Page 4 of the recently released Pathfinder Player’s Companion: Blood of Fiends has a sidebar discussing tieflings arising from races other than human. It says “They gain any of the bonuses or penalties related to that size, but gain no racial bonuses except those of the tiefling; beyond size, their humanoid ancestry is purely cosmetic.” From a balance standpoint, this is reasonable.
But, with the trait system, I think we can do better than that.
Note: by “Rules As Written,” Tieflings cannot buy languages not listed on Bestiary I p. 264 – this would bar Tieflings buying human ethnic/regional languages even if the character originates from that ethnicity or region. Since I don’t think that is the “Rules As Intended” I have included racial/ethnic languages in these traits.
Of course, like all traits, these are optional.
Dwarf-Blood: Dwarf tieflings are virtually unknown and, outside of the Duergar, are usually smothered at birth. Should one survive, the tiefling would be short and heavily built, much like their dwarven parent. Hair (and beard if male) would be of an unnatural color.
Requirement: Tiefling
Benefits: A dwarven tiefling’s build enhances the characters stability. The tiefling gains a +2 trait bonus to their CMD when on solid ground. Dwarf Tieflings receive Dwarven as an additional starting language.
Special: Determine Height and Weight as a dwarf, but do not reduce the characters speed. Determine Age as a Half-Elf.
Elf-Blood: Despite their strong connection to nature, elves have a strong lecherous streak that can lead them into liaisons that would have been better avoided. Elf blooded tieflings tend to be tall, with the same long ears, almond shaped eyes, and large pupils that elves commonly have.
Requirement: Tiefling
Benefits: Elven Tieflings share some of the strong innate magic that Elves do. Eleven Tieflings receive a +2 trait bonus on all Spellcraft checks. Elf Tieflings receive Elven as an additional starting language.
Special: Determine Height, Weight, and Age as a Half-Elf.
Gnome-Blood: The chaotic and experimental nature of gnomes leads some to ill-considered matings. Disturbingly, in addition to the normal marks of their fiendish blood, gnomish tieflings tend to have pale skin and white hair.
Requirement: Tiefling
Benefits: Gnome Tieflings may cast prestidigitation once per day. Their caster level for this effect is equal to the tiefling’s level. Gnome Tieflings receive Gnome as an additional starting language.
Small Size: Gnomish tieflings are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks. They must also use Small weapons and compute their carrying capacity as small creatures. Do not, however, reduce their speed. Determine
Special: Height and Weight as a gnome. Determine Age as a Half-Elf.
Half-Elf: Use “Elf-Blood” above.
Half-Orc: Use “Orc-Blood” below.
Halfling-Blood: Halflings rarely mate with fiends voluntarily, As Halflings are frequently slaves, the sometimes find themselves forced to do so. Hafling Tieflings They appear as normal haflings, except as marked by the fiendish heritage.
Requirement: Tiefling
Benefits: Halflings Tieflings have the same keen senses as their halfling parent. They receive a +2 trait bonus on Perception checks. Halfling Tieflings receive Halfling as an additional starting language.
Small Size: Halfling tieflings are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks. They must also use Small weapons and compute their carrying capacity as small creatures. Do not, however, reduce their speed.
Special: Determine Height and Weight as a halfling. Determine Age as a Human.
Human-Blood: Human tieflings really far and away the most commonly encountered, and like Humans in general, they are the most varied. One constant however, is that they are mistrusted and persecuted by “normal” humans.
Requirement: Tiefling
Benefits: Human tieflings still share humanity’s adaptability, and thus they receive a +1 trait bonus to one save category (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will) of the tiefling’s choice. Human Tieflings receive the language of their human ethnicity as an additional starting language.
Exception: Chelaxians, Taldans, and other humans with only “Common” as their base language start with one language of their choice. (This does allow them a language not on the provided list for tieflings in the Bestiary.)
Special: Determine Height, Weight, and Age as a Human.
Orc-Blood: Vile and destructive creatures, Orc readily offer themselves for dark mating rituals in a mad pursuit personal power. With their magical powers and mental gifts, Orc-Tieflings often find a place of honor in Orc tribes.
Requirement: Tiefling
Benefits: Fiendish traits only add to the creature’s already terrifying mien. Orc-blooded tieflings receive a +2 trait bonus on Intimidate checks. Orc Tieflings receive Orc as an additional starting language.
Special: Determine Height and Weight as a half-orc. Determine Age as a Human.
As a personal opinion, I have always thought that the whole ''evil cleric = negative energy and good cleric = positive energy'' thing was one of the worst design concept ever made in D&D. Evil races should have access to good healers too, otherwise they would have lost their battle against the force of good a long time ago.
Taking the lead from some other posters, I've decided to start a thread dedicated to housing all of my crazy and random homebrew stuff. I'm naming this post after it's first article, i.e. stuff all about Gnolls! Its entirely up to you to whether or not you use any of this crap, I just vainly hope that at least one of my non-sensical little pieces of dribble meet your discriminating tastes.
(Not all of it may be balanced, but I tried.)
(WARNING: some of this stuff is .... well, 'adult' material. I'm not sure if everyone thinks this qualifies for that label, but I'd rather be safe then sorry.)
Well now on to the good stuff, GNOLLS!!!!
Gnolls as a player race:
Gnolls are a race of tribal beast-men that inhabit desert wastes and sun-shrouded savannahs. Gnolls have a reputation among civilized races as being cannibalistic savages, more animal then humanoid, that practice horrible blood rites under the light of the moon in honour of their profane and monstrous deities. The sad fact is that this assumption is often correct.
Physical Description: The most apt description of Gnolls is that of an anthropomorphic hyena. They stand slightly taller then the average human, with builds ranging from lean and wiry to thickly-thewed and muscular. They sport speckled, furred hides of various colours. The colour usually depends on what tribe or clan they hail from, and can range from light tan, dirty yellow, dark brown to charcoal black. Clothing varies from region to region and tribe to tribe. For example, 'civilized' Gnolls wear clothing reminiscent of nearby human settlers, often sporting loose robes and colourful headscarves to keep the sun off the wearer. Barbaric Gnolls on the other hand wear rough hides and leathers, and carry crude bone adornments and fetishes, as well as trophies from defeated foes.
Society: Much like the hyenas they resemble, Gnolls are scavengers with a lazy streak a mile wide. Abhorring hard labour, they most often force slaves to perform the more unsavoury tasks. In Gnoll society, the strong rule the weak, and weak Gnolls must always show deference to their superiors. Despite worshiping a female deity, Gnoll society is misogynistic, and females either birth the tribes young or serve as clerics (and sometimes both).
Relations: Most civilized races consider Gnolls to be monsters, and thus are treated with suspicion at best and violence at worst. In cities where slavery is legal, Gnolls often come to sell slaves unsuited to their nomadic lifestyle and to acquire stronger, healthier slaves. Here they are treated as equals (usually), but suspicion always remains. Other monstrous races such as orcs and goblins often get along very well with Gnolls, and trolls in particular are often hired to serve as guards and enforcers in Gnoll bands.
Alignment and Religion: Most Gnolls fall within the Chaotic Evil range, rarely valuing things such as life or liberty, although Chaotic Neutral tribes are beginning to become more common. Even such progressive tribes still venerate the Gnoll racial deity, a being they call the 'Mother of Monsters', a dark goddess of blood and fertility, which they say birthed the Gnoll race and many others. Gnoll Clerics are almost universally female, and despite the misogyny of Gnoll society, are revered even above the band's chief.
Adventurers: For Gnolls, exile is the worst punishment imaginable, only reserved for the most horrific of crimes. Those Gnolls who are exiled often try to integrate themselves into other humanoid society to mitigate the loneliness. There also exists another breed of outcast Gnolls: those who leave the band of their own volition. These exceptional Gnolls are almost always females who find the gender constraints of Gnoll culture suffocating, and leave to seek their own destiny in the world. These individuals are a breed apart. For them, other humanoids are not always to be enslaved or eaten, the old ways are not always the best, and loneliness can harden ones soul. For what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.
Racial Traits:
-+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma; Gnolls are hardy and strong, but have abrasive attitudes and a reputation as savages.
-Type: Gnolls are Humanoids with the (Gnoll) subtype.
-Medium Size: Gnolls have no bonuses or penalties due to their size
-Normal Speed: Gnolls have a base speed of 30 ft.
-Darkvision: Gnolls can see in the dark up to a range of 60 ft.
-Natural Armour: Gnolls have thick, furred hides and thus have a +1 natural armour bonus.
-Acute Senses: Gnolls have highly developed senses, particularly their sense of smell. Gnolls receive a +2 racial bonus on perception checks, and have the scent universal monster ability.
-Savannah Runner: Gnolls receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue, exhaustion, or other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, or hot or cold environments.
-Stalker: Gnolls are renowned as hunters and trackers, spending long hours stalking their prey across the savannah. Perception and Stealth are always class skills for Gnolls.
-Languages: Gnolls begin play speaking only Gnoll. Gnolls with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Common, Giant, Orc.
Newl Feats:
Hunter's Speed (a.k.a. 'Do the Snuffle Shuffle')
You have learned to drop down to all fours to increase your speed.
Requirements: Gnoll, Dexterity 13
Effect: As a swift action you can drop to a quadrupedal shuffle, thus doubling you movement speed. While using this feat you cannot utilize your limbs for anything other then moving, and thus cannot carry anything in your hands.
Breeder's Scars
You have given birth 'the old fashioned way' enough times to develop a tough layer of scar tissue over your abdomen.
Requirements: Gnoll, Female, Must have given birth at least once.
Effect: You gain an additional +1 bonus to your natural armour. Also if your scars are visible you gain a +2 bonus on all bluff, diplomacy and intimidate checks against Gnolls and worshippers of Lamashtu.
Third Eye
Either you purposely drilled a hole in your forehead to better resemble you goddess, or perhaps you were born with an auspicious deformity. Either way, you now have a third eye with eerie magical powers.
Requirements: Gnoll, Wisdom 15
Effects: You receive a +1 bonus on perception checks. Also, you gain the ability to make a gaze attack a number of times a day equal to 1+ your wisdom modifier as a standard action. Any foe who meets your gaze must pass a will save (DC = 10 + your wisdom modifier + 1/2 you HD) or become shaken for 1 round.
New Archetypes
Tribal Mother (Cleric Archetype) Requirements: Female, Must worship Lamashtu.
In the barbaric tribal societies, woman are often relegated to the role of breeders and property. In tribes that worship Lamashtu, there is also another route. Although females are still seen as chattel, clerics of the Mother of Monsters are almost always female, and are revered as honoured mothers, given as much respect as the tribe's chief, if not more. The majority of these clerics are Gnolls, but it has since spread to others of the Mother's Faith.
Tribal Mothers have the following class features.
Weapon Proficiency: Tribal Mothers are proficient in all simple weapons, as well as kukris and falchions. This replaces the cleric's standard weapon proficiencies.
Mother's Milk: Upon taking her first level of this class, the Tribal Mother's breasts become engorged with milk and begin to lactate, even if she is not pregnant. This breast-milk has magical healing properties. A number of times per day equal to her cleric level, she may lactate and collect the milk as a full-round action. The milk functions as a potion, and remains potent for 1 minute. Anyone who drinks it gains the effect of a cleric spell with a caster level equal to the Tribal Mother's cleric level. The Tribal Mother chooses the effect, and can choose effects from lower levels. This ability is taxing (and somewhat pleasurable) for the Tribal Mother, and after using it she is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell duplicated.
At 1st level, it can duplicate a Cure Light Wounds spell.
At 3rd level, it can duplicate a Cure Moderate Wounds or Lesser Restoration spell.
At 5th level, it can duplicate a Cure Serious Wounds, Remove Blindness/Deafness, or Remove Disease Spell.
At 7th level, it can duplicate a Cure Critical Wounds, Neutralize Poison, or Restoration spell.
At 11th level, it can duplicate a Heal spell.
At 13th level, it can duplicate a Regenerate or Greater Restoration.
This ability replaces Channel Energy.
Beast Mother: At 1st level, the Tribal Mother gains the service of a faithful animal companion. This creature follows her on her adventures and vision quests, and serves her loyally and without complaint, whatever her needs may be. The Tribal Mother is restricted in her choice of animal companions, and must choose an animal sacred to Lamashtu, most often a hyena or jackal. This otherwise functions as a druid's animal companion, and the Tribal Mother treats her cleric level as her druid level for determining all the abilities of her animal companion.
This replaces the Cleric's Domains ability
An unknown expedition to the stars returns to its point of origin—the unsuspecting village of Dustpawn. Strange disappearances and a blazing object in the sky mark the beginning of trouble for the sleepy village. Can the heroes save the villagers from fiery doom, reality-warping creatures that view the citizens merely as experimental animals, and a horrific threat from beyond the stars?
Doom Comes to Dustpawn is a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure for 9th-level characters, who will advance to 10th level by the adventure's conclusion, which brings the characters directly into conflict with an emissary from the Dark Tapestry.
Adventure Background
Several centuries ago, a cabal of wizards interested in the mysteries of space constructed a craft to travel to worlds beyond Golarion. The group chose a launch site several miles west of Dustpawn, a quiet area where they would not risk discovery. They boarded the star-faring vehicle with their familiars, their apprentices remaining behind to magically receive and document their findings. Five years into the venture, shortly after the craft passed Akiton, communications suddenly ceased. Unable to reestablish contact, the apprentices assumed their masters had died, and moved on with their lives.
Unknown to the apprentices, the craft’s passengers had survived, continuing to record their observations and transmit them back to Golarion. They reached Aucturn and then reversed course for home, intending to present all their research to the astonished masses on their return. Unfortunately, the final planet on their itinerary undid their plans; their craft brushed against a planar breach, exposing the passengers to the Dark Tapestry, its bizarre energies forcing each wizard to merge with his or her familiar. As their bodies and minds warped, the gestalt beings went mad and turned on each other. The mission leader, in a brief moment of lucidity, triggered an emergency spell to place the ill-fated voyagers in stasis. Using a powerful staff imbued with an incredibly powerful word of recall, he shunted himself and four others to their launch site days ahead of the returning main craft. These survivors, still irradiated with dark energies, sought secluded areas near Dustpawn to regroup, unaware their subconscious desires would warp their new-found sanctuaries. The hybrids began abducting townspeople to their lairs, either to transform them into similar creatures or conduct bizarre experiments upon them. Meanwhile, the forgotten craft still hurtles towards Dustpawn, the creature known as the Emissary from Beyond following in its wake to turn the unsuspecting village into a beachhead for an incursion by the Dark Tapestry.
Delayed by the chaotic magic encountered during their journey, the wizards' communications suddenly pour back to Golarion, specifically to their apprentices’ descendants. The first sign of impending doom comes from those afflicted with apparent madness, as years of information floods into their minds.
Getting the Characters Involved
The party may travel to Dustpawn for several possible reasons:
Dalviss Crenn, or an associate of one of the characters with an interest in the stars, excitedly contacts the party to inform them about a meteor that will crash in Isger. He beckons them to Dustpawn, the village closest to the meteor’s expected landfall.
When the first victim exhibits signs of madness, alternating between reciting obscure data about the planets beyond Golarion and attempting to bash her own skull to stop the voices, Alyssia Turpin contacts the party cleric.
The missing halflings found an item during an earlier excursion into Dustpawn's mines. They had arranged for a meeting with the party to sell the item.
Act I: First Contact
When the PCs arrive in Dustpawn, they see the descending ship burning brightly in the sky. The townspeople treat new arrivals warily due to the recent rash of disappearances and Laura Mulvayne's bizarre behavior. Either Dalviss Crenn or Alyssia Turpin greets them.
Dalviss prattles on enthusiastically about the object making its way to Golarion and guides the characters to his makeshift observatory. While at Crenn's observatory, a character succeeding at a DC 30 Knowledge (arcana, nature, or planes) check learns the amount of time remaining before impact. A subsequent DC 30 Perception check informs the character the meteorite will strike Dustpawn. With this advance warning, the party gains the opportunity to evacuate as many villagers as possible.
Alyssia takes the PCs to a home where they hear Laura Mulvayne lecturing, suddenly stopping, and then screaming and throwing herself against the walls. When Laura lectures, she speaks in monotone about the planets in detail, almost too fast for the characters to keep up. During or after this encounter, characters may attempt a DC 35 Knowledge (history) check to remember the cabal who traveled the stars, and a subsequent DC 30 Knowledge (history or local) check reveals the victim’s relationship to one of the original apprentices. Ten minutes after the party arrives, Laura becomes placid and spends a few seconds to look at everyone in the room. She then unleashes a primal shriek that potentially stuns the characters, and her features bubble and shift as she transforms into a chaos beast. This encounter may alternately take place after Dustpawn's evacuation or the crash landing.
sidebar:
For added tension, the DM can designate any or all the PCs as unfortunate descendants of the apprentices. The maddening information flow and the Emissary's intrusions cause Wisdom damage once per day, unless the afflicted character succeeds at a DC 25 Will save. However, he also gains a temporary bonus for the day to Knowledge checks—also allowing him to perform untrained checks without the usual limitations—pertaining to the planets and the Dark Tapestry.
Two hours after the party arrives in Dustpawn, the craft enters the atmosphere, breaks up, and crash lands in Dustpawn, setting the village center ablaze. After the characters battle the blaze and rescue trapped townsfolk, they have the opportunity to explore the craft, where they discover a handful of stasis pods bearing bizarre hybrids that perished in the crash. Searching the craft rewards characters with partial transcriptions about the planets and the information that five creatures escaped. For several days after the crash, a dark haze that blots out the sun covers Dustpawn.
Investigation of the disappearances reveals the missing as: a pair of fishermen; a group of halfling explorers; and a goat herder, his wife, and their entire herd. The fishermen, currently prisoners of the Toad King, routinely fish the Conerica River for a week before bringing their catch back to Dustpawn. They were due back two nights prior to the party's arrival, and the delay has raised suspicions in the village. Meanwhile, the halflings became victims of the Warren during one of their many trips to the spent mines outside Dustpawn. While they normally keep to themselves, they carouse at one of the local taverns after they return from spelunking, so regulars notice their absence. Finally, the herder and his wife fell victim to the Night Hunters. Neighbors only recall hearing the bleating of goats as if something carried them through the skies, but they neither heard nor saw anything else. Individually, the villagers would regard the disappearances as unfortunate accidents, but the cumulative events set them on edge.
As the characters search for missing Dustpawn residents, they may encounter the following events in any order (with the exception of Emissary from Beyond, which occurs last):
Act II: The Toad King
One trail leads to Conerica River, where the expedition leader, now transformed into a human/toad combination (using boggard stats with increased Int and 8 wizard levels), instinctively relocated. The creature's presence warps reality to suit it, so a growing area centered on the creature has transformed into a stinking bog, complete with quicksand and a host of toads singing of the stars. Wishing to remake others in its image, it grabbed the two fisherman and spirited them away to its underwater lair. There the toad king uses its ability to warp flesh to slowly and painfully transform its victims.
The characters must traverse the newly formed swampland to reach the toad king and stop its depredations. On the way, they contend with hostile terrain, a rain of poisonous toads, and a mobogo compelled to serve the toad king. They must then discover the route into the creature's lair and reach its grotto before its victims succumb to the foul experiments.
sidebar:
Due to the reality-altering nature of the creatures in this adventure, their lairs are treated as mildly chaotic-aligned.
Act III: Followers of the Emissary
Various members of Dark Tapestry cults find themselves drawn to Dustpawn as the Emissary's presence grows stronger. Most travel to the village to receive the Emissary's promised gift of power and rebirth, but a handful decide to add to the mayhem in preparation for the creature's arrival.
On a return trip to Dustpawn, the party notices a group of cultists on their way to the village. The cultists lie, claiming they want to help with recovery efforts after the crash and the fire. The cultists' leader owns a seed of madness, a new magic item that bestows greater powers of persuasion upon the bearer and causes his targets to become confused. If the party allows the cultists unfettered access to the craft, they try to murder any NPCs who remain at the site, since they are unfit to bear witness to the majesty of the Dark Tapestry. The cultists will fight only if cornered but will otherwise flee in an attempt to sneak into Dustpawn. Interrogating a captured cultist provides the PCs with the first warning about the Emissary’s arrival.
The characters must also deal with new arrivals of other tormented descendants of the apprentices, who, like Laura Mulvayne, alternate between intoning facts streaming to them from the wizards' mission and screaming in agony. If the party works with these victims, they may discover a means allowing them all to share the burden, with each speaking in turn and gaining temporary relief while the others speak.
Act IV: The Warren
Two of the escapees, close friends before their transformation, journeyed to Dustpawn's abandoned mines. A gnome/rat hybrid (apply wererat template to an 8th-level wizard, except it does not inflict lycanthropy) and a halfling/bat mix (use sabosan stats, except with increased Int and 5 wizard levels). The pair viewed the resident goblins as useless for their purposes and exterminated them, but the rat creature grew intrigued with the possibilities the halfling explorers presented. The pair ambushed the halflings as they finished exploring one of the mines and imprisoned them in a previously goblin-infested mine. While the bat creature does not care about the humanoids, the rat creature experimented on them, vivisecting one, and stitching together two of the remaining victims into a gruesome flesh golem joined at the back of the head, which grants the frightful creature an extra slam attack.
As with the toad king’s habitat, the creatures’ lair has reconfigured itself to accommodate their wishes. On approach to the warrens, the characters encounter large snakes that fled the newly inhabited mine and must negotiate with a large contingent of displaced goblins that blame Dustpawn for their problems. The tunnels have become cramped and difficult to traverse for Medium or larger creatures, and traps the goblins set to keep intruders out have become deadlier. A deathtrap ooze, drawn to the newly transformed dungeon, now haunts its passageways. Even more dangerous than the numerous traps, the rat creature attracted ticks, which reproduce at a prodigious rate due to the chaotic energies that infuse the hybrid. The tick swarm pours out of various tunnels in the warren to protect its new host. The party must then defeat the flesh golem and the lair's owners to rescue the surviving halflings.
Act V: Restless Spirits
Several wizards perished during the first days of madness. While their shattered bodies entered stasis along with the remaining crew, their spirits roamed the craft. They grew bitter as they realized the futility of the journey and envied the survivors. One day after the crash, these doomed spirits rise as spectres, hoping to lash out at their fellow travelers. Denied their revenge, they instead attack villagers in Dustpawn, and the party must intervene again to save the townspeople. Since no sunlight penetrates through to the village, a GM may stage this encounter after the party returns from one of the other excursions.
Dalviss Crenn returned to his observatory shortly after the crash. His telescope still trained to the craft's trajectory, he looks through it and spots the Emissary, which in turn notices him. Dalviss breaks under the strain of the Emissary's attentions and surety of Golarion's oncoming doom. He requests the characters return to his observatory to show them the inky blot that follows the same path as the fallen craft. After a mental assault by the Emissary—something the characters should easily survive—Dalviss cackles and maniacally proclaims nothing the party does will stop the Emissary. He then attempts to commit suicide by throwing himself from the observatory.
Act VI: Night Hunters
The final survivors, an elf/owl gestalt (use stats for a giant owl with 5 wizard levels) and a half-elf/cat combination (apply weretiger template to an 8th-level wizard), escaped southwest to reach the foothills where they would have freedom to hunt. Rather than engaging in monstrous research, this pair merely wishes to revel in hunting intelligent prey. To that end, they captured the goat herding couple—along with the goats for food. On a daily basis, they drop the couple off together or separately, give them a couple of hours to attempt escape, and then harry them until they drop from exhaustion. When the characters enter the creatures' domain, the pair delights in the possibilities of superior prey.
The land has changed significantly where the two creatures lair. A giant tree towers over a clearing, surrounded by acres of tall, reedy grasses that grasp at intruders. As the characters approach the great tree at the center, giant owls harass the party from above, dropping some of the remaining goats on their targets, while a dire tiger stalks them on the ground. The owl creature roosts at the tree, while the tiger hybrid lazes at the base playfully batting at the kidnapped couple. Once the characters draw near, the owl creature announces that it has hostages and proposes a contest: a race to find the couple, one character versus the cat. If the characters refuse, the cat creature slays its captives, and the two creatures spring into action, working together to take down individual foes. They hope to leave some of their victims unconscious so they can hunt them later.
Act VII: Emissary from Beyond
By the time the characters deal with the last gestalt creature and return to Dustpawn, any surviving characters who receive the flood of communication learn the terrible fate of the crew. If the any of the wizards’ descendants still survive, the party gains circumstance bonuses during this encounter. As this revelation presents itself, the Emissary from Beyond arrives at the crash's epicenter. It proclaims the site as the locus for a gateway through which its masters from the Dark Tapestry will emerge, and it commands all in the village to offer their bodies and souls to their new lords. During the adventure's final battle, the PCs must keep panicked villagers out of harm's way as the Emissary's touch transforms the ordinary NPCs into chaos beasts. Additionally, cultists work to defend their master from harm, even voluntarily accepting the creature's touch.
Emissary from Beyond:
A new monster, this aberration possesses powerful transmutation abilities. It renders all terrain in a 30-foot radius sphere around it as difficult terrain, and three times per day may perform a coup de grace to transform its victim into a lesser chaos beast (using the young template).
Conclusion
Assuming the characters dispatch the Emissary, Dustpawn will eventually return to normal. The villagers give the ship's wreckage a wide berth, letting weeds reclaim the land. Any areas formerly inhabited by the mutant creatures revert to their normal states as well. If any of the creatures still live, they prove to be a continuing source of fear for the citizens of Dustpawn. Any characters afflicted by the stream of information find relief when the Emissary meets its demise, but they retain residual knowledge.
If the party fails to defeat the Emissary, it converts the citizenry into an army of chaos beasts, creating a cancerous blot in Isger—one that will slowly spread out and consume the lands around it.
I noticed a couple people asking about Amiri in different threads from the one I posted her in, so I thought I'd make this dedicated thread! As an added bonus (sorry if it's too late Caisen), I'm throwing in Seelah for good measure!
Amiri
Seelah
Amiri has been updated to fix a couple errors my players noticed. Let me know if you find anything incorrect.
Again, Paizo, if this is a problem just say so and I'll take them down. :]
Admin Edit: Links to original files have been removed from post while files are reworked by artist. -MM
What are your thoughts of Paladin becoming Prestige Class instead of Base Class?
That's how I wanted to do paladins in Pathifnder in the first place. But we got cold feet due to the desire to maintain backwards compatibility.
But forcing would-be paladins to qualify for the class by proving their adherence to law and good BEFORE they take their first paladin level is very very appealing.
I have to admit, I think it's lousy game design to try and balance mechanical abilities using "fluff." In 1e, the paladin was hands-down better than the fighter... "oh, but you have a CODE, so it's OKAY!" But it wasn't OK then, and it's still not OK now (which is especially silly insofar as the paladin doesn't need any extra balancing any more). Mechanics should be mechanically balanced. Fluff can take care of itself, and need not be wedded to the mechanics.
Hoping to kick up discussion on how best to fit these two classes and what they bring to the table into the Golarion setting(or in the case of the Juju Oracle, to expand their reach). Hopefully some of this'll be useful to folks that want these elements in their Golarion.
Basics
First, a quick rundown for those unfamiliar with the Juju Oracle or the White Necromancer, both Charisma-based full casters capable of bringing non-evil undead into being, which makes them special in the current PF paradigm as far as RAW goes.
The Juju mystery for oracles was introduced in Pathfinder #39 : The City of Seven Spears. These divine oracles work with (somewhat loosely defined IIRC) wendo spirits tied with Mwangi traditions for all manner of reasons, some good, some not so much. Their relationship with the wendo allows them to call these spirits into vessels to animate them, drawing upon a different animating force than most undead. Juju oracles can be of any alignment.
The white necromancer was introduced in Kobold Quarterly #19. These arcane casters are masters of manipulating both positive and negative energy, and many of their healing and protective abilities hinge on putting their own lives on the line. Necromancers also work with the spirits of the dead rather than enslaving them. Where evil necromancers force the state of undeath upon others, white necromancers actually have to use diplomacy to request the aid of the dead, and often this is a two-way bargain that must be respected. White necromancers can be any non-evil alignment.
The big thing about both of these classes is that due to the way they both create undead(specifically through means that remove the [Evil] descriptor from the relevant spells), their mindless undead are always neutral while their intelligent undead always share the alignment of their creator. In the explicit case of the white necromancer, their intelligent undead are also not in any way beholden to their creators by any magical means, and there is often the understanding that this undead state is a temporary affair that will end when whatever task that needs to be completed is done.
In Golarion
So, how to fit these into the Golarion setting(and other worlds, especially when one considers Eox)? Juju oracles are already present in the Mwangi, but their influence is largely confined there, at least in the form written into their article. Expanding on the basic idea of wendo spirits to a more generic form of spirits(background nature spirits, ancestral spirits, etc) makes this approachable for many other cultures in other regions.
The presence of these two classes(or at least the precedence they set) enable a lot of concepts that would otherwise be locked out: The Eternal Charge that has been going on in the Worldwound since the first Mendevian Crusade, eternally loyal and vigilant mummified paladins guarding over the necropolis of Rahotep, Pharaoh of Tomorrow until his returns from his rest in Nirvana(thanks so much for that plotseed Todd Stewart!), to self appointed safekeepers of Black Blood focused on keeping that stuff away from the living and from seeping into non-corrupted Darkland environments by any means necessary.
Now of course Pharasma would get frowny-faced about this. That's what she does and that's okay. We all have our pet peeves. But what about the setting beyond her? How do the other gods and cosmological forces view juju oracles and white necromancers, and how do they react or put them to use? How does Sarenrae consider the deeds of a good-spawned undead weighted against the sins commited during a natural lifetime, if at all?
What cultures tolerate them? What cultures might even embrace them? How do they in turn affect these cultures that they may or may not be a part of? What organizations react to them? What organizations might be born from or because of them?
Mwangi Expanse is easy enough to find possibilities in for Juju oracles and white necromancers. But right next to that we have Osirion with who-knows-how-many cities of the dead. Some of which need protecting from that ghoul civilization lurking underneath the surface...
Reverence of ancestral spirits among the Shoanti and Kellids could give a reflavored variant of the Juju a foot in the door with some tribes. Barbarian cultures don't necessarily lock out arcane white necromancers either, since it's portrayed as a more "don't think, feel" approach rather than an academic approach; that is, it doesn't require any colleges, it requires people skills and an understanding of respect, which is what the white necromancer lives and dies by.
And then there's the notion of Nexian undead agents infiltrating Geb...
JO/WN-made Undead
There's also another issue: The way juju oracles and white necromancers make undead of any alignment while using non-evil variants of animate dead, create undead, and greater create undead raises the question of just what these undead are. We know that they're either vessels for (wendo) spirits or undead made from willing souls, but how does this affect the finer details of what they are?
For example, would a NG ghoul look the same as a standard ghoul? Would they share the same hunger? And this is the trickiest part: What about their spawning ability?
Personally, while I would like to avoid making up new creatures to be alignment appropriate analogues for each undead on those creation lists, I do like the idea of reflavoring them a bit. Admittedly some are more problematic than the others in that regard, one in particular.
On the matter of spawning, perhaps one alignment dependant way of viewing it(besides the easy answer of "good undead just don't spawn") is that good-aligned undead made by Juju oracles or white necromancers can possibly infect those they slay with their own spiritual essense(and alignment). It could be seen as inflicting a massive dose of empathy and guilt in those sorely needing it. For some, it may be like the "Thirty hours of pain all at once, all for you" scene from The Crow. For others, it might be an explicit pact communicated on a spiritual level, offering a sort of Ragman-ish deal to the victim. Both cases and other possibilities could result in good-aligned undead born from evil(or evil leaning) mortals that are now truly repentant and seeking what absolution they can with whatever time has been offered to them. Perhaps it will ease the burden of their souls when they finally go before Pharasma, perhaps it won't, but most would push on as far as they can go anyway with or without the promise of a pardon. Of course, only evil beings with a spark of goodness would even be possible to spawn as good undead. There would have to be something salvagable present to begin with. And that's just for good undead. There's also the added bonus in offering an alternate explanation for why evil undead are the vast majority, if spawning does indead inflict some of the spawners essense upon the spawnee.
Variants
Back to alignment appropriate undead, this is by no means complete, so any other ideas on how to flesh this out are more than welcome(ie: please halp!):
Skeletons look the same out of the box regardless of the alignment of their creators. Any further aesthetics are going to have to be applied directly by their creators.
Zombies work largely the same regardless of the alignment of the spirit animating them. Except in the eyes. All zombies have dead stares, but there's a hint of something in some of them. While all zombies made by Juju oracles and white necromancers are truly neutral, some spark of personality or emotion that marks either where this spirit came from or where it's going. Some have the eyes of dreamers(CG), some absolutely serene(NG), some determined(LG), some absolutely wild-eyed(CN), some impossibly stoic(LN), some impossibly crazed and twitching in their sockets(CE), and some in absolute pain and abject hopelessness(LE).
Ghouls....I have to admit, I love the new aesthetic introduced in one of the early adventure paths. There's something unsettling about that clean, bone-white appearance. I'd largely want to keep that for all alignments, but feeding habits should probably reflect alignment. But they should also still be unsettling. Perhaps they have to devour flesh in order to recover from their wounds.
Mummies are easy to see going any number of ways by culture and alignment, particularly lawful ones big on respecting the dead(Osirion!).
Mohrgs, not so much. These guys might be worth heavily reflavoring for other alignments and aesthetics.
The big problematic one on standard creation lists, and this is one of those undead that I personally never even consider as an option when discussing non-evil undead along with the demilich, is the devourer. Maybe it's just my personal bias, but I can't help but see purposefully destroying souls as anything but the worst of the worst. If there's an unforgivable sin in fantasy land, that's pretty much it for me.
But. they're on the creation list. One could just say "just don't use them and ignore 'em". But let's go nuts.
Whatever the non-evil(I'd go so far as to say non-NE) answer to the devourer is, it has to do something similar: place the souls of their victims beyond the easy reach of their allies without destroying them. This softened approach also makes these souls easier to recover through means other than miracle and wish, though they can still be quests in and of themselves. There is a lot that can be done with this concept:
Names are highly likely to change the moment someone suggests something better (ie: anything)
LE variant - Hell Mason - This towering humanoid figure of flesh and stone has a burning fire within, exposed through stove-like openings dotting its body, the largest in its chest. When it draws the soul of a victim into itself, the fire and pressure within spike to horrible extremes. The screaming soul within is cooked and compressed until it is nothing more than a brick of the same flesh/stone hybrid material as its slayer, a single pained eye left to mark what it once was. Once the cooking process is complete, it disappears in a puff of brimstone, instantly teleported to Hell where it is place into the wall of one of Dis' many prisons. Recovering this brick allows for the vicitm to be raised without wish level magic.
Special Zon-Kuthon-specific variant - Augurmould - This horrible amalgam of flesh and iron is the manifestation of an absolute sadist who has seen what rewards await him in Zon-Kuthon's realm and has desperately tried to avoid it. This being has been allowed (temporary) respite in this undead state, which it can only maintain by sending others to eternal torment in its place. The augurmould is fully aware that whatever torments it inflicts in this form will be visited upon it a thousandfold, giving them a sadistic choice between calling it quits or going on another day and building up a greater debt of pain. This being's chest cavity opens up like an iron maiden, with multiple hooked chains ensnaring victims body and soul and drawing them within. Once the chamber is closed, the victim is physically and spiritually mutilated, their blood spraying from the joints of Augurmould until the chamber opens once more, releasing a new Augur Kyton upon the world(see Bestiary 3). Capturing or destroying this new augur allows the victim to be raised without needing wish level magic.
CE variant - Amalgam of Souls - This blank-faced figure has flesh and skin akin to melted wax having just hardened, with multiple muffled, screaming faces pressing outward just under the skin. Souls drawn within to its mass manifest as their full living figure writhing underneath the skin of the creature's flesh. This figure slowly melts away until it's just one more maddened face screaming along the creature's surface. Slaying an amalgam of souls and completely destroying the body allows victims to be raised without wish-level magic.
N variant - Walking Gateway - This grim, majestic "angel" of bone, looking like the walls of Sedlec Ossuary given roughly-humanoid form, has a hollow torso. Within is a spiral of planar energy, a whirlpool that leads to the Walking Gateway's rightful spot in line at the Boneyard. Essentially, any souls drawn within the whirlpool are fasttracked to judgment. Recoving the soul's newly born petitioner form from whatever plane they would be sent to allows them to be brought back without wish level magic.
CN variant - Priests of Potential - Unstable in form, these somewhat humanoid figures of flashing light and shadow and opposed elements are aimless unless guided by those with stronger wills. The souls they draw into themselves are assaulted by chaos, battering their sense of self and identity until finally they are something else entirely. These souls are eventually released, reincarnated as any number of things, be they humanoid, animal, plant, mineral, or even something as abstract as a song. Restoring these souls ranges wildly in difficulty, depending on what they've become.
NG variant - Chorus of Regrets - This wispy figure seemingly composed of tattered silks hanging about a constantly obscured emaciated humanoid figure is always shrouded in mists which seem to flow out from within its folds. These mists and silks seem to form mournful faces from time to time, lamenting ancient tragedies and regrets. Souls of the wicked that are drawn within are shouted down within, faced by the admonishment and guilt of the faces and voices within until they are made to see their own corrupted soul for what it is. These souls are eventually lost to a mysterious, misty isle of repentance somewhere in Nirvana(see The Great Beyond). Finding that soul and forcibly dragging them back from their self-inflicted purgatory(and possibly eventual redemption) will allow them to be raised without wish-level magic.
I'm sorely tempted to swipe Set's idea for Desnan celestials for a CG variant, it's that awesome. It would also present a notion that restoring victims of good-variants would require evil deeds(as in, each of those butterflies would need to be captured and then pinned alive to a humanoid effigy).
Any other ideas? Culturally/setting-wise/variants/etc?
edit-added Chorus of Regrets after thinking over that last sentence, also edited for readability because words words words
It is still a very poor marketing move, IMO. If that sort of thing becomes common, I will no longer buy Paizo products. Others have also expressed concerns about this political content.
Everything is political. It would be equally political to deliberately NOT include homosexuals or other minorities.
Let me introduce to you the latest addition to my in-doing Book of Peaceful Priests, along with the Friar, the priestly Peace Domain and the revised Priestly Vows System. I'd like to create a Pacifist Druid archetype too (and maybe a Pacifist Oracle archetype to complement the mystery) and crown it all with a 3.5 Apostle of Peace conversion.
But since there are already a pacifist monk (Monk of Lotus) and a pacifist cavalier (Order of the Blue Rose)... then what about a pacifist bard, a pacifist inquisitor, a pacifist BARBARIAN...^^ I'm working to expand nonviolence in Pathfinder!^^
Peace Mystery
Class Skills: An oracle with the peace mystery adds Bluff, Linguistics, Perform and Survival to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells:peacebond (2nd), admonishing ray (4th), qualm (6th), hold person (8th), serenity (10th), oath of peace (12th), mass hold person (14th), euphoric tranquility (16th), mass hold monster (18th).
Revelations: An oracle with the peace mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
Compassionate Wisdom (Ex): Your sacred meditations on the fundamental harmony of all creatures have granted you a great force of will and insight— and you just keep getting closer to a supernatural wisdom. You gain a +1 inherent bonus to Wisdom upon taking this revelation and another at every third oracle level gained thereafter. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Feel the Pain (Su): As a standard action, you may create a sympathetic bond between a violent creature and its victims. Each round at the start of your turn, if the bonded creature wounds another sentient being for 5 or more hit points below its maximum hit points, it takes 5 hit points of damage and its victim heals 5 hit points. You may have one such bond active per oracle level. This bond continues until the bonded creature dies, you die, the distance between you and the other creature exceeds medium range, or you end it as an immediate action (if you have multiple bonds active, you may end as many as you want as part of the same immediate action).
Loving Slap (Su): As a standard action, you can perform a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of nonlethal damage + 1 point for every two oracle levels you possess. You can use the loving slap ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. At 11th level, any weapon that you wield is treated as a merciful weapon.
Punitive Transformation (Su): You can transform an opponent into a harmless animal as if using pup shape or baleful polymorph. This transformation lasts 1 round per oracle level. Transforming another creature causes the first to immediately revert to normal. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier. You must be at least 7th level before selecting this revelation.
Shield of Peace (Su): You can surround yourself with a powerful aura of tranquility and sanctity that makes even the crueler enemy hesitate to hit you, granting you a +4 armor bonus. At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +2. At 13th level, this aura causes all melee attacks against you to have a 50% miss chance. You can use this shield for 1 hour per day per oracle level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-hour increments.
Stop This Madness (Su): As a standard action once per day, you can cause a 20-foot-spread to be infused of a supernatural essence of peace for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level. Any creature (friend or foe) who attempts an attack in this area take a –1 penalty on all attacks. At 11th level, this penalty increases to –3. If a creature attacks to defend itself from a foe, the penalty doesn’t apply to that creature.
Swords into Plowshares (Su): Once per day as a melee touch attack, you can temporarily render an enemy’s weapon incapable to cause damage. The weapon doesn’t change in appearance, but can’t inflict any type of damage for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level. If used against a creature, the weapon produces only a pleasant tickling sensation, as of being stricken with a plume. At 5th level, and every four levels thereafter, you can use this ability an additional time per day.
Transcendental Bond (Su): You become so attuned to the common spirit shared by all living things that you can use it to communicate with allies. You may communicate with your allies for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level as if using telepathic bond. You may designate a number of creatures as your ally equal to your Charisma modifier. Designating a creature is a standard action that requires a touch. At 10th level, you may use this bond to cast a touch spell on a designated ally once per day.
Truth is my Force (Su): Your ascetic practices have granted you a great resistance and ability to bear any damage and blow. Add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Constitution modifier) to your actual hit points, your Hit Die rolls and all Fortitude saving throws.
Wisdom of the Heart (Ex): Your interior force drives your faith in the divine, more than any religious education. You may use your Charisma modifier instead of your Wisdom modifier on all skill checks.
Final Revelation: Upon achieving 20th level, you achieve perfect harmony with all living creatures. You receive a bonus on all saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier. You are immune to all charm, fear and negative emotions spells and effects. Should you die, you are reborn 3 days later as a shining avatar of peace (treat as the reincarnate spell).
When I picked up my Advanced Player's Guide, I was really looking forward to seeing all the new oracle mysteries they were going to include. Particularly, I wanted to see what they had for my favorite goddess, Calistria.
Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
I really wanted to play an oracle of Calistria, so I sat down and looked over the other mysteries. And, a few hours later, I'd pulled abilities from each of the other mysteries, refluffed them, and created myself a new mystery. I had a little trouble naming it (Love, Lust, Charm, Passion, Hot Sexyness) but eventually settled on Passion as the most generic possible. I posted it in the Errata thread when someone else mentioned a similar disapointement, and got a little feedback then, but now I'm back with a revised version to show here in the thread where this sort of thing is actually supposed to be posted. So, without further adu:
***
Passion
Deities: Calistria, Shelyn
Class Skills: An oracle with the passion mystery adds Bluff, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Perform to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells: Charm Person (2nd), Touch of Idiocy (4th), Suggestion (6th), Charm Monster (8th), Telepathic Bond (10th), Symbol of Persuasion (12th), Mass Suggestion (14th), Mass Charm Monster (16th), Sympathy (18).
Revelations: An oracle with the passion mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
Beauty Smiles (Su): You channel the divine beauty of your goddess, moving the hearts of those who behold you. You receive a +1 bonus to the DC of all Charm spells (that is, spells with the Charm subtype). At 6th level, this bonus increases to +2, at 12th level, the bonus increases to +3, and at 18th level the bonus increases to +4. This ability overlaps (does not stack) with the effect of the Spell Focus feat.
Graceful Avoidance (Su): Your graceful movement grants you the uncanny ability to step out of danger at the very last second. Add your Charisma modifier (instead of your Dexterity modifier) to your Armor Class and all Reflex saving throws.
Healing Touch (Su): You can heal wounds on a creature with a touch. This power heals 1d6 points of damage +1 point for every two oracle levels you possess. If used against an undead creature, it instead deals that amount of positive energy damage. At 7th level, you may expend two uses of this ability to heal a creature of 1 negative level or 1d4 points of ability damage. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Kiss of Life (Su): An Oracle with this mystery may kiss the lips of a recently slain creature, restoring it to life. This ability functions like the Breath of Life spell, except that it will function on creatures slain up to 1 round per 2 oracle levels ago and, in addition to 5d8 + caster level healing, this mystery also restores 1 point of ability damage and 1 negative level, allowing creatures slain by negative levels and having an ability reduced to 0 can also be brought back in this fashion. This ability can also be used to harm an undead creature (must succeed a grapple check, receive a will save, etc). Finally, you may discharge a use to make yourself immune to a succubus's Energy Drain for one round per oracle level. At 11th level you may use this ability once per day; you may use this ability one additional time per day per four levels (twice at 15, thrice at 19). You must be 11th level or higher before taking this revelation.
Love's Guidance (Su): You may add your Charisma modifier to your Wisdom modifier on all Wisdom-base checks. You may also add your Charisma modifier to your Wisdom when making a Will Save verses a spell or effect of the Charm sub-school.
Mantle of Love (Su): You envelop yourself in the divine love of your goddess, who protects you from harm. You gain a +4 armor bonus. At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +2. At 13th level, this armor grants you DR 5/Piercing. You can use this mantle for 10 minutes per day per oracle level. The duration does not need to be consecutive; it can instead be spent in 10-minute increments.
Pain and Pleasure (Su): Once per day, with a touch attack, you deal 1d6 points of damage per 2 oracle levels you possess (max 10d6) as the spell Vampiric Touch. You are healed for the amount dealt. Furthermore, the target must make a Fort save 10 + 1/2 Oracle level + Cha mod vs Nausea for 1 round. At 11th level, the Nausea lasts for 2 rounds. At 7th level, you may use this ability twice per day; at 14th level you may use this ability 3 times per day.
Terrible Beauty (Su): You channel the terrible, wonderful beauty of your goddess to harm those who look upon you. At 7th level, the target must make Fort save 10 + 1/2 Oracle level + Cha mod vs Blindness. At 14th level, vs Stun and Blind. At 20th level, this functions as a Phantasmal Killer spell; those that pass their saves are Blinded and those that fail the first save but pass the second save are Stunned and blinded. You must be 7th Level before taking this revelation.
Trust Me (Su): Once per day, you can reattempt a previously failed Bluff or Diplomacy check, even if a second attempt would normally not be allowed. If that check would normally receive a penalty for being tried again, you do not take that penalty.
Wrenching Heartache (Su): Once per day, as a standard action, you can inflict a terrible attack on the psyche of a creature within close range. The target creature suffers 1d4 damage per oracle level. The damage is untyped, and can be halved by a successful Will save, DC 10 +1/2 oracle level + Cha mod. Mindless creatures (creatures without an int score) are immune to this attack, but creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are not. Although the title implies it, the creature need not have a cardiovascular system to be affected, or even true emotions - this ability affects any creature with an intelligence score. You can use this ability one additional time per day at 5th level and every five levels beyond that.
Final Revelation: Upon reaching 20th level, your connection to divine love allows you to take 20 on any Charisma based skill. You become immune to all spells of the Charm subschool, and receive a bonus on all saving throws equal to your charisma modifier. Finally, the oracle gains the Timeless Body ability.
***
Most of these abilities are either direct copies or mild alterations on existing revelations, with a refluf. Those that aren't I tried to balance with existing revelations. I also tried to cover a broad interpretation, from pretty shiny Shelyn to darker harsher Calistria.
So, thoughts? Balance issues? Are any of these too weak to be worth taking? Are any way too good?
Spell Point/Mana System for magic. And not just Spell Points spent to Prepare spells. Perhaps a system where prepared spells get a Mana discount or unprepared spells (for prepared casters) taking longer to cast.
Ritual Magic: Either more spells with longer casting times that are Ritualistic. Just like the flavor of magical or religious rituals. Perhaps a ritual magic system that allows application of metamagic feats with out increasing the spell level but just taking longer to cast.
Cooperative Casting: A group of casters working together to create more powerful effects.
Martial Feats/Maneuvers that have greater effects at higher levels. Not really reality bending effects but effects more on par with the high level spells. And not X/day effects. Perhaps balance these effects/stunts by leaving the Warrior Flatfooted or fatigue or Reduced AC while performing the maneuver.
Less combat maneuvers that require a feat to attempt. More Maneuvers that anyone can attempt but feats make you better at them.
Metaphysics behind magic and the different spell list and types (Arcane/Divine).
Optional power for Sorcerer Bloodlines that can be "pick and choose" as the oracle gets with revelations.
Better Multi-Classing System and less Hybrid Classes.
Pick and choose class abilities rather than.
Higher level racial abilites either as feats or automatic as you advance in character level. A 1000 year old elven Queen should have some innate abilities/characteristics that younger elves lack.
Fourth solution: Allow him to use sunder to damage the creature's natural weapons. The damage is dealt to the creature normally but prevents him from using that natural weapon. Additional damage may not be dealt to the creature by using feats such as Greater Sunder (which would only have transferred excess damage to the creature in any case). Only a character with Greater Sunder may attempt this.
This does not necessarily cut the affected natural weapon or limb off, just damages it enough to be ineffective as a weapon (treat as a broken weapon, saved from complete destruction by the reflexes of the creature). If all natural weapons are destroyed in this manner treat attacks as unarmed strikes dealing nonlethal damage as a creature one size smaller than normal for that creature as the it flails ineffectively with it's limbs. As an optional rule, if all limbs used for walking are sundered in this manner, reduce the creature's speed by 10 ft and it can not run or charge.
This way the investment is not lost and the maneuver becomes slightly more useful.
I suspect that the Avatar Trilogy (and the Time of Troubles re-boot that came with it) had a lot to do with this. Those modules are REALLY guilty of railroading and NPC reliance (which really ought to be called "Dragonlance Syndrome"), to the point that Elminster even saves the party.
I think those modules were a jumping off point for a lot of people who initially liked the Forgotten Realms, and I think they had something to do with the establishment of "common wisdom" that held that uber NPCs were in control in the Forgotten Realms, and that player characters didn't really matter.
A full campaign starting from Level 1. The campaign would follow relatively new recruits of the Red Mantis cult and possible associated specialists, follow them through their initial testing, preparation, and then deployment into Razmiran for the ultimate goal of assassinating the false god Razmir and wiping out his organization. Running themes of espionage, working undercover, sabotage, possible underground resistances, dangerous alliances with third parties and wild cards, and so on.
But how to run it?
It would definitely start at Mediogalti, and the early levels would be spent on training missions and other tasks to test them, since you wouldn't want to send untested agents into Razmiran to handle a such a delicate operation. But you also wouldn't want to save the parts in Razmiran until the end, since the theme is pretty much "Get Razmir".
How would you go about running it, or how would you enjoy such a campaign being run if you were playing in it?
I would like to request a sticky thread be created (not this one because I can't edit it after an hour), that would, in the first post, give a list of guides in this sub-forum.
In the thread we'll discuss which guides to include and which category they should be in - it would be a community project.
This is my no means a complete list...its just a start.
Also, if you are going to post a guide for this list, please have a discussion thread for said guide in the Advice forum so we can link to it. The guide can be off-site, but we need a discussion thread for it, please. Also somewhere in your guide please reference which books you use (Core, APG, UM, UC, etc...).
I completely disagree. There are more than a few real world religions that do not worship either any deities, or do not venerate deities as part of their worship. Bhuddism for example, Voodun, many variants of "witchcraft".
In other settings, also, Dragonlance and Eberron come to mind, this is also factually not true. Grayhawk has a lot of cults revolving around concepts. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with James' Golarion being that way (and am not arguing that at all). But it is by no means intrigal to the class or concept any more than all Arcanists needing to go to a wizards academy.
It's not "James's Goalrion" that requires clerics to worship a deity. It's "Paizo's Golarion" that requires that. It's the baseline. If you want to change it in your version of Golarion, go for it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still the underlying basic assumption of Golarion that clerics must worship a deity.
Also, comparasions to the real world here are fundamentally flawed, since clerics as d8 HD spellcasting medium BAB character classes actually don't exist as real-world things. Therefore, applying the limitations and requirements of the cleric class to anything from the real world is off topic and irrelevant to the discussion at hand.
If you want a character in Golarion who doesn't worship a deity, who worships multiple deities, who worships a philosophy, who worships an ancestor, who worships animals, who worships spirits, or so on... there's like 17 other classes you can choose from in the game, MANY of which are divine spellcasters.
Honestly Stephen, as long as you try and Make all the core equal 10 Rp, your system will never even out. You have to make some things higher then they should be and others well below what they should be.
The costs will always be lopsided and flawed as you force then in a cost category they do not belong trying to force all the core races to even out.
We all know the core races are not even, do not derail what could be a fine system by trying to say they are even. It just hurts the system.
determined to make something good come out of all the bad of late
Okay, the goblin baby scenario comes up a lot. There's no shortage of GMs that'll throw it at a good-aligned party with a side-dish of "wat do". For those players that want to play idealistic characters, there's some tricky work and logistics involved if an appropriate church(like that of Sarenrae) or other such organization isn't close enough realistically to take them in.
So, wat do?
This thread is meant to offer flavor and practical advice on a race-by-race basis for those players and GMs that want to run a Big Damn Good party. If you've got ideas about some of these races, pitch 'em, along with any criticism and further advice.
The common psychological traits among the orc race make it difficult to keep large numbers of children together without them becoming a bad influence on each other. It is generally recommended that they be kept in smaller, separate groups.
It is imperative that the caretakers are capable of projecting an imposing figure, be it physical in nature or through sheer force of personality in order to establish that they are in charge. Half-orcs are highly recommended for these roles when possible. The caretakers must also be aware of the almost inevitable development of a pecking order amongst the children and take steps to keep relationships between them as equal as possible, discouraging the instinct to bully later in life.
Two matters are of absolute importance in the development of orc children:
1. Healthy outlets for frustration and anger must be made available. Any constructive methods are recommended. Consequences for loss of self-control should be made clear early on.
2. They must be kept busy. Young orcs should be inundated with positive activity, boastful storytelling, and work to develop skills they will need in adult life. Orcs live "faster" than humans, and as such no moment can be wasted. They must be challenged, and shown how to constructively overcome those challenges.
Keeping small animals on hand is strongly discouraged. Larger, sturdier animals carries less risk provided the presence of adult supervisors.
Wooden structures are recommended specfically because they will be damaged. This offers the opportunity for the young to both be put to work and to drive home that actions have consequences. Wooden structures are also easier and faster to repair.
It is generally recommended to keep such an establishment at a distance from other settlements, especially in areas where orcish raids are a very real possibility for the local populace. Armed guards are suggested in case of external threats.
Sarenrae's church offers the strongest support structure for such establishments, but Cayden Cailean and Kurgess tend to be the easiest good-aligned deities for young orcs to relate to. Mentions of Gorum are highly discouraged.
How about a non-magical (or at least non-spell casting) Doctor/Physician (healer)?
This does more than just heal, but it is non-magical healing. Kind of an alchemist that heals instead of bombs....and relies a lot more on poison.
Apothecary
Apothecaries use alchemy to heal their friends, harm their foes, and change their forms.
BAB: +3/4
Good Saves: Fortitude and Will
Hit Dice: 1d8
Class Skills: Acrobatics, Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge arcane, Knowledge dungeoneering, Knowledge engineering, Knowledge local, Knowledge nature, Knowledge planes, Linguistics, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival, Swim, Use Magic Device.
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.
Apothecaries are proficient with all Simple Weapons, plus the hand crossbow, short bow, and all Light and One-Handed Martial Melee Weapons. Apothecaries are proficient in
Light Armor, but not shields.
LEVEL ABILITY
1. Brew Medicine (1d2), Brew Potion, Fields of Expertise, Medicine Pool, Poison Use, Self Medicate, Side Effects (First Level), Surgery, Surgical Strike +1d6, Trapfinding
2. Discovery
3. Brew Medicine (1d4)
4. Discovery
5. Surgical Strike +2d6, Side Effects (Second Level)
6. Discovery
7. Brew Medicine (1d6)
8. Discovery, Improved Discoveries
9. Surgical Strike +3d6, Side Effects (Third Level)
10. Discovery
11. Brew Medicine (1d8)
12. Discovery
13. Surgical Strike +4d6, Side Effects (Fourth Level)
14. Discovery, Greater Discoveries
15. Brew Medicine (1d10)
16. Discovery
17. Surgical Strike +5d6, Side Effects (Fifth Level)
18. Discovery
19. Brew Medicine (1d12)
20. Discovery, Ultimate Discovery.
Brew Medicine (Su). As a swift action, the apothecary spends 1 point from his Medicine Pool and magically conjures a venomous substance to coat his weapon. This venomous substance persists for up to 1 hour per class level, or until the apothecary successfully strikes a target with the envenomed weapon. At the time the apothecary creates the poison, he decides if it does Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage. At 1st level, it causes 1d2 points of ability damage. This increases to 1d4 at 3rd level, 1d6 at 7th, 1d8 at 11th, 1d10 at 15th, and 1d12 at 19th. The target of the poison is allowed a Fortitude save with a DC of 10 + 1/2 the apothecary's class level + the apothecary's Intelligence modifier to negate the poison each round. The target of the poison must make a Fortitude save each round for a number of rounds equal to the apothecary's Intelligence bonus (minimum 1 round) or until it makes a successful Fortitude save.
Brew Potion. The apothecary receives Brew Potion as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Fields of Expertise. At 1st level, the apothecary selects a primary field of expertise from poison use, self medicate, and surgery. The apothecary learns a discovery based on his primary field of expertise at 1st level and every level thereafter. The apothecary learns a discovery based on his secondary fields of expertise at 2nd level and every two levels thereafter.
Medicine Pool (Su). At 1st level, the apothecary has a Medicine Pool with a number of points in it equal to 4 + his Intelligence bonus. At 2nd level, and every level thereafter, the apothecary adds 2 to his Medicine Pool.
Poison Use (Ex). The apothecary never risks poisoning himself when he poisons his weapon.
Self Medicate (Su). As a swift action, the apothecary can take a dose of his own medicine and use it transform himself. This transformation grants the apothecary a natural armor bonus equal to his Brew Medicine amount plus an alchemical bonus to his choice of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution equal to his Brew Medicine amount. Each round the apothecary is transformed uses up 1 point from his Medicine Pool.
Surgery (Ex). The apothecary adds his Intelligence bonus to any Heal check he makes. He can take 1 hour and make a DC 20 Heal check and restore a number of hit points equal to 1d6 per Hit Die of the creature the apothecary is performing on the Heal check on. The subject of the Heal check is exhausted for 24 hours after receiving surgery; it can make a DC 20 Fortitude save to reduce this to fatigued.
When the apothecary performs surgery, he can make additional DC 20 Heal checks to remove ability damage from the wounded subject. The apothecary chooses which type of ability damage (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) prior to making the Heal check. The apothecary can remove a number of different ability damages equal to his Intelligence bonus. The apothecary can use surgery to removing ability drain by making a DC 30 Heal check; only one kind of ability drain can removed during a single surgery.
Surgical Strike (Ex). The apothecary is an expert at studying anatomy. When striking an opponent that is flanked, flat-footed, or otherwise denied their Dexterity modifier to AC, the apothecary causes 1d6 points of additional damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage every 4 levels beyond 1st. When using the Heal skill to restore hit points, the apothecary can spend a point from his Medicine Pool as a free action and restore an additional amount of damage equal to 1d6 at 1st level, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage every 4 levels beyond 1st (5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th).
Trapfinding (Ex). As the rogue ability of the same name.
Side Effects (Ex). Whenever the apothecary uses his Create Poison ability, he can also add a carrier effect to the poison. The apothecary learns 2 Side Effects at 1st level and 1 additional Side Effect each class level thereafter. At 1st level, the apothecary can only choose First Level Side Effects; at 5th level, he can learn Second Level Side Effects; at 9th, Third Level; at 13th, Fourth Level; at 17th, Fifth Level. Each Side Effect adds a condition or effect to the poison created by the apothecary; if the target fails the save for the poison, he also suffers from the condition or effect of the Side Effect.
First Level
1. Bleed (lose a number of hit points each round equal to the number of surgical strike dice the apothecary has).
2. Dazzled for 1 minute per failed save.
3. Fascinated for 1 minute per failed save.
4. Fatigued for 1 minute per failed save.
5. Shaken for 1 minute per failed save.
6. Sickened for 1 minute per failed save.
Second Level
1. Confused for 1 round per failed save.
2. Entangled for 1 minute per failed save.
3. Nauseated for 1 minute per failed save.
4. Sleep for 1 minute per failed save.
5. Slowed for 1 minute per failed save.
6. Spell-hindered for 1 minute per failed save (Must succeed on a Concentration check with a DC equal to the Poison DC + the attempted spell level to successfully cast a spell)
Third Level
1. Dazed for 1 round per failed save.
2. Deafened for 1 hour per failed save.
3. Exhausted for 1 minute per failed save.
4. Flat-footed for 1 round per failed save.
5. Frightened for 1 minute per failed save.
6. Grappled for 1 round per failed save.
Fourth Level
1. Blind for 1 hour per failed save.
2. Gain 1 temporary negative level per failed save. Lasts 1 hour per apothecary level.
3. Insanity for 1 hour per failed save.
4. Staggered for 1 minute per failed save.
5. Stunned for 1 round per failed save.
6. Reduced Spell Resistance by 1 per failed save. Lasts 1 hour per apothecary level.
Fifth Level
1. Dead
2. Disabled for 1 minute per failed save.
3. Panicked for 1 minute per failed save.
4. Paralyzed for 1 minute per failed save.
5. Petrified permanently
6. Unconscious for 1 hour per failed save.
Discovery (Ex, Sp, or Su). At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the apothecary learns a Discovery about his secondary fields of expertise from the following list. After 10th level, he can also choose Advanced Discoveries from the list of Advanced Discoveries. The Save DC of any apothecary discovery is 10 + ½ the apothecary’s level + the apothecary’s Intelligence modifier.
Acrobatic Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he adds his Brew Medicine result to his Acrobatic and Escape Artist skill checks.
Additional Toxicity (Su). When the apothecary uses his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, he can choose to apply 2 Side Effects to his target.
Improved Toxicity (Su). When the apothecary uses his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, he can choose to apply 3 Side Effects to his target.
Greater Toxicity (Su). When the apothecary uses his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, he can choose to apply 4 Side Effects to his target.
Ultimate Toxicity (Su). When the apothecary uses his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, he can choose to apply 5 Side Effects to his target.
Anti-venom (Ex). When using the Heal skill to treat poison, the apothecary can spend a point from his Medicine Pool and grant the creature he is treating a bonus on its Fortitude save equal to the apothecary’s ranks in Craft (alchemy).
Aquatic Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains a Swim Speed equal to his land speed, a +8 racial bonus to his Swim skill checks, and the ability to Take 10 on Swim skill checks even when threatened. He also gains the ability to breathe water and does not lose the ability to breathe air.
Athletic Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he adds his Brew Medicine result to his Climb and Swim skill checks.
Bestial Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he can choose to use Beast Shape I instead. At 6th level, he can use Beast Shape II. At 8th level, he can use Beast Shape III. At 10th level, he can use Beast Shape IV.
Body Weaponry (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he can transform one or more of his limbs into a living weapon that causes damage equal to his Brew Medicine result + his Strength modifier. If the form of the weapon he forms causes slashing damage, it has a threat range of 19-20. If the form of the weapon he forms causes piercing damage, it has a critical multiplier of x3. If the form of the weapon he forms causes bludgeoning damage, he gets a +2 bonus to his CMB.
Breath Weapon Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains a breath weapon that he can use once every 1d4 rounds. This breath weapon is either a 30 foot line of acid or electricity, or a 15 foot cone of cold or fire. The breath weapon causes damage equal to the apothecary’s Surgical Strike damage. Creatures targeted by the apothecary’s breath weapon may make a Reflex save for half damage. Each use of the apothecary’s breath weapon costs 1 point from his Medicine Pool.
Improved: 60 foot line, 30 foot cone, 1d8
Greater: 120 foot line, 60 foot cone, 1d10
Climbing Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains a +8 racial bonus on Climb skills, can take 10 on Climb skill checks, and the apothecary gains a Climb speed equal to ½ his base land speed.
Dark Discorporate (Su). As the warlock ability.
Deceptive Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he can choose to gain the benefits of an alter self effect instead of the normal effect of his Self Medicate ability.
Device Mastery (Ex). The apothecary can choose to Take 10 on Disable Device and Use Magic Device skill checks.
Devious Devices (Ex): The apothecary adds his Intelligence modifier to Disable Device and Use Magic Device skill checks.
Double Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he may select 2 physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution) to increase.
Draining Toxicity (Su). By spending 1 additional Medicine Point, the apothecary increases the toxicity of his Create Poison ability. For 1 round, the apothecary's Create Poison ability causes ability drain instead of ability damage.
Durable Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains DR 5/-.
Enlarging Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms, his size doubles and his weight increases by a factor of 8. He gains a +2 size bonus to Strength, a -2 size penalty to Dexterity, and his Reach and Spacing change to match his new size category. If he becomes Large, he gains a -1 size penalty to AC and attack rolls, a +1 size bonus to CMB and CMD, a -4 size penalty to Stealth checks, a -2 size penalty to Fly checks, and a Spacing and Reach of 10 feet.
Extend Poison (Su). By spending 1 additional Medicine Point, the apothecary can double the duration of his Create Poison ability.
Extend Potion (Su). Any potion the apothecary drinks has its duration doubled.
Extend Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he remains transformed for 1 minute per Medicine Point spent.
Extra Limbs (Su).
Feral Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains 2 primary claw attacks and 1 primary bite attack. If the apothecary is Medium size, these natural attacks cause 1d6 points of damage + the apothecary’s Strength modifier. Their base damage is 1d4 if the apothecary is Small, and 1d8 points of damage if the apothecary is Large.
Greater Combined Poisoning (Su). When using his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, the apothecary can choose to cause damage to both a single mental ability score (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) and a single physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution).
Greater Extend Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he remains transformed for 1 hour per Medicine Point spent. He must have the Extend Transformation and Improved Extend Transformation discoveries before selecting this discovery.
Greater Master Surgeon (Ex). When using his Surgery ability, the apothecary increases the size of his Surgical Strike dice by 3 steps, from 1d6 to 1d12. He can also restore a creature to life if he makes a DC 40 Heal check within a number of hours equal to his Intelligence bonus of the creature dying. The apothecary must have the Master Surgeon and Improved Master Surgeon discoveries before selecting this discovery.
Greater Mental Poisoning (Su). When using his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, the apothecary can choose to cause damage to all 3 mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma).
Greater Physical Poisoning (Su). When using his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, the apothecary can choose to cause damage to all 3 physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution).
Greater Potion Brewing (Ex). When the apothecary brews potions, he can apply metamagic effects to the potion without increasing the price or caster level of the potion. He cannot raise the effective level of the potion above 9th level, and he cannot add more levels of metamagic than his Intelligence bonus.
Grotesque Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he increases the alchemical bonus to his physical ability score or scores by +2, but suffers a penalty equal to his Brew Medicine roll on all Charisma based checks except Intimidate, which gains an alchemical bonus equal to his Brew Medicine roll.
Hand of Doom (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, his non-dominant hand and arm grows by an obscene amount. The Hand of Doom can make a primary melee attack that causes 3d6 points of damage plus double the apothecary’s Strength bonus. Combat maneuvers performed by the Hand of Doom gain a bonus equal to the apothecary’s Strength bonus. The Hand of Doom’s natural reach is 5 feet greater than the apothecary’s normal reach.
Horned Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he grows a pair of horns. He gains a primary gore attack that does 1d8 points of damage + 1 ½ his Strength bonus. This gore attack does double damage on a charge.
Improved Climbing Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains a +16 racial bonus on Climb skills, can take 10 on Climb skill checks, and the apothecary gains a Climb speed equal to his base land speed.
Improved Extend Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he remains transformed for 10 minutes per Medicine Point spent. He must have the Extend Transformation discovery before selecting this discovery.
Improved Master Surgeon (Ex). When using his Surgery ability, the apothecary increases the size of his Surgical Strike dice by 2 steps, from 1d6 to 1d10. He can also restore a creature to life if he makes a DC 40 Heal check within a number of minutes equal to his Intelligence bonus of the creature dying. The apothecary must have the Master Surgeon discovery before selecting this discovery.
Improved Mental Poisoning (Su). When using his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, the apothecary can choose to cause damage to two physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution).
Improved Physical Poisoning (Su). When using his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, the apothecary can choose to cause damage to two mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma).
Improved Potion Brewing (Ex). The apothecary gains the ability to brew potions of a higher than normal level. The apothecary can brew potions with a spell level up to ½ his class level.
Increase Cure (Su). By spending 1 additional Medicine Point, the apothecary can increase the number of successful Fortitude saves to resist his Create Poison from 1 to 2.
Inner Ichor (Ex). Any creature that bites the apothecary must make a Fortitude Save or take Constitution damage equal to the apothecary’s Brew Medicine result.
Leaping Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains a bonus on Acrobatics skill checks used to jump equal to 5 multiplied by the results of his Brew Medicine roll.
Long Limbs (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, is limbs grow unusually long. His reach increases by 5 feet.
Master Surgeon (Ex). When using his Surgery ability, the apothecary increases the size of his Surgical Strike dice by 1 step, from 1d6 to 1d8. He can also restore a creature to life if he makes a DC 40 Heal check within a number of rounds equal to his Intelligence bonus of the creature dying.
Maximize Potion (Su). Whenever the apothecary drinks a potion, he treats all variable effects of the potion as if they are maximized.
Oozing Pustules (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Medicate Self ability, he grows hundreds of disgusting, oozing pustules. Whenever a creature strikes the apothecary with a natural weapon, unarmed strike, or non-reach weapon, it acid damage equal to the apothecary’s Surgical Strike amount. Each round after the first, the creature continues to take acid damage, but the amount of acid damage is reduced by 1d6 each round.
Oversized Limbs (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, his limbs grow unusually large. His natural attacks cause damage as if he were one size category larger than normal. He can wield manufactured weapons one size category larger than normal without penalty.
Permanent Deformity (Su). The apothecary chooses one discovery that affects his Self Medicate ability. The apothecary benefits from the discovery even when he is not using his Self Medicate ability. The apothecary takes a -2 alchemical penalty to a random ability score every time he selects this discovery. The apothecary may select this discovery multiple times. The effects do not stack. Each time the apothecary selects this discovery, he applies it to a new Self Medicate ability-related discovery and he suffers an additional -2 alchemical penalty to a random ability score. These alchemical penalties do stack.
Pheromone Persuasion (Ex). The apothecary can emit pheromones that influence the reactions of those near them. He gains a bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, and Intimidate skill checks against those within a range of 5 times his Constitution bonus. This range is doubled against creatures with the scent ability.
Poison Resistance (Ex). By spending 1 Medicine Point as an immediate action, the apothecary reduces the ability damage or ability drain he suffers from a failed Fortitude save against a poison by an amount of equal to the apothecary’s Intelligence bonus.
Potent Potion (Su). A number of times per day equal to his Intelligence bonus, the apothecary can treat the caster level of a potion he drinks as his class level.
Running Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains an alchemical bonus to his Speed of 5 multiplied by the result of his Brew Medicine roll. This increased speed gives him a +2 bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump for every +5 foot increase in speed.
Shrinking Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms, his size halves and his weight decreases by a factor of 8. He gains a +2 size bonus to Dexterity, a -2 size penalty to Strength, and his Reach and Spacing change to match his new size category. If he transforms from Medium to Small, he gains a +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls, a -1 size penalty to CMB and CMD, a +4 size bonus to Stealth checks, a +2 size bonus to Fly checks, and a Spacing and Reach of 5 feet. If he transforms from Small to Tiny, he gains a +1 size bonus to AC and attack rolls, a -1 size penalty to CMB and CMD, a +4 size bonus to Stealth checks, a +2 size bonus to Fly checks, and a Spacing of 2 ½ feet and a Reach of 0 feet.
Spiky Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Medicate Self ability, he grows hundreds of bony spurs from his body. Whenever a creature strikes the apothecary with a natural weapon, unarmed strike, or non-reach weapon, it takes piercing and slashing damage equal to the apothecary’s Surgical Strike amount.
Stalker Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Medicate Self ability, he gains an alchemical bonus to Stealth and Survival skill checks equal to the results of his Brew Medicine roll. He also gains the Scent ability.
Surgical Potency (Ex). On a successful Surgical Strike, the apothecary increases the Save DC of any poison he uses on the Surgical Strike by the number of Surgical Strike Dice he has.
Swarm Form (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he can choose to assume the form a swarm instead. He turns into a 1000 fine versions of himself. He causes swarm damage equal to his Surgical Strike amount. He gains the swarm sub-type.
Triple Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he increases all of his physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution). The apothecary must select the Double Transformation discovery before selecting this discovery.
Undetectable Poison (Sp). As a free action, the apothecary can spend 1 Medicine Point and mask the toxicity of any poison he handles for up to 1 hour per class level. Any attempts to magically detect poison fail if the caster fails a caster level check with a DC of 10 + the apothecary's class level.
Visionary Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he gains an alchemical bonus to his Perception skill checks equal to the result of his Brew Medicine roll and low-light vision. At 6th level, the apothecary gains darkvision with a range of 60 feet. At 12th level, he gains blindsense with a range of 60 feet. At 18th level, he gains blindsight with a range of 30 feet.
Advanced Discoveries
Double Poison (Ex). The apothecary can spend 2 Poison Points and cause 2 different kinds of ability damage when using his Create Poison ability.
Empower Poison (Su). When using his Create Poison ability, the apothecary can spend 2 additional Poison Points and multiply the ability damage caused by that use of Create Poison by 1.5
Eternal Potion (Su). Whenever the apothecary drinks a potion, he can choose for the duration of the potion be permanent. The apothecary can only have a single potion effect be made permanent at a time.
Extra Venomous (Su). When using his Create Poison ability, the apothecary can spend 1 additional Poison Point and add a second Side Effect to the poison.
Flickering Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, the apothecary gains the ability to teleport 20 feet as an immediate action. If this is done in response to an attack, there is a 50% chance the attack misses.
Ghostly Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, the apothecary becomes incorporeal.
Greater Increase Cure (Su). By spending 2 additional Medicine Points, the apothecary can increase the number of successful Fortitude saves to resist his Create Poison from 1 to 3. The apothecary must have the Increase Cure Poison Power before selecting this Advanced Poison Power.
Greater Undetectable Poison (Sp). As a free action, the apothecary can spend 1 Medicine Point and mask the toxicity of any poison he handles for up to 1 day per class level. Any attempts to magically detect poison fail if the caster fails a caster level check with a DC of 20 + the apothecary's class level.
Hardy Body (Ex). As an immediate action, the apothecary can spend 1 Medicine Point and re-roll a failed Fortitude save. He must abide by the results of the re-roll, even if it is worse than the original roll.
Hasted Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Medicate Self ability, he gains the benefits of a haste spell.
Heighten Poison (Ex). When using his Create Poison ability, the apothecary can spend a number of additional Medicine Points (up to 1/2 his class level) and add that number to the Save DC of his poison.
Intensify Poison (Su). When using his Create Poison ability, the apothecary can spend 8 additional Medicine Points and Maximize, and then Double, the ability damage caused by that use of Create Poison. The apothecary must have Empower Poison and Maximize Poison before selecting this Discovery.
Invisible Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he becomes invisible. When he attacks, he does not become fully visible, and gains concealment, including a 20% miss chance, for 1 round before automatically returning to invisibility as a free action.
Maximize Poison (Su). When using his Create Poison ability, the apothecary can spend 3 additional Medicine Points and cause the maximum amount of ability damage for this dose of poison.
Monstrous Transformation (Su). When using his Self Medicate ability, the apothecary can choose to gain a Polymorph effect instead. At 12th level, he can use Greater Polymorph. The apothecary must have the Bestial Transformation discovery before selecting this discovery.
Overcome Immunity (Su). When using his Create Poison ability, the apothecary can spend 2 additional Medicine Points and affect a target that is normally immune to poison.
Persistent Poison (Su). The apothecary affects a number of attacks equal to his Intelligence bonus with each use of Create Poison ability.
Poison Immunity (Ex). The apothecary is immune to all poisons. He must have the Poison Resistance Discovery before selecting this Advanced Discovery.
Terrifying Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he can gain the benefits of a Transformation effect instead.
Winged Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he grows a pair of wings and gains a flight speed equal to double his land speed, with good maneuverability.
Ultimate Discovery. At 20th level, the apothecary chooses one of the following discoveries.
Ultimate Virulence (Ex). At 20th level, on a successful Surgical Strike, the apothecary can spend 1 Medicine Point as an immediate action to increase the Save DC of any poison he uses on that Surgical Strike by an amount equal to the extra damage caused by that Surgical Strike.
Ultimate Poisoning (Su). When the apothecary uses his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, he can choose cause ability damage to all six ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma).
Ultimate Potency (Su). When the apothecary uses his Brew Medicine ability to create poison, he can choose to cause ability damage to a single ability score equal to his Surgical Strike damage.
Ultimate Surgeon (Ex). When the apothecary uses his Surgery ability, he restores a number of hit points equal to his Surgical Strike ability per Hit Die of the creature the apothecary is operating on. The apothecary can make a DC 50 Heal check and restore to life a creature that has been dead for a number of days equal to the apothecary’s Intelligence bonus.
Ultimate Transformation (Su). When the apothecary transforms using his Self Medicate ability, he can choose to benefit from a Shapechange effect.
H'okay, Azlant. As far as the defunct civilizations of Golarion go, we've probably been given the most information, but it's scattered around various sources, and in nowhere are we given a clear picture what life was like or a clear extent of the empire.
So on that note, this is my attempt to congeal useful and interesting factoids on Azlant and the Azlanti, and provide sources, since the PathfinderWiki is more than a bit outdated and incomplete on the matter. From this, I hope to be able to make non-canonical but logical extensions, hypotheses, and perhaps even a supposition or two. Spoilers, to about the level of actually reading the campaign setting books, exist below, along with more specific spoilers for the Serpent’s Skull adventure path.
The Azlanti People
—Physically tended towards dark, slightly receded hair (red, brown, black), olive to pale skin, and odd eye colors, including violet. (HG, ISWG, PCCS)
—Favored colors in clothing included crimson and deep green. (ISWG, PCCS)
—Names often started with vowels, and did not use surnames. (ISWG, PCCS)
—Once the majority human ethnicity by population. (ISWG, PCCS)
—Thassilonians, their civilization an offshoot of Azlant, were ethnically Azlanti (James Jacobs)
—Those Azlanti fleeing the Earthfall intermarried with local human tribes in Avistan, forming the Chelaxian and Taldan ethnicities. They also fled to the southern coast of Avistan and the northern coast of Garund. (HG)
—No pure High Azlanti remain; some Chelaxians and Taldans with seemingly-Azlanti physical features sometimes take up the known trappings of the Azlanti and call themselves such. (HG, ISWG, PCCS)
—Aroden, due to his agelessness brought on by deific ascension, was considered “The Last (pureblooded) Azlanti” (HG, ISWG, PCCS)
—Other Azlanti-descended peoples include the aquatic Gillmen (a.k.a. “The Low Azlanti”), and the dark folk, mongrelmen, and morlocks descended from those who fled into the Darklands. Skum were originally created from Azlanti humans. (ID, ISWG, PCCS)
Azlanti Culture/Relations
—Kept slaves. (ISWG, PCCS)
—Looked down on nonhumans. (PCCS)
—Warred with the elves. (PCCS)
—Fought with the Serpentfolk, exterminating them from the surface of Golarion, and driving them back to Sekamina. (ID, ISWG, SSA)
—The Azlanti hero Savith personally slew the avatar of the serpentfolk deity of Ydersius in the Darklands city of Ilmurea, but died in the attempt. The city of Saventh-Yhi was founded in her honor above the site of Ilmurea to guard against further Serpentfolk incursions. (ID, SSA)
—Taught/mentored by the aboleth, who eventually became prideful; the aboleth responded pre-emptively by performing a Colony Drop on Golarion, thus creating Eathfall. (HG, ISWG, PCCS)
—High Azlanti mages were haughty, and generally avoided getting their hands dirty/directly touching things if possible. (CP09, FSS)
Azlanti Architecture
—Includes cupolas, interlaced designs (ISWG)
—Includes marble columns, and the Pleasure Salon of Calistria in the columned style of classic Azlanti temples. (GA)
—Favored circular and square layouts, often nested or inscribed within one another. (CP09, FSS)
—Azlanti architecture on Garund incorporated stepped stones ziggurats. (SSAP)
—Included self-opening doors in some sites. (CP09, FSS)
—Inspired much of the architecture in Absalom and Andoran; the former’s Azlanti Era of architecture was largely designed by Aroden himself. (GA, ISWG, PCCS).
—The architecture of Ilvarandin, while a hodge-podge, contains some Azlanti elements. (ID)
The Azlanti Language
—Some to much of the actual language has been lost, though there’s enough for scholars to translate from, and it remains something of a liturgical language. (ISWG, PCCS)
—High Chelaxian Opera features librettos in Azlanti. (PCCS)
—The Mordant Spire elves are probably the last society to fluently speak Azlanti. (ISWG, PCCS)
—One of the most-spoken languages of its day, and influenced such languages as Hallit, Polyglot, Taldane (Common), and Varisian. (ISWG, PCCS)
—Absalom’s motto “Ex Prothex” (“From the First”) is Azlanti. (GA)
— Saventh-Yhi = “Savith’s Grave” (SSA)
Azlanti Magic/Studies/Technology
—Ioun stones were originally Azlanti, though the Thassilonians and the Pathfinder Society would later study and advance them. (CP09, SS)
—The Azlanti were obsessed with orbits (including those of celestial bodies), and not only made orreries and models of the Dark Tapestry, but entire floating buildings revolving around a central point. (CP09, FSS)
—Certain High Azlanti forewent traditional books for auto-levitating copper-leafed codices. (CP09, FSS)
—Some Azlanti magic items were in the form of metallic plates that when activated, would disassemble themselves and reposition themselves on or floating around a person, as if an article of jewelry or clothing. (FSS)
—Most Azlanti sites bear auras of extensive preservative magics, often reducing 10,000+ years of wear down to the equivalent of a few thousand. (ISWG, SSAP)
—The Azlanti possessed advanced knowledge of optics and lenses. (CP09, FSS, ISWG, LCG)
—Under the aboleths, the Azlanti developed “unparalleled art, philosophy, and science” in addition to magic. (ISWG)
—Entrapped/imprisoned/cultivated will-o’-wisps for lighting “like tulips” in glass cylinders. (CP09, FSS, LCG)
Known Azlanti Sites/Ruins
—Most Azlanti colonies were on the borders of the Inner Sea, and generally fall into three categories: the literal foundations for modern cities, ruined/little historical significance, or undiscovered and presumably valuable. (PCCS)
—What’s left of the continent of Azlant is a continent-sized archipelago of hazardous tors, mountains, reefs, and towers, jutting up from the Arcadian Ocean, and patrolled by the Mordant Spire Elves. (ISWG, PCCS).
—Escadar on the Isle of Kortos was built on an older Azlanti site, and houses an embassy for the gillmen. (GA)
—The Sightless Sea, the largest Orvian vault of the Darklands and one of the largest holds of the aboleth, is more or less directly underneath the continent of Azlant. (ID)
—Saventh-Yhi (“Savith’s Grave”) was an inland colony in the Mwangi on Garund, above the site of the serpentfolk city of Ilmurea, and survived Earthfall. (SSA)
—The Sun Temple Colony was a semi-recent attempt by Andoran to establish a colony on the ruined continent of Azlant itself. It Got Worse™. (ISWG, LCG, PCCS)
Azlanti Religion
—The Azlanti often had seemingly bizarre interpretations of the gods, by modern standards. (CP09, SSAP)
—Abadar was seen as a god of cities and wealth moreso than a deity of law. (SSAP)
—Acavna was a goddess of battle and the moon, who vanished/died shortly before Earthfall. (SSAP)
—Achaekek was seen as a god of monsters and natural disasters than as a god of assassinations. (SSAP)
—Amaznen was a pre-Nethys(?) god of magic, whose worship (and name!) was forbidden in Thassilon; he perished during Earthfall. (SSAP)
—Curchanus, a deity of travel, beasts, and endurance and mentor to Desna, survived Earthfall to be slain by Lamashtu. (GM, SSAP)
—Desna was seen primarily as a goddess of the stars/astronomy. (SSAP)
—Groetus was a late addition to the pantheon, added close to Earthfall. (SSAP)
—The demon lord Nurgal was considered the “vengeful aspect” of the sun, and placated. (LCG, SSAP)
—Pharasma was seen as a patron of prophecy moreso than as judge of the dead. (SSAP)
—Shelyn was seen as the muse and patron of the arts, and not of beauty. (SSAP)
—The demon lord Zura was originally an Azlanti queen whose thirst for immortality led to her dark ascension. Cults of Zura were infiltrating Azlant at the time of Earthfall, and might have undermined the civilization had Earthfall not happened. (LC, SSAP)
Sources
CP09: Chronicles: Pathfinder podcast #9, with Brandon Hodge
FSS: From Shore to Sea
GA: Guide to Absalom
GM: Gods and Magic
HG: Humans of Golarion
ID: Into the Darklands
ISWG: Inner Sea World Guide
James Jacobs: The word of the Creative Dinosaur himself, i.e. from a Paizo website or forum post.
LC: Book of the Damned vol. 2: Lords of Chaos
LCG: Lost Cities of Golarion
PCCS: Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting
SSAP: Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path
SS: Seekers of Secrets
If a new poster is experiencing sarcasm and condescention, that is a bad reflection on us all.
If the answer is oooohhh sooooo easy to find, then it shouldn't be any trouble to post a link, should it?
If you see this kind of elitism*, flag it, and wait for someone more mature to come along.
*I hesitated to call it 'elitism', since at its core, there's nothing wrong with true elitism, ie picking people based on talent. In the normal usage of the word, though, the perpetrators aren't 'elite', they're just insufferable tools.
Has anyone else with ultimate combat noticed the difference between Djinni style and the rest of the elemental styles?
Rest of elemental styles:
While using this style and Elemental Fist to deal [elemental] damage, you gain a bonus on [elemental] damage rolls equal to your Wisdom
modifier...
Djinni Style:
While you are in this style you must use Elemental Fist to deal
electricity damage and you gain a bonus on electricity
damage rolls equal to your Wisdom bonus.
Might seem minor, but a monk with an enchantment on his unarmed attacks to do electricity damage (shocking will do) will get his wisdom as a bonus to damage with every hit. Whereas you actually have to use an elemental fist to get the bonus wisdom damage with the other styles.
Of course, I give this a 50/50 chance of being errataed, but in the meantime, I'm going to dream of single attribute Sensei Wisdom monks.
prototype00
As the guy who wrote this style (and the other 3 elemental styles as well), I can say that the intent was for the bonus to apply to your elemental fist electricity damage.
At least that's how they all worked in my turnover.
Stereofm, which document were you trying to print? Mine? Silkes? Is it one particular table that won't print or any of them? I can email the pdf if desired.
Yours for the Djinn, though I don't understand why it does that.
If you could email it to me I'd be extra grateful. It will see some playtesting in three weeks, though it seemed okay to my group.
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks a lot
No problem...email sent.
For anyone else here is a new version of all the creatures up til now that I've worked on....
Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were four levels higher, to a maximum effective druid level of equal to your character level. If you have more than one animal companion or familiar, choose one to receive this benefit.
This would make it clearer. And yes, you can take the feat if you're a single-classed ranger. It's actually pretty sweet deal.
Currently we don't have a place to post FAQ/update material for books other than the Pathfinder RPG hardcovers, so I can't attach this to a permanent FAQ, but consider this an official ruling on this question.
That is, something that offers heavily good-flavored options for all classes, rather than just the divine classes.
Stuff like good-aligned Qinggong ki powers*, heavily good flavored martial arts feats*, holy barbarian archetypes, celestial-bonded summoners, and so forth.
Basically a book that supports Super-Good characters of all classes.
*I know I keep asking about these, but it really would be nice to have those as official options considering there are currently none while there are evil options already in the game.
Note: This information is being developed for use in a 1-20 PFRPG campaign using the 1st 2 volumes of Legacy of Fire as a jumping off point. The information about the Legions of Geb was created by Set, some of the naming conventions were assimilated from Hamunaptra, and much of the remaining information is adapted from real world information about the Pharoahs of Meroe and the known history of ancient Egypt. The core conceit of the nation is that of a society frozen socially by undeath and rooted in the ideal of Egypt's Old Kingdom. I welcome feedback on this so I can deepen and develop it further and perhaps even help the Paizonauts in making Geb as glorious a Necropolis as possible.
Geb was founded immediately prior to Osirion's Age of the Black Sphinx, in -1550 AR. After the unification of Osirion's large empire under the Four Pharaohs of Ascension, Geb became a valuable breadbasket for the empire and a peaceful and verdant colony. It was said of Geb that neither conflict nor storm ever disturbed the peace of her amber fields. The Mwangi Expanse was kept safely isolated by the Barrier Mountains, raised up to immense beauty by the powerful magics of the Pharoah Djederet IV, who sent the first colony south to Geb. The land was colonized as the southernmost outpost of empire, sending food north through the grasslands of what are now Nex and Katapesh. The 'Drive to the South' was the program of the Djederet Dynasty, in direct contrast to the work of the An Dynasty which reached to the North and West and in response to the rising power of Taldor, successor state to Azlant. The Djederet Dynasty eventually collapsed under Djederet V 'The Pharoah of 3 Moons', who produced no heirs and whose dissolute ways caused Osirion to fragment into competing lines of self-proclaimed Pharoahs after a reign lasting only 3 months in -1515.
In -1498 AR, the Four Pharaohs of Ascension consolidated their rule of Osirion, bringing about the kingdom's second age. Their forces defeat the Tekritanin League in -1452 AR, incorporating a number of their city-states while destroying others. With the alliance complete, Osirion prospered, fueling its wealth with an enslaved underclass, sourced from its conquered neighbors. Each year the four pharaohs return inside a hidden pyramid known as Ahn’Selota and renew their mystic pact using an artifact known as the Pact Stone. Their pact caused the simultaneous death of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension in -1451 AR. In Geb, the locals believed that the visible pyramid of Ahn'Selota in Tumen was merely a gateway to the actual retreat of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension hidden somewhere in their peaceful land, far from the prying eyes of priests and aristocrats.
Osirion begin to decline around -1431 AR but remained the dominant power of Garund and fiercely independent of foreign influence.
Geb became independent of Osirion in -1206 AR, proclaiming a kingdom recognizing the Pharoah in Sothis as the source of his authority. An annual tribute of grain satisfied the Pharoah, whose power continued to recede to the North.
The necromancer now known as Geb was exiled from Osirion in -1189 and moved to Geb, installing himself as king after a brief period of struggle with the native nobility. He consolidated his power and took on the name Geb, proclaiming himself God-King in the Osirian tradition in -1180.
Geb and Nex first went to war in -892 AR.
Geb won the war of almost 1500 years in 576 AR when Nex disappeared during a magical attack on his capital of Quantium.
In 637 AR, Geb returned as a ghost to resume control over the land.
In 3890 AR, Geb stole the corpse of Arazni from the Knights of Ozem, and reanimated her as a lich. Nowadays, Geb rarely appears before his people. Arazni, the Harlot Queen of Geb, rules in his stead.
In 4606 AR, Aroden died and the Age of Lost Omens began. In Geb, Arazni proclaimed a year-long celebration of the end of Aroden. At the end of the festival year, trade resumed with Nex (for Onyx in exchange for food) and an ambassador was sent to Absalom for the first time in recorded history. The living ambassador has taken up residence but has sent no emissaries nor attended any functions. He has, however, been cultivating information about Osirion and the Pathfinder Society.
4710 AR, current year.
Current Summary:
Geb was once a beautiful verdant colony of a great nation called Osirion. Geb was eventually given over to a powerful wizard to protect and defend on behalf of the 4 Pharoahs. This wizard took on the name of this colony and his power was unquestioned. Eventually, however, a rival wizard called Nex took over the land dividing Geb from Osirion and a centuries-long conflict ensued between the two wizard-kings. The land was devastated and Geb resorted to using huge armies of undead, animated from his own subjects, to carry the fight to Nex. Geb fell into shadow and evil and became completely obsessed with killing Nex. When Nex ultimately disappeared, Geb went completely insane and committed ritual suicide because he was denied his ability to triumph over Nex. His death did not end his existence and his spirit arose as a ghost, continuing to rule over the ashes of Geb. Now, centuries later, the land is still governed by the ghost of Geb and his undead aristocracy. Your party of living adventurers have been raised in this land and seen the fate that awaits you when Geb's fleshforges take your corpses. One of you has been told that there is hope for Geb, that his ghost can be destroyed once and for all and the others of you have decided (out of belief, desperation, or resignation) to take up the path of the adventurer in the hopes of destroying the undead master of your land. To the West, the vast jungle of the Mwangi Expanse holds untold dangers and wealth. To the North, the Mana Wastes where magic does not function and the ironworks of Alkenstar turn out curious weapons and mechanical monstrosities and beyond that Nex, kingdom of magic, and Osirion, original home of Geb's people. Rumors abound of hidden pockets of othe resisters against Geb's tyranny within Geb and perhaps they would be inclined to work with you in your quest.
Warm winds from the Obari Ocean creates lush grassland in Geb, allowing crops to prosper. The fields are mainly worked by mindless undead, and foodstuffs is Geb’s major export. They trade food to Nex in return for rare components and luxury goods. They also trade food to Alkenstar, in return for the city state’s ice wine, which is a favourite of Geb’s nobility. The Axan Wood suffered badly in the war between Nex and Geb. The trees of this twisted forest are all either dead or undead, and it is home to many strange creatures. Some, such as deadwood dryads, nightwolves and twilight unicorns, are unique to this location. The Axanir river network rises in the Shattered Range in the Mwangi Expanse (where in some cases it forms a natural boundary with Geb). The various major tributaries meet up and flow south of the Axan Wood into the Obari Ocean. The ancient mountains of the Shattered Range in southeastern Garund stretch from the uninhabited lands south of Geb to the center of Nex's western border with the Mwangi Expanse. Between these nations, the city-state of Alkenstar stands tall atop the Hellfallen Cliffs on the banks of the Ustradi River, whose own headwaters are found in the mountains within the desolate Mana Wastes. Mysterious ruins of long-abandoned Mwangi cities lie strewn throughout the jungles of the forlorn mountains as well as at least one ruined flying city of legendary Shory.
Provinces of Geb and Osirion are known as Sepats. Names involve components like Meren 'beloved of', Mose 'son of', Neter 'god', Neb 'Lord', Ka 'spirt of life', Ba 'soul', and Aha 'fighter/warrior'. Gebbite vocabulary: Pir-Aa (Pharoah), Kandare (King), Sirdar (Count), Bashar (General), Pesedjer (Human), Anpur (Gnoll), Asari (Halfling), Esetiri (Elf), Peseshet (Half-Elf), Ptahmenu (Dwarf), Sutekhra (Gnome), Bahati (Monk), Beqenu (Fighter), Ghaffir (Paladin), Hekai (Sorceror), Kama'at (Druid), Khasti (Barbarian), Khebenti (Rogue), Kheri-Heb (Wizard), Shenu (Bard), Priest (Cleric), Heka (Magic).
In Geb, most of the citizenry are Pesedjer (80%). Esetiri (1%), Ptahmenu (1%), and Asari (1%) are exceedingly rare and almost exclusively slaves of Geb's undead aristocracy. Peseshet (2%) are very valuable slave stock, but are also never free citizens. Sutekhra (5%) are the most favored of demihumans, being the original servitors of Geb in his initial exile from Osirion. Today Sutekhra alone have direct contact with Geb's ghost and serve almost exclusively as his spies and covert agents. Anpur are not officially accorded citizen status in Geb but do acknowledge the power of Geb and do not raid the lands as they do in other realms. All the rest of the kingdomn are organized under the Blood Lords with Arazni as Queen.
The armies of Geb are divided into four Legions, the Legion of Ash, which is the only one composed of living warriors, the Crimson Legion, composed of zombies, ghouls, ghasts, wights and vampires, the Pale Legion, composed of shadows, wraiths, specters and ghosts, and the Ivory Legion, composed primarily of skeletons and liches.
At least, this is what is known to outsiders. In truth, the skeletons and liches represent only the two extremes of the ‘Ivory Legion,’ called in Geb the Ineb-Hedj, or ‘the White Wall.’ In between these mindless drudges and extraordinary skilled archwizards and high priests lies an entire rank of skeletal dead not commonly known outside of Geb, the ruthlessly efficient Bone Soldiers of the Ivory Legion.
A Bone Soldier is awakened into unlife through the use of create undead cast by an 11th level or higher level caster. Deep within the Mortuarium of Yled is an altar of obsidian and rusted iron, dedicated to Urgathoa, which casts this spell multiple times per night upon those who die slowly, impaled upon its six gruesome iron spikes, so long as it is attended by an 11th level or higher Cleric of Urgathoa. The animated corpses of sacred flesh-devouring beetles pour from hidden lairs within the altar itself to strip the dying sacrifices of their flesh, with the assistance of ghoul acolytes, while the magic of the altar keeps their skeletons intact as it fills them with necromantic energy. In eight hours time, the ritual is complete, and the six selected victims lift their now fleshless frames from the altars spikes to take up service in the Ivory Legion. Even without the power of this relic, the city of Yled has several necromancers and clergymen capable of creating new Bone Soldiers, and can easily field a dozen replacements in a single night.
The soldiers of the Ivory Legion are specialized skeletons, that retain some semblance of intellect, although, as with the shadows of memory left behind that can be contacted via speak with dead, the actual souls of the skeletons former living selves are not retained. Still, these kaybet, or ‘shadows on the soul,’ as they are called in Orisirion and Geb, can retain intellect and even some memories of the person that once walked in those bones. More importantly, from a military perspective, these shadow-souls retain enough intellectual capacity to be able to access some of the feats and skills of the original person, although PC class abilities are not retained.
Axan is at the headwaters of the Axanir River's northernmost arm, surrounded by the mountains of the Shattered Range. The small village of 500 is dominated by Lord Knucklebones, a ghast who was given this post by the Blood Lords 40 years ago after a long career as a living spy inside Nex. The valley village has one inn, run by a fat human Keleshite named Jonas and is the trade hub for caravans going into the Shattered Range and Alkenstar. Hidden somewhere in the mountains near Axan is a secret colony of halflings called Asar. Asar is the only known source of 'Desnaberries', a fruit that carries the power of gentle repose and is reputedly invisible except under certain mystical circumstances. Every 6 months, a caravan from Asar appears in Axan and unloads a shipment of Desnaberries in tribute to Geb and thereby obtaining their continued anonymity.
Greydirge is in the foothills of the Shattered Range, in the land of Geb. The normal custom of Geb is to re-animate its citizens as undead once they die. Greydirge is built out of the bones of those Gebbites who were unwilling or unable to be reanimated. Its inhabitants no doubt have their own reasons for living in a city-sized ossuary. Its one notable feature is the Empty Threshold, a temple of Zon-Kuthon.
Mechitar (pronounced meh-KEE-tar)[1] is the capital of the undead realm of Geb, and its second-largest city. The necromancer Geb, now a ghost, remains the head of state. He rarely manifests before the people, so the acting ruler is the lich Arazni, Harlot Queen of Geb. The country’s day-to-day affairs are managed by the Blood Lords, an aristocracy of powerful living and undead necromancers. The chief Blood Lord is the vampire Kemnebi, who holds the office of chancellor. Other Blood Lords include Kamose, Merenptah, Sinuhe, Ammit, Menkaure, Seti, and Horemheb.
Yled (pronounced EH-lehd) is the largest city in the land of Geb and also home to most of its undead legions. It can be found in the north-eastern part of the country, near the border with the Mana Wastes. The city is surrounded by the Bonewall, a curtain wall made entirely of bleached bones. In times of need, the Bonewall can be animated by one of the Blood Lords to defend the city. Yled is also home to a number of important necromantic colleges, the most well-known being the Mortuarium. The school's central tower sticks up like a withered claw, dominating the city's skyline.
I was having a discussion with my group the other day, and one of our players mentioned he hates saving throws.
What do you guys think?
I don't mind saving throws as a concept, but I admit I would prefer a formula where spells/poison/fear was causing something, then if you fail your save you get something worse.
In short, I don't like the "save negate" mechanics.
I've skimmed through the 1000 Tiefling quirks thread and I was wondering if there was a similar thread. A (very) quick search showed me that there wasn't, so I decided to start my own. One of my players wants to play an evil Aasimar. Yes, that's right. an evil Aasimar. I'm looking for some nice suggestions for him.
1. A faint halo floats above your head. (Yes, it's from the bestiary, but I really like it)
2. When people are near you, they hear the faint sound of a choir of angels.
1. Vestigal bat-like wings grow from the character's shoulders. They flap instinctively and uselessly whenever she jumps or is falling.
2. The character has two eyes, but also a third pupil that seems to float across the surface of his eyes independent of whatever he's looking at.
3. No nose. The character's face is completely smooth and blank where she should have a nose.
4. Shark-teeth. The character's teeth may look normal. Or they may be triangular shark's teeth. Either way, he always has rows of replacement teeth ready to replace his old ones, sometimes even forcing old ones out if they are not lost in a span of five years.
5. Any tattoos, scars, freckles, or other markings this character has seems to rearrange themselves whenever no one is watching, including herself.
6. The character has a small, snake-like something under the skin of his shoulder which shifts about if touched.
7. Popeye arms. The character's forearms are thicker and far more developed than her biceps. Her hands are larger than the norm as well.
8. The character is always warm to the touch, but not alarmingly so. However, people looking at him note that there's always a heat distortion effect outlining his form.
Class Skills: An oracle with the vengeance mystery adds Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Survival to her list of class skills.
Bonus Spells:divine favor (2nd), summon swarm (4th), haste (6th), wall of fire (8th), symbol of pain (10th), flesh to stone (12th), destruction (14th), horrid wilting (16th), storm of vengeance (18th).
Revelations: An oracle with the vengeance mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.
Bloody Vengeance (Ex): Whenever you are struck in melee, your next successful melee attack against the opponent who struck you inflicts bleed damage equal to your Charisma modifier. This bleed does not stack with itself, but it can stack with other bleed effects. A DC 15 Heal check or any magical healing ends this effect. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation.
Blood Hunter (Ex): You gain the Scent ability, but may only use this ability to detect living creatures who are currently injured. You also gain a +4 bonus on Survival checks to track wounded creatures. At 7th level, you gain Blindsense 60 ft. (but can only use it against wounded creatures). At 11th level, this upgrades to Blindsight with the same provisions.
Dark Harvest (Sp): This ability functions as the death knell spell and may be used a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier. At 11th level, this ability may be used as a swift action. At 15th level, it may be used at a range of 30 feet. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Eye for an Eye (Ex): Whenever an enemy confirms a critical hit against you, your next successful attack against that enemy automatically threatens a critical hit if made before the end of your next turn (you must still roll to confirm this critical). This ability cannot be used more than once per round.
Furious Victory (Ex): Whenever you or an ally within 30 feet reduces an enemy below 0 HP, you may make an Intimidate check to demoralize any target you threaten as an immediate action once per round. At 7th level, you may use this ability against any target within 30 feet. At 15th level, you may increase the DC of the check by 10 to frighten the target instead (they are not shaken if you fail).
Mark of Vengeance (Su): Once per day, you may mark an enemy that has dealt damage to yourself or an ally within the last 24 hours as a swift action. Against the target of this ability, you may add your Charisma modifier as a bonus on all attack rolls and deal additional damage equal to your oracle level on all damage rolls (even if the source of that damage is a spell or ability). The mark persists until the target is slain or you choose a new target (by expending another use of the ability). You can use this ability one additional time per day at 7th and 15th level.
Revenance (Su): Once per day, you may target an ally within 30 feet who is currently below 0 HP and infuse them with a spirit of wrath as a swift action. The target gains a number of temporary hit points equal to three times your oracle level. For as long as these temporary hit points remain, the target gains a morale bonus to attack and damage rolls as well as a sacred (or profane, if you are evil) bonus to AC and saving throws equal to your Charisma modifier. While under the effects of this ability, the target is incapable of recovering hit points in any way or benefiting from other sources of temporary hit points. These temporary hit points fade after 1 minute (unless depleted sooner). At 11th level, the subject of this ability is also immune to all mind-affecting spells and effects for the duration. At 15th level, you may use this ability twice per day. You must be at least 7th level to select this revelation.
Spiteful Spells (Ex): Spells you cast which target enemies who have injured your allies in the last round (or include such enemies within their area of effect) have their save DCs and caster level increased by 1. Against enemies who have injured you personally, they are increased by 2. At 11th level, these bonuses increase to +2 and +4 respectively.
Surge of Vengeance (Su): Once per day, when you reduce an enemy who has dealt damage to you within the last 24 hours below 0 hit points or slay them with a spell or effect, you may heal yourself for a number of hit points equal to your oracle level as an immediate action. At 7th level and every six levels thereafter, you may use this ability an additional time per day.
Vengeful Sting (Su): You may secrete a single dose of poison onto your weapon as a swift action a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier. Treat this as the poison of a giant wasp, though the save DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 your oracle level + CHA modifier. At 7th level, the poison improves, increasing the Dexterity damage to 1d4. At 11th level, the poison intensifies again, increasing the Dexterity damage to 1d6. You may also choose to secrete the poison into a container, to be delivered through other methods or given to allies for use, though you can have only one dose of poison in existence at a time.
Final Revelation: Upon reaching 20th level, you become an avatar of vengeance. Any creature striking you with a melee attack provokes an attack of opportunity from you. When you are reduced below 0 hit points or are slain by any means, you may transform into a blood-red spirit of vengeance. You become incorporeal, but may strike into both realms as though your weapons possessed the ghost touch property but you may no longer cast spells. You gain a fly speed equal to your current land speed (perfect maneuverability) and gain a +4 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls. While in this form, you are impervious to all damage and all healing, though you are treated as an undead spirit (and can be affected by spells and abilities that target such creatures). The transformation lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifer. At the end of this duration, you die, even if your hit points are above the normal threshold for death. This ability may not be used more than once in a 24 hour period.
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