air imho,

Fire elemental: enraged fire spirit, DnD did a huge mini which I like.

Air elemental: razaani stalker (they have other razaani, but this one has the least gear), storm rager personal favorite, tried to do this for halloween, but alas it was epic fail :)

This site had good pictures, but they are pricey, try ebay if any tickle your fancy, most are commons :)

Aye those are on or above par with the bottom end DnD minis or MageKnight. They look great. Nice job. :)

Not bad. Can you post a close up of one of the wings? in this photo it is hard to tell what is foam and what is lizard. I hope that stays true RL. :)

I wouldn't mind putting together a character. It'll be this weekend before I can... I'd definitely like to go Kaiju or Demon Binder.

Cool, I would like to see how the Kaiju plays :)

I saw no summoners at the Paizocon PFS tables. That may be because I saw higher tiers and summoners might not be there yet.

I want to cosplay an eidelelon.

I can dress up Chucky as a gnomish summoner.

That would be cheesy though.

And people will roll their eyes.

So I won't. :)

Best Wishes Hyrum, thanks for your help getting ME started in PFS :)

but snakes are cool!

Nothing silly about Sir. Hiss. Nothing at all

I had a similar thought about Lowly Worm's bowtie but all Richards arguments went out the window with that shoe. Really? A shoe? C'mon, that's just silly :P

A couple of examples that might help make snake barding less silly though. Vipers heads are bigger than their body so a bit/collar thing could work. Or... grampa pierced the scute of a turtle to attach a chain. Every(some) scale(s) could have rings to clip barding too Or... if the snake recently fed it would have many places to hold barding. This last should be good for 6 to 8 weeks :P

I have a leash for my skink, it goes around her ribs, not her legs. Sure she could get out if she tried (her legs would not stop it anymore than a ferret's legs would). It does stay on her when she tries to get away, which is what I really need it for anyway.

a google search for snake armor revealed this, so yeah! such things are completely realistic, so take that, naysayers! :P

lol

@Curaigh: Yes, and 1/2 but if you take an archetpe that cuts your eidolons ep in half already it knocks that down by an additional 1/3 instead.

Seeing some neat stuff so far. Will be keepign recruitment open until monday to see what comes up.

ahh... archetype missed that part before. without UM I dinnae ken there were summoner archetypes :)

So Telvani are the only race?
Does Tel-sorcerer cut EP in 1/2 or 1/3?

Bicor's elbow smashed into his brother's face. Unavoidable really, with quarters so tight. His brother hits him back without even waking up so Bicor spits out a tooth and tries to fall asleep on the hard wooden floor.

Only a mile away, on the other side of the great seal is lots of room. No elbows. No hard floors. No forks stabbing when one reaches for a crust of bread.

"I will cut my own way through there if I have to," Bicor growls.

Thanks judges. I finally got around to a rewrite and felt the item was no longer mine. I was thinking to create something new from scratch to see if I can incorporate those lesssons before the critique, but will save it for the other thread. The 'spectrum' of SIAC to SAK was very useful. Up until this post I saw these as two different areas to avoid, but seeing them together and aiming between them will really help. Thanks again :)

Well, my June item spent much more time in the other thread, but I thought I would post the rewrite here for your... amusement?

I still plan to make a July item, but so far no inspiritaion has hit me. :) Sorry to disappoint :)

Fozbek wrote:

Since when has dominating a character with a pet ever dominated the pet? This does not happen in any other class with a pet; why would it happen with Summoners? You're complaining about Summoners being exceptions, but you're the one making the exception.

Because unlike the other "pets" the edilon is a creature under total control from its master. The other class do not control their pets, not really, the pets just like and hang around them and can be trained.

Its not a pet, its a summoned servant.

I dinnae buy the total control aspect. There are enough 'exceptions' in the similarities between a summoned creature and an eidolon that it is a separate entity. If you do not speak ignan (sp?), you could not 'direct' a fire elemental to attack any specific creature, so it will go its merry flaming way. Why not the more unique/intelligent/skilled eidelon?

Look at dominance spells. They affect only one creature and, until Dom Monster, an outsider is unaffected (not quite two strikes against the spell affecting the summoner...) First, if you want the target to go against its nature, it would get a second save. Arguably it is the eidelon's nature to listen to commands of the summoner, but for the summoner to attack his friends would be against his nature. Second, putting an eidolon into a 'self destructive' mode (such as attacking the party) would not be carried out. At my table a summoner who routinely used the eidelon to spring traps, hold back dragons, provoke AofO, jump first etc. or even of evil alignment would loose this argument though. :)

Also an intelligent sword of good alignment would not willingly attack the fighter's party.

I am not sure you can find them small enough for scale, but the back side of a snap/clasp might work. Look in a sewing shop. :)

and just because it is fun, I went to figure finder at reaper. Some of these STAVES might do with minimal work :)

Close, but not that close. However I will be at SpoCon and they have quite a few gaming rooms. It will be a good chance for you to meet others in the area if nothing else. Check it out, and good luck :)

Curaigh wrote:

Are you up to full then Shisumo?

If not I can run anything, Pali or Fighter type if you need it. :)

Still taking submissions for three spots. However, since the two definites are both fighter types, I'd probably suggest going a different direction for any ideas you want to put forward.

OK, I thought you had lots of arcanists. What roles are you missing? I am relatively new to PF characters and have fun just making them. I am leaning toward an elementalist of some sort. Either wizard, or water/fire domain cleric. Either way count me in and I will create something this weekend. :)

hehe I also woke up from a recent dream of unassambled legs, tentacles, wings, serpents and teeth. I am in. Ff you are still recruiting :)

Are you up to full then Shisumo?
If not I can run anything, Pali or Fighter type if you need it. :)

I am often watching for PFS PbP. keep me in mind when you start your next one :)

Also I think the OP's suggestion has merit

Keep the minis at the venue. Don't schlepp them around.

I do this. Also looked into backpacks at the local goodwill. A wheeled daybag would work for several of these larger ones, and the other cases could fit inside if you did not need the big ones. :)

Spiritbone Corset
Aura strong enchantment and transmutation; CL 11th
Slot chest; Price 118,000 gp; Weight 1 lbs.
Description
Black scales shimmer like silk on this corset while a dozen bones protrude from its top. Carvings of a human-faced snake with ruby eyes adorn each bone.

Once per day the wearer may activate the corset to squeeze, reshape, and alter his body into dozens of tiny human-headed snakes. The user gains a climb and swim speed 20’ and may fit into any cracks or holes that his constituent parts can. Moving into occupied squares is possible (provoking attacks of opportunity). The user’s gear is inaccessible at this time, but any effects already in place remain. Activating the corset is a standard action and lasts for eleven rounds. The user may cancel the effect as a standard action.

Additionally, the user may activate the corset to create a ruby glow from his eyes and gain a mesmerizing gaze attack. Creatures within 30’ looking at the wearer must make a will save (DC 16) or fail to notice the wearer. These creatures ignore the wearer acting as if he is not there for the next eleven rounds. The wearer may target a single creature with this gaze as a standard action. Attacking a mesmerized target grants it another save. Activating the gaze attack is a move action, and lasts for eleven rounds.

A witch wearing the spiritbone corset within thirty feet of a spirit naga or a hag gains a +1 bonus to caster level as if aided by the creature. If he has the Coven hex, he also counts as a spirit naga for the purposes of joining a spirit nagas’ coven.

Construction
Requirements Craft wondrous item, mass suggestion, swarmskin; Cost 59,000 gp

Huh, that is a better phrasing of my descriptive text. I'll try to keep it more active next time.

Having the flames build would have been a good idea. I was more thinking on one great sweep of the fan would cause this cloud of hot gas to roll along - but that doesn't really justify spending so many actions to maintain it. Especially at the price of the item.

It feels so long ago since i wrote that, man.

most of the cloud spells do not move, (one of the upper level ones does) and they almost all say 'strong winds will disperse'. Of course you were not using the cloud spells so maybe you wanted to avoid this. In which case it works :) It was only last month :)

some awsome stuff

hmmm... I do not plan another rewrite and that is how responses to your questions should be made. I agree with your writing suggestions. Most of the answers to other questions you asked were to keep balance mechanically. Any person with a tiny scorpion could use the bottle to prevent purple worm damage. (Technically bees and mosquitoes have poison, hence the choice to limit sizes that might at least be adventure worthy.) Likewise I felt it would be game breaking if more than three mushrooms could be created people would have an unlimited supply of antipoison.

EDIT: spot on with the links :)

Me thinks I should not post right before bed and I should have my group look these over before I post, which is what I do for my actual entry. ...it might even give them some practice on critiquing for may actual entry :)

Kjob, you rock!

REWRITE
Toxin Trapper Bottle

** spoiler omitted **

Nice job. I see no description of the candle but I do see what it is made of. That might be treading into backstory, but as a description it might work. Mechanics concerns have already been discussed. It reminds me of one of my favorite SS items, the spider hook (year two?) while still being different. Nice job.

At RPGSuccubus's reccomendation, I'm going to make my item for June the

kazathri cracker

Kazathri Cracker

I am not sure how detonate works, but the flavor does remind me of the vrocks dance of ruin. Though this was intended as gag item, I think combining the SIAC with the vrock ability would be a wise choice. :)

The pattern of flames on this wide silk fan is constantly shifting, like an eternally burning flame was captured in fabric and thread.

I think this sentence can be cut in half and in doing so make the voice more active. This wide, silk fan captures patterns of eternally burning flames in fabric and thread. This only uses words you put out there and is not great, but hopefully illustrates my point :). Generally I think this is a good item, but I wonder why the various cloud/fog spells get ignored when it seems pretty close to many of them. I would like to see the cone grow with concentration, instead of a section in the cone moving forward (ymmv). I like the ablative touch, it is nice.

My characters blitzed through pretty quickly, but there were two things I did after every street encounter.

Play up the jungle aspect, plants, birds, spiders, snakes everywhere.

See, he beat me in here again. Seriously, that is how it is in the Judges' Chambers too. Dang he is fast.

So, in keeping with fine tradition....

[wait for it]

..."What Neil said."

Clark

lol

...and thanks those were both valuable answers :)

*I* think this is a chest item and that you should include text that says "This corset, worn under normal clothing or armor, ..." just so things are clear. (YMMV). I think a corset is more akin to a shirt, and thus a chest item, than to a robe, which is an entire body item. One thing is for sure, it is not "shoulders" like a cloak so I am glad no one used that.

Ahh... fail on my part. Chest was not a slot in 3.5, body and torso were. mental note to self: do your homework :)

Lastly, I think fear is misplaced here. Maybe create a snake-themed cloak that duplicates that ability. I just don't see a place for it in this corset without going over the top into SAK territory.

Neil, can you or Clark expand on this a bit more? The difference between SAK and not-SAK is a fine line I am sure. Probably more gut than not, but any advice would be useful and this seems like the thread for it.

Curaigh wrote:

Spiritbone Corset

Spiritbone, huh? Interesting spin, considering corsets have often been manufactured using whalebone. I'm curious to see where this one goes...

** spoiler omitted **...

Thanks Neil, I hoped to save you some effort with the ooc questions, but you answered them none-the-less.

How much does a corset weigh? Good question (I had to look it up). The top end is steel, the bottom end is plastic. Just a guess where whalebone would land :)

Curaigh wrote:

not sure what LED you were looking for, but any wedding store should have light up buds which can be worked into some pretty small stuff :)

was looking for 6 single lights on 3" of wire one to light each stone and a push button on off

This sounds like some soddering/electronics will be necessary. :)

Here is an interesting light up process I saw on PBS not long ago. Based on Tron, but I think it would work great for anything needing 'glowing runes.'

Sadly, I was crossing Lake Mercer heading west on my way home when it dawned on me, I could have brought my bud lights for you to borrow. Oh well, next time.

Oh, and about next time, I have settled on something for next year. Maybe I will get some of it done for GenCon even :)

Thanks to Hyrum, Cosmo and Paizo for this. I thought credit was for a minimum of two PFS, so I was really excited when I checked out at the con. :) thanks!

I hate to ask, but does the wearer actually have to chew the earth to burrow? Where does the ingested earth go (particularly with a constricted midsection)? Does it come out just as fast? The image this ultimately conjured up for me just about had me on the floor laughing.

Totally lol. Very much Mulch Diggums of Artemis Fowl fame. A good read :)

OK not wanting to take too long to get something out there you get a second draft...

Spiritbone Corset
Aura strong enchantment; CL 11th
Slot Body; Price 118,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs.
Description
Black scales shimmer like silk on this corset while a dozen carved bones protrude from its top. A human faced snake carved into each of the bones holds two tiny rubies for eyes. The eyes glow red when the wearer channels a charm spell or ability through the corset creating a gaze affect. The spell affects each viable target (per the spell used) within 30’ of the caster. Doing this shortens the spell’s duration to 1d4+3 rounds and affected creatures leaving the area before this time become free of spell 1d4 rounds later. Spellcasters with the enchantment school, serpentine bloodline, trickery domain or charm patron use a 1d6 for both durations instead. Channeling a charm spell through the corset is a free action as part of the spell.

Additionally once per day the wearer may activate the corset to change his form as a standard action. The corset squeezes the user popping pieces off as it tightens. Each piece becomes a tiny snake in the image of the carved bone transforming the user and his gear into a medium swarm of tiny constrictors. The snake swarm has a movement and climb speed of 30 feet, and lasts for 11 rounds. Otherwise it behaves as a swarm does.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item suggestion, mass, swarmskin ; Cost 59,000 gp

--hehe not quite following the snake trend, and yet it is!
does the bonus for related spellcasters add, subtract, or neither?
should it be suggestion, mass or mass suggestion?

My recommendation (which I have failed to follow, but I'm not a superstar) to any would be superstars is to create a magic item every month between now and the contest. Give yourself time between items, but once you are done don't go back and tweak it. Save them all for right before the contest. Then when the contest starts, look over your items again. Is there one that really stands out? Polish it and submit. Not satisfied with any of them? Use your experience to write a new one.

Practice really does make perfect. Start thinking (and practicing) now to be ready for next year.

DankeSean recommended this and it worked for him :) Come join us. :)

Thanks for so much fun and too much stuff to list. Pretty nifty con. Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to more people, and glad I talked to as many as I did.

Special thanks to all my players and Curaigh for running the one game I got to play. :)

Your ONLY chance to play?!? Well I am honored you let that be me :) (and I will be back next year :) Thanks all!

It sure is great to see the good guys win. That is all I could think to myself all night at the banquet as a guest. I was looking around and just thinking: look at that, the good guys are winning. I don't mean to get all sappy, but I really think of Paizo as the caretakers of something that was neglected--something very important to me--the game I grew up playing and loving. They saved something I love. They kept its heart and preserved it. And from top to bottom it is clear they get that and they understand what a sacred trust that is to gamers. And they carry that responsibility proudly and with distinction.

my emphasis.

This is how I answer when friends and family ask me how was the day? or how was the con? Paizo just gets it. They get gaming. They get gamers. They ARE it! Hard to explain, but this comes out in PaizoCon. I will stop there as it will get sappy :)

Thanks to everyone who played in my games (eek my first PFS run and you give me a tier 10 game AND two venture captains playing ? :). Thanks for everyone who hosted me in their games (including the pick up games :) Thanks for the seminars (though my wife wants to know why I have corsets on the mind after being out of the house for a weekend... :) thanks for the awesome swag (way above generous ! ) and most of all thanks for just being willing to hang out, staff, guests and fans alike!

Toxin Trapper Bottle

A bit too much like the poisoner's retort from last year, but it is only a practice item. Still good to check you haven't come up with something too similar to existing items. (Learnt this the hard way.)

You know that I’m going to call you on formatting :-) Thousand comma, no space on CL, etc. The more practice you get at fixing little formatting things, the more you notice them, and this makes it a lot more likely that you won’t miss them.

Matt

Actually it was the number of poison items that made me think of an antidote item. I did forget about the antidote option of the retort. This is too close for a real item, but for practice... meh.

I cannae believe I am still missing those formatting issues! I did go double check my entry and whew I did get it right there :)

I owe three reviews and a rewrite, but it will have to wait until after Paizocon.

Sounds great, I am a mess without my morning walks. Though I am staying with family and not the hotel, I will try and be there. good on you

Gronnal surveyed the field before him. Already, beasts called from other placers were forming from arcane energy. His cackling fire and grasping vines dotted the area. And at the very center of it all stood the HeartFountain its cool flames trickling into the pool and splashing ruby light around. This is what the humans were given when the gods brought them fire. Now, he came to claim the whatever advantage it granted for his own people. Someday, he and his people will be the dominate species of this land.

Gronnal’s eyes scanned the hordes running the field in front of him. Bears, mostly a few hounds he thought. Finally he spotted his target. One beast too big to be just a bear. It loped about on four legs, but held a bow with the arms of a human.

Gronnal lifted his tentacles and began swaying them through the patterns to control the arcane might at his control. Focusing on his target he waited until a bear crossed the path between them, then channeled the arcane energy into a bolt of raw lightning.

The arrows pounded into Gronnal’s chest knocking him down behind his meager shield. They will be embarrassed back home to learn such small shafts of wood hurt so much.

The shield held against the creature’s saber. The same could not be said of its belly when Gronnal rammed his horned head into the soft underflesh.

I will make three monsters up, and folks are welcome to play them. If you are having trouble deciding which cool critter to bring, do both and let someone borrow if they want to.
If you have a map please bring it, I will be short since this begins at the same time the store opens. O:)
Also I will be able to see this thread but will be afk, until after the game. looking forward to it. hope to see y'all soon!

anticipating one, but not confirmed...

Not coming. I doubt you counted my washy response, but just in case. Have fun all!

Guess I'd better get something drawn up!

Awsome! one of the big dogs err... big ancientevilthingywithtentacles!

Curaigh wrote:

What is the etiquette for dropping something else for this?

I'd hate for this opening to cause a mad scramble of folks jumping out of other games just for this opportunity because they rated it higher.

Aye me too. I decided to stay where the lottery put me (and even I remember Marc's situation last year. :) Thanks though.

super failure finding an LED kit for my staff so we're gonna try fiber-optic wands..... so the staff may not light up like I had hoped....

not sure what LED you were looking for, but any wedding store should have light up buds which can be worked into some pretty small stuff :)