R. Hyrum Savage's page

Some great ideas here folks! Keep 'em coming! (PDF's should start going out tomorrow.)

So the other two Geniuses are at Gen Con and will have limited Internet access. Following in Owen's footsteps, I'm going to give product away to whoever posts to this thread with a new product idea you'd like us Geniuses to do, or something that's missing from one of our existing product lines and the PDF you'd like.

To get your PDF I need you to send me a PM with your email address and a reminder of what you'd like me to send.

So Paizoians, what's missing from the Genius Portfolio?

Any chance of a redesign of the Shaman class? It hasn't held up as well as some of the other SGG classes.

Right now the redesign is just a series of notes, but it is something I'm working on, it's just going slower than I'd like.

Hey Jarquafelmu!

Just saw this post and I'll check with the guys doing the Hero Lab stuff for us to see if they have any solutions.

what happens if they decide a class is maybe 95% OK to use in PFS but they don't like, say one or two aspects. Would the class just be 'denied' or might they ask for a small revision to the class?

Given the number of potential submissions they'd have to go through and approve, my bet would be they'd just deny it and move on to the next product.

I'd love for 3pp material to be included as part of PFS, but I don't really see it happening.

The main reason is the workload it would put on the Paizo staff, since regardless of who does the editing, Paizo is going to want to go over the book to make sure nothing is too out of whack with the goals of PFS. And they would have to, since a good percentage of the hardcore PFS players are really, really good at finding that one hole no one saw and then driving a Mac truck through it. :D

If you don't mind giving me your email address I'd be happy to send you a free copy of "The Genius Guide to the Harrowed", which you can read about here:

The Genius Guide to the Harrowed

I think it fits pretty well for what you're looking for, you'd just need to tweak the effect to be the result of the ressurection spell.

Learn how awesome ancient secrets and fighting techniques can be when you get to learn what fits your character, instead of choosing from a present list...

With The Genius Guide to the Talented Monk you can make your monk so much more than flurry of blows and unarmed strikes...

Having only a desktop PC with which to read .pdfs, I have to say I wish I had every one of my Pathfinder, both core and 3pp, in book form. You hear me, Super Genius Games? :)

We're working on it....;)

The first product from new to Super Genius author Will McCardell is now up. Get your copy of "The Genius Guide to Apeiron Staves" here!

Ok... But what in creation are "Apeiron Staves"?

Glad you asked! Apeiron (pronounced a-pay-ron) Staves are, simply put, to spellcasters what a magic sword is to a fighter. They are magical implements whose most basic function can be used without draining the magical reserves of their owner.

Awesome! Now tell me why I need one.

Need is such a... subjective word, but I can tell you that no self-respecting spellcaster will be seen in public now without one! And here's why! In the core rules, staves are treated as “spells-in-a-can” – a delivery mechanism for a specific number of abilities the user likely already possesses. So yeah, "normal" staves let you create some impressive effects, but at the end of the day they're little more than a different way to cast a spell. And frankly, we already have potions, wands, scrolls, and a multitude of command-word items to do this, which is why you can now get an apeiron staff.

Since I already own "The Genius Guide to Rune Staves and Wyrd Wands", what's the difference between Rune Staves and Apeiron Staves?

The two books are actually very different. Rune Staves are for the most part incredibly generic, giving flat bonuses to spell damage and they might include a special ability that makes specific spells or spell types more effective. On the other hand, Apeiron Staves always have a specific effect (such as summon a spectral hero at a location within 50 feet) and each staff also lets you enhance that effect in defined ways by spending charges (like giving the spectral hero a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round at the cost of 1 charge), with each staff having at least 2 of these "augmentations".

Now we're talking! Alright, one last thing. Apeiron sounds like a word you made up and used to name you your 18 in all stats, elven fighter-magic user-bard who has listed under items "Everything in the PHB" and under spells "Everything in the PHB, x2" character from Jr. High. Be honest, did you just make that word up?

Nope. The word apeiron is Ancient Greek for “infinite” or “unlimited”, and maybe its most famous user was a 6th century B.C. Greek natural philosopher named Anaximander, which he used in his response to the Pre-Socratic natural philosophers of his age who were debating which element, Earth, Wind, Air, or Fire, was the basis of reality. He proposed that the universe was a creation of the infinite, or as he would say it, the apeiron. Which is why we think the name “apeiron staves” is appropriate for a type of magical staff that can continuously create a basic magic effect, infinitely.

Besides, it just sound cool when you can have your incredibly mouthy character say "Stand fast foul creature of the Abyss or feel the wrath of my Greater Apeiron Staff of Force! Take one more step and not only will you suffer (roll 5d4 + your caster level + your casting ability modifier force damage) massive damage, but by spending but 1 charge I can cause you to trip over your own hellish feet!"

;)

And The Genius Guide to the Talented Rogue is now live!

What is guile pool? and ambush? If guile pool for instance works similar to a ninja ki pool but is themed for the rogue, you could include it as an edge that can be chosen.

Now that it's been uploaded to Paizo and our other sales venues, you won't have to wait long. And if you've got Dungeonaday.com access you can get it now. :)

Don't know how accurate the info in these links are, but it's a place to start getting info to show to your GM. :)

Build An AK 47

How to Build an AK-47

Apparently you can make an AK-47 out of just about anything

:)

Are you allowed to use 3rd party stuff? If so, a Mighty Godling might be up your alley:

The Mighty Godling

Not all Houserules are created equal.... ;)

The 38-pager Houserule Handbooks: Spell Points Compilation is available now in pdf! (POD coming soon!) This collects and reorganizes all 3 of our Spell Points pdfs (and makes editing corrections in the very few places we found them).

Here are some ideas: Dragon Ride/Dragon Knight/Paramander - paladin/mage cross.

The Genius Guide to: The Dragonrider

;)

Not to mention a few other base classes available here and at d20PFSRD.com

DPI and intented use matters, I think, more so than size, since a dodgy publisher could contract for 1/4 page at 300+ DPI and resize it larger.

Also when you email a 3PP give them your rate card up front. That is always going to be the first question we ask.

Double true. Without fail my first reply will always be along the lines of:

"Nice work! What are your rates? Please understand that our budgets are small and we put out at least a book a week, so we need a lot of art and can't spend a lot on individual pieces."

And please don't reply with "reasonable" because I'll tell you right now that my Super Genius definition of "reasonable" is going to be very different than my publicly traded computer game production day job definition of "reasonable" and both are going to be different than your definition. :)

And while we're at it, can we get rid of "full page-1/2 page-1/4 page" etc? With Photoshop those definitions don't mean a whole lot anymore.

Is there any thoughts about teaming with Hero Labs once this is done or maybe at stretch goals during the kickstarter

Absolutely. :)

I second what LPJ said.

We're always looking for artists and our budgets are small, but if you're reliable, you'll get a lot of work thrown your way.

Hey Logan.... If you don't have any of the Godling books yet, PM me and I'll make sure you get a copy free of charge. :)

Thanks Liz!

SF 7 Airdrops are short, cheap PDF's for Savage Worlds, similar to the Bullet Point line we have for Pathfinder. This first release focuses on five new pieces of equipment to help members of Strike Force 7 retaliate against agents of Skorpion. Or vice-versa....

The 5 new pieces of equipment are:

• Khepri Bombs: These small metallic insects resemble the scarab beetles sacred to the ancient Egyptians and are a new tool now being used by Skorpion infiltration agents.
  
• Masks of Nephthys: The result of decades of secretive research by Skorpion R&D, the Mask of Nephthys is a nanite gel that allows the user to assume the appearance of another person.
  
• Metal Vapor Torch Gloves: These gloves generate a small blade of flame in the palm of each hand that can slice through a half-inch steel bar in less than a second.
  
• Phoenix Attack Cycle: This Skorpion motorcycle is not only equipped with four H&K MP7 submachine guns, but upon command the cycle can also split into six rocket propelled missiles!
  
• XM40 “Zeus” Enhanced Sniper Rifle: Developed exclusively for Strike Force 7, the XM40 sniper rifle is the most powerful, versatile, and effective sniper rifle ever developed. It's unique targeting system allows the sniper to guide the round fired around corners or others forms of cover.

Thanks Liz!

If you're looking for good 3pp material, you can't go wrong with using the reviews written by Endzeitgeist as a guide.

Since you're running Reign of Winter I'd like to offer you a free copy of The Genius Guide to Ice Magic. Just PM me with your email address and I'll get it sent to you.

And depending on the level of your PCs, our Loot 4 Less line gives GMs access to magic items that are appropriately balanced for low level PCs. Like the product text says, each item is generally under 2,500 gp and the vast majority of the items aren't one-shot (or even two- or three-shot) magic items or scrolls, potions, talismans or fire-and-forget tattoo magics. Every magic item is a legitimate permanent magic item, free of charges and able to be used in adventure after adventure.

Finally, a number of our Mythic Menagerie books might be useful as well.

Thanks for looking into 3pp!

Think you have enough Fighter Talents? Do you even know what Fighter Talents are? Wait.... Fighters can have talents? I thought only rogues get talents? And while we're at it, what kind of party has a cavalier, a barbarian and a ranger, but no fighter? Not to mention a GM who hands out awesome magic items at first level? (And does that mean Uni is the ranger's animal companion?)

Anyway, hot on the heels of the Genius Guide to the Talented Fighter (with four 5-star reviews!), comes the Genius Guide to More Fighter Talents, which adds over 25 new talents for you to chose from!

The Genius Guide to the Talented Fighter (did I mention it has four 5-star reviews?) rewrites the classic fighter class to use talents rather than static class abilities alternating with bonus feats. Rather than require all fighters be brave and balance their efforts between armor and weapon bonuses, each fighter can custom-fit the classes abilities to match a player’s specific concept. This greater flexibility allows the fighter to be the default combat-oriented character without limiting it to just one or two styles of fighting. Like a rogue, a fighter character can pick and choose from a range of similarly-powered abilities appropriate for the fighter’s role without making the class overpowered. The talented fighter still fills the same role in the party but can customize his combat style and abilities to fill a much broader range of concepts.

I don't think the death knight has made it into d20PFSRD but it's completely open, just like 99% of the stuff we've released so far.

Is your fighter talented? If not, why not? Sick of boring old static bonuses and lame feats you end up taking because you have to and every other feat bores you to death?

Well cheer up! Crunch Master Owen has put together one of his finest masterpieces to date. So pickup your copy of The Genius Guide to the Talent Fighter before Biff the Walking Feat Bot goes on strike!

We're working on getting more and more HL files, and when we do one they're always added to the product as a free update.

It is taking some time though and our catalog of 200 or so PDFs isn't helping. :)

The Genius Guide to 110 Spell Variants vol. 4 is now available!

Spell variants are based on the idea that there are a lot of interesting effects you can make with fairly minor changes to how a spell works, or by combining effects of multiple spells, or a spell and magic item or even a class ability. While a lot of spell variants are fairly obvious, such as having a major magic missile spell that deals 1d8+1 per missile rather than 1d4+1. This book brings 110 spells variants that are slightly more complex, and are designed to show how it’s possible to create new spells without too much work.

Or, as my favorite djin likes to say Phenomenal cosmic power, ity bity living space.

While still in the throws of the Great Plague, the amazing "Mr. He Doesn't Known How To *Not* Produce Amazing Content, or as I like to call him, "Mr. You're Not Going To Let Nurgle's Rot Break 112+ Straight Weeks Of Product Releases Are You?", sent me a 20 page letter via snail mail that was clearly written while deep in a fever dream, but luckily (for him) the snail was well trained and managed to dictate this week's product: #1 With a Bullet Point: 8 Animal Feats.

If "Mr. You're Not Going To Let Nurgle's Rot Break 112+ Straight Weeks Of Product Releases Are You?" heroically keeping the streak alive doesn't pull your heart strings, then I'll have to play rough, because without your $1, I can't guarantee that Timmy* won't find a giant cave under his house after falling into the abandoned well his parents told him to stay away from, but Timmy just ignored them because they're stupid parents who don't know anything. And which, after being rescued, Timmy's parents (Jack and Diane) will ditch him during the opening night of Man vs Vole. When no one comes to claim Timmy, he'll be sent to boarding school. But, after burning down Buck's School For Not Gifted Youngsters, he'll be sent to, and eventually break out of, Sam's Sanctuary For Horrible People Society Hates. Then, after eluding the people looking for him, Timmy will fall down the old well again, but this time he'll make the cave his new home. With little other than the many mushrooms growing in guano he'll stalk (insert your town name here) as the Vole-man!

Finally, you better get this PDF or any of your characters with a familiar, animal companion, and/or trained pet will get eaten by said animal once they find out you deprived them of one of these amazing feats.

Without further ado, the eight feats (that will make your animal friends even more awesome than they were before you bought this) included are:</p>

• Bloodhound: You can key in on the smell of blood, and know it indicates weakness in a prey.
  
• Empathic Beast: Your trainer’s spiritual code has rubbed off on you.
  
• Great White: You are an unusually powerful creature of your kind.
  
• Homing Sense: You always find your way home.
  
• Mighty Beast: Your appearance makes your rider or trainer look more impressive.
  
• Sly: You are more cunning than most animals.
  
• Soothing Companion: You always seem to know just what your master needs.
  
• *Timmy Is Down A Well: You are more expressive than most creatures of your type.
  

]Sorry. Too many IRL expenses right now.

No worries. :)

If you PM me your email address I'll send you all 6 for free, no strings attached!

There's also our line of Houserule Handbooks that, as of now, are entirely devoted to spellpoints. You can check them out and read some of the reviews here: http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/s/superGeniusGames/pathfinderRPG/houserule Handbooks

Have you ever wanted the power to cloud men's minds? I know I have - and now my characters can to!

Anachronistic Adventurers: The Sensitive is now available, rounding out the 6 "base" classes for Modern characters that are 100% compatible with Pathfinder.

What is a Sensitive and what does it do? Glad you asked!

The sensitive is a master of awareness and understanding; someone able to drink in all the sensations of a spring day and know a storm is coming, glance at a friendly face and sense the ill-intent it hides, or contemplate her own actions to reveal subconscious motivations. Sensitives are often religious or philosophical figures, often offering words of wisdom and guidance to those who wish to better themselves. Others are quiet contemplatives who seek on self-awareness, while a few put their perceptions to work delving into the urges and motivations of criminals and monsters.

However, it would be a mistake to think of all sensitives as “kind souls,” or to think that awareness of the thoughts and pains of others somehow ensures their motives are always pure. Some of those who find themselves in tune with the universe around them use that awareness to better manipulate and incapacitate others for their own ends. Sensitive villains can be tragic figures so troubled by the pain of others that they wish to control the world to bring peace (or in more extreme cases just put the world out of its misery), evil mesmerists who have learned to read signs of weakness as a form of power, or even bright-eyed madmen who can’t distinguish between their real insights and the voices of delusion talking in their heads.

Also included in this 19 page book are three new archetypes: the ESPer, profiler, and volur. In addition, you'll find complete rules for Psychic Abilities—mental "tricks" that allow characters to do things that violate the normal rules of the world around them, and that are common in fantastic modern-era adventure stories. Finally, we discuss how Psychic Abilities differ from Psionics, how they interact with each other, and give some advice on ways to incorporate both into your game.

These might be too close to standard Pathfinder for what you need, but have you checked out any of our Anachronistic Adventurer products? There are currently 5 base classes (Daredevil, Enforcer, Investigator, Luminary, and Tough) and we'll be releasing the 6th one, the Sensitive, later this week. There's also a short, cheap PDF called "6 Anachronistic Armors", which covers using modern armor in Pathfinder as well.

You can see them all here: http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/s/superGeniusGames/pathfinderRPG/anachroni sticAdventurers

The Pope announces his retirement ... the first in nearly 600 years. Asteroid 2012 DA14 comes within 17.5k miles of Earth -- the closest ever observed by modern astronomers and to top it off, fire rains from the sky over Russia.

Is it coincidence that Super Genius Games has just released their new "Genius Guide to Chaos Magic"?

We report, YOU decide.

And just what is The Genius Guide to Chaos Magic? I'm glad you asked!

Chaos magic is the eldritch force of pure, churning anarchy, outrageous coincidence, and unrelenting entropy. It is more than spells that draw on the chaotic element of the alignments that define the morals of creatures throughout the multiverse, it also is a way to dip into the pure stuff of madness and creation. Chaos magic requires its practitioners to embrace a lack of control, and accept that what they want isn't always going to be what they get. In return, they can create effects far beyond their normal level of power… though that isn't always a good thing.

Chaos magic is often considered evil by society, and while this isn't true, it’s an understandable position. Those who draw on chaos magic are often power-mad and, only slightly less often, just plain insane—and thus are high-profile troublemakers. And even among those who embrace chaos magic for scholarly pursuits, or as the only means to oppose powerful enemies, or because they have no choice, the unpredictable nature of chaos magic often causes them to do as much collateral damage as real, lasting good. No one wants a chaos mage living in the center of town, and while the power she represents isn't malevolent, it’s certainly antithetical to the goals of any organized society.

Even so, rare examples of chaos magic as an heroic power source do exist—mostly in lands suffering under crushing tyranny and merciless laws that protect only the rich and powerful. In such kingdoms, anything that disrupts the status quo may be embraced as a form of heroic independence and liberty. Such praise is generally short lived however—once the tyrant is overturned, the confusion and random mishaps caused by chaos magic is as mistrusted by the new regime (however evenhanded it may be) as it once was by the original oppressors.

Despite its questionable reputation, the power of pure anarchy is often sought after by those who simply desire power, and sometimes thrust on those who would prefer a more orderly kind of magic. Chaos is a natural part of the universe, and chaos magic cannot be contained or eliminated, no matter how many kingdoms would prefer it.

"I love you, SGG."

And we love you too! ;)

The latest no-frills option for Death themed characters is now available! Get your copy of Bullet Point: 8 Death Knight Feats now!

High Concept: Eight feats designed to augment the options and utility of death knights (from The Genius Guide to the Death Knight), or any death-themed combatant (characters with classes that have death in the class name, have an archetype with death, killer or slayer in the name, or that grant access to the death or repose domains or true death inquisition—using their appropriate class levels as death knight levels for prerequisites) or character that has already taken a feat with “death” in the title (then using character level as death knight levels for prerequisites).

The eight feats included are:

• Beyond the Pale Gate: Those you kill are unlikely to return to life.
  
• Death Dealer: You are a master of delivering death blows.
  
• Death Lord: The magic powers of death respond strongly to your call.
  
• Death Resistance: You are resistant to the powers of death.
  
• Deathly Wounds: The injuries you deal cannot be easily healed.
  
• Grave’s Embrace: Your grasp is still and cold as the grave.
  
• Lingering Spirit: Killing you does not stop you.
  
• Reaper: You swing your weapons in great scything arcs.

Thanks Liz!

There was a hiccup with the domain name service but it should be working. Could take time to propagate though. If the normal URL isn't working, the one Kvantum mentioned should. Or you can just click here:

Alt. Dungeonaday Link