Akashic Mysteries: What would you like to see next?


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Paizo Employee Design Manager

So, now that the compiled Akashic Mysteries is out, what kind of things would you like to see in future expansions?


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More Daevic passions. I can't imagine me making a character that follows any of the three passions. Maybe some that are less evil?


I wouldn't mind seeing some archetypes for the 3 Akashic classes. Though I admit I can't really think of what I might want the archetypes to be. Maybe an "evil" Guru philosophy? The ones in the book seem to lean heavily towards good characters to me. At least a more neutral philosophy.

I would like a way for the Vizier, or even the other classes, to get a familiar. I was thinking of a new path, don't know what I'd call it. It starts off getting a familiar. Not much different then a "default" first level wizard familiar. Then the path gives more abilities as the levels increase. Shared Veil and Improved Familiar are definitely options for path powers. I was also thinking allow the Vizier to invest essence in his familiar once a day to enhance it. Maybe one evolution point per essence invested? Might be too powerful but it would be interesting. Maybe allow the familiar to be an extra chakra so to speak. Create some veils that can be shaped only to the "familiar chakra".

Along those lines add some Akashic familiars. An Akashic template of some sort that you could add to a base familiar with the Improved Familiar feat maybe. Also I'd love an Akashic Drake to go with the Akashic dragons. I have an image in my head of a Vritra Drake wrapped around my Vizier's shoulder similar to the way the Vritra dragon is wrapped around the island in the book.

Also more items. Again I'm not sure what exactly, but that seems like it would be a good place for expansion. Maybe an item that "holds a veil". Then once per day an existing veil can be swapped out for that veil. Similar to the veilweaving ability but more restricted.

Anyway these are just some "random" thoughts I've had. I'm definitely a fan of Akashic Mysteries and I'm looking forward to more!


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Distant Scholar wrote:
More Daevic passions. I can't imagine me making a character that follows any of the three passions. Maybe some that are less evil?

Benevolent, Justice, and Love are evil?

Given the flavor of life-force mixed with magic, I'd like to see some more nature-related veils, ones that involve the user exerting control over plants and animals, especially plants, since many of the veils at least invoke animalistic images, but plants are rarely involved. In particular for nature-themed veils, I'd like one that entangles enemies with vines, one that allows communication with plants and animals, perhaps allowing tongues or truespeech or even telepathy at higher binds, one that allows wild empathy as per the druid ability, or trackless step, and one that lets you turn into a plant and eventually lets you teleport through other trees would also be pretty cool.

Some veils that invokes astrology would also be neat...the sun, the moon, the stars, and other such, mixing your soul with the cosmos itself. Though that would also be neat fluff for a vizier archetype, perhaps?

I'd also like to see more veils that involve some form of teleportation, albeit possibly restricted to higher binds...perhaps one that lets you mark a square and teleport back to it? Or one that lets you teleport between fires? One that lets you shrink or grow would also be neat...

I think I already yammered on a bit about how I'd like more veils that can act like weapons, such as Hand Cannons and Loyal Paladin's Spear of Light, but I would like more of those!

In general, more veils, more paths for the vizier, more passions for the daevic, more magic items related to essence use (perhaps ones that grant scaling benefits depending on essence invested, or essence batteries that give you a point or two of essence a few times a day - or once a day even - for a minute?), and perhaps some alternate racial traits for other races that allow them to get access to some akashic goodies? An ifrit trading out some racial traits for the ability to shape Circlet of Brass would be pretty cool, as an example...


An archetype or path for the vizier that gives you a flying carpet. If an archetype, I think it could replace one of your veils and a few points of essence since you are creating a kind of permanent veil, but without the binds.

An evil eye hex-like path/archetype for the vizier that lets you create cursed veils on others. Imaging creating some cursed cuffs that appear on an opponent? This could even be a new type of veil that you dont wear, but can materialize one at a time to debuff.

As people said in the other thread, a guru philosophy focused on enthropy, Nietche and the Doomguard from planescape come to mind, as well as Shiva from Hindu myth; Shivaist philosophy? Also like Luthorne said, a hippie philosophy focused on nature would rock, as well as accompaning veils. More elemental veils please! Maybe some Sha'ir inspired genie-binding veils?


I like the Indo-Iranian flair, but I'd love to see another cultural influence. There has to be other cultures that would wrap themselves in magic. Maybe Native American or one from the Pacific islands? Perhaps a Maori influenced Daevic archetype?


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Ring of Solomon - Instead of creating undead minions, you summon elemental minions

Maw of the Devourer - Gives you a head like Ammut that gives daevics a bite attack and lets them rip souls out.

Shroud of Years Past - Veil that lets the user abuse memory lapse and have some hiding from divination powers.

Crown of the Hidden Empire - Gives you a number of mirage servants, which are like unseen servants but are stronger with more essence.

Crown of the Seething River - Control water

Sandals of Secret Roads - Speeds up overland travel and can create a shadow walk-like effect eventually as you go along roads that don't exist.

Alternate versions of the genie-races.

Philosophy of Apophist, darkness/void based with Apep themes and stealth abilities.

Vizier path of the Speaker. Where you get language abilities, starting with the idea of being a translator for your speaker, then gaining contacts/allies, and then planar contacts/allies.

Harbinger archetype that is themed around Lashing Spinnerets and ends up like Hazama from Blazblue.

Quick archetypes for monster classes of Janni and Rakshasa, that trade away their SLA's for a certain type of veilweaving.

Idol mythic path/medium spirit.

Mythic feats.

Akashic versions of Rakshasa/Asura/Div/Genies/Manasuptra/Naga/(Y)azata.

Akashic race of plant people who were mortals that died and were thrown into a river and river plants put them back together.

Deo.

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the xiao wrote:
An archetype or path for the vizier that gives you a flying carpet. If an archetype, I think it could replace one of your veils and a few points of essence since you are creating a kind of permanent veil, but without the binds.

I.... could definitely see that working. I like it.

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An evil eye hex-like path/archetype for the vizier that lets you create cursed veils on others. Imaging creating some cursed cuffs that appear on an opponent? This could even be a new type of veil that you don't wear, but can materialize one at a time to debuff.

Ooh, interesting! I'm wondering whether that requires a full archetype, or if it's something that a number of veils could just be built around, kind of like the Crusader's Shield where you create something out of the veil that still follows all the rules for the veil. So, you could have a hands or wrists bind that allows you to project akashic manacles, maybe even firing multiple sets as your essence investment increases.

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As people said in the other thread, a guru philosophy focused on enthropy, Nietche and the Doomguard from planescape come to mind, as well as Shiva from Hindu myth; Shivaist philosophy? Also like Luthorne said, a hippie philosophy focused on nature would rock, as well as accompaning veils. More elemental veils please! Maybe some Sha'ir inspired genie-binding veils?

Genies and the existing planetouched getting the akashic treatment is definitely something I've been looking into.

Fig wrote:
I like the Indo-Iranian flair, but I'd love to see another cultural influence. There has to be other cultures that would wrap themselves in magic. Maybe Native American or one from the Pacific islands? Perhaps a Maori influenced Daevic archetype?

That's actually something I could definitely look into! I've already got a couple ideas cooking....


Some more "mundane" veils would be nice, especially since it doesn't take up permanent resources like spells known.

Like something that speeds up crafting and lets you shape things with just your hands, stuff that helps crops grow, creating food and water, pocket planes of existence oasis formed of akasha that can be escaped into or used for shelter (hard part about this one is dealing with it disappearing when you reshape your veils), funeral rites one that make it so a corpse can't come back as undead and gives resistance to disease, a veil that lets you understand other languages and be able to read/write ridiculously fast, one that purifies water and heals poisoned individuals.

Also, if flavour expands into indonesia/polynesia. A daevic who has all their veils as tatau would be cool. Shadow-puppet powers would also be cool.


Luthorne wrote:
Distant Scholar wrote:
More Daevic passions. I can't imagine me making a character that follows any of the three passions. Maybe some that are less evil?
Benevolent, Justice, and Love are evil?

Maybe, yes, and yes. Benevolence is still Dominion, and still "driven by an unstoppable drive to impose order and rule on the world around them." Justice is still Wrath. And Love is actually Lust. It's also more about making others "love" you than you loving others. Benevolence is the best of a bad bunch, but it's still a bad bunch.


Every emotion and passion that is conceivable will be evil to you then, since all emotions and passions taken to their extremes would count as evil under that line of thinking.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

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Distant Scholar wrote:
Luthorne wrote:
Distant Scholar wrote:
More Daevic passions. I can't imagine me making a character that follows any of the three passions. Maybe some that are less evil?
Benevolent, Justice, and Love are evil?
Maybe, yes, and yes. Benevolence is still Dominion, and still "driven by an unstoppable drive to impose order and rule on the world around them."

You know that describes the human race in general, yes? We name things, we categorize things, we create laws and bureaucracy, we create systems of currency, assess what things are worth, etc. Probably more a philosophical debate than anything, but there's nothing inherently evil about Dominion in general and Benevolence in particular.

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Justice is still Wrath.

Again, this is arguably one of those philosophical debates that has been ongoing for uncounted generations, but the entire concept of justice, as practiced by every single nation on Earth, ties in to the idea that actions can, do, and should have consequences, and it falls to mortal arbiters to ensure those consequences are carried out. Justice serves to protect the greater population by ensuring that those who would prey upon their peers are faced with consequences, hopefully either deterring them from choosing the actions that would invoke justice in the first place, or by rendering them unable to commit those offenses again. Again, there's nothing inherently evil about Justice, or even Wrath in general, so long as it is appropriately harnessed and focused.

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And Love is actually Lust. It's also more about making others "love" you than you loving others. Benevolence is the best of a bad bunch, but it's still a bad bunch.

So, I had to rewrite the Desire passion in general many, many times. Love is not a concept well expressed through game mechanics, and Lord help me, I pray I never have to ask a colleague "Does this still read kind of 'rape-y' to you?" again as long as I live. Love, ultimately, is a connection established by a person. It's never the same for anyone, and even the same person will likely find that they never love someone or something the way they loved someone or something else. It's highly personalized, and not particularly expressable through feats and abilities, and thus the Paramour ability. You get someone who loves your character, and whom your character assumedly loves in return, and the exact nature of that relationship is up to the player to establish. It's not lust, and it's certainly not evil.

I do have some more Daevic passions lined up though, so maybe one of those will strike your fancy.


As I've said on another thread: more Passions, Philosophies, and Paths in general.

A "totemist" class that does the whole "mimic monster features" thing. Maybe mix in some elementalism and base it around shaping a special "mask" veil.

An archetype for Soulknife.

More archetypes that completely replace manifesting or spellcasting.

Just more "flashy" veils in general. "Flashy" meaning "has effects on-par with Ditchdigger's Armlets".

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SilvercatMoonpaw wrote:
As I've said on another thread: more Passions, Philosophies, and Paths in general.

Definitely on the list.

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A "totemist" class that does the whole "mimic monster features" thing. Maybe mix in some elementalism and base it around shaping a special "mask" veil.

We actually had to specifically avoid anything that looked or acted like the core Incarnum classes, because Magic of Incarnum is not OGL, but maybe we can squeeze in some kind of archetype that gets a bunch of the monstrous veils. Daevic does quite a few though, as I tried to keep some of the spirit of the totemist, if not his name and mechanics, alive in the new incarnation.

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An archetype for Soulknife.

I actually have one already written, just looking for the right place to put it.

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More archetypes that completely replace manifesting or spellcasting.

Definitely on the table.

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Just more "flashy" veils in general. "Flashy" meaning "has effects on-par with Ditchdigger's Armlets".

I think we've got quite a few of those, but DDA is definitely one of my favorite veils, and I'm all about adding more stuff like that to the mix. I was actually just playtesting a veil I'm working on for Veridian Dreams that lets you cause increasingly large and sturdy plants to spring into being, so that by about 6th level or so you can grow trees that entangle enemies as they lift them into the air.


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Ssalarn wrote:
Fig wrote:
I like the Indo-Iranian flair, but I'd love to see another cultural influence. There has to be other cultures that would wrap themselves in magic. Maybe Native American or one from the Pacific islands? Perhaps a Maori influenced Daevic archetype?
That's actually something I could definitely look into! I've already got a couple ideas cooking....

Awesome!

Not that you need any help with it but a Daevic haka to frighten enemies brings a smile to my face. Extra/alternative credit if a Bard archetype can be wrought from the idea: instead of inspiring confidence, the performance inspires fear or other effects based on the amount of essence invested in it.


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I've talked to Ssalarn about this one before and I hope it comes to fruition!

A skill based Curiosity Passion with the split being secrecy and education. Passion veils would primarily be veils with more of a focus on accomplishing tasks involving acquiring, sharing, and using knowledge. Base Passion would involve benefits for going with light armor, since that's generally helpful for sleuthing, espionage, and many other skills.

Secrecy would give skill unlocks for any skill a veil is augmenting while education could make aid another (think of the out of combat skill stuff) more powerful.

To go with this a veil for long distance communications would be pretty cool as would one for interrogation.


An off the wall idea - a class that is part Aegis, part Soulknife and part veilweaver. The bonuses to the mindlbade and armor are in part driven by Essentia - so you could push one over the other - each are effectively a Viel. The armor still has customization points, but not a whole lot and it is like a "tactical harness" that you hang the various veils on.

Merging the various "make things with magic/mind" into a combat focused class is appealing to me. Dunno about anyone else.


A class using spheres of power with akashic veil weaving and maybe required sphere


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-More veils for are current classes; I like the variety we have of course but I still stand by my opinion that vizier could use a bit more offensive veils.

-A totemist-like class: I know you can't actually make the totemist as it was and that is fine but I'd love to see an official take on a character concept that steals monster special abilities. If it helps, I suggest making them mimic things besides magical beasts. For example you could do undead, revive the old 'necarnium' concept or such, or even construct themed, almost like an akashic cyborg. Heck, in my homegames I am trying to pull the concept off with Outsiders, though I am not very far along.

-Non-veilshaping, akashic classes: I remember you saying after the first Akashic Mysteries book you had thoughts of introducing two or three classes that used akashic essence but didn't inherently shape veils. I'd love to see you do something with the concept.

-Akashic archetpes for Occult classes: A akashic occultist that can invest essence in his implements or who can channel his focus into his veils would be awesome. I also think a Akashic kineticist (essenicist?) could work and be cool. Maybe even a spiritualist archetype that can grant its not-a-ghost companion veils?

Scarab Sages

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Akashic genies and akashic fey! (An akashic bestiary to be honest would be The Best)
More akashic talents for the rogue/slayer/investigator et al.

A new laptop so I can finally do some proper work on making herolab files for it ;)


Reviewman wrote:

I've talked to Ssalarn about this one before and I hope it comes to fruition!

A skill based Curiosity Passion with the split being secrecy and education. Passion veils would primarily be veils with more of a focus on accomplishing tasks involving acquiring, sharing, and using knowledge. Base Passion would involve benefits for going with light armor, since that's generally helpful for sleuthing, espionage, and many other skills.

Secrecy would give skill unlocks for any skill a veil is augmenting while education could make aid another (think of the out of combat skill stuff) more powerful.

To go with this a veil for long distance communications would be pretty cool as would one for interrogation.

This would also work well as the base for a Discovery (or, in a more derogatory sense, Will) passion, with communism and Objectivism as its daughters. Having an activated aura that creates an anti magic area for so many rounds for Objectivism and an aura that shares teamwork feats for communism.


More ambiance.

Great ideas for interesting, effective and powerful effects.

Can these effects be used in "Cantrip" level flavor effects.

Can an elemental veil be used to heat the cook pot, or chill my ale?

Can my nature veils (Yes I want Nature veils) be used to keep my flowers blooming and my grapevines producing sweet fruit?

As I get closer to running a game again I find that I want magic to be more universal. Everyone has some magic, and I think Akashic and Spheres magic are going to be a big part of it.

Since magic is going to be prevalent, I want it to be useful in day to day stuff.

Gee Mr Druid, you can double the output of fields of produce, but you can't keep that bouquet of flowers fresh for your wife?


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The first thing would be an akashic healer. The second should probably be an akashic rogue – pretty much make room for a whole “akashic party” to be possible.

Flying carpets were mentioned here already, and I’d like to expand on that. An akashic summoner/puppeteer class. The carpet would be his animal companion equivalent, a more stable autonomous veil that does not get remade everyday or at will, but demands an investment of time and essence to keep it going. For the daily autonomous veils I suggest a sewing/weaving theme, meaning, make them from fabric. Long strips of cloth that grapple opponents (and try to twirl them around), blanket size pieces of fabric that assume an humanoid or animal form at will or almost, and strings that stealthily spread across the ground or walls before making an area attack (and them roll around in a ball while not in use).

Akashic materials – the deep crystal in Ultimate Psionics is like a hidden treasure for martial manifesters. I’d love to see something like that for akashic characters, perhaps geared towards defense instead.


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An evil eye hex-like path/archetype for the vizier that lets you create cursed veils on others. Imaging creating some cursed cuffs that appear on an opponent? This could even be a new type of veil that you don't wear, but can materialize one at a time to debuff.

Ooh, interesting! I'm wondering whether that requires a full archetype, or if it's something that a number of veils could just be built around, kind of like the Crusader's Shield where you create something out of the veil that still follows all the rules for the veil. So, you could have a hands or wrists bind that allows you to project akashic manacles, maybe even firing multiple sets as your essence investment increases.

I was thinking on a new type of veil slot that existen only as a debuff, but maybe It's not worth the complexity it would bring to the table. So yeah, the example of the shield is excellent, so please go that route with debuffing veils.

Returning to the evil-eye, hexy idea, maybe a witch archetype that loses familiar for a living veil in the eye...

Also, please, a bardic masterpiece or archetype that gives you seven specific veils that you take off and get different effects, culminating with a nymph-like effect of save-or-die/suck at the highest levels.


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I'd like to see some archetypes for existing classes that give them proper veilweaving. It seems that most of the archetypes either let them learn limited numbers of veils that they can't change or are focused on doing new and interesting things with a single veil, and while I like that second category, I do wish that some archetypes got the day-to-day versatility of a true veilweaver, at the cost of their existing spellcasting/manifesting.

Actually, a Druid archetype that replaced spells by giving them a proper veilweaving progression (veils shaped/essence/bind progression as a Guru, perhaps?) off of a list similar to the Daevic could get us a shapeshifty/monster-type/natural attacker. Throw in a modification to Wild Shape (make it a receptacle somehow?), and have the animal companion be sort of a spirit-guide for the shapeshifting veilweaver?

More passions for the Daevic, definitely.

I've had some success throwing evil Gurus at the party as torturers - nonlethal ensures that their foes will suffer but survive to be captured for more. But some more "evil" philosophies would be nice. I actually threw one "akasin" Guru at the party where I inverted the theme, and made it dark-based: Absorb Radiance worked in pitch darkness, Luminosity's ray attack blinded with darkness, and Lambent Blades became shadows instead of light.

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I saw Ragi mention an akashic healer, so just FYI, the Vedist class will be going up for playtesting after PAX West wraps up. It's an akashic healer who can invest essence directly into allies for various buffs, and then reclaim that essence to drag various negative conditions and effects out of the ally, allowing the Vedist to make a new save against the effect with a bonus equal to the reclaimed essence. So that's already in the pipeline. I kind of thought the Guru did a pretty decent job of filling the "akashic rogue" niche, what kind of things do you think he's lacking to really lock that in? Maybe a philosophy or veil that gives trapfinding and some related abilities?

master4sword wrote:

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I've had some success throwing evil Gurus at the party as torturers - nonlethal ensures that their foes will suffer but survive to be captured for more. But some more "evil" philosophies would be nice. I actually threw one "akasin" Guru at the party where I inverted the theme, and made it dark-based: Absorb Radiance worked in pitch darkness, Luminosity's ray attack blinded with darkness, and Lambent Blades became shadows instead of light.

In one of my home games, Sineater gurus are basically a combination of the akashic boogeyman and Jason Bourne, elite servants of powerful sultans trained to keep overly ambitious viziers in check and hunt down traitors known to have akashic abilities. Their tradition was originally founded by a figure known as the "Godslayer", an ancient guru who spent his time traveling to regions ruled by the daeva and "removing them from office".

I really like the inversion of the Akasin by the way. I kind of want to make that official somewhere.

Also, a druid archetype that replaces soellcasting for full veilweaving is definitely one of the things I've got lined up for Veridian Dreams.


Anyone remember the old Necrocarnate? I always wanted to make one of those, but I never got a chance.

How would you go about making this using the Akashic Mysteries? I figure it would be an archetype for the Vizier, or I would just start from scratch to give it unique abilities matching the old Prestige Class. Thoughts?


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The Ragi wrote:
The first thing would be an akashic healer. The second should probably be an akashic rogue – pretty much make room for a whole “akashic party” to be possible.

Out of curiosity, what are you envisioning for an akashic rogue? I think the guru does a reasonable job of rogue-ing it up, especially with veils like Gloves of the Master Thief and Stalker's Tabi, maybe Lashing Spinnerets. Don't get Sentinel's Helm, but since they're Wisdom-based, getting it via Shape Veil isn't too hard...might snag Waistband of the Wealthy for fun, too. I mean, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just curious what you're envisioning it doing that necessitates its own class. And of course, there are rogue talents that allow the rogue to play with some of these toys as well...


More Daeva. But more importantly, expanding on them; do they have some common goal? The yaksa are described as the foot soldiers of the daeva, but why? Do daevics serve a greater goal to the daeva, or are they just convenient?
Perhaps a section describing what happens when multiple Daeva are symbiosis-ing with someone (cause a bunch of the daeva seem to be created by what happens after their bonded partner dies).


Mechanically it seems the guru can replace plenty of the rogue functions, but flavor-wise it's not quite the same. Picture the guy at the akashic-only table that wants to play a rogue - he won't immediately see the connection between both classes.

I suppose they lack the inherent stealth, trap-dealing and dirt-baggery of the rogue. Granted, this is a romanticized vision of the class... maybe it makes more sense to suggest an akashic version of the cryptic? A class that has it own thing but also is sneaky and trappy? Maybe he uses essence to infuse and analyze or blow up traps? And he can disguise his essence and at the same time his own existence?

Some unique ways to use essence could be enough to justify its own class... that being said, I just really prefer new classes over new archetypes. I'm a class hoarder.


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
The Ragi wrote:

Mechanically it seems the guru can replace plenty of the rogue functions, but flavor-wise it's not quite the same. Picture the guy at the akashic-only table that wants to play a rogue - he won't immediately see the connection between both classes.

I suppose they lack the inherent stealth, trap-dealing and dirt-baggery of the rogue. Granted, this is a romanticized vision of the class... maybe it makes more sense to suggest an akashic version of the cryptic? A class that has it own thing but also is sneaky and trappy? Maybe he uses essence to infuse and analyze or blow up traps? And he can disguise his essence and at the same time his own existence?

Some unique ways to use essence could be enough to justify its own class... that being said, I just really prefer new classes over new archetypes. I'm a class hoarder.

Hmm, perhaps a guru philosophy that's more along the lines of, 'those who can't see the truth deserve to be tricked, those who can't hold onto their possessions deserve to lose them'? Reminds me a little of that Geryon article in Scourge of the Godclaw...any unverified knowledge could be a lie, and those who accept knowledge without testing its truth are complicit in being lied to. A more deceptive or tricky philosophy...could be interesting. Alternatively, could go for a more illusion-focused approach...what you perceive of as reality is but the veil of illusion?


Luthorne wrote:


Hmm, perhaps a guru philosophy that's more along the lines of, 'those who can't see the truth deserve to be tricked, those who can't hold onto their possessions deserve to lose them'? Reminds me a little of that Geryon article in Scourge of the Godclaw...any unverified knowledge could be a lie, and those who accept knowledge without testing its truth are complicit in being lied to. A more deceptive or tricky philosophy...could be interesting. Alternatively, could go for a more illusion-focused approach...what you perceive of as reality is but the veil of illusion?

I had a similar idea. I was just thinking on a bon vivant philosophy similar to the Taoist masters. Maybe even a drunken master that is not a monk? But well, such a philosophy asks its adherents to experience life and adventure... just like a rogue ;)


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the xiao wrote:
Luthorne wrote:


Hmm, perhaps a guru philosophy that's more along the lines of, 'those who can't see the truth deserve to be tricked, those who can't hold onto their possessions deserve to lose them'? Reminds me a little of that Geryon article in Scourge of the Godclaw...any unverified knowledge could be a lie, and those who accept knowledge without testing its truth are complicit in being lied to. A more deceptive or tricky philosophy...could be interesting. Alternatively, could go for a more illusion-focused approach...what you perceive of as reality is but the veil of illusion?
I had a similar idea. I was just thinking on a bon vivant philosophy similar to the Taoist masters. Maybe even a drunken master that is not a monk? But well, such a philosophy asks its adherents to experience life and adventure... just like a rogue ;)

Yeah, a philosophy based around the concept that the greatest good is experiencing the most enjoyment in life could certainly be fun, though that could amusingly even be a take on the nihilistic view...nothing really matters, so why not have fun with life? Well, there's plenty of interesting philosophical views on things for inspiration.

I also think a trickster path for the vizier might be interesting...perhaps it bumps them up to 4 + Int skill points, amongst other things? They're a little low on skill points as is, but with an Intelligence focus and the right veils, they can probably pull off skill monkey, even if I think the guru is currently the best at it. But a path that focuses on some concepts along those lines would definitely be neat.

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Wraithguard wrote:

Anyone remember the old Necrocarnate? I always wanted to make one of those, but I never got a chance.

How would you go about making this using the Akashic Mysteries? I figure it would be an archetype for the Vizier, or I would just start from scratch to give it unique abilities matching the old Prestige Class. Thoughts?

There's actually a PrC in Akashic Mysteries, the Black Templar, that acts as an akashic necromancer and can suck the life force out of enemies to convert it to temporary essence. Combined with a vzier who uses the "necromancer" veils like Heart of the Wight, Deathchannel Ring, and Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding, you get a character who, IMHO, does necrocarnate better than the necrocarnate did, and without the bag of kittens (which I knew in 3.5 as the "ant hill") issues.

Air0r wrote:

More Daeva. But more importantly, expanding on them; do they have some common goal? The yaksa are described as the foot soldiers of the daeva, but why? Do daevics serve a greater goal to the daeva, or are they just convenient?

Perhaps a section describing what happens when multiple Daeva are symbiosis-ing with someone (cause a bunch of the daeva seem to be created by what happens after their bonded partner dies).

I definitely plan on including more daeva in each new akashic release, building on the new passions, expanding on the existing passions, and maybe elaborating a bit more on the goals of the various daeva, though I try not to get too specific so that GMs have plenty of room without changing fluff to integrate them into their campaigns as they see fit. At some point I definitely plan on doing an akashic adventure path though, or at least a module, but that's not something that's really on any schedules yet.

The Ragi wrote:

Mechanically it seems the guru can replace plenty of the rogue functions, but flavor-wise it's not quite the same. Picture the guy at the akashic-only table that wants to play a rogue - he won't immediately see the connection between both classes.

I suppose they lack the inherent stealth, trap-dealing and dirt-baggery of the rogue. Granted, this is a romanticized vision of the class... maybe it makes more sense to suggest an akashic version of the cryptic? A class that has it own thing but also is sneaky and trappy? Maybe he uses essence to infuse and analyze or blow up traps? And he can disguise his essence and at the same time his own existence?

Some unique ways to use essence could be enough to justify its own class... that being said, I just really prefer new classes over new archetypes. I'm a class hoarder.

Lol! Well, I certainly appreciate the honesty. I'm just not sure if I see a whole new class to fill what, IMO, seems like such a narrow niche.... What about a more complex archetype, like borderline alternate class Ninja > Rogue style, that trades out the Guru's Disruptions for sabotage/trap abilities? Like, you can "overload" or hijack magical traps by investing essence in them, create your own akashic traps, etc. Would that maybe scratch the itch?


Archetype would probably do it, though I can also sympathize with Ragi. The Guru is a cool class, but at least to me it feels like it has the most specific thematic baggage tying it compared to the other classes. It sorta feels like the cavalier of the akashic classes.


swoosh wrote:
Archetype would probably do it, though I can also sympathize with Ragi. The Guru is a cool class, but at least to me it feels like it has the most specific thematic baggage tying it compared to the other classes. It sorta feels like the cavalier of the akashic classes.

As I see it, the Vizier specializes in veils, the Daevic in combat, and the Guru in essence (an essence-monkey?).

Ssalarn wrote:
Lol! Well, I certainly appreciate the honesty. I'm just not sure if I see a whole new class to fill what, IMO, seems like such a narrow niche.... What about a more complex archetype, like borderline alternate class Ninja > Rogue style, that trades out the Guru's Disruptions for sabotage/trap abilities? Like, you can "overload" or hijack magical traps by investing essence in them, create your own akashic traps, etc. Would that maybe scratch the itch?

Well, as a class-y guy I'd still vote for the akashic rogue as a standalone, but that archetype certainly fills a void... maybe leave him at the end of the to-do list, perhaps inspiration will strike you in the meantime and a new unique class with roguish qualities will be brought to life.

And congratulations! I just checked the paizo newsletter and Akashic Mysteries is debuting at 4th place, with Vigilantes of Skybourne climbing from 10th to 5th place (the publisher should update the product description with a link to the Luchador, get some synergy going).

Paizo Employee Design Manager

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The Ragi wrote:

***

Well, as a class-y guy I'd still vote for the akashic rogue as a standalone, but that archetype certainly fills a void... maybe leave him at the end of the to-do list, perhaps inspiration will strike you in the meantime and a new unique class with roguish qualities will be brought to life.

And congratulations! I just checked the paizo newsletter and Akashic Mysteries is debuting at 4th place, with Vigilantes of Skybourne climbing from 10th to 5th place (the publisher should update the product description with a link to the Luchador, get some synergy going).

Awesome, I hadn't seen that yet! Thank you. And thank you to everyone else who bought AM or Vigilantes of Skybourne. Out of curiosity, would people like to see akashic archetypes for the vigilante and luchador? I thought vigilante could be a fun area to play around with mechanics for hiding or disguising veils, then actually using your veils as your disguise, and my initial draft and concept for the Luchador was a Guru/Vigilante hybrid instead of the Monk/Vigilante hybrid I ultimately ended up going with.

Anyways Ragi, I agree we should probably do something to get some conversation and attention going on the luchador. For whatever reason, neither thread seems to have much chatter, despite apparently selling pretty well.


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Yeah, I think an akashic version of the vigilante would be cool, I was actually talking about it with a friend of mine recently...having the veils be undetectable in social identity as long as no essence is placed in them, then transforming into vigilante identity with perhaps a unique mask veil...hmm, unique mask slot, even?

I'll admit, I haven't gotten the luchador yet, though it's on my wishlist for now, been busy/distracted...I certainly mean to pick it up eventually, though, it sounds pretty cool, plus, Guacamelee, etc.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

Luthorne wrote:

Yeah, I think an akashic version of the vigilante would be cool, I was actually talking about it with a friend of mine recently...having the veils be undetectable in social identity as long as no essence is placed in them, then transforming into vigilante identity with perhaps a unique mask veil...hmm, unique mask slot, even?

I'll admit, I haven't gotten the luchador yet, though it's on my wishlist for now, been busy/distracted...I certainly mean to pick it up eventually, though, it sounds pretty cool, plus, Guacamelee, etc.

So, everything I write gets playtested multiple times, and my home group are usually my very first playtesters. I think they probably had more fun with the luchador playtests than with game we've played with any materials (and my shelf is deep with every Paizo book and most major 3pp books). My number one goal with the class was to make something that moved, grappled, and got a bit more crazy and whacky than you'd normally see from a product written by someone other than Little Red Goblin Games (the kings of whacky and fun mechanics). Luchadors get charging tackles, aerial takedowns, dropkicks, headbutts, tons of attack triggers, and were inspired by things like Street Fighter, WWE, Guacamelee, and old El Santo movies. I think they actually work surprisingly well in almost any campaign, and I included a bunch of hooks in the FCB section to explain how luchador traditions might arise naturally amongst the various races and cultures you might encounter in a fantasy world. It's one of those things where even though I wrote it, I still keep coming up with different characters I want to find time to squeeze into games. I threw a pair of dwarven luchadpr brothers (a Rudo and his Accomplice) at my party the other night, and since they're now 15th level and have pretty optimized characters, I went all put when they decided they'd fight their way past the brothers, beating the party bloodrager down to a fraction of his health with a double-dropkick-flying-tackle-suplex-tag combo in the first round. The group ended up calling a parlay halfway through the fight and hiring the brothers as guides and bodyguards :)

Shadow Lodge

I'd like Daevic passions that seem a little less guided towards certain builds. You don't have to build to your passion's specialty, but it feels like a big waste if you don't.


Ssalarn wrote:
Luthorne wrote:

Yeah, I think an akashic version of the vigilante would be cool, I was actually talking about it with a friend of mine recently...having the veils be undetectable in social identity as long as no essence is placed in them, then transforming into vigilante identity with perhaps a unique mask veil...hmm, unique mask slot, even?

I'll admit, I haven't gotten the luchador yet, though it's on my wishlist for now, been busy/distracted...I certainly mean to pick it up eventually, though, it sounds pretty cool, plus, Guacamelee, etc.

So, everything I write gets playtested multiple times, and my home group are usually my very first playtesters. I think they probably had more fun with the luchador playtests than with game we've played with any materials (and my shelf is deep with every Paizo book and most major 3pp books). My number one goal with the class was to make something that moved, grappled, and got a bit more crazy and whacky than you'd normally see from a product written by someone other than Little Red Goblin Games (the kings of whacky and fun mechanics). Luchadors get charging tackles, aerial takedowns, dropkicks, headbutts, tons of attack triggers, and were inspired by things like Street Fighter, WWE, Guacamelee, and old El Santo movies. I think they actually work surprisingly well in almost any campaign, and I included a bunch of hooks in the FCB section to explain how luchador traditions might arise naturally amongst the various races and cultures you might encounter in a fantasy world. It's one of those things where even though I wrote it, I still keep coming up with different characters I want to find time to squeeze into games. I threw a pair of dwarven luchadpr brothers (a Rudo and his Accomplice) at my party the other night, and since they're now 15th level and have pretty optimized characters, I went all put when they decided they'd fight their way past the brothers, beating the party bloodrager down to a fraction of his health with a...

perhaps some mucha lucha inspired love? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C2%A1Mucha_Lucha!

Paizo Employee Design Manager

Air0r wrote:
perhaps some mucha lucha inspired love? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C2%A1Mucha_Lucha!

Oh, I know Mucha Lucha :)

Ninjaxenomorph wrote:
I'd like Daevic passions that seem a little less guided towards certain builds. You don't have to build to your passion's specialty, but it feels like a big waste if you don't.

Daevic was kind of intended as the "training wheels" class, so I thought it was important that the initial passions give clear direction and appropriate toolsets to get a player going. I definitely see future passions as being a bit more flexible and less mandatory, less "Ranger Combat Style" and more "Oracle Mystery".


Some of the replies to the question "what do you wanna see" seem to have answers coming from you in the vein of "already working/finished that"

So what is already written? That way we don't ask for something that's already just a publication away.

Nature Veils and Passions/Philosophies?
Non-combat focused Passions?
ect

Paizo Employee Design Manager

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Reviewman wrote:

Some of the replies to the question "what do you wanna see" seem to have answers coming from you in the vein of "already working/finished that"

So what is already written? That way we don't ask for something that's already just a publication away.

Nature Veils and Passions/Philosophies?
Non-combat focused Passions?
ect

So, Vedist (akashic healer) and the full Akashic Arts: Veridian Dreams supplements should be going up for playtest mid-September. Veridian Dreams has the alternate vanara, akashic pixie PC race, and veils for nature powers, illusions, expanded healing, and some divination. It'll also have archetypes for the nature-themed classes.


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Ok, sounds like Veridian dreams is going to cover a ton of ground!

What I want to see are more veils that are non-adventure oriented. The kind of Veils an Akashic Bestiary critter would use to show it self as a "false" god, such as creating rain, making entire fields of crops wither/bloom, some form of far vision, ect. The kind of stuff that a village would care about or fear over something specifically combat oriented.


Thanks for taking the time to answer that in some detail. I hadn't had a lot of time to dig through the whole thing yet, so you just saved me a lot of time piecing stuff together.

Paizo Employee Design Manager

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Wraithguard wrote:
Thanks for taking the time to answer that in some detail. I hadn't had a lot of time to dig through the whole thing yet, so you just saved me a lot of time piecing stuff together.

For the "necrocarnate" build? One of my first characters when Magic of Incarnum came out was a Necrocarnate, and one of the last 3.5 games I ran as a GM included a necrocarnate with a necrocarnum zombie frost giant. I like necromancer characters, so I made sure there were a few necromantic options to draw on in Akashic Mysteries.

I personally like Seer as the Mystic Attunement path for necromancer characters; you'll probably be using Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding, and teamwork feats on your wight can be super useful and effective, plus your movement buff auras and your ability to share a veil with an ally by investing essence into your aura can be used to make an akashic undead horde that moves terrifyingly fast. My last black templar/vizier used that trick and shared Polar Snowshoes onto his undead to blanket the field in damaging cold effects that all the undead were immune to, then shaped the Bloody Shroud veil and shared it to the wight via the Shared Veil feat to spread out an aura causing bleed damage that, once more, none of his undead servants were affected by. Depending on the level you're playing at and how you stagger your black templar levels, using Deathchannel Ring in your twinveil ring slot as an undead healing bomb is handy. You may want to grab Tainted Essence as well, since it can be a nice buff to the companion granted by Dark Lord's Ring of Essence Binding (+1 profane bonus to attacks, armor class, damage, saves, turn resistance, and the DCs of any special abilities it may have).


Any chance that the new passion(s) in Veridean dreams will have less of a combat focus?


there eas talk of a knowledge passion with a secrets and scholar? focus. not from the author but it's in the wish list

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the xiao wrote:
there eas talk of a knowledge passion with a secrets and scholar? focus. not from the author but it's in the wish list

Yeah, I'm actually looking at where to include a Curiosity passion splitting into Secrecy or Education, and I doubt that will be the last non-combat focused Passion to be developed.

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