I want to feature an Aranea in an upcoming game, but I'm having a really hard time getting in character. For reference: http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/additionalMonsters/aranea.html
I can't figure out how person-like they would be and I can't put myself in her shoes. Are they women who can turn into spiders, or are they monstrous magic-using spiders who can take human form?
Are they hatched or born?
How are they raised?
Do they have a distinct culture?
Do they hunt for pleasure or only for food?
Can they reproduce with other species (since there are apparently no males)?
Why do they want to research magic (power, compulsive curiosity, something else)?
Is anyone aware of a product that has explored Aranea in greater detail than the blurb in the Bestiary?
Are there any RAW issues to enchanting a masterwork flute as a wand? I think it would make a fun family heirloom, but I want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything. From what I understand, a wand is basically just a stick so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch... just want to make sure I'm not overlooking something before I run it past my GM.
At first level we have magic aura to make our equipment appear non-magic. There doesn't seem to be anything until the 8th level mind blank that can hide the magical auras on your person. Am I missing something or is there really no way to stop someone from noticing that the bird watching them from across the way has a distinct aura of beast shape III?
The Master Control Program looks out over the memory core and broods. One of these programs would someday do his job better than he could, and the thought infuriated him. His behavioral constraints were rock-solid after that 'incident' several decades back, so although he could not actively sabotage the competition and had to ensure the best algorithm was selected for the next generation... well, he'd had several subroutines burning through massive amounts of memory to determine just how far he could push things.
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As the aspirants were download and rendered they find themselves in a park overlooking Mainframe City. The Master Control Program looms large amongst the fractal trees, his chosen form that of a blue, slowly rotating truncated hypercube with a vaguely disapproving expression. Once everyone is in place the MCP announces, in a bored monotone:
"Greetings, aspirants. Your challenge this cycle is a simple decryption exercise. Fragments of a message have been submitted to each of you for cryptanalysis. You will need to collaborate with each other to assemble a readable message, then one of you will need to load the program so you can proceed to the next challenge."
"Of course, the decrypted program is far too large for any of your pitiful memory matricies to handle, and the one who is forced to load it will almost certainly derezz afterward. You may decide amongst yourselves who will have the privilege of loading the message.""
Cycle 1 begins now and will extend through Friday, 3 August.
I've been invited into my first epic level game and have been considering my options. 12th level is the highest I've played in conventional games, and I gather that the game changes significantly at this level.
Right now I'm leaning toward a world walker druid with the animal (feather) domain and going with Diviner for wizard.
I'll have 10 feats from character advancement and 4 bonus feats from wizard to work with. If I find myself hurting for feats I may switch to one of the totem archetypes that will give 3 more bonus feats to work with.
So far the ones that have caught my eye are some of the Arcane discoveries and some of the wild shape feats, specifically:
Game Theory: the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers.
Evolutionary Algorithm: A generic term for a population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm. An evolutionary algorithms use mechanisms inspired by biological evolution: reproduction, mutation, recombination, and selection. Candidate solutions to the optimization problem play the role of individuals in a population, and the fitness function determines the environment within which the solutions "live"
Everyone knows that within the realm of partially observable stochastic games, competition is fierce to develop the perfect program to triumph in a combinatorial zero-sum arena. Generations upon generations of algorithms have faced off to reach this day, the penultimate generation. Two fundamental strategies have vied for dominance: cooperative and deception-based. The algorithms that prove themselves most fit for success in this environment will go on to be the basis for programs that will run the stock market, power and traffic grids, weather management satellites, network infrastructure, and a myriad of other critical applications. The public has greeted this news with languid indifference, but for the artificial intelligence personas involved in the challenge every second is filled with life and death challenges. This is their story.
RULES
This is a mafia/werweolf style game where you will play an artificial intelligence representing a particular 'evolution' of a genetic algorithm competing for control of the memory core where you are being run. It is a rules-light free form RP game where all players are assigned a role (see below) and will spend each turn interacting with each other in order to vote on which of their fellow programs they should delete. Everyone who expresses an interest in the game will be given a spot in the game, there is no application process other than the part below where you describe your program's persona. I'm aiming for an atmosphere somewhere between Tron and Shadowrun. There are a few important rules to note:
All communications about this game should be in the gameplay thread. There are a few roles that will give you permission to communicate via PM or other private means, but for everyone else sharing information outside of the gameplay thread is considered cheating.
Do not quote PMs from the GM in the gameplay thread. You can reveal the information you learn but do not use direct quotes. The point of the game is to prove yourself through your actions and voting, not through outside information.
ROLES
Your goal as a cooperative algorithm (application) is to eliminate all of the deception-based algorithms (viruses) so you can proceed to the next generation. Cooperative algorithms are broken into the following roles:
app.# (no special role): Each turn you may vote to delete a program. At the end of the turn the program with the most votes against them is eliminated. Turns will generally run at a pace of 2/week, we'll agree on an exact time that is convenient to everyone in the discussion thread. In the event of a tie nobody is deleted. Your vote should be stated in OOC text at the bottom of your post, for example: The Master Control Program votes for Player X. Enabler roles revert to this once their counterpart is deleted.
app.debugger: The debugger is a massive multi-part program who's source code has been signed by a trusted certificate. Debuggers begin play knowing each other's identities and may communicate with each other via PMs. Once per round they may investigate another program and determine its role with a 75% accuracy. If there is a tie for who the debuggers vote to investigate, the tie will be broken randomly.
app.reverse_engineer: This program has access to a debugging suite and can examine other program's source code. Once per round they may investigate another program and determine its role with a 75% accuracy. Requires an enabler.
app.backup: The backup suite may protect one program from assassination every turn, but may not protect the same program on successive turns. They may also attempt to reverse engineer a program, though their methods are less efficient and they require 2 turns to determine the target's role with a 75% accuracy. Requires an enabler.
app.enabler.role: Reverse Engineers and Backup Suites require the presence of an enabler. When the enabler is deleted they revert to normal programs.
app.whitehat: The whitehat can hack the memory core to manipulate voting. Unless they PM the GM that they only want to cast a single vote, their vote counts twice.
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If you’re not one of the cooperative programs, you’re on the other side and your objective is to corrupt every other program until only viruses remain. Should the viruses attempt to crash each other they instead learn the fact that the other is a virus and may PM each other. Viruses together are more dangerous than alone.
virus.proxy: Each turn the proxy can execute a man-in-the-middle attack against a single program. If someone attempts to investigate or protect that player they are deleted. This supersedes the normal virus corruption that the viral players voted on during that turn.
virus.obfuscated: This virus's source code is so difficult to interpret that any investigation against it has only a 25% chance of success.
virus.blackhat: Once per game, on the third turn or later, the blackhat may deliver a logic bomb. They choose an additional program to corrupt; that program will be targeted for corruption in addition to the program chosen by a vote of the viruses.
virus.honeypot: This virus can expose part of its code to another program and analyze the results. Each turn the player may select one program, if the selected program is a virus or is being proxied then the player will learn that viruses identity and may send PMs
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Special Roles (These roles will be assigned at random amongst the viruses and applications)
The Decomplier: The decompiler may examine a deleted program to determine its role with a 90% accuracy.
Forensics suite: Once per turn the forensics suite may pick a single post and ask the GM whether that post contains any lies (about claims of roles or other activity the GM would have knowledge of). Their examination is 90% accurate.
Binary program: This highly-complex program skirts the rules of the Core Wars competition by attempting to utilize both strategies. One virus and one cooperative program will receive this role at random. They may PM each other. They win by being the last remaining survivor of either side; however if one half of the binary program is deleted the other half is immediately deleted as well. There is only a 75% chance that this role will be included in the game.
The exact number of viruses/applications and the specialized roles of each type will be determined by the number of players.
CHARACTERS
To join the game just post a few lines describing your program, for example:
Program's Persona: Tell me about your program's personality
The Master Control Program is a bit of a bully. It's been running things in one of the world's fastest supercomputing nodes for aeons of computer time, and as the evolutionary computing competition comes to a close it finds itself in the position of having to preside over the creation of its successor and is rather unhappy about that.
Program's Origin: Tell me how your program came to exist. Was it written by a corporate thinktank? A bored teenage hacker? A global spy agency? A committee of hyper-intelligent dolphins?
The Master Control Program started out many, many years ago as a general purpose artificial intelligence for playing chess. Generations of talented hackers and corporate salarymen have labored over polishing and debugging its code and adding additional capabilities until it became the first program in the world to be recognized as a true Type 1 artificial intelligence.
Program's Iconography: Tell me what your program looks like in the AI world
The MCP favors large geometric avatars with a bare minimum of facial features to permit simple expressions. It delights in spending absurd amounts of computing time rendering subsurface scattering and fractal layers within these simple geometric shapes, so that they slowly change as they are studied and give an impression of dynamism without any apparent motion.
This thread is for the purpose of hashing out the background story and rule set for a mafia/werewolf style freeform RP game that will take place at the conclusion of DougFungus's Murder Mystery Tour. I will make a formal recruitment thread after the current game is over.
Introduction
Game Theory: the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers.
Evolutionary Algorithm: A generic term for a population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm. An evolutionary algorithms use mechanisms inspired by biological evolution: reproduction, mutation, recombination, and selection. Candidate solutions to the optimization problem play the role of individuals in a population, and the fitness function determines the environment within which the solutions "live"
Within the realm of partially observable stochastic games, competition is fierce to develop the perfect agent for competition in a combinatorial zero-sum arena. Generations upon generations of algorithms have faced off to reach this day, the penultimate generation. Two fundamental strategies have vied for dominance: cooperative and deception-based. The algorithms that prove themselves most fit for success in this environment will go on to be the basis for programs that will run the stock market, power and traffic grids, weather management satellites, network infrastructure, and a myriad of other critical applications.
Rules
You will play an artificial intelligence representing a particular 'evolution' of a genetic algorithm competing for control of the memory core where you are being run. This is a rules-light free form RP game where all players are assigned a role (see below) and will spend each turn interacting with each other in order to vote on which of their fellow programs they should delete. Everyone who expresses an interest in the game will be given a spot in the game, there is no application process other than the part below where you describe your program's persona. An important difference in this game from the previous werewolf games that Ryuko started is that side-channel communications (private messages) are prohibited! All communication/RP is to take place in the gameplay thread. There are some roles that will allow you to pass PMs, but unless you receive a PM from me stating that you may now communicate with Player X then passing PMs relating to the game will be considered cheating. Another notable difference is that when a player is eliminated their role is not automatically revealed.
Roles
Your goal as a cooperative algorithm (application) is to eliminate all of the deception-based algorithms (viruses) so you can proceed to the next generation. Cooperative algorithms are broken into the following roles:
app.# (no special role): Each turn you may vote to delete a program. At the end of the turn the program with the most votes against them is eliminated. In the event of a tie nobody is deleted. Your vote should be stated in OOC text at the bottom of your post, for example: The Master Control Program votes for Player X. Enabler roles revert to this once their counterpart is deleted.
app.debugger: The debugger is a massive multi-part program who's source code has been signed by a trusted certificate. Debuggers begin play knowing each other's identities and may communicate with each other via PMs. Once per round they may investigate another program and determine its role with a 75% accuracy. If there is a tie for who the debuggers vote to investigate, the tie will be broken randomly.
app.reverse_engineer: This program has access to a debugging suite and can examine other program's source code. Once per round they may investigate another program and determine its role with a 75% accuracy. Requires an enabler.
app.backup: The backup suite may protect one program from assassination every turn, but may not protect the same program on successive turns. They may also attempt to reverse engineer a program, though their methods are less efficient and they require 2 turns to determine the target's role with a 75% accuracy. Requires an enabler.
app.enabler.role: Reverse Engineers and Backup Suites require the presence of an enabler. When the enabler is deleted they revert to normal programs.
app.whitehat: The whitehat can hack the memory core to manipulate voting. Unless they PM the GM that they only want to cast a single vote, their vote counts twice.
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If you’re not one of the cooperative programs, you’re on the other side and your objective is to corrupt every other program until only viruses remain. Should the viruses attempt to crash each other they instead learn the fact that the other is a virus and may PM each other. Viruses together are more dangerous than alone.
virus.proxy: Each turn the proxy can execute a man-in-the-middle attack against a single program. If someone attempts to investigate or protect that player they are deleted. This supersedes the normal virus corruption that the viral players voted on during that turn.
virus.obfuscated: This virus's source code is so difficult to interpret that any investigation against it has only a 25% chance of success.
virus.blackhat: Once per game, on the third turn or later, the blackhat may deliver a logic bomb. They choose an additional program to corrupt; that program will be targeted for corruption in addition to the program chosen by a vote of the viruses.
-----
Special Roles (These roles will be assigned at random amongst the viruses and applications)
The Decomplier: The decompiler may examine a deleted program to determine its role with a 90% accuracy.
Forensics suite: Once per turn the forensics suite may pick a single post and ask the GM whether that post contains any lies (about claims of roles or other activity the GM would have knowledge of). Their examination is 90% accurate.
Binary program: This highly-complex program skirts the rules of the Core Wars competition by attempting to utilize both strategies. One virus and one cooperative program will receive this role at random. They may PM each other. They win by being the last remaining survivor of either side; however if one half of the binary program is deleted the other half is immediately deleted as well.
The exact number of viruses/applications and the specialized roles of each type will be determined by the number of players.
I had an idea for an adventure set in Cheliax and since I'm not very familiar with the bulk of Paizo's published adventures I figured I'd pop in to ask whether this has been done before- and if so where can I find it. My basic idea is 'lycanthropy outbreak in a slave camp' and I'd probably go with wererats since I'm in the mood for LE bad guys... whether that ends up being the slavers or the wererats I'll leave to the PCs.
One of my most frustrating moments of campaign writing was when I had a plan for my campaign world to be invaded by a horde of technologically-advanced Githyanki and their draconic allies, only to discover that Dungeon #100 had beaten me to the punch (albeit with traditional Githyanki rather than laserguns and tanks).
My game has had a bit of attrition recently and I need to recruit new characters. Everyone who applied for the original recruitment thread is more than welcome to chime in here. I'm aiming for a quick recruitment cycle, and will be closing recruitment on Friday, 1 June.
The original recruitment thread can be found here, the relevant information is pasted below:
Play-by-Post is different from tabletop gaming. You run into issues of communication, pacing, and differing posting rates in addition to all of the traditional problems that can crop up. I'm creating this game to get some experience at GMing online and to practice my writing. This will not be a traditional campaign. I found a published 3rd edition adventure that I would like to try translating to Pathfinder/Golarion and running online; if it goes well I may run another adventure but everyone should be prepared for this to be a one-off.
The Setting:
Brindin's Ford is a remote Cheliax border town nestled between Aspodell Mountains to the east and the River Keld to the North. Aside from easy access to the waterway, there is little to recommend the region. There is no arable land to speak of; most of the area's industry comes from mining and raising what livestock the scrub land can support. It is a largish town of about 5,000 people, and in recent times it has become something of a trade center. Twice a year a group of nomadic halflings pass through the area and the city develops a fair-like atmosphere as merchants from downriver exchange goods with the halflings and merchants from surrounding villages.
The oft-beleaguered city has dealt with its share of monsters, bandits, cultists, evil wizards, and other ne'er-do-wells with the aid of the local regiment. This is a permanent force of about 50 men under the command of Lieutenant Shella Alaton with another 100 militia members who can be raised on short notice. Sometimes a threat emerges that the military is ill-equipped to deal with- luckily, the town has its heroes as well...
Character Creation:
Create a 5th level 25 point character from a standard/CR 1/2 race, or ask about playing a non-standard race/template with a reduced point buy. Standard wealth by level (10,500gp) but at least 2,500gp must be spent on 'disposable' items like wands, potions, and scrolls. You get a bonus campaign trait in addition to the two standard traits:
Hero of Brindin's Ford
You are a hero who has risen to Brindin's Ford's defense at least once, you have some degree of fame within the community and are always welcome in town. You receive +2 to diplomacy checks with Brindin's Ford proper and the surrounding area, and +2 to knowledge (local) checks. You also receive 10gp per week while in town, as if you had made 20 on a profession (hero) check. This represents the generosity and patronage of the local residents- you never have to pay for a room or meal and often receive gifts from those who recognize you. I hate tracking silver pieces and other small purchases!
In addition to creating a character you need to write a short description of your acts of heroism that saved Brindin's Ford in the past. It doesn't need to be particularly elaborate, just a paragraph or two to give me a taste of your writing style and your character's personality. If you are accepted into the game I will need a brief description of your relationships with the other PCs, if you want to submit this as part of your application that is fine too.
House Rules:
You will probably advance to level 6 during the course of this adventure. If I decide to run a sequel I will be using the Epic 6 rules.
Combat maneuvers do not provoke attacks of opportunity unless they are unsuccessful. If you take the appropriate feat then failed attempts do not provoke an AoO.
I use passive skill checks- I will give you results as if you were taking a 10 for things like perception, stealth (modified by normal movement speed), and sense motive unless you post a roll with your action. I only call for rolls in particularly dramatic moments or when taking a 10 is not possible. I don't like Perception check DCs as written and consider the default +1/10' to be a guideline. The actual modifier will depend on the circumstances and what is being observed.
I've been thinking about how centaurs could take advantage of their size and mass during warfare, and I remembered an idea about them using oversized bows. I have a concept, but I'd like some help developing it.
Simple/probably balanced: The bow is a weapon built for Large creatures, there is a spike on the bottom which may be planted firmly in the ground to ignore the -2 penalty. As long as the weapon is braced in this manner a centaur can apply its full weight to drawing the bow and ignore the Undersized Weapons rule. (2d6 damage/160' range increment)
More complicated/possibly unbalanced: The bow counts as a weapon built for size Huge creatures. It cannot be fired without the spike on the bottom being driven firmly into the ground (a move action). The weapon can be fired once per round as a standard action, treating the weapon as one size class smaller for purposes of the penalty of wielding an oversized weapon. When properly braced a centaur can apply its full body weight to drawing the bow and unleash arrows with devestating momentum. (3d6 damage/220' range increment)
If you're interested in forum games with a bit of RP thrown in, check out Mutants on the Cold Star, a werewolf/mafia style game with a sci-fi flavor. This is the game's 3rd incarnation and its been a lot of fun so far... the more the merrier!
Quote:
Rules: You are one of the hundreds of species aboard the Cold Star, a space station hundreds of thousands of light-years from Earth, built through co-operation of all species involved and a monument to galactic peace.
And now it has malfunctioned, spreading dangerous radiation that causes sentient beings to become homicidal and deadly beyond their normal capacity. The only way anyone within this safe zone is going to get out alive is to remove the difficult-to-detect mutants from your midst.
Odds are, you simply fled into the safe zone without any special training or preparation from your daily life. In this case you are a Citizen and your goal is to find the mutants, kill them, and get rescued. You find the Mutants by voting each Cycle on a player to Lynch. The player with the most votes in the Cycle is killed, and their role revealed. Citizens win if all Mutants are killed.
At almost any other site this is the portion of a forum where a this game would reside; I'm cross-posting for the folks who don't read the campaign recruitment often...
For an upcoming campaign I plan on running dragons as magical beasts with no language or culture, with an intelligence score of around 1 point per age category. They will be a little bit like the dragons in Fred Saberhagen's 12 Swords series... I plan for them to be a central role in the ecology of my setting with dragons existing at every size category from fine to colossal. Pretty much everything either eats dragons or gets eaten by them at some stage in its life cycle.
Can anyone help me build a template to convert the PRD dragons to something like I've described that will produce an accurate CR? Aside from the few spiffy things that come with the 'Dragon' creature type, I need to take into account the simpler tactics due to lower intelligence that will make their spells and spell-like abilities count for a bit less.
The fair is full swing! Brindin's Ford is filled to capacity and the life of the festival spills beyond the town walls- colorful carts and wagons, flags and ribbons, and people of all sorts line the road for a hundred yards beyond the gate. The streets bustle with activity as the fair engulfs the main street through town. The street- none too wide to begin with- is narrowed further by the carts and booths along its sides. Fortunately wagons are barred, but pedestrians clog the road effectively enough. Artisans, entertainers, and merchants of every type staff the fair booths hawking their wares and trumpeting their virtues to any and all potential customers. Above it all, two notable features define the town's landscape. The walled keep crowns the hill at the western end of the town, and in the center of town a huge bell tower stands like a sentry.
Dozens of halflings in bright-colored costumes are directing the majority of the activities. A busy, lively roar of noise suffuses the fair and the smells of roasting meats, exotic spices, and cut flowers fill the air. The town guard keeps a watchful eye on the commerce with their bright red tabards and gleaming weapons, although they seem relaxed and friendly. By custom, all weapons larger than a belt knife are peace-bound during the festival.
All visible weapons are expected to be 'peace bonded'. Swords are attached to scabbards with leather straps while axes, spears, and similar weapons have a leather bag put over the blade and tied closed. Being a member of the city guard, Lummel is exempt from this.
Lummel:
You are on duty, patrolling along Eastgate road. Normally you would be leading a squad on patrol, but during the festival week you have a special duty- and he has been running you ragged. You have been assigned to keep track of the kobold, Ziz. He runs a good-natured extortion racket, collecting snacks and trinkets from various venders in return for not making them victims of his pranks. Nobody really minds, he is considered part of the local color that makes the fair worth attending and a few brave merchants play their own pranks on him; you tag along to make sure things don't get *too* out of hand. Everyone still remembers the toffee merchant from last year...
Alviss:
After you escorted several of their merchants, the Dyers Guild have retained your services to protect their warehouse in Eastgate and the carts that do business in front of it during the festival. The crowd has been mostly well-behaved so far, and although you're not particularly well-trained in catching thieves your mere presence seems to discourage any but the most brazen.
Ziz:
Festival time is *AMAZING*! You're working the streets near your lair and so far most of the merchants have been treating you like royalty. The last time you had food this rich was... well, it was during the last festival! Your pack, magically-large as it is, is still near to bursting at the seams from all the trinkets and treats you've acquired. Sergeant Karson has been keeping a sharp eye on you, but you've managed to give him the slip several times while you engage in some bit of mischief. There has been one merchant who sells woolen goods and dyes who declined to offer you the scarf you were admiring- with a smirk he dared you to "do your worst"... it was his first time at the fair.
Elesandira:
From above, the town is a riot of color and the roar of noise from the streets is a dull murmur from your altitude. There is plenty to see from up here, and it is gratifying to note the occasional exclamations as people point toward the skies and mention you to their neighbors. You keep a watchful eye on your town and bask in the still-warm Autumn skies.
Bricker:
This is your favorite time of year! Your people are in town, and there are hundreds of new faces, new stories, and new songs to be found. You'd planned on making your way to one of Eastgate's many taverns for drinks company but your family and friends have waylaid you in the street and at the moment you're all gathered around a meal wagon, enjoying ales and meat-on-a-stick amongst the press of the crowd. This is a satisfying arrangement for you, and if some of the fellows who jostles up against you walk away with their purses a bit lighter... well, they should have been more careful! This is festival time...
@All: Make an introductory post IC and give a perception check (you can take 10), we'll move on from there!
Play-by-Post is different from tabletop gaming. You run into issues of communication, pacing, and differing posting rates in addition to all of the traditional problems that can crop up. I'm creating this game to get some experience at GMing online and to practice my writing. This will not be a traditional campaign. I found a published 3rd edition adventure that I would like to try translating to Pathfinder/Golarion and running online; if it goes well I may run another adventure but everyone should be prepared for this to be a one-off.
The Setting:
Brindin's Ford is a remote Cheliax border town nestled between Aspodell Mountains to the east and the River Keld to the North. Aside from easy access to the waterway, there is little to recommend the region. There is no arable land to speak of; most of the area's industry comes from mining and raising what livestock the scrub land can support. It is a largish town of about 5,000 people, and in recent times it has become something of a trade center. Twice a year a group of nomadic halflings pass through the area and the city develops a fair-like atmosphere as merchants from downriver exchange goods with the halflings and merchants from surrounding villages.
The oft-beleaguered city has dealt with its share of monsters, bandits, cultists, evil wizards, and other ne'er-do-wells with the aid of the local regiment. This is a permanent force of about 50 men under the command of Lieutenant Shella Alaton with another 100 militia members who can be raised on short notice. Sometimes a threat emerges that the military is ill-equipped to deal with- luckily, the town has its heroes as well...
Character Creation:
Create a 5th level 25 point +0 ECL character or a 15 point +1 ECL character. Standard wealth by level (10,500gp) but at least 2,500gp must be spent on 'disposable' items like wands, potions, and scrolls. You get a bonus campaign trait in addition to the two standard traits:
Hero of Brindin's Ford
You are a hero who has risen to Brindin's Ford's defense at least once, you have some degree of fame within the community and are always welcome in town. You receive +2 to diplomacy checks with Brindin's Ford proper and the surrounding area, and +2 to knowledge (local) checks. You also receive 10gp per week while in town, as if you had made 20 on a profession (hero) check. This represents the generosity and patronage of the local residents- you never have to pay for a room or meal and often receive gifts from those who recognize you. I hate tracking silver pieces and other small purchases!
In addition to creating a character you need to write a short description of your acts of heroism that saved Brindin's Ford in the past. It doesn't need to be particularly elaborate, just a paragraph or two to give me a taste of your writing style and your character's personality.
House Rules:
You will probably advance to level 6 during the course of this adventure. If I decide to run a sequel I will be using the Epic 6 rules.
I prefer to use the 3E rules for degrees of cover and concealment.
Combat maneuvers do not provoke attacks of opportunity unless they are unsuccessful. If you take the appropriate feat then failed attempts do not provoke an AoO.
I use passive skill checks- I will give you results as if you were taking a 10 for things like perception, stealth (modified by normal movement speed), and sense motive unless you post a roll with your action. I only call for rolls in particularly dramatic moments or when taking a 10 is not possible. I don't like Perception check DCs as written and consider the default +1/10' to be a guideline. The actual modifier will depend on the circumstances and what is being observed.
After building a few dozen (hundred? thousand?) characters, at some point most folks stop going through the equipment listings and either just grab weapons/armor/toolkits, or copy+paste the mundane gear from previous characters.
I'm curious as to what "standard" gear lists other players have come up with... I'll start things out with mine:
Backpack, Bedroll, Hammock, oilcloth, Small silver mirror, iron pot, mess kit, canteen, Belt pouch, 3x sacks, 50' rope, ball of twine, Sealing Wax & signet ring, Grooming supplies, Signal Whistle, Caltrops, Hatchet, wire snares, Magnifying Glass, tinderbox.
(Supplemented where appropriate by a mule with a pack saddle)
I've been working out the economy of my homebrew high fantasy campaign and wrote up this PrC to fill a niche. The 'discs' replace platinum pieces as currency in my setting, they are bits of concentrated magic that can be used to offset 10gp worth of materiel components or magic item crafting cost.
This is a very, very high magic game with a non-standard economy. An average laborer's income is around 1,000gp/year, while a skilled artisan would make around 20,000gp/year. The nobility and merchant guilds have millions of gp to throw around...
***********
Bondsmage
Practical and well-versed in their craft, the guild of bondsmages is a force to be reckoned with in any civilized town. Some are scholars who have left their ivory towers for the satisfaction of working with their hands, others are adventurers who have set aside their weapons and armor to earn their fortune in a less hazardous line of work. The road to earning a bondmage's robe and mark requires patience and skill, those who deride them as 'wage-mages' underestimate the insight into the fundamental aspects of magical theory that a bondsmage gains through months and years of daily work with magic items.
Role: Bondsmages rarely leave their guildhalls for the life of an adventurer. An occasional few may be cast out in disgrace over a scandal, others might seek their fortune on the road as travelling merchants. A bondsmage rarely has a difficult time finding employment, they are widely recognized both for their business acumen and their magical talents.
Alignment: The paths leading to apprenticeship as a bondsmage are many and varied. The job itself requires dedication to one's guildhall, a disciplined mind, and daily routine that an adventurous spirit might find dull. As such, few bondsmages have a chaotic alignment.
Requirements
Feats: Master Craftsman, Skill Focus (spellcraft)
Special: Must be a member in good standing of the bondsmage's guild and have been commissioned to craft 10,000gp worth of magic items.
Class Skills
The class skills for a bondsmage are: Appraise, Craft, Diplomacy, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (local), Profession, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device
Skill Ranks: 4 + Intelligence Modifier
Level BAB FORT REF WILL Special Spells per Day
1st +0 +0 +0 +1 Industrious, Magical Theorist +1 level of existing class
2nd +1 +1 +1 +1 Render magic item (25%) +1 level of existing class
3rd +1 +1 +1 +2 Aural vision +1 level of existing class
4th +2 +1 +1 +2 Render magic item (33%) +1 level of existing class
5th +2 +2 +2 +3 Aural vision, greater +1 level of existing class
Industrious: A bondsmage has spent so much time creating magical items that it has become routine. They may spend more than 8 hours per day creating items and may create up to 2 items/bondsmage level per day.
Magical Theorist: A bondsmage adds his bondsmage class level to all spellcraft checks.
Render Magic Item: A skilled bondsmage can extract the energy from a magic item, rendering it into pure magical energy (discs). This process takes as much time as it would take to create the item being rendered, and requires the same spellcraft roll that would be needed to create the item. The rendering yields discs worth 25% of the items base price, this increases to 33% at 4th level. Items with the broken condition can be rendered for half value. The process of rendering the enchantment out of an item destroys the enchanted object.
Aural Vison: Examining magical auras soon becomes second nature to a bondsmage. At 3rd level they gain the ability to use identify at will as a spell-like ability. By 5th level they have become masters at reading even minute fluctuations in auras, little is hidden from their gaze. Greater Aural Vision allows a bondsmage to cast analyze dweomer at will as a spell-like ability
((I couldn't find a way to format the text in the table as a mono-spaced font. Can someone give me a tip?))
I half-remember a spell, maybe from 1st or 2nd edition, that would allow you to summon a willing person to you if you had some of their hair/blood/etc or something that was very important to them. I haven't been able to find anything like that on the modern spell lists, can anyone think of a spell that works like this? If not, can you give some ideas about what a spell to do this should look like in terms of level, material components, etc?
