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The burly gnome at first seems taken aback by Magnus' words, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists, but then they release and he releases a gusty sigh.

Then, his boots tugged back on, he moves back to Astarte.

"All right, girl. I'll pack him where you want to go. Once he's safe, though, then we'll be seeing where things stand."

In response to Stilgar's question, Astarte laughs. "I suppose we can dispense with Wayland's mysterious ways just for once, since he's not here to play at the moment. Though the game is most amusing. He speaks of my sister, in the Dreaming Vale, south beyond the Marches. If your path lies west, you'll not see her. Still, paths can be twisty."

Looking forward to seeing what comes out of this.

so quick rules question does angelic seal qualify for the permanency spell and can it be attached to a hallow spell?

My cleric needs to know for his temple he is building...

I hadn't thought of those points when writing the spell. Good catch. (And where were you to ask that question when I needed you?)

I don't know that I'd put it on the list of spells that work with permanency, but I think it's an excellent fit to use in conjunction with hallow.

Abram fusses over the destroyed documents. "Oh dear. Looks like some kind of vermin. We'll have to get some cats in here once this hole is dealt with. Ohhh, these are beyond saving..."

Master Parisos navigates his way into the passage beyond the hole, finding a cool, damp, natural cave, about 12 feet wide, that extends away and to the left, bending out of sight some 20 feet ahead. A cool draft of air moves through the passage, fluttering a few scraps of paper on the cave floor.

Astarte scrutinizes the group, giving a nod, then turns her gaze to the now sleeping Wayland before addressing the gnome.

"We should prepare to leave once the storm has passed. You'll have to carry him."

The gnome stands silent for a moment, alone with his thoughts, before he replies.

"No."

Astarte's head snaps around, eyes blazing. "What did you say?"

"Those big ears of yours heard me just fine," he replies. "I'm not carrying him anywhere. He's got no hold over me now. If he wants me to keep being his mule, he'll have to come track me down when he's got his strength back. I've served him long enough."

Astarte rises to her feet, about to retort, when the gnome raises one thick, stubby finger and points it at her.

"And if you're thinking you're going to bring me to heel, let me remind you that you've no magic at the moment. Neither do I, but without magic, what are you? I know what I am, and I won't be chastised by some slip of an elf too far from her woods."

With that, he turns away and heads for where he's set up camp in the corner. Humming a happy little tune. Astarte stares after him a moment, then turns to your group.

"You should go as soon as the storm passes. Head for the crater and see what you can see. If your trail runs cold, remember what Wayland told you. West. To Fardusk."

All right. Looks like everyone is set. Away we go.

Kcinlive wrote:

I mean only a wizard or magus uses a spellbook. Why would a spell not on a wizard/magus spell list ever be in a spellbook?

Is the only reason it's there so someone who prepares the spell from the book can get the preparation bonus? I guess that makes sense, it just seems odd to me.

Other classes can (ostensibly) perform magical research like wizards. That research has to be put into writing to be transmitted from one caster to another (presuming it's going to be taught after the creator and any students have died). A spellbook like that provides the character a means to learn the new magic and preserves the research.

If you just let casters know all spells without needing to learn them from a source, then you don't need the books. Personally, I do require casters to learn spells beyond their core list, and spellbooks like this provide the method for them to do so.

-Ben.

That's the way I handle it in my own campaigns. The spells from the core book(s) for divine casters, for example, are fair game and accessible to any character. However, when new spells (from expansions in the game, or third party books like Deep Magic) are released, the rule is that they are not simply automatically available. A character wishing to add one or more of them to their available spells must do the research as the rules state, or find something that's already done the work for them.

Consider the Empyrean Opus not so much as a standard "spellbook" as the rules define, but a holy book that happens to have spells in it, including the necessary mysteries and insights to allow divine casters to add these new spells to their repertoire.

I caught the first episode. Credit to the guy playing Seth Gecko. He's really nailed the part. It's like he's channeling Clooney. The guy playing Ritchie is pretty good as well.

I'm just not sure I want to devote time to watch a series based on a movie I've already seen. Not sure I like the idea of the vamps playing with Ritchie's head from the beginning. Sometimes a psycho is just a psycho.

Yeah, any leftover coin will be taken. They are being press-ganged by pirates after all. Besides, players should have a big clue when you tell that, during character creation, all equipment should be listed on a separate sheet rather than on their character.

*bump*

Been waiting to see my name in the credits of this book for awhile. I'm pleased and proud to have this on the resume.

That's one of the things I like about eidolons: the vague nature of them. It allows for interpretation in game. There's a Legendary Games product, with pregenerated characters for the Carrion Crown AP, where the summoner's eidolon is a manifestation of the soul of a great warrior ancestor.

I wrote an archetype for Chelaxian summoners where the eidolon is a hellbound soul that the summoner is given use of to shape into a new type of fiend, in exchange for their soul at the end of life, of course.

Been tossing around the idea of a summoner whose eidolon is a manifestation of the character's inner will, the childhood "imaginary friend" made real, and another where the eidolon is the Hyde to the summoner's Dr. Jekyll.

Now I just need to hold out hope that Fox releases its ownership of Fantastic 4, Spider-man and X-men so Disney can add them into the cross overs!

Don't hold your breath. I predict that the latter two are going to make their respective companies bundles of money. FF...not so much.

Got to flip through a friend's copy before gaming yesterday. Excellent stuff. Fantastic art, tons of cool stuff, and mmm, that new book smell. :)

Auto-hit, good range, force damage, and no save. What's not to like? Find me a first level spell that beats it.

Looks like something I could pull another all-nighter with.

Yup. Swift action to activate the surge, usual amount of time to cast, save the spell.

PathfinderWiki describes the Sczarni as a loose collection of Varisian crime families and does not mention Ustalav.

Sczarni

But it does say under the organization sidebar "Scope: Regional (Wherever significant numbers of Varisians can be found)."

Since significant numbers of Varisians can be found in Ustalav, it follows that there are Sczarni families there as well.

The basement is coming along swimmingly. The writing, not quite so much. I'll probably be doing a two-day blitz this coming week to finish it and get it out, then be ready to roll full steam by Wednesday, so have your choices and changes made by then.

The infiltrator ranger archetype in the APG section needs to be updated with the correction from this errata.

d20pfsrd has, yes. However, the PRD does not include the errata in the infiltrator entry.

This has been answered.

Ah, okay. Hasn't been added to the errata yet then.

*bump*

Well, given the commonality of poisonous snakes on every fricken single continent, getting spooked by a snake slithering towards you is actually fairly appropriate, evolutionarily speaking.

The question is, are patterns terrifying like poisonous snakes? I don't think so. I think patterns look like a tiled floor and a pile of wood to burn inside it all winter long.

Well, there is chromophobia, which is a fear of bright colors. If we're linking phobias to genetics, that seems more likely to be a case of an inherited instinct going into overdrive than a fear of irregular holes.

No rush. Between a writing deadline and trying to get my basement cleared out I've been busy. I managed to get things rolling thanks to a bad night's sleep and figuring around 6 am that it was a little late to do much other than get up and put on the coffee.

Right, but usually the origin is an event, not the genetic baggage you're carrying around from birth.

Isn't a phobia, by definition, supposed to be irrational? By rationalizing it, it ceases to be a phobia.

Also, honeycombs aren't irregular. That's a pattern, as are the markings on that shell.

It Came from the Stars is totally worth it. New races, classes, archetypes (every wanted to play the Guyver? or Venom? try the symbiote-synthesist!), spells, vehicles, items. For GMs, there are new hazards, disasters, monsters, and four adventures.

Having owned Monte Cook's When the Sky Falls since its release, and picking up It Came from the Stars by Zombie Sky Press, I've been wanting to have some fun with this sort of encounter for a while. A normal meteor is dangerous. Add magic to the mix and things go to a whole new level.

Now, as to mythic abilities.

Mythic Heroes

You'll all gain 1 mythic tier. This gives you the opportunity to pick one of the six mythic paths and a mythic feat. You also gain the following abilities:

Hard to Kill (Ex): Whenever you're below 0 hit points, you automatically stabilize without needing to attempt a Constitution check. If you have an ability that allows you to act while below 0 hit points, you still lose hit points for taking actions, as specified by that ability. Bleed damage still causes you to lose hit points when below 0 hit points. In addition, you don't die until your total number of negative hit points is equal to or greater than double your Constitution score.

Mythic Power (Su): Mythic characters can draw upon a wellspring of power to accomplish amazing deeds and cheat fate. This power is used by a number of different abilities. Each day, you can expend an amount of mythic power equal to 3 plus double your mythic tier (5/day at 1st tier). This amount is your maximum amount of mythic power. If an ability allows you to regain uses of your mythic power, you can never have more than this amount.

Surge (Su): You can call upon your mythic power to overcome difficult challenges. You can expend one use of mythic power to increase any d20 roll you just made by rolling 1d6 and adding it to the result. Using this ability is an immediate action taken after the result of the original roll is revealed. This can change the outcome of the roll.

And at this point you'll have any remaining damage healed.

Also, as the conversation is wrapping up, the effects of the storm begin to wear off. Auric flickers back into sight; the violet flames surrounding Stilgar vanish; Magnus regains his normal skin color; Kalaya grows back to her normal size; the leaves on Jon turn orange and proceed to fall like his own personal autumn.

Once you have all joined hands, Kalaya to Wayland's right, Auric to his left, he grasps their hands and begins intoning a chant in a low, steady voice, repeating a mantra that seems to vibrate the very air of the place as the words leave his lips. Then, as the power seems to build, he speaks a final, different word and his eyes flash with energy. Auric and Kalaya feel a jolt, a rush of sensation that sends a prickling thrill throughout their bodies, quickly spreading to the rest of the group in the circle. For a moment, all you can see is a sea of crackling azure blue, then the moment passes. You all stand strong, invigorated, and whole.

Wayland's hands slip from Auric and Kalaya's grasp as he lies unconscious, the dark wings seemingly vanished. He simply looks like a tired, old man, asleep on a pile of sacks.

Join me in the discussion thread. We'll discuss the effects of this and get all the mechanics squared away.

Having swung around my cast iron pans for fun, I can tell you from experience that they'd make lousy weapons for a fight beyond a surprise attack. The handles aren't built to get a good grip and they're terribly unbalanced. They'd hurt when they hit, for sure, but recovery from the swing would be slow. No real way to get a two-handed grip unless you've got small hands.

"I will be...diminished, for a time. No matter. Astarte's powers have been restored, and my Sight should return not long after. So long as my companions are with me, I shall be safe until your return."

"And it is not south you should go, but west. If you do not catch him here, seek Fardusk, across the Tindal Sea. Now, if everyone is ready, join hands together, with me."

** spoiler omitted **

I just posted something similar in the Agents of SHIELD thread.

Wayland raises an eyebrow, gazing somewhere over Kalaya's left shoulder.

"This one is wise, and has knowledge... She is correct. I am a thaerestian. An...angel, if you will. I am known by many names. Wayland is the one I use now. In times past I was known as the Waylander, if that name has any meaning for you."

"As to what brought me here...the star, as I said. Whatever it was, it had power. That power is an unknown quantity. A power now perhaps in the hands of a necromancer, from what your companions say. A power that will, likely, make him more powerful."

"But I can give you power to defeat him. Portions of my own essence, invested in you, bolstering what ability and might you already possess. More questions? Or shall I grant you what I offer?"

Astarte's brow furrows, her lips turned down in a displeased frown. The "mule" meanwhile, takes in everything, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, like a spectator expecting something spectacular--or awful--is about to occur.

As per the rules, using anything as a weapon that wasn't specifically designed as a weapon means it is improvised and you take a -4 penalty to attack with it (some leeway with weapons like clubs, which are pretty much just hefty chunks of wood, but I digress).

Now, if you went to a smith and paid for a heavy/light mace and said "By the way, I also want to be able to fry bacon with it," you might get a GM to say it's a weapon designed with a secondary use, and as such gets no penalty.

People in different groups tend to have a collected assembly of acceptable jargon used specifically in that group--set terminology that everyone immediately understands as part of the group (e.g. IT people have language/terms they use amongst themselves, simplifying it when dealing with people outside their skill-set). When someone comes in and uses words outside of that collection, it tends to mark them as an outsider. If they don't assimilate, they remain an outsider, to some degree.

More later. Hard day clearing junk out of the basement. In dire need of a shower, food, and possibly a nap.

"I can help with that," says Wayland. "This Varras is right to fear me. I cannot gain retribution directly, but I can provide you with the power to face him, if you wish it."

At this pronouncement, Astarte shoots an alarmed look at Wayland.

"You can't mean to do what I think you're thinking. Now? How will we--" Wayland cuts her off with a gesture.

"This star is an unknown. I have not foreseen its arrival, nor its influence on events. Things must go the way I wish them, otherwise we risk chaos, and everyone suffers. It will hobble me for a time, but I can grant this lot a portion of my power. They can see that nothing dangerous or untoward falls into the hands of this Varras, or the dwarven kings."

He turns to address the group again.

"There is power in me that you may use, if you wish it. Use it to stop this Varras. Use it to deal with any further dangers of this fallen star. I offer it to you so long as you promise its return when you have done these things."

At this point Astarte takes up the tale, absently stroking a hand across Wayland's forehead.

"We journeyed to where the star fell, at this stubborn old goat's insistence. Said we had to go before the dwarves arrived. We encountered a wizard. Powerful. I may have been able to best him with my powers intact, but the pulse stripped the spells from my mind like the blast ripped the trees from the ground. He looked like a leper, his face and hands covered in bandages. Likely would have killed us had the lack of magic not revealed Wayland's true form. Bastard that he was, he's still a wizard, and they're superstitious when it comes to Wayland's kind. With the dwarves on the move, we limped back here to hide and recuperate. The effects of the blast are temporary, but affected him more greatly than it did me."

Cavians are Medium-sized humanoids. They'd fit through here, but not any better than you could.

Master Parisos notes that the hole in the wall seems to open into a natural cavern area. It is littered with shredded paper, but he doesn't note much else from there.

Wayland lifts his head, his blue eyes staring sightlessly in the direction of Stilgar and Auric's voices. In your last encounter he seemed to have no problem seeing you, though some noted he bumped into furniture like a blind man, being led around by Astarte. Now, however, he seems to be without vision. Also, as you get close, you not that while it is the same man, his features seem somehow more pronounced, with an otherworldly quality to them.

In answer to Stilgar's question, Wayland shakes his head. When he speaks, his voice carries a note of authority and power to it, though it come strained and somewhat weakly.

"We were close when the star fell. Too close. Didn't realize the effects...there was a pulse of energy. All magic...nullified. Didn't see that one coming," he says with a chuckle. "Then I didn't see anything at all. We were all but helpless when we were attacked. Helpless is not a condition I'm familiar with. We did not fare well."

I saw a matinee showing of Winter Soldier today just so I was caught up for the show tonight. The movie is amazing. The show is definitely taking it up a few notches, finally.

Bath salts again? At least she didn't eat anyone.

This appears to be a storage area. The packed earth floor is covered in a layer of flour and there are piles of sacks in the corners. A shallow ramp leads to a pair of cellar doors on the far side of the room.

In one corner, propped up on a pile of sacks, lies Wayland. Kneeling next to him is his female companion, an oil lamp sitting on the floor beside her. The gnome's enormous pack leans against the wall nearby. As she looks up at the party's approach, you see her without her cowl for the first time, seeing the angular lines of her face, lambent green eyes, and long pointed ears.

At first it looks as if there is some dark, tattered cloth laid out under Wayland, stretching out to either side of him. However, as you approach you realize that what you're seeing are wings--large wings that appear to be made of darkness, tattered and torn--spread out from the shoulders of the stricken man.

JourneyQuest?

Pfft. I had a pet rat that size. His name was Bear.

As someone who wants to someday make his living writing for animation, the comment saying cartoons have inferior writing really yoink cheeses me off.

You have to admit, there's a lot of cartoons out there (especially a glut of stuff from Hanna-Barbera and most of the "we've got a new toy so let's make a cartoon to sell them" cartoons of the 80s) that do have terrible writing. Then there are those that are very, very good. The remake of Thundercats is Oscar material compared to the original series, for example.