Hand of the Inheritor

Matt, Garnished Game Designer's page

Organized Play Member. 121 posts (1,658 including aliases). No reviews. 2 lists. No wishlists. 1 Organized Play character. 15 aliases.



1 person marked this as a favorite.

Congratulations! Wow, this is so cool! I wish you all the best!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Wishing you all the best! Be strong Jezelyn!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'll keep you in my thoughts! Get well soon!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

1) Vem, Jian, and Breathe finding a 'job' (legitimate or otherwise) near the manor
2) Jian's "recon" - fast exist from town and manor area, in case it's needed
3) After these are in place (proven impossible), Jez and Mhar seek entry into the governor's mansion.
4) Then we work on getting Ysanne in.

1) I've mentioned these earlier. Anyone with a Profession skill can ply their trade of course and if you manage some pretty good rolls I'll say that you catch the eye of the local area.

2) Simple enough, the harbor. Diving into the waters is cold and risky, but people are loathe to chase after and the governor's estate borders the bay. Sure it's got a 30 foot cliff but that's easily dealt with I'd imagine.

3) Going by Jezelyn's actions, you both do succeed in meeting with the governor but your discussion only holds his attention for a brief fifteen minutes. However, your artistic talent catches the eye of his wife and she asks that Jezelyn be present at the next soiree as a guest and performer.

As for getting a look of the grounds, the governor's inner estate wasn't visited, simply the outlying area. You know that from the front gates, heavily guarded by soldiers manning a wall, the inner courtyard takes about a minute walk to reach the next wall. Think of it as a space between defenses. Then, within the next area there are rooms where visitors can meet the governor.

Nothing detects as magical so far.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Are we waiting on me for something?

The way I see it, you have a few leads but the most promising is either infiltrating or getting invited to the party... or even then, you can always try and get hired on as additional help/security. These parties are quite large and your diplomacy checks easily gathered this information.

Usually, the Governor sends his Master of the Guard to recruit from the local constabulary.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sorry for the delay, it's been a crazy week. Not giving up, just trying to find time.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Information Gathered forthcoming. In terms of posting expect 1-2 days per post for a little bit with school and life in the way.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

You all stand outside the port city of Yokuna. The Path of Seikei has tasked you with meeting the Governor and negotiating a peaceful settlement. The Governor must relinquish claimed lands or suffer the consequences. There is a chance for peace now, but if all else fails, be prepared to fight.

You have a day to explore Yokuna, shop, visit, gather information and the like.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

====

REBOOT INCOMING

====


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Braeth, Mhar, Thorrpe, Raitoningu, Jian Min, Everest, Vem and Ysanne.

Thank you all once again for returning.

The first order of business would indeed be to level up to 2nd level. Also, assume you have been gifted 1000 gp in funds to equip yourself. I will slightly reboot the story/mission, making it simpler to manage for everyone.

Once you have completed your upgrade, head over to gameplay!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sorry for the delays, this has been a crazy week.I am alive, this is not dead and it's been a 60h week for me and I've been slowly dying of energy loss. Expect a full answering of all questions tomorrow after my workshift.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Reporting in as well ;)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'm going to have to break my previous word and post tomorrow morning. I'm literally crumbling from lack of sleep... sigh, you'd think teaching 30 kids D&D would be more fun than exhausting.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

If anyone is interested, I've begun writing an adventure path on the paizo forums over here: LINK

I would love commentary, feedback and suggestions. Or feel free to just dot in and read whenever you want!


2 people marked this as a favorite.

WELCOME!

Please refrain from posting within Gameplay and direct all messages to Recruitment/Discussion.

Thank you.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Simeon dives into the lake. The rain drums upon the waves above, causing a rippling effect throughout the water.

As he slowly descends past the shipwrecks into the center of the lake, he notices the lakebed is blackened and burnt.

Suddenly, the lakebed gives way and recedes downwards... descending into a spiraling chasm some twenty feet wide... and who knows how deep. No light shines from within. This chasm entrance lies some 20 feet beneath the lake's center.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

As mentioned, I am on an iPad and I shall wait to be home to answer all the questions and advance the storyline. For now, these are the questions I will be answering quickly.

1. Presence of human corpses? No
2. Was the roof waterproofed enough? Yes
3. Which building is the largest? the communal building
4. Is food and water an issue? No
5. Piecemeal armour? Allowed and I will have a larger explanation on the allowed time to craft some.
6. What does simeon see as he explores the lake? A larger explanation will be required.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Let us all assume that you can have taken any action within the year that fits. So yes, assume you had a year of crafting if you so require.

I am also on my iPad at the moment so I'll be updating the major gameplay post tonight.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

After reading through the commentary and discussion on various rulings, I just want to state that Mhar did indeed mention his piecemeal armor and I allowed it. And yes, by paizo I mean Pathfinder content only. Don't go applying the kaiju template to yourself.

When it comes down to rulings, this campaign was originally only meant to be 4-6 players but I was very pleased with almost all of the submissions so I went ahead and made this monstrosity.

That means that somewhere along the lines, I hope you realize that I cannot micromanage every character sheet and option. In fact, your characters were chosen based on your interactions in the Recruitment and your character backgrounds/ideas. I gave each character a cursory check but I don't deconstruct and check for every point.

This is not a campaign where power gaming is in any form rewarded and I hope everyone will play interesting characters and use their abilities in intuitive ways while sticking to the rules. We have a good team here, and a lot of people probably know the Pathfinder RAW much better than me but my main objective is for everyone to have fun.

I do not mind you going over each other's sheets but let's keep the page long discussions to a minimum. If you notice a discrepancy, feel free to write a spoiler for that player and then if it seems the issue may take longer, please PM them, or me if the issue cannot be resolved.

On that note, I apologize for my 48h lack of posting, I have been very busy these past days.

Now, off to start Day 2.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

And bit by bit, this is becoming Camp Kotei and friends.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I was just about to start calculating the round 2 results but well... curse you people.

===

Strength Check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

A loud laugh echoes throughout the pond as Raitoningu hacks into the raft, easily sundering the bamboo and reed structure. Those still on the raft soon find themselves falling into the pond, including Raitoningu.

Everyone in various stages of being wet, turn to see Shen Fei wading into the water with a smile on his face.

"Remarkable. Everyone eventually realizes it sooner or later but you are the first to do so instinctively Raitoningu."

He looks at all of you with a wry smile.

"In the course of your life with Seikei, you may one day find yourselves in a dire situation such as this. Whether it is a place or an object, the enemy must never be allowed to have it. Of course, we would expect you to first try and defend your objective."

"The training also served to open your eyes to the reality that Kotei is a land of rules. I gave you but one rule: Do not let the enemy take the raft. You may often find yourselves constrained by traditions and laws in Kotei but remember that there are always other ways to interpret rules and bypass them. While you could certainly have murdered your allies, hardly the easiest option, you could have decided to all grab the raft and take it away from the pond, persuade your friends to not board the raft... and even destroy the raft as you just did."

He gestures for you all to wade out of the pond.

"I will clean up from here, you are all free to return to the monastery. I hope you all learned a little something valuable today."

===

Training Bonuses:

1) A +1 bonus to Acrobatics. Fighting on a raft and in waist deep muck is no easy task.

2) A +1 bonus to Knowledge (local). You learned something quite valuable about Kotan traditions and life today.

3) (Only available to those who took damage from an ally) A +1 bonus to initiative. You will certainly not let anyone, especially one of these people, get the best of you again.

===

I will let you RP a bit and post the next Training later tonight. I thought this would have lasted longer until someone realized but well, maybe the next one will be easier.

I also realize that we may often need to deal with complicated combat situations. I advise you to use spoiler tags with Rules Questions as the tag to make it easier for me to catch when someone's asking a question or unsure. On my end, I will try and give all the information as clearly as possible.

And not to call out Vem, since her attack was actually totally awesome, but let's try and make sure we all know just what we can do/cannot do with our characters. I do want to thank Vem for being perfectly honest and verifying her actions.

So far, we have a great team here and each one of you is making this adventure awesome! 5 Training days to go, and then you all get a surprise!


1 person marked this as a favorite.

When everyone is ready, we'll be skipping to the first day of training.

===

1st Day of Training - Early Spring

Time Passed Since Awakening: 1 week
You are all gathered around a large pond in the forest surrounding the monastery. A small wooden ship floats in the center. It has been a week since you've returned to life and little by little you are adapting to your environment. At the very least you are realizing that the diet of rice, millet, fish and greens are the norm. Hopefully some of you have also found the tea to your liking. Of course, there is some sake but not all that much.

In any case, the time has come for your first true training. Though each of you spends the days practicing either on your own or with some of the Sensei and other monks, this is the first collective training.

Shen Fei is the monk in charge of today's training.

"Today, you will be diving into Nosu Pond. As you can see, there is a raft floating in the center. This training will teach you that things will not always be fair. I will select five of you to defend the raft, meanwhile the rest of you will try and take the ship. You may use any tactics you feel is fine, we shall heal any wounds and prevent any deaths."

"Mhar, Albert, Thorrpe, Vem and Raitoningu will defend the ship. The training is over when all eleven boarders make it onto the ship or have failed. Again, that is the only directive. The five defenders may do whatever they want. You have no time to prepare or cast spells however. You will only have time to place yourselves."

===

The pond is only three feet deep and so counts as difficult terrain. You may choose to swim if you wish however if doing so would be easier.

Getting on the raft is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. As well, whenever you perform a full round action while on the raft, everyone must make a DC 15 Acrobatics check. Failure means you stumble and fall off the raft into the nearest square of water. If two are tied, you may choose which one.

Initiatives will function differently for this training. The boarding party goes first, followed by the defenders and so on and so forth.

The training is over when at least SIX boarders make it on the ship, outnumbering the defenders or six rounds have passed.

I will check combat twice a day. If you haven't posted, I assume you are taking total defense unless you note otherwise. Any action that would become invalidated or modified I will change so as to be the most beneficial.

Any questions? Ask in Discussion inside a spoiler tag with "Raft Training" as a title.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

I'll be working on adding more to the google document during the day when my laptop recharges enough. As well, I know that doing a year in six days is very quick but I do want us to actually begin the adventure. As mentioned, feel free to RP out of context. As everyone mingles, I'm also thinking of an alternative to splitting everyone into just two groups and instead I believe that dispatching people into smaller teams based on what missions require may be a better idea. For example, some missions will require brute strength, some diplomacy and some stealth. This means everyone can stay on the same thread while still not having fourteen man battles.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Zayne Iwatani wrote:
Who wants to *edit* talk smack about him behind his back? *nudge nudge* :)

Be careful Zayne... I've got my eye on you...


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Indeed, plain old tea and plain old (old) Kotan man.

Answers to questions

"The Garden of Time can keep the deceased as fresh as the day they died."

"The western Colonists have signed an accord of peace yet their colonies keep pushing ever further into lands not given to them in the first negotiations. Their firepower and weapons give them formidable force. It is their Governor who pushes them so however, and it is the Governor's acolytes we will fight."

"Our Emperor is kind yes, but he has secluded himself away behind his walls leaving us to deal with the Colonists. As for the dark forces, I speak only of what we know... tales of sinister creatures, angered spirits and colonist spies within our cities."

"The Path of Seikei would see these evils calmed and the Colonists reprimanded for their actions. Just this last month, the fishing isles of Akka were taken over by the Colonial Navy. While war is not a current option, something must be done."


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Everyone
While the conversations carry on, the robed man returns again, bows, and seats himself at the table, indicating everyone else do so.

He waits as long as required for the conversations to dwindle down and then when silence is had, he speaks.

"ありがとう"

"I am Hasegawa. I am one of the leaders of this monastery."

"There are many questions I am sure you wish answered so I shall try my best."

Did we die?
"残念、はい... Yes. You have been resting for a long time... three centuries in fact."

Why are we alive now?
"When we recovered your bodies from the shipwreck, we knew there would be a time we would have need of your services. My predecessors laid you to rest in the 時間の園... the Garden of Time as you would call it. It was decided that should the day arise when we have need of aid, we would raise you from your slumber."

Why do you need our help?
"Kotei is dying. Gaijin from distant lands have begun colonizing our coastal borders. The Emperor has shut himself away in the palace. Dark forces collaborate in the shadows and our country will not survive these troubled times."

"I am ashamed and deeply troubled by what we have done however... raising you from the dead took a considerable amount of magic and we could not risk returning potential foes... therefore, the revival is only temporarily. I know it is a terrible choice we give you, but the Path of Seikei is a secret society and we wish only see our lands survive."

"Become our eyes, ears and hands. Train with us for a year, and we will make you into a force worth reckoning. We know this is not your fight... but you are blank slates... three hundred years away from your own world and memories. We offer you a second chance at life."

"Train with us for one year at the monastery... and we will see to it you become Dragons of the West. And once Kotei is freed, so shall you be."

I don't want to! I don't know...
"Take the time you need... but remember that by midnight tonight, the revival shall wear off unless we mark you with the Sacred Dragon Tattoos of our order. The monastery is yours to visit while you contemplate."

Other questions? Ask and I'll retroactively answer them.

===

He stands up, bows and leaves.

===

I've also added the google document to the campaign tab.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Everyone

You all follow the monk into the monastery and are led into a large wooden chamber, with a wide circular table at the center. There, you see fourteen tea sets laid out for each and every one of you. A pot is brewing over a fire in the center of the table.

The monk gestures for you all to sit.

"I shall return."

He exits.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Everyone

The robed man approaches silently and approaches the group. Some of you are still waking up while some of you are visibly already active.

The man reaches your group and takes a bow.

"挨拶、私の名前は長谷川です"

And then, in a slightly broken Common.

"Welcome to Seiki Monastery. Please follow me inside. We have much to discuss."

I will be using actual japanese characteristics whenever a character speaks in Kotan. I trust all of you to not translate them or use this information yet. Part of this adventure will be to learn the language and become familiar with it. Until then, please be patient. It will make it all the more fun when I permit you to translate and you can retroactively see what everyone's been saying to you no?"

As well, I am finishing a google document that will contain a list of places and people you meet, making it easier on everyone.

A last request, I would ask that everyone does like Mr. Thorrpe and includes vital statistics in their characters "class/level section".


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Light. A sight you hadn't seen for over three centuries.

You slowly awaken within a large garden. Tall, emerald trees envelop you, the sound of a river rushes behind you, the scent of a multitude of flowers surrounds you.

Garden

Each one of you is lying upon a wooden frame laid out among the grass.

As your eyes slowly adjust, you realize you are alive.

Gone is the storm, the waves, the darkness.

Each one of you wears a thin, woven robe, fastened closed with a cloth belt.

===

Beyond the garden you can see the walls of what appears to be a monastery.

No one else is here besides the fourteen of you, all waking up simultaneously.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sorry fine gentlemen and ladies, the wait is over. I was kept busy with work, Conspiracy Draft hosting and girlfriend management but now in a matter of minutes... we will know who has been chosen.

I have decided to broaden the amount of players, and will be choosing 8 players maximum. A great many of your character designs speak to me and I'm loathe to let them pass by me.

Please be advised that there's a high chance therefore that when it comes to combat I will be using my split combat house rules. Essentially, the groups will often need to tackle two situations or encounters simultaneously. This reduces turn advantage and combat clutter.

Check back soon!


3 people marked this as a favorite.

When a storm wrecked the indomitable galleon Salvation off the coast of Kotei, Ancient Lands of the East, your stories came to an end. Your corpses were gathered up however by an esoteric order of monks known as the Path of Seiki.

Entombing you all within enchanted tombs that would forever preserve your bodies, you gaijin (strangers) to this land have been at rest for over three centuries.

Now, it is time you rise from your slumber. Your life will be given back, and you will be expected to repay your debtors.

Kotei faces a new darkness and it has need of your services... blank slates devoid of any living sense of allegiance or bias. You will cast aside your distant paths and become the Dragons of the West

===
CHARACTER CREATION RULES

- 1st level
- 25 point buy
- average starting gold. You do not begin with your purchased equipment but you shall receive it not long after the campaign begins
- only human races, however you qualify for any feat/traits/archetypes that require different races.
- 2 traits, you may take regional traits regardless of origin since all of you no longer have a "homeland"
- 1 drawback maximum
- Divine domain spellcasters may select any two domains, since as per my norm, there are no deities.
- All Paizo published material is allowed, 3PP material on a case by case basis.
- This takes place in a land very similar to Tian Xia. As such, Samurai and Ninja are available classes as are Gunslingers, with firearms being emerging.

Any further questions can be asked below. I will be taking a maximum of four PCs and I will be choosing the final crew on June 8th.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Male

"Greetings adventurers, my name is Ken Devendell. You're all here in Crow's Hook because of my wanted poster I imagine? Very well then, I guess you do deserve some more explanations. What's that? How much are we getting paid? Well that depends on how far you make it my friend."

"A long time ago, I lived in a glorious mansion up in the mountains. No longer. A foul curse fell upon my home one day as I was abroad and upon returning found my home to be impenetrable and cursed with foul monsters. So in short, my plight and quest is the following:

I require the aid of adventurers such as yourself to delve deep into my ancestral home and see to finding the cause and full extent of this curse. While the mansion itself is quite immense, I reason that the job is sufficiently done if the first few floors are covered."

"You are free to take as much time as needed, Crow's Hook has plenty of supplies to sell."

"But first, I'd like to hear about yourself. Some of you don't seem to know each other very much yet either."


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sweet! Thank you very much for revising this one, it's an absolute gem.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Kitsune Knight wrote:


...run something of smaller scale...

P.S.-I would probably try and keep such products pdf only and as low price as possible as they add an additional cost that DMs may find hard to chip in for just to run such an AP.

P.P.S.-I would also suggest looking at what the guys at Fire Mountain Games are producing in Way of the Wicked if your looking for what high quality 3rd party APs are going for these days. If anything it would give you a good understanding as to the standards of the competition.

As to your point of keeping it on a smaller scale, we are thinking of making something more akin to the first Pathfinder Adventure Path, where Golarion itself was but a name and everything began in Varisia. The players and GMs would get their first glimpse of our world through the adventure. Players would most likely know only so much about the world at large, much as in most people don't know every country, every place and every important person in the world.

We want this to be a complete adventure: Setting descriptions, Adventure and material all together.

We are only considering PDF for now and the price will definitely not be high. Our objective is to provide a worthwhile adventure for the community, not to make a profit. In fact, the cost we set may only be to refund what we use to pay for artwork and other such material.

As for Fire Mountain Games, I have already looked at their work and it was mostly the amazing quality they put out that led me to believe that a 3rd Party could produce content that I believe is as strong and fun to play as any official Paizo AP.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

An abberation that feeds off the remaining time (as in years of life) of its victims.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Don't figure out my future plot devices please.

Sovereign Court

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Thorin2011 wrote:
noted and fixed thanks ... I am dropping into combat manager and it did not add up is all ... You do great work thank you it is a big help to have this boss fleshed out.

As I work by hand, and not using HeroLab, it is entirely possible that some errors may pop up in some calculations. I try and do NPCs level by level to make sure that nothing is missed and then recalculate everything to double check but sometimes I may miss things.

Sovereign Court

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Thorin2011 wrote:
no problem, thank for remembering me.

And here you go. Sorry for the late reply. As with all my NPCs from here on out, I did not purchase equipment as I feel the choices are too varied for me to choose.

Valishaz Naera, Broodmaster Summoner:

Valishaz Naera (CR 6)
Female drow summoner (broodmaster) 7
NE medium humanoid (elf)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
hp 35 (7d8)
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +7
Immune magic sleep effects SR 13
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee quarterstaff +5 (1d6)
Special Attacks Summon monster IV (7/day; concentration +7)
Drow Spell-like Abilities (CL 7th)
1/day -- dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire
Summoner Spells (CL 7th: concentration +7)
0 -- (~) daze, detect magic, guidance, message, read magic, resistance
1st -- (4/day) expeditious retreat, grease, magic fang, reduce person, rejuvenate eidolon (lesser)
2nd -- (3/day) barkskin, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, invisibility
3rd -- (1/day) evolution surge, fly
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 18
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 15
Feats (4) Focused Eidolon, Defending Eidolon, Resilient Eidolon, Vigilant Eidolon
Skills (21) Fly +10, Spellcraft +11, Use Magic Device +14
Languages Elven, Undercommon, Aklo
SQ eidolon brood, brood link, bond senses, shield ally, maker’s call,
Racial Abilities keen senses, light blindness, poison use
Gear 6,000 gp

Aspeth and Letherys, Eidolons:

Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.;
AC +2 natural armor; Saves Fort (bad), Ref(good), Will (good); Attack bite (1d6), tail slap (1d6); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11; Free Evolutions bite, climb, reach (bite), tail, tail slap.

Aspeth
Eidolons
Init +4; Senses Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 19 (+9 natural, +4 dex)
hp 23 (3d10+6)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +5
Defensive Abilities evasion
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite (1d6) or tail slap (1d6)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 21
Feats (1) Improved Natural Armor
Skills (12) Knowledge (planes) +4, Perception +14, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +10
Evolutions (5) Improved Natural Armor (2), Improved Damage (Bite), bite, climb, reach (bite), tail, tail slap, Scent, Unnatural Aura, Skilled (perception)
Languages
SQ link, share spells, devotion

Letherys
Eidolons
Init +4; Senses Perception +14
DEFENSE
AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+10 natural, +4 dex)
hp 20 (3d10+3)
Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +5
Defensive Abilities evasion
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite (1d8) or tail slap (1d6)
STATISTICS
Str 13, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +6; CMB +7; CMD 20
Feats (2) Improved Natural Armor (2)
Skills (12) Knowledge (planes) +4, Perception +14, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +10
Evolutions (5) Improved Natural Armor (2), Improved Damage (Bite), bite, climb, reach (bite), tail, tail slap, Scent, Unnatural Aura, Skilled (perception)
Languages
SQ link, share spells, devotion

Sovereign Court

1 person marked this as a favorite.

What rules currently exist to support the creation of foods, both non-magical and magical.

I am aware of Elves of Golarion but that seems to simply be potions in food form, preventing anyone without the prerequisite caster levels of using them. I nevertheless like the presentation used.

I'd nevertheless prefer a method which could provide small benefits, emulating certain spells but that could be created by non-casters and also providing a way to not require the wasting of potions outside of combat. Food would most of the time be consumed when adventurers would rest for example.

The only other alternative I've currently found is from the D&D Wiki for 3.5: link but I feel this lacks both flavor and content.

Are there any other alternatives or do you have any ideas?

Sovereign Court

1 person marked this as a favorite.

@Krome, I'll see to making some generic NPCs but which NPC class were you looking for and what levels?

@NecromanticNate, I'll take 1 request per person for now, even if I'm not too busy. Went with the Sepulchral Knight. He's CR 13 as we went with PC gear to represent his boss status. Also, I think you meant Graveknight and not Graveguard as I couldn't find that name.

The Sepulchral Knight:

The Sepulchral Knight (CR 13)
Male human graveknight antipaladin 11
CE medium undead (augmented)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
Aura aura of cowardice (10 ft.), aura of despair (10 ft.), aura of evil (faint), aura of vengeance, sacrilegious aura (30ft., DC 17)
DEFENSE
AC 31, touch 11, flat-footed 30 (+9 armor, +1 dex, +5 enhancement, +4 natural, +2 shield)
hp 125 (11d10+55)
Fort +18, Ref +12, Will +16
Defensive Abilities Channel resistance +4, rejuvenation; DR 10/magic; Immune cold, fire, electricity, undead traits; SR 23
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee +1 flaming burst longsword +20/+15/+10 (1d8+1d6 fire +8/ x2)
Special Attacks channel destruction, devastating blast (3/day, 6d6 fire; DC 21), smite good (4/day), touch of corruption (5d6, 9/day; Cruelties (DC 21): shaken, diseased, frightened), undead mastery (DC 21)
Antipaladin Spell-like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +14)
At Will -- detect good
Antipaladin Spells Prepared (CL 8th; concentration + 14)
1st -- (DC 15) bane, death knell, doom, protection from good
2nd -- (DC 16) bull’s strength, hold person, eagle’s splendor
3rd -- (DC 17) bestow curse, deeper darkness
STATISTICS
Str 24, Dex 14, Con -, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 22
Base Atk +11/+6/+1; CMB +18; CMD 29
Feats Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Extra Lay on Hands, Weapon Focus (longsword), Dazzling Display, Shatter Defenses, Improved Initiative, Mounted Combat, Ride-by-Attack, Toughness
Skills Handle Animal +20, Intimidate +28, Perception +10, Ride +19; armor check penalty -5
Languages Common
SQ channel negative energy (6d6, DC 21), fiendish boon (fiendish servant, summon monster VI), plague bringer, phantom mount, ruinous revivification (fire), unholy resilience
Gear +1 flaming burst longsword, +3 full plate, +2 spiked heavy steel shield, cloak of resistance +3, boots of speed, headband of alluring charisma +4, belt of physical might +2 (Str, Dex), 1,555 gp


1 person marked this as a favorite.

See, when it's not a Swarm things go nicely eh?

Sovereign Court

2 people marked this as a favorite.

At the end of my player's adventure I plan to have them finish off just above 20th level (23rd at most).

While I don't feel like using the Epic Level Handbook from 3.5, I do think there's a few ideas that could be kept.

I'm setting classes at a hard cap of 20 levels, so I plan on not using the brief rules for Beyond 20th Level.

What I'd like to do is to give them two options:

Option A: Multi-class. They know ahead of time how far the campaign goes so they can plan ahead.

Option B: Take levels in a new prestige class that has exactly 3 levels. This class would be quick and simple and give them access to some epic style abilities and powers.

Epic Scion
Simple Epic Level Prestige Class

Requirements
20th level character (You can take this prestige class for your 21st level)

d10 HD
4+Int Skill Slots
Class Skills: Craft, Diplomacy, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), Linguistics, Profession

Base Attack Bonus Progression
1st Level: +1
2nd Level: +1
3rd Level: +2

Base Saves Progression
1st Level: +1
2nd Level: +1
3rd Level: +2

Abilities Granted
1st: Paragon Talent
2nd: Paragon Talent
3rd: Paragon Talent

List of Paragon Talent Ideas
Bonus Feat: You may take any feat that you meet the requirements for. You can take this talent multiple times. Each time you do, choose a new feat.

Magic Wielder: You may choose one of the following magic item slot. You gain an additional slot of that kind. You can take this talent multiple times. Each time you do, choose a different magic item slot.

Armored Body: Your natural armor increases by 1. This does not stack with natural armor bonuses granted by magical items. You can take this talent multiple times. Its effects stack.

Blitz Runner: Increase your base land speed by 10 ft. You can take this talent multiple times.

Illustrious Skills: Choose a skill you have proficiency with and that you have at least 10 ranks in. You gain a +5 bonus to that skill. You can take this talent multiple times. Each time you do, choose a different skill.

Supreme Will: You get a +4 bonus to Will saves.

Supreme Reflexes: You get a +4 bonus to Reflex saves.

Supreme Fortitude: You get a +4 bonus to Fortitude saves.

Great Vigor: You gain an additional 20 hit points. You can take this talent multiple times.

Supreme Spellcasting: You gain the ability to cast spells of one level higher than normal for your class. You gain one spell slot of the new higher spell, plus any bonus spells you receive for having a high ability score. You can take this talent multiple times. (These slots are used for metamagic modified spells)

Vast Magic: You gain an additional 10 spell slots to use per day. You can spread this out however you want (10 1st level spells, 2 5th level spells, 1 10th level spell, etc). You can take this talent up to two times. You must have a caster level of 20 to take this talent.

Paragon Enhancement: Increase one of your ability scores by 1. You can take this talent multiple times.

Regenerative: You gain fast healing 2. You can take this talent multiple times. Each time you do, your fast healing increases by 2.

Might of Ages: Your weapon attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of damage. You can take this talent multiple times.

Linguistic Mastery: You can read and speak all languages. You must have at least 10 ranks in Linguistics to take this talent.

Spell Discovery: You learn two new spells of any level up to the maximum level of spells you can cast. You can take this talent multiple times.

Into the Fray: You get a +6 bonus to Initiative checks.

Nearing Perfection: Choose a class ability that has a set, increasing rate, such as a barbarian's damage reduction, a fighter's bonus feat and weapon training, a paladin's smite evil, or a rogue's sneak attack. Increase it to the next step. (+1d6 to a Rogue's sneak attack for example.) You can take this talent multiple times.

*New*Varied Repertoire: Choose two spells from a spell list other than your own. You may add these spells to your own spell list. You may only choose spells that are a maximum of 3 levels lower than the highest spell you can cast. (If you can cast 9th level spells, then you can't choose spells higher than 6th level spells.) You can take this talent multiple times.

=======================================

I welcome all comments and criticism as well as alternate ideas, new paragon talents, etc, etc.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

They spend so much time lying on top of rulebooks I'm sure it just soaks into their souls.

Sovereign Court

1 person marked this as a favorite.

For my upcoming Summer 2012 Campaign with my gaming group, the decision was made (without my choice but alas, 'tis life) to run a Pathfinder Rolepaying Game set in a Steampunk world BUT that the game would go post-apocalyptic.

Naturally, the turned to their good old friend d20 Modern Apocalypse (Wizards of the Coast) and decided that a mixed apocalypse would suit nicely and so Alien Invasion was merged with a Rise of the Machines.

After some initial groundwork, I came up with a rough outline that the players all agreed on. (We do this teaser of the campaign parts to whet their appetites and make sure it's to their liking.)

Currently though, I am stuck designing the main bad guys (the aliens). Known as the Nebelis, these abberations were formed by Ironfall's Academy of Science and are slightly based off the Tyranids from Warhammer 40K and the Slivers from Magic the Gathering in that they evolve their own genetic mutations.

I've made a base form for the smallest of them (Tiny Abberation, CR 1/2) and am now designing a large table of applications and evolutions that can be applied to them.

In any case, the Rise of the Machine part involves the Steamworked (Half-construct race created using the Advanced Race Guide playtest) rising up from their near state of slavery and going riot on Ironfall (that's the metropolis the players are in).

For those interested, here's the Campaign Teaser of what I plan to have the players go through.

Campaign Teaser:

What follows is a short summary of the entire Clockspinning Campaign. Note that though the Campaign uses Pathfinder (pretty much D&D 3.5) this takes place in a Victorian Age - Industrial Age world known as Ironfall. Therefore, expect the fantastic and science fiction to clash together.

Act I ~ Grindgeist [1-3]

When a desperate plan to make some quick money to repay some deadly debts goes horribly wrong, the party finds themselves trapped within the mechanical nightmare asylum of the Saint Restorer, pursued by mechanical abominations, undead inmates and the psychotic villain who makes the place his home.

Act II ~ Behind Glass Doors [3-5]

With a large part of their debt repaid, the party is given the chance to clear their name and make some profit when they become embroiled in a heist on Ironfall's Academy of Science. Yet something sinister lurks within these glass filled halls... something that hungers.

Act III ~ Raven's Crime [5-7]

With their names cleared and new allies made amidst Ironfall's Enforcers, the party teams up with down on his luck Detective Alastair Vindt as the city falls prey to the predations of a sick and twisted murderer who not only viciously slays his victims but brings them back as tormented undead to stalk the streets.

Act IV ~ Iron Thunder [7-9]

As the politics of Ironfall rise and fall after the hell of the past months, riots begin in the streets as the Steamworked dissidents transform into a terrorist group known as the Iron Pact. And yet, even more dire concerns may be brewing as strange aberrations begin using the terror and chaos of the riots to abduct citizens.

Act V ~ Totenwelt [9-11]

As the riots rise to a fiery crescendo, the alien masses of the Nebelis rise from the depths of the planet and clash with the human populations. Caught in the grip of a world gone to hell, the party must make it out of Ironfall alive, and with all the backup and supplies they can find.

Act VI ~ Of Seas and Slaughter [11-13]

Having made it out to sea aboard one of the last intact vessels, the party finds themselves navigating the treacherous Derelict Strait, hunted by Nebelis and their twisted cultists. Meanwhile, one of the crew is not who he seems to be, and mangled corpses turn up daily.

Act VII ~ War and Pieces [13-15]

Having heard from other refugees that a collection of ships have made it out alive and are currently heading to a determined safe refuge, the party attempts to meet up with them. There, they find a world of panic and despair as various figures attempt to control the frightened masses. If any hope is to be had, order must be imposed.

Act VIII ~ The Leviathan Gauntlet [15-16]

In order to maintain control of the barely held mass of people that they have, the party must brave a nautical gauntlet of Nebelis creatures and the perils of an underwater facility to reach the vaults where firearms and weapons were mass produced and are now stored.

Act IX ~ Revenge of the Resolute [16-17]

Armed to the teeth and bristling for vengeance, the refugees of Ironfall prepare their crusade to take back their world. The first call lies in taking out the Nebelis breeding plants and founding a beachead to begin retaking their home.

Act X ~ Ground Zero [17-18]

The time to strike Ironfall has come. The party must lead their forces back into hell and retake their fallen world, piece by piece, Nebelis corpse by Nebelis corpse.

Act XI ~ Starline [18-20]

With the ground retaken, the party realizes that the looming threat of the Nebelis is only stopped when their entire forces have been annihilated. Using what little means they have, the party manages to construct the very first rocketcraft in order to reach the Nebelis base on Lunae Major, Ironfall's largest moon.

Act XII ~ Beyond the Farthest Sun[20+]

In the final epic conclusion, the party find themselves facing the Nebelis hordes on another planet in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. After all that has happened, will the party succeed or will they and their allies corpses return to Ironfall... enslaved and mutated to begin the domination again?

In any case I'd love the have some feedback on the ideas and also on any possible resources or material that you think would go great with this.

Thanks in advance!

Sovereign Court

2 people marked this as a favorite.

The dragon's captured bard playtoy, now gone quite insane, who is tremendously grateful for the rescue.