I was looking at the Free RPG Day website to see what was in the offering this year and saw that Frog God Games is doing and adventure called "Hall of Bones." Frog God Games website just says "coming soon" under the entry. I think running a S&W game would be fun and a nice break from Pathfinder. However, I was curious if any one knew any other details about the adventure- like what level it will be, will it contain pregens, how many players it's for, anticipated running time, things like that. I was surprised that 15 copies are coming in each set; that's as many as Paizo is producing! Thanks!
Hi, I think I inputted my card wrong the first time around but just to make sure, I updated my order with a different card so hopefully it should be good to go. Thank you.
I was informed to contact customer service to add my contributor copy of Wayfinder #7 to my shopping cart. I have 3 other items sitting in my cart now. I was hoping to add Wayfinder to that order, pay for everything, and then have it ship all together when the preorder items become available if that is at all possible. Thanks!
This question is directed towards paid freelance writers of RPGs- Can you write off RPG material (books and book related materials)as business expenses? I'm definitely going to ask a tax consultant but I was wondering if other freelancers have run into this as well. I'm still pretty small potatoes, but I have already signed two paid contracts this year for work and I'm expecting to do more. Also, as most people know, when researching a company, it's a good idea to sample a particular product line you might be interested in writing for which costs money. Also, to stay current with the rules, until things are released onto the PRD, you need to buy any official Pathfinder book. I still need to research exactly how I go about claiming income earned from freelancing and if their is a minimum one has to make first of all. Thanks, everyone!
I played Dominion for the first time last night. At first I was very skeptical and didn't think I was going to enjoy it but it ended up being a blast to play. Easily one of the best board/card games I've played in years.
I was thinking of getting my current players some Player Companions for Christmas. Since our conversion to Pathfinder almost 2 years ago, they've only bought the corebook so I want to expose them more to the world of Golarion since I'll be running a majority of my campaigns there. I always GM lately, so I'm unfamiliar with the Player's Companion line and was looking for books that would useful/informative for the following classes:
Human cleric (Sarenrae)
Halfling fighter
Human wizard
Human oracle
I'm roughly thinking "Faiths of Purity" for the cleric and "Halflings of Golarion" for the fighter, but I'm not sure about the wizard and oracle. I want to get them each a different one, so I'm thinking maybe the "Inner Sea World Primer" and maybe "Humans of Golarion." I've noticed the "Humans" book didn't get the most glowing of reviews with people saying a lot of it was a rehash, but to my players it would basically be all new stuff. Currently, we are playing Kingmaker. Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks.
Thanks Paizo for getting this up and another big thanks to Raging Swan for letting me write this for them. This is my first professional freelance gig, so I'm pretty excited about it and I look forward to seeing what you all think about it.
To steal End's line, "Reviewed!" (though End does a much better and thorough job than I reviewing). Anyway, I highly recommend people check this module out and the other FGG products. "Jungles of Madaro-Shanti" is fantastic. I still have "The Spire of Iron and Crystal" to read and "Hollow Mountain" as well. FGG does not disappoint.
Oh joy of joys, ever since the American Eagle sale began, I've been waiting for some product from my favorite 2nd edition campaign setting, Birthright.
The other day I was walking into my local comic/game store. Plastered in the hallway by the back entrance are all kinds of posters for different comics. But they also have a couple of small game posters for "Magic" and "D&D Played Here." They are smaller than the traditional poster sizes. I know Paizo has their marketing posters but I was wondering if they had smaller promotional posters like "Pathfinder played here" or something along those lines. The store recently opened a new gaming room and I'm trying to spread the word of Pathfinder (Magic is huge at store but I'm been informed by the owner that Pathfinder outsells D&D). I thought it would be great if the store could get a hold of some Pathfinder posters to put up.
Who is the better director? My opinion Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" vs.Matthew Vaughan's "Kick A!@" and "X-Men: First Class." Bonus points- Matthew Vaughan for early Guy Ricthie movies. Victory for me goes to Matthew Vaughan. Gladiators, defend the honor of your champion. (FYI, 300 to me was a lame CGI "Braveheart").
I've just recently started getting back into paint minis and I'm currently working on the Skinsaw Man (a ghoul). I my collection of old Reaper paint, I found a color- ghoul gray, that I used as my first coat (over a black basecoat) for his skin. Ghoul Gray is a nice looking dark green-gray color that I think will work well. Because I always start with a black base coat (it's the only way I know how to paint), I typically start with a dark color and work up from there to the final highlights. I don't ever remember using ghoul gray before, so I'm wondering what I should use for my highlight colors. I uploaded the Reaper painted image of him into their power palette app and a couple of colors that popped up where "pale lichen" and creamed ivory (which I'm guessing is the final highlight). I don't have pale lichen and the color on the website looks more blue-gray (though their newer ghoul color doesn't look as green so it could just be my monitor settings). No store in my area sells Reaper paints so I can't confirm the color. I'm almost thinking about trying to mix in a very light flesh tone and just gradually add a little more as I build up the layers. I'm curious as to what other paint schemes people have used to paint his skin.
We are trying to pull together a couple of quick one shot Pathfinder games at our local friendly neighborhood gaming store (Jetpack Comics) to celebrate the release of Ultimate Combat (Really just an Excuse to get together and game).
If you are within traveling distance of Rochester, New Hampshire and are looking to waste an afternoon playing Pathfinder, we hope you can make it. There are twelve seats available for 2 different games on Sunday the 28th. Each game starts at 10am and runs through 6pm or until the end of the module whichever comes first.
There are 2 tables being run concurrently. At table one, a Pathfinder Scenario “To Delve the Dungeon Deep”. At table two, an updated and modified version of “Ex Libris” a great 2nd edition adventure from back in the good’ol “Dungeon” days.
You should sign up in advance (I think you can do it in person or by e-mail) at Jetpack Comics in Rochester, NH if you want to take part. Look for the Pathfinder Logo in the link for details.
Is there plans to release an Ultimate Combat marketing poster like what was released for Ultimate Combat? It's a cool piece of art and the walls in my office at work are so boringly bare...
Just curious if there will be marketing posters of this available for sale like with Ultimate Magic. As if I didn't get enough questions about the Cthulhu toys/art in my office at work...
I just started running Kingmaker the other night and I thought it might add to the game by introducing variable weather elements, especially with the characters being low enough level that just can't magic the effects away. Has anyone come up with a random weather generator?
My other idea is since the Stolen Lands is the size of Maine and contains much of the same geography, I might just use the 10 day report feature on weather.com for my area (NH, near the Maine border). As a New Englander, I can tell you that the weather up here can be quite schizophrenic, going from cold enough to snow one day to hot and humid the next.
One word of warning with Beck- after watching it, you may feel a strong urge to go out and buy a guitar and start learning how to play it. It happened to me and I've read about it happening to others.
and is he/she awesome? But seriously, when I went to edit my profile, it has a PFS character listed for me named "Kelaxe." Is this normal? I haven't made a PFS character but wasn't sure if maybe I was just assigned one...Or if you are missing your character named "Kelaxe", he/she is linked to my profile.
Has anyone toyed with the idea of inserting the Skinsaw Murders after Harrowstone? I've read Harrowstone and I just picked up the Skinsaw Murders the other day because from the description, the initial part of the adventure, the investigating of the Foxglove Manor, sounded like it'd fit in pretty good after Harrowstone. Instead of bouncing around from classic monster (Frankenstein, werewolves, Lovecraftian, and vampires), with Skinsaw Murders, I could run my own AP of ghostbusting PCs. I haven't read all of the Skinsaw Murders, but I do know that it moves away from the haunted Manor to investigate agents of the Runelord. I figure if I can find another AP or module to fit in after, I could tie the rest of the Skinsaw Murders to that one.
Anyone try out a Wild West campaign yet? My players wanted to try the new gunslinger class so we took a break from our regularly scheduled campaign. Everyone rolled up 4th lvl gunslingers using the advanced firearm rules and with the assistance of an old Boot Hill module, I ran them through a Wild West adventure. It turned out really fun. We were able to use some of the new deeds and gunslinger feats. My favorite was when my players were trying to lure out an outlaw who was holed up in a brothel with his prostitute girlfriend. One of my players was playing a female and he/she lured the girlfriend and pistolwhipped her. He/she then ended up chasing the outlaw through an open window with leaping shot. Until the Ultimate Combat comes out with more guns, I think to keep it interesting I may devise some various pistols/rifles/shotguns with different properties. Anyways, I just wanted to recommend trying it out if you haven't already.
Raging Swan just released their newest adventure "Dark Oaks." I'm not going to go into detail on the adventure itself here but definitely check it out on the Paizo store. I'm going to also spoiler most of this in case any "PCs" wander by. After reading through the adventure, I was really grabbed by its backstory. Also, I am in no way affiliated with Raging Swan. This is just something I came up with for fun.
Spoiler:
This crazy lizardman druid named Ssjarlith corrupted a treant with this drug/disease called "bark blight." She used the treant to attack local villages until adventures drove away the treant to the lizardman's lair and defeated him. The adventurers never knew the lizardmen were involved. Flash forward a few years and the lizardfolk are still holed up in the cave. The tribe is dying out so Ssjarlith sends out her last minions to cause havok.
The adventure offers a couple of different adventure hooks for the PCs, one of which is just merely stumbling across the cave. Most of the others are investigatory in nature, such as half hearted raids by the lizards on nearby settlements, a polluted river, things like that. They do the job but I was really digging the idea of the wild, crazy treant running around smashing stuff. So, on that note...
Inspired by the backstory, I wanted to propose another adventure hook. The adventure is designed to get to the "Dark Oaks" rather quickly so this hook adds a little extra time. In this hook, Ssjarlith, again knowing time is short, becomes frustrated with the half hearted raids by her lizardmen minions. She is also hesitant to waste their lives since the tribe is already dwindling in numbers. Even though it almost brought down their downfall last time, Ssjarlith desperately decides to give the crazed treant scheme one last try. She's able to find a young, somewhat wild and reckless (for his kind) treant named Oedum Brightleaf (or whatever you want to call him, I hate coming up with names...) Oedum quickly succumbs to the bark blight's effects and goes mad, attacking loggers, hunters, and settlements as he finds them. Locals remember this happening once before and it begins to dawn on them that something in the marsh must be driving these normally good aligned treants to acts of violence. The PCs are called in to not only put down the mad treant but find the source of the evil plaguing the marsh. This hook sets up Ssjarlith's plans as a little more hostile than the half hearted raids. The PCs can attempt to track Oedum and maybe bait the creature into a trap. They may watch the treant and observe him interacting with members of the Dark Oak tribe. The PCs can try to slay Oedum outright or chase him back to the Dark Oak lair. If the PCs manage to slay Oedum, then the next day use the hook from page 5 of the adventure where the diseased body of a lizarman floats down the river. This should give a clue that the two events may be interconnected and they should start looking for some lizardmen.
For ease, I've spoilered Oedum's stats below. I've tried to follow the Paizo format for a NPC. Please excuse the lack of bold tags as I'm copying it out of my personal word file of variant monsters I'm creating.
Oedum Brightleaf
Spoiler:
Young Treant Barbarian CR 7
Male treant barbarian 1
CE Large treant (plant)
Init +2; Senses low light vision; Perception +17
===== Defense =====
AC 21 touch 11, flat-footed 19; (+2 Dex, +12 natural, -2 rage, -1 size)
hp 145 (13 HD, 12d8+84+1d12+7)
Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +10
Immune plant traits DR 10/slashing
Weaknesses vulnerability to fire
===== Offense =====
Spd 40 ft.
Melee 2 slams +19 (1d8+11/19-20) or +1 thundering greatclub 21/16 (2d8+17/19-20+1d8 sonic)
Ranged rock +11 (1d18+11)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks rock throwing (120 ft.), rage (9 rounds/day) trample (1d8+16) DC 27
Base Statistics AC 23, ff 21, HP 126, Fort +10, Will +8 Melee 2 slams +17 (1d8+9/19-20) or +1 thundering greatclub 19/14(2d8+13/19-20+1d8 sonic) Str 29, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 11 CMB 20 CMD 32
===== Statistics =====
Str 33, Dex 14, Con 25, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 11
Base Atk +10 CMB +22; CMD 34
Feats Alertness, Improved Critical (greatclub) Improved Critical (slam), Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Diplomacy +8, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (nature) +10, Perception +17, Sense Motive +10, Stealth -6 (+10 in forests) Survival +8 Racial Modifiers +16 in forests
Languages Common, Sylvan, Treant
SQ double damage against objects, fast movement, treespeech
Treasure +1 thundering greatclub
Design notes
Spoiler:
I took a CR 8 treant and applied the "young template" for a -1 CR. Also, taking a note from the actual adventure, I lowered his CR by another -1 due to the fact that he is evil and loses his animate trees ability. So then I added a level of barbarian to show that he was a little "wild" for his kind and give him a little zing. As you can see from his stats which are for when he's raging, he is one tough hombre for a CR 7. But the PCs should know what they are up against and prepare accordingly. Also, when Oedum is raging, he won't be thinking clearly and will be easier to lead into some sort of trap.
Anyways, like I said, I just thought the backstory had a cool idea and I wanted to run with it. I figured if I was going to do the work, I'd might as well post it if anyone else wanted to use it. Oh, don't forget to buy "Dark Oaks." At 4.99 it's cheaper than a "value" meal at McDonald's. Or even a pint at your local pub.
John Bennett
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8,
Dedicated Voter aka John Benbo
Ah, man, the Superstar 2011 banner is gone already :(. Guess that makes sense since the contest is over, but I was still checking back in regularly (I'm still trying to catch up on the entries for the last three years!). I only discovered the Paizo site about September/October so I have no clue how long the banner is usually up. I was going to suggest a button but already found it under links!
The one thing I would like to see with the directions is alternate views of the model. I think this would make it a little easier. In particular this model because at one point you kind of have to cut one wall almost free and swing it over plus pop out two tabs for the lower roof. It wasn't clear to me at first but after fiddling with it for a little bit, I figure it out.
John Bennett
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8,
Dedicated Voter aka John Benbo
I wanted to wait a few days to let the top 4 bask in the spotlight. Now that they are busily writing their pitches, I just wanted to take this time during the lull to offer my thanks to everyone. First, thank you to the judges and guest judges for taking the time to offer your critiques. I don't know how Neil does it, with a family, and a job, and a freelance career, but not only did he give each contest long, detailed critiques, I see he's still doing it in tthe "Critique my Item" thread. Mark,Ryan, and Sean, it was a pleasure interacting with you and getting your feedback. Second, a big thank you to the Paizo community. Being an introvert, I'm not always comfortable putting myself out there but you have all made me feel very comfortable. Thank you for all your comments on my entries. Also, thank you for voting me into the semi-finals. I very much appreciate that I got to participate in the 4 mechanical/rules/design rounds and all their Machiavellian twists. Finally, thank you to Paizo for putting this contest on. It was a great way to pass what otherwise would have been a very boring winter for me. I truly was an amateur game designer. Even though I've played RPGs for 23 years since I was 8, I never really tried my hand at the game design aspect. So, for this contest, I had to rely on that experience I had playing the game. But, having participated in this contest, I've learned so much. I consider myself a storyteller, and now I can add game design, along with fiction writing, script writing, and filmmaking to my "storytelling" arsenal. But don't cry for me that I'm out of the contest. I have no regrets, only lessons learned.
So, for the John Bennett fans out there- what does the future hold for me? Well, I'm very busy with grad school for the next two years, so that's a priority. However, one of my players is designing an awesome new RPG that we've been playtesting. He's the brains behind it and I'll be the money, so maybe you'll see that here in the Paizo store in a couple of years. I still need to finish my novel, the first draft being done. And besides checking out the PFS open call and Kobold Quarterly, I have ideas of my own for PFRGP compatible setting. So, hopefully, you'll see my name again sometime in the future.
And finally, I promised a present! Since I can no longer compete anymore, I'm offering up the original cocoon cloak. It's still a little rough, in fact, it has no price or cost. I literally rewrote it at the last minute into the Cocoon Cloak I submitted but I always thought this one was cooler. So use/modify it at your own pleasure. Thanks, everyone!
Ghlaunder’s Cocoon Cloak Aura moderate necromancy and transmutation; CL10th
Slot shoulders; Price ZZ gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This cloak made from the whitish-brown silk of giant moths is particularly favored by servants of Ghlaunder. When the command word is spoken, the fibrous cloak encases the wearer in a strong, thick cocoon (hardness 20 and 10 hp). Weapons striking the cocoon must make a DC 20 Reflex save or become stuck to the cocoon. Stuck weapons are freed with a combat maneuver check against a DC 20. As a movement action, the wearer can exit the cocoon. Upon exiting the cocoon, for every consecutive round spent in the cocoon up to ten rounds per day, the wearer is granted a bite attack at her highest attack bonus in the form of a set of grotesque insectoid mandibles sprouting from her face. This is an extra attack in addition to any other attacks the wearer makes and does not provoke an attack of opportunity. On a successful hit, the mandibles do 1d6 points of damage. In addition to the bite damage, the metamorphosis that the wearer underwent in the cloak allows her to infect the creature struck by her attack with any disease she is afflicted by. The creature makes a Fortitude save as normal to avoid contracting the disease. The disease is still communicable even if the wearer is not yet experiencing the onset of the disease. If the wearer is infected by multiple diseases, she chooses which disease she transmits. If the wearer is not currently harboring any diseases, the bite attack inflicts red ache disease. There is no onset period for the disease.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, contagion, web; Cost ZZ gp
John Bennett
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8,
Dedicated Voter aka John Benbo
Apep’s Head
Description: Legends in Garund speak of Apep or the “Destroyer”, a giant from the stars that appeared almost eight thousand years ago. Made out of strange metal and standing hundreds of feet tall, the ancients believed it to be a punishment from the gods. The scourge of ancient Osirion, Apep was finally defeated in a furious battle. All that remains of the metal giant is its head, which rests deep within the Eternal Oasis in modern day Rahadoum.
Ancient Osirions avoided the spot where the giant’s head rested, fearing the place cursed. Centuries later, when the decadent Pharaoh Shaket came into power, he became fascinated with Apep’s head, believing it to be from an ancient god. To demonstrate his power to his subjects, he refurbished the head, designing with magic a beautiful hanging garden in its interior. Stories say that Shaket was able to command the head to shoot fire from its eyes, reducing his enemies to ashes. The head fell into disuse after Shaket’s death. As the years passed, Apep’s head was forgotten, swallowed by the jungle around the Eternal Oasis, and the horrors of the metal giant became but a myth.
The head, standing 35 feet high and made of a dull grayish metal, not unlike steel, rests in a large clearing in the Eternal Oasis. The head’s jutting features appear to be almost human, but the eyes, nose and lips are composed of hard angles, softened slightly by erosion. While the features are weathered, there is not a spot of rust on the head. Its smooth surface makes it impossible to climb without magic. A set of stone steps leads up to a large metal door set in Apep’s pursed lips.
The PCs, having previously encountered Voracek, discovered his plan to build a doomsday device from skymetal. Voracek needs a valuable crystal located somewhere in Apep’s head to power the device. The PCs are here to get the crystal first, if they can find it. As they approach the head, thunder rumbles nearby. Voracek and his gargoyle allies who also venerate Ayrzul, having bribed the services of a thunderbird, will be here soon. The PCs know they do not have much time.
Apep's Head (Ground Floor)
Inside, soft light, like daylight, emanates from fixtures set in the ceiling, falling on lush gardens in carefully sculpted beds amongst wild vegetation. The perfume of exotic flowers fills the air. More greenery hangs from stone terraces along the outer walls twenty feet up. Invading vines dangle in clumps from the high ceiling. Graceful statues of a regal looking man carved from marble, his features weathered by the elements, stand seven feet tall on pedestals. At the far end of the room, a metal pillar rises up, growing wider in width.
The pillar, like the walls, ceiling, and floor, is made from a completely smooth metal. It is 20 ft. wide at its base, widening to 50 ft. at its top. There are no stairs visible to reach it. The head, except the first 15 ft. of the entrance, rises to 35 ft. in height. The entrance is only 20 ft. in height as the fire cannon platform is above it.
Behind the pillar on the ground floor sits a small metal altar, three feet high, a mosaic of small flashing lights, lighted glass, buttons, and levers on its top.
Operating the altar requires a DC 25 Use Magic Device or a Knowledge (Arcana) skill check. A successful skill check immediately causes a circular disc, 10 ft. wide, to rise slightly from the ground near the base of the pillar. The disc can support 2,000 lbs. After a minute, the disc rises straight up to the top of the pillar.
Apep's Head (Top Floor)
At the top of the pillar sits a metal chair on a 2 ft. dais. Nearby is a long metal altar like the one below (hardness 15, hp 120). The crystal is housed in the interior of the altar and powers the room. A successful DC 25 Use Magic Device or Knowledge (Arcana) skill check operates a thin bridge that rises out of the ground floor, connecting the pillar top and the platform. A loud thrumming sounds from the one working fire cannon.
The platform contains two fire cannons described below. The westernmost cannon is broken but the eastern cannon is operational. If the command deck has been activated, the metal shields in front of the window, 4 ft. in diameter, open.
Fire Cannon Space 5 ft. by 10 ft.; Weight 3,000 lbs.
Hardness 15; hp 1,080
Range 200 ft.
Description: This seven foot long metal cylinder lies horizontal on a swivel platform. Attached to a platform is a chair and trigger controls for the operator. To the PCs it looks like some kind of Golarion cannon. The operator can turn the cannon anywhere in a 360 arc and can tilt it as a move action. Once per round as a standard action, the operator , using the controls, can fire the cannon, shooting a concentrated beam of energy that deals 4d6 points of fire damage similar to a scorching ray spell. The attack is a ranged touch attack that uses the operator’s ranged attack bonus. The fire cannon ignores range penalties due to weather.
Thick vines hang 15 ft. from the ceiling, supporting 250 lbs. They can be grabbed with a DC 15 Acrobatics skill check. It is possible to swing from the vines to the flower beds on the outer wall.
Creatures: There is a 25% that the vine is an Advanced Assassin Vine that immediately attacks the PC.
Advanced Assassin Vine (1) CR 4
XP 1,200
hp 38 (Pathfinder Bestiary 22, 294)
Voracek’s Assault
Allow the PCs some time to look for the crystal or set an ambush, reminding them that the thunder is getting closer, before reading the following.
Roaring thunder shakes the ceiling. Suddenly, it explodes in a shower of debris. Hideous gargoyles pour in through the breach, bringing wind and thunder with them. One figure sticks out, illuminated by lightning, a stone skinned man with glowing blue tattoos cackles madly as he’s carried in the talons of a giant, gray bird.
Falling debris rains down on any PCs on the pillar, dealing 1d8 points of damage, a DC 15 Reflex save for half. See hazards below.
Creatures: Voracek and his allies swoop in. A thunderbird carries Voracek in its talons, dropping him by the altar and then flies far enough away to be out of combat but keep its storm aura in effect. Voracek begins to push various buttons on the altar. It will take him 6 total full action rounds operating the altar to open it and reach the crystal. If engaged in melee, Voracek tries to sunder his opponents’ weapons. He crushes his elemental gem to put another ally between him and the PCs. If reduced to half hp or less, he rages, using empowered strike to smash the altar to get at the crystal.
The gargoyles attempt to grab PCs in their talons and hurl them from the pillar to keep them away from Voracek. They target spellcasters and smaller creatures first. If thrown off the pillar, PCs can attempt to grab the vines with a DC 15 Reflex save (-4 for the thunderbird’s storm aura).
Wind, caused by the thunderbird, swirls in from a 30 ft. by 30 ft. hole in the ceiling located over the pillar. See hazards below.
The fight ends if:
Voracek retrieves the crystal, plunging the head into darkness and deactivating the fire cannon. He sounds a horn and the thunderbird swoops in and carries him away.
Voracek retreats as above if reduced to 30 or less hp. He gathers his strength and plans to strike at the PCs within a few days time to take back the crystal.
(TIER 7-8) CR10
Voracek CR 9
XP 6,400
hp 116 (RPG Superstar 2011 R3)
Giant Gargoyles (2) CR 5
XP 1,600
hp 52 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 137, 295)
Creatures: This encounter runs similar as above. However, the thunderbird hovers near the hole in the ceiling and uses thunderbolts to keep PCs away from Voracek and targets archers, swooping in to hurl PCs off the pillar.
The fight ends under the conditions above. If the thunderbird is killed, one of the giant gargoyles will carry Voracek if he retreats.
TIER (10-11) CR 13
Voracek CR 9
XP 6,400
hp 116 (RPG Superstar 2011 R3)
Giant Gargoyles (4) CR 5
XP 1,600
hp 52 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 137, 295)
Thunderbird CR 11
XP 12,800
hp 147 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 264)
Hazards: Garden and wild vegetation areas count as difficult terrain (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 193).
The following hazards are in play when the encounter starts:
The debris from the ceiling causes the pillar to be considered difficult terrain (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 193).
The thunderbird’s presence causes the pillar to be affected by its storm aura special ability (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 264).
John Bennett
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8,
Dedicated Voter aka John Benbo
Meneena Portrait: 12
Description: Throughout Avistan, mothers warn their daughters to behave or the Lullaby Lady will take them away. She is real and a derro. Pale eyes radiating madness, Meneena croons haunting melodies to beguile victims. Her chain armor reeks of blood and embryonic fluid.
Motivations/Goals: Meneena’s strange gift for song was born from her grief over her stillborn daughter. She wanders the Darklands, experimenting on women to create a derro crossbreed that can survive sunlight. Her twisted lullabies aid her in both stealing victims and keeping them quiet. Offspring born from these gruesome procedures are abominations. Meneena leaves behind villages populated with her “children.” Considering them failures, Meneena scours Avistan for new breeding stock.
Schemes/Plots/Adventure Hooks:
Women are going missing in Kaer Maga. With troll auguries going awry, citizens are discreetly looking for investigators.
Grotesque children at an orphanage in Almas sing a strange melody. The Lullaby Lady has returned.
The PCs investigate a village of deformed humans who only come out at night in Ustalav. They fear a cave at the edge of town they believe leads to “Hell.”
Meneena CR 9
Female derro bard (sandman, APG 82) 7
CN Small humanoid (derro)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +10
===== Defense ===== AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 18; ( +5 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 85 (10HD; 3d8+7d6+50)
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +13; +4 vs. bardic performance, language-dependent, and sonic
Defensive Abilities trap sense +2
SR 14
Weaknesses vulnerability to sunlight
===== Offense ===== Spd 25 ft.
Melee+1 aklys +11/+6 (1d6+1)
Ranged+1 aklys +11/+6 (1d6+1)
Special Attacks bardic performance 21 rounds/day (countersong, distraction, fascinate, slumber song, stealspell), sneak attack +2d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd)
At will--darkness, ghost sound (DC 15)
1/day--daze (DC 15), sound burst (DC 17)
Spells Known (CL 7th, concentration +12)
3rd (2/day)--blink, dispel magic
2nd (4/day--enthrall (DC 17), invisibility, misdirection (DC 17)
1st (5/day)--alarm, cause fear (DC 16), charm person (DC 16), expeditious retreat, obscure object (DC 16)
0 (at will)--daze (DC 15), detect magic, prestidigitation, resistance ===== Tactics ===== Before Combat Meneena casts alarm on her quarters every day. If triggered, she hides, using ghost sound to lead away enemies.
During Combat Meneena uses fascinate on her foes until at least one opponent is fascinated and then launches into slumber song. She uses stealspell on spellcasters. In melee, Meneena casts blink and tries to feint, opening an enemy to a sneak attack.
Morale If reduced to 20 hit points or less, Meneena flees, casting darkness, invisibility, and expeditious retreat.
===== Statistics ===== Str 10, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 5, Cha 20
Base Atk +7/2; CMB +6; CMD 19
Feats Extra Performance, Deepsight, Fleet, Improved Initiative, Lingering Performance, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +13, Bluff +18, Escape Artist +13, Heal +4, Perform (sing) +15, Perception +10, Sleight of Hand +16, Stealth +22
Languages Aklo, Common, Orvian, Undercommon
SQ madness, master of deception, poison use, sneakspell +1/+2, well-versed
Combat Gear cytillesh extract (3 doses); Other Gear+1 mithral shirt, +1 aklys, manacles of cooperation, 250 gp.
===== Special Abilities ===== Madness (Ex) Derros use their Charisma modifiers on Will saves instead of their Wisdom modifier, and are immune to insanity and confusion effects. Only a miracle or wish can remove a derro’s madness. If this occurs, the derro gains 6 points of Wisdom and loses 6 points of Charisma.
Poison Use (Ex) Derros are not at risk of poisoning themselves when handling poison.
Vulnerability to Sunlight (Ex) A derro takes 1 point of Con damage after every hour it is exposed to sunlight.
John Bennett
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8,
Dedicated Voter aka John Benbo
Saboteur (Ranger)
Saboteurs mercilessly hunt down their foes and cripple the enemy’s means to wage war. Saboteurs harass invading armies by leaving cleverly hidden traps for unwary scouts and sneaking into the very midst of their opponents’ camps to sabotage their fortifications and siege engines.
Class Skills: The saboteur’s class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Perception (Wis), Ride (Dex), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str). These replace the standard ranger class skills.
Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Tamper (Ex) : At 1st level, a saboteur gets a +2 competence bonus on her Disable Device skill check when attempting to sabotage a simple device. At 11th level, the bonus increases to +4. This ability replaces wild empathy.
Improved Sunder (Ex) : A 3rd level saboteur’s engineering knowledge grants her Improved Sunder as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. This ability replaces endurance.
Saboteur’s Cunning (Ex) : Starting at 4th level, a saboteur applies her favored enemy bonus to her Disable Device skill check to sabotage devices created by creatures of the selected type. Favored enemies suffer a negative penalty equal to the saboteur’s favored enemy bonus to their Perception and Disable Device skill checks to detect and disable a trap set by the saboteur. In addition, a saboteur applies her favored enemy bonus to her CMB when making a sunder attempt against a favored enemy. This ability replaces hunter’s bond.
Ingenuity (Ex) : When attempting to craft a trap, a 7th level saboteur can add ½ her Knowledge (engineering) skill bonus to the attempt. For every 5 that the saboteur beats the Craft (trap) DC, the saboteur raises both the Perception and the Disable Device skill check for the trap by 1. This ability replaces woodland stride.
Sabotage (Ex) : A saboteur of 9th level or higher can make a Disable Device skill check on more complex devices like siege engines. Disabling a siege engine requires a DC 25 Disable Device skill check. A success by 5 or more means that not only has the saboteur left no proof of sabotaging the device; she can modify the range of the device if it has one, such as a catapult. For every 5 that the saboteur beats the Disable Device DC, she can lower the minimum and maximum range of the device by 10 feet causing the device to undershoot when used. At 16th level, for every 5 that the saboteur beats the Disable Device DC, she can lower the minimum and maximum range of the device by 20 feet. This ability replaces evasion.
Didn't know exactly where to post this, but does anyone know of a company that sells cardboard cut-out "minis" for fantasy games? I know there's a couple of companies that include them as part of their modules but I was wondering if someone just sold them separately for fantasy RPGs. I used to play with a guy who had way too many D&D minis, which was great, but my current group and I don't play D&D minis and I don't want to shell out 15 bucks for Rakshasa mini just because it happens to be a rare. If anyone from Paizo sees this, product suggestion- cheap, cut out minis for the monsters in Bestiary 1 and 2 would be pretty useful.
Growing up in the 80s, I got into D&D during the last year or two of 1st edition. I was brought into the game by an older kid in the neighborhood. He in turn, was brought in by his brother. He had the old 70s edition AD&D books (the DM's Guide with the Efreeti on the cover and the Monster Manual that depicted flying monsters, monsters on land, and monsters underground). Retro anything is cool right now, but I've always been fascinated by those 70s AD&D books. I even use an old D&D DM screen even though all the information obviously is obsolete for Pathfinder. I write fiction as a hobby and particularly enjoy scriptwriting so for a little research, I want to hear from people who started playing the original D&D in the 70s. I want to know what the vibe was. What was that feeling in the air when you first cracked open those original D&D booklets? What kind of music did you listen to? What song got you in the mood for orc slaying? Without the internet, how did fans communicate with the company, with each other? What other hobbies did you do besides D&D? Basically, what was the feeling you had doing something so new and different at the time? Did you think it was a passing fad or was it a life altering experience? What was the culture back then? And legal disclaimer: Not looking to steal ideas for characters, plot, or real life representations of anyone one person. I'm just curious to hear what that time was like when RPGing was in it's infancy. Any and all replies appreciated.
John Bennett
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8,
Dedicated Voter aka John Benbo
Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th
Slot shoulders; Price 7,500 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This cloak made from the whitish-brown silk of butterflies is prized by servants of Desna. Once per day when the command word is spoken, the fibrous cloak encases the wearer in a strong, thick cocoon (20 hardness and 10 hp). The wearer can spend up to three rounds inside the cocoon. Each round spent inside the cocoon transforms the wearer as she undergoes a metamorphosis. The first round spent in the cocoon causes the wearer and the cocoon to grow as if affected by an enlarge person spell. On the second round, the wearer’s eyes transform into an insect’s compound eyes granting her darkvision up to 60 feet. On the final round, the wearer sprouts a pair of gossamer butterfly wings. The wings allow the wearer to fly 60 feet per round (40 feet if wearing medium or heavy armor) with good maneuverability and a +5 bonus on Fly skill checks. The wear sheds the cocoon after the third round. The transformation lasts for 5 minutes at which time the butterfly wings melt away and reforms the cloak. The wearer can end the transformation before the third round and still gain the effects from each round spent in the cocoon but the cloak’s daily usage is used up for the day.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, dark vision, enlarge person, fly; Cost 3,750 gp
I have question about the grappling rules. My group is starting to use them a lot more and I just wanted to clarify if we are using the rules correctly. In the core book, it states you can make a grapple as a standard action. If the person (or monster) succeeds on their grappling check, do they have to wait the following round to do one of the grappling effects, like pin, or make an attack (if they succeed in maintaining the grapple) or can they do it as soon as they make the grapple. It states on page 200 of the corebook that once the opponent is grappled they can do any one of those effects. So, I guess the question is, if player A grapples an orc, can player A immediately make an unarmed attack against the orc, or does player A have to wait until the next round to try to maintain the grapple and if successful, pin, move, or make an unarmed attack? Thanks!
Should be pretty useful with the different locations. For me, the best map packs are the ones that all the tiles are interchangeable like the sewers so that you can always change the configuration instead of it being static.
