Owen K. C. Stephens's page

(...and PaizoCon in one case)

Heya folks.

Christina Stiles, whose name most of you should recognize, is running an IndieGoGo fundraiser to help cover the costs of Con travel from herself, myself, and Amanda Hamon. To incentivize folks there are various rewards for pitching in, ranging from a good-sized pdf bundle ( the bundle currently includes pdfs from Misfit Studios, Super Genius Games, LPJ Design, Fat Dragon Games, Fat Goblin Games, Black & Green Games, and Total Party Kill Games) to advertising to one-on-one time to talk to us about whatever you want.

Having freelancers who make the things you enjoy travel to events like this is good for everyone, as it helps build relationships that open doors to otherwise impossible programs (I suspect most of the SGG/Rite Publishing collaboration can be traced back to meeting at Gen Con), and helps keep the minds of your favorite creators fresh and inspired.

So if you feel like getting some cool stuff and helping offset the costs of independent creatives building a stronger industry, check it out!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/get-industry-pros-to-gencon/x/3206025

So, The Genius Guide to the Talented Rogue isn't out yet (soon, I hope). But I shared this teaser section on Facebook, and some folks who don't like/don't use Facebook found out about that and asked if I'd share it here, sooo.....

Save Vs. Wall of Text
Because it includes well more than 175 edges, talents, advanced talents, and grand talents, getting through the talented rogue class write-up can be daunting. Once a character has been written up its easy to look any selected edges and talents if they are presented alphabetically, but when thinking about what talent to take next the abilities can form a nigh-impenetrable “wall of text.”
To help with this issue we’ve categorized all the edges and talents into the following themes and sub themes, based on common rogue character concepts: Defensive (general and saving throws), Flexible Customization, Magic/Mysticism, Movement, Offensive (general and sneak attack), Traps, and Skills (with several sub-categories for specific skills). Each talent gives its name and notes if it is an edge, advanced talent, or grand talent. This allows a GM or player looking for a new option to see which edges and talents are most likely to match his desired character concept without reading through the entire list of options.

Defensive (General)
Another Day (advanced)
Blade Sense (edge)
Defensive Roll (advanced)
Deflect Arrows
Hardy (edge)
Hold Breath
Improved Uncanny Dodge (edge)
Offensive Defense
Redirect Attack (advanced)
Resiliency
Slow Metabolism
Snatch Arrows
Uncanny Dodge (edge)

Defensive (Saving Throws)
Daring (edge)
Divine Purpose (edge)
Evasion (edge)
Hard to Fool (advanced)
Improved Evasion (advanced)
Iron Guts
Slippery Mind (advanced)
Unbending (edge)
Unflinching (edge)

Flexible Customization
Feat (advanced)
Forgotten Talent
Talent (edge)

Magic/Mysticism
Divine Epiphany
Endure Elements
Familiar (advanced)
Feather Fall
Ghost Step (advanced)
Hidden Master (grand)
Invisible Blade (advanced)
Ki Talent
Ki Pool (edge)
Major Magic
Major Petition
Minor Magic
Minor Petition
Mystic Disguise (advanced)
See the Unseen (advanced)
Shadow Clone
Shadow Split (advanced)
Unbound Steps (advanced)
Vanishing Trick
Ventriloquism

Movement
Driver’s Fortune
Expert Leaper
Fast Getaway
Fast Tumble (advanced)
Getaway Artist
Getaway Master (advanced)
Ghost Step (advanced)
Hard Drive
High Jumper
Ledge Walker
Light Steps
Positioning Attack
Rogue Crawl
Roof Running (edge)
Rope Master
Sea Legs
Spring Up
Stand Up
Swinging Reposition
Terrain Mastery
Tumbling Descent
Wall Climber

Offensive (General)
Accuracy
Adaptable Flanker
Ambush (edge)
Assault Leader
Blinding Bomb (advanced)
Choking Bomb
Combat Swipe
Combat Trick
Convincing Lie
Deadly Cocktail (advanced)
Deadly Shuriken (advanced)
Finesse Rogue
Firearm Training
Flurry of Stars
Greater Finesse
Grit
Gut Stab
Instant Poison (advanced)
Ki Block
Ki Pool (edge)
Ki Charge
Lasting Poison
Martial Mastery
Martial Training (edge)
Master of Poisons (advanced)
Master Poisoner
Ninja Training
Opportunist (advanced)
Poison Bomb
Poison Use (edge)
Shank
Smoke Bomb
Snap Shot
Strong Impression
Swift Poison
Unarmed Combat Training
Unarmed Combat Mastery (advanced)
Weapon Training

Offensive (Sneak Attack)
Angel of Death (advanced)
Assassinate (advanced)
Befuddling Strike
Bleeding Attack
Bravado’s Blade (edge)
Brutal Beating
Confounding Blades (advanced)
Crippling Strike (advanced)
Deadly Range
Deadly Sneak (advanced)
Dispelling Attack (advanced)
Distracting Attack
Entanglement of Blades (advanced)
Fearsome Strike
Hunter’s Surprise (advanced)
Knock-Out Blow (advanced)
Master Strike (grand)
Offensive Defense
Powerful Sneak
Pressure Points
Scout’s Charge (edge)
Skirmisher (edge)
Slow Reactions
Sneak Attack
Sneak Stab
Sniper’s Eye
Style Master
Surprise Attack
True Death (advanced)
Underhanded
Unwitting Ally (advanced)

Traps
Careful Disarm (edge)
Cunning Trigger
Frugal Trapsmith (advanced)
Quick Disable
Quick Trapsmith
Trap Master
Trap Sense (edge)
Trap Spotter
Trapfinding (edge)

Skills (General)
Master expert (grand)
Ninja Training
Skill Mastery (advanced)
Survivalist

Skills (Acrobatics)
Acrobatic Master
Daring (edge)
Expert Acrobat (edge)
Fast Tumble (advanced)
Ki Pool (edge)
Ledge Walker
Peerless Maneuver
Second Chance (edge)

Skills (Bluff)
Coax Information
Natural Born Liar (edge)
Honeyed Words
Rake’s Smile (edge)
Rumormongering (advanced)
Skilled Lair (edge)

Skills (Climb)
Expert Acrobat (edge)
Nimble Climber
Second Chance (edge)
Wall Scramble

Skills (Diplomacy)
Black Market Connections
Charmer
Coax Information
Follow Up (edge)
Rake’s Smile (edge)

Skills (Disable Device)
Careful Disarm (edge)
Quick Disable
Trap Master
Trapfinding (edge)
Undetected Sabotage’

Skills (Disguise)
No Trace (edge)
Quick Disguise
Master of Disguise (advanced)
Mystic Disguise (advanced)
Sudden Disguise

Skills (Fly)
Expert Acrobat (edge)
Getaway Artist
Second Chance (edge)

Skills (Intimidate)
Frightening (edge)

Skills (Linguistics)
Guileful Polyglot

Skills (Knowledge)
Esoteric Scholar
Thoughtful Reexamination (advanced)

Skills (Perception)
Canny Observer
Darkvision
Follow Clues
Thoughtful Reexamination (advanced)
Trapfinding (edge)

Skills (Sense Motive)
Hard to Fool
Thoughtful Reexamination (advanced)

Skills (Sleight of Hand)
Deft Palm
Expert Acrobat (edge)
Fast Fingers
Hidden Weapons
Measure the Mark (edge)
Stab and Grab (edge)
Underhanded
Weapon Snatcher (advanced)

Skills (Stealth)
Camouflage
Distraction
Effortless Sneak (edge)
Expert Acrobat (edge)
Fast Stealth
Hide in Plain Sight (advanced)
Misdirection (edge)
No Trace (edge)
Stealthy Sniper (advanced)

Skills (Swim)
Strong Stroke

The Genius Guide to Relics of the Godlings II is now available at Paizo! This pdf presents six magic items that grow in power as characters advance from 1st-20th level (the magic rings draupnir and lokanaut; the suits of light, medium and heavy armor drakkenhael, myrmix, and kavacha; and the magic shield svalinn) and five templates for GMs to create their own godling relics that grow from 1st to 20th level (for rings, shields, and light, medium, and heavy armor).

This book uses the same system as Relics of the Godlings, but all the items and templates in this follow-up are brand new! Between the two books you gave 14 items that grow in power from 1st to 20th level, and seven templates covering rings, staves, weapons, shields, and light, medium, and heavy armor!

Houserule Handbooks: Spell Point Expansion is available now!

The spell point system introduce in Houserule Handbooks: Spell Points was designed to be flexible, simple set of rules for replacing the normal spell slot/spell preparation system used by spellcasters in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook with a different resource management system – spell points. Though both successful in this goal and quite popular, the book did little to show how the spell point mechanic can be used to create new options and mechanics beyond just tracking spellcaster resources. While the system has received a small expansion in Houserule Footnotes: Spell Point Feats, the new Houserule Handbooks: Spell Point Expansion is the first effort to grow the spell point system to be a more comprehensive option able to cover all spellcasting related classes, archetypes, and combinations, as well as provide new ways that spell points can be used to add more flavorful options to a campaign. As an expansion of the original product, this book requires the use of Houserule Handbooks: Spell Points.

Houserule Footnotes: Stocking Stuffers, our free PDF gift to our friends, fans, and patrons, is available now!

We hope you enjoy reading these little twists to the normal rules, which we offer free of charge as our holiday gift to our fans, patrons, and fellow gamers.

The houserules included are:
Background Skill Points: Characters begin play with 2 additional skill points which can only be spent on Craft, Knowledge, Perform, and Profession skills.
Equipment: Rules for Alternate Special Materials and Object Criticals.
Spotlight Time: Characters that have the entire group's attention at the moment get bonuses to all of their actions.

SUPER GENIUS GAMES ACQUIRES 'WARLORDS OF THE APOCALYPSE' FROM ADAMANT ENTERTAINMENT

December18, 2012

Super Genius Games, critically-acclaimed publisher of supplemental material for the Pathfinder, Savage Worlds and Call of Cthulhu role-playing game systems, has acquired the rights to the Pathfinder-compatible WARLORDS OF THE APOCALYPSE game setting from original developer Adamant Entertainment.

WARLORDS OF THE APOCALYPSE, first announced in 2010, brings the gonzo, over-the-top world of classic post-apocalypse science-fantasy to the Pathfinder rules system, featuring mutants, psychic powers, radioactive beasts and warriors of the wasteland.

"The game ran into some major snags during development," says Gareth-Michael Skarka, director of Adamant Entertainment. "We soldiered on, trying to pull it together, but it became apparent that the property would be far better in the hands of Pathfinder experts like the crew at Super Genius. We're very glad they expressed an interest and that we were able to come to an agreement that honors not only WOTA, but the existing pre-order customers, who were our primary concern."

Customers who had pre-ordered WARLORDS OF THE APOCALYPSE will see those orders fulfilled by Super Genius Games. "We are well aware folks have already been waiting a very long time, and shown amazing patience," says Owen K.C. Stephens, the Line Developer for WOTA at Super Genius. "We'll be outlining our full plans soon, and setting up a forum for open discussions. We know we'll eventually put the book in the hands of the pre--order customers, and we're working out how the general public can get involved. Since we want the biggest, best release possible for Warlords of the Apocalypse, we're even considering a Kickstarter campaign."

Stephens and Skarka both expressed enthusiasm for the project and it's future in the hands of Super Genius Games. "It's such a fun genre, and Super Genius has strongly established themselves as seriously excellent developers," said Skarka. "I look forward to seeing WARLORDS OF THE APOCALYPSE in its final form. I'm sure it will be brilliant!"

Super Genius Games was founded in fall 2007 by game industry veterans Hyrum Savage and Stan!, SGG is dedicated to publishing quality PDF and print products for a wide range of games and game systems. For more information contact owen@supergeniusgames.com.

Adamant Entertainment is a digital media company founded in 2003 by Gareth-Michael Skarka. For more information, visit http://www.adamantentertainment.com.

The popular Super Genius Presents book, The Vile Magic of Argonax the Mad, is now available in print, here.

You can see the draft cover here!

Includes new motes of time and aevum powers, options and archetypes for the time thief and time warden (including the time reaver), and chronal options for other base classes, and new temporal hazard, and rules for creating temporal monsters. With (at least some) never-before-seen art of our two chronothurge characters!

It’s something of a tradition that when Super Genius has a sale (like our 52% Off “52 in 52 Sale”), I go a bit overboard. The other geniuses are often pretty busy around November, and I’ve used that to grab the steering wheel and take over. Generally I set up a thread offering fans a chance to talk to use about specific ideas, and rewarded their feedback with free PDFs.

A lot of good things have come from these discussions. I’m sad we haven’t managed to roll out our regular print line yet (though we’re still working on it), and not every idea comes to fruition. But feedback from these chats has resulted some of our most popular sequels (such as The Genius Guide to the Godling Ascendant and Mythic Menagerie: Ravagers of Time), and taken some product lines in directions we’d never have thought of (such as Ranger Options: Knacks of Nature and the recent Ultimate Options: Bardic Masterpieces.

And in some cases, it’s just been a chance for patrons to let me know they still want to see the Genius Guide to Valkyries and Viragos (still due before the end of this year – fingers crossed).

And yes, I’m doing it again this year. I should have run this by my fellow Geniuses. I even had a chance to – they aren’t as unavailable as in previous Novembers. To be honest, I just forgot.

But I’m going rogue anyway.

I don’t have a specific idea I want feedback on this year. Instead, I really want to hear what people would most like to see us do in the next 12-18 months. Are you still excited by the idea of print SGG books? Do you want to see the nearly-complete set of Anachronistic Adventurers classes get expanded, maybe even turned into a full set of rules for a Modern Pathfinder RPG? Are you done with seeing a new SGG pdf every week? Did you like the slew of Bullet Points better? Worse? Did you even notice? Do you want them compiled?

So, yeah. Let me know. And in return, each person who posts an opinion here may also send me an email to owen@supergeniusgames.com, asking for any pdf we released before this month as a free reward. Given the confusion of past offers, I’m requiring everyone send me an email (rather than private message or just mentioning it in this thread), and tell me what your forum name is when you do it. If you take those steps, I’ll make sure you get the pdf.

Super Genius has always exceeded my expectations, and I believe a lot of that is because we’ve tried very hard to give our patrons what they want. Given that I have no idea what people will suggest I can’t say if we’ll tackle any of the ideas presented here – but we’ll read and seriously consider all of them!

For the third year straight, Super Genius Games has released at least one product every week, for 52 weeks in a row. That's only been possible because our patrons continue to show amazing support for our releases and give us great feedback on what they'd like to see more of.

To celebrate this achievement, and help fans fill in any gaps they may have in their Super Genius collections, we are once again having a month-long "52% Off to celebrate 52 Products in 52 Weeks" sale. Everything in our PDF catalog is 52% off from now until December 1st!

Thanks for supporting for another year, and we hope you all enjoy what we have planned for the next 52 weeks!

Welcome to Houserule Handbooks: Spell Points, the first in a series of products presenting some of the houserules used at Super Genius Games. Each of these products is designed to introduce a carefully balanced, developed, and playtested version of a popular houserule for campaigns using the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Houserule Handbooks aren’t for everyone, and should always be considered “alternate” rules, only for use if a GM and players all want to add something different to a campaign. In the case of Spell Points, the alternate rule is a system to allow all spellcasters to fuel their spells with a pool of spell points, not requiring any spell preparation, and allowing a spellcaster additional flexibility by using a lot of spell points to fuel a few high-level spells, or gain extended staying power by restricting casting to a larger number of lower-level spells. Further, the system is designed only for actual spellcasters, ignoring the spell-like abilities of monks and the infusions of alchemists as dissimilar enough to not need the same kind of spell point houserules. These considerations drive all the design decisions that follow, so if the system as described doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, this product likely isn’t for you.

Spell Points
Spell points are a resource used to cast spells, as opposed to using the normal rules of spell slots and spell preparation. Rules are given for spell points in general, and then specific rules for each spellcasting class. Every spellcasting class can use spell points. A campaign may only use spell-point characters (at the GM’s discretion), or both spell-point and normal versions of classes may exist (in which case the decision to be a spell-point spellcaster must be selected when the first level in a spellcasting class is taken). A character cannot take levels in both a spellpoint and non-spell-point version of the same class (treat using spell points as a kind of archetype for spellcasting classes).

The Original Online Megadungeon Kickstarter is less than $500 from its next goal, and on track to hit our $10,000 stretch goal to fully update the biggest online Pathfinder dungeon in existence!

This ends Sunday, so there's just one week left!

Anachronistic Adventurers: The Tough is available now on Paizo, and has a 4.5/5 review! Quote: "Really, if you ever wanted to bring bikers, villain-pounding roughnecks, and monster-fighting pro wrestlers into a Pathfinder game then this s indeed the PDF for you. "

The tough is a rough-and-tumble free spirit, who possesses what might charitably be called a recalcitrant streak, or uncharitably be called "rage issues." A tough does not like to be told what to do, where to go, or how to act, and he absolutely does not accept the idea that he is going to lose (even when he has clearly, logically already lost). When things are calm, a tough can be hard to identify from everyone else, acting the role of anything from anarchist bomb-thrower to peaceful member of the gardening club. But when things get grim, when blood starts to flow and the tough has been smashed and battered, the tough reacts differently than anyone else. The more a tough is bloodied and hurt, the angrier and more determined to survive, to win, the tough becomes.

Toughs often have trouble with authority, and may take the easy route and live lives as bikers, bouncers, rum runners, thugs, and crooks. But just as many fight against their riotous, dangerous nature and seek to channel their anger and strength. Toughs can be found as drill sergeants, beat cops, bounty hunters, and local heroes. But no matter how carefully trained their fighting skills are, or neatly ordered their plans are, a tough is simply different once the fit hits the shan. A tough soldier may be respected, but he's also the guy quietly described as a crazy SOB. A tough firefighter is respected and honored, but people get nervous when they are assigned to his squad. A tough seems to be able to survive things that should leave him a smoldering corpse, and displays a refusal to quit that sometimes gets his more fragile allies killed.

A tough is a heck of an ally... if you can survive the friendship.

Included in this 24 page book are rules for the new "Battered" condition, as well as rules and guidelines for when characters from modern settings bring vehicles from those settings with them into fantasy campaigns with lower-progress levels. Based on the rules found in Ultimate Combat, these character-scale rules are designed to handle heroes on foot running from a sedan of tommy-gun-toting mobsters, or a single character on a motorcycle driving in and out of a riot, to a gang of smugglers ambushing a steam punt boat with an archeological expedition on board. In all these cases, the main action is focusing on character vs. character conflict, and a small number of vehicles interacting with those characters as outliers to the general activity. Also included are rules for when the main focus of the encounter is straight up vehicle on vehicle action! Finally we touch on the idea of Progress Levels (PL), a simple way to determine the general technological advancement of a campaign (and outlined in more detail in Anachronistic Adventurers: The Enforcer).

#1 with a Bullet Point: 7 Shield Spell Feats is available now! This product presents seven feats that allow spellcasters using the classic and venerable shield spell to have as many options as characters who use material shields. This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:
Covering Shield: You can extend your shield to protect an ally.
Elemental Shield: You can attune your shield spell to deflect elemental damage.
Force Shielding: You can layer the force effect of a shield spell onto an ally’s shield.
Reactive Shield: Your shield spell moves itself to block the efforts of foes to put you at a disadvantage.
Shield Spell Bash: You can hit things with your shield spell.
Shield Properties: You can add the magic properties of magic shields to your shield spell.
Tower Shield Spell: You can make your shield spell much larger, at the cost of additional hindrance.

#1 With a Bullet Point: 8 Ligtning Bolt Feats includes eight feats that allow spellcasters using the classic and venerable lightning bolt spell (and other spells with similar traits) to have as many options as characters who use feats to focus on skills or combat maneuvers. This is the latest in a series of extra-large "Full Clip" Bullet Points products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:
Cloud-to-Cloud: Your lighting spells can light up a magic cloud of your creation.
Forked Bolt: You can make your line spells shorter and wider by forking their effects.
Magnetize: Metal you strike with electrical effects becomes magnetized for a short period.
Multiple Bolts: Your line spells can go in multiple directions.
Mystic Arcs: Your line spells can take the bent, winding path of a lightning bolt.
Re-Strike: Like the lightning bolts of nature, your bolts often travel the same path multiple times..
Storm Rider: Lighting is just another path for you.
Thundercrack: When you create lightning, you can also create thunder.

#1 With a Bullet Point: 6 Nonmagic Special Qualities for Weapons introduces six new nonmagic weapon special qualities (similar to brace, reach, and trip) to vastly expand the options a campaign has for unusual or bizarre tools for killing things. This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The qualities included are:
Back Spike: A back spike weapon is a weapon that has a pick-like spike as a counterweight, allowing you to do its normal damage type or piercing damage.
Basket Hilt: A basket hilt weapon increases your CMD against disarm and sunder maneuvers made against the weapon, and gives you a shield bonus to AC when taking the full defense action.
Flamberge: A flamberge weapon has an undulating, wavy pattern along its length, allowing you to attack your foes when using the parry class feature.
Parry Hooks: Parry hooks (also called parierhaken) are forward-curing spikes or flukes mounted just in front of the ricasso (unsharpened section of a blade) of a twohanded sword or bastard sword, or partway along a 2-handed hafted weapon (such as a longspear).
Ringed: A ringed weapon has a number of metal rings added along its length, giving it additional heft and momentum when swung. Increasing damage dealt at the expense of accuracy.
Springy: A springy weapon is more flexible than normal, able to bend by a considerable angle and still spring back to its original shape. A springy weapon is harder to pin down with combat maneuvers.

Welcome to the Dungeon!

What dungeon, you ask? Dragon's Delve — a massive 27-level mega-dungeon more than half-a-million words long! It's an adventure with 661 encounters, none of which are empty rooms or featureless corridors, arranged over nearly 30 maps! A whole campaign worth of material, capable of taking characters from 1st to 20th level, that begins with a bell on a string set by goblins and ends with a battle against a great wyrm red dragon demigod where the fate of a god hangs in the balance!

And while Dragon's Delve may not be the biggest dungeon in the world, it has the distinction of having been conceived by Monte Cook (Ptolus, 3E Dungeon Master Guide) as the initial offering for Dungeonaday.com — a subscription website that created a classic "dungeon delve" style dungeon by releasing a single hyperlinked, cross-referenced encounter every weekday (each of which now has years of forum posts giving ideas on how to tweak, improve, or survive its challenges).

Over the site's original lifecycle Monte designed 14 levels of Dragon's Delve, and then turned to Super Genius Games to finish the massive adventure location with 13 more levels! Originally begun as a d20 OGL fantasy adventure, Super Genius Games supported the dungeon's original rules system but also added rules for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game to their expansions. The final battle with the Dragon Prince went live in July of 2011, and Dragon's Delve came to an end. Shortly afterwards it was decided to close the site for new patrons—existing memberships were honored, and four more (shorter) adventures released, but the encounter-a-day format ended.

Since that time, numerous additional customers have expressed an interest in gaining access to the five dungeons of Dungeonaday.com, but that posed a problem. The words and maps of these adventures could be saved and be sold in the form of PDFs, but what really made Dungeonaday.com special—the vast network of hyperlinks between the encounters that could continually be modified and added to—could not be maintained without the proprietary content management software that was used in the site's creation.

So, now we have an opportunity to enter a new stage of Dungeonaday.com. We want to make the site available again, and allow new customers to experience Dragon's Delve, and it's companion adventures (Necropolis of Pergia, Tomb-World of Alak-Amur, Night of the Starbird, and Temple of the Black Goat).

We have lots of additional things we'd like to do with the dungeon. We have a 3-D walkthrough video already finished for one level, and would love to produce more for the crucial levels of the Dragon's Delve. The Pathfinder game rules for some levels are not integrated into the early encounters, and many new Pathfinder supplements have been produced in the meanwhile, so we'd love to give the entire dungeon a top-down overhaul to fully take advantage of the rules, classes, monsters, and other awesome content that Paizo Publishing has released.

But those are things we can talk about a bit later—first what we want to do is offer patrons access to five complete online dungeons in all their hyperlinked glory, beginning the week after our Kickstarter campaign funds. Even if we never get the chance to do all the other amazing things we'd love to try (which we will add in the form of stretch goals once our basic target is met), this funding campaign aims to make some of the coolest dungeons ever written available to a broader audience.

#1 With a Bullet Point: 7 War Master Feats introduces seven feats designed to augment the options and utility of war masters (from The Genius Guide to the War Master) or, if war masters aren't being used in a campaign, that can be taken by classes that receive bonus combat or teamwork feats as class features (using their class levels as war master levels for prerequisites) or characters that have the Leadership feat (using their character level as war master levels for prerequisites). This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:
Advance In Ranks: You can direct allies to move together, guarding and watching over each other.
Formation Fighting: You can direct a tight formation of melee combatants to fight together, aiding them all.
Mixed Order: You can direct allies around you to fight in a specific style, emulating your weapons.
Overwatch: You can watch out for moments when your allies are distracted and warn them about potential attacks.
Set To Receive: You can prepare troops to use reach weapons to great effect against advancing foes.
Tactical Commands: Your deep understanding of the flow of combat allows to you give allies new combat options.
War Signals: You have mastered a set of signs and code words to give orders quickly and easily.

Hello folks,

I'm working on an official Paizo project, and want to round up all the animal tricks from official products. Obviously there are the animal tricks from the Handle Animal skill, but are there any from other sources?

#1 With a Bullet Point: 7 Sinful Feats of Gluttonypresents seven new feats based on the classic sin of gluttony, to make villains more interesting and let PCs express their own sins with panache. This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event, and the first of a planned line of "sinful feat" products!

The feats included are:
Big Mouth (Sinful): You've shoved so much into your mouth, it has monstrously strengthened your jaws and teeth.
Feast Healing (Sinful): You can restore your body through the consumption of food.
Gluttonous (Sinful): You have turned stuffing yourself into an art form… and a power.
Gnaw (Sinful): You can work on something too tough for the teeth of others.
Stomach Reserve (Sinful): Your stomach is normally so full, and your control over it so great, you can keep an imbibed potion inert until you wish to use it.
Slurp It Down (Sinful): You can guzzle potables with amazing speed and voraciousness.
Suck It Up (Sinful): You can force a target to expend more eldritch energy to fill your voracious gluttony when you are affected by a magic ability.

#1 With a Bullet Point: 9 Witch Hunter Feats presents nine feats designed to augment the options and utility of witch hunters (from The Genius Guide to the Witch Hunter) or, if witch hunters aren't being used in a campaign, that can be taken by fighters with the Disruptive feat (replacing witch hunter level prerequisites with fighter level prerequisites, and adding Disruptive as a prerequisite to all feats). This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:
Bane of the Supernatural (Combat): You have learned to recognize when a creature is going to call on eldritch powers, and to take advantage of that moment.
Brand of Binding: You have learned how to brand foes with runes and sigils that neutralize their eldritch powers.
Branding Critical (Critical): You can carve the sigils of a binding brand into a foe with a perfect weapon strike.
Hex Resistance: You have hardened your body and mind against the power of hexes.
I Know Your Tricks: You use your experience with preternatural foes to gird yourself against their magics.
Lightbearer: You can summon light into the darkness.
Preempt the Supernatural (Combat): You can strike a creature so suddenly and forcefully, it loses its control of its eldritch powers.
Shrewd Studies: You have a knack for learning exactly the lore you need.
SoulGuard: You can defend an ally's soul and mind, as well as body.

I have a question for people who would buy and use paper miniatures (and only for such people.)

What iconic, well-liked, often-used monsters do you have trouble finding good miniatures for at a reasonable price, that you'd spend $1 to have a good paper mini of?

#1 With a Bullet Point: 7 Tendril Tentacle Spell Feats presents seven feats to give spellcasters that focus on "tendril spells" (spells that entangle or grapple foes such as animate plants, animate rope, black tentacle, entangle, shifting sand, snare, and web). This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:
Agile Tendrils: Your tendrils can manipulate objects.
Choking Tendrils: Your tendrils can choke targets entangled by the spell.
Defending Tendrils: You can prevent your tendril spells from attack you or your allies, and even have it defend.
Disarming Tendrils: Your tendril spells can grab items away from targets.
Disturbing Tendrils: Your tendril spells can make threatening gestures, prod its targets uncomfortably, and general act in a disturbing and discomforting manner.
Forceful Tendrils: Your tendril spells can push creatures around.
Harassing Tendrils: Your tendril spells can make trouble even for creatures not grabbed by them.

Races Revised: The Kobold Kings by Owen K.C. Stephens is available now!

"The Kobold Kings" is a term used by the common civilized races to describe those kobolds that differentiate themselves from the sniveling, fearful, treacherous, and cowardly nature that otherwise defines their race as a whole.

This product includes:

*The history of kobolds and a sub-race, the fierce koldemar.
*Notes on introduce koldemar/heroic kobolds into your campaign
*Koldemar racial traits
*Kobold/Koldemar names (with more than 400 possible male and female names)
*Alternate racial traits, revising and expanding on what's in the Advanced Race Guide
*Favored class bonuses for every class, including all the SGG classes
*Two kobold archetypes, the apocalypse (a draconic fighter who focuses on the physical power of his draconic heritage rather than its magic) and the harasser (a traps master rogue). Both can be taken by any class if the rules from the Super Genius Archetypes books are also in use.
*Racial feats, revising and expanding on what's in the Advanced Race Guide
*New mundane gear and magic items, including elfhide armor.
*Six full-color paper figures of kobold champions

Roughly 18 pages of content, plus 1 page cover and 1 page credits

So when Hyrum, John, and Stan! are busy, and I go crazy and run a sale (like the current "Sorry You Can't Make It To PaizoCon" 50% off sale!), I normally use that opportunity to get feedback from our patrons. The opinions and ideas I am so kindly given have lead to the development of some great products from SGG. While we haven't managed to get a new print book out this year (sometimes business plans don't survive contact with reality), feedback from these sales polls lead to The Genius Guide to the Godling Ascendant, Ranger Options: Knacks of Nature, The Genius Guide to Fire Magic, and #1 with a Bullet Point: 13 Witch Hexes (along with some products still in development, and others I'm not thinking of right now).

And, of course, I provide free pdfs to those who are kind enough to respond!

So what do I want to know this time? Well the Summer of Bullets event is going very well, and we're releasing Bullet Points faster than ever before! So far the subjects I've chosen to cover seem popular, but there's a lot of summer left, so...

What would You Like To See Bullet Points Cover?

Reply with your favorite bullet point (if you'd like to see more of the same), or an idea for a short subject that could be covered in 1 page of bullet-point text, by July 15th. I'll keep track of the votes, and write some BP to cover popular topics. Meanwhile, everyone who posts can send me an email (owen@supergeniusgames.com) or Paizo-message with a PDF from June 2012 or earlier, and get a copy of it for free! (One pdf per person, but feel free to post your opinion often and loudly!)

So, shoot your mouth off!

Okay, while Stan and Hyrum are too busy preparing for the Con to know any better, I aim to misbehave!

From now until July 15th, I'm throwing a "Sorry You Can't Make It To PaizoCon Sale!" It'll be, ah, 50% off everything! Yeah, that's a GREAT idea! Half off for two weeks, to bring some joy to Pathfinder players (like me) who can't make the Great Pilgrimage this year!
I already have it running here at Paizo, and it includes not just all out Pathfinder pdfs, but every PDF we sell!

Now, what other deviltry can I get up to... ?

Many thanks for the lovely spotlight!

#1 With a Bullet Point: 6 Spell-Less Ranger Feats presents new feats to help rangers who have given up their spell ability (such as the spell-less ranger from New Paths: Expanded Spell-Less Ranger and skirmishers from the Advanced Player's Guide) redirect their unused mystic energies in a way that helps compensate for their lack of the flexible, mystic bonuses spells can provide. This is the latest in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The six feats included are:
Bestial Surge: You can call on your spiritual connection to the animal kingdom to gain temporary bonuses.
Blood Enemies: You can forge a link of enmity in blood.
Defensive Lore: You can use your knowledge of enemies and the environment to defend yourself against spells and other effects.
Improved Hunting Bond: You can quickly give allies broad advice on how to fight your favored enemies.
Take Cover: You always know how to get cover when in a favored terrain.
Woodland Juggernaut: You have studied the heavily armor creatures of nature, from armadillos to rhinos, and learned to emulate their ways.

Another Full Clip Bullet Point, for the Summer of Bullets!
#1 With a Bullet Point: 5 Fireball Feats.

Five feats that allow spellcasters using the classic and venerable magic missile spell to have as many options as characters who use material weapons. This is the first in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:

Five feats that allow spellcasters using the classic and venerable fireball spell to have as many options as characters who use material weapons. This is the first in a series of products to celebrate the "Summer of Bullets" event!

The feats included are:

Environmental Effects: Your fireball creates secondary effects depending on the environment in which you cast it.
Cometstrike: Your fireball is a churning, comet-like sphere of destruction that burns everything in its path.
Fiery Wrath: Your fire spells can be directed by fire elementals you have summoned.
Implosion: Your fireball can suck foes into the center of its area.
Shockwave: Your fireball can blow foes away from the center of its area.

Welcome to A Brace of Pistols, the first firearms-based product in the new Super Genius Presents line of books. Each of the products in this line is the strong vision of a single game designer, bypassing the normal planning, development, and revision process used for most Super Genius Games products. While we consider those processes to be a major part of maintaining a high level of compatibility, quality, and balance in our main product lines, we also know that sometimes a writer has a strong vision that doesn’t exactly match the style of our company, or that the designer doesn’t want to be diluted through normal development processes. In those cases, if we believe in the skill and vision of the designer, we now have the option of presenting their work without laying claim to it as part of one of our standard product lines.

While most Super Genius Games products are the carefully developed work of a team (even when there’s only one designer, the input of the whole Super Genius staff is likely to have affected the product), Super Genius Presents are the editorial pages, the solo rants, and the soapboxes. As a company we’re giving individual creators a chance to present their ideas more directly to the consumer. As commercial works we’ll try to ensure such products are professionally produced and edited, but the tone, content, and voice are largely under the control of the authors.

The Author
Louis Agresta is a well-known freelance game designer, a respected member of the game writer’s guild known as the Werecabbages, and a spokesman for the Iron GM gamemastering competition.
Flintlocks in Fantasy

Swashbuckling rings incomplete without the fiery retort of the pistol: the shower of sparks, the flash of powder, the reek of sulfur. No self-respecting pirate captain boards her enemy’s ship without a rapier at her belt and a brace of flintlocks in her sash. The genteel highwayman halts the coach with his firearms out. Nobles, sleeves rolled up, turn at ten paces. Weapons crack, and they vanish behind simultaneous plumes of white smoke, their fates momentarily obscured.

A Brace of Pistols contains rules to expand the options for black-powder flintlocks in fantasy campaigns that allow them, supporting the uniquely dramatic flavor of the pistol – the arresting jab of a gun in the back, the standoff, highway holdups, and the ferocious chaos of ship-to-ship boarding battles – as well as some unusual real-world firearm variants, and some new fantasy-based rules that mix muskets and magic.

All the rules in A Brace of Pistols work with the early firearm rules found in Ultimate Combat.

New Options Include:
New Early Firearms -- duckfoot, boarding gun (also called a nock gun), jezail, musketoon
Firearms for non-humanoids
New firearm options -- trick coat pistol, gun traps, melee flintlock combination weapons, mortar cups, spring-loaded bayonet, twin triggers
New equipment -- cleaning kits, multiple types of holsters, silk patches, and slow matches
New Firearm Feats -- Get the Drop, Improved Powder Burns, Pistols at Dawn, and Powder Burns
Mahga-Mahga -- A pirate’s game of torture, scarring, and death for 3+ pistoleers.
Plus a few new spells, new firearm weapon qualities, and two specific magic firearms!

In a different thread

However, I think that an Advanced Race Guide 2 is something that could definitely happen in the future. Hopefully other 3PP will do something similar with their own home-made races (*waits expectantly for the latest Genius Guide on the topic* :-P).

So, I am already partway through a few Advanced Options books built around races, and apparently I'm being pretty predictable in doing so. Just as the previous Advanced Options books built off the APG, these would build off the ARG.

Anything people are just dying to see?

It's another Double Tap week, as Super Genius Games releases a second of my Bullet Points! This week it's #1 With a Bullet Point: 7 Feats For Flying Foes as our second shot -- From Dogfighting to Dive Bombing to Strafing, the airborne maneuver feats are ready to soup up everything from harpy harpooners to rocketmen!

The feats included are:

Aerobatics: You ability to duck, roll, and dive while flying makes it difficult to target you with combat maneuvers.
Dogfighting:Your mastery of airborne combat gives you numerous minor tactical advantages.
Dive Bomb: You can add your velocity from diving at a foe to the damage of your ranged attacks.
Drift: You can allow the force of a foe’s attack push you into a new flight path.
Improved Flyby Attack: You can deftly fly up to a foe, take an action, and withdraw before he can react.
Slashing Wind: You can fly in and out of foes, slashing and stabbing as you go.
Strafe: You can add your flight velocity to the damage of your melee attacks.

#1 With a Bullet Point: 12 Alternatives for the Fighter’s Bravery Class Feature is available now!
The High Concept: Twelve alternate class abilities that can replace the bravery ability of the fighter class, to allow a simple way to customize fighter characters.
The alternate class abilities included are:
Defensive Stance
Executioner
Gatecrasher
Into The Breach
Offensive Stance
Physical Prowess
Quick Healer
Respected Veteran
Spartan
Steely Determination
Tough As Iron
Weapon Familiarity

As Hyrum has noted elsewhere, it’s a Double Tap week, with two Bullet Points being released!

The feats in #1 with a Bullet Point: 7 Feats for the Undead, which all have being an undead creature as one of their prerequisites, are:
Disturbing Movements
The disjointed, uneven, jerky way you move strains the minds of those who see you.
Fulminate
When you are reduced to 10 or fewer hit points, you explode. If your pieces aren’t found and destroyed your corpse reforms.
Mist Walk
You gain the ability to travel between darkness and shadow as if by means of a dimension door spell.
Putrid Spray
When you take hp damage, you can spray all adjacent spaces with a putrid puss as an immediate action.
Shadow Minion
You can send your shadow out to do your bidding.
Staggering Consequences
When you take acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage, your body becomes engulfed in energy of that type (acid clings to your skin and is splattered as you move about, ice forms a mist around you, you become a walking lighting rod, or you burst into flames).
Weapon Bind
The weapons of your foes often get stuck in your body, forcing them to take extra time to pull their weapons free.

Get More Bang For Your Buck!
#1 with a Bullet Point: 7 Magic Firearm Properties is available now! Good for the fiendish flintlock of eldritch pirates or the cult-smasher .45s carried by two-fisted mystery men, these magic properties make firearms more than just another way to put a piece of +1 flaming ammo into your foes!

Includes the following magic properties:
Boomstick. +1 bonus
You can choose to deafen foes rather than hurt them

Burrowing. +3 bonus
Bullet keeps crawling around after foe is shot.

Dependable. +1 bonus
Lower misfire, fixes itself over time if broken.

Dimensional Capacity. +1 bonus
Firearm has handy haversack-like bullet capacity

Entangling. +1 bonus
You can choose to entangle foes rather than hurt them.

Hot Lead. +2 bonus
Firearm deals fire damage, and doesn't have to be loaded between shots.

Ricochet. +4 bonus
Bullet can damage one foe, and bounce off to damage a second foe.

The second Super Genius Presents book is now available: Power Word Spells: Lore of the First Language. This product explores what makes power word spells (power word blind, power word stun, and power word kill) different from other spells, and presents the idea of a First Language, a potent ur-tongue from which all other language eventually evolved.

The product includes:
What Makes Power Words Different?
A discussion of how power words work, and what that means about their nature.
The First Language
Introduction of a new element for a campaign, the mythic First Language, from which power word spells come.
New Feats
New feats focused on power words and mastery of The First Language
First Language Syntax
Greater First Language Syntax
Heighten Power Word
Lore of the First Language
Master of the First Language
Speaker of the First Language
Split Word
New Power Word Spells
1st-Level Spells
Power Word Dazzle
Power Word Fascinate
Power Word Hesitate
2nd-Level Spells
Power Word Combust
Power Word Decelerate
Power Word Trip
3rd-Level Spells
Power Word Bleed
Power Word Inspire
Power Word Sicken
4th-Level Spells
Power Word Burden
Power Word Frighten
Power Word Mute
5th-Level Spells
Power Word Beguile
Power Word Deafen
Power Word Weary
6th-Level Spells
Power Word Stagger
Power Word Surprise
7th-Level Spells
Power Word Daze
8th-Level Spells
Power Word Confuse
9th-Level Spells
Power Word Nauseate

The Genius Guide to the Death Knight is available now!

The death knight is an alternate class for the antipaladin, itself an alternate for the paladin core class. Making use of and altering numerous facets of the antipaladin alternate class, this dread warrior can't truly be considered a new character class in its own right. By the changes made here, though, the details and tones of the antipaladin are shifted in a completely opposite direction and capture an entirely different fantasy theme, without needlessly designing an entire new class.

While a redesign of sorts, this alternate class can be used just as any of the other base classes.

Role: Evil death knights are villains at their most dangerous – cunning
and linked to the vast fiendish and eldritch forces of undeath. Though they ultimately slay any living creature that associates with them, they
see this as a favor rather than a betrayal. Their dark, powerful, brooding nature often attracts the service of necromancers, cultists of
death gods, and evil witches with dread patrons – despite the long history of such death knights killing everyone and everything. Even those death knights unable to lure breathing allies to their side are often seen by undead as worthy equals, and even worthwhile masters.

Neutral death knights are generally agents of supernatural powers that need them to serve as guardians, judges, or avengers. No less able as
champions of the grave, neutral death knights see the undead as a violation of the natural order, and are as opposed to them as they are to tomb raiding and desecrations of corpses. Neutral death knights are actually less likely to build organizations of followers or close allies, despite their willingness to let the living come to a natural (rather than untimely) demise. But when a powerful enough undead threat looms, death knights are often willing to submit themselves to the orders of others, albeit temporarily, to achieve their goals.

The book includes the Death Knight alternate class, three new feaqts (Deadly Steed, Extra Immunity, Icy Gaze of Death), new anti-paladin spells with deathly themes (death knell, greater; disintegrate undead; grave summoning I to IX*); mask of life; pale mists; spectral eye; take the Low Road; and vigor of the grave), and a brief description of the paths dead spirits use to reach the afterlife, the Low Road.

*No, anti-paladins don't get 5th and higher spells. But they do get grave summoning I to IV, and the rest are used if the death knight takes a lost soul servant with the deathly boon class feature.

15 pages, +1 page cover and +1 page credits, for 17 total pages.

Heya folks!

So I'm trying to compile a list of what Pathfinder spells are considered the most "iconic" by the players. I'm not talking about the most used spells, or the most powerful, but those that have a long history of popularity and the ability to define and mold a spellcaster's image.

Fireball is a given. I'd say the same is true of magic missile, blade barrier, sleep, and web. Any other votes?

The first book in the new "Super Genius Presents" line, The Vile Magic of Argonax the Mad, is now available! This book is something I've been working on for months, in what little spare time I can scrape together, and it's significantly different from a typical SGG Pathfinder-compatible product. Rather than a book conceived and developed by the entire Super Genius staff, this project is much more a one-man-show – an "unplugged" version of how I write games without the (admittedly extremely useful) feedback from the other geniuses.

There's a good chance there will be more "Super Genius Presents" books in the future. I have a long list of ideas I've been saving, that I'm not ready to give over to become the kernel of Super Genius products. That's not to say I don't value their contributions – I absolutely do or I wouldn't be in business with them! But no matter how good a committee is, design by committee is still a different kind of activity that an entirely solo design. I love what we've managed to do together with our Class Options, Genius Guide, and Mythic Menagerie product lines. But I also want to stretch my solo design muscles, and offer up something a little different in scope and tone. Since I'm experimenting a bit, I don't want to call this a "Genius Guide," since my intent and outline are different from what we do with those books.

The "Super Genius Presents" line name is a sign that while SGG stands behind the production values of those books, they are very much the vision of their creators rather than the SGG collective. In addition to my own solo products, at least a couple of other authors have expressed some interest in making arrangements for us to do the editing, layout, and business end of things, while letting the author's vision shine through. I have no idea if we'll manage to make those deals work to everyone's satisfaction, but it's an interesting new way to try to do things.
So, what all is in The Vile Magic of Argonax the Mad? Well, the 44 page PDF includes:
How to Use This Book
Vile Magic can be used as a sourcebook of a new element of history and cosmology for a campaign world, or as just a collection of new (and often icky) magic items, feats, and spells.
The Mad One
An overview of the history of Argonax, the insane demi-mortal spellcaster who is living multiple lifetimes, as different races and classes, in an effort to recreate the knowledge of creating major artifacts.
The Works of Argonax the Mad
Descriptions of the workbooks and journals Argonx keeps creating in his many lifetimes.
Argonax the Outside and the College Obscura
What Argaonax is doing in the outer planes in-between lives, and how to handle that in a campaign.
The Harbingers of Argonax
A loose collection of cults drawn from multiple different cultures that wish to prepare the world for Argonax's next lifetime.
Using Argonax the Mad in Your Campaign
Suggestions on utilizing Argonax as an enemy, ally, background figure, planar threat, or even part of a PC's character history.
Vile Magic Items
As a guy trying to create major artifacts, Argonax has spent a lot of lvies creating new, often unpleasant, kinds of magic items.
The Powers of the Curios of Argonax
If you insist on trying to do things in ways no one ever has, there are going to be consequences. The highlight of this section is the table of 100 random magic item side effect powers, a common element in items created by Argonax, or using his notes.
Vile Armor and Shields
New armor and shield special abilities, as follows:
Attacking (melee)
Attacking (ranged)
Betraying (& improved & greater)
Charging
Dissipating
Gaze Reflecting
Impatient (& improved & greater)
Nameless
Retributive
Scourge
Tyrannical (& improved & greater)
Vengeful
Watchful
Vile Weapons
New weapon special abilities, as follows:
Elemental (and greater)
Enhancing
Featherlight
Invincible
Spectral (minor & major)
Soul Stealing
Sworn
Wearying
Vile Rings
For some reason, Argonax has never gone into much research regarding magic rings. Some scholars believe Argonax finds the symbolic ties of rings to such limits and oaths and pledges of friendship to be distasteful. Among the Harrowers, a common legend relates how early in his efforts, Argonax spoke with a powerful undead elf that had mastered all there was to know about magic rings, and concluded further study one the issue was pointless.
However, Argonax has created a few magic rings in his many lives, usually to allow him some insight into points of view he has not yet gained through reincarnation, or as defenses against the consequences of his frequent delving into forbidden and protected lore. Precisely because such rings are rare, they are highly valued prizes among Argonax enthusiasts.
Courtesan's Ring
Deathless Band
Interrogator's Ring
Ring of Affliction Reversal
Ring of Succor
Verminlord's Signet
Eldritch Lense
Among the new kinds of magic items created by Argonax the Mad are eldritch lense (both singular and plural), crystals that have the mystic patterns of one or more specific spells permanently etched into them. An eldritch lense is a magic item that allows a spellcaster to convert energy from a prepared spell or unused spell slot into the spell coded within the item. This works much like a cleric's spontaneous healing ability, but rather than converting a prepared spell into a cure spell, the magic is converted into whatever spell is within the eldritch lense.
Battle Lense
Fire Lense
Lense of Storms
Lense of the Wanderer
Peace Lense
Sage Lense
The Vile Art of Minor Artifact Construction
Though Argonax has not managed to create major artifacts, despite spending lifetimes in the quest, he has rediscovered a dangerous (and often distasteful) technique for creating minor artifacts. The full rules are presented here, though few characters will wish to pay the cost, along with one minor artifact of Argonax's design: The Cyclopean Helm (as seen on the product's cover).
Vile Feats
You don't study the forbidden shadows of magic without developing some new techniques, a few of which are presented here, as listed below:
Accursed Spell
Bleeding Spell
Blinding Spell
Blood Reaping
Craft Curios of Argonax
Craft Minor Artifact
Crippling Spell
Diseased Spell
Fatiguing Spell
Hindering Spell
Necrothurge
Paralyzing Spell
Spell Leech
Spell Reaper
Terrifying Spell
Vile Spells
You also can't study the forbidden shadows of magic without developing some new spells, as listed below, including spells for alchemists (a few), antipaladins, bards, cleric/oracles, druids (just 2), inquisitors (a few), magi (a few), sorcerers/wizards, summoners (just 2), and witches (a bunch).
Alter Poison.
Apply Poison.
Blood Fangs
Blood Fangs, greater
Blood Vomit
Bloody Terrain (I just have made a magic item that does blood vomit and then bloody terrain, but I didn't. You could, though.)
Curse of Dread
Dimensional Bolt
Dislocate (as in, dislocate an arm)
Eldritch interdiction
Geist
Hex Harrow
Horrific Shriek
Ioun Sigil (also depicted on the cover)
Isolate
Jack'O'Lantern
Knell of Ruin
Last Breath
Nightmare Limbs
Pale Return
Pariah
Phantasmal Horror
Reckoning
Red Hands
Rend Psyche
Shrouded Afflictions
Toil and Trouble
Witchfire
Witchfire, Greater
A Harbinger of Argonax
An overview of how the Harbingers work, and stat blocks for sample Harbinger at 6th, 12th, and 18th level.
And that's it! Just about 25,000 words of creepy arcana, wrapped around a narrative background you can take whole cloth, modify as needed, or ignore totally as you prefer!

The first book in the new "Super Genius Presents" line, The Vile Magic of Argonax the Mad, is now available! This book is something I've been working on for months, in what little spare time I can scrape together, and it's significantly different from a typical SGG Pathfinder-compatible product. Rather than a book conceived and developed by the entire Super Genius staff, this project is much more a one-man-show – an "unplugged" version of how I write games without the (admittedly extremely useful) feedback from the other geniuses.

There's a good chance there will be more "Super Genius Presents" books in the future. I have a long list of ideas I've been saving, that I'm not ready to give over to become the kernel of Super Genius products. That's not to say I don't value their contributions – I absolutely do or I wouldn't be in business with them! But no matter how good a committee is, design by committee is still a different kind of activity that an entirely solo design. I love what we've managed to do together with our Class Options, Genius Guide, and Mythic Menagerie product lines. But I also want to stretch my solo design muscles, and offer up something a little different in scope and tone. Since I'm experimenting a bit, I don't want to call this a "Genius Guide," since my intent and outline are different from what we do with those books.

The "Super Genius Presents" line name is a sign that while SGG stands behind the production values of those books, they are very much the vision of their creators rather than the SGG collective. In addition to my own solo products, at least a couple of other authors have expressed some interest in making arrangements for us to do the editing, layout, and business end of things, while letting the author's vision shine through. I have no idea if we'll manage to make those deals work to everyone's satisfaction, but it's an interesting new way to try to do things.
So, what all is in The Vile Magic of Argonax the Mad? Well, the 44 page PDF includes:
How to Use This Book
Vile Magic can be used as a sourcebook of a new element of history and cosmology for a campaign world, or as just a collection of new (and often icky) magic items, feats, and spells.
The Mad One
An overview of the history of Argonax, the insane demi-mortal spellcaster who is living multiple lifetimes, as different races and classes, in an effort to recreate the knowledge of creating major artifacts.
The Works of Argonax the Mad
Descriptions of the workbooks and journals Argonx keeps creating in his many lifetimes.
Argonax the Outside and the College Obscura
What Argaonax is doing in the outer planes in-between lives, and how to handle that in a campaign.
The Harbingers of Argonax
A loose collection of cults drawn from multiple different cultures that wish to prepare the world for Argonax's next lifetime.
Using Argonax the Mad in Your Campaign
Suggestions on utilizing Argonax as an enemy, ally, background figure, planar threat, or even part of a PC's character history.
Vile Magic Items
As a guy trying to create major artifacts, Argonax has spent a lot of lvies creating new, often unpleasant, kinds of magic items.
The Powers of the Curios of Argonax
If you insist on trying to do things in ways no one ever has, there are going to be consequences. The highlight of this section is the table of 100 random magic item side effect powers, a common element in items created by Argonax, or using his notes.
Vile Armor and Shields
New armor and shield special abilities, as follows:
Attacking (melee)
Attacking (ranged)
Betraying (& improved & greater)
Charging
Dissipating
Gaze Reflecting
Impatient (& improved & greater)
Nameless
Retributive
Scourge
Tyrannical (& improved & greater)
Vengeful
Watchful
Vile Weapons
New weapon special abilities, as follows:
Elemental (and greater)
Enhancing
Featherlight
Invincible
Spectral (minor & major)
Soul Stealing
Sworn
Wearying
Vile Rings
For some reason, Argonax has never gone into much research regarding magic rings. Some scholars believe Argonax finds the symbolic ties of rings to such limits and oaths and pledges of friendship to be distasteful. Among the Harrowers, a common legend relates how early in his efforts, Argonax spoke with a powerful undead elf that had mastered all there was to know about magic rings, and concluded further study one the issue was pointless.
However, Argonax has created a few magic rings in his many lives, usually to allow him some insight into points of view he has not yet gained through reincarnation, or as defenses against the consequences of his frequent delving into forbidden and protected lore. Precisely because such rings are rare, they are highly valued prizes among Argonax enthusiasts.
Courtesan's Ring
Deathless Band
Interrogator's Ring
Ring of Affliction Reversal
Ring of Succor
Verminlord's Signet
Eldritch Lense
Among the new kinds of magic items created by Argonax the Mad are eldritch lense (both singular and plural), crystals that have the mystic patterns of one or more specific spells permanently etched into them. An eldritch lense is a magic item that allows a spellcaster to convert energy from a prepared spell or unused spell slot into the spell coded within the item. This works much like a cleric's spontaneous healing ability, but rather than converting a prepared spell into a cure spell, the magic is converted into whatever spell is within the eldritch lense.
Battle Lense
Fire Lense
Lense of Storms
Lense of the Wanderer
Peace Lense
Sage Lense
The Vile Art of Minor Artifact Construction
Though Argonax has not managed to create major artifacts, despite spending lifetimes in the quest, he has rediscovered a dangerous (and often distasteful) technique for creating minor artifacts. The full rules are presented here, though few characters will wish to pay the cost, along with one minor artifact of Argonax's design: The Cyclopean Helm (as seen on the product's cover).
Vile Feats
You don't study the forbidden shadows of magic without developing some new techniques, a few of which are presented here, as listed below:
Accursed Spell
Bleeding Spell
Blinding Spell
Blood Reaping
Craft Curios of Argonax
Craft Minor Artifact
Crippling Spell
Diseased Spell
Fatiguing Spell
Hindering Spell
Necrothurge
Paralyzing Spell
Spell Leech
Spell Reaper
Terrifying Spell
Vile Spells
You also can't study the forbidden shadows of magic without developing some new spells, as listed below, including spells for alchemists (a few), antipaladins, bards, cleric/oracles, druids (just 2), inquisitors (a few), magi (a few), sorcerers/wizards, summoners (just 2), and witches (a bunch).
Alter Poison.
Apply Poison.
Blood Fangs
Blood Fangs, greater
Blood Vomit
Bloody Terrain (I just have made a magic item that does blood vomit and then bloody terrain, but I didn't. You could, though.)
Curse of Dread
Dimensional Bolt
Dislocate (as in, dislocate an arm)
Eldritch interdiction
Geist
Hex Harrow
Horrific Shriek
Ioun Sigil (also depicted on the cover)
Isolate
Jack'O'Lantern
Knell of Ruin
Last Breath
Nightmare Limbs
Pale Return
Pariah
Phantasmal Horror
Reckoning
Red Hands
Rend Psyche
Shrouded Afflictions
Toil and Trouble
Witchfire
Witchfire, Greater
A Harbinger of Argonax
An overview of how the Harbingers work, and stat blocks for sample Harbinger at 6th, 12th, and 18th level.
And that's it! Just about 25,000 words of creepy arcana, wrapped around a narrative background you can take whole cloth, modify as needed, or ignore totally as you prefer!

Redmond, WA (April 11, 2012) — Super Genius Games (SGG) is proud to announce the addition of a new Genius to the team! Starting immediately John D. Halpin will be the Interactive Statistics Coordinator (or "Code Monkey") for SGG. John has worked as a software developer and analyst for six years followed by becoming the manager of a software organization for eight years. His efforts have led to a patent titled "Protection of code or data from exposure by use of code injection service." His professional interests include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and informatics. John is recognized as a subject matter expert in technology protection and has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Rowan University.

In addition to having amazing technical experience, John has been an avid gamer since 1980. He has played all editions of Dungeons & Dragons, Paladium ‘s Heroes Unlimited, White Wolf's Storyteller system, Pathfinder, FASA's Star Trek, The One Ring, the Hero System, Everway, Shadowrun, Talislanta, Tunnels and Trolls, GURPs, and Feng Shui as well as a number of independent unpublished games. He enjoys computer role-playing games including Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, ChronoTrigger, and Dragon Warrior. He plays many board games and card games, including the Lord of the Rings Card game. John is also an avid collector of games, having a library of over 5000 roleplaying games.

"We couldn't be happier to be adding someone to the team who combines John's technical expertise with his love of gaming," said Owen K.C. Stephens, Lead Developer of SGG. "We want to take advantage of a lot of the great technology out there to help gamers get better experiences with their tabletop games. Not only can John guide us to that goal, he also has real interest in promoting gaming in general. We expect to get a lot of us out of John's creativity and enthusiasm, in addition to his computer skills."

Super Genius Games is committed to providing more options for patrons to acquire and use our game material. Over the upcoming weeks John will work his cyber-magic, and soon Pathfinder fans can expect to find classic SGG material available as Hero Lab files.

"I really just want to help make the great material Super Genius creates even better," said John about his new position. "Also, I'm looking forward to hanging out with the other Geniuses at cons!"

About Super Genius Games
Super Genius Games is dedicated to publishing quality print and PDF products for a wide range of games and game systems.

Owners Hyrum Savage, Stan!, and Owen K.C. Stephens have more than 40 years combined experience working professionally in the hobby games industry. They have done projects with and created products for Wizards of the Coast, Harper Collins, Upper Deck Entertainment, TSR Inc., Paizo Publishing, Malhavoc Press, Green Ronin, West End Games, White Wolf, Steve Jackson Games, Gazillion Entertainment, Viz Media, The Game Mechanics, and many other industry-leading companies. Their work has been nominated for more than 10 major game industry awards.

(All book titles are TM and or © their respective owners.)

MEDIA CONTACT
Steven Brown
760-586-4281
steven@stannex.com

Okay, I'll take SOME responsibility if there are side effects from Horrifically overpowered feats. Like, if you7 accidentally summon an elder god during play with these feats, that's my bad.

But there's no chance that'll happen. I mean, it's almost entirely impossible. At worst, you might get a Hound of Tindalos, and that's only if you use a serif font. At most, like 1 in 5 group will have this problem. Maybe 1 in 4.

You know on second thought, Paizo is right. We're not responsible.

The Genus Guide to Horrifically Overpowered Feats is now available!

Since I've been asked this question a lot:

YES, this is a real product.
YES, the title is accurate.
NO, these feats aren't appropriate for every campaign, and I'd never pressure anyone into using them. But we DO talk about why and how you might want to (even if the tone of the writing keeps tongue firmly in cheek).

The sections, sub-sections, and feats included in this product are:
How to Use These Feats in Your Campaign
*Monster Templates
*The Horrifically Overpowered Campaign
*Horrifically Overpowered Epic Games
The Horrifically Overpowered Feat Type
The Meta-Attack Feat Type
*Additional Meta-Attack Uses/Day
Prerequisites
The Feats
Denied
Eschew Foci
Eschew Gestures
Eschew Incantations
Extra Lives
Extra Meta-Attacks
Favored
Full Casting Action
*Greater Full Casting Action
*Ultimate Full Casting Action
Gestalt
Go First
Healing Factor
Heroic Grace
Hex Maven
Magic-User
Master of Magic Items
Mental Paragon
Offensive Combat Training
Physical Paragon
Prestigious
Skill Domination
Skill God
Spell Shifting
Supernatural Spell Monster
Unflappable
Meta-Attack Feats
Empowered Attack
Enlarged Attack
Extended Attack
Heighten Attack
Maximize Attack
Perfect Blow
Quicken Attack
Silent Attack
Still Attack
Widen Attack

Enjoy!

Rangers Options: Knacks of Nature is available now! Want to play a ranger as more than a fighter who knows how to camp? This product offers new rangers powers (knacks) that let you do things such as borrow fighting techniques from animals, link to the powers of the elements, communicate with other rangers in secret sigils, and lead groups quickly through the wilderness. It also offers nine new ranger spells, from the modestly useful blood scent, to the extremely flexible spell bolt. And finally it offers three new archetypes in the style of the APG -- the Explorer who is more focused on sneakiness and avoiding traps than combat, the Master Herbalist who can use natural materials to create extracts like an alchemist, and the Tercel, who is a mid-step between the druid and the ranger, like a wilderness inquisitor.

The third of our Anachronistic Adventurer line of PDFs, The Daredevil, is now available!

The daredevil is the kind of character that might actually be called an "adventurer” by members of common society – someone who is driven to regularly and intentionally do things that are clearly dangerous and frightening. Some daredevils are driven by the desire to experience evergreater thrills, while others feel a sense of duty to undertake perilous tasks so that others don’t have to. What unites all daredevils is that no matter why they run into a building when everyone else is running out, they have a personality that allows them to do dangerous things with a calm and poise that belies the great skill and concentration such tasks demand. A daredevil is more than a thrill-seeker, he is a professional risk-taker who is trained and predisposed to accomplish deeds often described as suicidal, foolhardy, or even impossible. Daredevils may be stunt men, masked vigilantes, professional escapists, espionage agents, or military commandos given missions regular soldiers know better than to accept.

Includes the daredevil base class, four anachronistic archetypes(escapist, masked adventurer, secret agent, and occultist), and rules for ritual magic!

The third of our Anachronistic Adventurer line of PDFs, the Daredevil, is now available!

The daredevil is the kind of character that might actually be called an "adventurer” by members of common society – someone who is driven to regularly and intentionally do things that are clearly dangerous and frightening. Some daredevils are driven by the desire to experience evergreater thrills, while others feel a sense of duty to undertake perilous tasks so that others don’t have to. What unites all daredevils is that no matter why they run into a building when everyone else is running out, they have a personality that allows them to do dangerous things with a calm and poise that belies the great skill and concentration such tasks demand. A daredevil is more than a thrill-seeker, he is a professional risk-taker who is trained and predisposed to accomplish deeds often described as suicidal, foolhardy, or even impossible. Daredevils may be stunt men, masked vigilantes, professional escapists, espionage agents, or military commandos given missions regular soldiers know better than to accept.

Includes the daredevil base class, four anachronistic archetypes(escapist, masked adventurer, secret agent, and occultist), and rules for ritual magic!

Heya folks.

I'm working on an official Paizo product (unfortunately I can't say which one yet), and I'm looking for sources on the Mendev Crusaders. I don't want to miss any important sources for them. So, what have people already read about them that's important, and where did you read it?

Thanks in advance!

Heya folks.

I'm working on an official Paizo product (unfortunately I can't say which one yet), and I'm looking for sources on the Knights of Ozem. They've been name-dropped a lot, but nothing significant seems to have been published yet that really defines them, of gives any details about their organization or membership.

Anyone seen anything particularly relevant on the Knights of Ozem? And if so, where?

Anyone have any pet theories about them, and if so what official information led you to it?

Thanks in advance!

Have a character concept that doesn't fit neatly into one character class? Don't want to get involved with the hassle of stopping all progress in your main class just to pick up a little extra flavor? Try out The Genius Guide to feats of Multiclassing. Written by Ryan Costello, Jr. and Owen K.C. Stephens. Guided by the ideas behind Amateur Gunslinger and the Eldritch Heritage line of feats, we present a new mechanism to allow characters to broaden their scope, without breaking game balance or dealing with the more complex options of actually taking a full level of another class.

Hello everyone!

I'm working on something for an official Paizo product (sadly I am forbidden from discussing exactly what product).

As part of that work, I need to track down every kind of horse breed mentioned in the Inner Sea. I've got fell ponies in Amaans. What else is out there? What would you hate to see me miss?