Once every 10 years, the cosmopolitan city of Goka on the western coastline of Tian Xia hosts the Ruby Phoenix Tournament on an island off the coast. Infamous for its strange spectacles and exciting mix of fighting styles, the contest draws combatants and spectators from all over the world. The tournament’s winning team gets their choice of a single item from the legendary treasury of an ancient spellcaster and earns a reputation beyond imagining.
Having earned a sponsorship and made it through the qualifying exhibitions, your team of warriors is ready to fight in the Grand Pavilion arena against the mightiest combatants and cleverest battle mages on Golarion. Can you prove your mettle in tests of mind and body? Step into the arena to find out!
* * *
Welcome to my recruitment for the Pathfinder 1E Ruby Phoenix Tournament module! I have been enjoying Paizo’s 2E sequel, Fists of the Ruby Phoenix, and wanted to relive the original module. The focus of the module is most certainly on competing in the tournament, but there is plenty more to explore on Xielan Island. Characters will start at 11th level. You should reach 12th level by the end of the tournament.
This is a fighting tournament with rules and judges. You will mostly be fighting other humanoids, though exhibition matches could put you against other creatures and in strange environments. There will also be opportunities for roleplaying and some exploration. If you ever wanted to take on a professional wrestling persona or live your best shonen life, this is the module for it!
I plan to take 4 players through this adventure. Recruitment will run for the next 2 and a half weeks, ending at 11:59pm ET on July 2. I expect that we will complete the adventure by late 2023 or early 2024. If there is interest in continuing the table for additional jaunts, we can discuss that at the end of the module.
Character Creation Summary
System: Pathfinder 1E
Level: 11
Ability Scores: 20 point buy
Races: Preference for Core Races plus aasimar, catfolk, grippli, hobgoblin, kitsune, lizardfolk, nagaji, ratfolk, samsaran, tengu, and wayang
Alignment: No restrictions
Class: Any Paizo
Skills: Background skills
Feats: Non-combat feats at every even level; Combat Stamina free for fighters, brawlers, swashbucklers, and warpriests;
Traits: 2 traits from different categories; no campaign traits
Wealth: 82,000 gp; no single item worth more than 41,000 gp
Hit Points: Max at each level
Languages: No secret languages. In this game, the Common tongue refers to Tien rather than Taldane.
Favored Class Bonuses: You will gain an extra Hit point, an extra Skill point, and your racial favored class option each level.
Background: 2-3 paragraphs. Most important: Why—other than competing for the prize—are you entering the Ruby Phoenix Tournament?
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Resources: I plan to use Roll20 for combat maps. I have a Discord server that will be optional, but which I encourage people to join for table cohesion, notices, etc.
I have three general preferences for this game.
1) I’d like to give priority to people who are not already involved in multiple campaigns.
2) I'd like to give priority to people who have not played the module before.
2) I would prefer not to deal with 3rd party content. I am tentatively open to hearing pitches for certain content on a case-by-case basis.
If you want to try to put together a team here in recruitment, feel free to do so! I make no promises about taking all members of a team, but a well-crafted team could very well influence my decisions!
If making a team with others, consider thematic niches, common motivations, shared dispositions, a particular sponsor, an origin, a strength, a weakness, and a quirk. I have lists (from the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Player Guide) to facilitate this discussion once we have our players, but I’d love to see what you come up with on your own.
Ability Scores: 20-point buy; no starting (i.e., Lv1) scores below 8 or above 18 after racial adjustments.
Races: Since the contest is held in the largest city in Tian Xia, humans of Tian heritage—particularly people of Tian-Shu ethnicity, who predominate most of Tian Xia thanks to the expansionist efforts of the now-defunct Lung Wa Empire—represent most of the entrants to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. Humanoids of other ancestries more common in Tian Xia, such as kitsune and tengus, also make up a fair share of the competition’s entrants. This pattern is largely due to proximity and convenience; it’s simply easier for fighters from Tian countries to secure travel to Goka. Likewise, stories of worthy Tian fighters have a greater chance of reaching the ears of the tournament’s organizers, which also impacts who receives an invitation to the event.
Other than the core races, the most likely races to appear in the tournament are: aasimar, catfolk, grippli, hobgoblin, kitsune, lizardfolk, nagaji, ratfolk, samsaran, tengu, and wayang.
You may choose any alternate racial traits within your ancestry’s page as listed on AoNPRD.
Explicitly Not Permitted: Adaro, Being of Ib, Drow Noble, Duergar Tyrant, Green Martian, Kasatha, Lashunta, Merfolk, Munavri, Svirfneblin, Triaxian, and Trox.
Alignment: For the most part your character’s moral leanings aren’t crucial for the purposes of the story. Aspiring Ruby Phoenix Champions come to the tournament with all kinds of reputations, agendas, and social attitudes, some benevolent, some malignant. As long as teams don’t break the tournament’s rules, the means by which you overcome your rivals can run the gamut between honorable and chivalrous to underhanded and dastardly. Even chaotic, unrepentantly evil contestants might find a way to put aside their predilections long enough to cooperate with a team for a shot at the championship’s grand prize. Perhaps the unpredictable and violent nature of the fights is enough of a release valve for such competitors.
Classes: Any class or archetype published by Paizo, including unchained.
The Ruby Phoenix Tournament draws contenders from all walks of life, from spell-slinging magic practitioners to sword-wielding knights errant to mercenary-minded scoundrels. That said, some classes of competitor are seen in the ring more often than others. Chief among the most common tournament entrants are, perhaps unsurprisingly, fighters, monks, barbarians, and swashbucklers. All of these martial masters practice close-range mortal combat as a way of life and are expertly suited to fights in the arena. The tournament’s team-on-team format also favors rangers and rogues, who boast numerous talents and specialties that create openings for their teammates or otherwise exploit the chaos typical to the fighting ring. Among the magic-wielding classes, wizards, witches, and other spellcasters who prepare their spells daily (as opposed to tapping into some innate power) have an advantage here. Because of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament’s predictable schedule and frequent opportunities to rest (often an entire night) between bouts, these spellcasters can change their spell repertoire frequently and zero in on just the right selection of spells for the arena
Skills: We will be using Background Skills rules from Pathfinder Unchained.
Feats: At every even level (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) you can take a non-combat feat. These should be feats that have no or minimal impact in typical combat and are instead more for flavor (e.g., not Spell Focus or Spell Penetration). Story feats, skill-based feats, or racial feats are all appropriate for these even-level feats. The exception to the non-combat feats is that you can take any of the performance feats as even-level feats.
Combat Stamina is free for fighters, brawlers, swashbucklers, and warpriests, and available by feat access to everyone else. Similarly, Unchained Rogues gain class access to skill unlocks, which other characters can access by choosing the Signature Skill feat. Psychic classes automatically gain access to occult skill unlocks, which other characters can access by choosing the Psychic Sensitivity feat.
Traits: Choose two traits from different categories other than campaign traits. You may not choose a drawback to gain a third trait.
Wealth: You will start off with 82,000 gp; you may have no single item worth more than 41,000 gp.
Hit Points: Max at each level. (Note: enemies will have max hit points as well.) When you rest overnight, you will naturally heal level + Con hit points.
Languages: No secret languages. In this game, the Common tongue refers to Tien rather than Taldane. If you want to speak both, you need to choose them separately.
Favored Class Bonuses: At each level, you get your race’s unique favored class bonus in addition to both a bonus skill point and a bonus hit point. If your race doesn’t have a favored class bonus, you can choose from either this list (the second batch) or this one.
Please engage with the scene, the NPCs, and with each other.
“Grog nods.”Why? It’s boring and doesn’t add much to the scene.
Grog looks at the skeleton now lying splintered and still on the cave floor, and his rage slowly subsides. “Well that was embarrassing,” he says sheepishly, his tall frame shrinking as he hopes that his friends won’t think less of him for getting so angry.”
Why? It’s more appropriate, providing sensory details and adding something that another character can respond to.
* * *
When combat begins, I will roll Initiative for everyone and combat will proceed in block initiative. When your character is up in initiative, you will have 24 hours to post your combat turn. If you don’t post by that point, then I will either have your character delay or (if you have a typical action), I can bot you. I plan to use Roll20 for maps.
I prefer a roleplay-forward style of play. What is your character thinking? What are they feeling? Roleplaying, especially PbP, is a collaborative environment where we are all telling a story together. I would love to be able to tell each character’s story in addition to the overarching narrative. Even though this is a fighting tournament, there are and should be roleplaying opportunities. Work the crowd! Encourage your teammates! Trash talk your opponents! Be larger than life! This is the perfect opportunity to take on a professional wrestling persona or to live your best shonen-inspired life (a la One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Dragon Ball, Naruto, or Yu Yu Hakusho).
I like to think of myself as a very roleplay-forward GM with a heavy investment in Golarion's lore. You can find the other four campaigns I'm currently running on the Paizo boards here, here, here, and here. I have a couple narrative samples here, here, here, and here. Some combat samples can be found here, here, and here. You are welcome to check out my profile page for a snapshot and some samples of my non-GM roleplayinng.
I prefer a roleplay-forward style of play, though I enjoy the tactical, combat-oriented parts as well. I will follow my players’ leads and let you explore towns and NPCs as much or little as you want, nudging you back to the rails only if it seems like people are losing interest in the game.
I will try to post at least once per day and will find an optimal schedule so that you can expect to reliably move forward. But my current players can attest that sometimes it takes me more than a few days to craft something worthwhile if I’m being a little obsessive. I will do my best to provide notices ahead of time for work, illness, travel, writer’s block, etc. so that you are not blindsided by a prospective absence or gap.
[ b]Character Name[/b]
Race Class Level
Alignment gender size type (subtype)
[ b]Init[/b] +; [ b]Senses[/b] ; Perception +
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[ b]Defense[/b]
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[ b]AC[/b] , touch , flat-footed (+ armor, + shield, + Dex, + natural, + deflection, + dodge)
[ b]hp[/b] (d+)
[ b]Fort[/b] +, [ b]Ref[/b] +, [ b]Will[/b] + (circumstantial modifiers)
[ b]Defensive Abilities[/b]
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[ b]Offense[/b]
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[ b]Speed[/b]: ft. ( ft. in armor)
[ b]Melee[/b]: +/+ (d+/x)
[ b]Ranged[/b]: +/+ (d+/x)
[ b]Special Abilities[/b]:
[ b]Spell-Like Abilities[/b] (CL th)
1/day—[ i][/i] (DC )
[ b]Class Spells[/b] (CL th; concentration +)
2nd (/day) [ i][/i] (DC )
1st (/day) [ i][/i] (DC )
0 (at will) [ i][/i] (DC )
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[ b]Statistics[/b]
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[ b]Str[/b] , [ b]Dex[/b] , [ b]Con[/b] , [ b]Int[/b] , [ b]Wis[/b] , [ b]Cha[/b]
[ b]Base Atk[/b] +; [ b]CMB[/b] +; [ b]CMD[/b]
[ b]Feats[/b]:
[ b]Traits[/b]:
[ b]Skills[/b]:
[ b]Languages[/b]:
[ b]SQ[/b]:
[ b]Gear[/b]:
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[ b]Special Abilities[/b]
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Copy, paste, and hyperlink as you need/the GM requests.
As people have questions, I will answer them and then compile them (along with any resulting changes to the recruitment) in the campaign info page.
I have an Aasimar Enlightened Paladin that would be great for this, but I am in multiple games already (violating 1st preference). I'll hold off on throwing up a submission unless you don't seem to be getting enough people who aren't in the same boat, just to be fair.
I have an Aasimar Enlightened Paladin that would be great for this, but I am in multiple games already (violating 1st preference). I'll hold off on throwing up a submission unless you don't seem to be getting enough people who aren't in the same boat, just to be fair.
Same thing here, being involved in several games already. It'll be fun to build something, though, and have it ready in case you ask for some support :)
Thanks for the interest so far, folks! Answering a few questions/comments.
Character is in progress, going through the checklist for character creation guidelines. Almost done fulfilling all those, then auditing the class/archetype abilities and gear.
Just wanted to say I'm not going to submit a character, because I break the majority of your preferences, but I respect you for putting those out there for submitters to see. Well done and I wish you luck in this campaign.
I definitely break the initial 2 Guidelines ...lol!
Thanks, TheWaskally!
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Okay, as for The Prize:
Canonically , the Pathfinder Society sent a team of agents that won the thirty-first Ruby Phoenix Tournament. That team requested the Hao Jin Tapestry: the portal to (and container of) a demiplane created by Hao Jin. That's the sort of priceless artifact that we're dealing with. Not so much an an evil mastermind plan, that.
Ideally any such artifact would be useful more broadly rather than merely benefitting a single person. So I appreciate the desire for limitations or guidelines, but that goes against the spirit of the module.
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I do love the idea of the sponsor coming up to the party to find the Macguffin, and if that's what the team ends up deciding to do, then great! Securing an artifact to destroy it before anyone else gets their hands on it, or to use it to bend Golarion to your whims, are all valid concerns.
Ultimately, there are two ways it could go. The individual team members could wrestle internally about what single item could be gained (hopefully not ending in a Double Dragon style endgame), with their trials, tribulations, and desires serving as a potent background for the table. Or the team could be singularly united around a shared purpose, knowing that winning together is the only way to achieve their collective vision. Both sound interesting to me.
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Ultimately, I would not worry at all about wealth by level parity. A sidebar says that PCs are likely to come out far ahead of WBL. A rough glance through module tells me that the prizes won throughout the tournament before winning could come out to somewhere around 180,000 gp. You might not get all of it, but you'll get a lot of it.
Working on it. The reason for my character to have joined will be just that his master imposed that condition in order to keep on teaching him.
I'm building a Magus.
Check on the Magus, Jeruru!
MordredofFairy: I totally get that. That's part of why I want to encourage some potential development here. It looks like four indications of potential interest so far, so people could begin hashing out some ideas for common motivations and shared purpose.
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Hello Poly, I started Ruby Tournament with Brianiac in 2nd edition but we unfortunately didn't get too far. So minor violation of the second one, and fully breaking number one, but I still wanted to make a character cause it is a rather delightful thing to spend an evening on.
So thank you.
Ai Lua, aka The Red Petal Sharp Against the Moonlight
Large-scale arena gladiators are like modern-day rock stars, and The Red Petal Sharp Against the Moonlight is one of those rock stars. Ai Lua (her real name) is stylized to be the witty, graceful, Desnian samurai warrior inspiring terror in her opponents on the battlefield, and a proper Tain-Dan young woman with the blood of the dragons coursing through her veins off the battlefield... until the arena after parties start and she partakes way too much then she's just Lua. Her main goal for joining the tournament is the additional fame victory will grant her (story feat Magnum Opus, though secretly she has another as well). Desna, adoring crowds, red bean cakes, and a really good sake are her Likes. Disease, uncleanliness, loved ones dying, and shellfish are her great dislikes. Quirks are she prays before every battle, not for victory, which she does crave, but in hopes no one dies. Even her opponents.
She is a human Tain-Dan arcane duelist bard/evangelist concentrating on buffing and demoralizing, who truly needs a team to shine (and survive), either one she has performed with repeatedly over the years or a brand new one cobbled together by their sponsor. She's been in arenas all her adult life so happy to work on meshing backstories or alter mechanics to fill in gaps.
Background: Lua's mother always said "The spirits have blessed you with the Blood of Dragons", smiling with pride at her only daughter. Lua loved her mother so smiled back, inwardly wishing the spirits would focus their blessing on making them less poor. No father, troublesome older brothers, and a mother with her head in the clouds led to frequent nights with only broth for dinner.
One thing the 'Blood of Dragons' rumor got her, was approached by an arena promoter for some tiny street pit, who needed something new to draw spectators. Lua scoffed, thinking it was her pretty face he was hoping for more than the blood, but his coin was real, and having five older brothers meant she wasn't a complete novice at fighting.
Somehow, the skinny slip of a girl beat her opponent, then against two older girls at once, and then two older boys at once! Breathless, Bruised, stunned, and EXHILARATED, she open-mouthed smiled at the cheering masses, a crowd that had grown and grown at every victory.
That is when simple Ai Lua, with whispered blood of dragons, took her steps to become The Red Petal Sharp Against the Moonlight.
Quirks/Likes/Dislikes/Phobias: While she enjoys the fighting aspects of the arena, she LOVES the crowds, and has become an entertainer more than anything. Her sharp insults, her graceful dancing across the field of battle, and her style meant to break an opponent's will instead of kill, all part of playing to the crowd.
Outside of battle, while she plays the proper young Tain-Dan woman, she enjoys fame, attention, drink, parties, ALL of it way too much.
Likes Desna: the freedom, the traveling, the love of life, without the desire to take another's. She is quietly devoted to her goddess since when the promoter was offering her that opportunity at change, she had been about to say no. At that moment, three of the most vivid butterflies she had ever seen settled on the man's head, so she found herself nodding dumbly instead.
Disease scares her. Having lived in impoverished conditions most of her young life, and especially having lost her father to a plague, she has seen horrible drawn-out death from sickness. Because of that, she is a VERY clean person.
She also seems to be allergic to shellfish and has a near addiction to red bean cakes.
Goal: To win the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. She doesn't care about the prize, she wants the victory... at least that is what she says. In the back of Lua's mind, a tiny little version of herself is sitting at a tea set, waiting patiently for her father to get well and have the tea party he had promised her if she was good. And she wonders, ever so slightly, if there is something in that vault that would give her that moment back. Somehow, someway. anyway... please.
She doesn't dwell on that want, since it doesn't matter until she wins, and she will win. Until then she lives the life of an arena rock star.
Combat: The Red Petal Sharp Against the Moonlight performs best in a team. She concentrates on inspiring them to greatness, bringing the crowd to their side, and demoralizing their opponents. She does not specialize in bringing them down quickly or holding out against a prolonged onslaught.
Ai Lua, The Red Petal Sharp Against the Moonlight
Female human (Tian-Dan) bard (arcane duelist) 5/evangelist 6 (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 80)
CG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 10 ft., low-light vision; Perception +15 (+19 to avoid surprise)
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Defense
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AC 32, touch 17, flat-footed 27 (+9 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural, +4 shield)
hp 93 (11d8)
Fort +5, Ref +13, Will +9
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee her petal +17/+12 (1d4+8/×3)
Special Attacks bardic performance 29 rounds/day (move action; bladethirst, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate [DC 22], inspire competence +3, inspire courage +2, inspire greatness, rallying cry)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 11th; concentration +25)
. . 3/day—longstrider
Bard (Arcane Duelist) Spells Known (CL 10th; concentration +24)
. . 4th (2/day)—virtuoso performance[UM]
. . 3rd (5/day)—displacement, good hope, haste, see invisibility
. . 2nd (6/day)—glitterdust (DC 19), honeyed tongue[APG], mirror image, pilfering hand[UC], raiment of command (DC 19)
. . 1st (7/day)—ears of the city, fastidiousness, feather fall, liberating command[UC], tap inner beauty, tears to wine (DC 18), windy escape[ARG]
. . 0 (at will)—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 17), mage hand, mending, message, oath of anonymity, open/close (DC 17), prestidigitation, spark[APG] (DC 17)
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Statistics
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Str 8, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 24
Base Atk +8.25; CMB +7; CMD 24
Feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Cunning, Dazzling Display, Deific Obedience, Disheartening Display[ACG], Disruptive, Divine Fighting Technique (desna's Shooting Star), Enforcer[APG], Hero's Display[UC], Improved Dirge Of Doom[ACG], Magnum Opus, Persuasive, Signature Skill, Spellbreaker, Weapon Focus (starknife)
Traits mock gladiator, stage magic
Skills Acrobatics +22, Appraise +4, Bluff +21, Climb +3, Diplomacy +25, Disguise +11, Escape Artist +7, Fly +7, Heal +5, Intimidate +30 (Immediate action demoralize after scoring a critical hit with the chosen weapon), Knowledge (nobility) +7, Knowledge (religion) +10, Linguistics +6, Perception +15 (+19 to avoid surprise), Perform (act) +21, Perform (dance) +21, Ride +7, Sense Motive +15, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +7, Survival +5, Swim +2, Use Magic Device +11
Languages Common, Draconic, Hon-la, Minatan, Minkaian, Senzar, Tien
SQ arcane armor - medium, arcane bond - weapon, draconic heritage, masterpieces (pallavi of nirvana’s blossoming), starlit caster, traveler’s tricks
Combat Gear maiden's helm, darkflare (5), desnan candle firework (5), firecracker (5), smoke pellet[APG] (5); Other Gear +3 glamered mithral agile breastplate[APG], +3 mithral buckler (her moon), +1 returning starknife (her petal), amulet of natural armor +2, belt of incredible dexterity +2, boots of elvenkind, cloak of resistance +2, headband of alluring charisma +4, ring of protection +2, masterwork backpack[APG], silk kimono, silver holy symbol of Desna, tea ceremony set[UE]
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Special Abilities
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+4 to Perception to avoid surprise +4 to Perception to determine if you are aware of foes just before a surprise round.
Arcane Armor - Medium At 10th level, an arcane duelist gains Medium Armor Proficiency and can cast bard spells in medium armor with no chance of arcane spell failure. At 16th level, he gains Heavy Armor Proficiency and can cast bard spells in heavy armor with no arcane sp
Arcane Bond - Weapon (1/day) At 5th level, an arcane duelist gains the arcane bond ability as a wizard, using a weapon as his bonded item, allowing him to cast any one additional spell that he knows once per day. He may not choose a familiar or other type of bonded item. He may
Arcane Strike As a swift action, add +1 damage, +1 per 5 caster levels and your weapons are treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Bardic Performance (move action, 29 rounds/day) Your performances can create magical effects.
Combat Casting +4 to Concentration checks to cast while on the defensive.
Darkvision (10 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Dazzling Display (Starknife) Intimidate check to demoralize can affect those within 30' who see you.
Deific Obedience Purify yourself daily to prove devotion to a deity and gain benefits.
Disheartening Display (Starknife) Increase the fear of Dazzling Display by one step.
Disruptive +4 DC to cast defensively for those you threaten.
Divine Fighting Technique (Desna's Shooting Star) Starknife att/dam is Charisma based. Advanced: full-rd thrown starknife deals 1d4 hits.
Draconic Heritage (Ex) Ignore Cha pre-reqs of Eldritch heritage chain of feats.
Enforcer If you deal nonlethal damage with a melee weapon, make a free Intimidate check to demoralize.
Hero's Display Gain +2 on performance combat checks; may demoralize opponents
Improved Dirge of Doom +30 ft. to dirge of doom range, shaken creatures become frightened.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Magnum Opus Whenever you take 10 on Perform (act) skill checks, treat it as if you rolled 15.
Pallavi of Nirvana’s Blossoming The divine sunlight caused by this dance banishes darkness and causes flowers to bloom.
Prerequisite: Perform (dance) 11 ranks.
Cost: Feat or 4th-level bard spell known.
Effect: You begin your dance slowly, focusing on e
Spellbreaker If an enemy you threaten fails to cast defensively, they provoke an AoO from you.
Starlit Caster (Su) +2d6 spell damage when standing in starlight.
Traveler’s Tricks (Sp) longstrider 3/day, darkvision 2/day, or phantom steed 1/day
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Hopefully, everything is right, but I am VASTLY capable of making mistakes.
Alright then! I'll begin with some questions:
•Regarding non-combat feats, are things like Iron Will applicable? What about Additional Traits? I mean, most feats (yeah, even Skill Focus) could potentially have a use in combat, and traits as well.
•You mentioned the possibility of considering certain 3rd party options in a case-by-case basis. I understand opening the can of worms can be the beginning of the end, but would you consider the feat Deadly Agility? The reason behind this petition is to allow a Dex-based build other than the overused Scimitar-Dervish Dance one. It doesn't save me a feat slot or makes something overperform.
Hello all
I think I will throw my hat into the ring.
I have some ideas going on
1. (Trope here) a monk seeking an item that will restore his love back to her true form
2. A gnome ninja/assassin in the run from her clan
3. A geokinetisost daughter of a military General and abusive mother seeking a place in the world (a bit of Toph-like character)
4. A former ( or current) pirate captain simply looking for some excitement.
It is a lovely question.
Persuasion increases intimidation which Lua's uses for combat. But the big one was Signature skill(intimidation) which makes pushes shaken to frightened/panicked if she rolls well enough. Which is 100% combat related even though it is not a combat feat.
I made signature skill as combat.
Given that Story Feats are allowed, I'd just like to get an okay on taking Apotheosis as one of my non-combat bonus feats. Essentially my Aasimar Enlightened Paladin (Monk Paladin) is eventually destined for godhood, the tournament being part of her personal Path to Perfection, having been personally met by Shizuru on the battlefield when she was a few years younger being told that it was "not her time" and given a vague idea of the destiny that lay ahead.
It would essentially set her personal motivation for entering the tournament, be better.
From archetype description: "Enlightened paladins meditate on self-perfection and train relentlessly, knowing that their example can inspire others to excel. Enlightened paladins follow no universal paladin code—each paladin in his service creates his own code as part of his spiritual journey, seeing the adherence to such a self-formulated creed as one of the many tests one must face to reach perfection"
In her case, perfection will end in ascension to godhood, even if only a minor deity. Basically Irori with a personality, cultivating the already existing seed of Divine Blood.
Or the acknowledgement by her deity can occur in-game if you prefer, validating her internal yearning to seek perfection and fulfilling the goal part of the feat, whenever you feel it appropriate.
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•Regarding non-combat feats, are things like Iron Will applicable? What about Additional Traits? I mean, most feats (yeah, even Skill Focus) could potentially have a use in combat, and traits as well.•You mentioned the possibility of considering certain 3rd party options in a case-by-case basis. I understand opening the can of worms can be the beginning of the end, but would you consider the feat Deadly Agility? The reason behind this petition is to allow a Dex-based build other than the overused Scimitar-Dervish Dance one. It doesn't save me a feat slot or makes something overperform.
•As for Story Feats, do we get the completion bonus?
•As for Story Feats, do we get the completion bonus?
•Regarding non-combat feats, are things like Iron Will applicable? What about Additional Traits? I mean, most feats (yeah, even Skill Focus) could potentially have a use in combat, and traits as well.•You mentioned the possibility of considering certain 3rd party options in a case-by-case basis. I understand opening the can of worms can be the beginning of the end, but would you consider the feat Deadly Agility? The reason behind this petition is to allow a Dex-based build other than the overused Scimitar-Dervish Dance one. It doesn't save me a feat slot or makes something overperform.
•Racial feats are considered non-combat even if they do combat things? 8 mean, elves can get Weapon Focus, for example.
I must confess that I have been pondering a fun character for this module. I have played this once quite a few years ago at a local convention. Bloodrager. He died before the end. I really wouldn't mind another go.
I have been toying with a nagaji shaman (lore/battle) 11.
The flavor seems a good match....
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I must confess
I still believe
I have detoured into Tengu Shaman (Lore/Battle) 11. I was both inspired by Sho-gun and Johnathan from D&D .movie...lol!
Working out the kinks in my head as yet, but looking fun!
He is a Samurai in spirit, if not class.
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Hmm. I'm not in any PbP currently but did get half way through at a con, Sadly, I had to leave sunday.
I'm thinking sorcerer conjuration school and no I will not be spamming summons. In fact I won't use them at all, a proper sorcerer does not need help from peons
entering for the Power and Prestige: The Ruby Phoenix Tournament is renowned throughout the realm for attracting the most skilled and powerful warriors, including magic users. I'm joining the tournament to test my abilities against formidable opponents and prove myself as a force to be reckoned with. Winning the tournament would elevate my status and reputation in the magical community.
Mordred of Fairy here, submitting Saria Adura.
It's a profile I'm reusing, so can as well post with it :)
I did go with the initial idea, and technically she's a Fighter(Swordlord)/UC Rogue.
Also a totally regular human. No really. Human. No fluffy tails.
She'll be a tank that punishes people ignoring her, and well, nevermind, you can find that out in-game hopefully.
This will be Dorian Grey's Submission, although definitely still under construction.
I am also wondering about the Free Non-Combat Feats. Prior to choosing those, would any other Feat Not in the Combat section fill that requirement?
Backstory is in my head just need to write it down.
Thank you.
Lots of great questions and submissions! It was a busy weekend on my end, but I have started a document answering all of these and will be both posting here and collecting the answers in the Campaign Info tab by the end of this evening.
Had fun today building my submission. He turned out really well. I had toyed with building an actual Samurai, but, I really enjoy my full casters, so I molded the Shaman into the Samurai.
I believe that he is ready, although I will be posting a bit of background still this week.
Any questions, concerns please let me know.
Thank you for running!
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Applicants
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Previously Answered Questions
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Questions & Answers (new since Friday June 16)
The Pathfinder RPG is designed with assumptions about how many magic items a character can reasonably use at the same time, requiring players to make hard choices about which magic items their PCs acquire. Slotless items like ioun stones are usually either relatively low-powered or specialized in purpose. Think carefully before allowing a new magic that essentially duplicates an old one, but without using up an item slot.
Overall, if you can link me to published text or errata, then I'll consider it, but I'm inclined to say no.
That is a LOT of answers. Thank you.
Okay... only flavor... hmm... since persuasion is giving her an intimidation bonus and so much of her combat build is around intimidation, I'll drop that and add pick-up Favored Prestige Class. This allows her to still get the same bonus that persuasion gives in diplomacy and 6 more skill points she can dump in profession (gladiator) which seems pretty fitting.
Her other four even-numbered feats are cunning, deific obedience, hero's display (combat but a performance one), and magnum opus. So I think those are good, but let me know if any should change.
And she has Fastidiousness as a spell, so no baths. (which would be sad, so so so sad).
A lot of answers for a lot of questions!
I haven't gotten around to doing a deep dive into any of the posted character sheets yet (planning to later this week), but what you're describing for Ai Lua seems to be in the spirit of what I'm thinking of regarding the flavor feats! Skills like Bluff and Intimidate have a lot of very direct options to contribute in combat if you build towards them. So anything dedicated to making you better at a combat feature should be the providence of regular feats. Thanks for the self-audit!
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A peek into my head for this: I wanted to encourage people to take the Performance Combat feats because this is one of the few written adventures where they're explicitly beneficial. But I didn't want people to give up on standards like Power Attack or Spell Focus to get them. Then, looking over the Performance Combat feats, I realized that some would not find them useful at all, so I wanted to expand the options a bit.
Ultimately I wanted use this feat expansion so that people could 1) make their characters more interesting while 2) still preserving the balance/challenge of the module as written but 3) without having to rewrite two dozen statblocks. There are almost 3500 published feats for 1E, but some have probably rarely been used in a game because they didn't fit a PC's build. So this is an opportunity to look again at some of those feats that make you go "That's so cool!" instead of looking for ways to become an almighty god of combat.
It's also a bit like Ancestry, General, and Skill feats in 2E. Some of them increase combat prowess, but there are more that just let you do other neat things.
There isn't a great delineation between combat and non-combat (and with almost 3500 feats I can't possibly address everything), but I hope this provides a sense of what I'm trying to enable.
I am still working on my character
I decided to go with one of my favorite characters. A human half tien and half varisian from Samdpoint and ended up a pirate captain in the Shackles
So far my non combat feat selection included additional traits (taken twice), alertness, and still unsure on the last two
Additional Traits to provide some class skills should be fine. It's free, after all, and having Perception or something else added to your list is both cool and potent. I'm still deciding if Healer's Hand + Signature Skill should be kosher or not, but in any case, I'll end up finding something.
I'm taking a bit longer to edit the character sheet because I'm not really used to this template and I want to add links. I hate finding out I can't remember what something in my character does.
As for background, in 5 seconds, he's an elf from Jinin who cannot be samurai due to his origins, so he ends up finding an elf master who trains him "unoficially". To further advance in his learnings, his master asks him to qualify for the Ruby Championship and win it.
My view on the "24 hours wearing it" (even if my view had no value here, I understand) is that the intention was to make you wait 24 hours the first time you wear it, so as to avoid using 4 such items in a row during the same day.
As an option, you could go to the loo with your vest on. Medieval guys didn't take baths often.
Sounds like fun, Edward Sobel! I look forward to reading your future character!
I love the Healer's Hand + Signature Skill feat combo, and I find it kosher. Potent, yes, usable in combat yes, but not explicitly for the purposes of combat.
Also, Jereru, if you have another template, that's fine. I like the NPC stat block organization because it's standardized, but as long as it's easy enough to find things it's fine. Also digging the Jinin elf samurai angle!
I also agree with Jereru's take on the 24 consecutive hours bit. The focus seems to be preventing item-cycling, which is fair, not promoting bizarre and incomprehensible roleplaying situations.
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So I concur that a magical tattoo could be made of an existing magical item at double the cost. It's theoretically a (very expensive) way to get around magic item slot limits. But I want to be careful about this and deal with replacement tattoos on a case-by-case basis. I'm tempted to say no outright, but I don't like making blanket noes when it could stop something interesting. So if there's something you had your heart set on, we can talk. But I'd rather see frankenitems like eagle capes of resistance, belts of stone giant strength, or headbands of inspired ki focus.
Will you be checking completed submissions for conformity before the deadline, or only after?
Specifically, I used my non-combat feats for tails and am now insecure following the discussion -
They are mostly straightforward non-combatty, but there's also displacement as a tail ability. So one of them has a clear combat use - alas, I ALSO use my FCB for tails so that may be acceptable?
(But aside from the tail-ored Oracle and Sorcerer Archetypes there's so few chances to get to a full tail allotment, so I jumped at the chance without thinking too much about it)
I understand this is likely not a topic relevant for many others, but I also don't want to be informed I'll have to change things suddenly after the deadline has passed to remain valid :)
Still in the process of fine tuning/auditing gear etc, but here's Hitome
Background is also still under revision.
Oh I'm definitely looking at character backgrounds and mechanics now! I just haven't had a chance yet.
I believe that the magical tail feats should be fine. If it seems like something is too strong so as to become unbalanced, then I'll take a closer look and consider recommending a change. But I well-understand the impetus to make a nine-tailed kitsune!
Also, hello to Hitome!
Unwashed troglodyte, hahaha...
This thread on the subject had me cracking up.
And yes, Jemini, those will be the final costs.
I do believe that he is ready! I took as his Non-combat Feats with the theme of a Samurai (at least in my mind) as Guide and inspiration.
Thank you!
Alright here is what I got
see the profile
I've got a telekineticist built out in a Myth-Weavers character sheet I can start transcribing into the requested format tomorrow.
Still toying with whether I just want to eat the penalty for making ranged attacks into melee to free up a couple of feats for specializing in ranged combat maneuvers.
Updated background and description a bit. Planted a potential seed in her background that leads into the Apotheosis feat (and potentially plays into the semi-tragic lore of the goddess she serves)