Monsters save the world (Inactive)

Game Master caster4life

But who knows? Rather than burden themself with such worries like other venedaemons obsessively hanging by the waters of the River Styx, Xalgrilath has spent the last few centuries learning new things! Abaddon was a rather boring place to be with its wastelands and utter lack of libraries or museums, and there were so many daemons trying to recruit them for purely destructive campaigns of terror. Yawn! So Xalgrilath struck out on their own! After trying unsuccessfully to access the libraries of Diovengia in the Abyss and of the Fallen Fastness in Hell, Xalgrilath began to monitor the Material Plane for knowledgeable summoners who might be interested in having a stimulating conversation on arcane theory. Maybe they would be able to point Xalgrilath in the direction of some good books!

Sure enough, Xalgrilath found themself in negotiation with and service to many spellcasters over the years, all willing to trade arcane knowledge, secrets, and other manners of interest. Some of them were more interesting than others, and more than a few tried to hold Xalgrilath captive to continue to work for them. Xalgrilath always* escaped eventually, whether by fulfilling the terms of an agreement or slaying the mortal and consuming their soul when they got bored of pretending to be kept.

(*One of these arcanists could very easily have been Lucian Aldor. Whether Xalgrilath stayed in this wizard’s employ on a more permanent basis before the original start of your story or escaped to return later is something I’m happy to work out with the GM!)

During this time of working for and with mortals, Xalgrilath found out two new hobbies. First, they learned to play the fiddle! It’s amazing what you can do with tentacles instead of fingers, and mortals always listen to Xalgrilath play with their mouths open wide! It’s hard to tell whether they’re more scared or impressed, but Xalgrilath is happy to play in either case. Second, Xalgrilath began to amass a collection of interesting antiques! Some mortals appreciate this collection more than others, but Xalgrilath is always pleased to talk about it with anyone who will listen.

Xalgrilath dreams of opening their own museum to show off their collection. Abaddon could use some more cosmopolitan flare, after all! Do something for the tourism industry down there. To do that properly, though, they might need a staff…and it sure would be a shame if something destroyed the world before that could happen!

Xalgrilath is particularly proud of their flowing burgundy velvet robe with golden trim, which is kept in impeccable condition (unlike some of the tattered messes some venedaemons cart around on their backs). The robe is cinched together by a silvery tabard adorned with topazes, lapis lazuli, carnelians, opals, rubies, and sapphires, all inset to accentuate arcane symbols stitched in gold, teal, and crimson. But most importantly—the robe has pockets!

In these pockets, Xalgrilath keeps an amazing collection of trinkets that they have collected over the years: jewelry and beads, colored bits of glass, arrowheads wrapped in nymph hair, coiling shells, ancient coins from long-dead empires, broken watches and other clockwork mechanisms, the profane symbols of several gods, and even a bit of a fossilized ooze! They happily retrieve and catalog these baubles with one of their many tattooed tentacles, should anyone express curiosity. What most creatures don’t understand about these antiques is what they represent! Bits of history and culture tied up with the metaphysical nature of the universe, tugging at the invisible threads that connect everything. These items connect Xalgrilath to the quintessence of existence in all its wondrous forms—forms that are Xalgrilath’s to study and manipulate! Xalgrilath is always looking for new items to add to their collection. Shards of a lost, holy artifact would be perfect additions…

Mortals are often scared of the way that Xalgrilath looks. That’s usually fine, of course, until one or more of them put together a mob with pitchforks and tries to chase after them. And it’s so pesky to go into libraries and museums if everyone is screaming or dead or the town is on fire. So Xalgrilath has learned to hide their true self. At least they can still show off their robes and their collection! If the mortals are particularly paranoid, then Xalgrilath is sneaky enough and can usually get in to where they want without bothering anyone—until they want to. It’s very fun watching mortals run in terror.

If anything, Xalgrilath might be a bit judgmental, mostly of other daemons who are too narrow-minded. So many of them are just about death, death, death all of the time! Why not mix it up? Pick a hobby! Like playing the violin!

With mage armor, shield, and barkskin activated, Xalgrilath’s AC is 32/15/28, with more boosts if fighting defensively.

--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (average)
Melee: 4 tentacles +13 (1d6+1)
Special Attacks: swallow soul
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +14)
Constant—arcane sight
At will—command cacodaemon (DC 18)
3/day—dimension door, dispel magic, slow (DC 16)
1/day—summon (level 3, 1 venedaemon 50% or 2d4 cacodaemons 70%)
Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 8th; concentration +11)
3rd (4)—hold person (DC 16)
2nd (6)— invisibility, scorching ray
1st (7)— charm person (DC 14), mage armor, magic missile, shield
0 (at will)— acid splash, arcane mark, bleed (DC 13), mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic
Antiquarian Relics Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +11)
2nd (4/day) barkskin, alter self; 2 unused
1st (6/day) tears to wine, long arm, anticipate peril; 3 unused

With studied combat, arcane strike, and power attack, Xalgrilath can do 4 tentacles at +12, dealing 1d6+12 per hit, or +15 for 1d6+6 per hit if accuracy is challenging.

--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 13, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 22, Wis 16, Cha 17
Base Atk +9; CMB +10; CMD 24

Feats: Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Scale and Skin, Weapon Finesse
Traits: Magical Knack (Sorcerer) (magic), Life of Toil (social)
Skills: Acrobatics +10, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +7, Disable Device +25, Disguise +12, Fly +13, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, nature, local, planes, religion) +18, Knowledge (engineering, geography, history, nobility) +10, Linguistics +14, Perception +15 (+2 to locate traps), Perform (strings) +10, Sense Motive +12, Sleight of Hand +16, Spellcraft +18, Stealth +15, Use Magic Device +15; Inspiration (+1d6) can be expended for free on Bluff, Disable Device, Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge (all), Linguistics, Sleight of Hand, and Spellcraft
Languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Ignan, Infernal, Sylvan, Terran; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ: relic magic, inspiration (8/day), trapfinding +2, item lore, curse resistance +4, investigator talents (quick study, underworld inspiration), keen recollection, trap sense +1, studied combat +2, studied strike +1d6, swift search
Gear Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2, Goggles of Minute Seeing, Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Resistance +1, Wand of Infernal Healing (29 charges), Masterwork Thieves’ Tools, Masterwork Violin, Collection of Religious Trinkets [representing the following spells: 1st—anticipate peril, cure light wounds, disguise self, expeditious retreat, identify, long arm, shield, tears to wine, true strike; 2nd—acute senses, alter self, barkskin, blood transcription, cure moderate wounds, lesser restoration, resist energy, see invisibility], 5 gp

--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Command Cacodaemon (Sp) As a swift action, a venedaemon can issue a suggestion (as per the spell) to a cacodaemon. The venedaemon adds a +2 racial bonus to the save DC of this spell-like ability. It can command a cacodaemon to feed it a soul gem via this effect.
Swallow Soul (Su) A venedaemon can consume a held soul gem created by a cacodaemon as a swift action, allowing it to cast any of its spells known without using a spell slot. For the daemon to use this ability, the consumed gem must contain the soul of a creature with Hit Dice equal to or greater than the spell level of the desired spell.
Spells A venedaemon casts spells as a 6th-level sorcerer.

An antiquarian begins play with a collection of religious trinkets that functions as his formula book and weighs 2 pounds total, with each trinket functioning as a formula. Adding new trinkets has the same cost and time requirement as adding formulae to a formula book. An antiquarian can study a wizard’s spellbook or alchemist’s formula book to learn formulae, but an antiquarian’s trinket collection is too esoteric for anyone except another antiquarian to learn spells from. An antiquarian prepares spells by meditating and charging relics with supernatural power, which has the same requirements and limitations as preparing extracts. However, instead of creating extracts, an antiquarian casts spells as though he were an arcane spellcaster, which means he can affect other creatures with his spells. An antiquarian does not suffer from arcane spell failure.

An antiquarian doesn’t gain a competence bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks to create alchemical items, and he cannot identify potions with that skill. Furthermore, he cannot select alchemist discoveries as investigator talents.

This alters alchemy.

Inspiration (Ex): An investigator is beyond knowledgeable and skilled—he also possesses keen powers of observation and deduction that far surpass the abilities of others. An investigator typically uses these powers to aid in their investigations, but can also use these f lashes of inspiration in other situations.

An investigator has the ability to augment skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant inspiration. The investigator has an inspiration pool equal to 1/2 his investigator level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). An investigator’s inspiration pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night’s sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of inspiration from his pool to add 1d6 to the result of that check, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. An investigator can only use inspiration once per check or roll. The investigator can use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft skill checks without expending a use of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.

Inspiration can also be used on attack rolls and saving throws, at the cost of expending two uses of inspiration each time from the investigator’s pool. In the case of saving throws, using inspiration is an immediate action rather than a free action.

Trapfinding: An investigator adds 1/2 his level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device checks (minimum 1). An investigator can use Disable Device to disarm magical traps.

Item Lore (Ex): An antiquarian can identify even the most esoteric objects at a glance. At 2nd level, he can discern whether an item is magical simply by studying it for 1 round. Once he identifies a magic item in this way, he can use Spellcraft to attempt to identify the properties of the magic item as if he had used detect magic. Furthermore, he can detect whether an item is cursed if his check to identify the magic item exceeds the DC by 5.

This replaces poison lore.

Curse Resistance (Ex): At 2nd level, an antiquarian gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against spells and effects with the curse descriptor. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level and to +6 at 8th level. At 11th level, the antiquarian becomes completely immune to such effects.

This replaces poison resistance and poison immunity.

Investigator Talent (Ex or Su): At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, an investigator gains an investigator talent. Except where otherwise noted, each investigator talent can only be selected once.

Quick Study (Ex): An investigator can use his studied combat ability as swift action instead of a move action.

Underworld Inspiration (Ex): An investigator can use his inspiration on Bluff, Disable Device, Disguise, Intimidate, or Sleight of Hand checks without expending uses of inspiration, provided he’s trained in the skill.

Keen Recollection: At 3rd level, an investigator can attempt all Knowledge skill checks untrained.

Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, an investigator gains an intuitive sense that alerts him to danger from traps, granting him a +1 bonus on Ref lex saving throws to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks by traps. At 6th level and every 3 levels thereafter, these bonuses increase by 1 (to a maximum of +6 at 18th level).

Studied Combat (Ex): With a keen eye and calculating mind, an investigator can assess the mettle of his opponent to take advantage of gaps in talent and training. At 4th level, an investigator can use a move action to study a single enemy that he can see. Upon doing so, he adds 1/2 his investigator level as an insight bonus on melee attack rolls and as a bonus on damage rolls against the creature. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) or until he deals damage with a studied strike, whichever comes first. The bonus on damage rolls is precision damage, and is not multiplied on a critical hit.

An investigator can only have one target of studied combat at a time, and once a creature has become the target of an investigator’s studied combat, he cannot become the target of the same investigator’s studied combat again for 24 hours unless the investigator expends one use of inspiration when taking the move action to use this ability.

Studied Strike (Ex): At 4th level, an investigator can choose to make a studied strike against the target of his studied combat as a free action, upon successfully hitting his studied target with a melee attack, to deal additional damage. The damage is 1d6 at 4th level, and increases by 1d6 for every 2 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 9d6 at 20th level). The damage of studied strike is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit; creatures that are immune to sneak attacks are also immune to studied strike.

If the investigator’s attack used a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), he may choose to have the additional damage from studied strike be nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. If the investigator chose to make an attack with a lethal weapon instead deal nonlethal damage (with the usual –4 penalty), the studied strike damage may also deal nonlethal damage.

The investigator must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. An investigator cannot use studied strike against a creature with concealment.

Swift Search (Ex): At 4th level, an antiquarian can study the secrets of a location with incredible speed. Whenever he takes 20 on a Perception check, it takes him only 1 minute.

This replaces swift alchemy.

Life of Toil: You have lived a physically taxing life, working long hours for a master or to support a trade. Hard physical labor has toughened your body and mind. You gain a +1 trait bonus on Fortitude saves.

Those initial experiences were amazing. I still keep up with a lot of those people, even though we don’t game together anymore. We developed worlds, characters, and stories together that I remember fondly to this day.

More recently, the pandemic forced my usual in-person gaming group to meet exclusively online. Even that has gotten difficult for one of our members, so we have recently been doing a lot of Play-by-Discord. I have since gotten involved in a handful of other PbD games, and I can easily keep up with the post-at-least-once-daily expectation (and prefer more), especially if I’m not trying to write a manuscript with each post (like I was back in the day...or for this post). I haven’t done any play-by-post on the Paizo boards (yet), so not much to see here unfortunately.

1. Magical knack is fine to boost sorcerer caster level up towards the max, your HD.

2. Sounds good.

3. Agreed. In character you might persuade a friendly wizard to let you copy without the surcharge but that doesn't apply to background since there was no chance for that RP to occur.

4. Ah yeah that's where this monster/adventurer hybrid gets weird. My ruling for simplicity and to limit power creep is that monster stats don't follow any sort of automatic or HD-based progression. So you pull your SR (16) right from the bestiary unless templates modify it or an adventurer feat says it boosts SR, or something like that. Does that make sense?

5. Sure thing.

6. Agreed about arcane strike.

7. I've clarified the background skills section to "To help with that, you get two background skills ranks for every HD you have. Max ranks in a skill will be based on your HD."

8. Good to know.

DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+1 Dex, +8 natural, +2 size)
hp 5+ (1d10+5d6)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +7 (+4 vs. enchantment)
Defensive Abilities hardness 15, deductive leap, uncanny dodge; Immune Construct Traits
Weaknesses fire vulnerability, susceptible to mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft., fly 30ft.
Melee slam +2 (1d2-3), touch +6
Ranged spell +6
Special Attacks mind thrust (10/day), combat insight

Spell-like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +14)
10/day—mind thrust III (DC 23)
3/day—mind probe (DC 23), mindlink (DC 19)
1/day—mental block (DC 20)

Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +13)
3rd— 1 + 2 bonus
2nd— 2 + 2 bonus
1st— 3 + 2 bonus
0 (at will)—detect magic, mage hand, mending, light, prestidigitation

STATISTICS
Str 4, Dex 12, Con -, Int 27, Wis 16, Cha 11
Base Atk +3 CMB -2 CMD 9
Feats Ability Focus (mind thrust) [base], Blind-Fight [savant], Scribe Scroll [wizard], Toughness (+6hp) [1st], Extra Exploit (Dimensional Slide) [3rd], Spell Penetration [5th], Fast Study [bonus 5th]
Traits Greater Adept of the Society, Reactionary
Skills item HD (1x2) + wizard (5x2) + int(6x8) + background(6x2) = 72 ranks; *=class skill
Acrobatics +1 (0 ranks, +1 Dex)
Appraise* +8, (0 ranks, +8 Int)
Bluff +0, (0 ranks, +0 Cha)
Climb -3, (0 ranks, -3 Str)
Craft* +8, (0 ranks, +8 Int)
Diplomacy +0, (0 ranks, +0 Cha)
Disable Device* +1, (0 ranks, +1 Dex)
Disguise +0, (0 ranks, +0 Cha)
Escape Artist +1, (0 ranks, +1 Dex)
Fly* +14, (6 ranks, +3 class, +1 Dex, +4 size)
Handle Animal +0, (0 ranks, +0 Cha)
Heal +3, (0 ranks, +3 Wis)
Intimidate +0, (0 ranks, +0 Cha)
[b]Knowledge (arcana)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (dungeoneering)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (engineering)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (geography)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (history)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (local)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (nature)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (nobility)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (planes)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Knowledge (religion)* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Linguistics* +8, (0 ranks, +8 Int)
Perception +3, (0 ranks, +3 Wis)
Perform +0, (0 ranks, +0 Cha)
Profession* +3, (0 ranks, +3 Wis)
Ride +1, (0 ranks, +1 Dex)
Sense Motive +3, (0 ranks, +3 Wis)
Sleight of Hand +1, (0 ranks, +1 Dex)
Spellcraft* +17, (6 ranks, +3 class, +8 Int)
Stealth +9, (0 ranks, +1 Dex, +8 size)
Survival +3, (0 ranks, +3 Wis)
Swim -3, (0 ranks, -3 Str)
Use Magic Device* +8, (0 ranks, +8 Int)
Racial Skill Bonuses A savant gains a +6 insight bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks against creatures it has observed or interacted with for 1 minute. Furthermore, it can use all Knowledge skills, Disable Device, Linguistics, and Use Magic Device untrained.
Languages common + int, telepathy 100 ft.
SQ ego 7, 4 construction points (mithral), artificial soul, phrenic stone, skill mastery, home advantage +4, arcane reservoir 5/8 points, exploits (quick study, potent magic, dimensional slide 50ft.)

ANIMATED ITEM ABILITIES
Construction Points (4: 1 normal + 1 flaw + 2 extra) Animated objects have a number of Construction Points (CP) used to purchase abilities and defenses in addition to those presented above. A tiny animated object has 1 CP. If an animated object spends more CP than its size category would allow, its CR increases by 1 (minimum of +1) for every 2 additional CP spent.
Mithral (Ex) The object is made of mithral. Its hardness increases to 15 plus a +4 increase to natural armor.
Flammable (Ex) The object gains vulnerability to fire.

INTELLIGENT ITEM ABILITIES using wealth by level
Unused Wealth 500gp
Item Power (Fly 30ft.) Item can fly, as per the spell, at a speed of 30 feet. Cost: 10,000 gp; Ego Modifier: +2
Intelligent Item Purpose Defend the servants and interests of the creator. Ego Modifier: +2

ENLIGHTENED CONSTRUCT ABILITIES
Susceptible to Mind-Affecting Effects (Ex) An enlightened construct is susceptible to mind-affecting effects, even though it is a construct. Although they can be magically charmed or compelled, enlightened constructs are particularly resistant to enchantments and receive a +4 bonus on Will saves to resist these effects.
Mind Thrust III (Sp) 10/day An enlightened construct can use mind thrust as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to 2 + the enlightened construct’s Intelligence modifier. The version of mind thrust available to an enlightened construct is determined by its Hit Dice.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) 1HD Mindlink 3/day, 3HD Mental block, 5HD Mind probe 3/day, 7HD Telekinesis 3/day, 9HD Dimensional lock 3/day, 11HD Dimension door 3/day, 13HD Mass synesthesia, 15HD Antimagic field, 17HD Telekinetic storm, 19HD Power word kill. An enlightened construct gains a number of spell-like abilities set by its Hit Dice. It gains the spell-like abilities listed in the entry for its Hit Dice, as well as all listed spell-like abilities for prior entries. Unless otherwise noted, each ability is usable 1/day. The caster level for these abilities is equal to the enlightened construct’s Hit Dice (or the caster level of the base construct’s spell-like abilities, whichever is higher). The DC for a saving throw against the enlightened construct’s spell-like ability is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + the enlightened construct’s Intelligence modifier.
Artificial Soul (Su) Though not the true soul of a living creature, the enlightened construct’s artificial soul provides it with a unique personality and a spark of sentience. Unlike most constructs, the enlightened construct is not immune to necromantic effects. Enlightened constructs are still immune to death effects and they cannot be raised or resurrected. Enlightened construct golems are still immune to magic as described in their entries.
Phrenic Stone (Su) An enlightened construct has a stone infused with supernatural mental energy embedded into its head or chest that is the source of its awakened intellect. If an enlightened construct is destroyed but this phrenic stone remains intact, it can be used to create another enlightened construct, using the same cost as augmenting a new enlightened construct (see Construction below). When a phrenic stone is used to create a new enlightened construct, the personality and memories of the previous enlightened construct are lost. A phrenic stone has hardness 10, 20 hit points, and a break DC of 30.

SAVANT CREATURE ABILITIES
Deductive Leap (Ex) Once per round, a savant can choose to substitute its Intelligence modifier for the ability modifier usually associated with a saving throw it is about to make. The decision to use this ability must be made before the saving throw is rolled, and this ability can be used even if the savant does not know what the saving throw is for.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex) This ability functions identically to the rogue ability. If a savant gains uncanny dodge from a class level or another template, it instead gains improved uncanny dodge.
Combat Insight (Ex) Against any creature it has watched in combat for at least 3 rounds a savant gains a +2 insight bonus to AC and on attack and damage rolls.
Skill Mastery (Ex) A savant chooses ten skills when the template is added. It may take 10 on checks made with any of these skills, even if stress or distraction would normally prevent it from doing so.
Home Advantage (Ex) A savant gains a +4 insight bonus on initiative rolls and Perception and Stealth checks in any area with which it is very familiar (that is, a place that the savant feels at home in).

WIZARD ABILITIES
Favoured Class (Wizard) +4hp Whenever a character gains a level in his favored class, he receives either + 1 hit point or + 1 skill rank.
Human Favoured Class Bonus Spells (1 2nd lvl spell) Add one spell from the wizard spell list to the wizard’s spellbook. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level he can cast.
Arcane Reservoir (Su) 5/8 points/day At 1st level, the exploiter wizard gains the arcanist’s arcane reservoir class feature. The exploiter wizard uses his wizard level as his arcanist level for determining how many arcane reservoir points he gains at each level. The arcanist’s arcane reservoir can hold a maximum amount of magical energy equal to 3 + the arcanist’s level. Each day, when preparing spells, the arcanist’s arcane reservoir fills with raw magical energy, gaining a number of points equal to 3 + 1/2 her arcanist level. Any points she had from the previous day are lost. She can also regain these points through the consume spells class feature and some arcanist exploits. The arcane reservoir can never hold more points than the maximum amount noted above; points gained in excess of this total are lost. Points from the arcanist reservoir are used to fuel many of the arcanist’s powers. In addition, the arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir as a free action whenever she casts an arcanist spell. If she does, she can choose to increase the caster level by 1 or increase the spell’s DC by 1. She can expend no more than 1 point from her reservoir on a given spell in this way.
Exploiter Exploit At 1st level and every 4 levels thereafter, the exploiter wizard gains a single arcanist exploit. The exploiter wizard uses his wizard level as his arcanist level for determining the effects and DCs of his arcanist exploits.
Quick Study (Su) The arcanist can prepare a spell in place of an existing spell by expending 1 point from her arcane reservoir. Using this ability is a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The arcanist must be able to reference her spellbook when using this ability. The spell prepared must be of the same level as the spell being replaced.
Potent Magic (Su) Whenever the arcanist expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the caster level of a spell, the caster level increases by 2 instead of 1. Whenever she expends 1 point from her arcane reservoir to increase the spell’s DC, it increases by 2 instead of 1.
Dimensional Slide (Su) 50ft. The arcanist can expend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to create a dimensional crack that she can step through to reach another location. This ability is used as part of a move action or withdraw action, allowing her to move up to 10 feet per arcanist level to any location she can see. This counts as 5 feet of movement. She can only use this ability once per round. She does not provoke attacks of opportunity when moving in this way, but any other movement she attempts as part of her move action provokes as normal.
Bonus Feats (1 feat) At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, a wizard gains a bonus feat. At each such opportunity, he can choose a metamagic feat, an item creation, or Spell Mastery. The wizard must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including caster level minimums. These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gets from advancing levels. The wizard is not limited to the categories of Item Creation Feats, Metamagic Feats, or Spell Mastery when choosing those feats.
Fast Study Normally, a wizard spends 1 hour preparing all of his spells for the day, or proportionately less if he only prepares some spells, with a minimum of 15 minutes of preparation. Thanks to mental discipline and clever mnemonics, you can prepare all of your spells in only 15 minutes, and your minimum preparation time is only 1 minute.

Magnus' purpose was all consuming. All it desired was whatever the creator commanded. There were more unexpected surprises in store. Though Magnus' thoughts were dedicated solely to the creator's commands, intelligence sometimes makes surprising choices where an automaton would never deviate. Magnus learned. When the creator practiced and used magic, it watched and remembered. Drawing upon the complex rituals and knowledge inscribed upon its own pages, Magnus taught itself cantrip after cantrip, everything that would allow it to better serve the creator. The creator was delighted and wished to use Magnus to effectively double the amount of magic she could do, but its ability was limited to only the most minor magics, cantrips. Stronger and more complicated magic was too much for its still limited intelligence.

Deciding to enlighten Magnus, the creator studied the ways of construct crafting and through great expenditure and effort bound a powerful phrenic stone into its hardcover. Magnus was finally able to live up to its name, learning more powerful spells, given responsibilities and an expanded mission to manage and defend all of the creator's interests which it took to with single-minded purpose.

It was a sad day when the creator no longer was there to instruct it. Magnus soon realised that Lucian, may she live forever, could not truly be dead. Magic was the answer to all problems that it had dealt with so far, so there must be some magic Magnus could learn to bring the creator back. It might take much time to find and master the right ritual. In the meantime, there were many things it was still responsible for. It would not do to let the creator's creatures and possession go uncared for and unprotected. They were all simple creatures, compared to such an advanced intelligence as Magnus' and must be managed carefully as always.

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 17, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 natural, +2 size)
hp 6 (1d6+3)
Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +4
DR 5/cold iron; SR 12

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.
Melee short sword +6 (1d3–4/19–20), bite +1 (1d2–4)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6, tinker
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +3)

At will—prestidigitation
1/hour—dimension door (self plus 5 lbs. only)

STATISTICS

Str 3, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15
Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 9
Feats Dodge, ToughnessB, Weapon FinesseB
Skills Bluff +6, Craft (traps) +10, Disable Device +9, Escape Artist +8, Perception +6, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +16, Use Magic Device +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Craft (traps), +4 Disable Device
Languages Undercommon

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Tinker (Sp)
A group of six jinkins working together over the course of an hour can create an effect identical to bestow curse on any living creature. This effect functions at CL 6th and has a range of 60 feet, and the target creature must be either willing or helpless (but still gets a saving throw to resist). The save is DC 14 + the Charisma modifier of the jinkin with the highest Charisma score (DC 16 for most groups of jinkins). Alternatively, the group of jinkins can attempt to infuse a magic item with a curse. The nature of this curse is determined randomly; half of these curses make the magic item unreliable (each time the item is used, there is a 20% chance it does not function), while the other half give the item a random requirement. A jinkin can take part in a tinkering only once per day, and may only tinker with a creature or object that isn’t already cursed. Once a tinkering curse is in place, it is permanent until removed via an effect like remove curse. All jinkin tinkerings function as a curse created by a 6th-level caster.

ECOLOGY

Environment any underground or urban
Organization solitary, pair, mob (3–12), or infestation (13–20 with 1–3 sorcerers of 1st–3rd level, 1 rogue leader of 2nd–4th level, 2–8 trained stirges, 2–5 trained darkmantles, and 1–2 trained dire bats)
Treasure standard (short sword, other treasure)

Sneaky and sadistic, jinkins are hideous gremlins that inhabit the dark places underground. Well acclimated to the shadows, they hide in cramped quarters and attack larger creatures when they’re strategically positioned. Jinkins commonly work with or near larger or more powerful creatures; these larger creatures provide cover for the jinkins’ trickery. They use dimension door to exit any battle that goes badly, taking any stolen goods with them.

Jinkins delight in leading larger creatures into dangerous caves or pits, usually by lunging out of the shadows to make a single sneak attack against a creature and then running away, taking care while “fleeing” to remain visible to their target so that they can lure the victim into a trap.

Jinkins also hold dangerous grudges, and one might follow a creature that supposedly slighted it for weeks, looking for an opportunity to take revenge. This revenge can take many forms, from leading horses astray to contaminating food supplies to directing larger monsters toward the begrudged creature.

One of the most direct and unwelcome revenges of the jinkins is the destruction or cursing of magical items. Many times they’ll observe camped enemies from a distance and either steal an item to tinker with it or just use their tinkering magic at a distance to annoy the item’s owner. Once a jinkin has worked its sabotage on a stolen item, the jinkin either grows bored with the item or may attempt to return it to its owner. Jinkin lairs are often cluttered with stolen items that bear curses the jinkins themselves have forgotten all about.

Dwarves in particular hate jinkins, with numerous tales in their folklore telling of tragedy at the hands of the gremlins. The loathing is largely mutual.

The average jinkin stands almost 2 feet tall and weighs about 13 pounds.

Among the strangest are the psychoplasmic creatures that spontaneously form on the Astral Plane in no perceivable pattern. It could be that when a soul gets caught up in some form of astral eddy, its essence and the strange energies of the Astral Plane fuse to create this bizarre form of life. Some suggest that the passage of souls through the plane leaves impressions behind, the most powerful of which manifest as beings unto themselves. The most outlandish philosophies theorize that since the Astral Plane is a plane of thought, maybe a great thinker exists somewhere beyond the expanse, and these creatures are physical embodiments of its will.

Whatever the nature of a psychoplasmic creature’s genesis, it retains much of its knowledge of its former life, if any, but is extremely emotionally dulled. It cares nothing for its past, and instead takes on a mission or a task that it must complete, but usually without knowing why. Those who believe that the Astral Plane is both the incarnation of thought and also a thinker believe that these creatures always do the bidding of that astral mind. The evidence is scant, as there seems to be little rhyme or reason to individual psychoplasmic creatures’ actions. Instead, they seem inexplicably fixated on random things; while a few eventually change the nature of their obsessions, such refocusing is rare. Some of the most common tasks that psychoplasmic creatures propel themselves toward include hunting down beasts or beings that they never could have bested in life, exploring or drawing other creatures toward areas of the Astral Planes where few have ever tread, and giving themselves over to the service of psychic masters to whom they are inexplicably attuned.

The one common thread between all psychoplasmic creatures is their substance and appearance. Though they keep the forms they once held (or were molded to resemble), they seem to be composed of a large, constantly shifting clump of silvery dust. This dust continuously drifts from a psychoplasmic creature’s form, dissipating into nothing. Yet as fast as it falls, it is replaced, leaving the creature’s size unchanged even after decades or centuries of such evaporation.

The strange dust of a psychoplasmic creature’s form completely disappears only after the creature fulfills its inscrutable objective.

Psychoplasmic creatures come in many forms. Many are large, hulking brutes that stalk those who invade or defile the Astral Plane, sometimes tracking trespassers to the Material Plane (though their mobility is diminished there). Others are more intelligent and serve as advisors and companions to shulsagas. These beings might be treated as anything from valued members of a shulsaga community to embodiments of heroes or entire shulsaga tribes lost and reborn. Others, however, wage war on shulsagas, and are widely perceived as the psychic vengeance of deadly foes or mighty beasts from their mythology. In any case, the known power of psychoplasmic creatures has impacted shulsagas’ culture and art, and they dust many of their most sacred sites and most impressive pieces of statuary in silvery powder, to suggest suggesting the adaptability and might of psychoplasmic creatures.

A select few psychoplasmic creatures serve the interests of Purgatory—though it can be difficult to tell whether that is intentional or incidental.

Psychopomps keep these astral denizens at arm’s length, but nonetheless welcome their aid. Many psychopomps remain skeptical of the strange creatures’ agenda, though, suspecting that these psychoplasmic allies are spying on or undermining their comrades. Regardless, no accounts tell of psychoplasmic creatures serving predators of souls, such as daemons.

Still other psychoplasmic creatures wander the planes, fixated on whatever was embedded in their minds when they came into being. A strange few seem to be born without any ambition beyond a nameless urge to wander the multiverse in search of adventure before they finally dissipate back into the silvery void of the Astral Plane.

Creating a Psychoplasmic Creature
“Psychoplasmic” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead), referred to hereafter as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Base creature’s CR + 1.

Alignment: Usually neutral.

Type: The creature’s type changes to outsider. Do not recalculate the base creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. It retains any subtype and gains the augmented subtype. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted in the following sections.

Armor Class: A psychoplasmic creature gains a natural armor bonus of +2. If it already has a natural armor bonus, that bonus increases by 2.

Hit Dice: Change all of the creature’s racial Hit Dice to d10s. All Hit Dice derived from class levels remain unchanged.

Defensive Abilities: A psychoplasmic creature gains an amount of spell resistance equal to its CR + 5. Psychic spells bypass this spell resistance.

Damage Reduction and Energy Resistance: A psychoplasmic creature gains damage reduction and energy resistance based on its Hit Dice, as given in the table below.

Hit
Dice Resist Cold,
Electricity,
and Fire DR
1–4 5 —
5–10 10 5/magic or adamantine
11+ 15 10/magic and adamantine
Speed: Psychoplasmic creatures gain a fly speed of 60 feet (perfect) while on the Astral Plane.

Attacks: A psychoplasmic creature retains all natural weapons of the base creature. It gains a slam attack that deals damage based on the ectoplasmic creature’s size.

Special Attacks: A psychoplasmic creature retains all of the special attacks of the base creature. In addition, a psychoplasmic creature gains the following special attack.

Mindlock (Su)
Upon successfully making an unarmed strike or natural attack against a creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher, a psychoplasmic creature can attempt to impose a mindlock on that creature as a free action. The target of the mindlock must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the psychoplasmic creature’s Hit Dice + its Intelligence modifier). If the target fails, it cannot cast spells, speak, or use Intelligence checks or Intelligence-based skill checks for 1 round (or 1d4 rounds, if the psychoplasmic creature has 11 Hit Dice or more).

Ability Scores: Dex +4, Int +4.

Skills: Survival is always a class skill for psychoplasmic creatures, and they gain a +5 racial bonus on Survival check when following tracks.

Special Abilities: The flexible body of a psychoplasmic creature grants it the compression ability.