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Random mystery cult; Most common in Taldor, Qadira, Osirion and Thuvia, the fertility cult of the Maiden, Mother and Crone are usually found underground, either in a small natural cave, in the catacombs beneath a city, or a converted storm-shelter or root-cellar, and are frequented by mothers-to-be, or, more rarely, by those making sacrifice on their behalf. There was a time that the faith was persecuted, and there are still those who look askance at its practices, but the situation of their shrines underground is more a symbolic representation of a woman’s womb. Within the cramped confines of the sacred space, sometimes barely large enough to keep the three altars from touching, the petitioner is greeted by the shrine’s attendant, rarely an actual cleric or druid of one of the goddesses represented, or an oracle of life, but more commonly an adept. At each altar, an offering must be made, first to the maiden, Shelyn, then to the mother, Lamashtu, and finally to the crone, Pharasma. Shelyn’s favor calls for an offering crafted by the petitioner herself, and can range from a fine meal to a knitted or woven garment, generally agreed upon in advance by the shrine attendant and the petitioner. It is well known that the adept requests items that they can personally use, that benefit the shrine, or, at the least, can be sold or traded for items of use to them. In a brief song sung in a mixture of the Celestial and Sylvan tongues (which the adept will assist in the pronunciation of, if the singer is not familiar with the languages), Shelyn is called upon to bless the child with both physical beauty and a joyful heart. At the shrine of Lamashtu, the petitioner must give a scrap of cloth torn from a serviceable garment or bedsheet (it need not be the best one can afford, or a prized possession, but using a garment that was about to be ripped up for rags anyway is considered an insult to the goddess) stained with one’s own blood. Holding this bloody rag in hand, the petitioner kneels or sits before the altar and drinks from a bowl of mushroom wine provided by the shrine attendant (at a small cost). She will see visions and feel strange sensations over the next hour, and must scream out whatever enters her mind, often nonsense syllables or hateful speech, as her mind travels to dark places. It is believed that this process purges her of dark spirits and angry thoughts, so that they do not fester within her, and so seep into and warp the formation of her unborn child. Through this propitiation, Lamashtu is asked to spare her touch, and allow the child to be born sound of limb and mind. Finally, shivering and sweaty from her experience at the altar of Lamashtu, the petitioner is bought to the altar of Pharasma, where she offers a brief, almost perfunctory, prayer to the goddess of life, death, birth and rebirth, and purchases a dove (for 2 sp., the price never changes) from the attendant, to make the Gift of Life or Death. This dove (or, in some cases, pigeon), is carried from beneath the earth by the petitioner to the nearest area of wild growth, or even a garden, and she releases the dove to the sky. Pharasma is said to send an omen if the child is not fated to be born alive, in the appearance of a hawk or falcon, taking the dove from the sky before it leaves the petitioners sight. If it flies away true, it is thought that the birth will be without incident, but if the dove refuses to fly, or cannot do so, the petitioner must then take it to a graveyard or burial ground, and give it one more chance to take flight. If the bird takes flight in the graveyard, the child to come may come with difficulty, and perhaps have some special favor in the eyes of the Lady of Graves. If the bird still refuses to take flight, the petitioner must kill the bird, either by her own hand or with a blade, and bury it in the graveyard, in a hole dug with her own hands, or else her child is doomed. After the ill-fated bird is buried, a stone must be placed at the head of this small grave, and a prayer to Pharasma to guide its spirit said, to complete the Gift of Life or Death. Through this rite, Pharasma is appealed to give the unborn child life, and to preserve the health of the mother. It has become unfashionable in certain circles to undergo the rite to Lamashtu, and to skip that procedure and simply make homage to Shelyn and Pharasma, but Lamashtu takes a dim view of this spurning. Those who shun the Mother of Madness spread rumor that to honor her in even this fashion draws her attention to a child, and makes it more likely to be born with some defect or malformity. Whenever a child is born deformed, these gossip-mongers hold it up as ‘proof’ of their theory, and continue to urge their peers to not risk harm to their child by propitiating Lamashtu in this fashion. The truth is that those who deliberately spurn the rite of Lamashtu are more likely to bear malformed children, but those who self-righteously believe otherwise are prone to overlook such matters (or even to eliminate troublesome ‘evidence’ that contradicts their beliefs…). Lamashtu is not merely the Mother of Monsters, but also of Madness, and is less prone to afflicting a child with an obvious deformity, but instead to simply twist its spirit to have qualities more akin to a goblin or a gnoll, so that an otherwise healthy-seeming child whose mother offended her would grow up to have a love of setting fires and difficulty learning his letters, or a cruel and lazy streak, prone to bullying others and to thuggish and violent behavior. (The tendency of the upper classes to be the most prone to shy away from the respectful propitiation of Lamashtu could be said to explain much about the latest generation of upper-class Taldan youth.) Pharasma is less likely to punish a child for the disrespect of its mother, but instead wait patiently for the offending parent to stand before her for judgement. Pharasma is no creature of law, nor one bound by moral concerns of mercy or forgiveness, and may wait many decades to send someone who displeased her in life to the back of the line, or to wander the Boneyard, ever waiting a judgement that may never come… Shelyn is of softer stuff, and few would dream of offending her in this manner, but is more likely to afflict a parent with an unsightly skin condition or malodorous rash, one that not only mars the appearance of the offender, but also magically spreads to any artistic representation of that person, in the form of creeping verdigris on a copper bust, or a fungal growth on a fine portrait. Such afflictions will recur, no matter how many times cleaned away or magically cured, until the offender has made right with Shelyn. In one notable case, a Taldan duke was so afflicted after he ordered an ancient shrine to Shelyn removed from his property, only to suffer not only a visible blight upon his face (that caused half of his beard to fall away), but to find that the blight appeared on the hundreds of coins he had stamped with his visage as part of a celebration, and now spread all about his territory. He made amends, rebuilding the decrepit shrine from new stone, surrounded by gardens and more lovely than even in its heyday, and now spends his days attempting to recover and polish every one of these errant coins, to eliminate all embarrassing reminders of his misfortune.
There's not a whole lot of 6 HD or less critters for use with lesser planar ally, and, after a bit, calling your goddess of lust and vengeance for an ally and getting a fire mephit get old. . Option one, an awakened entropic half-dragon (black) giant wasp. My template-fu is weak... GILDED NIGHT CR 7
DEFENSE
OFFENSE
STATISTICS
SPECIAL ABILITIES
ECOLOGY
Gilded Night is a servant of the goddess Calistria, whose appearance leaves no question as to its lineage, as an awakened entropic giant wasp with the blood of a black dragon in its veins. Its carapace is glistening ebony offset by metallic golden bands that curl upon themselves in fantastical fractal patterns, and its wings are thin sheets of iridescent onyx, resplendent with a play of many shimmering colors. The six legs of its wasp’s body end in tripartite talons, and it’s mandibles scissor open to reveal a reservoir of draconic acid, waiting to be unleashed. . [Design notes; yeah, I know, you can't awaken a vermin. But *Calistria* can, 'cause she's all like, a god, and scoffs at your feeble rules.]
So, we've got the Shadow, the Greater Shadow, the Spectre and the Wraith as examples in the Bestiary. Shadow - Dex 14, Cha 15, BAB +2, CMB +4, CMD 17 CMB should be BAB +2, Dex +2, total +4.
In either case, CMD 17 doesn't work. Greater Shadow - Dex 20, Cha 15, BAB +6, CMB +11, CMD 24 CMB should be BAB +6, Dex +5 for a +11.
In either case, CMD 24 doesn't work. Spectre - Dex 16, Cha 15, BAB +6, CMB +6, CMD 21 (eratta-ed to no longer have Weapon Finesse) CMB should be BAB +6 plus Dex mod +6 for a CMB +12 (instead of +6, as listed).
In either case, CMD 21 is wrong. Wraith - Dex 16, Cha 21, BAB +3, CMB +6, CMD 16 CMB should be BAB +3 and Dex +3 for a CMB +6.
I've tried plugging in Charisma mod in place of the Dex mod, just in case it was relevant, but that doesn't work either. There's nothing consistent here, each of these incorporeal creatures is wrong by a different proportion, or in a different direction, making it difficult for me to triangulate a design intent here. So, TL;DR. How does one calculate CMB and CMD for an Incorporeal creature? It would *seem* that, since Dex is serving in place of Str for the CMB calculation, that it should count twice for the CMD calculation (10 + BAB + 2xDex mod), but this doesn't appear to be the case.
Over in my brainstorm thread, I've been exploring some creatures of law and chaos, since, IMO, they get a lot less attention than those specific to good and evil (and, indeed, even the LG/CG/CE/LE ones rarely, or half-heartedly, have abilities related to smiting chaos or law, being almost single-mindedly focused on opposing good or evil). But really, this is turning into something that warrants it's own thread, and I'm interested in seeing what others might think would be suitable additions to the law/chaos version of the good vs. evil trope. Some random thoughts on the Maelstrom, intended to supplement (and not replace or refute) what Todd Stewart has already written about it in The Great Beyond. . The Maelstrom Elemental wells are weak points within the maelstrom into which forces and matter from the elemental planes pour through. Alternately, elemental wells are staging grounds from which the maelstrom is siphoning in and devouring the elemental planes that spun off from it, reclaiming what was stolen. Depends on who you ask, really. Earth wells appear as moon-sized bodies of stone, earth and metal ore, with tumbled mountains and vast riven plains of earth and stone, constantly heaving and shuddering as new material is brought across deep within its core from the elemental plane of earth, pushing all of the current matter higher and further away from the center of the well itself. These upheavals periodically become explosive, and vast quantities of elemental-born earth, stone and ore are thrown free of the mass, to hurtle through the maelstrom, some the size of boulders, others the size of continents. Of these masses, some break down and are absorbed by the maelstrom, while others remain intact, sometimes for centuries, and are settled by a combination of native creatures and visiting life-forms, in some cases, when conditions are right, even being colonized by vast forests of extraplanar flora and alien ecosystems of alien fauna. There does not seem to be any hard and fast rule as to which of these territories will be temporary, and which will endure, but, to the residents of the Maelstrom, this is as it should be, and nothing is predictable. Indeed, some of these rocky outposts have gravity, similar to that of a world many times their size, or less, perhaps more appropriate to their actual size, or none at all, and even the nature of the gravity is unpredictable, with some spherical bodies having traditional gravity that draws all to the center mass, and other ‘floating continents’ having gravity that pulls one down to either the ‘top’ surface or the ‘bottom’ surface, and none at all on the edges. Water wells appear as globes of water, sometimes covered with ice, other times awash in a zone of steam or mist, but always roiling with powerful currents, as new water pours in at the center of the well from the elemental plane of water. As with the masses of earth and stone that accrue at earth wells, at certain points, the mass reaches some unclear critical state, and vast quantities of water (or shelves of ice) expel into the surrounding Maelstrom, forming ‘sky rivers’ that meander through the chaotic plane, apparently held together by little more than surface tension and their own strange pseudo-gravity. Some water wells have constant ‘streams’ of water flying high into the sky, and twisting off into the chaos, and do not suffer the same constant turmoil and periodic eruptions of excess water, and these water wells are often settled by aquatic creatures, sometimes transplants from other realms, but as commonly forms of proteanic life. Air wells manifest as powerful storms of wind, often shot through with discharges of lightning, and, like the other wells, are prone to launching forth high-pressure blasts of air, like a ‘river of wind’ wandering off into the maelstrom. Unlike the ‘sky rivers’ that erupt from water wells, these gusts of wind rarely remain cohesive for more than a few miles distance, and dissipate into the background chaos of the maelstrom. Intense static discharges of lightning also tend to shoot up from the heart of the well, but these are even shorter-lived, and usually travel no further than the turbulent funnel-cloud-filled ‘skies’ of the air well, except when they travel ‘up’ one of the streams of wind that occasionally shoot forth. Fire wells could be mistaken for suns, although smaller and more active. Like other elemental wells, they seem to have a certain maximum size, and ‘excess’ fire pouring in from the elemental plane of fire erupts in massive solar displays that launch forth, sometimes in massive dancing sheets of flame, other times as semi-permanent spheres of fire that meander around the maelstrom. It is known that the fire wells are often heavily colonized by creatures from the elemental plane of fire, that that these ‘solar flares’ are sometimes ‘tamed’ by some unknown process, and used as exploratory vehicles (or weapons…) by unusually intelligent groups of salamanders, who ride around the maelstrom in these huge burning ‘carriages’ of fire, steering them through unknown means. Regardless of ‘where’ a given elemental plane may be, in respect to the maelstrom, in a grand cosmological sense, the wells locations have little or no organization or relevance to that positioning. An air well might be ‘right next to’ an earth well, even if those two elemental planes are generally thought to be ‘on opposite sides’ of some cosmological configurations. Thanks to the existence of the elemental wells, one might find a vast continental shelf of stone, fed water from a constant sky river from a nearby water well that it orbits, impacting with its central mass, teeming with alien flora and fauna, and with a stable atmosphere somehow accrued from an air well in times past, and held in place by the pseudo-gravity of the entire mass. The native proteans are of divided thought on these quasi-stable worldlets, drifting within their chaos, alternately seeing them as part and parcel of the wonder of the maelstrom itself, and ultimately impermanent, or as offenses to the ‘pure chaos’ of the maelstrom and unwelcome intrusions of extraplanar elemental matter, attempting to ape the static patterns of life on other planes. Protean choruses are rarely of one mind on anything, and for every protean that regards the elemental wells themselves as wellsprings of creation, draining away the elemental planes and returning them to the primal chaos where they belong, there are those who find the elemental energies and matter around the wells to be intrusive and unwelcome, a pollutant within the ‘pure’ chaos of the maelstrom. ‘Elemental’ wells that lead to the positive and negative energy planes also exist, but they are rarer. The only widely-known positive energy well (also called a ‘life well’) is the World Tree, consisting of a vast spherical darkwood tree the size of a great city, with its own flora and fauna, said to have been formed when a darkwood shield fell into a positive energy well and became infused with wild growth and life, sprouting in all directions, and being possibly the largest individual living organism in the maelstrom, unless one subscribes to the protean theory that the maelstrom itself is alive... Several negative energy wells (called void wells) exist, and are places of perpetual cold and darkness, that the proteans attempt to ‘stop up’ by maneuvering vast stones into position to block them from drawing away from the maelstrom, as if staunching a bleeding wound. As a result, some floating stony ‘islands’ may be less hospitable than suspected, harboring portals to the negative energy plane at their heart…
“You have to believe we are magic,
. In the City at the Center of the World, the greatest gathering of magical scholarship known north of Quantium resides in the Arcanamirium, a combination of trade guild and academy for practitioners of the arts arcane that takes up several city blocks. The mandate of the Arcanamirium is to make the magical commonplace (and, to be sure, some oppose that mandate...), to demonstrates the benefits that can be provided by arcane magic to all and sundry, and to turn a coin doing so. Some experiments have shown limited success; The demand for fresh water in Absalom is always greater than what can be brought in from the inner isle, drawn from the ground, magically created, or alchemically purified from seawater. New sources are always welcome. A dark-eyed halfling sorceress named Belaza, Varisian in temperamant and dress, and known to specialize in magics related to mists, storms and electricity, has initiated a project in blocks between the Arcanamirium and the docks, creating what are called 'fog-catches.' Fog-catches Stone basins are fashioned, and kept clean by a permanent prestidigitation effect. Eight lacquered wooden panels (in some cases decorated with imagery or runic symbols representative of the eight schools of magic, but not always, as it was noted that citizens shunned those decorated with necromantic imagery) lie flat over the pool, protecting it from the light of the sun, and a 10 ft. pole of polished copper, surmounted by a blued glass sphere that crackles with faint electrical energy (which sheds light equivalent to a continual flame spell), stands in the middle of this arrangement. Every evening, as fog rolls landward, fog is attracted the poles, by some eldritch magnetism, and condenses to slide down the pole into the basin beneath. During a thick fog, the pole will have a constant stream of water pouring down its length into the pool, and each reservoir has indentations at each of its eight ‘sides,’ that lead to a gutter that empties into the city sewers, so that the pools do not overfill and flood the surrounding area. So long as no deliberate contaminant is introduced, the water is fresh, cool and pure, but the prestidigitation effect cannot handle larger contaminants, such as the body of a rat or pigeon. Detractors of the Arcanamirium claim that the water has been magically tainted somehow, to make the drinkers more susceptible to the mages enchantments, and apprentices are assigned to visit each of the surrounding catches on a daily basis, to make sure that nothing has been done to tamper with them. (The glass orbs have no magical property beyond that of continual flame, albeit of an exotic appearance, and serve mostly as a ‘lightning rod’ for thieves, as the magic that collects the fog is in the unremarkable copper poles, which, so far, have not drawn the attention of local thieves.)
So, Golarion could totally use some Oracle Mysteries for the various can't-have-clerics groups in the setting, like the Kalistocracy and the Godclaw and the Diabolists. I aim to address that.
Note that the setting makes no comment one way or the other if the Kalistocracy, for example, suffers from lack of divine support, so the introduction of Oracles of the Mystery of Gold, who would likely be *quite* well received in the Kalistocracy, may or may not mess with certain assumptions. Mystery of Gold
I get bored and make insane lists for no reason at all!
Air – N, NG (G1, N2)
So, that leaves the following domains 'weighted' slightly (or, in some cases, heavily) towards; Chaos - Chaos, Charm, Destruction, Liberation, Luck, Madness, Strength, Travel, Trickery, Void, War, Weather Evil - Darkness, Death, Destruction, Evil, Knowledge, Madness, Magic, Strength, Trickery, War, Weather Good - Air, Animal, Artifice, Charm, Community, Creation, Earth, Glory, Good, Healing, Law, Liberation, Luck, Plant, Protection, Sun, Travel Law - Animal, Artifice, Community, Creation, Darkness, Death, Earth, Fire, Good, Healing, Law, Magic, Nobility, Plant, Protection, Rune, Sun Some of these are no-brainers. Obviously, Law is going to be heavily weighted towards lawful dieties. Less obvious is that Good is more common among the major lawful dieties, and Law is more common among the major good dieties. Kinda fits the widely held notion that lawful good is the 'goodest' good. But there's fun potential to consider niches for a chaotic or evil god associated with Animal (similar to the Realms' Malar), or an evil or chaotic Sun god (a cruel and capricious version of Amaunatar), or a god of Nobility that is a diety of the decadent excesses of the noble class, being more chaotic and evil than that other interpretation of 'noble.' Such entitled twits would be all noblesse oblige and lead others to their own ends, like the Iconic cavalier, Alain, not much caring if their 'leadership' results in them getting a bunch of enthusiastic peasants killed. A lawful god of Madness, or a chaotic god of Community, seems a bit off, but a chaotic god of Fire or a lawful god of obedience or diplomacy (with the Charm domain)? That's not hard to picture. An aboleth-friendly diety (or the Unspeakable One) might be evil and / or chaotic, and grant access to the Rune domain. A good god of Death? (A benevolent protector of the dead, frex.) An evil god of pain, suffering and torture who grants access to the Healing domain? A lawful diety of Luck or a good diety of Knowledge could change things up, from the current association of Luck with chaos and Knowledge (slightly) with evil. No good happy-go-lucky Trickery gods here, either, like Garl Glittergold. Pranks and pratfalls are less likely to be the subject of amusement, being associated with cruel and malevolent powers. The slight tendency towards Magic to be dominated by gods of evil aspect could result in a society that isn't exactly in love with the idea of magic, and make the agenda of the Arcanamirium of Absalom that much harder, as magic is more likely to be associated with selfish or destructive uses than with helping the people or benefitting society. Weather is weighted slightly towards chaotic and evil, thanks to Rovagug, which might result in sailors and farmers having a somewhat uncharitable view of nature and weather as capricious and cruel, a destructive force. If a wizard shows up and forces the storms to abate, they'd be less likely to side with the druid who shows up later and says that this was a bad thing, since weather is more likely to be perceived as an unruly and unkind thing. If a local good goddess of rain and growing things was associated with the weather, locals might be far more charitable towards the phenomena. Artifice being associated with law and good might result in a society that tends to regard tools as inherently blameless. A town that attempts to forbid the carrying of crossbows on the city streets might find that the local citizenry is less inclined to put up with that sort of ordinance. These sorts of associations might be irrelevant in some lands. In Qadira, for instance, Urgathoa and Asmodeus are distant foreign dieties, of little local relevance, and so their association with Magic would be less in their face than it would be to a citizen of Andoran or Ustalav, who regularly have to deal with the clergy and followers of evil dieties associated with Magic, with no local good (or even neutral) patron of magic to offset that negative impression.
So, random spells along the theme of 'create a new spell, that uses the name of a pre-existing spell, with one letter changed in the name.' Burning Bands
Spoiler:
School conjuration (creation) [fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (three red silk ribbons attached to three copper coins) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels) Effect ray Duration 1 round / level Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance no Playing up her half-Tian heritage to pretend to know all sorts of exotic ‘eastern mysteries’, conjuration apprentice Mia Ti Martine showed off not only her spellcraft, but also her visual flair and skill at crafts, using three ring shaped Tian copper coins and red silk ribbons embroided with gold-threated Tian symbols, far more extravagant than the spell strictly required to conjure her dancing ‘fire dragons.’ With a grand gesture, you hurl the material components at the target, and they transform in mid-flight into bands of fiery conjured matter that wrap around the selected target, which cannot be more than one size class larger than the caster to be affected. You need to make a ranged touch attack, and if successful, the target is ensnared by the animated fiery ribbons, with effects identical to that of a tanglefoot bag. The DC for the Strength check to break free of these ribbons is calculated as if it were a saving throw. 10 + spell level (1, unless heightened) + Intelligence (for a wizard or witch) or charisma (for a sorcerer) modifier. The DC bonus from Spell Focus (conjuration), or similar effects, also applies to this special Strength check. Like a tanglefoot bag, the burning bands can also be cut away by 15 points worth of damage from a slashing weapon. At the end of every round which a target remains entangled, they suffer 1d4 fire damage from the flames dancing along the burning bands.
Bleep
Spoiler:
School transmutation [sonic]; Level sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 immediate action Components V, S, M (a tiny whistle or noisemaker) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels) Target one living creature Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes Knowing from his network of cronies and snitches that several other students had spells of fire and lightning in the design stages, the better to impress the judges with flashy displays, transmutation student Amirrin Kalto chose to create the fastest and least-visible effect he could, one that was effective at what it did, and yet was as streamlined and abrupt as he could fashion. This spell interrupts the speech of another, causing a word or short phrase to be transformed into a shrill sound that makes the exact word ‘censored’ undecipherable to listeners who fail a DC 25 perception check. If the spell is cast to mangle the phrasing of a spell with verbal components, and the spellcaster does not resist the spell, he must make a concentration check to successfully cast the spell, with a difficulty equal to the DC to resist the bleep spell. Burning Lands
Spoiler:
School evocation [fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a small chunk of magma) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels) Effect flames in a 20-ft.-radius spread Duration 1 round / level Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance yes One of a pair of sisters, Shindri Cassoni chose to craft a spell that would not just produce a damaging (and spectacular) visible energy effect, but also manipulate the movement of foes within the target area, by punishing them for moving from their place while the spell remained in effect. The target area is swept in faint ruddy flames that crawl along the ground and produce a sensation of warmth, but do not inflict any damage to targets that remain stationary. Any target that moves out of a square that is awash in these flames finds that they wrap around his body in ever-increasing layers of many-colored fire, growing slightly brighter and warmer, the more he moves, until he is lashed by 1d4 points of fire damage for each square vacated. These instances of damage occur when movement ends, as a single attack (unless he takes multiple instances of movement within a single round, in the affected area, through the use of a 5 ft. step, being bull rushed or repositioned, or the Step Up feat, in which case each instance of movement produces it's own damaging retaliatory effect), and if the target succeeds in their initial spell resistance, no damage is suffered, and the creature can move freely through the affected area with no further rolls required and no risk of damage. Shocking Grass
Spoiler:
School evocation [electricity]; Level sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a handful of iron flakes and quartz shards) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels) Effect electrical discharge in a 10-ft.-radius spread Duration 1 round Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance yes Karoli Cassoni attempted to duplicate her sister’s entry, using electrical forces instead of fire, but chose to influence the movement of those in the target area of her spell by encouraging them to flee the area, rather than remain standing in place. The ground in the target area builds up a crackling charge of electrical energy, and wavering tendrils of electricity spark upwards, somewhat resembling a dancing field of blue-white grass. On the caster’s action in the round after the spell is cast, the charge explosively releases, and anyone remaining in the affected area suffers electrical damage based on their position. Anyone standing within an affected square suffers 1d6 points of electrical damage as the charge erupts towards the sky, and for each additional adjacent square that is also affected, suffers an additional point of electrical damage. For a larger creature, who may occupy more than one square, the creature suffers 1d6 points of damage for each affected square occupied, and 1 pt. of additional damage for each affected square adjacent to those squares, but does not suffer the additional ‘adjacent’ damage for any squares from which they have already suffered the larger damage effect. A successful spell resistance roll negates all damage. The electrical discharge travels from the ground upwards, and a target within 30 ft. of the ground may also suffer the discharge, although such a target will only suffer the damage for any square(s) that the target is directly over, and not any additional damage from adjacent squares. Animate Pope
Spoiler:
School transmutation; Level cleric 2, sorcerer/wizard 2 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a piece of sugar candy) Range touch Target one living creature Duration 10 minutes / level Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes Pontiff Theodred was known for his animated and lively instructional style, embellishing his homilies and parables with expansive gestures and the occasional impromptu bit of dance. The decades have not been kind to him, and he requires assistance to rise each morning, and an assistant to help him stand at the pulpit to give the morning service these days. Growing up in the church, listening to his sermons, the Apprentice Joqulis developed this spell to allow her old pastor (and his flock) to enjoy brief moments of his former glory. The affected creature suffers none of the physical penalties of their current age category. A venerable target becomes as physically powerful, graceful and healthy as they were during the prime of their life, and, while not the original intent of the spell, a toddler is similarly temporarily enhanced to have the improbable strength, coordination and endurance of an adult of its species. Mental attributes are not affected for good or ill by this spell, and strength, dexterity or constitution damage, drain or penalties from other sources, such as a ray of enfeeblement, spider venom or the blood drain of a stirge, are not negated by this spell, only the strength, dexterity and constitution scores depleted by the effects of physical age.
Colon Spray
Spoiler:
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S, M (a tiny cabbage-like vegetable or 'brussel sprout') Range 15 ft. Area cone-shaped burst Duration instantaneous; see text Saving Throw Fort partial; see text; Spell Resistance no Coming from an outlying community, conjuration student Borik ‘Stinky’ Morboni fell victim to the age-old tradition of ‘forgetting’ to warn the out-of-towners not to drink the water from the ground cisterns, causing him to spend his first week in the academy suffering from humiliating intestinal distress. Years later, he still goes by the nickname of ‘Stinky,’ having long since taken the name as a perverse badge of pride, but finds that nobody picks on him anymore. Not more than once, anyway. A reeking cone of brown fluid splatters from your hand to soak all in the affected area, causing them to have to save or become nauseated from the overwhelming stench. Those that fail their saving throw can make a new saving throw each round to overcome the nausea. The foul-smelling material clings to the afflicted targets for ten minutes, unless washed off, after which point it evaporates and leaves no trace of its presence. Once the target has made a single saving throw against the nausea effect, it does not recur, although for all long as the substance remains present, a soaked target is sickened. The conjured substance only coats living targets within the affected cone, and evaporates immediately if it falls away from a subject who has been affected, leaving behind no sign (or scent) of its former existence. As a result, those targets drenched with this foul effluvium do not produce an odor that travels beyond the space they occupy, as the malodorous conjuration dissipates within moments of leaving the target’s person. Except by the targets of the spell, or those that get too close to them, the conjured stench cannot be detected, although the visible signs of befoulment are obvious.
Day of Enfeeblement
Spoiler:
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 2 The perpetually distracted, but undeniably brilliant, half-elf (half-something else…) necromantic prodigy Shrian created this spell in a frenzy of late-night last-minute dweomercraft. This spell functions exactly as ray of enfeeblement, except that the effect lasts until the individual can rest for eight hours. Any effect that ends a fatigued condition (such as lesser restoration, or the appropriate paladin Mercy) will also end this effect. Goat Sounds
Spoiler:
School illusion (glamer); Level sorcerer/wizard 1 Casting Time 1 standard action Components V, S Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels) Target one creature Duration 1 round / level Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes Shonty Shon, as this squeaky-voiced gnome of uncertain gender likes to be called, may or may not have understood that s/he was flouting the rules of the competition by designing a ‘sound-alike’ spell instead of a ‘one-letter-off’ spell, but did it anyway, and while not every instructor agreed with this decision, the headmaster of illusory studies found it amusing and passed him/her/it anyway. This spell afflicts a target so that the only vocalization they can produce is the bleating of a goat. This makes communication and spellcasting all-but impossible for the duration of the effect, but the afflicted subject can use a standard action to force a new saving throw against the effect at any time during the spells duration, as often as desired, until the spell expires or the effect is resisted. Caveat Emptor: A young spellslinger who used the spell in an arcane duel was rudely (and fatally) surprised to learn that some druidic spellcasters know a technique that allows them to incant their magics even in the form of various animals, such as birds, wolves and bears. While ‘goat’ is not a common choice for their transformations, it appears that anyone who knows their secret of ‘Natural Spell’ remains capable of using verbal spell components even while affected by this spell…
I made a largeish purchase for the Black Friday sale (order placed on Nov 27), and the first two of three boxes arrived fairly soon thereafter. The third box has not yet arrived and I was wondering if there was some way of tracking that. Not yet arrived;
This stuff isn't intended as part of any sort of Christmas gift or anything (well, to myself, maybe), so there's no huge hurry or anything, but I was curious as to whether it had been shipped or was being held up because something was out of stock or something. Thanks!
Just seeing if these would be available soon-ish, 'cause there are a lot of great headshots in both Seeker of Secrets and the NPC Guide! I'd love it if the Razmiran mask from the Golarion Campaign Setting got avatar-ized as well, although that's just me being selfish, since I'm playing a priest of Razmir in a PBP!
So, an Eidolon with 10 hit points takes 18 hit points worth of damage. It's 10 hit point Summoner can't use Life Link yet, because it explicitly doesn't work unless the Eidolon takes enough damage to 'send it back to it's home plane,' which is negative hit points equal to it's Constitution score (in this case, -13). He's got three choices here; 1) He can ignore it. If the unconscious Eidolon fails to stabilize, at -13 he can use Life Link to give it up to 10 of his own hit points, but it will *still* be unconscious (at -3), and he'll have dropped himself to zero hit points, so this choice is just plain stupid, as he could just shoot himself with a crossbow and achieve the same tactical situation. His best possible option here is for it to fail to Stabilize and die, so that he can resummon it at half-health the next day. 2) He can un-Summon it. It then goes back to wherever, and, if it stabilizes, he'll summon it back the next day, and it will be at somewhere between -8 and wherever it made it's 10% Stabilization check. Or maybe it will have died, on it's home plane, a situation for which there are no rules. Who knows. If it was a demon lord or god, it could die *permanantly* if he's dumb enough to actually use this un-Summon class feature (which, in this case, might as well be named the 'Permanantly Lose Your Class Defining Ability' class feature, akin to the rarely used Wizard class feature of 'Set My Spellbook on Fire and Laugh'), but it's not a demon lord or god, so perhaps bleeding to death on it's home plane is no more dangerous than dying on this plane. Maybe it can't bleed to death on it's own plane, because it's formless there. I have no idea, and I wonder if, at some point, something changed, and a class ability that made sense got utterly borked up. 3) He can walk over to it and coup de grace it, which will be the most effective use of his class abilities, allowing it to return the next day at half hit points. So, the question. Did any of the playtesters run into this situation, where using either Life Link or the ability to un-Summon the Eidolon was flat out the worst possible choice one could make? Is there a situation where un-Summoning your Eidolon is a better choice than letting it die? You're not gonna see it until tomorrow anyway, and your choice is to see it again with half hit points (cause you let it die) or seeing it again with whatever vastly less than half hit points it had when you 'saved it' from certain death. What am I missing? How is this power not profoundly nonsensical? Why is the Summoner being *punished* for attempting to save his boo, instead of letting it die a glorious death, and come back much stronger than if he'd 'saved' it? Someone's Eidolon had to go into negatives, at some point during playtesting, so what was the big solution? 'Cause this just doesn't make any sense at all. Relevant rules; 'Eidolons are treated as summoned creatures, except that they are not sent back to their home plane until reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than their Constitution score.' 'A summoner can summon his eidolon once per day in a ritual that takes 1 minute to perform. When summoned in this way, the eidolon hit points are unchanged from the last time it was summoned. The only exception to this is if the eidolon was slain, in which case it returns with half its normal hit points.' 'Whenever the eidolon takes enough damage to send it back to its home plane, the summoner can, as a free action, sacrifice any number of hit points. Each hit point sacrificed in this way prevents 1 point of damage done to the eidolon. This can prevent the eidolon from being sent back to its home plane.'
The imposing figure before you spins like a dervish, blood-soaked armor silent on his person as his greatsword sweeps towards your head. His voice taunts, “Your swordsmanship lacks grace and style, but your verse, now that is truly vile.” RIME KNIGHT (4th level Fighter) CR ???
Rime Knights live to prove themselves on the merciless field of single combat, garnering status with their peers, as well as both physical and psychic sustenance from the acting of shedding the blood of those they defeat. They travel in small groups, usually accompanied by an eclectic mix of servant creatures, which usually include some humanoids to serve as grooms for their steeds, and as personal servants, with elves and hobgoblins being preferred, but goblins being the necessary substitute for those who have not yet proven themselves. Such groups always include several and several tracking beasts as well, usually wolves, but, with the more powerful bands, winter wolves or even yeth hounds serve that role. Clad in fantastically ornate armor of brownish-red ice, spattered in layers upon layers of blood drawn from foes felled in single combat, and decorated with dozens of delicate-looking spikes and barbs, the Rime Knight bears a similarly grim looking weapon, usually a large cutting weapon, such as a glaive or greatsword, but with a few Knights choosing a less common signature weapon, such as a spiked chain or scorpion whip. Beneath the imposing armor, a Rime Knight has slim, almost elfin features, sharp and angular, and often concealing surprising strength. The only time a Rime Knights face comes alive is in the heat of battle, and the normally dour and unfriendly fey becomes a taunting dervish, mocking his opponent, or even complimenting one whose combat technique has impressed him. While some assume that the Knights received their common name from the rime of blood-ice that decorates their cold white skin, cakes their hair, and comprises their favored armaments, those who have faced them remark that they speak only in rhyme, considering wordplay as much an art form, as much a ‘dance,’ as they regard combat. When not sparring, or preparing for their next hunt, Rime Knights gather around ritual fires, and practice taunting each other, critiquing not the other’s fighting skills, but his verse. As the loser must place his hand within the flames for a long moment, a Rime Knight is strongly motivated to polish his insults, just as he hones his blade. A Rime Knight will always attempt to engage a single foe in combat, with the higher status Rime Knight selecting the most capable looking warrior type to engage, and others backing off and allowing the combat to follow its course, interfering only to counter the interference of others. Initial rounds of combat will generally resemble a dance, with the Rime Knight often fighting defensively, and taking advantage of his battle acumen to make himself difficult to strike, while he attempts to soften up his opponent with crippling or bleeding strikes, before switching to a more aggressive posture. Only in the case of a ‘disappointing’ foe that appears well beneath his abilities will a Rime Knight begin combat with a brutally aggressive display, and this is seen as a show of contempt, that the Rime Knight wishes this meaningless butchery over as soon as possible, so that he can move on to more challenging foes. Rime Knights have been known to woefully underestimate foes in this manner, and a cunning foe may be able to trick a Rime Knight into holding back and fighting defensively, trying to figure out the source of this perplexing foes seemingly inappropriate confidence, while reinforcements arrive.
For OGL energy damage options, we have;
Non-OGL sources give us;
So, the 'new' versions; Alkaline: Upon command, an alkaline weapon is coated in a viscous caustic agent that sloughs off on any target struck, inflicting +1d6 Acid damage on a successful hit. This corrosive does not affect the weapon or its wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.
Corrosive Burst: A corrosive burst weapon functions as an alkaline weapon that also discharges a splash of corrosive acid upon a successful critical hit. The acid does not damage the weapon or its wielder. In addition to the extra acid damage from the alkaline ability, the corrosive burst weapon deals an addition +1d10 of acid damage on a successful critical hit. If the weapon’s critical modifier is x3, add an extra 2d10 points of acid damage instead, and if the multiplier is x4, add an extra 3d10 points of acid damage instead.
Howling: Upon command, a howling weapon begins vibrating and emitting a low howl, like wind through trees, which rises to a bone-rattling shriek when it strikes a target, inflicting +1d6 sonic damage on a successful hit. This sound does not affect the weapon or its wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.
Cacophonous Burst: A cacophonous burst weapon functions as a howling weapon that also produces a discordant burst of damaging sound upon a successful critical hit. This sound does not damage the weapon or its wielder. In addition to the extra sonic damage from the howling ability, the cacophonous burst weapon deals an addition +1d10 of sonic damage on a successful critical hit. If the weapon’s critical modifier is x3, add an extra 2d10 points of sonic damage instead, and if the multiplier is x4, add an extra 3d10 points of sonic damage instead.
New bargain basement weapon enhancements Fiery – the weapon grows warm when used in battle and emits a tongue of flame when it strikes a target, inflicting +1 hit point of fire damage. This property can be stacked with the flaming or flaming burst properties, but not with any other energy enhancement (such as icy burst or shock).
Solvent – the weapon has a greenish cast to it when used in battle and has a bitter smell. When it strikes a target, a small quantity of acid is transferred to the target, inflicting +1 hit point of acid damage. This property can be stacked with the alkaline or corrosive burst properties, but not with any other energy enhancement (such as flaming or shock burst).
Icy – the weapon is cold to the touch and patterns of frost spider along the blade and cold mist follows its arc in combat. When it strikes a target, a blast of cold inflicts +1 hit point of cold damage. This property can be stacked with frost or icy burst, but not any other energy enhancement (such as shock or flaming burst).
Spark – this weapon smells of ozone and tingles to the touch, producing a buzzing sound when it is used in combat and shooting off sparks of electricity when it strikes a target. This inflicts +1 hit point of electrical damage, and this property can be stacked with shock or shocking burst, but not other energy enhancements such as frost or flaming burst).
Moaning – this weapon produces a low vibrating moan as it rips through the air, which creates a destructive sonic resonance when it hits, inflicting +1 hit point of sonic damage. This property can be stacked with the howling, thundering or cacophonous burst properties, but not other energy enhancements such as flaming or icy burst.
Each of these enhancements cost 500 gp to add to a weapon, and the weapon need not already have a +1 enhancement bonus, but must be Masterwork.
Some feats to make the Channel Energy ability a tad more flexible and / or fun.
Spell Channel
Vampiric Channel
Charged Channel
Example: Riordan, a 5th level Cleric with a 15 Wisdom can sacrifice up to a 2nd level spell (limited by his +2 Wisdom modifier) to empower a Channel Energy use. He uses a Move Action to sacrifice a prepared aid spell, and then a Standard Action to Channel Energy, allowing him to heal his allies (or harm undead) within a 30 ft. radius for 5d6 damage (3d6 base, +2d6 for the channeled spell).
My first thoughts; 1) Most of the Hexes have ranges of touch, 30 ft. or 60 ft. The following hexes have no range listed; Hex - charm, ward
2) At some point, stats for foxes, goats and pigs will be needed, but that's obviously not a priority for playtesting, as there are plenty of other options. 3) For the Summoner, the 1 pt. spell-like ability Evolution seems likely to become an issue if used to get around expensive spell component costs. The limitations on how it can be used have potential to nip some of that, but the ability of a summoner to blow multiple evolution points on these abilities, to create an eidolon strictly for casting spells-with-costs has potential to be game-disrupting. If anything, perhaps the Eidolon should be restricted to the Summoner spell-list? 4) At the risk of another 'I don't like the name Oracle' discussion that will go nowhere, is evolution perhaps a little too science-y for the added features? Mutation is similarly un-fantasy-feeling, IMO, which leaves us with deformities or augmentation or warps or alterations or transformations or refinements or mortifications or some made up word like 'transencions' or something... 5) Much like the Extra Rage, Extra Music, Extra Channel, Extra Smite, etc. Feats, I can see an Extra Summons feat being a must-have for the Summoner, allowing him/her to summon an Eidolon an extra time per day, in case of death, or sudden need for an Eidolon with different traits (or a different size / shape, to fit into an adventure area). 6) Witches who lose their Familiars are boned hard. Yikes.
If any Bloodline deserves a little mixing things up for Bloodline abilities, it would be the Aberrant bloodline. Not every Aberrant Sorcerer would necessarily have anything to do with acid, and abilities related to warping flesh, distorting space or producing damaging sonic effects would be just as likely to exist. A purely mental effect also would fit the theme, but with the lack of Mind Flayers in the setting, perhaps not as well as it would have in 3.X. Aberrant Bloodline Alternatives (replaces Acidic Ray for a 1st level Aberrant Sorcerer) Slashing Tendrils (Ex): At 1st level, you can cause your fingers to become slashing tendrils as a free action. These tendrils are treated as natural weapons allowing you to make two attacks as a full attack action. These attacks inflict 1d4 points of slashing damage each (1d3 for a Small user) plus your Str modifier. At 5th level, these tendrils are considered magic weapons for the purposes of overcoming DR. At 7th level, the damage increases by one step to 1d6 points of damage (1d4 if you are Small). At 11th level, these tendrils fold upon themselves spatially to either function as if they possessed the ghost touch property, or to bypass physical armor, requiring only a touch attack to inflict damage (choose one at the moment of attack). This is a supernatural ability. You can use these tendrils for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Cry from Beyond (Sp): As a standard action you can unleash a resonating pulse of sound from deep within your belly that inflicts 1d6 nonlethal sonic damage to a single target within 30 ft. Any foe damaged by this effect will also be sickened for 1 round. Outsiders, Constructs, Undead and Elementals are not affected by the sickened condition, but still take the damage. Oozes, Aberrants, Plants, etc. are affected normally. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Warping Touch (Sp): At 1st level, you can cause another creature to become nauseated for a single round with a melee touch attack as their body warps and shudders around them. This effect does not affect Constructs, Undead, Oozes or Elementals. You can use warping touch a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Mind Scream (Sp): As a standard action, you can generate a stunning blast of mental energies that hits a single target within 30 ft. automatically, inflicting 2d6 nonlethal damage +1 hit point per 2 class levels. This is treated as a mind-affecting effect, and cannot harm most constructs, oozes, plants, undead or vermin. You can use this ability a number of times equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Warping Touch and Slashing Tendrils were intended to synergize better with Aberrant Reach than the Acidic Ray option, while evoking the abilities of a Chaos Beast or Hound of Tindalos.
Checking the templates in the back of the Bestiary in preparation for using them in a game, I noticed that the Celestial and Fiendish creature templates no longer raise the animals (or vermins) intelligence to 3, afford it the ability to understand instructions in Celestial (or Infernal, etc.) and no longer change it's alignment to Good or Evil. As a result, a Summoned Celestial (or Fiendish) creature can no longer be directed to do anything other than attack the casters foes (which it does automatically), and Celestial and Fiendish-templated creatures cannot Smite each other, since they are all Neutral (or otherwise retain their base alignment). Is this a deliberate change in Pathfinder, or an oversight? It does make a pretty darn huge difference in the use of Conjuration (Summoning) spells. As Celestial (or Fiendish) animals no longer become Magical Beasts, it does mean that a Speak with Animals spell could be used to communicate with a conjured animal, [/i]assuming that spell were available to Conjurers[/i], and, even in that case, removes as well the ability of the Conjuror to give instructions to a Fiendish Giant Wasp, which he could do in 3.X, and, according to the text of Summon Monster, he's still supposed to be able to do, somehow.
[I would have just updated the original thread, but I can't seem to find it...] Devil Taught Monks of Cheliax
The students of these styles must select the feats with their 1st, 2nd and 6th level Monk bonus feats (or later bonus feats at 10th, 14th, etc. if their training falls behind), and must take them in order. No more than one such style can be learned by a single character. The devils do not tolerate 'cross-training.' Since I wrote this, the Kyton have ceased to be devils, and I'm not sure if the Hellcats still count as devils, but both seem like very appropriate styles to find in the lawful evil monastaries of Cheliax. Hamatsula Style
Spiked Harness (Cost 60 gp, Armor Bonus +1, Maximum Dex Bonus +6, Armor Check Penalty -1, Arcane Spell Failure 10%, Light Armor, Weight 12 lbs. Time to don/remove as breastplate.) Improved Hamatsula Training
Advanced Hamatsula Training
Kyton Style
Scorpion Whip (Legacy of Fire Players Guide, as Whip but 5 gp, 3 lbs and inflicts 1d4 lethal Slashing damage. Uses same proficiency as Whip.) Improved Kyton Training
Advanced Kyton Training
Chains worn as armor (Cost 45 gp, Armor Bonus +1, Maximum Dex Bonus +6, Armor Check Penalty -1, Arcane Spell Failure 10%, Light Armor, Weight 10 lbs. Time to don/remove as studded leather.) Gelugon Style
Improved Gelugon Training
Advanced Gelugon Training
Bezikara Style
Clawed Gauntlets (Martial Weapon, Cost 10 gp each, Dmg (S) 1d3, Dmg (M) 1d4, Critical 19-20 / x2, Range -, Weight 2 lbs each, Type Slashing) Improved Bezikira Training
Advanced Bezikira Training
Calistrian Wasps In a Pathfinder article about clergy of Calistria (A Memory of Darkness, p 60), companion wasps that grew to the size of cats were mentioned, and I decided that it sounded too cool to not stat up. I basically took the Giant Wasp (size Large) and reduced it using the size advancement table in the back of the Bestiary as a very rough guideline (but didn't reduce it below a 10 Con) and guesstimated a 1 HD for the Tiny ones (same as most Tiny familiars) and 2 HD for the Small ones. The Tiny one would make a fine familiar option for a Calistria-loving Wizard or Sorcerer (particularly an Elf) and would grant a +3 to Perception checks as it's familiar ability. (In case it's not obvious from my not having filled those values in, I'm not rock-solid on how to gauge CR or XP values yet.) Calistrian Wasp
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+2 size, +4 Dex)
[b]Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft., fly 50 ft. (good)
Str 6, Dex 18, Con 10, Int --, Wis 13, Cha 11
Environment temperate forests
Poison (Ex) Sting - injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1 Dexterity damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. The bigger ones would be; Calistrian Wasp
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+1 size, +3 Dex)
Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int --, Wis 13, Cha 11
Environment temperate forests
Poison (Ex) Sting - injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Dexterity damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. In theory, the larger one could be an Improved Familiar choice, but, given the nature of familiars, would probably be the *worse* choice, due to a lower AC. It's advantage of a few more hit points would be meaningless in a familiar that uses half it's masters hit points anyway... Note that a Vermin becoming a Familiar gains an Intelligence score and becomes eligible for skill points (2+Int mod / HD, minimum 1 / HD) and Feats (Weapon Finesse would be the likely choice, or Alertness, if other animals of this size and type are used as a guideline). Weapon Finesse will go a long way towards making that little Wasp able to hit the broad side of a barn. Note that gaining an Intelligence score will also remove the Mindless trait, and the wasp will no longer be immune to mind-affecting effects.
“The magics contained herein all pertained to transformations of flesh and bone, some most unwholesome, and others quite wondrous to behold.” The sage confided. “Truly, I fear what madness would ensue if the most powerful of these magics were used frivolously, as beasts would walk like men among us! Would men plow the fields while oxen sat at table? Madness, I tell you! Would chickens decide the fate of nations while courtiers cluck and coo and peck at each other in the yard? Hmm. Bad example, that, but you get my meaning.”
Crippling transformation represents a failed attempt at producing a baleful polymorph variant. What it does successfully do is cause the target to suffer excruciatingly painful transformations throughout the spell duration. The target is nauseated by pain, unless a Fortitude save is made, but the wracking transformations continue throughout the spell’s duration, and a new save must be made each round to avoid being nauseated and rendered helpless by the pain. Even on rounds where the saving throw is made, the target is still Sickened, although otherwise able to function normally. When the spell ends, the target suffers no lingering pain, although in rare cases (when a natural 1 is made on one of the saving throws) some cosmetic change may remain (mismatched eyes, scaly patches of skin, extra fingers or toes, etc.) that can be removed by a heal or restoration spell.
Fleshforge enhances the natural weapons and armor of a single living creature, causing its natural weapons to inflict damage as if the creature were one size class larger, and its natural armor to increase by +2. Note that the natural weapons of a human are fists, which normally inflict 1d3 damage. The effect of this spell not only increases that damage to 1d4, but also allows the individual to strike as if armed, not provoking attacks of opportunity, and also to inflict lethal damage with unarmed attacks.
Wrack causes the limbs of a single creature to become ravaged, reducing its movement in all categories to one half and inflicting a -2 to attack and damage rolls with physical attacks. If the target saves, it is unaffected.
You can cause a recipients arms and legs to transform to allow one of the following movement options; x2 land speed, a swim speed equal to land speed, a climb speed equal to ½ land speed, a burrow speed equal to ½ land speed (earth, sand or snow only, not ice or stone) or a fly speed equal to land speed. In all cases, speed is based off of the individuals unmodified base speed (and not including enhancements from class features, spells or feats), modified afterwards for any encumbrance (or other effects). The alteration cannot be changed once selected if cast upon another person, but if you cast it upon yourself, you can select a different movement type as a standard action up to once per round. Note that arms and legs are not usable for non-movement purposes during the duration of this effect (arms elongate and posture changes to quadripedal movement to gain the x2 land speed, for instance), although you can choose to end the spell early.
Chimerical transformation changes the animal or vermin selected into an anthropomorphic animal, using the attributes presented in Savage Species.
First of all, an Alternate Class Feature / Class Exchange for Wizards specializing in Abjuration Abjurant Counterspell
And then some feats; Absorptive Counterspell
Example: If using a dispel magic to counterspell a casting of glitterdust, you only have a 40% chance of retaining your dispel magic spell (or slot) if successful. Reflective Counterspell
Example: An Abjurer uses a dispel magic to counter an enemy Sorcerers scorching ray. He gets a 60% chance of reflecting the spell (the entire spell, he cannot divide up the rays among separate targets) back upon the Sorcerer. If he instead counterspelled a fireball, he would be able to place it as he wished, so long as the Sorcerer were within it's area of effect. Countermagic
For an old Scarred Lands game I ran, set in Hollowfaust, I had a rogue Necromancer named Ari, who served Belsameth, goddess of death, magic, madness and the night, and, from a little 'lab' set in the ghost quarter, would kidnap people to sacrifice and transform into undead. Being a game for 1st level characters, I wasn't about to use shadows or wights, but I wanted something less common than skeletons or zombies, which, in the City of Necromancers, would have been pretty passe... Some tools she used, a pair of utilitarian spells, one intended for making bodies of important people suitable for display at state funerals and another meant to ease a hunters work in the field, turned to sinister purpose; Mend the Dead
With this spell, you can remove all traces of injury or decay to a corpse that has been dead less than 24 hours, or has been preserved with gentle repose. The body becomes warm, as if had just died, and wounds and signs of injury are obscured, so long as the body is primarily intact (missing tissue will not be replaced, but even trauma as severe as a severed finger will be rejoined to the hand, as long as all of the avulsed tissue is available and can be placed back into position). The decedents blood returns to a fluid state, although the body will begin cooling again immediately, as if it had just perished. Heal checks to determine cause of death become nearly impossible, and the difficulty class for such checks is increased by +10. Shedding the Skin
You cause the skin and hide of a single dead creature to become pliable and elastic, yet also quite strong, allowing you to carefully peel the hide cleanly from the flesh in a single smooth action, generally starting at the lips and spreading the mouth open and peeling the skin back off of the head, across the shoulders and down the length of the body, removing the entire hide undamaged and within cutting or splitting it. The hide cannot be suffering from any significant amount of decay, and the spell will not repair any pre-existing damage to the hide. The creature must have died within the last 24 hours, or have been preserved in some manner (such as by gentle repose) for this spell to be effective. All non-hide material slides evenly off of the inside hide or skin as it is removed, including fatty tissue (but not fur or hair), making this spell extremely useful for hunters or furriers who wish to skin game in the field and store it for safe portage, although the skin will lose its temporary state of unnatural elasticity and toughness at the end of the skinning process. No creature larger than size Large can be skinned in a single casting by this spell, although multiple castings will make larger jobs significantly easier. Double the amount of castings required for each size category above Large, and the process cannot be performed in stages if the hide is to be removed intact, so each spell must be cast one right after the other.
New Sorcerer Bloodline Aranea
Option one; learn some of these feats. Spell Burn
Deep Reserves
Arcana Afield
Note: Force Missile doesn't have a range listed. I'm assuming it's 30 ft., like the others, for the purposes of this feat. If it doesn't have a range deliberately, being line of sight, then woo-hoo, and ignore the reference to it in this feat, which will not reduce it to 100 ft. if it already has a potentially much longer range.
These are probably too good, but I'm loopy on cold medicine. Yeah, that's my excuse. I'm not a mad power-gaming fool or anything... I removed the setting-specific spells, and swapped a few around (some of the Gateways spells seemed less appropriate, IMO). ************************************** Domination Domain
Dream Domain
Fey Domain
Gateways Domain
Judgment Domain
[Note: Judgement should be spelled with an 'e.' I don't give a crap what the dictionary or spellchecker says. Judgment just looks wrong!] Rainbow Domain
Entrancement - Use Charm
That leaves Constructs (almost entirely based on non-SRD spells, it can wait), Missionary (time to go bless Tiki), Secrets and Vengeance, which I might get around to later. Or not.
I'm the ***damned Batman!
I'm the Juggernaut, b****!
The elves of Golarion, who just recently came back from an extended stay in another dimension, have their own country. The orcs even have their own nation. (Gnomes just showed up for the first time, and don't necessarily make sense to have a country of their own, yet.) But the Halflings and Dwarves get pretty short shrift in the Campaign Setting, so I've decided to enlarge their footprint in my own little slice of Golarion. *********************************************** Halflings of Golarion Golarions’ Halfling population is most strongly concentrated in southern Avistan, with Andoran currently being the country that has the highest percentage of Halfling residents (as many as one in four Andorans are Halflings). They have lesser populations, ranging from 10 to 20% of the total citizenry, in the southern Avistani lands of Taldor, Cheliax, Isger, Druma, Galt, Molthune, Nirmathas, Nidal and the River Kingdoms, with Ustalav and southern Varisia being as far north as you’ll generally find settled communities of Halflings. Before Cheliax’s turn to diabolism, that nation had as many, if not more, Halflings than Andoran, but the rise of the speciest House of Thrune has seem a turn in their favors, and many have fled to more hospitable realms. While it is easy to generalize, and suggest that Halflings are free-spirited folk filled with wanderlust and a craving for adventure (as is often the case with their populations in Andoran), it is equally true that Halflings can be staunch traditionalists and defenders of the status quo, with no love of ‘trouble-makers,’ which better describes their populations in Taldor and, until recent decades, Cheliax. Indeed, it was their staunchly traditional nature that resulted in their fall from grace, as they resisted the turn to devil-worship and continued following the teachings of Abadar or Aroden, to the annoyance of the new dominant religious authorities. As a result of these very different mindsets, it is not uncommon to find that the loudest and most rabble-rousing of Andoran freedom-fighters are Halflings, while the most stuffy and traditionalist of Taldans are also Halflings. In Cheliax, the much-reduced Halfling population includes a disproportionate number of slaves (often rounded up on truly dubious pretexts), and the non-slaves include both the outraged rabble-rousers who are one step away from being apprehended themselves, and those who work quietly and keep their heads down, hoping that this too, shall pass. In Taldor, Halflings represent almost 20% of the population, but less than 5% of the upper class, due to a problem with social equality. And yet those rare few families who do ‘make it all the way to the top,’ tend to throw the most lavish and well-attended affairs, as if their rarity makes them all the more precious, even in the eyes of the human elite who made it so difficult for them to gain recognition. Druma has a higher-than-average population of Halflings as well, and the Kalistocracy seems to appeal to them in great numbers. The River Kingdoms are a special case, with a low-average number of landbound Halflings, but a thriving community of rivergoing barge-folk, who have their own culture and traditions, and winter in Lake Encarthan, lashing their rafts and boats together to make a temporary city. Halfling boatsmen are said to be able to traverse tributaries inaccessible to their larger kin, through dint of their various superstitions and traditions. A Halfling bargeman might drop a gold coin overboard in this section of river, and toss a handful of salt upon the water at that pond, and they claim that these observances protect them in their travels. Competitors whisper that the accidents that befall non-Halfling bargefolk are not nearly so supernatural in their origins, but the result of deliberate sabotage by the smaller folk. Farther north of the River Kingdoms, few if any Halflings are seen, and generally being represented only by wandering folk, with the exception of Ustalav, which contains communities with Halfling populations as high as 1 in 10, and southern Varisia, where a population of Halflings has incorporated seamlessly with the Varisians themselves, adopting their clothing, their customs, their language and even their coloration, it seems. Despite their presence in the region, Halflings are not common in Razmiran or Lastwall, for different reasons, and represent less than 5% of the local populations. Farther south, descended from slaves taken from Taldor have become prolific in Qadira, and even more so in Katapesh, where they number over 10% of the local population. The numbers drop precipitously farther into Greater Kel, and in Osirion, only to pick up again in Thuvia, and yet again in Rahadoum, which has a population of over 5% Halflings. Nex has a surprising population of Halflings, recruited at first to work as assistants, laborers, librarians and scribes, only to surprise their masters by eventually equaling their arcane achievements as well. Again, one in ten of the wizards of that nation are Halflings, and they tend to innovate in areas of magical efficiency, industry and commerce, with a lesser interest in pure theory. Geb has only Halfling slaves, with the undead aristocracy of that nation being almost entirely non-Halfling in origin. Osirion, too, is an exception, as centuries ago, Pharoahs and city-rulers found Halfling slaves to be choice entertainment, trained to tumble and cavort about, playing the part of court fool and clad in demeaning costumes. It was custom to permanently dye the faces of these entertainers in animalistic masks, to represent various archetypal figures for skits and plays performed for the amusement of these noble courts. It has been centuries since this has passed from favor, and Halflings are now regarded as equals by Osirioni law, but memories run long and Halflings generally regard the desert-nation with distaste, making up less than a tenth of a percent of the overall population. Still, for every rule, there are exceptions, and for every void, there are those that will seek opportunity in filling it, so it is not unheard of to see Halfling merchants in the streets of Osirioni cities, Halfling ‘explorers’ raiding the tombs of Osirioni kings (whom their ancestors may once have capered before) and even shameless Halfling entertainers tumbling and mocking on the streets of Sothis, shaming Osirioni passersby into giving them coin out of guilt.
Version 1, total rewrite to make it 100% Golarion. Scaleborn, Spellscales of Golarion In ancient Thassilon, in the gluttonous realm of Gastash, a cabal of scholars sought ways to steal the power of creatures by consuming their flesh. Their most infamous success was achieved with foul rites that involved dining upon the eggs of black dragons, coming after years of failure, as the rites would not work with eggs that were unfertilized, or too fresh. The pair of researchers who first claimed victory spent days writhing in agony, their limbs breaking and re-forming, their skin splitting open to reveal finely-scaled flesh beneath, and their eyes bursting from their skulls, pushed out by the new slit-pupiled and jaundiced reptilian eyes that replaced them. Exhausted by their ordeals, it was days further before sense could be made of their ramblings, as their wits had been addled, and all traces of their former humanity purged by the draconic essence that now flowed within them. Their accomplishments came to the attention of the rulers of those lands, and they found themselves vivisected to learn the secrets of their transformation, making the taste of their success turn bitter indeed… Soon new ‘volunteers’ were exposed to these rites, a mixture of humans, dwarves, Halflings, goblins and orcs, captured are bound for the rituals. More fertilized eggs were purchased at great expense from Eurythnia, whose own ruler began to spy upon these researches as well, well aware that the gluttons were not merely importing this steady stream of eggs for some decadent repast. At the same time, hunting expeditions to the Crown of the World brought back the eggs of white dragons as well, to verify that the rites could be performed with dragons of other types, and soon several dozen of these Scaleborn existed, some kept as freaks, others actual scholars who chose this transformation (and were clever enough, powerful enough, or connected enough, to not become research subjects themselves when the transformation was complete). The transformation infused draconic power into the various subjects, but not always in the same way. What was invariable, was how it purged away their previous racial traits and filled their minds with strange longings, tearing away memories of their childhood, and implacably purging them of everything that made them human, dwarf, halfling or orc. The only traits that seemed to remain was that halflings and goblins who survived the process retained their smaller than human stature, and most subjects still remembered their ancestral language. Races renowned for strength, such as orcs, did not necessarily remain strong (but often did), while races known for their constitution or grace, such as dwarves or halflings were as likely to adopt some other draconic trait, as retain their original physical advantages. Indeed, like humans or ½ elves, these Scaleborn could seem to have become empowered in any area, whether channeling a dragon’s great strength, or its great stamina, or its great cunning, or its keen senses, or its inherent presence. Somewhat surprisingly, to the researchers who had never considered dragons particularly graceful, no matter their occasionally amazing displays of aerial acrobatics, some transformed individuals even turned the draconic heritage into serpent-like feats of agility and initiative. Depending on the ability enhanced by the dragon’s gift, other traits would follow. Those whose strength was enhanced also developed dagger like claws and fangs. If one’s dexterity was quickened, fin-like structures would appear on back and limbs, allowing for grace in leaping, falling or swimming. For those whose constitution was heartened, their scales grew thicker than others, and provided protection similar to the hide of a kobold. The dragon’s intelligence came with an innate understanding of draconic, and an advanced knowledge of the arts arcane and the ways of spellcraft, while one who sought the wyrm’s wisdom would find herself able to see in the dark, as well as enjoying a general heightening of all senses, and the sophisticate who wished to tap the dragon’s majestic charisma would also develop a ‘crown’ of spines on head and shoulders that would rise up as warning, giving some hint as to how the dragon’s gift had also enhanced their intimidating presence. These Scaleborn enjoyed a brief period of popularity visiting the courts of Thassilon, with it being ‘fashionable’ to have a Scaleborn courtier, particularly in Eurythnia (where they were touted as exotic lovers), Cyrusian (whose prideful sophisticates would not be caught behind fashion) and Edasseril (mainly because they were popular in Cyrusian), but fell as quickly out of favor, and in less than a century, they were ordered destroyed for some treachery that may well have been entirely fabricated. By that time, nearly two hundred were in existence, mostly of black ancestry, but a few white as well (no blue, green or red Scaleborn, or metallics of any type, where ever known to be created), and many dozens found themselves abandoned as distractions by their own peers, who threw them at the authorities to cover their own escapes from Thassilonian justice. Much time has passed, and Scaleborn are a distant memory, forgotten to all but the most learned. Some are said to still survive, traveling hooded, and it is unknown if the rites to create more of their kind survived with those who fled, or if any who yet survive are somehow still alive, perhaps rendered ageless by the same foul process that destroyed their humanity and caused them to look upon the world through cold, reptilian eyes. One race remembers, however, and the true dragons spare no effort to eradicate a Scaleborn on sight, finding their existence an abomination. Exceptions exist, as always, and depend on the dragon in question, the situation in which the ‘abomination’ is encountered, and the coloration of the Scaleborn. A powerful red might simply find it amusing that some pathetic walker has managed to poach a tiny shred of draconic majesty by supping on the shell of a lowly white dragon, but is more likely to find even that assault on its lowest and least-loved of cousins too much of an insult to bear and incinerate the offender. Scaleborn Racial Traits +2 to One Ability Score: Scaleborn are varied, and can seek enhancement in any area from the dragon’s blood. Medium or Small: Scaleborn retain the size of their starting species, whether Medium or Small. Larger Scaleborn (made from ogres) were known to exist, but none are known to have survived. Normal Speed or Slow Speed: Medium sized Scaleborn have a base speed of 30 ft. Small Scaleborn have a base speed of 20 ft. Low-light Vision: Scaleborn see twice as far as humans in conditions of low light. Scaleborn Resistances: Scaleborn get a +2 to saving throws versus effects that cause sleep or paralysis, and to effects based on the energy type of their draconic ‘beneficiary,’ (i.e. Acid if black or green, Cold if white, Electricity if blue and Fire if red). Dragon-Blooded: Scaleborn count as humanoids with the dragon subtype. Draconic Gift: Scaleborn have an additional gift, based on the attribute that the dragon’s blood has enhanced;
Languages: Scaleborn begin play speaking Common. Bonus languages can be any language that is not a secret language (such as Druidic). Some Scaleborn do not even remember how to speak their original racial tongue. Note: With the exception of Size (which determines Speed), no other racial traits remain, not physical traits such as a dwarf’s Slow and Steady or Stability traits or an elf’s Elven Blood, nor learned traits such as halfling Weapon Familiarity, dwarven Greed or gnomish Hatred.
I'm a big fan of rune-magic, and loved the 2nd edition Runecaster class from the Vikings Campaign Sourcebook and Giantcraft. Converting that sort of thing over to 3rd edition is definitely a trip, 'though. Here's my initial thoughts; There are eight runes, each of which has three different interpretations / grammatical genders / whatever, for a total of 24 letters in this particular runic script. Each rune is associated with one School of magic, and the three variations include personal runes, object runes and location runes, called, in mock-Ulfen patois, 'Man-Runes, Thing-Runes and Place-Runes.' Adding rune-casting to a class, in this form, would be overpowering, so it pretty much calls for a base class of it's own. Using the 2E Runecaster as a base, it would have the HD, BAB, proficiencies and skills, more or less, of a Cleric, but sacrifice spellcasting and channel energy for runecarving. The character would start knowing 4 Man-Runes (one of which must be Divination), and learn an additional man-rune each level until learning the last of the 8 Man-Runes at 4th level. At 5th level, he would learn 2 Thing-Runes, and another Thing-Rune per level until 11th level, when he would have learned the last of the 8 Thing-Runes. At 12th level, he would learn his first 2 Place-Runes, and another place-rune per level until 18th, when he would have mastered the last of the 24 runes. At 19th and 20th, he'd gain Mastery of Runes, which would allow him to use the runes to plane shift or something. I dunno, haven't thought that far yet. He'd also have a class ability allowing him to Swift-carve a rune, starting with 1 Man-Rune at 1st level, and additional swift Man-Runes at 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th and 15th. At 17th and 19th he'd be able to Swift-carve a specific Thing-Rune.
Something of a rough draft. I have to rewrite it to use the same verbiage in each specific 'Devil-School,' since they all have certain commonalities (abandoning training in kama, nunchaku, sai and siangham to learn a different devil-specific weapon, for instance). Devil Taught Monks of Cheliax
Hamatsula Style
Advanced Hamatsula Training
Kyton Style
Advanced Kyton Training
Gelugon Style
Advanced Gelugon Training
Bezikara Style
Advanced Hellcat Training
Generally speaking, these Feats should have their abilities divided up into three Feats (Gained at 1st, 2nd and 6th levels), but I haven't figured out exactly how I want to break them up yet, and my enthusiasm has waned enough that I figure if I don't post them now, I'll probably shove that document to the corner of one of my desktops and forget about it for a couple of months (with a couple dozen other half-baked ideas...). Any thoughts, beyond the obvious, 'too much! are you crazy?'? :)
Corpse Rot is the name of a specific type of faintly luminescent fungus that grows on organic material, breaking it down into compost. Unlike the vast majority of fungus, slimes, vermin, etc. the corpse rot fungus thrives on the cold flesh and bones of creatures that have been animated by negative energy and become undead. Corpse Rot, due to its affinity for negative energy-charged flesh, withers and dies in the presence of positive energy, and, unlike most infections, is highly susceptible to sunlight, allowing even a simple villager to rid himself of the fungal growths by exposing skin and contaminated clothing to direct sunlight for eight hours or more. Ghouls, Wights, Vampires and Liches find that this fungus seems drawn to their negatively-charged bodies, no matter how clean they attempt to keep their surroundings (although sealed crypts are obviously safe), as the spores drift in on breezes and are tracked in on the clothing of visitors, to take root in their dead flesh. With the obvious exception of vampires, most corporeal undead can purge the infection with exposure to sunlight. The infection is very obvious, causing reddish discolorations blossoming across infected skin, as well as cracking and discomfort that renders affected flesh tender and sensitive to further damage, and even weakens and corrodes bone, in the case of skeletal undead, as the fungus leaches vital minerals from the dead tissue. Vampires, Ghouls and Liches with this affliction tend to be pariahs among their own kind, while infected, and generally remove themselves from the presence of their peers until they have purged it. Vampires, in particular, are unforgiving of this affliction showing on their peers, as they lack the recourse of exposing themselves to sunlight to purge the condition. Skeletons and Zombies afflicted with Corpse Rot crumble and decay into nothingness within a matter of days, unless tended to by another (or given instructions to deal with the situation, such as to spend a day standing exposed to sunlight). Corpse Rot
Corpse Rot
So Corrosive, Acidic Burst and Screaming aren't OGL, it seems. Fortunately, there are a lot of words that work in their place, like Caustic, Alkaline, Dissolving, Solvent, Howling, Cacophonous, Wailing, Thundering, etc. :) Alkaline: Upon command, an alkaline weapon is coated in a viscous corrosive agent that sloughs off on any target struck, inflicting +1d6 Acid damage on a successful hit. This acid does not affect the weapon or its wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.
Caustic Burst: A caustic burst weapon functions as an alkaline weapon that also discharges a splash of acid upon a successful critical hit. The acid does not damage the weapon or its wielder. In addition to the extra acid damage from the alkaline ability, the caustic burst weapon deals an addition +1d10 of acid damage on a successful critical hit. If the weapon’s critical modifier is x3, add an extra 2d10 points of acid damage instead, and if the multiplier is x4, add an extra 3d10 points of acid damage instead.
Howling: Upon command, a howling weapon begins vibrating and emitting a low howl, like wind through trees, which rises to a bone-rattling shriek when it strikes a target, inflicting +1d6 sonic damage on a successful hit. This sound does not affect the weapon or its wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.
Cacophonous Burst: A cacophonous burst weapon functions as a howling weapon that also produces a discordant burst of damaging sound upon a successful critical hit. This sound does not damage the weapon or its wielder. In addition to the extra sonic damage from the howling ability, the cacophonous burst weapon deals an addition +1d10 of sonic damage on a successful critical hit. If the weapon’s critical modifier is x3, add an extra 2d10 points of sonic damage instead, and if the multiplier is x4, add an extra 3d10 points of sonic damage instead.
And some new ones; Fiery: This weapon grows warm when used in battle and emits a tongue of flame when it strikes a target, inflicting +1 hit point of fire damage. This property can be stacked with the flaming or flaming burst properties, but not with any other energy enhancement (such as icy burst or shock).
Solvent: This weapon has a greenish cast to it when used in battle and has a bitter smell. When it strikes a target, a small quantity of acid is transferred to the target, inflicting +1 hit point of acid damage. This property can be stacked with the alkaline or caustic burst properties, but not with any other energy enhancement (such as flaming or shock burst).
Icy: This weapon is cold to the touch and patterns of frost spider along the blade and cold mist follows its arc in combat. When it strikes a target, a blast of cold inflicts +1 hit point of cold damage. This property can be stacked with frost or icy burst, but not any other energy enhancement (such as shock or flaming burst).
Spark: This weapon smells of ozone and tingles to the touch, producing a buzzing sound when it is used in combat and shooting off sparks of electricity when it strikes a target. This inflicts +1 hit point of electrical damage, and this property can be stacked with shock or shocking burst, but not other energy enhancements such as frost or flaming burst).
Moaning: This weapon produces a low vibrating moan as it rips through the air, which creates a destructive sonic resonance when it hits, inflicting +1 hit point of sonic damage. This property can be stacked with the howling, thundering or cacophonous burst properties, but not other energy enhancements such as flaming or icy burst.
Each of these enhancements cost 500 gp to add to a weapon, and the weapon need not already have a +1 enhancement bonus, but must be Masterwork.
Horan Danick was a nobleman of Galt, although there was truly nothing noble about him. Dismissive of his wife, abusive towards his mistresses and sadistic to his servants, Danick thought nothing of setting slaves loose in the field to ‘run for their freedom,’ only to set his prize hounds upon them. He cultivated a circle of sycophants and courtiers, some regarded as 'too course' for polite Chelaxian society, who regarded him as a dark messiah of some blasphemous cult devoted to attempting to ‘out-sin the Runelords.’ Calling himself the ‘heir to Sin-Shalast’ and 'most Unclean,' he wallowed in every sin, with the dozen overworked servants in his kitchens called upon to provide six course meals with new and interesting dishes every night, for him and his decadent entourage. Sadistic ‘rituals’ involving the abuse or degradation of slaves were invented, seemingly at whim, to justify his urges of the moment, and any servant who failed was held in place while he ordered them beaten, by other servants, as he considered a blow from his own hand to be reserved for truly special occasions. Dragged from his manor house, rumor has it his pale skin smoldered in the sunlight, and he wailed like a blubbering child. (Exaggeration, mostly, but the mob does love its embellishment.) He was held for a month while the final blades were completed, fed only the meat of his beloved hounds, which had been butchered for their many acts of manslaughter. (Indeed, even his hounds received a trial, although they were not adequately represented.) If ever there was a man more deserving of his death at the hands of the final blades, it was Horan Danick. Unfortunately for all, his soul did not rest quietly within the device, and he has learned to touch the minds of those who rest their hands against the wooden frame of his final resting place, and to cloud the sight of those who stare into the reflections within the gleaming blade. Twelve men stood in judgement of him, reciting lists of his offenses against the state, and he has enjoyed riding the cruel steel down into the necks of seven of those men. His greatest joy was momentarily possessing the judge-advocate who lay writhing in his grasp, causing the man to jerk forward as the blade descended, so that it sheared into his shoulders, instead of his neck. It had to be yanked free with great effort, and the dying man repositioned so that it could be ‘done right.’ Two of his accusers have since died of other causes, much to his frustration, and he redoubles his efforts from within the steel to arouse suspicion against the three aging survivors, eager to taste their fear, as he shows them in the last seconds of their lives who it is that has arranged their fates... …
Only slightly naughty... Calistrian Copulomancy Detractors tend to assume that the sacred prostitutes found in Calistrian temples are merely another source of revenue (or means of acquiring gossip), but, while these also are true, there is a very real spiritual connection created during their sessions, if the proper rituals and obeisances are performed. A priest of Calistria capable of casting augury, divination or commune is capable of casting the spell as part of an hour long ritual involving profound physical intimacy with a second party, who becomes the recipient of whatever information is gleaned from the divinatory magic. (Adepts in service to Calistria add augury and divination to their spell list, but can only cast them in this manner.) It is rumored that the priest is also aware of the information gleaned, but bound by the sacred nature of the connection to not share that information. The official stance is that only the ‘client’ receives the information, however. The act itself typically takes about a half hour, with the information being received during a thirty minute period of slumber on the part of the client, which tends to support the interpretation that the priest does not receive the revelation, as the priest does not fall asleep once the physical component of the ritual is complete (and does not even have to remain present, being able to leave and engage in other activities without disrupting whatever revelations become known to the client over the next half hour, during which the client remains in a deep sleep, as if under the influence of a sleep spell). Despite the name, and salacious assumptions, the act of intimacy does not need to involve actual intercourse. The client must be brought to the point of release by the priest, by whatever level of contact the priest feels comfortable, at which point the client falls asleep and receives whatever divinatory revelations are available, based on the abilities of the priest in question. In the exceedingly rare event of a child being conceived as the result of copulomantic divination, the child is said to have been touched by Calistria herself (not entirely blessed, not exactly cursed), and to be a harbinger of strange portents and uncertain times. Such a child may well find herself a child of destiny, with the Sorcerous potential to match that Destiny. Random Calistrian Faith Trait
"During one particularly harsh winter, an innumerable host of blue-skinned trolls and cold fey, marched down from the Crown of the World, led by the ghastly crone Baba Yaga, an incredibly powerful sorceress from a distant world of the Great Beyond." -Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, p 80. The idea of 'cold fey' has been swirling around in my brain since I first read that passage, many months ago, but I haven't sat down to stat up such creatures yet. Here are my rough thoughts; Fey of the Winter Court Frost Maidens / Hearthless / Lonely Ones Typical powers; Charm person, suggestion, flaming sphere (creates a ‘snow devil’ that does cold damage instead), entangle (snow/ice only), often take levels in adept, druid or sorceress The Dryad/Sylph of Irrisen, Hearthless appear as beautiful women with flawless snow-white skin and dark eyes, whose hair can be white, blonde, brunette, black or blue, but is always long and full, reaching down at least to their waist, if not their ankles, and sometimes being their only garment. Lonely Ones are arctic vampires, of a sort (although fey, not undead), draining warmth instead of blood, and being drawn to lone travelers lost in blizzards, whom they take into their gentle embrace and hold tight until the poor soul is frozen through. They do not think of themselves as evil, and indeed sometimes even think of themselves as providing a mercy or a comfort to those who were already doomed to die alone in the unforgiving elements. They are harmed by the touch of open flame (Cold subtype) but are still attracted to the sight of dancing flames, and will sometimes dance outside a window, mesmerized by the motion of the flames. Some say that they are not fey, but are the spirits of women who lost their families and died alone in the cold, ever craving the home and hearth that has been lost to them, but they remain Fey in nature. Ice Maidens can transform into a flurry of snow that acts as a Sleet Storm spell, and travel in that form up to speed 50. Their touch drains heat, but the effect is insidious, and often goes unperceived by those enticed by their great beauty and the terrible longing that fills their eyes. Viewers must make a Will save or remain unaware of the damage they are taking from the Snow Maidens grasp, and most victims saved at the last moment recount that they felt loved, as if the Snow Maiden was sharing something wonderful with them, even as their life slipped away.
In the Time Before, in a Place Apart, the Creator made all things, but was never satisfied with his creations. He divided the world apart, and reserved the greater share of it for his final creations, those that he would consider perfect, while every creation that did not utterly displease his eyes was thrown down to the World Below, to huddle on the barest crust of the world, and squabble over their tiny portion of Creation, unaware of their insignificance in the greater scheme of things. Some of his creations so displeased him that he could not bear to even place them upon the world, and so he crafted next a beast he called the Devourer, whose endless unreasoning hunger he sated by casting forth those creations that he found too imperfect to allow to live. The Devourer greatly enjoyed its duties, and stayed at his side, in the workshop of creation. Time moved as time does, and the creator grew surer of his vision of perfection, and the Devourer grew frustrated in its hunger, as fewer and fewer of the Creator’s handiworks were sent its way. Finally, the Creator finished his masterwork, the race he called perfect. Strong of limb, able to push through the waters like a shark, sleek of form and with skin as hard as steel armor and claws like daggers, these perfect creations had four powerful arms with which to rend their prey, and with which to work their crafts. Satisfied, he rested a time, pleased with his success. The Devourer knew not how long it had been since the Creator had sent a meal its way, but it rose to the Creators place of work, and gazed with many hungry eyes upon these new creations. Its mind was a simple thing, and it could not fathom why the Creator had left them like this, and not sent them down to the world, as was the way with successful creations. And yet the Creator had not given them to the Devourer, as was the way with failed creations. Perhaps these creations were *almost* worthy, having only a small imperfection? And the Devourer was so hungry... The Devourer decided in its simple way that these creations must be imperfect in some minor way, and noted that they possessed two more arms than previous creations. Thinking this must be the flaw, the Devourer took up these creations and bit away the offending limbs, leaving them maimed, but, in its eyes, perfected. Surely the Creator would be pleased? Only a single specimen survived its attentions, concealed under the bodies of her kin, her four arms, and her perfection intact. When the Creator woke, he was outraged. Perfection had been destroyed by this thoughtless act, and he hurled the Devourer howling down to the World Below, there to impact like a fallen star upon the dry wastelands over which the soft-skinned surface-dwellers squabbled meaninglessly. Those weak imperfect creatures named the Devourer ‘Rough Beast’ and other names, and some even took to worshipping this pathetic creature as a god itself, in their foolishness. The Creator accepted the imperfection in his greatest creations, coming to realize that he had spent too long striving to give away a flawlessness that his creations must earn for themselves. He sent us down to the World Below, to claim the greatest share of the world, as is our birthright, and in every generation, a lucky few are blessed with the perfected blood, and are born with four arms, as a reminder to us all that we have not been forsaken, and can once again attain perfection.
I wrote these up during Beta as well, but the way Pathfinder does Domains has changed a bit since then, so here they are adjusted to fit the old / new way of things. Scalykind Domain Dieties: Dahak, Ydersius
[NOTE: I would add this Domain to the list of options that a Druid can learn via Natural Bond, hence the mention of how it would interact with summon nature's ally.] Void Domain Dieties: Groetus, Old Cults
Rothounds and Rothawks are local (halfling) names for carrion-eating wild dogs and vultures native to the plains along the World's Edge Mountains. Halfling communities from Yanmass to Maheto have long been plagued with these seemingly fearless creatures, that are blamed for everything from missing livestock to missing children. 'Rothounds' are statistically identical to Small Dogs (MM p 271) but are capable of using the Trip attack more common to Wolves and larger trained war dogs. 'Rothawks' are statistically similar to small Eagles, but gain the Scent trait and have a +4 racial bonus to survival checks to track by scent, due to their unfailing ability to smell carrion miles away. The reputation for fearlessness that both animals share is not unwarranted, and they, like some other animals, use the good Saving throw column for Will saves. These animals, despite urban folktales proclaiming that 'Rothounds ate my baby!' are not a serious threat, in and of themselves, but the halflings south of Maheto have begun to whisper of a new threat, of halflings that transform into rothounds, or even rothawks, similar to the more common werewolves. Local lore states that these Rotweres came into existence when a pair of Halfling caravan guards became the sole survivors of a gnoll raid on their supply train, and, abandoned many days travel from the nearest community, survived by feeding on the bodies of their fellow travelers. They were cursed to become like the carrion feeding beasts whose behavior they emulated, and have ever since plagued the small halfling farming communities that dot the plains beneath the World's Edge Mountains. Whether or not there is any truth to these rumors, the leaders of the Rotweres are indeed a pair of savage cannibalistic Halflings who are alternately said to worship Rovagug, Lamashtu, Urgathoa or any of a varied array of Demon Lords.
A random idea that occured to me, and may, depending on how the Animal Domain has changed between Beta and release, already be obsolete! Mother of Monsters Prerequisites Must have access to the Animal Domain, must have Lamashtu as a divine patron. Benefit
The 'newborn' monster appears as a Tiny version of it's adult form, and grows over the next 15 minutes to it's full size. Any creature from the Summon Monster list can be birthed in this manner, so long as it is either a demon, or a creature (animal, vermin, etc.) with the fiendish template, and in the case of a fiendish creature, it will always be Chaotic Evil, regardless of what alignment is listed in the Summon Monster list. Unlike a traditionally summoned monster, the creature shares the benefits of an arcane bond with the summoning Cleric (or Druid), being treated as a Familiar in many respects (and using the Mother's levels in whatever divine spellcasting class allowed her to qualify for this feat in place of Wizard levels to determine the benefits). The fiend gains any Intelligence score (unless it already has a higher intelligence) due to a Familiar at that level, the Natural Armor bonus and abilities such as Empathy, Share Spells, Evasion, Speak with creatures of it's own kind and Speak with master. It retains it's own hit dice, hit points, saving throws and skills, unlike a true Familiar. Additionally, the effect lasts until the creature is dismissed or destroyed, up to a maximum of one month. Due to the intense nature of the bond between the 'Mother' and the fiend, if it is slain, she immediately suffers 2 pts of Constitution damage and is exhausted. If the Lamashtan priest is slain, the fiend loses any familiar benefits it had aquired, but is otherwise unharmed, and does *not* have to return to its native plane at the end of it's original month of service... A Cleric (or Druid) with this feat (and the Animal Domain) can only have one such fiend in existence at a time, and cannot use the Animal Domain granted power to summon another long-term companion while the fiend is in existence. Normal A Cleric (or Druid) with the Animal Domain can only extend the effects of a single Summon Monster spell for 24 hours. Special This feat may be taken by a male worshipper of Lamashtu, but he will have to use some form of shapechanging magic that allows him to assume a female form for at least 8 hours to make use of it.
Legions of Geb 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.
As the title says, to posts / threads just go away (as in, not to the archives, which are searchable, but poof!) after a certain time? I remember writing some stuff about 'Gnolls of Golarion' from the perspective of a Pathfinder arcanist who was attempting to retrieve an item stolen by a pack of the beasties (and his Andoran allies were trying to retrieve some of their countrymen, but he was less concerned with that), and search as I might, it seems to have vanished off of the forums. Keywords like Lamashtu, Adept, matriarchal, Gnoll, Pathfinder, Andoran, etc. would have been relevant, but neither forums searches nor Google searches seem to be getting me any closer to the post... I was interested in fleshing it out, detailing other Gnolls who have been kicked out of Lamashtu-worshipping tribes and turned to the 'carrion-god' Cabriri, but like a ninny, I seem to have neglected to save a copy for myself!
I had an itch to create a non-undead vampire that would be the result of an infection (possibly a supernatural one), and loosely fit the sort of I Am Legend / Red Snow / 30 Days of Night style of decidely un-sexy vampire. Very much the anti-Lestat. *************************************************** Creating a Blutsaugr “Blutsaugr” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or some specific animals (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A Blutsaugr uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to Humanoid (augmented) or Animal (augmented). Size remains unchanged. Hit Dice: Same, or by class. Speed: Same as the base creature. Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor bonus improves by +1. Attack: The blutsaugr retains all the attacks of the base creature, plus gains claw and bite attacks, if it did not already possess those. If the base creature can use weapons, the blutsaugr retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A blutsaugr fighting without weapons uses either its claws and bite, or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A blutsaugr armed with a weapon uses its claws and bite, or its weapon, as it desires. Damage: Blutsaugr have claw and bite attacks. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the blutsaugr’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their own damage values, or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better. Creatures who already have a natural claw or bite attack increase their damage value by one die type for that form of attack. Size_________Claw____Bite___
Special Attacks: A blutsaugr retains all of the special attacks of the base creature and gains those described below. Saves have a DC of 10 + ½ blutsaugr’s HD + blutsaugr’s Con modifier unless noted otherwise. Blood Drain (Ex): A blutsaugr can suck blood from a living victim by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1 point of Constitution damage each round that the pin is maintained. Each point of Constitution drained restores 1 point of lost Constitution until the blutsaugr’s Constitution is full, then 1 hit point of damage until hit points are full, and finally excess blood drained is stored within the blutsaugr’s body, up to 10 additional points, which can be used later to heal Constitution loss from the Blood Hunger (see below) or hit point damage from any source save fire damage. Blood Fever (Ex): Disease – bite, DC 10 + ½ blutsaugr’s HD + blutsaugr’s Con modifier, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Int and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Con-based. An afflicted humanoid (or some animals) that is reduced to 0 Int or Con from Blood Fever drops into a coma, which is nearly unrecognizable from death (DC 20 Heal check to determine that the victim has not actually died). Eight hours later, the victim awakens as a ravenous blutsaugr. A remove disease spell will cure the affliction up until this point, but once the transformation is complete, only a wish, miracle or similar magic can restore the blutsaugr to its original state. Special Qualities: Cold Resistance 5 (Ex): A blutsaugr’s body temperature drops to that of the surrounding area, and it gains a Cold Resistance of 5. Blood Scent (Ex): A blutsaugr’s keen nose for fresh blood gives the creature the equivalent of the Scent ability against a foe who has been damage by a piercing or slashing weapon and who has not been completely healed and spent at least a full round action cleaning away any residual blood on their person and equipment. A blutsaugr also has a +4 circumstance bonus to Survival checks made to track a foe by scent if they have been bloodied in this manner. Low-light Vision (Ex): Blood Reserve (Ex): A blutsaugr can store up to 10 drained Con points worth of blood within itself, using this stored blood at a one for one ratio to restore Con points lost from Blood Hunger (see blow) or hit points lost through any means save fire damage. When a blutsaugr’s Blood Reserve is empty, it is gripped with a terrible hunger and is in such pain that it is treated as Sickened until it has at least 1 Con point worth of blood in its Blood Reserve. Blood Frenzy (Ex): As a free action on its turn, a blutsaugr can expend one point from its Blood Reserve to enter a Blood Frenzy for one round, acting in all respects save duration like the Rage ability of a 1st level barbarian. A blutsaugr makes the choice whether or not to remain in Blood Frenzy each round, and does not suffer the effects of Fatigue when the Blood Frenzy ends. Blood Hunger (Ex): A blutsaugr loses 1 point of Constitution per day, starting from its Blood Reserve, then applying to it’s own Constitution score. This damage can only be restored by draining blood from living prey, and not through magical restoration. Fire Weakness (Ex): A blutsaugr takes 1 extra hit point of damage / die from fire-based attacks, and suffers a -4 to Fortitude saves to avoid the effects of environmental heat. Daylight Vulnerability (Ex): A blutsaugr has a -2 to all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks in an area of direct sunlight, or equivalent lighting (such as a daylight spell). A blutsaugr suffers 1 hit point of damage per minute of exposure to direct sunlight (but not other bright light, unless it is specifically treated as sunlight). Abilities: Changes from the base creature as follows; Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int reduces to 2 (unless the base creatures score is lower, minimum 1), Cha reduces to 6 (unless the base creatures score is lower, minimum 2). Skills: Blutsaugr have a +2 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks, as well as to Survival checks made to track a creature by Scent, due to their keen senses. Blutsaugr also have a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks, due to their dirty horn-like nails and mouths full of grotesque oversized fangs. Feats: Blutsaugr do not gain any additional feats. Environment: Cooler temperate to sub-arctic forest and mountain regions. Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3-5), pack (7-16) or horde (11-20 + 7-16 afflicted wolves) Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Always chaotic evil (even when not driven by constant gnawing hunger, blutsaugr derive some sick enjoyment from terrorizing and killing living animals, feasting on blood until they are sick from excess, and then feasting again). Advancement: By character class (can only advance as Barbarian). Blutsaugr Characters The mind and personality of the base creature are lost during the transformation to a blutsaugr, with only the faintest glimmers of recognition remaining. Unfortunately, these dregs of residual memory only lead the newly risen blutsaugr to return to areas that it ‘remembers,’ where it invariably ends up attacking and possibly slaughtering the people it once regarded as friends and family. All class abilities, save those from Barbarian class levels, are lost during the transformation, and the only advancement possible to a blutsaugr is through the barbarian class. The benefits of Blood Frenzy and a Barbarian’s Rage do not stack, although a blutsaugr whose Blood Reservoir is empty can still benefit from the use of barbarian Rage. During the transformation from base creature to blutsaugr, any skills other than the following are lost; Climb, Jump, Swim, Move Silently, Listen, Spot, Survival and Intimidate. A blutsaugr’s ‘class skills’ are Hide, Move Silently, Listen, Spot and Survival. Many Feats may no longer be relevant, and can be replaced with Alertness, Improved Initiative, Toughness and / or Diehard, as appropriate. Special: The only animals currently known to be susceptible to the blutsaugr Blood Fever are wolves (and dire wolves). Any other animals who survive a blutsaugr attack simply die when the infection reduces their Int and Con to 0 (unlike humanoids, they may remain alive, if comatose, for several days at 0 Int). Wolves can arise as blutsaugr, and any blutsaugr, whether originally a human, orc or dire wolf, will recognize another blutsaugr by scent, and, even in the grip of starvation, will not attack ‘one of their own.’ As a result, a larger ‘pack’ of blutsaugr may include humanoids of many varieties running with wolves and / or dire wolves.
I decided to compile the info we have on the various Demon Lords from the Golarion Campaign Setting, Second Darkness and the Pathfinder Wiki that a Cleric (NPC or otherwise) of that Demon Lord would need to play their character, just to have it in one document for easy reference. Any information from adventures or supplements that I don't have would be very welcome! Format
Golarion Campaign Setting and 2nd Darkness info; Lamashtu – madness, monsters, nightmares – Chaos, Evil, Madness, Strength, Trickery – falchion Abraxas – magic, forbidden lore – Chaos, Evil, Knowledge, Magic – whip (Drow house Azrinae)
Other Demon Lords;
Aldinach – sand, scorpions – Animal, Chaos, Evil, Sun – kukri
Gogunta and Lmashtu both end up with five Domains, and, in Lamashtu's case, it's deliberate as she's broken the glass ceiling and become a full-fledged god(dess). In Gogunta's case, I'm not so sure this is a good precedent, since it suggests that the other Demon Lords with races of worshippers, such as Zevgavizeb, Xoveron, Urzehl, Mestama, Kabriri, Jubilex, Jezelda, Flauros, Baphomet, Kostchtchie, etc. may *also* qualify for five Domains and full 'god' status... I kinda prefer Asmodeus and Lamashtu being the only 'exceptions' to this soft 'four Domains for Demon Lords, Archdevils and Empyreal Lords' and 'five Domains for 'real' gods' rule. I'd dump the Death domain from her list, given a chance to put her back in her 'place.' While some of the incomplete Demon Lords seem to write themselves (Xoveron with Destruction and Earth, Zevgarizeb with Earth and Scalykind), others, such as Sifkesh and Andirifkhu, don't seem quite as intuitive as to what Domains they would likely grant their Clerical followers.
I love the Myconids, silly creatures that they are, and they aren't OGL that I can see, so I've decided to Pathfinderize them. Rough notes follow; *************************************** Demon Lords are rarely loving and caring masters, but Cyth-V’sug takes his loathing for his subjects, demon and humanoid cultist alike, to new depths. He not only holds them in contempt, as many of his peers do, but actively hates and fears all life that is not part of his enormous heaving bulk. Cyth-V’sug does not seek worship, or respect, or adulation, he seeks for all life to be consumed within him, linked to him in one enormous fungal intelligence that will cover the entire world of Golarion. There will be no single sentience left to worship his greatness, for every living thing will be a part of him, linked inextricably into a communal sentience that will bind all life into one being, a being named only Cyth-V’sug. His home plane is but a taste of what the world will look like, when his plans come to fruition, and the schemes of minions like Treerazer are but a distraction to the main event, for he loathes and mistrusts Treerazer as deeply as every other free-willed sentience in the universe. None will ever plot against or betray Cyth-V’sug, when all *are* Cyth-V’sug! And so the demon lord has spent millennia belching forth alien and horrific fungal life, always attempting to create the perfect minions, linked eternally to his mind, unlike the fractious demons and scheming cultists, each with their own petty desires and dreams of vengeance and power. The current ‘crop’ are called only the Cyth-V’sug, for they could be called nothing else, and, indeed, *are* nothing else, but extensions of their demonic patrons will made into pulpy myconid flesh. Within his home plane, the entities remain linked to the enormous demon lord whose limitless expanses of ‘flesh’ they crawl over and burrow within, but those enclaves who have spored into the world of Golarion have lost the bulk of their connection to Cyth-V’sug, as the gulf between worlds is too far for even his vast mind to bridge. There they dwell in dank caverns, moldering sewers and forgotten warrens beneath communities, coming forth to gather foodstuff and weapons, and seize captives to bring below for the leaders to impregnate with will-destroying fungal growths that make these poor souls the unwitting pawns of the demon lords favored children. As the Cyth-V’sug enclaves grow in numbers, isolated rural communities become places of fear and uncertainty, as townsfolk bundle themselves up against the harsh light of the sun and huddle together to perform unspeakable deeds in service to their fungal masters below the earth.
Monks of Shelyn Part performer, part eternal celebrant, part deadly serious combatant, the order of Monks in service to Shelyn are easily identified by their signature weapon style, which revolves around the use of the glaive, the favored weapon of their goddess. Travelling in troupes of up to a half-dozen, usually accompanying missionary Clerics and Adepts of the faith, the Shelyn Monks precede the entourage into a community performing breath-taking feats of athleticism, using the weapons that are said to never leave their hands to vault into the air and engaging in ritualized mock combats that instill lessons about the triumph of the beautiful over that which is bleak. The Monks perform these combination morality plays and ritualized combat performances clad in revealing garments, to show off their exercise-hardened physiques, attempting to impress their viewers not just with the technical beauty of their combat arts, but also with the sensual beauty of their toned and sculpted bodies. Men and women alike wear their hair long (although the men are clean-shaven), often in wild unruly manes that flow behind them as they step through the motions of their dance, but sometimes in elegant braids that whirl and snap in the air as they move. The most impressive demonstrations, sometimes involving a dozen or more Shelyn Monks moving in a carefully choreographed display, is during the annual Salute to the Dawn, held at night, in the dead of winter. The Monks attach triangular pennants of colorful and exotic feathers to special rings on the back of their glaive-blades, and these pennants are lit by continual flame. As the Monks whirl through the celebratory motions of the performance, their glaives spin faster and faster, until it seems that each Monk is surrounded by a snapping, hissing ring of fire! While the Monks may sometimes be dismissed as entertainers or 'pretty people,' they are quite serious in defending the faith, and the faithful, from attacks by followers of Zon-Kuthon, as the genesis of their order lay in an organized resistance movement to that dark faith in Nidal, and after their expulsion from that land, they have taken their mission to Lastwall and Mendev, where they are an unorthodox, but welcome sight in the endless battles against orc and demon alike. Sidebar – The 'flame pennants' are only used for ritual displays and to impress onlookers. Even the scant weight of the silk and feathers is enough to create drag and slow the weapon’s passage through the air and confer a -2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls. Removing or attaching such a banner is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Cost 150 gp, weight ½ lb. Shelyn Monk (General Feat)
Additionally, while wielding a glaive, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Balance, Climb, Jump and Tumble checks, due to your specialized training in using the haft of the weapon to ‘vault’ obstacles, catch onto protrusions and swing your body around corners. Cloud-Parter]
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