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Homebrew and House Rules

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Random Combat Trait;

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Mixed Fighting Style You have learned to meld your diverse combat techniques into a single style. You can treat all levels in classes with a Poor Basic Attack Bonus as levels in a single Poor BAB class for calculating total Basic Attack Bonus, and you can treat all levels in classes with a Medium Basic Attack bonus as levels in a single Medium BAB class. This includes Basic Attack Bonus gained from racial Hit Dice, so that a 2 HD Gnoll Druid 1, or a Monk 2 / Rogue 1, who would normally have a Basic Attack Bonus of +1, would instead count as having three class levels in a Medium BAB class and have a BAB +2.

[It's a weaker version of Fractional BAB, as a trait. Uncreative, but helpful to certain concepts, particularly those Monk / Rogue or Monk / Ninja types, or for a Bard, Magus, Monk or Rogue headed into Assassin or Red Mantis Assassin or whatever. Unlike Fractional BAB, it's no use at all to the Cleric / Wizard headed for Mystic Theurge, at least not until he actually takes his first Mystic Theurge level...]

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An item (well, several of them) inspired by the description of Xin, in Lost Kingdoms, who had a floating sihedron thingie behind him with a bunch of powers.

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IOUN STONES OF THASSILON
Aura strong varied; CL 12th
Slot –; Price varies; Weight

DESCRIPTION
These stones have the normal properties of the more common sorts of ioun stones, but were fashioned by the wizards of Thassilon and have properties related to the seven schools of ‘sin-magic’ they practiced.

Thassilonian Ioun Stones and Properties
Color / Shape --- Aura --- Craft Requirements --- Effect --- Market Price
White Ellipsoid --- moderate abjuration --- dispel magic --- +2 CL for dispel checks, +4 CL for own spells to resist dispel checks --- 6000 gp.
Black Ellipsoid --- moderate necromancy --- user must be able to channel negative energy --- energy resistance 5 vs. damage from positive or negative energy, +2 saves vs. effects that use positive or negative energy --- 5000 gp.
Green Ellipsoid with Gold Star--- moderate conjuration --- summon monster III --- creatures summoned or objects created by (summoning) or (creation) spells last additional rounds equal to bearers Intelligence modifier (or Cha or Wis, if appropriate for non-wizards/witches) --- 4000 gp.
Red Ellipsoid --- moderate evocation --- Empower Spell or specialist Evoker --- +Int damage when casting an evocation spell that inflicts hit point damage --- 7500 gp.
Dark Purple Ellipsoid --- moderate illusion --- Spell Focus (Illusion) --- stone can ‘concentrate’ to maintain an illusion spell the bearer has cast --- 5000 gp.
Blue Ellipsoid --- moderate enchantment --- daze monster --- any target that saves vs. one of your mind-affecting enchantment spells is dazed for 1 round. Targets that are immune to mind-affecting spells, or succeed in a spell resistance check, are not dazed. --- 8000 gp.
Yellow Ellipsoid --- moderate transmutation --- polymorph --- when you first cast any polymorph spell that alters your form, you heal a number of hit points equal to the level of the spell, if you do not choose to do so (or are unharmed when you cast the spell) you instead receive this healing when the spell ends --- 4000 gp.

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be 12th level; Cost half the market price

And the other components;

THASSILON GLYPHSTONES
Aura moderate varied; CL 5th
Slot –; Price 6000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION
These grey stone talismans are shaped like one of the seven ‘blades’ of a sihedron, and bear a sin-magic rune on their lower half, and a smooth depression in their upper half. When held, they afford their bearer a +1 to the save DC of spells cast from their attuned school of magic (which can be identified by the sin-magic rune they bear).

If the appropriate Thassilonian ioun stone, matching the school of magic the glyphstone enhances, is placed within the depression, it locks into place, and the entire glyphstone rises to levitate behind the bearer’s head, in a manner similar to that of an ioun stone (although lacking the orbiting motion), and conferring both the benefits of the glyphstone, and the ioun stone. A glyphstone hovering in this fashion is somewhat easier to hit than an ioun stone (AC 24, 10 hit points and hardness 5), but an attack against it does not harm the attached ioun stone, which falls to the ground and may be recovered.

If seven glyphstones, one for each of the Thassilonian schools of sin magic, each affixed with the appropriate Thassilonian ioun stone, are placed edge to edge to form a sihedron, they fuse together and rise to hover behind the head of their bearer, granting all of the relevant powers of the seven glyphstones and the seven ioun stones, as well as the benefits of the Varisian Tattoo feat (+1 CL to all seven schools of sin-magic, and 3 daily uses of resistance, ghost sound, acid splash, daze, dancing lights, touch of fatique and mage hand. If the bearer actually possesses one or more instances of the Varisian Tattoo feat, the bonuses to caster level stack, and he gains the ability to use that cantrip at will.

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be 6th level; Cost 3000 gp.

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While coming up with ideas for Thassilonian spells (tying together both school and 'theme,' such as spells related to both abjuration *and* envy), I had a few weirdos that didn't fit the theme, and I just needed to jot down to get out of my head.

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Broken Mirror, Bloody Reflections
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a broken piece of mirrored glass and a drop of the casters blood)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell has two applications.

If cast upon oneself, you produce a single quasi-real duplicate, similar to the illusory duplicates of a mirror image spell, but this duplicate is a portion of your own life-force, spun off from yourself. As long as the duplicate is present, any damaging non-area attack inflicts only 50% damage to you, the remainder being ‘shared’ with your spiritual duplicate. At 10th level, you form a second spiritual duplicate, and suffer only 1/3rd damage from any single target damaging effect. Only hit point damage is split in this manner, and ability damage (or drain), energy level drain, etc. are not reduced or mitigated by this effect.

This spell can also be cast upon another target within range who is currently under the effects of the mirror image spell, and causes that subjects life-energies to be split among his illusory duplicates, so that he suffers full damage from any attack that damages one of his duplicates, although he cannot suffer damage multiple times from the same source (such as an area spell or effect). The damage will also dispel the image struck, as normal for that spell. This application allows a Will save and SR to negate.

Fog of War
School illusion (shadow); Level sorcerer/wizard 2, summoner 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (powdered blue gemstone worth 25 gp.)
Range 20 ft.
Target or Area cloud spreads in a 20-ft. radius from you, 20 ft. high
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell creates a cloud of thick mist identical to that generated by an obscuring mist spell, except that the mist is made of quasi-real shadow stuff that appears wispy and translucent to you and up to one other person you select per level. Anyone within the fog is allowed a single Will save to also see through the illusory mist, and if they succeed, the spell does not hinder them. Only one opportunity is given to resist this effect, and once a target has succeeded or failed this saving throw, it does not matter if they enter or re-enter the fog multiple times.

Spark Shower
School evocation (electricity); Level magus 4, sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (iron filings and powdered quartz)
Range 40 ft.
Area cone-shaped burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Ref half; Spell Resistance yes

You create a stream of individual lightning bolts that strike every creature within a cone shaped burst, inflicting 1d6 points of electrical damage per caster level (maximum 10d6).

Mouths of the Earth
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (several thin strips of eel skin and a handful of eel teeth)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Area 10-ft.-radius spread
Duration 1 round / level (D)
Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance yes

This spell is similar to black tentacles, except that the bodies of dark green eel-like creatures with fanged mouths writhe from the ground, to a height of six feet. All creatures within the affected area are automatically attacked, suffering 1d6+4 swarm damage from the creatures bite attacks, and any creature damaged must make a Fortitude save to avoid distraction (DC 10 + spell level + your spellcasting attribute modifier). These eel-like manifestations do not provoke attacks of opportunity, and cannot be damaged, but can be dispelled as normal. The entire area of effect is considered difficult terrain while the spell lasts.

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Just got and read Giants Revisited recently. Some thoughts, after noticing that Stone Giants had 'elders' (and a special elder-only feat) and others did not;

Frost Giant Elders
Frost giants do not live nearly as long as their stone giant kin, and rare is the frost giant who lives to see his second century. Of those who do, some small fraction develop a supernatural affinity for the ice and cold that is their birthright. Called elders, these frost giants have Charisma scores of at least 15, and three spell like abilities (CL 12th). Once per day, they can use sleet storm, quench and cone of cold. The save DC is Charisma-based. Such elders occasionally also have three to six class levels in sorcerer, or, more commonly, oracle. Frost giant elders at +1 to their CR.

Fire Giant Elders
Like frost and stone giants, fire giants too can have elders, selected seemingly at random from those cunning and fortunate brutes who have survived past their third century. These fire giants have Charisma scores of at least 15, and three spell like abilities (CL 13th). Once per day, they can use heat metal, pyroclastic storm (fire-substituted ice storm) and pyrotechnics. The save DC is Charisma-based. Such elders occasionally also have three to six class levels in sorcerer, or, more commonly, oracle. Fire giant elders at +1 to their CR.

Frost Magic
You have unlocked the secrets of the fimbul winter, beyond the ken of even other frost giant elders.
Prerequisites: Charisma 17, frost giant elder (age 200 years or older)
Benefit: In addition to the normal spell-like abilities of a frost giant elder, you can use chill metal, fire shield (cold flames only), ice storm, sleet storm and wall of ice once per day each as spell-like abilities (CL 12th, the save DC is Charisma-based).

Fire Magic
Your heart burns with the fury of the volcano, granting you powerful insights that lesser fire giant elders have not discovered.
Prerequisites: Charisma 17, fire giant elder (age 300 years or older)
Benefit: In addition to the normal spell-like abilities of a fire giant elder, you can use fire shield (hot flames only), fireball, flame strike, heat metal and wall of fire once per day each as spell-like abilities (CL 13th, the save DC is Charisma-based).

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A feat any genie, elder giant, fey, etc. might have use for, as well as some aasimar, tieflings, gnomes, etc.

Blood Spontaneity
You have learned to channel your spellcasting ability into your racial spell-like abilities.
Prerequisites: Charisma 15, 5 or more hit dice, one or more racial spell-like abilities, at least one level in bard, oracle, sorcerer or another spontaneous spellcasting class.
Benefit: You can expend a spontaneous spellcasting slot to power the use of a spell-like ability of equal or lesser level that is on the class list of that spellcasting class, even if you have expended your daily uses of that spell-like ability. Additionally, you can use any spell-like ability that is on the class list of one of your spontaneous spellcasting classes at your caster level in the qualifying class, instead of your normal CL, if you wish.

So a 6th level aasimar oracle or sorcerer could use a 3rd level oracle or sorcerer slot to cast daylight, even if he had already expended his daily use of daylight, while a 7th level Efreeti sorcerer could use his sorcerer spell slots to power his invisibility or gaseous form spell-like abilities, but not wall of fire, permanant image or quickened scorching ray, as he does not have any spell slots of high enough level (and not produce flame, which he can use at will anyway, since it isn't on his sorcerer spell list).

Short, short version? If you have an SLA that's also on your spontaneous caster class list, you treat it as a Spell Known. Any SLAs that are on one of your spontaneous caster class lists can be cast at your normal racial CL, or at the qualifying spontaneous caster class CL, as you choose.

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There aren't enough monsters based on puns or misheard words!

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FLAMING BATTLE KOI
This enormous brightly colored fish swims through the air towards you with frightening speed, the very air burning and churning in its wake in a multicolored maelstrom that contains elements of wind and rain and displaced clods of earth, as well as sporadic flashes of fire.

FLAMING BATTLE KOI CR 5
XP 1,600
N Large Magical Beast (extraplanar)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 natural, -1 size)
hp 45 (6d10+12)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +3
DR 5/cold iron or adamantine; Resistance acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Aura aura of all elements (5 ft.)
OFFENSE
Speed fly 50 ft. (good), swim 50 ft., burrow 50 ft., earth glide
Melee bite +9 (1d8+4 P +1d6 elemental + grab), slam +9 (2d6+4 B +1d6 elemental + knockback) or power attack bite +7 (1d8+8p +1d6 elemental + grab), slam +7 (2d6+10b +1d6 elemental + knockback)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (with slam, only 5 ft. reach with bite)
Special Attacks elemental strike, knockback, swallow whole (2d6 acid, AC 14, 5 hit points)
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 13
Base Atk +6, CMB +11 (+12 to knockback with tail slam), CMD +22
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Power Attack
(18) Skills Fly 6 (+12), Knowledge (planes) 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+10)
Languages Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Terran
SQ aura of all elements
ECOLOGY
Environment the elemental planes
Organization
Treasure incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Aura of All Elements (Su) The battle koi is surrounded by an aura of admixed elemental air, earth, fire and water, allowing it to ‘swim’ through the air or even earth and stone, and to breath in any environment. The swirling elemental debris also provides it with partial concealment, as if it had a permanent blur effect. Finally, all within its elemental aura suffer elemental damage, at the end of any round they spend within its effect. Each target takes 1d6 of acid, cold, electrical or fire damage, determined randomly by rolling 1d4. The damaging effect of this aura can be suppressed by the battle koi as a free action at any time, without negating the concealment or movement effects.

Elemental Strike (Su) When a battle koi strikes with a bite attack or tail slam, it can also cause an additional 1d6 of elemental damage (acid, cold, electricity or fire) of it's choice, as a free action. It can choose this damage at the time of use, and it can choose different energy types for it's seperate attacks.

Knockback (Ex) When a battle koi successfully hits with it's tail slam attack, it makes an automatic CMB check to bull rush the target back 5 ft. If the target is successfully moved back, it must make a Reflex save (DC 17, the DC is Str-based) or fall prone. The koi never moves with this attack, and does not provoke an attack of opportunity for this maneuver, nor does the involunatary movement provoke attacks of opportunity upon the victim.

Powerful Tail (Ex) The thickly muscled tail of the battle koi is covered with blunt wedge shaped scales of hardened jade that strike with great force, causing the damage of this slam attack to be calculated as if the koi was one size class larger than normal, and also treating the koi as one size class larger when calculating CMB for the bull rush effect of its tail’s knockback ability. For the purposes of Power Attack, a tail slam is treated as a weapon wielded in two hands, even if used in conjunction with a bite attack.

The flaming battle koi is a creature that wanders the elemental planes, somehow finding its way between the planes through an instinctive and unconscious knack for finding weak points between the planes. Uncommonly, it can be found in the mortal plane as well, having squirmed its way through the wrong planar weak spot, and now frantically attempting to find a path home. The material plane is uncomfortable to the creature, and it becomes increasingly desperate (and violent) as the nature of the mortal world wears away at its health and sanity, leading to it being considered an aggressive and capricious creature by mortals, despite being regarded as peaceful and even wise, on its native planes, serving as guide and information source about the planes.

Rumors of colossal whale-sized battle koi sailing the elemental planes in great pods, with elemental auras that stretch for hundreds of yards around them in all directions, serving as ageless archives of vast stores of planar history and arcane lore, remain unconfirmed.


Set:

What do you think about a flail with an very long chain that would give it the Reach quality? I read something about Hellknights and the idea just occurred to me and I wanted to bounce it off you. Do you think it would need more than a higher cost? Also, how do you feel about it being able to be wielded as a normal flail, albeit with an attack penalty by chocking up on the chain?

Spiked chain is the only weapon that seems an obvious comparison to me. Would you categorize a flail like this as an exotic weapon?

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There are martial weapons with reach and disarm (ranseur) *or* reach and trip (guisarme, hooked lance from UC), but nothing martial with disarm, reach and trip.

The whip, and scorpion whip, on the other hand, do have reach, disarm and trip, and are Exotic Weapons, so yeah, I'd go with making it an Exotic Weapon.

If you use dire flail stats (with the 'reach' property instead of the 'double' property), it shouldn't be terribly out of line with the spiked chain (which has disarm and trip, and 2d4 damage instead of 1d8 damage, but no reach).

Bumping it to heavy flail stats (1d10 damage, 19-20/x2 crits) would, IMO, make it too obviously much better than the spiked chain.

(Why flails and heavy flails have a different crit threat is beyond me. Typically 'heavy' versions of weapons have the same crit threat.)

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Random wizard AT, 'cause there aren't nearly enough wizard AT's that deal with wizard-y stuff like arcane bonded objects, weapons or familiars. Or spellbooks, for that matter!

Master of Bonds (Wizard Archetype)
Vudran philosophers teach that the body contains flows of mystical energy, which gather and concentrate in particular areas, and that placing a special item of crystal or precious metal in those areas can serve to focus and draw forth those internal energies, to great and wondrous effect. The arcane bond of the wizard is seen as an example of these beliefs in practice, and the wizards who follow such teachings find themselves able to form multiple arcane bonds with precisely placed objects of ornamentation. The true masters of this art can be recognized by their multiple bonded objects, often appearing as thin belts of golden links, or bindi stones adorning their foreheads, in addition to the more traditional amulets and rings.
. Arcane Bond Mastery (Sp): At 1st level, the master of bonds must choose the bonded object option of the arcane bond class feature. This bond cannot be formed with a weapon, but must be with a ring or amulet/necklace, or with one of the following items of ornamentation; crown/circlet, headband/phylactery/bindi, belt/girdle/cinch, or a pair of anklets or a pair of bracers. Additionally, at 1st level, the master of bonds can choose two more bonded objects, from the above list. A pair of anklets or a pair of bracers count as a single choice, and occupy both foot or wrist slots, normally, and the master of bonds can wear only a single belt, circlet, headband or necklace. Additional bonded objects provide the usual benefit and drawbacks, although the concentration check DC is reduced by -2 per bonded object remaining, so that if a master of bonds with three bonded objects loses one of them, her concentration DC is 16 + spell level. Only if she loses all three bonded objects, must she make the normal concentration check at DC 20 + spell level. This replaces the wizard’s bonus Scribe Scroll feat and the 1st level School ability that has daily uses (protective ward, acid dart, diviner’s fortune, dazing touch, force missile, blinding ray, grave touch, telekinetic fist or hand of the apprentice, respectively).
. Expanded Bonds (Sp): At 5th, 8th, 10th and 15th level, the master of bonds can forge additional arcane bonds, under the restrictions of arcane bond mastery. By 15th level, the master of bonds can have arcane bonds with bonded objects in the head, headpiece, neck, wrist, and foot slots, as well as a pair of arcane bonded rings, for a total of seven arcane bonds. This replaces the bonus feats gained at 5th, 10th and 15th levels, as well as the school power gained at 8th level (or 6th level, for an Abjuration specialist, who gains their fifth arcane bond at 6th level, instead of 8th level).
. Freedom from Bonds (Su): At 20th level, the master of bonds can choose to destroy a bonded object and internalize it’s effect, allowing him to retain the benefits of that specific arcane bond (but not any other properties that item may have been granted through magical enhancement), and no longer suffer any penalties for the loss or destruction of that item. Once this choice is made, he can no longer benefit from an arcane bonded object in that slot (although he can still choose to equip a normal magical item in that slot). This replaces the bonus feat gained at 20th level.

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So, basically, the 15th level Master of Bonds could have Arcane Bonds with her bracers (1 bond for both), her anklets (1 bond for both), a pair of rings (2 bonds), a torc or amulet around her neck (1 bond), a crown or circlet (1 bond), a belt or cinch (1 bond) and a bindi-stone or headband (1 bond) for a total of seven arcane bonds. Each can be used to recall a spell from her spellbook and cast it spontaneously, normally. If she's picked clean of bonded items while in captivity, she suffers the usual DC 20 + spell level concentration check required to cast the spell, but if she loses only one of her seven bonded objects, the DC is only 8 + spell level (-2 to the DC per bonded object remaining, in this case, six). At 20th level, she can ritually destroy some or all of her bonded objects (a pricy sacrifice if she's had them all magically enhanced as well!) and retain the benefits of wearing them permanantly, while eliminating the drawbacks (and then choose to wear other items in those slots, without affecting her ability to use the power of the destroyed bonded object to recall spells).

Flavor-wise, such casters would tie their practices to Vudran or Tien concepts of chakra or 'energy loci' or 'ki nexuses' within the body, with the bonded objects drawing upon concentrations of internal spiritual / mystic potential that have collected in the body of the wizard as they channel arcane energy through themselves.

Some would openly flaunt their bonded objects, trusting in their reputation to keep them from being the targets of thieves or targetted attacks. Others would conceal their rings beneath gloves and keep their amulets tucked away under their shirts, while still others would practice misdirection and allow others to believe that the half-dozen *other* rings on their fingers are the source of their arcane might, or that they have bound their magics to a treasured crystal-bladed dagger they always keep a possessive hand upon, or even that they have bound their spirits to a mundane animal they treat like a precious familiar.

Still others, such as the enigmatic Brotherhood of the Black, of unknown origins, but seen in both Nidal and Numeria, wear only bonded items of dark adamantine, fastened to their flesh with cruel barbs, so that they cannot be removed without cutting them free from their bearers, and, instead of wearing headbands or bindi stones, conceal their faces behind black masks of grim aspect. (replacing the headband slot arcane bond option with a face slot arcane object option, but otherwise still being limited to a maximum of seven arcane bonds)

Some Vudran practitioners associate specific schools of magic to different 'chakra,' such as associating the feet with necromancy, the belt-slot to enchantment, the necklace to pride and the heart, etc. but this is merely a philosophical construct, and not a requirement of the archetype.


Umm...YES!

I am loving this thread and thank you so much for your contributions. I'm running a homebrew with a dark fairy tale theme and several of your witch/hag/fey things will be making it in. Also: twig trolls! What an awesome idea to accompany hordes of fairy tale goblins or swarm through the First World in gangs!

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Mark Hoover wrote:

Umm...YES!

I am loving this thread and thank you so much for your contributions. I'm running a homebrew with a dark fairy tale theme and several of your witch/hag/fey things will be making it in. Also: twig trolls! What an awesome idea to accompany hordes of fairy tale goblins or swarm through the First World in gangs!

Glad you like it!

Since you are using a dark fey sort of theme, here's a hag idea I haven't refined into a stat-block yet.

Spoiler:

Stregya
Hag w/ 1 Monstrous Humanoid HD and 3 to 6 (or more) Witch levels.
A stregya has no familiar, but prepares spells by ‘studying’ her collection of grisly trophies from those she has murdered. Once per month, she can kill a child on the night of the full moon and learn a new spell of any level one below the maximum she can cast. She also gains 2 spells / level gained, but cannot learn spells from scrolls or research or trading with other witches, only by level gain or child sacrifice.

Trophies are locks of hair, specific bones (such as an index finger bone), etc. and are kept safe, as she must consult with them each day to prepare spells. Each trophy remains associated with the spell learned, and she can bequeath them to another Stregya, or they can be lost or destroyed individually, costing her access to that single spell. If the entire collection is lost (or destroyed), she retains only those spells she gained as part of her leveling process, and most begin collecting anew.

Stregya ‘inspect’ humanoid children in eccentric and unsettling ways, by peering into their ears or into their mouths, by licking their palms or the soles of their feet, or by kissing the napes of their necks or their bellies, and upon deeming a child ‘potentially worthy’ they will abduct them and hold them for the 24 hours previous to the full moon, performing various rites. Generally those rites end with the child being deemed ‘unworthy’ and killed on midnight of the night of the full moon, and the witch gains only a new trophy for her collection (and is rewarded with knowledge of a new witch spell), but very rarely, perhaps once in a hundred sacrifices, she finds a special child, and is able to transfer her life-force into that child, in a manner similar to reincarnation, and causing the spirit of the child to die within her withered former body, usually being framed for whatever crimes the wicked creature had committed in the area, and going on to live life as the ‘rescued child’ before returning to her old ways.

Stregya sometimes keep creatures that appear to serve the role of familiar, such as carrion crows, unusually large centipedes or rats, or even goats, but these creatures are little more than pets (and occasionally snacks), and have no arcane significance. Cats are never represented in this manner, as cats and stregya seem to share a mutual loathing of each other, and the disappearance of stray cats in the area is one sign of a stregya’s presence.

A Stregya’s collection is usually kept in a box, which is concealed somewhere near her lair, in a place where it will be safe from discovery or environmental damage, and Stregya generally live in a constant state of paranoid uncertainty, checking on their collection by mundane or magical means at least a couple times during the day, even when they are not actively consulting it to prepare their spells. A Stregya’s link to her collection is such that she is treated as having a constant locate object spell active regarding it’s location, allowing her to always sense it, as long as she remains within range, and also allowing her to scry upon its location up to a number of minutes per day equal to her caster level (usable in one minute increments as many times as desired).

Powers – change shape to a single humanoid form (reminiscent of her last stolen humanoid form, which continues to age as time progresses) or to her stregya form, which has natural armor, claws and a bite attack, and is tall (but hunched over, appearing no taller than a normal person) and skeletally thin.

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And I now have the Inner Sea Bestiary, which is dripping with awesome flavor. (I like world-setting-specific bestiaries way more than 'generic' ones, because they can tie critters and hazards to specific setting details, regions, dieties, etc.!)

Reading the robot rules, I ached to find a way to have the plasma weapon rules and force field rules part of a class option (lasers too, but adding all three to one bloodline didn't feel organic to me, so I stuck to plasma and force fields, to make it a tighter theme).

Those burned by the energies known as plasma can sometimes develop lingering wounds that never fully heal, leaving behind wicked scars that are suffused with the alien radiations leaked from the oft-times damaged weaponry that generated them.

Incandescent
Exposure to the alien energies burning within the Starmount and its mechanical minions has changed you, leaving you scarred, but leaving the barely-controllable force known as ‘plasma’ seething within your body.
Class Skill: Knowledge (engineering)
Bonus Spells: burning hands (3rd), scorching ray (5th), lightning bolt (7th), wall of fire (9th), wall of force (11th), chain lightning (13th), forcecage (15th), sunburst (17th) and meteor swarm (19th)
Bonus Feats: Endurance, Diehard, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Spell Focus (evocation), Spell Penetration, Toughness
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell with the [electricity] or [fire] type, you can instead cause it to inflict plasma damage, which is half electricity and half fire. Any spell or class ability (such as fire within, explosive discharge or storm rush) you use that inflicts plasma damage inflicts bonus plasma damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Bloodline Powers: The energies that have marked your flesh and seeped into your body can be tapped into and poured forth, either as a defensive ward, or a dangerous assault.
* Fires Within (Su): Starting at 1st level, you can generate a bolt of plasma energy as a full round action that resolves as a ranged touch attack with a 30 ft. range, inflicting 1d8 points of damage +1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. Half of this damage is electrical damage and half is fire damage. You can use this attack a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
* Protective Field (Su): At 3rd level, the pseudo-magnetic forces that contain the energies writhing within your body are intensified, granting you a force field that is treated as temporary hit points equal to your sorcerer level plus your Charisma modifier. These temporary hit points, as long as even one remains, restore themselves as if they had fast healing equal to your Charisma modifier. Once they are reduced to zero, however, the field collapses and cannot be restored until you next rest and recover your spell slots. Damage from laser weapons bypasses these temporary hit points and damages you directly, as with other force fields.
* Explosive Discharge (Su): At 9th level, as an immediate action, you can unleash all of the pent up plasma energy within your body. Every creature adjacent to you suffers plasma damage equal to the current value of your protective field plus the damage of any remaining uses of fires within remaining. The energy wave continues to pulse outwards, reducing by half (round down) damage / square, so that if you generate an explosive discharge that inflicts 87 hit points worth of plasma damage to all adjacent squares, it will inflict 43 points of plasma damage to all between 5 ft. and 10 ft. of you, 21 points of plasma damage to all between 10 ft. and 15 ft. of you, etc. to a minimum of 10 hit points. (The explosion does not progress if the halved result would be lower than 10 hit points.) Those affected receive a Reflex saving throw for half damage (DC 10 + half your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier). After generating such a blast, your protective field is reduced to zero and must recharge normally, and all remaining uses of fire within are expended.
* Storm Rush (Su): At 15th level, you can convert your body to plasma energy as a standard action for one round, granting you the incorporeal subtype and a fly speed of 120 ft. (clumsy). Any person or object you contact during movement taken in this form suffers 4d6 plasma damage from contact with your energized form, and any object or creature larger than your own size that is not rendered disabled or broken by this damage stops your movement immediately and causes you to revert to your corporeal form. You can assume this form a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. Your movement in this form provokes attacks of opportunity from those capable of striking an incorporeal foe.
* Plasma Lord (Su): At 20th level, the plasma within your body crackles with excruciating heat and force, granting you 60 ft. darkvision and low-light vision, electricity resistance 10, fire resistance 10 and rendering you immune to the sickened condition. Anyone taking plasma damage from your spells or class abilities is sickened with pain from a coruscating aura of plasma energy that lingers for a number of rounds equal to the spells level. While sickened, the targets are also limned as if by a faerie fire spell. (Fires within is treated as a 1st level spell for this purpose, and explosive discharge a 5th level spell.) You can generate light, as the cantrip, at will, but the target of the cantrip must be yourself (although it can be a specific part of yourself, such as your eyes, your hair, a tattoo or a hand).

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Feats for any evoker type, modified to also be useful for the Incandescent Bloodline;

Faster than Lightning
Your energies travel at blinding speed, so fast that even the swiftest find themselves with little time to react, and, eerily, sometimes seem to swerve in mid-air, to strike an elusive target.
* Prerequisites: Lightning Reflexes.
* Benefit: Pick one type of energy, such as acid, cold, electricity, fire or sonic. Any spell or class ability that inflicts plasma damage and would normally allow a Reflex saving throw has a +2 DC bonus to the saving throw (+4 if the target is flat-footed versus the attack), and the target does not benefit from Evasion. If the target has Improved Evasion, it is instead treated as if it only had Evasion.
* Special You can select 'plasma' as the energy type to be modified by this feat, but the benefits do not apply to standard electricity or fire effects, only to those that inflict plasma damage.

Supercharged
Your energy attacks are infused with unnatural potency, bypassing traditional defenses against these forces.
* Benefit: Pick one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, sonic, acid, positive energy, negative energy, etc.). Energy resistance or channel resistance against attacks using this energy type is halved, and creatures that would normally be immune to that energy type instead suffer half damage (before possibly reducing damage again via a saving throw). The energy type chosen to be enhanced by this feat also inflicts full damage against objects, so long as the energy type in question would normally inflict damage to objects.
* Special: Plasma is considered an energy type for the purposes of this feat, but the benefits to not apply to non-plasma effect fire or electrical damage.

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The association of the seven Thassilonion 'sins' with seven of the arcane schools of magic is a fascinating thing to me, even when, sometimes, the 'sin' chosen isn't always a perfect fit for the school, thematically. I've decided to try and find way to design spells of the appropriate schools that reflect the specific sins to which they are associated, so, in this case, spells of Abjuration that specifically reflect the qualities of Envy, the resentment one feels in the face of a perceived superior force or quality and the desire to bring down or diminish the object of one's jealousy.

Spells of Sin Magic
Envy – Abjuration (forbidden; evocation, necromancy)

Envious Ward
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range personal
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance no

An opponent attempting to directly attack you, even with a targeted spell, must attempt a Will save. If the save succeeds, the opponent can attack normally and is unaffected by that casting of the spell. If the save fails, and the opponent’s strength or caster level are higher than your own, the effects of the attack are reduced as if the opponent had a strength score or caster level equal to your own. Any effect that increases your own strength score or caster level causes attacks against you by opponents affected by this spell to use the enhanced score. Affected foes do not suffer any other effects of a reduced strength score or caster level, and their attacks on others are not so penalized. Area effect spells cast by an affected foe will be reduced in effect against you, but, apart from a familiar, or similar bound companion benefitting from the share spells feature, no others will benefit from this reduction.

[Reflecting the theme of envy, you force opponents who are physically or magically more potent than yourself to be hobbled down to your level, reducing them to the lowest common denominator, like some sort of magical Harrison Bergeron. A raging barbarian's greatsword will strike you as if he had a Strength score no higher than your own, and a fireball will inflict damage to you as if cast at your own caster level, even if the attacker is many levels higher than yourself, so long as the attackers fail their Will save versus this spell.

This spell was intended to be more useful for a lower level caster, or a wizard who finds themself in a duel with a much stronger foe, 'bringing them down to your level,' as it were and evening the odds.]

Thieving Dispel
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a tick)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft. / level)
Target or Area one spellcaster, creature, or object
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell functions as dispel magic, except that you benefit from a +1 circumstance bonus to dispel spells that you know, or that are part of your school of specialization. These bonuses stack if you both know the spell to be affected, and it is also part of your school of specialization. Additionally, if you successfully dispel a spell that you do not know, but is on your class list and of a level that you can cast, you gain the option of learning that spell. If you are a spontaneous caster, you can immediately choose another spell that you know of the appropriate level to replace with the new spell (this choice must be made immediately, as an immediate action, or the opportunity is lost). If you are a prepared caster, you must scribe the new spell into your spellbook or imprint it upon your familiar within 24 hours of successfully dispelling the spell.

[Again, with the envy, only, in this case, you strip away and steal the magic that has inspired your jealousy.]

Usurp Spell
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 2, witch 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target or Area the ongoing effect or manifestations of one spell
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You can cast this spell to target any other ongoing spell effect or manifestation. If you succeed at a caster level check against a caster level check from the caster of the spell you wish to usurp, you gain control of the spell, and are treated as its caster. If the spell is one with a duration of (D), you can then use a standard action to end the spell, as if you had cast it yourself. In the case of spells that require concentration to maintain, the spells will end if you do not choose to concentrate to maintain them. Creatures brought forth by conjuration (summoning) spells will treat you as their summoner, attacking your foes to the best of their ability, and following any instructions you give them, should they be able to understand your intent. For the purposes of the spells effects and duration, you continue using the caster level of the original caster.

You either usurp an entire spell, or not, so that if multiple creatures have been called forth by a single summoning effect, you either gain control of all of them, or fail entirely.

[Similar to the previous spell, you attempt to wrestle away the magics that have triggered your envy.]

This Far and No Farther
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of spider venom)
Range personal
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You grant yourself a resistance bonus to saving throws against spells or spell-like abilities that are of a higher level than you can cast equal to +1 for each level the spell is above the highest level spell you have prepared. This bonus can change, if you exhaust your highest level spells, increasing your save bonus against spells above that level. If you are a specialist wizard, you gain an additional +2 untyped bonus to saving throws against spells from an opposition school, but only so long as you have no spells from that school prepared.

[You scornfully dismiss the effects of magics too great and wondrous for you to cast yourself, either because of lack of skill, or magical exhaustion, enviously declaiming their effectiveness. 'If I can't have it, it's probably not worth having anyway.' As PC mages occasionally find their groups pit against spellcasters who are several levels above the party's own level, this spell may be of more use to a PC than an NPC, which is by design.]

Tenacious Dispel
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 4, 5 or 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of glue)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft. / level)
Target or Area one spellcaster, creature or object
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell functions as dispel magic, but if it fails to negate a spell, it tries again on the next round on the same initiative count until it succeeds in dispelling the selected spell, or the duration ends. If this spell is prepared or cast using a 5th level spell slot, it continues to attempt to dispel up to three spells, or until the duration ends. If this spell is prepared or cast using a 6th level slot, it continues attempting to dispel spells on the affected target, one per round, until the duration concludes or it is itself dispelled.

[A spell that can be prepared (or cast) from a 4th level, 5th level or 6th level slot, with enhanced effects from higher slots. It's hardly a new concept (one used a fair bit in Kingdoms of Kalamar), but a neat one that, IMO, saves writing what is essentially the same spell multiple times, in the manner of dispel magic and greater dispel magic or protection from evil and communal protection from evil.]

Arcane Ripple
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of blood from a creature with spell resistance)
Range personal
Area 30 ft. radius burst
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You generate pulses of magical force that hinder the use of spellcasting within the area of effect, forcing all present (except yourself) to make concentration checks whenever they attempt to cast a spell (DC 12 + your spellcasting attribute modifier + level of spell being cast) or lose the spell. If anyone is required to make a concentration for another reason while affected by this spell, the DC is increased by 2.

[Being an arcanist is a source of pride, for someone who has studied extensively over years to master the craft. The ability to prevent others from upstaging oneself with their own arcane displays is always welcome to the envious caster.]

Arcane Vortex
School abjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of disenchanter or vampire blood)
Range personal
Area 30 ft. radius burst
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell functions like arcane ripple, but forces a concentration check DC of 14 + your spellcasting attribute modifier + level of spell being attempted, and whenever the effect causes a spell to be lost, the whirling eddy of magical forces bring the lost energies to you, and you can absorb them to gain one of several benefits. If anyone is required to make a concentration for another reason while affected by this spell, the DC is increased by 4.

For each spell level disrupted by the arcane vortex (cantrips count as 0 levels, and grant no benefits), you can gain a +1 bonus to armor class, to a maximum bonus equal to your caster level, which will last for the duration of the arcane vortex. Alternately, you use the purloined energies to restore lower level spells that you have already cast, or recharge lower level slots that you have already expended. You must expend a number of spell levels of disrupted spells equal to the level of the spell or slot being restored +1. Finally, you can use these absorbed spell levels to enhance any prepared or known spell with the effects of any metamagic feat that you possess, expending two absorbed spell levels for each +1 of metamagic cost being offset. Spells enhanced in this manner do not use a higher level slot, and take no extra time to cast for a spontaneous spellcaster. Extra spell levels not assigned to one of these functions by the end of the spells duration are lost.

[Same as arcane ripple (which, now that I think of it, sounds like a flavor of ice cream one would find in Nex...), but also a tad avaricious, as you tear away the magical energies others are gathering and attempt to usurp them for your own use. Originally, the arcane vortex bonus to AC was a bonus to temporary hit points, but that felt more like a necromancy thing, and necromancy is an opposed school to Sin/abjuration, so I went with an AC bonus instead, which felt more 'abjuration-y.']

I think that abjuration often gets short shrift, compared to schools like conjuration, necromancy and transmutation, and so I've come up with a few more spell ideas than I have for other schools. Then again, perhaps the focus on envy has seeped into the spell design, and left me thinking that abjuration totally got cheated...

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More Spells of Sin;

In the case of Sloth being tied to Conjuration, I tried to make conjuration spells that were thematically linked, either with sleep effects, restraining effects or effects that hindered movement, either beneficially (making you hard to bull rush / reposition) or offensively.

I'm not completely done with this concept, and might come back to it.

Sloth – Conjuration (forbidden; evocation, illusion)

Summon Sandling
School conjuration (summoning); Level sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (powdered rose petals)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target or Area 1 summoned creature
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

This spell summons an elemental being that is more hazard than creature, manifesting as a medium-sized dust devil of rose-scented desert sand that engulfs targets in its gentle fragrant sands, causing them to collapse into unconsciousness. The sandling moves in whichever direction you point, and engulfs those it strikes, moving at 30 feet per round, and able to ascend or jump up to 30 ft. to strike a target. If it enters a space with a creature, it stops moving for the round and deals 1d6 nonlethal damage and fatigues that creature, which can make a Fortitude save to avoid both damage and fatigue. If it strikes an already fatigued creature, it must instead save or become exhausted, and if it strikes an already exhausted creature, that creature must save or become unconscious.

The sandling lacks volition, and moves only as long as you direct it (a move action for you); otherwise it merely stays at rest (and possibly continuing to damage / effect a stationary creature sharing its space). The sandling generates negligible force, and cannot push aside unwilling creatures or batter aside obstacles, although its winds and sand may extinguish small exposed flames, such as candles or torches, within its space. Despite being more elemental force or environmental effect than creature, it shares a link with its summoner, and can be warded away by protection from chaos/evil/good/law spell or circle of protection from chaos/evil/good/law as if it were a creature of the same alignment as its summoner.

Muddling Mire
School conjuration; Level sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a clump of swamp mud)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft. / level)
Target 1 creature
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Ref negates; Spell Resistance yes

You cause the ground beneath a targets feet to become thick mud, hindering its movement as if it was in difficult terrain (creatures with the swamp stride racial ability, or a similar means of ignoring the effects of swamp like terrain, are unaffected). This effect pursues the afflicted target, who can attempt another Reflex save each round as a standard action to escape the effect.

Supportive Strands
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a strand of spider web)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target 1 creature
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Ref negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

You conjure misty web-like strands to anchor your target to his surroundings. These strands are intangible, and only semi-visible, to others, and even to the target himself. They do not restrain or hamper his deliberate movement, but coalesce to anchor him against involuntary movement, conferring him a +8 bonus to his CMD to resist being moved by a bull rush, drag or reposition maneuver, or to resist the Push or Pull monster abilities.

Rings of Restraint
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a leather strap), F (a pair of manacles or masterwork manacles)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target one to three targets who can be no more than 10 ft. apart
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Ref negates; Spell Resistance yes

You create a cloud of leather straps and iron manacles that wrap about one, two or three targets within range, hampering their movements for the duration of the spell. If one set of bands affect a single target, he is treated as entangled until he breaks free, or the spells duration expires. If a single target is affected (fails his initial Reflex save) by two sets of rings of restraint he is instead treated as grappled, and the bands merge together into a single set of restraints. If a single target is affected by all three sets of restraints, and fails all three saving throws, he is instead pinned for the duration, or until he breaks free.

The restraints manifest physically, and can be targeted by melee attacks. Treat them as manacles for this purpose (Escape Artist DC 30 to slip free, Strength check DC 26 to break free, Hardness 10, hit points 10), but they have additional hit points equal to your spellcasting attribute modifier. If masterwork manacles are used for this purpose, the Escape Artist DC rises to 35 and the Strength check DC to 28.

Punishing Lash
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 2, summoner 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a whip or scorpion whip)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Effect one magical whip of force
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You create a whip (or scorpion whip) of magical force that attacks an enemy within range that you designate upon the casting of the spell. It can pursue a target out of range, moving with a fly speed of 60 with perfect maneuverability, but it cannot change targets, once created. This whip is sized appropriately for you, but increases in damage as if one size class larger for every six levels you possess. The whip is treated as having a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage, and attacks with a BAB equal to your caster level, inflicting nonlethal force damage (for a whip) or lethal force damage (for a scorpion whip), functioning as a dancing weapon in other particulars for the duration. If it successfully strikes a target, it can attempt a free grapple attempt (with a bonus to combat maneuver checks equal to your caster level plus your spellcasting attribute modifier). At 10th level, and again at 20th level, the enhancement bonus increases by +1, or you can choose to enhance the whip with any property that would equal a +1 bonus (or, at 20th, a +2 bonus).


Redotting, as the previous dot somehow fell off or somesuch.


Fantastic spells Set! I particularly liked the Rings of Restraint, and its versatility - weak against three, strong against one.

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Oceanshieldwolf wrote:
Fantastic spells Set! I particularly liked the Rings of Restraint, and its versatility - weak against three, strong against one.

Thanks! That was totally a nostalgia / grognard thing, harkening back to 1st edition, when hold person affected up to four targets, with a greater difficulty to the save if you focused it on a single target.

I found the conjuration / sloth connection a bit more challenging than the very easy thematic tie between abjuration and envy. I wanted to create effects based on restraint, and yet, it occured to me later that I should have also created effects that punished movement (such as conjuring damaging terrain) or rewarded staying in one place (such as conjuring a stationary well of energy that you can tap, so long as you don't leave the square in which you created it), or even rewarded skipping actions to build up to something spectacular at the end of several rounds of farting around doing nothing (such as conjuring a big ball of energy or a storm cloud or something that just builds up and looks ominous until a few rounds have gone by, at which point it goes boom, with a 'hasty' casting being a big waste of time, but a langourus leisurely build up leading to a suitably impressive effect).

Gluttony / necromancy is another easy one, as is transmutation / greed. Evocation / wrath is probably the trickiest for me, since tying destruction energy effects into emotional stuff goes all Red Lantern in my head. Leaves a bad taste in my brain. :)


Great stuff, Set.


Set: as always your stuff is both amazing and VERY appreciated. I did want to point out though that swamp stride (I think) has a line in it that specifically states it doesn't work on spontaneously created swamp-like environments, but maybe that was just in the Grippli entry I was obsessing over the other night!

Anyway, thank you again for all these and especially your hag who gets her spells from trophies!

For Wrath you could look at the old 80's new mutant Dani Moonstar who could show people their worst fear or strongest desire as a kind of highly specialized mental probe and telepathy.

The spellcaster literally reaches into the victim's brain, plucks forth an image to incite rage in the target, then reveals it to them causing a blind fury to occur?

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Very cool stuff, Set.

Cheers!
Landon

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More Spells of Sin! Zombies and brain-eating. Vampires devouring life, cup by sanguine cup. Gluttony and necromancy have plenty of unsavory associations, making this one of the easier ones to slap together spells for!

Gluttony – Necromancy (forbidden; abjuration, enchantment)

Dread Repast
School necromancy [evil]; Level sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a corpse)
Range creature touched
Duration instantaneous; see text
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

The recipient of this spell must begin devouring the major organs of a corpse that has died within a number of rounds equal to its Hit Dice to gain the benefits of this spell. It takes an equal number of rounds (equal to the creatures HD) to complete this meal, and the consumer is treated as flat-footed (and provoke an attack of opportunity from any who threaten them) during this time. Each round of the dread repast grants the feaster healing and recovery as if he had received eight hours of rest (hit points recovered equal to his Hit Dice, and a single point of ability damage recovered, as well as elimination of any fatigued or exhausted conditions), and is nourished as if he had received all necessary food and drink for the last 24 hours. If the dread repast is interrupted for any reason, the spell is ended, although the feaster still retains any benefits gained from previous rounds.

If the entire meal is completed, the feaster also gains temporary hit points equal to 4x the corpses HD for 1 hour, and the corpse is treated as incomplete for the purposes of raise dead, although it can still be restored to life by reincarnate or resurrection.

Corruption
School necromancy; Level cleric/oracle 1, druid 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of urine)
Range medium (100 ft. +10 ft./ level)
Area 20 ft. radius burst
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

You generate a wave of negative energy that taints and fouls some types of organic material, causing any food in the area to become fouled and inedible and any water in the area to become brackish and unable to quench thirst or support life. Holy water is allowed a save to avoid corruption, while unholy water is enhanced and inflicts 1d6 negative energy damage (or healing, to undead or other targets that are healed by negative energy) if splashed on someone within 1 minute of the spell being cast (upon which the negative energy charge fades, and the unholy water returns to being normal unholy water). Magical or alchemical liquids, such as potions or elixirs, alchemist’s fire, bombs or mutagens, are unaffected. Poisonous liquids or consumables are enhanced, and their DC is increased by +1 for 1 minute, after which the enhanced toxicity fades.

Food producing animals within the area of effect are allowed a Will save to be unaffected by this wave of negative energy, but if they fail, any milk, eggs or similar consumable byproducts they generate within the next 24 hours will be inedible and fouled. Each day, they will receive another save to end this effect.

Starveling Stare
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a bit of rotten fruit or spoiled meat)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Duration instantaneous
Target 1 creature
Saving Throw Fort partial; Spell Resistance yes

You cause pangs of hunger to wrack your target. If the target fails his saving throw, he suffers 3d6 points of nonlethal damage, and is immediately exhausted. The target must eat at least a full meal worth of food before these conditions can be overcome. If the target succeeds at his saving throw, he is only fatigued, and suffers 1d6 nonlethal damage.

Unlike natural starvation, the exhausted or fatigued conditions end immediately after the victim relieves his hunger.

Mass Starvation
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (powdered bone from the corpse of someone who died of starvation)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft. / level)
Target or Area 1 creature / level within a 30 ft. burst
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Fort negates; Spell Resistance yes

You cause a number of targets within the affected area to suffer the effects of starvation. When the spell is cast, and each round thereafter that the targets remain within the affected area, each target must make a Fortitude save or suffer 1d6 nonlethal damage and become fatigued by hunger and nauseated by hunger pains. For every failed saving throw, another 1d6 nonlethal damage is suffered, and if a target fails a second consecutive saving throw, his fatigued condition advances to exhausted, and if he fails a third consecutive saving throw, he drops unconscious from hunger. On any round that he makes his saving throw, the nauseating hunger pains lessen and he is only sickened by them, taking no additional nonlethal damage, and he is free to move out of the area of effect (although he retains any fatigued or exhausted conditions already imposed).

Hungry Dead
School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric/oracle 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 10 minutes
Components V, S, M (a cup of blood and a human liver)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target one corporeal undead creature / caster level
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

With this spell, you cause one corporeal undead creature per level to become capable of deriving nourishment from the flesh of the living, and capable of restoring their own forms by feasting on those they have slain. Each living corpse of the same size as the undead that has been dead for no more than 24 hours can provide up to five hit points of healing to an undead modified by this spell, and even skeletal undead are capable of tearing off chunks of flesh and going through the motions of devouring them to derive healing in this fashion, even as their meal falls from their ribcage to lie rotten and fouled upon the ground, drained of vital essence. A smaller or larger corpse can provide twice or half this amount of healing, for each size category of difference. There is no limit to how often or how much an undead can feed in this manner, but excess hit points are wasted, as the undead can only recover lost hit points in this manner and cannot gorge itself to increase its hit points beyond their normal maximum.

Once an undead creature is affected by this spell, the effects are permanent, and the undead can feed in this manner for the remainder of its existence.

Necrotic Bite
School necromancy [curse]; Level cleric/oracle 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (the fang of a predatory animal and a dram of acid)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Fort negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes

You can cast this spell upon any creature that possesses one or more natural bite attacks, causing it’s bite to be infused with necrotic malignancy, so that any living creature bitten by the enhanced creature must make a Fortitude save or also suffer 1 point of Constitution damage and be cursed so that no damage from the creatures bite will heal naturally until the Constitution damage is cured. Additionally, so long as the creature suffers Constitution damage from this effect, he receives only half healing from positive energy effects, such as cure … wounds spells or channeled positive energy.

While this spell normally has no effect if cast upon a creature that does not possess a natural bite attack, you can cast this spell upon yourself even if you do not possess a natural bite attack, and for the duration of the spell you will gain a bite attack appropriate for a creature of your size class.

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Landon Winkler wrote:

Very cool stuff, Set.

Cheers!
Landon
Fabius Maximus wrote:
Great stuff, Set.

Thanks all! I'm glad you're finding it interesting, and hopefully useful!

Mark Hoover wrote:
Set: as always your stuff is both amazing and VERY appreciated. I did want to point out though that swamp stride (I think) has a line in it that specifically states it doesn't work on spontaneously created swamp-like environments, but maybe that was just in the Grippli entry I was obsessing over the other night!

Yeah, I guess that would be an exception to an exception. A part of me wants to reward creatures with swamp stride for actually having that terribly selective ability, instead of arbitrarily saying that their racial ability doesn't work the one time they might actually *need* it...

Quote:
Anyway, thank you again for all these and especially your hag who gets her spells from trophies!

You're very welcome. I love the idea of a familiar-less witch who has to either remain in a place of power to recharge her spells, or perform some ritual activity, or maintain a collection of items. Some wouldn't work for a PC (such as being limited to a specific place of power), but others open up all sorts of funky possibilities.

A more 'adult' version reminscent of some of the more scurrilous rumors of what medieval witches got up to at midnight ceremonies might even have to call up a quasi-real manifestation of their 'patron' and engage in intimate acts with them to prepare spells (or even just something creepy, like drinking some of its blood, drawing otherworldly essence into themselves to charge themselves with arcane power).

Quote:

For Wrath you could look at the old 80's new mutant Dani Moonstar who could show people their worst fear or strongest desire as a kind of highly specialized mental probe and telepathy.

The spellcaster literally reaches into the victim's brain, plucks forth an image to incite rage in the target, then reveals it to them causing a blind fury to occur?

That would be fine as an enchantment effect, or even a divination or illusion effect, depending on how it's fluffed, but my quandary is finding good evocation effects that thematically tie into rage / anger / hate. 'I get so angry that I catch on fire!' or 'I hate you so much that *you* catch on fire!' I've got some baseline ideas, but, unlike gluttony / necromancy, for instance, where they feel 'organic,' I feel like my rage / evocation spell ideas are 'reaching' a bit to force a connection.

Plus I have to write them up and get them out of my head. Pesky work, always getting in the way of just sitting around writing up new stuff! :)

Thanks for the feedback and the kind words and the good eye spotting the limitations on swamp stride!


Evocation idea, like making someone hungry with gluttony...what about freezing a person by stealing the heat of their rage? And don't forget about storms; those are, after all, Nature's Fury. And what is it they say about a woman scorned? Its a stretch but: if woman then fingernails; if fingernails then claws; woman scorned = raking claw attack?

And worst case scenario...blow stuff up with explosive force or screaming. When people get angry they scream and their rage explodes out from them. And when I say "blow up" I don't mean like a fiery explosion I mean mortal kombat style, rendering your victim a pile of rib cages and femurs. Maybe that's more necromancy...

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And I decided to go for the potentially toughest first, since I had evocation on the brain.

Spells of Sin Magic

Wrath – Evocation (forbidden; abjuration, conjuration)

Irestorm
School evocation [electricity]; Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a carved ivory totem of an electrical spirit)
Range personal
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Ref negates, see text; Spell Resistance yes

A whirling electrical storm surrounds you, inflicting 1d6 electrical damage to all who threaten you (unless they do so with a manufactured reach weapon that is not wholly composed of metal) each round on your turn, and there is no save to avoid this damage. If you are struck by a melee weapon, natural weapon or unarmed attack, the attacker must make a Reflex save or suffer electrical damage equal to half the damage their attack inflicted upon you, with a save to negate this retributive damage entirely. Damage that is mitigated by damage reduction, or other means, is not counted against this total, as the lightning discharge results from the shock and outrage of your own physical harm, and will not trigger if you are not harmed by the assault upon your person.

The winds swirling around are treated as severe winds in all adjacent squares (50% chance of extinguishing open flames, small creatures are checked and cannot enter your space, tiny and smaller creatures are blown away) and give a -4 penalty to those attempting to hit you with ranged attacks (although they are not powerful enough to penalize siege weapons or boulders thrown by giants). These winds do not affect your own ranged attacks.

Wrathful Arcana
School evocation; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a small amount of badger, boar or wolverine blood, smeared on your face)
Range personal
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You enter a frenzied state, in which your body and mind are supercharged with aggression and elemental fury. While this spell is in effect, you cannot cast non-evocation spells at all, but gain a +1 save DC for evocation spells, and are treated as +2 caster level for all effects of evocation spells, including to overcome spell resistance or counterspells. While in this frenzied state, you automatically save against the effects of any damaging evocation spell that you cast, and have a +2 bonus versus the evocation spells of others, as well as gaining the benefits of Evasion, but only against evocation spells or spell-like abilities. (If you already have Evasion from another source, you gain the benefits of Improved Evasion, only against evocation spells, for the duration of the spell.)

These benefits come at a cost, however, as the energies within you demand to be released. For every round that you do not cast an evocation spell of at least 1st level, you suffer 1d6 damage per level of the highest level evocation spell you have prepared (or know, for a spontaneous caster), as the power explosively tears its way free from your body.

Burn the Candle
School evocation [fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of ashes from creatures of the same type to be affected)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

When a creature under the effect of this spell enters a state of rage, frenzy or ferocity, from either a racial quality or class ability, it also catches on fire, gaining the burn quality (1d6 damage, DC equal to the spell DC) that applies to anyone struck with melee weapon attacks, natural weapon attacks or unarmed attacks, *or* to any creature striking the burning recipient with melee weapon, natural weapon or unarmed attacks. The recipient itself also suffers 1d6 fire damage at the end of every round that this spell is in effect (and so long as they remain under the effects of rage, frenzy or ferocity).

Many Burning Candles
School evocation [fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (an ash-quenched iron dagger)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one creature / level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

Except for the material component and number of creatures affected, this spell functions identically to burn the candle.

[Not for nothing did Alaznist keep a retinue of orcish barbarians handy…]

Burning Hate
School evocation [fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a flask of alchemist’s fire)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

You cause the affected creature to burst into dull flames that only affect a specific type of creature that you designate. Choose one creature type from the ranger’s favored enemy list, and against creatures of that type the fiery mantle acts as a fire shield (warm version) and grants all of the target’s attacks (including those from natural weapons or unarmed combat) the fiery burst weapon property. Additionally, while under the effects of burning hate, any fire spells or spell-like abilities the target uses (apart from the effects of burning hate itself) inflict 50% extra damage to the designated enemies, and half damage to all other targets. This spell does not actually grant any of the benefits of the favored enemy class ability, merely using that list to select what creature type (or subtype) will trigger its other benefits.

If the target already has one or more favored enemies as a class feature or from another source, or has the hatred racial trait, these benefits also apply automatically to those favored enemies or hated races.

Warcry
School evocation [sonic]; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a cracked bull’s horn)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Fort negates; Spell Resistance yes

You cause the target to emit a terrible scream that drowns out all other sounds, effectively deafening everyone within 30 ft. (including the target). The sonic energies are so powerful that the target, and all adjacent to them, also suffer 1d6 sonic damage at the end of every round. The target is allowed a new Fortitude save at the end of each round after the first to end the effect, but otherwise continues screaming for the spells full duration, or until 1 round after the target dies, whichever comes first. While screaming, the target can take actions normally, but cannot speak or communicate in any way, and cannot cast spells that require a verbal component. Those deafened by the sound of the targets screams (including the target), regain their hearing 1 round after leaving the affected area, or the screaming stops.

*

And some less than thematic evocations that 'didn't make the cut,' since they really didn't have anything to do with hate, rage, anger or retribution...

Terrible to Behold
School evocation [light]; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of powdered silver and glass)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You cause the creature touched to begin glowing with brilliant light that illuminates the area like a lantern, and causes anyone looking at the target (such as to strike them with a melee or ranged attack, or to target a spell) to be so blinded by glare that they treat the target as if it possessed partial concealment. Creatures with the light blindness or light sensitivity traits, or otherwise adversely affected by light or sunlight, such as a wraith or vampire, instead treat the target as if it possessed total concealment.

Force Legion
School evocation [force]; Level sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature / level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You cause a thin layer of force to settle over a number of creatures, giving them both protection, and enhancing their attacks. Each creature affected gains a +4 deflection bonus to Armor Class, as if the recipient of a shield spell, and also benefits from the properties of a magic weapon or magic fang spell affecting all of their currently equipped weapons, natural attacks or unarmed attacks. Projectile weapons pass on the benefits to their ammunition, although the enhanced properties fade from the ammunition at the end of the round when they are used. For the duration of the spell, the layer of force over a weapon or natural or unarmed attack also allows it to affect an incorporeal creature as if it were a force effect.

Fire and Ice
School evocation [cold, fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a flask of water that has been previously both frozen and boiled)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Fort negates; Spell Resistance yes

Every round that a creature is affected by this spell, it is allowed another saving throw to end the effect, but for each round that it fails, it suffers 4d6 cold damage and involuntarily emits a scorching ray that attacks any target you choose with your full attack bonus, so long as you remain within range of the victim, as the heat so painfully drained from its body is converted into a fiery blast to punish its own allies. (If you do not select a target, or leave the area, a target is randomly selected from creatures within close range of the victim.) Designating targets in this fashion does not require an action on your part, but you gain no special awareness of the victim’s surroundings, should they leave your line of sight.

[This totally doesn’t fit the ‘rage’ theme, but, gosh, it seems like the sort of thing Alaznist would love, turning an enemy into a source of continuing damage on their own allies…]


Set helped me word a special feat for a diabolist I have in a pbp.

Thanks Set.

Voice of Seven Sinful Submission

Benefit: When you cast a spell with the charm or compulsion descriptors that would cause another to conform to one of the seven deadly sins, the target's save DC is one higher, and you gain a +2 bonus to any checks made to penetrate Spell Resistance.

Furthermore, any Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate check you make gains a +2 bonus if it would lead the target of the check to engage in sinful behavior.

GM adjudication may be required, in some instances. Distracting a guard with an offer of fine wine and some pipeweed (gluttony), or convincing him to take a nap for a bit while you watch things (sloth), or to take a small bribe to look the other way (greed), while your allies sneak through the hallway that he's supposed to be guarding would qualify for the bonuses.

Threatening him via intimidation or threats, or attempting to enspell him to flee his post, would not, as fear and cowardice are not among the 'seven deadly sins.'

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Illusion / Pride is one of the more fun combinations, as it's easy to see how someone able to cover up his own flaws and weaknesses with layers of glamer could succumb to vanity and even egomania, fooling even himself into believing himself invulnerable and immortal...

Spells of Sin Magic
Pride – Illusion (forbidden; conjuration, transmutation)

Aura of Invincibility
School illusion (glamer); Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a pristine golden statuette of the caster worth 250 gp.)
Range personal
Duration 1 hour / level (D)
Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance no

Upon casting this spell, you appear to suffer no damage from melee or magical effects. So long as you remain conscious, you show no evidence of hit point or ability score damage, and appear to have resisted any magical or mundane effect that has caused you harm.

Even if you are rendered unconscious, or slain, you appear unharmed by whatever forces have damaged you until the spells duration ends.

The goal with this effect is to convince your rivals that whatever assault they have launched against you was utterly ineffective, possibly encouraging them to switch to less effective attacks. If the pyromancer is convinced that her metamagic enhanced fiery assault had no effect at all, she might be fooled into thinking that the spellcaster is utterly immune to fire damage, and switch to less 'optimized' attacks.

Regent’s Ruse
School illusion (glamer); Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a signet ring)
Range personal
Duration 10 minutes / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

Your clothing transforms in appearance to any other sort of outfit you desire, and for the duration of the spell, you can cause it to change in style, cut or color as often as desired, as a move equivalent action up to once per round. Additionally, for the duration of the spell, your clothing shows no sign of wear, damage or soiling from any incidental effect or force.

'It's better to look good, than to feel good.'

Inviolable Presence
School illusion (phantasm) [mind-affecting, fear]; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Duration 1 minute / level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

You radiate an aura of overwhelming power and authority, and anyone attempting to target you with a mundane or magical attack must make an immediate Will save. Those who succeed can follow through with their attack against you, and remain unaffected by the spell for the remainder of its duration. Those who fail the saving throw find themselves unable to follow through on their attack, and lose their action, overwhelmed by a perception that you would never be harmed by their assault. As long as they remain within your presence, they are treated as shaken, even if they target only other individuals, and remain unable to attack you or target you or your position with spell effects.

Sanctuary, for prideful illusionists, pretty much.

Façade of Vitality
School illusion (shadow); Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You draw shadowy forces around yourself, mimicking your own appearance, and shielding you from harm. The forces count as temporary hit points equal to two times your caster level, and so long as the shadowy forces remain, you also benefit from a +2 bonus to AC and saving throws against damaging effects. The temporary hit points are lost first, as normal, and when reduced to zero, the secondary benefits are lost, but you can take a standard action at any time to regather hit points worth of shadow energy equal to your caster level.

Combined with aura of invincibility, the layer of shadowy protection can back up the appearance that enemy attacks are failing to affect you. It's not a ton of protection, but the ability to spend an action to partially restore it might make it a bit longer lasting than the one-time benefit from a spell like false life.

Mocking Horde
School illusion (figment, glamer); Level sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Duration 1 round / level (D)
Saving Throw none; see text; Spell Resistance no

This spell renders you invisible as per greater invisibility, simultaneously creating a number of illusory duplicates of you in squares you designate within 30 ft. of your current position, as per mirror image. You initially create a number of duplicates equal to your spellcasting attribute modifier (Intelligence modifier for wizards, Charisma modifier for sorcerers), plus one image per three caster levels. Once the spell is cast, you can move as desired, but the images remain in place unless you direct them to move. As a free action, once per round, you can cause any number of images to shift 5 ft. in any direction or directions. As a move equivalent action, you can direct one or all of them to move up to your normal movement in any or all directions, although you cannot direct them to leave a 100 ft. radius of your current position, or move in such a way yourself that an illusory duplicate is more than 100 ft. from you, without causing that illusory duplicate to fade away at the end of the round. During the duration of the spell, you can also use a standard action to replace a destroyed illusory duplicate within 30 ft. of your current location, up to the spells maximum of Int modifier + one per three caster levels.

If you cast a spell or make an attack while invisible, the target of the attack must make a Will save or perceive the attack as having originated from the closet illusory duplicate, but even if they make the saving throw, they do not automatically discover your position.

The kind of thing that Loki used in the Avengers movie. His illusory selves appeared all around, and distracted foes while he personally moved in for the kill. I love being able to replicate in game effects that looked cool (and proved effective) on-screen!

Overwhelming Arcana
School illusion (shadow); Level sorcerer/wizard 7
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (six drops of blood from a spell resistant creature from the plane of shadow)
Range 10 ft.
Area 10-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
Duration 1 min. / level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You create a field of shifting monochromatic forces that slither and crawl about your person, that causes all evocation and conjuration effects of 6th level or less entering the area of effect to be treated as if generated by shadow conjuration or shadow evocation magics. You automatically make your saving throw to disbelieve these forces, so that they only inflict 20% of their normal damage or effect against you, or have a 20% chance of occurring, although you still must make any other saving throw or resistance check to further reduce their effectiveness normally. Others within this shadowy emanation may also benefit, but do not automatically make their save to disbelieve the effects of the modified conjuration and evocation effects.

Conjuration and evocation effects of 7th level have a 50% chance of being reduced in effect by this aura, but higher level conjuration and evocation effects are unaffected.

Special: This spell can be enhanced by the Heighten Spell metamagic feat, and if so, it automatically reduces spells of a lower level, and has a 50% chance to reduce spells of equal level to its enhanced level.

I waffled over making this a pattern effect, creating a spectacular magical display using illusory forces, that caused all viewers to make a Will save or feel that their own magics were utterly inadequate and receive various caster level penalties or whatever, but it seemed repetitive with the sanctuary like effect, and the shadow version felt more appropriately limited, only affecting conjuration and evocation effects.

I did want to come up with figment, glamer, pattern, phantasm and shadow effects, but rather than artificially come up with a pattern, for which I didn't really have a good idea, decided to skip it, for now.

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Enchantment / lust is kicking my ass, because I'd like to keep it PG-13, and transmutation / greed is just so terribly boring to me. (Yes, Masterwork Transformation and Fool's Gold are obvious 'gimmes,' but after that? Yawn.)

Random gluttony / necromancy spell that I adapted from an old Scarred Lands specific spell I'd whipped up ages ago;

.

Feast of Ashes
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a mixture of powdered pumice, ground obsidian and human ash)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft/levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw Fort negates; see text; Spell Resistance yes

You fill the subject’s mouth, throat and stomach with dust and ash, which prove magically capable of killing even the strongest man, if not resisted. The dusts created absorb water and nutrients within a living victim, so that they suffer the effects of multiple days of starvation all in a moment, while their belly swells with bloated stones, fattened off of the nourishment they have stolen from the victims dying body.

Anyone who fails their initial saving throw suffers 4d6 hit points of damage, as well as 4d6 hit points of nonlethal damage (this damage is treated as starvation damage, and can only be recovered after consuming at least a meal’s worth of food). As long as any of this nonlethal damage remains, the target is also treated as if Fatigued. Every round thereafter, the victim must make another Fortitude save or suffer another 1d6 nonlethal (starvation) damage for the duration of the spell, although three consecutive successful saving throws will end the spell prematurely.

If the target make the initial Fortitude save, he suffers 4d6 nonlethal (starvation) damage, and is Fatigued, but does not suffer any lethal damage, and the spell ends, with no continuing damage. The dust will swell in this case no larger than small pearls from this repast, and will pass from the victims’ body with no difficulty, perhaps even unnoticed.

A victim of this spell appears gaunt and wrinkled from lack of nourishment, with the distended belly common to those who have died of starvation. The corpse will seem oddly heavy, and if cut open, instead of the trapped gases one would expect, his belly will be filled with greasy fist-sized gray stones that sweat a noisome yellow oil, but smell sickeningly sweet and prove to be edible, crumbling apart like hard cheese, sufficient to provide a number of days rations equal to the hit dice of the victim and remaining edible indefinitely, possibly even for decades.

.

This spell was so old, I had to, among other formatting changes, change the term 'subdual damage' to 'nonlethal damage.' Yeah. Remember when you could 'subdue' dragons?

And yeah, I know, yet another 'starvation spell,' but this one feels way more evocative and less boring than the Starveling Stare spells did, IMO. Sometimes my stuff comes off as more workmanlike, and less 'ooh, aah!'


What about mining the lust subdomain for basic ideas with lust/enchantment while still being PG-13?

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Tacticslion wrote:
What about mining the lust subdomain for basic ideas with lust/enchantment while still being PG-13?

A) As much as possible, I try to avoid the 'easy' solutions of just making spells that replicate monster abilities or magic items (like I did with Punishing Lash, stealing some mechanical bits from the whip - feather token) or class abilities from other classes 'cause it's a little bit of a cop-out and kind of unoriginal (although, going in the other direction, it's also terribly precious to go about re-inventing the wheel, and not bothering to do the research because you're convinced that your own ideas are so much better than what has already been printed by the professionals who came before you).

If there's a pre-existing mechanic, I'll try to call back to it, to both save on wordcount, and maintain a sense of internal consistency within the rules, and not have a half-dozen different ways of skinning the same squirrel, but for creative ideas, I try to avoid poaching too much from other sources. (Which would mean that a Thassilonian enchantment-lust wizard and a Lust subdomain Cleric in the same party won't be stepping on each other's toes with different systems (spell vs. domain ability) to do the same thing.)

B) 'Cause I didn't think of it. Ahem.

The fact that B is more true than A, doesn't mean that A isn't also true. :)


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Heh, I hear you. :)

Actually, though, all I meant was mining it for 'ideas' reference how to frame, word, and... er... 'display'... the (literal and figurative) 'enchantments' of lust, rather that actually trying to crib directly off of it. Still difficult, but rereading such things actually usually helps me get in a frame of mind to have certain styles and methods of wording things for a bit.

If you want, I can throw out a few extremely basic ideas I've got floating around based on this conversation at you, though.

Actually, I'll put things in spoilers...

In case you want 'em or in case you don't!:
  • Shuddering Pleasure, using Hideous Laughter as a basic mechanic (and providing bonuses/penalties based on orientation) that,... well, you get the idea in the name. For an interesting twist, it could add the nauseated condition (or some other condition that may or may not be appropriate at first glance but might become so upon a second or third).
  • Addictive Desire, using Bestow Curse, Drug-Addiction (or maybe lesser geas), and either Hypnotism, Charm, and/or Suggestion spells that causes the target to become addicted to the a) touch, b) presence, or c) something else that I'm not thinking of of the caster (or perhaps a target of the caster's choice).
  • Come My Pet, or Glorious Reveal (the latter noted as having... "somatic" components) a variant on suggestion and hypnotic pattern that makes the caster's figure irresistible and causes the target to step closer, fascinated.
  • Grovel, which basically works like a (fall) command-cum-charm, perhaps even making the target helpful... for one round while on the ground (or maybe for one round per level while one the ground, at a higher level, or something).

Anyway, there are a couple of super-basic ideas that, obviously, aren't built out to where they need to be and equally obviously are just cribbings for right now (i.e. "it works like X, except..."). Feel free to avoid the spoiler if you don't want them. :)

Also, here's a search on the d20pfsrd that shows you what's come out for 'lust' already, if you're interested in wording (something I probably should have done before).

EDIT: ... daggumit... there are so many - so many! - puns that I worked so hard to avoid. Oh, blast and bother! I can't stop seeing them now! ... lousy perversion and sin, always getting in the way of a clean mind. ;P

Dark Archive

Tacticslion wrote:

Actually, I'll put things in spoilers...

** spoiler omitted **...

I usually write down a sentence or so 'rough idea' and then cherry-pick the ones that speak to me. Your 'shuddering pleasure' idea I worked up as a 'small death' spell that basically overcame one with pleasure (nauseated condition for a few rounds), and ended with fatigue.

The 'Come Hither Glance' idea is a good one, and has potential for a spellcaster seeking to lure a potential foe into some traps or dangerous terrain, or just to move backwards, having them follow the enchanter into a trap or something) or ambush. Kind of goes with the sirens singing sailors into danger or will-o-wisps luring folk into quicksand theme of some old tales. I like!

Causing folk to be fascinated by sensuous images / imaginings, or to become irrationally attracted to the caster (or to a third party present at the time, or even a third party who isn't present at the time, via a 'token of their affection' like a scarf or lock of hair or something, and then unleashing them to pursue their 'love' like a tracking hound...) could also be a neat route to take, when I've got the time to develop these ideas.

Thanks for the inspiration!


Glad to! :D


using this in this weekend kingmaker game. thanks set.


set, I must beg you to make the lust spells non pg13, or to at least send me s more adult version of these spells via pm. I love lust. it makes spells with casting.


Set these are great, I am too low level now but hopefully I can get to use these for our Way of the Wicked game.


Cуровую зиму wrote:
Stuff.

... how... did you get Russian characters in your name?

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Freehold DM wrote:
set, I must beg you to make the lust spells non pg13, or to at least send me s more adult version of these spells via pm. I love lust. it makes spells with casting.

Turns out none of the ideas I had went 'over that line.' But here's the thoughts I did have;

Spells of Sin Magic

Lust – Enchantment (forbidden; necromancy, transmutation)

Desires Made Manifest
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round / level or concentration + 1d4 rds.
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

You cause a single target to be fascinated with visions of their deepest desires. If the target makes their saving throw, they shrug off the tantalizing visions and are unaffected, but if they fail their initial saving throw, they are treated as fascinated for the duration of the spell, or for as long as you choose to concentrate to maintain the effect directly plus 1d4 rounds.

.

Visions of Paradise
School enchantment (compulsion) [mind-affecting]; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one creature / level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 round / level or concentration + 1d4 rds.
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

Except for affecting multiple targets, this spell acts as desires made manifest.

.

Inflame Passions
School enchantment (compulsion); Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Duration 1 hour / level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

This spell causes the creature touched to feel attraction and arousal at the presence of another individual (who must be present when the spell is cast), regardless of whether the subject would normally feel attraction towards that subject. The subject does not necessarily have to act on these feelings.

.

The Small Death
School enchantment; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft/level)
Duration 1d4 rounds
Saving Throw Will partial; see text; Spell Resistance yes

You cause your target to be overwhelmed with sensations of ecstasy. If they succeed on their saving throw, the waves of pleasure affect them as if they were sickened for 1d4 rounds. If the target fails their saving throw, the waves of pleasure incapacitate them instead for 1d4 rounds, and they are treated as nauseated for this time. When the ecstasy subsides, the target must make another saving throw, this time versus Fortitude, or be fatigued for 10 minutes.

.

Unwelcome Attraction
School enchantment [curse]; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (six droplets of animal musk)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration permanent
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

You afflict a single target with a musky aura of pheromones that drives many animals into a frenzy of distraction. As long as this curse remains in effect, the target has a -8 penalty to Handle Animal or Ride checks, and whenever an animal or swarm has a choice of targets to attack, it will choose the cursed target.

.

Fickle Heart, Faithless Lover
School enchantment [curse]; Level sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a pair of wedding rings, from two who betrayed their vows to one another)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

You sever any magical bond between the target and another creature. Any link the target possesses to an animal companion, mount, familiar, eidolon, summoned creature or charmed or dominated creature is immediately severed, or, if cast upon such a companion, their link to their master, summoner or controller is broken.

In the case of a charm or compulsion spell, the effect is immediately ended, as if dispelled, if the target fails their will save (whether the target is the recipient or caster of the effect). A summoned creature or eidolon vanishes immediately, temporarily freed from its masters’ call, but can be re-summoned via whatever means its master typically uses. An animal companion, familiar or special non-summoned mount no longer shares a link with its ‘owner,’ and may leave or remain, as it wishes, and can be ‘called to service’ again as per the class abilities of its former master. In any case, if the saving throw is made, there is no effect, and if the target has multiple links of this manner, each is saved against separately, so that if a targeted wizard has been dominated by an aboleth, and has used animate dead to create a dozen skeletons, and has a raven familiar, he must save to resist having his ‘link’ to his aboleth controller broken, his link to his raven familiar broken, and his link to his animated undead broken (which would require only one additional saving throw, if he animated them with a single spell).

Sorshen was said to have an advanced version of this spell, or perhaps an item or artifact that enhanced its effects, so that she was able to cause a summoned, charmed or companion creature to be filled with outrage and attack its former master, as well as to have a lingering effect, preventing someone from forming a bond with a new familiar, mount or animal companion, until the enchantment was broken.

AKA the 'I hate Summoners!' spell. Also a cruel thing to do to conjurers, druids, paladins, cavaliers, rangers, shadowdancers, etc. but *especially* cruel to do to necromancers, as they are the ones whose minions are most likely to eat their faces when uncontrolled...

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I think that just leaves Greed/Transmutation, although a few more Wrath/Evocation and Gluttony/Necromancy spells might also make an appearance, as they've wandered into mind.

Plus a seven-school spell from Xin himself, called Xin's Sevenfold Rebuke. Gotta keep those specialists in line, with a spell they could never learn...

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And some, admittedly, uninspired, spells of greed/transmutation.

Spells of Sin Magic

Greed – Transmutation (forbidden; enchantment, illusion)
Fool's Gold

I was gonna write this up, after digging out my 1st edition stuff, but then noticed that Tricky Owlbear had already done the heavy lifting, and I see no need to reinvent this particular wheel.

Masterwork Transformation

Ditto, only Paizo instead of Tricky Owlbear. Still pretty much a no-brainer for a Greed/Transmutation specialist.

Ennoble Armaments
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (one gold piece)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one weapon, shield or suit of armor / level
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

The selected weapons, shields or suits of armor become masterwork for the duration of the spell, conferring all appropriate bonuses.

Reasoning that gold was the noblest of metals, this spell was designed to impart temporarily into arms and armor the resilience, flexibility and ageless purity of gold, alloying its higher properties into their lesser material structure.

Gilded Man
School transmutation (polymorph); Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (5 gp. worth of powdered gold in water, which is drunk, and a gold bar worth 50 gp.)
Range personal
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You transform your flesh into malleable gold, gaining a +8 bonus to Strength, +4 to Constitution, -4 to Dexterity, a +5 natural armor bonus to AC, DR 5/- and Energy Resistance 5 to cold, electricity, fire and sonic damage that stacks with any other type of energy resistance possessed or gained later. In this form, your weight is increased by a factor of five, and your movement rates are halved (round up, to a minimum of 5 ft.). Your golden form is immune to acid damage, and has gains a slam attack for 1d8 damage if size medium (1d6 if small, 2d6 if large).

If the properties of gold can ennoble material goods, then surely gilding oneself can only lead to self-ennoblement!

Transmute Wealth
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a coin-changers scale)
Range touch
Target 1 lb. / level of unattended coins and / or precious or semi-precious stones
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

This spell transmutes unattended coins or gems into different forms or denominations, leaving their total value unchanged. You can transform a tiny 100 gp. diamond into a significantly larger 100 gp. chunk of semi-precious onyx, or 100 copper coins into 10 silver coins or a single gold coin. The spell recognizes only the metal or stone value, and transformed coins or stones lose any unique features, such as a distinctive star pattern, or the imprint of a noted ruler or ancient empire, and, as a result, a silver coin that is worth far more to a collector might be transformed into 10 utterly unremarkable copper coins, leading to a significant loss of value. The spell cannot transmute metal or stone cast into other forms, such as an adamantine dagger or marble column, into the form of coins or stones.

While he certainly didn’t intend this specific use, Karzoug was delighted to find that Gastashan necromancers would pay above market value for stones transmuted into onyx, for their necromantic use.

Mark Coin
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of aqua regia), F (a tiny hammer)
Range touch
Target 1 lb. / level of unattended coins
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You affect a number of coins, striking away any existing imprint and replacing it with either your arcane mark or your visage (head on or in profile) on one or both sides, including a short phrase (up to seven words) of your choice. You can choose for each side of the coin to bear a different image (or none at all), as you wish, but all coins affected in a single casting must have the same inscriptions and reliefs.

You better believe every coin that found its way into Karzougs treasury ended up stamped with his profile on one side, his arcane mark on the other, and a brief phrase about how awesome he was around the edge!

Transmute Arcane Armaments
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 hour
Components V, S, M (the cost difference of the relevant items, in gold)
Range touch
Target one melee weapon, ranged weapon, set of ammunition, shield or suit of armor
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates; see text; Spell Resistance yes

With this spell, you cause any one melee weapon, ranged weapon, set of ammunition, shield or suit of armor to transform into any other melee weapon, ranged weapon, set of ammunition, shield or suit of armor, bearing the same magical enhancements (if any). The size of the weapon, set of ammunition, armor or shield is not relevant, although a melee weapon must be transformed into another melee weapon, a ranged weapon into another ranged weapon, a shield into another shield, and a suit of armor into another suit of armor. If a set of ammunition is not a complete set of fifty (such as a ‘set’ of five bane arrows), it will only be transformed into a similarly incomplete set of ammunition of the new type chosen (such as a ‘set’ of five bane shuriken, or sling bullets, or crossbow bolts). This spell can not only change the type of a weapon, such as transforming a greatsword (a two-handed weapon) into a sickle (a light one-handed weapon), but also the size of a weapon, transforming an ogre hook sized for a large ogre into a kukri sized for a Halfling. The material composition of the weapon, if not of a normal type (such as silver, cold iron, mithral or adamantine) does not change, unless such composition is not appropriate for the new form (such as a +1 cold iron longsword being transformed into a +1 quarterstaff).

When transforming a single weapon into a double weapon, only one side of the double weapon gains the magical enhancement from the original weapon. When transforming a double weapon into a single weapon, the caster must choose which side’s magical enhancements transfer to the single weapon, and the enhancements on the other side of the double weapon are lost.

Enhancements or qualities that are not compatible with the new weapon type or form are lost, so that if you transform a +1 keen scimitar into a greatclub, it only becomes a +1 greatclub, and the keen enhancement is lost.

Non-magical features, such as armor spikes, shield spikes (or the masterwork equivalents thereof) or the agile or quick-draw armor properties (APG 179, UE 10, 12), can be added through the use of this spell, but the cost to add them is added to the material component cost of the spell, which always equals any additional value of the new form over that of the old form. (Tranforming a more expensive weapon into a cheaper form does not incur any gold piece cost!)

Items that can count as both armor and weapon, such as a madu or klar or spiked shield, can be counted as either a shield or weapon, for purposes of this transformation, but armor enhancements can only be transferred to armor components, and weapon enhancements to weapon components, with any not relevant to the new form being lost.

We used to cheat and use polymorph any object to turn those ubiquitous +1 glaive-guisarme-voulges into +1 longswords. Those days are done!

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Oh hey, a couple more odd spells of sin magic that occured late to me.

More Spells of Sin Magic

Greedy Transmutation

Tempering
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 hour
Components V, S, M (a steel coin and a 100 gp. diamond)
Range touch (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target items of stone, glass or crystal weighing up to 10 lbs. / level
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

With this spell, you impart the strength of steel to items of stone, glass or crystal, altering their properties so that they have all the physical qualities of steel, including hardness, hit points and weight, but remain resistant to effects that only target metal, such as the attack of a rust monster, the propensity to attract some electrical effects (such as a shocking grasp spell), susceptibility to certain oozes or the heat metal spell. For the purposes of these effects, such as the attacks of various ooze creatures, or spells such as stone shape, the finished product is treated as if still being of the same material substance.

With the help of glassblowers, who knew how to introduce impurities into their product to create vibrant armor pieces, shields and weapons of green, blue or red glass, Karzoug’s elite warriors seemed to wear breastplates and bear shields and weapons carved of one piece from priceless emerald, sapphire and ruby. A variation of this spell, also known as crystalstrength was known to exist in Gastash, although only affecting bone and chitin, giving it the strength of iron.

Wrathful Evocations

Lightning Link
School evocation [electricity]; Level sorcerer/wizard 7
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a spiked circlet or torc of copper worth 25 gp.)
Range personal
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

You surround yourself with a coruscating electrical field that inflicts electrical damage to anyone you strike in melee combat, and also retributively strikes anyone who strikes you in melee combat, so long as they are within your reach, with each instance inflicting an electrical jolt for 4d6 damage.

Additionally, the electrical current remains linked as a visible thread of harmless static electricity to anyone who was previously shocked, and any additional attacks that trigger an electrical arc send a full strength retributive jolt not only to the triggering attacker, but a half-strength (2d6) jolt to every other person previously affected by this spell, so long as they remain within your reach (even if they were not actually damaged by the effect, due to energy resistance or successful spell resistance). Your own attacks do not unleash this retributive cascade, and only serve to inflict bonus electrical damage to the targets struck, and establish a new lightning link, if one was not already established to that target. There is no limit to how many times this effect can be triggered in a given round, or how many times it can affect a single target in a single round, but the spell only discharges a number of times equal to your caster level, regardless of remaining duration. (Note that an attack that uses a single attack roll to affect multiple targets, such as a Whirlwind Attack, counts as a single ‘discharge’ for this effect.)

Those that step outside of your reach are no longer struck by additional discharges of the effect, but the link remains intact until the spell expires, is dispelled or is fully discharged, so that if they find themselves once again within your reach, they will be affected by any subsequent discharges.

Why yes, Alaznist had a reach weapon, the Whirlwind Attack feat and a propensity to wade into battle like a fearless berserker. Why do you ask?

Gluttonous Necromancy

Hunger for Life
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a fine or diminutive animal or insect that is eaten alive during the casting)
Range 30 ft.
Area A 30-ft. burst, centered on the caster
Duration 1 round / level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You sweep the area around yourself with an eddy of swirling negative energy, like an invisible hungry whirlpool, causing all uses of healing that use positive energy to be halved in effect, and yourself to receive that (halved) healing as if the effects had been targeted upon yourself. This effect occurs regardless of whether the positive energy was from a use of energy channeling or a cast spell, and regardless of whether the intent was to heal the living, or harm the undead (although positive energy effects that do not heal or inflict hit point damage, such as a use of the Turn Undead feat, are not affected), and, most unusually, regardless of whether positive energy would normally heal or harm you, due to undead status or some special circumstance, such as the negative energy affinity of a dhampir.

Mmm. I eat your heals. Also, I have to eat a bug or goldfish or baby mouse to cast this spell, like the creepiest Renfield imaginable.


I love your stuff...

Maybe you should look into starting a Wiki or Google Docs Page System. Just to help a little with us looking through it all.

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I really should. But there's all that technology and my eyes go all googly-woogly and I have to turn the computer off and play with my abacus.

I really do have an abacus. I have no idea how to do math with it, but you can set it on a flat surface and roll it around and pretend it's a racecar. :)

Thanks for the kind words!


I know how to use one type of Abacus...

If I find a Good Wiki Site I could probably help you.

I am thinking of trying wikia.com for mine. Unfortunately I need to look into the Pathfinder OGL first.

Where is that link again...

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Azaelas Fayth wrote:

I know how to use one type of Abacus...

If I find a Good Wiki Site I could probably help you.

I am thinking of trying wikia.com for mine. Unfortunately I need to look into the Pathfinder OGL first.

Where is that link again...

This one?

I found it here.


THANK YOU!

Ok now to figure out how to use it for my Wikia to be allowed to do it legally.

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Playing Warcraft again reminded me of my Firebringer Imp.

And also of an encounter in which the party would face a Type V demon (that's a Marilith, for you whippersnappers), and, in a WoW-esque 'encounter,' she would have four smaller demons hidden in alcoves at the end of passageways hurling healing flame attacks at her every round. The party would have to either be able to do enough damage to outpace this 'free healing' she was getting each round, or dedicate some attacks to squashing these relatively weak demons healing her (each of which is 60 ft. down a corridor, and can be killed, or maybe blocked from being able to affect her by a wall of stone, or even by PCs just trying to stand in the way and provide 'cover').

Since she'd have to remain in the same space to receive the healing blasts, some sort of flight would be necessary to prevent a Create Pit spell from ruining her day completely, and some sort of reach weapons (six large venomous scorpion whips?) to allow her to reach enemies who attempt to just stand out of reach and fill her full of arrows or whatever.

Anywho, that's all fine-tuning, and it doesn't even have to be an epic encounter, it could be a somewhat weaker demon, or evil cleric, or whatever, with the same objective, beating down the healing 'adds' so that you can commence beating down the 'boss.'

So, some thoughts about how to modify the 'Firebringer Imps' linked above to make them more useful for debuffing purposes, or for evil healing purposes.

Unholy Flames (Su) The flame produced by a firebringer imp is infernal in nature, inflicting half fire damage and half damage from unholy energy. Damage dealt by these unholy flames inflicts no damage to evil creatures, those with the aura of evil class feature, or creatures with the evil subtype or fiendish template, but good aligned creatures, those with the aura of good class feature, and those with the good subtype or the celestial template take double damage from it. Creatures under the effects of spells like protection from evil are unaffected by this unholy damage, but may still take fire damage. A fire bringer imp serving as a familiar can extend this property to any fire spells cast by its master, so long as they remain within 5 ft. of one another.

This is pretty much 'Hellfire' from Lords of the Damned: Princes of Darkness: The Little Book of Big Devils. Only I stretched it from 'evil critters and evil subtypes' to include 'peeps with Auras of Evil' and 'fiendish critters' neither of which technically have to be evil aligned, but should count as 'evil enough' for this purpose, IMO. Ditto, this version of 'hellfire' also counts peeps with the Aura of Good (even they aren't themselves good-aligned) and celestial template creatures (which generally *aren't* good-aligned) to be 'good enough' to take extra fiery pain with much burning.

Clinging Flames (Su) The flames produced by a firebringer imp who has this quality linger, inflicting 1d6 damage on the following round unless extinguished (Ref DC equal to 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha mod +2 racial bonus). Additionally, until the flames are extinguished (or until 2 complete rounds have passed, if not extinguished), the flames limn the target with the effects of a faerie fire spell.

A bit of extra damage, and I was thinking it would 'light up' targets and make them easier to hit, but it turns out that I was operating under a 1st edition impression of what faerie fire does (and possibly faulty memories at that, maybe it always sucked!) since faerie fire doesn't seem to do crap-all to help target foes... Eh. It does hose stealthers, I suppose, so it's not nothing, just extra mean for picking on classes that already have it rough. :)

Fearsome Flames (Su) The flames produced by a firebringer imp with this property wail like tortured souls, and require the target struck to make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha mod + 2 racial bonus) or be shaken for 1 round. This effect does not stack with itself, but can stack with other sources of fear.

So, since faerie fire was a bust, let's go with shaken! There's a debuff with some teeth!

Intense Flames (Su) The flames produced by a firebringer imp with this trait are unusually hot, as if modified by the Intensify Spell feat, and generated at caster level 12, inflicting 1d6+10 damage.

I could have just said, 'and it does 2d6 damage instead,' but I figured, we have an Intensify Spell feat, why not use that mechanic? It does create the small oddness of an imp that uses most of it's SLAs at CL 6, but this one at CL 12, but there's already precedent for that with the normal imp, who has a bunch of SLAs at CL 6 and commune at CL 12.

Wound Burning (Su) As a move action, a firebringer imp with this talent can alter the nature of its next magically generated produce flame attack so that it heals infernal creatures it strikes. Any creature with the evil subtype, the aura of evil class feature, the fiendish template or an evil alignment is automatically healed of hit point damage equal to the fire damage that would be inflicted by the produce flame attack (usually 1d6+10 damage, unless the imp also has the Intense Flames trait). Any creature not fitting these qualifications is damaged normally by the modified attack. The firebringerr imp can choose to affect itself with this ‘attack,’ hitting automatically to heal itself, but must otherwise attempt to hurl it’s ‘woundburning flames’ at distant allies, or touch adjacent allies to deliver its healing effect. Hurling a flame or delivering a touch effect is a standard action, normally. The process of converting the infernal flames to woundburning is distracting for the firebringer imp, and results in the imp being treated as flat-footed until its next turn, resulting in impsr imps preferring to only use this ability to heal allies when they feel that they are safe from immediate counter-attack. The healing effects of woundburning are not treated as fire effects, and have no reduced (or enhanced) effects on a fire immune, fire resistant or fire vulnerable target.

The meat of the concept that inspired me to go back and look at the Firebringer Imp. (Of course, the original idea was that a demoness would be the 'Big Bad,' which means this particular group of 'Firebringer Imps' would instead be 'Firebringer Quasits,' but that's a fiddly little detail.) Anywhere from two to six (or more!) of these critters could seriously mess with an encounters difficulty, if they've climbed up to cling from rafters, or are otherwise hard to reach, and are flinging healy flames every round at the central 'bad-guy.' Blocking the 'healy fire' and / or killing four woundburner imps hiding out in the rafters could become a priority, if they are dishing out 4d6+20 or so healing each round (or 4d6+40, if they all have Intense Flames!) to the 'tank' demon down on the ground, wiping the floor with the fighters.

The limitations built into woundburning, the full action (move + standard) to use it, and the flat-footed condition, keep it from being too easy for the bad-guys to skitter around all over the place while doing it, and create some opportunities for PCs to maul them if they end up within weapon's range of a rogue.

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If I had made it past round 1 of RPGA Superstar, this was my initial thought for an Archetype, which, thankfully, I didn't get far enough to submit, 'cause it's all warty and stuff.

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The following text goes in the main text box of your submission:
Uringen Sojourner (Alchemist)
Some alchemists of Uringen have learned to tap into the unpredictable forces that so often cause their community to become unstuck in space and time, and can brew unstable but potent mixtures that bestow this unusual property upon others.
Class Skills: An Uringen sojourner adds knowledge (the planes) to his list of class skills.

Translocation Bomb (Su): At 2nd level, you can choose to learn to modify one of your bombs so that instead of causing damage, this bomb causes the target to be relocated anywhere within 30 ft. of his current position. For every additional die of damage the modified bomb would have inflicted, the distance repositioned is increased by another 5 ft. to a maximum of 100 ft. for a 19th level alchemist. The target is allowed a Will saving throw (DC 10 + half the alchemist’s level + his Intelligence modifier) to resist this effect, and if he makes this initial save, he can choose to be unaffected, or attempt to seize control of the transportation and appear in any open space within half of the usual range, of his choosing. If the saving throw is failed, the target appears in a random open space within that range, with non-flying creatures appearing on some surface capable of supporting them, as close to the maximum range as circumstances permit. This ability replaces a discovery gained as a class feature at 2nd level or later and modifies the bombs class feature.

Temporal Bomb (Su): At 4th level, you can choose to learn to modify one of your bombs so that instead of causing damage, it slows the target for 1 round for each die of damage the bomb would have inflicted based on your class level. Those within the splash area of the modified bomb are slowed for 1 round only. This ability replaces the discovery gained as a class feature at 4th level or later and modifies the bombs class feature.

Dimensional Bomb (Su): At 6th level, you can choose to learn to modify one of your bombs so that instead of inflicting damage, it causes the target to vanish from this reality entirely for a number of rounds equal to the number of dice of damage your bomb would have normally inflicted. The target is allowed a Will saving throw (DC 10 + half the alchemist’s level + his Intelligence modifier) to resist this effect, and if he makes this initial save, he is unaffected. If he fails, he disappears, and is treated as if he does not exist for the duration of the effect, being unable to take any actions, nor even being conscious of time passing, with this time not counting for durations, such as spells, poisons or bleed effects, which resume uninterrupted when he reappears. No external force can affect or harm him while he is in this state. Each round, on his turn, he is allowed another Will save at the same DC to snap back to this reality (the player may choose to attempt this saving throw or not, even if his character is unaware of the passing of time), and he does so automatically at the end of the effect. If the target reappears because the effect ended on its own, he appears within 5 ft. of his original location (possibly even in the same space), determined randomly, but always within an unoccupied space, if possible. If the target reappeared early due to a successful saving throw, he can select any space within a single move from his original location, and reappears there, so long as he has line of effect to that space. Partial cover, or individuals in the path of this movement do not impede this effect this movement, although full cover will. This ability replaces a discovery gained as a class feature at 6th level or later and modifies the bombs class feature.

Self-identified Problems;

Spoiler:

It’s not an Archetype, it’s a collection of three discoveries that anyone could take, really.

It messes with the assumption that an Archetype ability *must* be taken at a particular level, or in place of a particular level’s ability gain, allowing the Sojourner to instead choose one, two or all three of these options, and to put them off, or learn them out of sequence, using his 4th level discovery to learn the first ability, not bothering to learn the second at all, and waiting for 10th level to learn the third, if that’s the way he wants it. That’s quite a bit different from how other Archetypes have handled ability acquisition and could be confusing.

It’s front-loaded. After level six, if you take all of the options the moment they’re available, it does nothing for you at all, making it more suitable as a three or five level Prestige Class, if not just some individual Discoveries and a Trait (knowledge – planes as a class skill).

If this dog had howled and I'd made it to the next round, my 'River Kingdoms monster' would have probably been an animated mobile orrery-construct of the sun, planets and moons, crafted in days long past by the Cyclops of the region, powered by the light of the sun and the moon, and emitting rays of energy when disturbed, as different 'planets' whirl into arc between the target and the 'sun' in the middle, transmuting the light of the 'sun' into different types of attack, depending on the nature of the planet (the ruby representing Akiton the Warbringer would emit a scorching ray that causes the target to go berserk with rage and become a threat to all around it, while the emerald representing Castrovel would cause cancerous life to begin growing from the target, causing hit point damage and entangling it in it's own vine-like growths!).

It never would have fit into a stat-block, with nine different rays, one for each planet, so thank Nethys I didn't get that far! :)

And yes, like my Eye of Oblivion idea, it was just another Beholder expy (floating thing with lots of deadly rays). Never let it be said that I'll give up on an idea before pounding it into the ground...

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I started on an idea for a Weal & Woe for Wayfinder 9, and then it totally evolved away from having anything to do with the Darklands, really, and so I just tossed it aside.

This, then, is it.

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Ik, Blik and Wik, Vegepygmy Sorcerers
Stats

Spoiler:

IK, BLIK and WIK
THREE VEGEPYGMIES CR 3
XP 800
Vegepygmy sorcerers 1
CN Small plant
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +2
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+4 mage armor, +2 Dex, +3 natural, +1 size); +1 deflection bonus for Ik
hp 8 (1d8+4)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1; +1 resistance bonus for Blik
Defensive Abilities plant traits; DR 5/slashing or bludgeoning; Immune electricity

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +1 (1d4+1) or small longspear +1 (1d6+1)
Ranged thrown alchemical acid or tanglefoot bag ranged touch +2 (special)
Special Attacks conjoined casting; wand of magic missile for Wik
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 1, concentration +3)
1st (4/day) – burning hands (Ref DC 13), mage armor
0 (at will) – acid splash, detect magic, light, mage hand

STATISTICS
Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 14
Base Atk +1, CMB +0, CMD 12
Feats Toughness
(2) Skills Perception 1 (+2), Stealth 1 (+11, +19 in vegetation); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth (+12 in vegetation)
Languages Undercommon, Vegepygmy (cannot speak)

ECOLOGY
Environment any underground
Treasure special (+1 ring of protection, +1 cloak of resistance, wand of magic missile (CL 1, 9 charges, 3 tanglefoot bags (1 each), 3 alchemical acid (1 each))

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Communal Reactions (Ex) Ik, Blik and Wik have a primitive sort of hive mentality. As a result, the three of them only roll a single die for Initiative, and all three of them take their action on that initiative count.

Conjoined Casting (Su) If all three of these vegepygmies use a standard action to cast one of their spells known (each expending a spell slot), they are treated as caster level 4. While casting in this manner, they add entangle and sleep to their 1st level spells known, and mending and prestidigitation to their known cantrips. The three vegepygmies can also take a combined action to cast a 2nd level sorcerer spell, up to four times per day. Glitterdust is the only spell they know, and they are not treated as knowing any of these bonus spells when not using conjoined casting (for the purposes of using wands of these spells, for example).

Vestigial Memory (Ex) Ik, Blik and Wik retain some twisted fragments of the memories of Ykantar the Black Witch, which is the source of their higher than average statistics and their conjoined casting ability.

Ik, Blik and Wik are unusual, even for vegepygmies, having spawned together from the moldering corpse of Ykantar, ‘the Black Witch,’ a middling human sorcerer of less notoriety than he might have wished.

As rarely occurs, the three vegepygmies retained slight traces of the memories of their ‘host,’ and, much more rarely, vestiges of his sorcerous potential, being able to each manifest a fraction of his power, and, working together, calling forth magic on par with what he could achieve in his brief life.

Ik, Blik and Wik wear outfits composed of cast off bits of Ykantar’s formerly impressive red, purple and gold noble’s outfit, greatcloak and jewelry, spread out between them, and, in some cases, altered to fit their smaller frames, with Ik wearing his tunic as a baggy short ‘robe,’ Blik wearing his cloak wrapped around his smaller frame like a toga, while Wik wears his trousers wrapped around his waist like a kilt, his multiple belts strapped across his chest like bandoliers, and his much-abused feather-decorated fez, slouching off of his head.

Of note is that Ik wears Ykantars +1 ring of protection and has a +1 deflection bonus to his Armor Class, Blik’s ‘toga’ is a +1 cloak of resistance, granting him +1 resistance bonus to his saving throws (despite being worn ‘wrong’), and Wik carries the unlucky sorcerer’s blackened ash wand of magic missile (CL 1, 9 charges remaining).

The powerful personality of the former Black Witch has left traces in the minds of Ik, Blik and Wik, and they are arrogant and domineering, finding themselves quietly struggling for power with the chieftain of their tribe, whose physical power is sufficient to keep them from moving openly against him. Instead they attempt to ‘advise’ him to pursue their interests, although he is clever enough to occasionally openly reject their ‘counsel’ and do things his own way, to demonstrate to the rest of the tribe that he remains in charge.

[Note: Bestiary 273 states that 1d6 vegepygmies erupt from a single corpse in the first sentence of their descriptive text, and later, in the Russet Mold writeup on the same page, has corpses produce a number of vegepygmies based on their size category. I chose the first option, obviously, because I liked this idea. While they are individually CR 1, they are treated as a CR 3 encounter together, having a fraction of the abilities of a 4th level sorcerer. Their combined wealth is also in excess of normal for their encounter level, but can be deducted from the treasure of other vegepygmies they are encountered with.]

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The Weal part of the article would have dealt with Ykantar's mother, the Changeling witch Solesti, who seeks to hire adventurers to rescue her missing son (or, if the worst has come to pass, recover his body as quickly as possible, as she has access to the gentle repose spell and will attempt to procure a raise dead spell. As Ykantar's body has been almost entirely consumed by the creation of the vegepygmies, she will require not merely what mouldering bits remain of his body, but *also* the three bodies of the vegepygmies that spawned from it...).

It got long-winded and wordy, and it's probably for the best that it wandered too far from the Darklands theme, as trimming it down would have been like bathing a cat.

Dark Archive

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Random GM cruelty, a new monster ability for a certain class of undead.

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Life Eater (Ex)
When an undead with this ability inflicts ability damage (or drain) or negative energy hit point damage, it receives hit point healing equal to the amount of damage inflicted. If it inflicts energy drain and is injured, instead of gaining five temporary hit points, it receives five hit points of healing. Once fully healed, additional hit points gained through energy drain become temporary hit points, as is normal for energy drain, and temporary hit points gained in this fashion can stack, up to a total of five times the creatures racial Hit Dice.

Additionally, because it derives sustenance from the life-energy of living creatures, positive and negative energy affects that heal or inflict hit point damage effect it as if it were a living creature. Negative energy tears away and annihilates the stolen life-force that empowers its undead form, while positive energy causes it to grow within the undead and gives it a rush of vitality and satisfaction.

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Kyra thrust her holy symbol into the air, and felt the light of Sarenrae pour through her body like a torrent of warm spiced cider, washing over the shadowy apparitions that tormented her friends. With horror, she felt them hungrily clawing at the energies of life and light that flowed through her channel, devouring them and growing stronger, for the energies of life were exactly what they craved from her companions...


Suitably despicable, master Set!!! Just what the (undead, malevolently depraved) doctor ordered!!!

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