Daardra feels confident that although the stones detect as strong magic (evocation) they seem to be from this plane. She confirms Eng's fire geode theory and remembers reading that the geodes needed to be fed fire from a dragon or similar source of extraordinary heat. She believes that they can be 'cracked' open with sufficient force if the word of opening is not known.
Gather up the stones and head back out into the foyer.
"A row of five half-columns splits this foyer, their crowns carved into small stone offering bowls. Beyond the foyer, a wide set of stairs descends to a recessed central chamber with three long prayer benches. The stone benches are cracked and covered with moss. Much of the ceiling has collapsed into piles of giant slate shingles. Shrubs and weeds grow through the floor, covering everything in verdant tangles. Along the west wall, two flights of stairs climb to raised balconies with cracked stone railings. The first staircase coils around a slender menhir topped with the crudely carved countenance of a heavy-browed fire giant. To the north, a set of steps climbs to a broad dais facing the benches. A huge fire pit fashioned from sheets of hammered black iron, bent and riveted together, stands upon the dais atop an ornately forged cast iron frame. A wide stone altar stands behind the fire pit, engraved with a giant helm with huge fangs. The altar and dais are draped in a thick blanket of stringy greenish moss."
Did we fully explore this area, go up the staircases, or did the battle prevent? Looking for other doors or anything we might have missed.
The massive creature (14'+ long and 2,500+ pounds) flys by ripping at Daardra with its savage fangs:
bite:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (2) + 18 = 202d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 7) + 10 = 19
Flying out of melee as it passes and banking, preparing for another attack run.
As the creature circles for another run Orett hits it with a shuriken. This time the party is ready for it and all but Daardra (need init for Eng) can get in a standard action before it flies past.
The party continues on its way through the giant valley and late in the day make there way to a section where a small river runs through the center of the valley. The precipitous slopes of the rocky canyon walls are dotted with a few dozen dark cave entrances.
Bloodrager is totally MAD! Unless I am missing something (and please let me know if I am) you only need Cha for spells and you don't get spells until 4th level. Will try to get a magic item to boost Cha to 14.
Naugrimm-I like the claws abyssal power. 2 attacks (on full attack) at 1d6+3 each, then level up to magic, then 1d8, then fire damage. With demonic bulk (enlarge person) the damage dice is increased.
You can buff with magic by:
Greater magic fang + permanency (+5 hit/damage) or amulet of might fists
Deliquescent gloves +1d6 acid
A gang of related feats plus PA etc:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/aliga-s-lab/feat-lists/u narmed-natural-weapon-feats/
Just throwing it out there in case you had not considered.
On the downside, you only have the claws while raging so you would need to have a decent magic weapon for times when you aren't raging. Also natural weapons only crit on a 20 and natural weapons also do not get iterative attacks, so at 11th level you will still only have 2 claw attacks when a regular weapon would get 3 attacks.
I've kind of soured on Ranger as a class. Great for tracking and some versatility but I don't think there is anything they do that a fighter doesn't do better. I think Hunter/Slayer are even better in most cases.
I think summoner is pretty cool-especially synthesist.
Inquisitor and Arcanist are interesting.
I don't think anyone has ever played a bard. Might be the only core class never played (NPCed once).
I've kind of soured on Ranger as a class. Great for tracking and some versatility but I don't think there is anything they do that a fighter doesn't do better. I think Hunter/Slayer are even better in most cases.
I think summoner is pretty cool-especially synthesist.
Inquisitor and Arcanist are interesting.
I don't think anyone has ever played a bard. Might be the only core class never played (NPCed once).
Gimli and Legolas were both much better killers. Gandalf beat all the heavy hitters-Saruman; Balrog; Great Orc; faced down the chief of the Nazgul at the gate; was the master strategist for the entire series of events up to and through the war.
Aragorn killed some uruk-hai sure, but can you list off all the things he killed otherwise?
Not best with a bow. Not best with a blade. Good at tracking. Good with Kingsfoil. Good at summoning the dead to do his dirty work.
Bah!
Rangers...
Weak sauce.
You could at least have gone with Drizzt to make a semi-real argument.
If I hadn't already created 2 characters that I am really interested in trying out I would create a human or half-elf ranger to show you the error of your ways.
If Ranger is so awesome, why have you never single classed one? It's always trapper plus levels of rogue or some such. That tells me a ton of ranger levels by them self don't mean much. Besides tracking, what does Ranger do best?
I single classed Ranger a lot back in D&D and AD&D.
One of the main reasons I don't really want to play them or druids is because I don't like having to deal with an animal companion, druid at least gives you a choice to take a cleric domain, the ranger choice to bond with your other companions is kind of lame in my opinion. Another reason why I haven't played them in a while is because I loved playing me a Paladin for a while because Divine Grace is just so damned good. I love having good saves.
Rangers are good at killing stuff like fighters and barbarians. They can make good melee or ranged combatants. Though less hp than Barbs and worse armor than Fighters.
In a campaign like this where you know what flavor of bad guy you are fighting against favored enemy can be a fairly powerful ability.
They have 4 more skills than fighters, 2 more than barbarians. Almost as many skills as a rogue but with Full BAB instead of 3/4. Skills are a nice fringe benefit.
They gain spells which fighters and barbarians do not. Another fringe benefit.
They have two good saves where fighters and barbarians only have one.
If you pick the animal companion it can be a good flanking buddy, I just think they are a pain in the butt to deal with. I also feel that summoning is a pain in the butt too cause you have to deal with all the extra stats, attacks, etc, but think I am going to have suck it up with my Oracle and do summoning because of the limit on spells known and summoning monsters is pretty much always useful.
So that's a good argument to have a Ranger if the party size is 2-3 as it will cover a lot of bases.
If the party size is 4-5+ then you should go for more killing firepower provided by fighter/barb.
Rogue is I think at least as good with 2-3 PCs, especially unchained, as you can load in the sneak attack and flat-footed action.
I think slayer may be the best mix. Good BAB, 10HP/level, decent saves, sneak attack, traps/locks, plus studied opponent/quarry, and slayer talents. No worries about companion animal and no weak spells.
When I was playing Caldir I compared Slayer v. Ranger/Rogue multi-class and it seemed to me that it was pretty much a wash. Slayer does have slightly better BAB.
I just read bloodrager again and realized bloodline powers only apply while raging unless they specify otherwise. This makes a huge difference so I may rebuild Naugrimm as another class or scrap him entirely.
Bonus Feat
At 1st level, 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, a monk can select a bonus feat. These feats must be taken from the following list: Catch Off-Guard, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, Scorpion Style, and Throw Anything.
