The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

Gride looked at you like he was deciding whether to support or stab you. "And who's this bloke you're looking for? There's a lot of people in Castorhage. I can't make any promises." he said. "Not unless you can make it worth my while."

"Uriah Agaric. He's a tall man with a swan tattoo. Based on what I was told, he got caught snooping around, and the Family's likely got him stashed somewhere."

"If you're looking for someone in particular, you'll want to talk to Grast's uncle." Gride explained, glaring slightly as you mentioned the Family. There was a none-too-subtle bit of anger there, though he was definitely trying to hide it. "He'll probably want to talk to you, too, so that works out."

"Very well," Astoroth responded calmly. Gride's anger was unsurprising. Nobody enjoyed having their secrets revealed - especially by a stranger. There was also the possibility of a shame component to the anger. Were-creatures tended to be hated by society and were typically tolerated at best. That was hardly good for one's self-esteem.

...And going by what you'd seen of the city, were-creatures were none too welcomed (except maybe as undead under someone's control).

"In that case, how about we find you a room for now? Seems like it's been a long night. This ain't a fancy hotel, but at least you'll be able to get some shut-eye." Gride offered.

"That would be appreciated, but I wouldn't mind learning a bit about your circus first, if you don't mind. You've got quite the collection of curiosities."

"But of course!" Gride said, grinning and spreading his arms wide - clearly, this was a topic he liked. And he was very much interested in dropping the other. "This is a prime place on Festival, you know - out by the water, they can't crowd too closely, so it's nice and private. And we've worked hard to collect oddities - better for them to be seen than to languish forgotten in someone's attic, eh?"

"Quite. A collection like yours deserves to be shared. Do you have a favorite oddity?"

"They're all favorites - if I don't like something, how could I expect anyone else to?" Gride answered with a laugh. "But the very best stuff happens with our nightly shows. We run two of them each night, with everything from clowns to acrobatics in the main tent. Best part of this city is the number of customers. Even if someone only drops by once every five years, there's plenty of folk willing to come in and see the show - though we're always seeking to keep growing, of course. More people means more oddities, more oddities make for a better experience, and a better experience gets people to come back."

Astoroth will continue chatting about oddities and the circus for a while before taking Gride's offer of a room. If possible, he'd like to find out about the unusual magical effects that some of the performers were producing.

At the mention of magical effects, Gride just raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're not just getting really into the atmosphere? Which'd be a compliment, mind you, so I don't dislike it or anything. We wouldn't show off any kind of magic even if we had it, though - that's way too likely to get a visit from the nobles." He doesn't seem to be lying or trying to hide anything there.

"Yes, it seems that the use of magic is tightly controlled on this world. A pity, as it's so very useful." So Gride wasn't aware of the effects. Interesting. Perhaps it was a feature of the world itself.

"Well, more in this country - and this city in particular - than the world. They say there's a lot of magic out there, but the nobles keep a tight grip on it here. Think it's meant to serve them, see - and anyway, how would you do some kind of miracle healing for the injuries of hundreds of thousands of people who'd be wanting it, for the novelty of the experience if nothing else? They couldn't provide it to everyone asking even if they wanted to. Maybe - maaaaaaaybe - you get something if you've some real value to someone who matters. Good way of keeping the uppies in line, too - I mean, who're you gonna support, the worker complaining a quota's too tough or the fellow who can cure the disease your son has with a snap of his fingers?" He didn't seem to be referencing any sort of personal experience, just making a general explanation.

Astoroth remained silent. This supported what the alchemist from earlier had said: magic was tightly horded by those in power. Such a shame. Perhaps when he'd regained more of his power, he'd do something about that....

I'm ready to move on

Eventually, Gride showed you to a... well, "room" was overly generous, but it was a place to sleep and you weren't exactly intimidated by these people. Time ticked by, and around noon, an invitation came saying you were invited to supper at Grast Hall for a meal with Merren Grast (Ammos' uncle, it seemed).

Astoroth would, of course, be pleased to accept the man's invitation. He'd just need directions.
I'm assuming my hat of disguise can keep me safe from detection in the event that the prison guards are searching for me.

It is. XD

As it turns out, Marren Grast is a charming host, despite his slightly hunched appearance and unsettling table manners, which leave much to be desired.

When you arrive, you are shown through opulent corridors lined with portraits of famous family members (all Grast of course). Marren wears an outrageous wig and is dressed in dazzling colours. He has incredible, almost comically white teeth. The Hall is laid to dinner, but this is a dinner table for halflings; you have to squat in a too-small chair. The table groans with silverware; it's easy for you to measure this service alone as worth more than 1,000 GP. Marren makes every effort to charm you, making witty remarks, singing the occasional ode, and generally talking about himself. In all, the dinner party lasts 3 hours. Ammos remains silent throughout the evening.

The dinner is gravy soup, followed by turbot with cream sauce, sweetbreads with hashed wild duck, rump steak with mushrooms, partridges, and finally a compote of fruit with cream. Wine comes out often, and is liberally served by a butler who never gives his name — but who makes his disapproval of you clear. Marren enjoys the wine that is frequently brought out, and as the evening wears on, you get the feeling that he's easier to prod for information about the Family if you have any questions about them... although outright questions would probably see you thrown out, given their obsession with secrecy.

Astoroth tolerated the ostentatious display of wealth and the meal that went on for far too long. If this was how the powerful lived, it was no wonder they were hated by so many people. If Marren hoped to impress him, he was going about it the wrong way. "Thank you for the fine meal; I can see that you've spared no expense."

"What is the point of having wealth is not to use it?"[b] Marren asked with a laugh. [b]"It's fine to save for a bad time, of course, but I'd rather enjoy life while I have it instead of pinching every penny the whole time. Besides, it's good for business - a man known for generosity is a man others want to work with."

"Very true," Astoroth replied. "I've also found it profitable to work with men who value their family. That's why I helped Ammos out of his little bind." This sort of vague doublespeak was not something Astoroth enjoyed, but he thought it beneficial to remain on Marren's good side for the time being.

"Of course, the Grasts are the eldest family in Festival. Those Scathels, and Frynns claim superiority, but just look at our manners, our breeding. They are savages!" Marren said, seeming comfortable and amused for now. "And speaking of value..."

The evening ends as brandy is brought out along with two objects: a hefty wooden box, and a long cane. Marren says that before he rewards you for delivering Ammos from the prison hulk, he must punish his nephew. He was foolish for getting caught, and has sullied the Grast name. He commands Ammos to come over to him and gives him half a dozen lashes on each open palm with his cane. It takes exactly no effort to realize how humiliated Ammos is, and he scurries off the first moment he can. Seeming entirely unbothered, Marren turns back to you and slides over the wooden chest. A quick look shows a small receipt claiming the box contains 750 GP.

Marren then draws his chair in closer to you, and you notice an unpleasant smell on Grast; his clothes reek of the sewer, a scent masked by perfume and the smell of food, but one of underscoring rot. It's unmistakably ratty.

His nephew, Marren admits, was foolish, tricked by a harlot who, by coincidence, is associated with a rival clan on the island – the Frynns. This harlot — known as Grace Spindleshanked — lurks around the Great Fayre at the heights of Festival.

Now, he and his associates would cause great upset if they went there, but strangers, now, they could slip in unnoticed and do some sniffing and bring this harlot and her associates back to Grast Hall — or what’s left of her. Frankly, the message will be the same anyway — he’d be mightily happy at that occurrence. If that eventuality were to occur, Grast adds that not only would he and the entire Grast family be grateful for repaying the besmirching of their good name, and find such useful and graceful people easy work, but he would personally reward them.

At this point, Grast brings out from his pocket a curious object: an obsidian sphere about the size of an orange; he flicks a brass switch and the object parts, revealing a central section wherein there is a dead young crow — undead in fact. The object is a mortomata Grast calls the weather vane. If you agree agree to deal with Grace Spindleshanked, it's quite clear he plans to give you the object on top of all the other rewards.

Astoroth left the wooden chest and the mortomata where they were. "My thanks, but that won't be necessary. I was actually hoping that you could assist me in locating someone. For one as influential as you, it should be a simple matter, but it would be most helpful to me."

From his attitude thus far, you get the feeling he expects a little more service before he's willing to provide a requested reward. If you'd like to try and force the issue, you'll need something other than words - what you try, of course, is up to you.

Astoroth continues, "And in return, I can provide information regarding a threat to your family."

That got his attention. "What kind of threat?" he said, the relaxation of the dinner rapidly leaving his body as he focused on the issue at hand. ...It probably wasn't as intimidating as it might have been if you were a mere mortal, but he was definitely giving off the sense of being ready to stab whatever threat presented itself.

"War," Astoroth replied bluntly. "There are people plotting to eradicate you and your kind. I cannot stop it, but if you help me, I can make sure that you meet your foes on equal footing."

"There are always people who would like to be rid of us." Your host answered slowly. "In Castorhage, one makes enemies merely by existing. You'll need to be a little more specific."

"The ones who run the prison where I found your nephew. Their leader's name is Eleanor, and she seeks to eradicate not just you, but all of your kind."

Marren looked at you for a few moments. "And who are you looking for that's so important?" He said, clearly trying to ferret out your motivations and gain more information.

"Name's Uriah Agaric. Human with a neck tattoo. Eleanor hired me to find him, and if he's still alive, returning him may help calm her down." With no desire to get involved in faction warfare and having minimal personal stake in this particular matter, it was Astoroth's preference to be fairly open. Attempting convoluted intrigues while lacking enough information about all involved parties was a recipe for disaster. Besides, as a knowledge deity, Astoroth firmly believed that information should be shared whenever possible. When complete openness was impractical, holding back information was the more prudent course of action, but keeping secrets just felt wrong on a fundamental level. And in this instance, being blunt about his mission shouldn't cause too much trouble.

"And you... want us... to kill the human who hired you?" Marren inquired, looking thoroughly confused by this point. "Because if she's a threat to us, she is going to die, and you're not going to get paid for finding him."

"I'm not in this for the money," Astoroth replied. "She has some documents I need. Once I have them, I have no further tie to her." The fact that he was in the process of starting a faction war was irrelevant to Astoroth. He just wanted to be able to research this planet's living demiplane in peace. And the simplest way to get back to that was to give both factions exactly what they wanted. Eleanor wanted her friend back and to fight the wererats. The wererats wanted knowledge about threats against them. And if they were focused on each other, they'd leave Astoroth alone.

Or at least in theory. XD If I do end up getting Uriah, I'll repeat the invisibly flying trick I used with Grast to return him to Eleanor. I'm reasonably confidant I'll get there before the inevitable wererat hit squad. Then I can take the identity papers she promised and leave. At least in theory. XD

As you spoke with the confused rat-man - who was clearly trying to puzzle out your real angle in all of this - a shudder ran through the hall. His head snapped up at that "What's going on!?" he bellowed. It took about two minutes to get an answer, but finally a guard staggered in, wheezing slightly.

"Sir! The... the island... hit by a ship. One of the Between ships." he said. "Witness say it just... came out of nowhere. And..."

"And what?"

"It, um, it looks like it's been abandoned for ages. L-longer than it's existed for."

Marren scowled at that. "They say time flows oddly there. I'd rather not experience it for myself. Mmph. Well, I'll see if we can find this Uriah fellow. What do you know about him? Festival's a big place in its own right, and a man can change names without much trouble - gonna need more than that to find someone."

"He's a lanky fellow with a swan tattoo on his neck. Based on what I was told, he's likely wherever you keep your unwelcome guests, as I don't believe he was invited here."

Time fluctuations? That wasn't something one experienced very often. For the first time, Astoroth began to think coming here would be worthwhile. Castorhage was entirely too much like what Cheliax had become in his absence, but this 'Between' sounded extremely promising.

"Mm. Come back tomorrow. I need to see about this... Between-vessel." Marren said, getting up and leaving the table. It seemed like dinner was over... and he was clearly paranoid enough to not entirely trust you. Of course, with time ticking by, you were probably going to need a place of your own soon - unless you wanted to do more tonight, of course.

As was still technically a wanted man and the innkeeper wouldn't recognize his current appearance, Astoroth decided to remain on Festival for the time-being. He was quite interested in the Between-vessel but elected to hold off on visiting it. Since it had just arrived, it was sure to be the focus of attention - for a little while, at least. Instead, Astoroth set off to explore more of Festival.

There was no sign Festival was winding down for the night. If anything, it was only getting louder and more animated as you pushed your way into the crowds. Eventually - perhaps naturally drawn a bit towards heights with your current Sylph heritage - you made your way up the hill on the middle of the island.

The summit of Festival is a crown of colour and noise and enticement. A helter-skelter beckons from behind a trio of elephants, who stand on their rear legs and trumpet. Fortune tellers, freakshows, games of chance and outré curiosities and museums cram together in this claustrophobic summit. Numerous stallkeepers call out for you to try your luck, while a man towards the center was putting on a magic show... which, your keen eyes noted after a moment, a little bit of actual magic mixed into the sleight-of-hand.

Curious about the open display of magic, Astoroth decided to observe the magic show. While the ability to cast a few minor spells wasn't terribly uncommon in his experience, making them appear to be feats of pure legerdemain was another matter entirely and implied skill of a different sort.

As you watched, it soon became clear that the street magician was carefully making his tricks look like actual street magic - not real magic. To a certain degree, then, he was faking the show, but it was just as obvious he had a certain amount of real practice and talent as well. If you had to guess, it seemed like he was trying to build up a reputation for having the most amazing show, and in a place like this, that could be worth a lot.

It also suggested more than self-taught ability, because the average caster couldn't conceal their magic nearly as well. There was no outright proof, but you suspected he did have friends somewhere on this island.

Astoroth waited until the man's show was done and most of the onlookers had gone about their business before making his way to (whatever he's using to collect money) and dropping in a few coins. He made sure the magician saw the distinctly unnatural way they landed inside. "Excellent show. You have quite the talent. As a fellow practitioner, perhaps we could 'talk shop.' If you have the time, of course."
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31

Using a bit of telekinesis on the coins, but trying to be subtle about it so only the magician notices. As I didn't take any general drawbacks, the casting shouldn't be too obvious, but magicians tend to be more observant than the average layman. Source: I'm an amateur close-up magician. XD

The magician clearly noticed - and grinned a bit as your smooth words convinced him. But then, mortals often found it hard to resist the words of the gods. "Well, I'm always looking to learn more." he said agreeably. "Don't know why, but I've had a real urge the last few days to pick up some new tricks. Give me about ten minutes to finish this show."

True to his word, he finished up his performance - to a long round of applause and a shower of coins from the audience - and he used one final trick to make the coins disappear. A few moments later, he brought you into what seemed like a small, intimate cafe where people came to rest in the midst of all the noise and bustle outside.

"So, what sort of tricks do you work with?" the street magician inquired.

Astoroth gave a smile. "Oh, I'm not a prestidigitator, but I do have a few tricks of my own. From what I've learned about this city, though, they're not the kind that goes over well with the general public. That's why I'd wanted to speak with you: the way you blended yours in with the illusions was quite impressive." He paused to assess the man's reaction. "I was hoping we could do a trade. I'd let you go through my 'book of tricks' in exchange for some general information about Festival, the factions here, and the Between. I'm not from this world, you see, and am finding it more difficult than expected to go about my business here."

The street wizard nodded slightly. "Any particular factions you want to know about?" he asked. "You, uh, you're definitely new around here. Pretty much every street has a gang trying to control it, to say nothing of the hundreds of clubs and groups and such every which way. I couldn't even begin to tell you about all of them, but if there's a part of the city you want to know more of..."

"Ive inadvertently drawn the attention of the Family, the woman in charge of the prison ship across the bay, and the Knights Occularis. Information about them would be appreciated, but I'm more interested in the Between. Information sources, research materials, access to it, that sort of thing. Also, if there's a mage guild that isn't the Arcane Society, I wouldn't mind hearing about it. On a more important note, though, is there anything that can be done about all the scrying sensors roaming about? Or, at least, a way to avoid constantly attracting people's attention? I came here to do research, not get involved in faction politics."

The street magician's expression shifted from slightly panicked to faintly amused as you kept talking. "First, the sensors, no. They'll just make more of them. You wanna avoid them, you go someplace they can't easily get to, like an underground bunker or something. For mage groups... aside from tiny collectives of the near-talentless, the Castorhage Arcane Society is about it. Anybody weaker gets crushed before they can try to tell others what to do. There is the Arcanum Infernus, but nobody really likes them - the churches keep trying to get rid of them, and they're tolerated by the nobs only because they might offer interesting new things to do with the bodies of common folk. The Knights Occularis are a right pain - worship Mother Grace and help the royals out, often hunting down folk who've never been a bother."

Knowledge(religion) on Mother Grace: 1d20 + 21 + 1d6 ⇒ (19) + 21 + (5) = 45

Astoroth nodded as he took in the information. "And the Between? How readily-available is the research on it? Or is it possible to see it firsthand?"

From what you've picked up, Mother Grace is also known as The Holy Mother and the Mother of All - a Lawful Neutral Goddess of Family, Order, and Tradition. From what you've seen just looking around, her faith seems to be the official religion of Castorhage. Other beliefs are tolerated, but as a goddess of order, her followers seem quite willing to impose their will by force if need be. You're also aware that she's effectively unknown beyond the bounds of this area, despite her status as a fairly powerful goddess. It also seems like she's worshiped in several different forms throughout the city.

"Information on Between isn't easy to come by... but if you want to see it firsthand, that's easy. Risky, but easy. Just sign up with the Royal Between Company and they'll ship you out with the next available group."

Finally. Something that seemed promising. "What is that company's objective?"

"Officially, it's licensed to investigate, colonize, explore, and obtain the natural resources of Between. They probably get up to some shadier business as well, but it's directly approved of by the Queen and currently run by Lord Lucas Nathaniel Nightshade. They've been doing business for about a hundred and forty years now, and it's part of what's made the nobles so rich."

"I see. Can you give me directions to the nearest place to sign up?" Then, as promised, he revealed the spellbook he carried with him so the man could look through it.

That looks pretty good. :-) Two suggestions: limit the instakill portion of Smite the Apostate or bump that portion to a higher Tier. The bestow curse/geas part is fine, but being able to instantly slay ANYONE who's worshiping at your shrine seems a little strong. Second, you may want to add Inquisitor/Oracle/Warpriest to Mark of the Prophet. They're just as divinely-chosen as Clerics, after all. XD

Noted - and added to the Campaign Info tab. o wo/

For the record, whenever I level, I'll be picking up that Enhancement talent that lets me bypass DR. XD I'm trying to avoid using Mythic Power here unless absolutely necessary, as I'm not sure who's keeping an eye on me here in the Abyss.

Yeah, anything that'll help you bypass DR is probably a good idea. XD You're mostly a physical attacker, and that's only going to grow as a problem unless it's mitigated...

As I grow in power, I'll eventually need a divine realm, and I just figured out what it'll be. XD I plan on constructing a massive extradimensional library filled with every sort of knowledge imaginable. The Book of Truths would power the library's resources, so they'll be constantly up-to-date. If possible, I'd like to staff this library with Stray Spells, which would (naturally) be of the divination variety. Access would be granted to Astoroth's followers, but any individual who is fervently seeking knowledge about a particular matter may be lucky enough to suddenly find themself standing in front of a relevant shelf.

Still need to finish up, but here's what I have so far.

Brawler 7
HP +29 (1d10*1.5 + 3 mythic + con)
BAB +1
Maneuver Training 2 (dirty trick +1, grapple +1)

Empiricist 7
Skill Ranks (6 + 8 int + 1 favored class)
- All Knowledges +1, Disable Device +1, Escape Artist +1, Perception +1, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +1,
Investigator Talent (amazing inspiration)
Level 3 Extracts (gaseous form)

Incanter 8
CON +1 (+4 hp +7 retroactive)
Initiative +1
Diviner's Fortune increase to +4
Foretell (divination specialization ability)
Will Save +1
Caster Level +1
Magic Talent (enhancement)
*Bonus Feat

Mythic 4
*Ability Score +2 (either STR or INT)
Initiative +1
Mythic Power increase to 11/day
Mythic Surge increase to 1d8
*Mythic Talent x2

Enhancement Sphere
Drawbacks (consciousness linked, personal magics)
Talents (enhance equipment, natural enhancement, versatile enhancement)

Your INT is plenty high for right now, so I'd suggest upping your Strength a little instead. Aside from getting to be better than unenhanced humans (finally), there's a practical aspect to aiming for a well-balanced character that's not going to be much worse at Strength-based challenges (which totally exist).

For your Incanter's bonus feat, I'd suggest getting a little Metamagic. Since you have Recharge Sphere Magic, some options are more useful than they might normally be. Piercing Spell may prove handy if you face foes with SR and want a better shot of landing spells on them.

Mythic Talents are... pretty flexible, of course, but upping your Book to a Minor Artifact by taking Legendary Item again wouldn't hurt, and works well thematically. Speaking of, you should probably see if that's getting any new abilities. XD

Upping STR was what I was leaning towards for the reasons you stated. Metamagic's something I hadn't considered. I've never really used it on any of my casters, but I have run into SR a few times this campaign, so it'll probably be useful. That leaves me with new Mythic Talents.... I'd planned on upping Book, so that just leaves me with one Talent. I'll figure that in the next day or two. As for new abilities, I'm holding off for now so I can pick from one of the higher lists.

Sounds like a plan. ^^

I think I'm all set now. If everything checks out, I'll update my profile and resume posting in Gameplay. Thanks for your patience. XD

Brawler 7
HP +29 (1d10*1.5 + 3 mythic + con)
BAB +1
Maneuver Training 2 (dirty trick +1, grapple +1)

Empiricist 7
Skill Ranks (6 + 8 int + 1 favored class)
- All Knowledges +1, Disable Device +1, Escape Artist +1, Perception +1, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +1,
Investigator Talent (amazing inspiration)
Level 3 Extracts (gaseous form)

Incanter 8
CON +1 (+4 hp +7 retroactive)
Initiative +1
Diviner's Fortune increase to +4
Foretell (divination specialization ability)
Will Save +1
Caster Level +1
Magic Talent (enhancement)
Bonus Feat (piercing spell)

Mythic 4
STR +2
Initiative +1
Mythic Power increase to 11/day
Mythic Surge increase to 1d8
Mythic Talent x2 (legendary item, predictive analysis)

Enhancement Sphere
Drawbacks (consciousness linked, personal magics)
Talents (enhance equipment, natural enhancement, versatile enhancement)

Having made some complicated characters myself... I know it can take a bit of time. XD Looks good to me.

I'm at a con this weekend, so posting will be sporadic.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Proposed Rebuild
Retrain Brawler 7/Unarmed Fighter 1 into Striker (skirmishing scout) 8
Add Battered Detective archetype to existing Empricist Investigator

Martial Tradition: custom
- Scout
- Barroom
- Berserker
- Toolkit Training (discipline)

Spheres Known: 14 (8 striker, 6 investigator)
Alchemy (formulae)
- Improved Tanglefoot Bag
Barroom
- Barroom Expert
- Jagged Edge
- Surprise
Berserker
Boxing
Dual-Wielding
- Mercurial Flow
Equipment
- Toolkit Training
Fencing
- Parry and Riposte
* Parry Anything
Open Hand
- Counterbalance
- Snap Kick
- Tear Flesh
Scout
- Find Gap
- Identify Rhythms
*Inimical Gaze

Other Changes
AC/CMD/Fort Saves -1
Grapple CMB/CMD -2
Dirty Trick CMB/CMD -1
Unarmed Strike damage reduced to 1d6
Lose three feats: combat expertise, snake style, snake fang
Replace Catch Off-Guard with Barroom Brawler
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In terms of changes, I'm slightly easier to hit while standing still, but as long as I move at least 10ft each round, I actually become significantly tankier due to the Striker's agile AC bonus. For combat talents, Barroom lets me be Jackie Chan with whatever's within reach. Dual-Wielding gives me pseudo-flurry when needed. Fencing gives me defenses and replaces the Snake Style chain (the rebuild means I lose three combat feats, after all). Open Hand lets me maintain my established affinity for unarmed combat, and the other talents give me some mobility control. Scout meshes well with the Investigator's studied combat feature, and the Legendary inimical gaze talent will be helpful during the frequent situations where I'm outnumbered.
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If this is acceptable, I just need to select three Striker Arts, and I'll be good to go.

Striker Arts
Instant Punishment
Iron Soul
Mobile Step

Looks good to me. ^^ Well, almost. You've got 8 talents from Striker, so your Unarmed Attack is actually 1d8, not 1d6. (This is definitely a case where only the better of the two progressions is counted. XD)

Unarmed Attack only increases based on the number of "unarmed spheres and talents" known as per page 11. As I currently have 5 of those talents, it should be 1d6. Striker doesn't actually grant an unarmed damage progression - only the Improved Unarmed Strike feat.

Hm... aaaaah, that's pretty discreet in there, isn't it? XD 1d6 it is.

Completely unrelated to this game, but apparently something happened at PaizoCon involving the FGG CEO. As it's a weekend, there's unlikely to be any official information for a little bit, but I wanted to give you a heads-up.

I saw the thread on it. I have essentially no knowledge of the situation aside from the fact that something bothering some people appears to have happened, and an injury of unknown severity may have occurred. Also, PaizoCon was several months ago, and any company-level reactions are likely to have already happened. I'd prefer to avoid rushing to any sort of conclusion, especially before those who might want to respond to and/or comment on the situation have had a chance to do so.

Most notably, someone citing themselves as a contracted employee says that Paizo (who was not actually the cause of the problem) is indeed working internally to improve things, and they appear satisfied with the work being done.

Most definitely. It's the first I've heard of anything regarding PaizoCon, and the whole thing seems a bit weird to me, so I'm following the thread in hopes of some official clarification. Mainly because I own quite a few FGG products, and they have a Kickstarter running that I've been considering backing. Anyway, I'd just been seeing if you were aware, as you're often a voice of reason in the various outrage threads.

I've experienced quite a few outrage threads in the past, often over extremely minor - or even expected - things. ^^; And I don't mean "blowing off serious accusations", I mean "translated things not matching the original text because some jokes just don't translate". Like, what, would you rather have a direct translation that makes no sense at all in order to retain the "purity" of the text, when even the creator thinks a change should be made there? o_O Outrage threads get weeeeeird sometimes, so I try to avoid jumping to conclusions regardless of the subject. (Besides, I believe in innocent until proven guilty.)

Anyway, Paizo's clearly aware of things, and they're probably going to give a response when, y'know, there's someone in the office who's in a position to do that. Rampant speculation doesn't help, so in this case, I do think it's best to wait and see. ^^ If people are handling the matter like adults, that's good enough for me. If I feel like Paizo (or anyone else) has failed to properly address the situation after having had a reasonable opportunity to do so, I can make a decision on what to do then. At the very least, though, they seem to be making a good effort.

Heh. Very true. XD

Seeing as PaizoCon was a while ago, I'm guessing this whole outrage thread started due to something that came up during the #MeToo stuff. While I hope Paizo says something to clear things up (at an appropriate time, of course), I'm glad that the thread got locked relatively quickly. Like you said, outrage threads can get weeeeeird.

Out of curiosity, have you experienced any weirdness with the website recently? I've been unable to log into the Wayfinder app, and the site keeps logging me out when I try on both my computer and my phone. I'm obviously able to get in and post, but when I log in, it sends me to an error page first. Just seeing if anyone else has a similar experience before I submit a support ticket to Paizo.

Oh, yeah, the website's been pretty wonky since they added some new code. They're working on it, though, and hopefully a fix isn't too far away.

Side Note: You've gained the following ability.

Divine Might: As a standard action, you can expend one use of mythic power to use any base combat sphere ability (such as the additional attack of the Dual Wielding sphere or the Hard Drinker ability of the Barroom sphere). You may also apply up to one applicable talent from the same sphere (although it must affect the ability you're using, rather than simply providing a passive benefit). If either talent has an effect that lasts beyond the action to activate it, or provides skill points, that effect lasts until the start of your next turn. You do not need to know either of the talents, but you must meet all of their prerequisites in order to use them with this ability. When you activate a sphere ability through Divine Might, your level is treated as 2 levels higher for the purpose of any effect dependent on level.

Good idea. XD Assume Iris has the same thing.

Merry Christmas! You've gained the following ability:

Shield of Knowledge: Gain Immunity to Intelligence Damage/Drain.

Feat +1 (still deciding)

Incanter 9
Fort Save +1
Ref Save +1
Caster Level +1
Magic Talents +2 (still deciding)

Striker 9
HP +19 (1d10*1.5 +4 CON)
BAB +1
Will Save +1
Drill Knuckle +1
Vital Insight +1
Combat Talent +1 (still deciding)

Investigator 8
Skill Ranks +15
- All Knowledges +1, Disable Device +1, Escape Artist +1, Perception +1, Sense Motive +1, Spellcraft +1
Studied Combat +1
Studied Strike +1d6
Unfailing Logic improve to +4
Combat Talent +1 (still deciding)

*Rubs chin* Hmm.... a couple of talents and some feats, eh?

This should cover it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feat
Great Focus

Combat Talents
Boxing: Shoulder Roll
Dual Wielding: High-Low Combination

Magic Talents
Illusion Sphere
Illusion: Invisibility

-Rubs chin- Aaaaand are you doing anything with the Legacy Powers for the Book of Truths? Or is it not gaining anything this level?

I totally forgot about that. *embarrassed chuckle* How would Metamagic Mastery from Menu A work for spherecasting? I kind of like Lightbringer since it's thematically appropriate that Book lights up so I can read in the dark, but metamagic is always good to have - especially at higher levels. There's nothing I'm particularly interested in Menu B, and Menus D/E/F unlock at Level 11, so I'm looking solely at Menu A abilities.

If it's something you can buy at this level, then it's legal. ^^ ...I'm pretty easygoing in general with this game, but especially so for divine items. XD I want people to feel like such a thing really is a powerful, unique, and frankly kind of amazing thing they're holding, probably beyond any other item a character of theirs has held - something really worthy of its name, not just Item X with 'divine' slapped onto the top to make it sound shinier.

Let's go with Lesser Metamagic: Disruptive Spell then.