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In short, the text says that it acts as the auguary spell. Does that mean it is only for the half hour after the hour of writing? That seems too limiting. But at the same time, i dont want to grant the ability too much power. Any suggestions?

Hypothetical situation....

Take a 200 ft. deep pit. Cast a web spell in the exact middle and then make it permanent. Creature falls into the pit. Does the web break its fall? How much if any? Would it obscure the bottom of the pit (i.e. if a creature falls all the way through, would it hinder thing dropping into the pit or the character climbing out?

I realize that some of these questions are fairly easy to answer, but the repercussions of each "simple answer" is not so easy to adjudicate.

And yes, I get .01 every time I use a big word. :)

Its a goodly sized city and I am sure I am not the only one that has done this. In fact, I was surprised i didn't even see another thread already for this....

In any case, my players' PCs are exploring the city now and i have the fortunate/unfortunate (depending on how you look at it) habit of waxing rhapsodic and adding lots of stuff in game... here are a few.

The Water Treatment Tower
Mostly ruined and with lots of corridors that go no where. The only true path that the adventurers can take is through the sewers into the main treatment area. In the sewers are various oozes and slimes.

In the main area are several constructs whose only purpose is the assist those that are supposed to be there (signified by a red headband than can be found on a few skeletons and bodies also in the tower. I used Caryatid Columns (ToH p.93) as the base critter and added special attacks like the ability to cast Hydraulic Push once per minute (to clean the pipes).

The main opponent here was a alchemical golem (Bestiary 2, p.135) who was still attempting to keep the water purification going. I added a back story that long ago a group of serpentfolk tried to poison the city. the water purification was set up to keep that from happening again. Of course with the alchemical golem gone, who knows what will happen now?

Okay, so i finally got to use a modified version of dwtempest's ziggerat this last weekend and thought i might leave some comments....

1) The puzzle was well done, though my players complained that it was fairly obtuse and you had to think about things in a certain way. I have no problem with that, 'cause that is what puzzles are supposed to do.

2) The serpentfolk at the start, in the main room of the lowest level of the ziggerat, seem odd. The lieutenant was large for example, but no explanation as to how he got large. I left it along though, and the players thought he might have been a different caste of serpentfolk. Which is cool, as I can not make different serpentfolk with all sorts of oddness in the future. A lot like y***-t* way back when they were first introduced to DnD.

3) The enchanter turned out to be a bit tougher than I thought he would be. However, at the end of the battle is a struggle of attrition -- protection from arrows proved it worth, especially when the person protected is using spider climb to stay away from the group.

4) Watch out for failed knowledge checks. My players failed their geography checks when presented with the ancient map of the Mwangi. So I actually had to *tell* them what they were seeing so they could figure out how to get from Tazion to Saventh-Yhi.

5) The encounters, at least when i ran it, all happened at the start of the exploration of the ziggerant. If you wish to make it a bit more combat oriented, i would add a few things. perhaps a few of the giant wasps attack anyone on top of the ziggerat for any period of time, or a mimic in one of the side rooms. The leech swarms were annoying all around, I would change that to some sort of nasty fish, perhaps modelling on the stats of a viper or turtle. if you want to be absolutely nasty and really screw with things, make it a larval form of an aboleth. :) But that is probably too much.

6) Three gems are found before the PC even get to the ziggerat by Isseth (the serpent folk enchanter). When running you may want to detail with the serpentfolk found the gems and what was there. I put secret panels/hiding places in the hall of Stars, Hall of the Sun, and the Void room (where the water is).

7) What happens to the various pieces of the puzzle after it is solved? Do the gems lose their power (the faint aura of divination on them)? What are they worth? Can they be taken from the ziggerat? What about the gold plaques in the step puzzle room? What are they worth each (I assigned an arbitrary value of 100 go each)? What happens if the gems are left in the hands of the idols and the PC do not take them with them? (Here i suggest that the gems must be presented to the door of the step puzzle room to get the door to open.)

Hope these comments are of help to someone. I really enjoyed the redo that dwtempest did. Thanks for sharing this with us!

Anyone seen these maps? I was wondering how they looked...

The SA Maned Wolf is an animal almost designed to be a witch's familiar. I suppose the fox's stat block with a bonus feat of Skill Focus (Stealth) and 10' fee to move would suffice for a maned wolf.

A sloth would be good one for a SA feel. I would suggest a wolverine's stat block minus the attacks and a maximum of 10' of ground movement. Give it a climb speed of 20' and this that would be fine.

The armadillo (fun fact: the armadillo is hunted as food in parts of SA) and anteater (this is not the giant anteater that most are familiar with (no pun intended) but a tiny anteater cousin of the bigger anteaters) would also make interesting, unique familiars. Add the chinchilla (this is the long-tailed chinchilla, the most known of the chinchilla family, but all the chinchillas work), and theCapybara and you have a a fairly good selection of animals.

Have any of the rest of you had players want odd, or unusual familiars?

So, I am preparing this encounter from "Racing to Ruin" and I just don't get it. Maybe it's cause i am working from wrong assumptions.

Any suggestions? Explanations? How did y'all run this encounter?

I was just doodling as i was waiting for an application to compile and run and I came up with the following critters...

RHAMPHORHYNCHUS SWARM CR 3
XP 800
N Fine animal (swarm)
Init +5; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dex, +8 size)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +2
Immune weapon damage
Defensive Abilities evasion
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee swarm (1d6+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks sudden swoop, distraction
STATISTICS
Str 4, Dex 21, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +0; CMB -; CMD -
Feats Lightning Reflexes
Skills Fly +11, Perception +6, Stealth +11
ECOLOGY
Environment warm coastline or forest
Organization solitary, pair, or flock (3–16)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Sudden Swoop (Ex) If a rhamphorhynchus makes a charge attack while flying, it does not provoke attacks of opportunity when it enters an opponent’s space to make a melee attack. It also gains a +2 bonus on damage rolls with its bite attack when it makes a sudden swoop.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to the creature swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a creature swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round. A Fortitude saving throw (DC 10) negates the effect. Even with a successful save, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a creature swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills requiring patience and concentration requires a Will save (DC 20).

NOTE: The rhamphorhynchus swarm's cr may be off considering its AC.

MOSQUITO, GOBLIN (MOSQUITO, GIANT WITH YOUNG TEMPLATE)
A bloated, red belly dangles beneath the furiously beating wings of this massive mosquito.
GOBLIN MOSQUITO CR 5
XP 1,600
N Small vermin
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 20, flat-footed 13 (+1 Size, +9 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 26 (8d8+8)
Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +3
Immune mind-affecting effects
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee bite +9 (1d6+3 plus bleed, disease, and grab)
Special Attacks bleed (2d3), blood drain (1 Constitution)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 29, Con 13, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 6
Base Atk +6; CMB +9 (+13 grapple); CMD 26 (34 vs. trip)
Skills Fly +11, Perception +9, Stealth +13; Racial Modifiers Perception +8
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate or tropical swamps
Organization solitary, pair, or swarm (3–12)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Disease (Ex) Malaria: Bite—injury; save Fortitude DC 14; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1 day; effect 1d3 Con damage and 1d3 Wis Damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Lexovisaurus CR 2
XP 600
Medium animal
Init +0; Senses Low-light vision, scent; perception +6
Defense
AC 14, touch 10, flat 14, (+4 natural)
hp 18 (2d8+9)
Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1
Defensive Abilities Ferocity
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee Gore + 4 (1d8+4)
Statistics
Str 17, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 4
Base Atk +1; CMB +4, CMD 14 (18 vs trip)
Feats Toughness
Skills Perception +6
Ecology Temporate or tropical forests
Organization solitary, pair, or group (1d6+2)
Treasure None
The lexovisaurus is a small ill-tempered, plant-eating dinosaur closely related to the stegosaurus. Instead of plates down its back, it has spikes that project out from its back. Its head is also spiked and it is the head spikes that the lexovisaurus uses to attack, slashing and ripping with their wicked edges and points.
A full grown lexovisaurus weighs 200 lbs and is about 4-5 feet long. Some savage tribes have tamed lexoviasaurus and used them as guard beasts.

NOTE: This is my version of the lexovisarus. On our earth, in reality, the lexovisaurus lived in the woodlands of western Europe in the late Jurassic (160 million years ago). They averaged about 15 feet long and weighed in at about a half-ton. They were one of the first of the stegosauri to walk the earth.

Cynosaurus CR 1/2
N small animal
Init +4; Senses low-light vision, scent, Perception +5
Defense
AC 16, touch 15, Flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 6 (1d5+1)
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +1
Offense
Spd 40 ft.
Melee Bite +5 (1d4)
Statistics
Str 11, Dex 19, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4
Base Atk +0; CMB +0, CMD 14
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +4 (+12 jumping), Perception +5, Survival +1 (+5 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping, +4 Survival when tracking by scent, +4 Stealth when in a rocky region
Description
Small incredibly fast raptors, cynosaurus (dog lizard) is a insectivore, though pacts of cynosaurs have hunted together much like a dog pack would. They tend to dart in, relying on their speed to attack.
When alone, a cynosaur typically avoids contact with anything bigger than it unless it is rapid (see below). Only cynosaurs encounter in the wild are ever rabid.
The red cynosaurs hunts in rocky regions using their reddish-brown color to blend into the rock when possible. Other cynosaurs, like the green cynosaur (encountered in forest realms, the white cynosaur (in the tundra), and the black cynosaur (underground) do the same thing in their environments.

Your comments would be welcome

Either I'm missing it or I am look in the wrong places, but has something been said about whether or not the magnus can be used in PF Society play?

Bobby

Okay, i am truly confused about how to advance a monster. For example, the giant crab. He starts off with 3d8 HD and a 14 Con. Now I want to make him Large, as opposed to Medium. Table 2-2 in the Bestiary has be apply +4 Str and Con, -2 to Dex, and +2 Natural armor to his AC. That makes him Large. According to the Crab, Giant entry a large giant crab has 5d8 HD and is CR 4. Will I want a CR 8 creature.

So I try again, this time following the directions on p. 295 of the Bestiary. I want a CR 8 creature. If i read things correctly here's what happens.

1) the crab become Large since its HD is more than doubling
2) the calculation mentioned above take place
3) Now table 2-1 comes into play. Totaling the hp additions between the the CR 2 row and the CR 8 row results in +65 hp. Since the crab's Con has changed I can't seem to wrap my head around how to figure out how many HD the new CR 8 crab should have.

Base version: 3d8+6
Large version: 3d8(?)+24
CR 8 version: nd8+n*4=total hp

How does the +65 come into play? Are these base hp not modified for Con> Or has the Con already been added? My read of the material says,

Note that if the creature increases in size, its Constitution may also increase, as noted on Table 2–2, granting it additional hit points that might offset the need for additional Hit Dice (this also applies to any other Constitution increases).

That seems to say to me that the Con modifier for hp is included in the CR 2 to CR 8 hp calculations.

Usually I am good at math but this seems rather circular to me. Can anyone help?

Has any one seen any of these guys'/guy's stuff? The Book of Thaumaturgy looks interesting but it has a hefty price tag of $19.99 -- and its a pdf!

The other product I have seen by then is the Book of Darkness. They are both over at Drive Thru RPG.

Looking for comments and suggestions. Also the pricing I used is a bit wonky. I basically took a ring of three wishes and divided it by three. I figure combining two magic items into one is about what a wish or miracle could do. Agree/Disagree?

Any how, here is the item...

Flux Gems
Aura strong Universal CL 20th
Slot none; Price 40,000 gp; Weight -
Description
These odd looking stones appear to be opals but careful examination will reveal that the gem changes color from milky white, to reddish gold, to purple-black, to bluish-green and back to milky white. The only other property that they seem to have is a high internal gravity (in other words, they tend to stick to items they touch, like a small magnet but usable on non-ferrous items). These gems are very rare (naturally) since they are usually formed by a strange interaction of magic with the planar barriers between the elemental planes of earth, fire, and air. However, some mages, after extensive study, have crafted a few flux gems on their own.

When attached to a magical item and left for more than an hour, the gem dissolves into a fuzzy field of whitish-gold energy. Then another item can be added to the field. The second item is destroyed but its powers are added to the first item. A couple of caveats with this process:

* no more than two items can be combined at one time. If a third item is added to the mix, bad things will happen (see below)
* If no second item is added with five minutes of the manifestation of the magical field, the field fades and the flux gem is gone forever. The magic item must make a will save or lose one or more (DM's choice) of its magical properties (reminder: an unattended magic item has a Will save of +2+1/2 its caster level. So a hat of disguise, with a caster level of 1st, has a +2 will save while a robe of the archmagi has a Will save of +9).
* if the item that the flux gem is attached to is a masterwork item with a spell effect on it, that spell effect may be made permanent (DM's decision). Normal, non-masterwork items are unchanged by a flux stone.
* If the items' properties conflict (eg. a decanter of endless water and a necklace of missiles), bad things may happen (see below).

The various "bad things" that might happen because of an accident or misuse of a flux stone include, but are not limited to, the following:

* the items must both make will saves or lose one or more of their magical properties
* the two items are combined into some other item (DM's choice)
* an 40' energy (GM's choice or random)/force explosiondoing 8d10 points of damage
* the effects of a mage's disjunction affect all magic items in a 10' radius

Of course what happens is up to the GM (this is a hand wave for a considerate GM, not a way to abuse and subvert the system).

The GM's call is the final say in the matter. A Knowledge (Arcana) DC 25 check plus a Spellcraft check (DC 15+the highest caster level of the items involved) will allow a determination of whether the items can be combined and what might happen if the items are combined.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, wish or miracle; Cost 32,500 gp (and for those using 3.5 rules instead of PRPG; and 1600 xp)

Some background: We are playing a game where we (the characters) are in the middle of nowhere, no access to cities, magic shops, wizards, and all the other things that most game have to allow a character to customize their equipment. So the GM allows us "wish lists" where we list the items we would like to find/recover/steal for our characters. However, from the optimizing point of view, we have no way to craft items with the properties of other items (say a headband of intellect with a circlet of persuasion). So the flux stone is my suggestion to overcome this "problem"

From their web site...

[Moderator note: snipped product description from post, as it's now redundant]

Here that came up in my game today.... We had a monk using unarmed strike against the caryatid column, which has the special ability:

Shatter Weapons (Ex) Whenever a character strikes a caryatid column with a weapon (magical or nonmagical), the weapon takes 3d6 points of damage. Apply the weapon’s hardness normally. Weapons that take any amount of damage in excess of their hardness gain the broken quality.

So how does this affect the monk's fists? At the time I ruled ignored the special ability against the fists of the monk, but I am still unsure about this....

Note that this is a duplicated post from the Pathfinder RPG forum...

Here that came up in my game today.... We had a monk using unarmed strike against the caryatid column, which has the special ability:

Shatter Weapons (Ex) Whenever a character strikes a caryatid column with a weapon (magical or nonmagical), the weapon takes 3d6 points of damage. Apply the weapon’s hardness normally. Weapons that take any amount of damage in excess of their hardness gain the broken quality.

So how does this affect the monk's fists? At the time I ruled ignored the special ability against the fists of the monk, but I am still unsure about this....

Actually when you are unconscious, but that isn't as catchy a title.....

When your character is unconscious, do you get saving throws? Or when you are unaware of the threat (the dragon breathes on you when you are flat-footed).

I looked and looked and couldn't find anything in the Core

Now that I've asked the question, I would say that its very DM dependent. Some GMs will not damage a character once he hits the ground (eg. the fighter gets knocked unconscious by the drow's sleeping poison and the next round a fireball goes off over his body). Other GM will say you get a save with no Dex (or whatever the relevant ability is) bonus. And still others will say you automatically take full damage.

I wonder if we could actually get a consensus on this subject. (Highly doubtful.) How about an opinion from some the fine Paizo folks (with the caveat that it is non-binding)?

One thing I hate to do is DMing the spell Divination on the fly. I am just no good at cryptic poetry and the like. Can anyone help by posting ideas (or suggestions, or anything they used in their own games)? Things that might be divined are:

• Where is Xin-Shalast?
  
• How do we get to Xin-Shalast?
  
• Where is Karzoug?
  
• How do we kill Karzoug?
  

I am sure there are other questions... but any help or ideas (or even suggestions on how to create my own) would be appreciated.

Was out in the 'net today and stumbled on this <http://dsc.discovery.com/earth/slideshows/top-10-alaska-glacier-surpris es/> Some great pictures here and they might be useful (they will be for me!) in describing some of the terrain in the mountains around Xin-Shalast.

As a side note, kudos to Paizo and the creator(s) of the geography. You goty it dead on since the Himalayas and the Kodars have a lot in coming (a) they are at the edge of two tectonic plates going edge to edge and (b) actively volcanic)

One of my players asked my about warmages and warmage schools in Golorian. I sort of went overboard in my reply, but I thought I would share with y'all in case someone else might find it of use

Warmages in Golorian

Warmages came out of Complete Arcane, which are not part of the SRD so Paizo could not include them in their setting. That being said, here is my opinion on where warmages came from....

Golorian has a long, long history --- something like 4-6 thousand years of *recorded* history. In that time, warmages could have come from several places. Since I am more familiar with the RoRL series, the Runelord of Evocation, Alaznist (Wrath), would have definitely had a warmage school for her minions. In fact I considered changing some of the mages in the Runeforge to warmages but I didn't have time to work them up.

In any case, Alaznist ruled in Bakrakhan, which was where the Varisian Gulf is today. So a library of warmage secrets could have been unearthed and founded on one of the islands out in the gulf. There could be a school in Riddleport (though I doubt it -- Riddleport doesn't seem like a warmage kind of place, especially considering there is already on magical university there). There could also be one in Magnimar.

So a warmage can be from almost anywhere and just learning the warmage skills as he adventures. He doesn't need to be a member of any order or belong to any school.

However, in my campaign, I have placed several friendly, yet competing, warmage schools in the following places. First I name the school, and then tell you the name of the order that runs it. Any other information follows (all the fluff). Then lastly I tell you why I put the school there).

Warmage School by Location

Absolom -- Tarth Karltha, Order of the Blue Flame. Tarth Karltha is probably the richest of the warmage schools of Golorian. Absolom is the middle of the world after all and Tarth Karltha desires to be the leader of the warmages in Golorian. Of course this desire conflicts with all the other warmage schools. Thus warmages of the Blue Flame aren't as popular with warmages as they could be.

Carpenden, Andoran -- Tarth Valorian, Order of the Swift Eagle. One of the newest schools Tarth Valorian has trouble retaining students and teachers as Andorians tend to go off and fight for the cause de jour at the drop of a hat. However, they have no lack of students and mages who apply for entrance into the Order.

Egorian -- Tarth Vex, Order of the Fire Hawks. Tarth Vex is a school that is torn in two by competing demands. On one hand, warmages are evokers, first and foremost. But Cheliax is also an ally of the Nine Hells, and the demand for competent conjurers is intense. Many of the students here are conjurer/warmages.

Egorian is the capital of Cheliax and warmages seem like they could be "influenced" by diabolical forces. I see these warmages tending towards conjuration more than the usual warmage though.

Eleder, Sargava -- Tarth Cigerhet, Order of the Lion. A fast growing school, Tarth Cigerhet is definitely off the beaten track. A majority of their students are Mwangi, but not all. Most of the teachers, in fact, are Chelixian.

A former Cheliaxian colony, Sargava is on its own now and the natives (very tribal African in flavor) are slowly/quickly (depends on who you ask) taking over. Warmages seem like an African to me, but that is in my opinion.

Hellknights -- Each order of the Hellknights has a small subgroup of warmages. Afterall it is always handy to have a mage who can cast spells in armor. The Hellknights’ warmages are neither powerful enough, influential enough, or number enough to really deserve their own school.

Janderhoff - Tarth Margrava, Order of the Iron Fire. Run by Kell Irongrip, a dwarven warmage/archmage, Tarth Margrava focuses on spells that can be used to defend the dwarven people. Additionally the Iron Fire's warmages are in demand for escort duty and exploration of the Mindspin Mountains.

I like the idea of a dwarven-run warmage school. Just feels right.

Mechitar, Geb -- Tarth Evarg-thed, Order of the Hand. Mechitar is the capital of Geb, the longest ruling aristocracy in Golroian. Probably because it is ruled by a ghost and his lich-consort. The Order of the Hand is very necromatic (duh!) and on the decline, but definitely a place where a warmage school would pop up. Almost as far away as Tarth Jagajenda in Niswan.

Niswan, Jalmeray -- Tarth Jagajenda, Order of the Roc. A very exclusive school, it is very hard to gain membership in the Order of the Roc. This is probably because of the requirement that you must be Vudrani to be a student here. One of the more famous schools, even people in far off Varisia have heard of the Order of the Roc.

Very Indian is flavor, very strong Oriental influence. Also very far away.

Quantium, Nex - Tarth Nothelek, Order of the Kraken. The Order of the Kraken are huge rivals of the Order of the Hand, and rarely due they cooperate together. However, they are known for their metamagic abilities and the fact that they are working to recover the land that buffers Nex and Geb, the Mana Wastes (where magic does not work).

Nex is the arch-enemy of Geb, and they would definitely have something that Geb would have, if only for self-preservation.

Sothis, Osirion -- Tarth Memlis, Order of the Silver Sphinx. This is one of the smallest, yet most influential schools. They claim to be the first one, the original home of warmagery. Other schools scoff at this, but it is true that despite their small size they have access to magics and arcane knowledge that the others do not.

Obviously for the Egyptian flavor of Osirion.

Starfall, Numeria -- Tarth Pellmont, Order of the Diamond. Starfall is the capital of Numeria, and Numeria abuts the Worldwound where all the demons in the Abyss are congregating to invade Golorian. Thus Tarth Pellmont is a very influential school. Students here are mostly worshippers of Iomedae but they are also known for their very powerful evocation magics. One of the principle feats taught here is Element Substitution (Cold).

Warmages (I imagine) would be helpful to have around.

Trollheim, Land of the Linnorm Kings -- Tarth Nantýr, Order of the Silver Bolt. A very aggressive school, many of the students that fail here don't drop out, they are instead casualties of spell battle.

The warmages of Tarth Nantýr are very Norse-like in flavor. And warmages would come in handy fighting the minions of Irrisen which is right next door. Irrisen is ruled by one of Baba Yaga's daughters and her evil fey often make forays into the Linnorm Kings' territories.

Well, i wanted to create a few low-level threats for The Festering Maze in case my players decided they wanted to explore this area. So fasting about for some fun templates I found the id ooze in Green Ronin's Advanced Beastiary, but that wasn't the flavor i wanted.

But then the book fell open to the eye king template. And for some reason an ettercap sprang to mind. Here is what was produced and I think it makes a great creature for the Festering Maze:

EYE-KING ETTERCAP
An eye king ettercap has a roughly spherical body with a single central eye on the front of its body. It has a large fanged jaw on its underside and 5 eyestalks protrude its top.
EYE-KING ETTERCAP CR 6
Usually NE Medium aberration
Init +5; Senses Low-light vision; Listen +4, Spot +8
Languages Common
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+5 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +6
OFFENSE
Spd 5 ft., climb 5 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee Bite +5 (1d8+2 plus poison) and
Melee 2 claws +3 (1d2+1)
Special Attacks Poison, web, eye rays
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 20, Con 15, Int 4, Wis 14, Cha 17
Base Atk +3; Grp +5
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Skills Climb +10, Craft (trapmaking) +4, Hide +11, Listen +4, Spot +8
Feats Great Fortitude, Multiattack.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Central Eye Beam (Su) When an eye king ettercap’s central eye is open, it constantly produces a slow effect identical to the spell slow in a 100-foot cone whenever the eye is open. The save DC for the central eye beam’s effect is 15.
Eye Rays (Su) Each of an eye king’s eyestalks produces a spell effect (see below) that follows the rules for ray spells (see Aiming a Spell in the PHB). Each such ray has a range of 100 feet and, if appropriate, a save DC 15. An eye king may use each of its eye rays once per round as a free action. However, it can aim only one-third of its eyestalks in any one 90-degree arc (up, forward, backward, left, right, or down); the other eyestalks must aim in different directions. These effects have a caster level of 5 and the DC are Charisma-based.

• Grease - The target of this eyebeam is covered a layer of slippery grease. Any object wielded or employed by a creature receives a Reflex saving throw to avoid the effect. If the initial saving throw fails, the creature immediately drops the item. A saving throw must be made in each round that the creature attempts to pick up or use the greased item. A creature wearing greased armor or clothing gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks and on grapple checks made to resist or escape a grapple or to escape a pin. This effect lasts for 5 rounds.
  
• Acid Arrow - This eyebeam deals 2d4 points of acid damage with no splash damage. The effect last for 2 rounds, dealing another 2d4 points of damage in the second round.
  
• Stinking Cloud - This eyebeam causes it target to emanate fog that are nauseating. Living creatures in the cloud become nauseated. This condition lasts 1d4+6 rounds. Any creature that succeeds on its save must continue to save each round (for 5 rounds) on the eye king ettercap's turn.
  
• Ghoul Touch - This eyebeam is imbuing you with negative energy, allowing the eye king ettercap to paralyze a single living humanoid for 1d6+2 rounds with a successful ranged touch attack. Additionally, the paralyzed subject exudes a carrion stench that causes all living creatures (except the eye king ettercap) in a 10-foot-radius spread to become sickened (Fortitude negates). A neutralize poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature, and creatures immune to poison are unaffected by the stench.
  
• Touch of Idiocy - A successful ranged touch attack applies a 1d6 penalty to the target’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. This penalty can’t reduce any of these scores below 1. However, the effect may make it impossible for the target to cast some or all of its spells, if the requisite ability score drops below the minimum required to cast spells of that level. This penalty lasts for 50 minutes.
  

All-Around Vision (Ex) An eye king has a +4 racial bonus on Search and Spot checks, and it can’t be flanked.
Flight (Ex) The eye king ettercap's flight is an extraordinary ability based on its natural buoyancy. Its body always operates as though affected by a feather fall effect, even when the eye king is unconscious or dead.
Poison (Ex) The eye king ettercap’s bit is poisonous. This poison is identical to a normal ettercap. Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial damage 1d6 Dexterity, secondary damage 2d6 Dexterity. The save DC is Constitution based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Web (Ex) An eye king ettercap can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets of up to Medium size. The web anchors the target in place, allowing no movement.
An entangled creature can escape with a DC 13 Escape Artist check or burst the web with a DC 17 Strength check. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. The web has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
Eye king ettercaps can also create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square. They usually position these to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web, or they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing receive a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5–foot–square section has 6 hit points, hardness 0, and takes double damage from fire.
An eye king ettercap can move across its own sheet web at its climb speed and can determine the exact location of any creature touching the web.
Skills Eye king ettercaps have a +4 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Hide, and Spot checks. They have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.)

Please excuse the profusion of spoiler tags but I thought it would be safer just to be paranoid than spoil something for a player. So you players, you know who you are, just hurry along. Nothing to see here. Honest.

Well, I am running Fortress of the Stone Giants now and the PCs just got to the bottom level. They just had a running fight with the

And i just know they are going to want to rest now. But

How would you suggest harrying them so they will continue without forcing them to retreat all the way to

I was thinking some hit and runs by

I am also toying with the surprise appearance by

One quick thought i just had.... an ethereal filcher or a pack of ethereal marauders. That might be interesting. After all we are dealing with ECL 11-12 now.

Suggestions? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? :)

Now, this is a rumor and I am treating it as such. However, i can imagine that this may be true, so i am looking for confirmation....

The owner of a local gaming store insists that come January, 2009, the publishers of our hobby will have to make a choice. Either print 4e stuff or print 3.5 stuff. According to him, the OGL (or whatever the current acronym is) restricts the usage of 3.5 stuff when you are also doing 4e.

On one hand this sounds like a bunch of <ahem>. However, as much as I would like to just say that this isn't truth, there is a small niggling worm of doubt crawling here. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Bobby

Well, this thread will probably have spoilers in it, so you have been warned. :)

I am getting ready to run the attack on Sandpoint that happens at the start of Chapter 4, The Fortress of the Stone Giant. I want to add color and description but I also want to minimize the amount of distraction that a huge battle of this can cause.

The goal is to make the battle seem flowing, continuous, violent, and quick. But not to make it more difficult.

So I am trying to come up with one or two round vignettes that I can use to "grey box" the chaos of the attack and give the PCs something to do to hold their focus. Here is the list so far (and these are not worked out in any detail):

• An NPC gets in trouble when the building he is in is hit by a boulder and collapses. The PCs must rescue him or he will be trapped. (This one will not be used because it will de-focus the event of the attack.)
  
• A boulder comes bouncing down the street, causing destruction as it comes. (Color, nothing the PCs can do to stop it just see it coming and know that there is something out there throwing stones.)
  
• A band of “bad guys” encounters the PCs – looters, Sczarni, or just some toughs. The bad guys drop whatever they were doing and fee in different directions when confronted.
  
• A woman screams as her building is hit by a boulder, no damage is done to her. (This may defocus the attack as well.)
  
• A small group of horses/ponies/cattle come stampeding down the street. (An opportunity to use stampedes :) )
  
• A town guardsman is attempting to pull people from a burning building.
  
• Another guardsman is hiding from the chaos and destruction.
  
• A large boulder hits in the middle of the street 1d4 × 10 feet in front of the PCs
  
• A runaway horse pulling a cart comes barreling down the street, littering goods, boxes, and fruit as it goes.
  
• A townsman is attempting to organize a fire brigade to combat a building in flames.
  
• An itinerant “holy man” is preaching about doom and destruction as the town dissolves into chaos around him.
  
• A solo rogue attempts to steal something as the chaos rages.
  
• A youth and his girlfriend are fleeing from the girl’s brothers as the attack happens.
  
• A child is sitting in the middle of the street crying, wailing for his “mommy.”
  
• A group of goblins, trailing the giants, attempt to attack but fall victim to the chaos themselves (e.g. running from the stampede of horses, caught in a burning building, quarreling over who gets what when they find a body with some silver pieces).
  

What do you think? Too much, not worth the time it would take to invest in it? Any suggestions?

Anyone have some suggestions for templates for creatures of greed?

Some possibilities I have looked at are:

Ravenous (Advanced Bestiary) for Gluttony
Feral (Advanced Bestiary) for Wrath
Half-Nympth (Silverthorne's Book of Templates) for Lust
Wretched (Silverthorne's Book of Templates) for Sloth
Inveigler (Advanced Bestiary) for Pride or Envy

Any other ideas?

Well, last weekend, we finished Hook Mountain Massacre and I must be doing something right, 'cause the players want more! They have convinced me to start Fortress this weekend. However, the group is primarily 8th level with a few 9th level characters.

So I am looking for some sort of adventure to have while they are on their way to Sandpoint. Has anyone had this situation arise? Or can recommend something relatively quick and easy to prepare and run?

Bobby
The Cat.Dragon

Does anyone know if the Pathfinder RPG will be part of any of the Pathfinder subscriptions? I'm trying to decide if i want to or need to preorder the Pathfinder RPG Beta...

Bobby

Anyone know if any of the Pathfinder subscriptions will cover the Pathfinder RPG products?

Trying to decide if I need to preorder the Beta or not...

Bobby

I went looking for an old thread that I wanted to re-read (specifically errata for Hook Mountain Massacre) but it seems to have disappeared.... anyone know where it went and how I can access it?

Anyone planning on running Curse of the Crimson Throne on-line in OpenRPG? I would love to play on-line if so...

That the judging is ... inconsistent?

I don't have any example to state this case, but i feel (read, feel, I have no facts) as if the entries that were received earlier were judged less harshly than the ones that came later.

Now don't get me wrong. My entry was not spectacular, and I can do better. I should have done better. And if I get involved in another like contest, I will do better.

I think the contest could be better served if the judge could read the entries, take 3-4 days to mull them over, re-read them, and then give comments.

But that's a lot of time.... not sure if Paizo wanted to commit that much time to the contest. Now it feels ... hurried.

Another poster mentioned something about how if he couldn't use the it (i was assuming a country, but he could have been referring to an item in his game he wouldn't vote for it (I am paraphrasing something I read a few hours ago, so please excuse me if the wording is off or more/less daunting).

Well, while I can't fault him for that, I wonder how fair that is. After all I can never use anything when it is still in its original flavor, I have to modify it, tweak it, and change it so it fits my game.

My campaign world is big enough that I can probably plop any given country/country idea right down in it and start using it. However, I would have to add politics, international relations, and other such features.

Anyhow, how will you use a country that you like?

Larakan

Alignment: LN (E)

Capital: Lara (pop. 12,900)

Notable Settlements: Fadin (pop. 3,100), Coln (pop. 4,900), Harken's Ferry (pop. 850)

Ruler: King Farakin II

Geographic Description: Larakan is a long relatively narrow temperate valley running east to west and ringed on three sides by mountains. The mountains on the north and west side are higher and rougher than the mountains to the south. The Lara River, a wide and slow moving river, runs through the valley. When the Lara River reaches the end of the valley, the slope becomes steeper and the Lara becomes a fast-flowing white water river impassable by barges and river boats.

Description: Larakan's government is a military despotism and ruled by the iron hand of King Farakin II. Despite the rich trade offered by the dwarven clans in the surrounding mountains, dwarves are distrusted and usually not even liked. Larakan is also known as the center of magical power in the world, because of the Council of the Nine Spheres, a guild of arcane casters.

History: Roughly a hundred years before, Larakan was devastated by a plague that reduced the population by over 50%. For some unknown reason, the plague was very virulent, even magical healing was successfully about half the time.

As the country suffered under the plague, King Farakin I quickly moved to usurp control of the country. Ostensibly he did this to "make sure that his people would be cared for in this time of great crisis." The fact that Farakin I personally took control of the trading fortunes behind the merchants was just an added benefit. Those that disagreed with the king's actions and other political enemies of Farakin I became unfortunate "victims" of the plague ravaging the country.

About six months after the plague's onset a rumor formed that the dwarves were responsible for the plague. This, added to this the fact that the dwarves were also resistant to the scourge, allowed Farakin I to turn the populace of the country against the dwarves despite that the fact that the dwarves were the only ones supplying the goods that were desperately needed because of the plague. Farakin I instituted large levies and taxes against the dwarves, using the profits he made to cement his hold on the valley.

When the plague's effects finally began to loosen its hold on the valley, Farakin I moved to make sure that he continued to control Larakan. He made sure that the soldiers of Larakan enforced his draconian rule. This was for "public safety" but really allowed Farakin I's military to control when and how people gathered, clamp down on people going and coming into the country, and lastly, how other power groups gained and held power in Larakan. Farakin I was a shrewd politician and he never imposed his rule too heavily on the populace. Thus the despotism of Farakin I (and later, Farakin II) was quite successful and it met with little protest by the people of Larakan. Slowly the valley recovered from the disease that had ravaged it.

The only rebellion so far was when Harken's Ferry (a small community between Fadin and Lara) arose in protest to the taxes and duties that were being applied to their community. The King's Guard quickly moved in and subdued the town (coincidentally causing half or more of the able bodied men in town to be killed). However, one might say that this rebellion succeeded as King Farakin II reduced the taxes the next week after the "Massacre of Harken's Ferry."

Larakan Today: There are very few taverns and inns in the towns of Larakan; such places are prohibited by the crown unless a proper license is issued by the King. And of course such licenses are subject to review at any time, a fact that the king and his ministers use to control Larakan's main public gatherings quite effectively.

Secondly, only two temples are allowed to be constructed within the valley. The first are temples to Irla, the god of disease and suffering, mainly for placating the god and avoiding his attentions. The second, and the more popular, are the temples to Kystar, the goddess of magic and trade. That doesn't mean that there are no shrines or hidden chapels to any of the other gods, but these are always well-hidden as they are illegal in Larakan. When found by the King's Guard, they are either deconstructed or destroyed.

The Council of the Nine Spheres is a large organized mages' guild which jealously guards all elements of Larakan's society that have to do with magic. It appears that the Council is completely separate from the government of King Farakin II. However, when one learns that the Council is controlled by a San Farakin (San [and the feminine Sana] is an honorific only applied to those that can cast arcane spells) and that this San Farakin is the same as King Farakin II, it is obvious that this deception is one that the government of Larakan uses to its advantage. In fact, one secretive arm of the Council of the Nine Spheres, the Order of the Silver Star, is dedicated to enchanters and diviners that use their powers to actively seek out "enemies of the state."

DM Secrets: Despite the draconian state of Larakan, there are elements that seek to overthrow the government. The most effective of these elements is the bardic guild known as the Fellowship of the Yellow Thrush. The Fellowship of the Yellow Thrush uses its members to keep a careful tab on the state of society throughout the Lara River Valley. Where it can, the Thrushes fan the flames of free spirit and rebellion in order to undermine the government's strict control. However since the Massacre of Harken's Ferry (which the leaders of the Fellowship consider to have been caused by one of their own bard's leadership ability), the Fellowship of the Yellow Thrush is extremely careful about how it goes about inciting the populace.

Feel free to critique, throw tomatoes, send monopoly money, what have you.... But i would value any feedback....

gloves of legerdemain

Once snugly worn, these gloves seem to meld with the hands, becoming almost invisible. Twice per day, the wearer can perform one of the following skills at a range of 30 feet: Disable Device, Open Lock, or Sleight of Hand. Working at a distance increases the normal skill check DC by 5, and the wearer cannot take 10 on this check. Any object to be manipulated must weigh 5 pounds or less. The wearer must have at least one rank in any of the skills to be able to use the gloves.

You must wear gloves of legerdemain for 24 hours before you gain access to their abilities. If you take them off, they become inactive until worn for an additional 24 hours.

Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, teleknesis; Price 22,500 gp.

Since the alternates aren't (quite) one of the top 32 and they aren't posted at the main page, what and how should we/they put out items out to be looked at?

Perhaps I should start a thread called Alternate Items....

A couple of my players want me to run a quick game for them this weekend while every one else in the game is out of town at an RPGA convention. Their characters are slightly behind the rest of the group so I have no problem with that. They are an elven paladin 4 and a dwarven cleric 3/fighter 1. The group is between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders so its a good point for a small side trek.

As a side note, Tsuto and Lyrie Akenja escaped the party's assault on Thistletop. Basically Tsuto was captured by the party and jailed. I then has Lyrie lead a small party of goblins to free him (after it was obvious Nualia wasn't going to do so). So the two of them and the five goblins fled into the wilderness. The party immediately went after them and actually beat them to Thistletop, so Tsuto and Lyrie decided that retreat was the better part of valor and fled.

I would like to use this as the side quest. I also would like to have a small encounter with boggurts. So I was considering letting the PCs track the two into the Brinestump Swamp.

So I have a neat theme, now all I need is some creativity in putting it together into a coherent whole. Anyone care to help?

Bobby
The Cat.Dragon

gloves of legerdemain

Once snugly worn, these gloves seem to meld with the hands, becoming almost invisible. Twice per day, the wearer can perform one of the following skills at a range of 30 feet: Disable Device, Open Lock, or Sleight of Hand. Working at a distance increases the normal skill check DC by 5, and the wearer cannot take 10 on this check. Any object to be manipulated must weigh 5 pounds or less. The wearer must have at least one rank in any of the skills to be able to use the gloves.

You must wear gloves of legerdemain for 24 hours before you gain access to their abilities. If you take them off, they become inactive until worn for an additional 24 hours.

Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, teleknesis; Price 22,500 gp.

My players finished off "Burnt Offering" this weekend and the second-to-the-end encounter with Nualia was ... interesting. The group consists of a elven paladin and a aasimar warmage. For fun I decided to make Nualia a "twin" of the warmage not realizing that the player had decided that she had had a twin sister who had been kidnapped when she was a babe. And since Nualia was a foundling.... When I read my player's journal, my eyes popped and a cackled with mad glee.

Anyhow, so they capture Nualia, using a glitterdust and non-lethal damage. They tie her up and proceed to question her, despite the paladin saying that she was evil through and through and *must* be destroyed.

As they questioned her, the group discovered the aasimar's heritage (she and I were the only ones who knew about the twin sister 'til then, even her husband was unaware of his wife's character's background). At that point I allowed Nualia to play on the warmage's sympathies and her search for her sibling trying to get the group to let her go with her "promising to find the true light and path that her sister was following."

Unfortunately a great sense motive role by the cleric spoiled Nualia's plan and the spare the warmage's feelings, the paladin beheaded Nualia (the paladin didn't want the warmage to kill her own sister).

That was some intense role-playing....

Now I am reading The Hook Mountain Massacre and....

Does anyone use a wiki to document the campaign as it develops? For example, if the PC of the paladin builds a private shrine or meets a wandering begger that he befriends or any of a thousand things that might have an impact of the game later in the path, how do you remember it?

I use a wiki myslef.

But i was wondering if anyone can recommend a better wiki than the one i use (which is TiddlyWiki <http://www.tiddlywiki.com/>).

Hate to be a naggity worry-wort, but I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist... so ignore me if you need to. :7 The following may have some color spoilers, so you have been warned.

Hey, are there any more details about these guys?

The Harlot of Geb

The Butcher of Carrion Hill

What are the doors and other miscellaneous features of the Catacombs of Wrath like? I looked, but didn't see them mentioned (break DC, stone or wood, quality of locks, etc.

I found some descriptive info for Thistletop, level 1, but nothing for the bottom levels.

Of course, all this is superfluous, I can make it up as i go, but I'm also lazy. :) Any input from the designers would help/work for me.

Bobby
The Cat.Dragon

Anyone3 want to share the prestige classes that your players are working towards in the RotRL series and how you are working them into the story? For example i have characters that are working toward Champion of Corellon Larethian (RotW) and Eldritch Disciple (CM)

I was thinking that there may be a group of semi-renegade elves that would want to capture the arcane powers of the runewells for themselves and they might try to use the CoCL as a catspaw.

Alternatively i thought that a demon/devil/outsider would attempt to become the ED's patron in order to get things accomplished that the demon/devil/couldn't.

Any ideas? or stories of their own?

I received my copy of Dungeon #136 and finally got to read it on my day off for Memorial Day. Afetr reading "The Coming Storm" i decided to adcapt the Kamadan from that artocle to my own campaign world of the Dying Sun, a Frostfell game.

Long story short, I couldn't get the numbers to work out. The kamadan's BAB is one higher than it should be, the AC is one better, and it has more skill points than it should. I just can't get the number to fit. Has anyone else noticed this?

Here is the stat block i created...

kamadan, large magical beast; CR 7; HD 7d10+28 (67 hp); Init +3; Spd 40'; AC 18 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15; BAB/Grapple +7/+16; Atk bite +12 melee (1d8+5) and 6 bites +10 melee (1d4+2 plus poison); Full Atk Bite +12 melee (1d8+5) and 6 bites +10 melee (1d4+2 plus poison) and 2 claws +10 melee (1d6+2); Space/Reach 10'/5'; SA Breath Weapon, snakebite, poison; SQ All-around vision; AL always neutral; SV Fort +9, Ref +8, Will
+3; Str 20, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Skills & Feats: Hide +6*, List +3, Move Silently +7, Search +4, Spot +7; Alertness, Multiattack, Stealthy.

All-Around Vision (Ex): A kamadan's multiple snake heads have especially keen vision, and grant the creature a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no flanking bonuses when attacking a kamadan.

Breath Weapon (Su): A kamadan's breath weapon attack appears as a 30-foot cone of freezing white cloud of mist. However, instead of doing cold damage, it has the effect of placing its targets asleep for 1d6+4 rounds. The kamadan's breath weapon allows a Fortitude save (DC 17) to negate. The save DC is based on the kamadan's Constitution. A kamadan can breath once every 1d4 rounds, but never more that 5 (1 + Constitution modifier) per day.

Poison (Ex): The kamadan's snake bites are poisonous, forcing a Fortitude DC 17 save or initial damage being 1d2 Strength. The poison's secondary damage is 1d6 Strength damage. The save DC is Contitution based.

Snakebite (Ex): Each of the kamadan's six snake heads possesses a separate brain. This allows the kamadan to make attacks with its snake head as a free action (allowing the snake heads to attack even if the attack is not a full attack option).

Skills: A kamadan has a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. In areas of heavy undergrowth, the Hide bonus increases to +8.

Did i miss something?

I was blown away by the astrology articles. Of course, I've always had a fascination with the stars and astrology, but I never came up with a way to incorporate it into a DnD game in a way that wouldn't have my players keeling over in boredom. Kudos to Hal Maclean for coming up with an elegate and simple way to do it!

Speaking of which, I was wondering if Mr. Maclean could contact me off-list? My e-mail is bobby dot catdragon at gmail dot com. :)

"The Master Astrologer" was also a good article. The editors at Dragon should be very proud of intertwining the two articles so they formed a comprehensive whole rather that two pieces of the same puzzle that *almost* fit together.

Is anyone planning of using the astrology in their campaigns? I know I am, and since the firast session is 2 weeks away I can strongly hint to my players about the importance of astrology in this new game world.

Bobby
The Cat.Dragon
bobby dot catdragon at gmail dot com