Reign of Winter (private, solo)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

Here's the Discussion thread for the campaign. It should be a lot of fun.

Character Creation
Since this is a solo game, we'll adjust my regular character creation rules to make sure you have enough versatility and survivability to handle challenges meant for a full party. :-) There are two options: Gestalt or Template. In case you're unfamiliar, gestalt involves choosing two classes and keeping the best parts of each. In other words, you could be a Fighter/Wizard - d10 hit die, good Fortitude and Will saves, full BAB, 9th-tier spellcasting, armor/weapon training, etc. This is generally my preferred option, but it adds a bit of complexity to the level-up process. The other option is to gain a class template - essentially a more fleshed-out variant multiclass. This is simpler but much less powerful, making for a more challenging campaign over all. Either option is fine with me, so choose which one you're more comfortable with.

Regardless of which option you'd prefer, the first few steps of the character creation process remain the same. Start by choosing your race (gaining various ability boosts and racial features), then your background (gaining more ability boosts and a few flavorful abilities), then your class (or classes). The last step is a few free ability boosts to finish your attribute array. In other words, this is exactly the same as Strange Aeons except for the "Background" step. Due to your character's amnesia in that campaign, you gained extra ability boosts instead of selecting one.

As usual, I'm more than happy to answer questions, make suggestions, and otherwise assist in any way I can. We have plenty of time to get through everything, so let's start with choosing a race and coming up with a class concept. :-)

A couple other bits of bookkeeping: you'll start with 150gp and can purchase basic equipment as usual. In terms of backstory, instead of starting in Helgen as stated in the Player's Guide, I prefer to start in Sandpoint during the Swallowtail Festival. Rise of the Runelords is such an iconic adventure at this point that most players are familiar with it, so I find starting in a (probably) familiar location helps create an instant mental connection to the game world. Other than that, your backstory is yours to do with as you will. :-)

Hey YBD! Once again, thanks for the campaign.

Regarding the options, I'd rather go Gestalt. However, are we using your homebrew? (I'm fine either way!) If so, how does it work with Spheres? You get whichever gives you more Sphere (or the other systems) options? The extra bit of complexity is okay.

Regardless of system, I think I would go with a martial and a caster for more options. Maybe a Ranger (or Druid in the caster side for the same flavor) since there seems to be a lot of travel?

As for character concept, I'll have to think about it. I'll answer properly tomorrow, as Thursday is when I GM and I just finished my session. I'll probably follow the Player's Guide guidelines and just do someone completely removed from Irrisen for the culture shock factor.

Most likely a real 'adventurer' type, excited to delve deep in the mystery of this winter. Then again, that is fairly generic and I still need to think about a personal hook. Could always be a failed Winter Witch apprentice. Which goes against what I just said about the culture shock, but oh well.

I absolutely love Sandpoint, so that's great by me, as well.

Here's a quick example of character creation. :-)

STR 10 | DEX 10 | CON 10 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 10

Race: Halfling

STR 8 | DEX 12 | CON 10 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 12

Free Boost (anything except DEX or CHA because they were just increased)

STR 10 | DEX 12 | CON 10 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 12

Background: Bounty Hunter

STR 12 | DEX 12 | CON 10 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 12

Free Boost (anything except STR because it was just increased)

STR 12 | DEX 12 | CON 12 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 12

Class: Barbarian (options are STR, CON, or CHA)

STR 14 | DEX 12 | CON 12 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 12

Free Boosts (any four attributes)

STR 16 | DEX 12 | CON 14 | INT 10 | WIS 12 | CHA 14

Optional: Decrease two attributes to increase another

STR 18 | DEX 12 | CON 14 | INT 8 | WIS 10 | CHA 14
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As you can see, even a terribly unoptimized character concept is mechanically viable without too much difficulty. :-)

We posted at the same time, so here's my answers to your questions. :-)

I'd love to continue using my homebrew, and since you're fine with it, let's do that! I've spent a lot of time eliminating bad options and making sure that pretty much anything you can imagine is possible to create.

HERE are the official Spheres rules on gestalt characters. You mentioned thinking about combining a martial and a caster, so that makes things easy - and would also be my recommendation. A good rule-of-thumb is that a gestalt character should have full BAB and all good saving throws. This isn't a requirement, of course, but it helps eliminate weaknesses. Something like a Monk/Druid is better than a Sorcerer/Wizard or a Barbarian/Fighter, for example.

There is a lot of travel, correct, but it isn't an overland "surviving off the wilderness" type of campaign. It isn't too much of a spoiler to tell you that Baba Yaga's Dancing Hut will play a part. Despite what the Player's Guide implies, Reign of Winter isn't really an Irrisen-focused adventure; it's actually more like "Doctor Who's adventures with the TARDIS." ;-) You'll begin the adventure in Sandpoint in the middle of summer. You'll explore quite a few locations, but only 1/6 of the campaign takes place in Irrisen. I'm emphasizing this fact now, as it's one of the biggest issues players have with the campaign. Everyone assumes this is the "Irrisen Adventure Path" and is then disappointed when we go gallivanting away just when things start getting interesting. Like I said, this is actually the Baba Yaga Adventure Path, and she's been involved in much more than just Irrisen. ;-)

Since you brought up a "failed Winter Witch apprentice," I'll mention that that's always a fun player background. Book Three has a few minor "easter eggs" for characters with Witch levels, but there's no actual mechanical benefit. It's more along the lines of how Rise of the Runelords is particularly Wizard-friendly because there are a lot of spellbooks that can be looted.

Thanks a lot for the help.
I'll read the rules for Spheres Gestalt tomorrow and present it here.
But I've decided, Witch is way too good to pass up and thanks for the hint for the saves, so now I'll look for a martial with good Fort and Reflex saves to round it up.

Sounds good. Like the Oracle, Witches have a lot of build flexibility. Depending on the patron and tradition you select, Alchemist, Druid, Ranger, or Rogue could work well. If all else fails, Fighter is always a solid option.

Hey, let me run some ideas by you.

I'm pretty set on Witch and I think for the "failed Winter Witch apprentice", the Winter patron would be a no-brainer. This could tie-in with the story I'm thinking: A young Witch taken to Irrisen to explore her cold powers but, due to not being descended from Baba Yaga, has no chance at acquiring political power and is otherwise a total foreigner. Probably from Varisia so she can be at Sandpoint. Or maybe from Osirion mostly for contrast (literally from a desert but with mysterious powers related to cold, but unconfortable in Irrisen) and is otherwise a traveler who is currently in Sandpoint.

I don't know if the AP assumes your Winter Witch tutor is someone specific, so leaving that without detailing.

In terms of Witch tradition, I have not decided, I liked the flavor of Astrology and Herbology (more on this later) but I'm not against any of them to be honest.

For the other class, I'm leaning towards Alchemist, mostly that it pairs really well to the idea of a Witch that brews potions (which could be solved by just going Herbology, which I would not do if the other class was Alchemist). I fear for the lack of Full BAB, which is a problem that can be lessened by going the Mutagenic route and maybe the Alteration Sphere for my Talents?

I just don't know if these combinations are any good, haha.

There's no specific Winter Witch tutor mentioned in the AP, so you'd be free to invent someone if you wish to go that route. There are a few Winter Witch antagonists scattered throughout the campaign, but over all, they mainly come into play as backstory and Irrisen lore. If you want to make your tutor more of a thing, I can add her as an enemy during Book Two, but that's about it, I'm afraid.

Both Astrology and Herbology are good traditions, but Astrology becomes better the more allies you have. If you choose that one, I'd recommend picking up an animal companion - if your class doesn't gain one, it takes a two-talent investment in the Beastmastery Sphere. Another potential tradition is Spiritualism, as it grants a great deal of magical flexibility. As you've seen with Mya, Spheres is incredible at recreating a character concept, but it does so at the cost of versatility. The classic "mage with a spell for every situation" is really difficult to do as a spherecaster.

Alchemist is always a fun choice. When I redesigned it, I tried to make it more Witcher-inspired, so there's a focus on alchemical items. The extract list (which I'm now noticing isn't listed on my website) is heavily focused on personal buffs, and there are some 3pp additions based on harvesting parts from creatures to gain their abilities. The lack of full BAB would be a bit of an issue but can be worked around in a few ways. You mentioned the Mutagenic route, but the easiest way is to spend a magic talent on the Enhancement Sphere.

EDIT: Alchemist/Witch isn't a gestalt combination I've seen before, but it's definitely viable. You'd end up with a combat style that rewards prebuffing and choosing your battles wisely. With a d8 hit die and light armor, you'd be somewhat squishy, so bringing an ally along (animal companion, summoned creatures, or a Conjuration Sphere companion) would be a great benefit, as you'll be outnumbered for the majority of fights.

Actually, Spiritualism sounds lovely, specially since I'll be the only one rolling skills, so better make that count (and I'm a big fan of Knowledge Checks).

The Animal Companion idea makes a lot of sense and I had thought about it but dismissed due to the other players, because I hadn't internalized I'm playing solo, haha.

Witch/Alchemist, as you said, would be squishy, and I'm not well-versed in the system to try such a build, so now I'm leanning more towards Witch/Ranger for more protection, I suppose, but still focusing on Beastmastery and/or Conjuration Spheres. Just a witch and her menagerie. It would be a lot of bookkeeping, but it's not like I'm hindering the other players.

Along with options for a familiar and/or an animal companion, Beastmastery also has talents based on taming creatures you encounter in your travels. That might be a good way to build your menagerie. :-) Conjuration is very powerful (it can give you multiple Summoner eidolons if you invest in the right talents) but will burn through your spell points quite quickly.

Beastmastery (at least at first) it is! I'll build the character later today and going to post it here! Thanks for all the help!

Sounds good. As you haven't built a gestalt character before, I'll help out as best as I can. :-)

Full BAB; all good saving throws, 6 + INT skill points, full caster, d10 hit die. You'll also have a casting tradition like Mya (use a premade one, or I'll help you create your own) and a martial tradition like Tassa/Baldrek (again, use a premade one, or I'll help you create your own).

Character Sheet, work in progress:

What is lacking: A Martial AND Casting Tradition, the sheet for the familiar (I have chosen which one it is, but I should transcribe it), and the animal companion sheet, but I'd like to check if I have done everything correctly so far. Also, the equipment might change, since I have a question: Does arcane spell failure still apply? Doesn't matter for now, but might be good to know
Also I'm still writing up the background!

Everything looks pretty good so far, but I do have a few notes.

The Adaptability racial feature grants an extra Background feat, so you get a second choice from the broader list on my website. I have a similar note about your Favored Class Bonus. Multitalented is an excellent feature for a gestalt game because (as long as you continue leveling Witch and Ranger) you'll gain an extra hit point and an extra skill rank each level. :-)

Point-Blank/Precise Shot aren't listed because they're duplicated by the base abilities of the Barrage and Sniper Spheres. :-)

Everything looks fine for Class Features. Two quick notes: combat and magic talents can't be combined, as they're completely different abilities. As such, you can't use your 3 starting magic talents on the Beastmastery Sphere. The other thing is that I want to make sure you noticed the list of general hexes on my website. The hexes listed under our patron are exclusive to the Winter patron, but Evil Eye, Misfortune, Cackle, etc can be selected by any Witch. That doesn't matter right now, of course, but it might when you reach Level Two. :-)
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Now to your questions. Whether you have arcane spell failure or not depends entirely on your casting tradition. By default, spherecasting has no components of any sort, so there's no chance of spell failure. Your casting tradition can potentially change that, but it's entirely up to you. There's a list of premade traditions HERE that replicates traditional PF classes. The "Witch" tradition adds verbal, somatic, and material components in addition to requiring you to pre-spend your spell points to simulate preparing your spells in advance. Since you're gestalting with a armor-wearing martial class, I'd recommend not choosing that tradition. ;-) In fact, we can even work together to create a unique casting tradition. At it's core, the system involves selecting various drawbacks in exchange for either extra spell points or various other boons. Want a power battery like Green Lantern or an Infinity Stone in your forehead like Vision? They're on the list of drawbacks - along with your standard verbal/somatic/thought/emotion/material components. Tassa has a custom tradition where her magic only operates at full power when she's eaten flesh.

Now on to your martial tradition. This is a thematic set of four combat talents that determine your weapon/armor/shield proficiencies and fighting style. There's a lengthy list of premade ones HERE. The "Animal Trainer" tradition could be a fitting option for you, but like with casting traditions, I'm happy to help you create a custom one if nothing on the list quite suits your fancy - especially since the Animal Trainer tradition doesn't grant proficiency in armor, shields, or any bows. I'll also mention that Ranger grants a couple bonus Beastmastery (or Warleader) talents at Level Four, so you don't necessarily need to take Animal Companion x2 immediately. Especially at Level One where there's no difference between Animal Companion x1 and Animal Companion x2. ;-)

One final related note: every Sphere (whether combat or magic) can be modified with sphere-specific drawbacks. These grant bonus talents. For example, the Time Sphere has a drawback that lets you only affect yourself with Time abilities. In exchange, you'd gain either Improved Haste or a [time] talent for free. Another example: there's a Beastmastery drawback that limits you to taming only one type of creature (like vermin or magical beasts) but grants the Broad Skills talent for free. You're never required to select a sphere-specific drawback, but if you're having trouble fitting a talent into your build, they're worth looking into. :-)

Thanks a lot for all the help!

I had no idea Adaptability would work that way with Gestalt characters, that is fun. Regarding the mixing of combat and casting talents, I clearly misinterpreted the Gestalt rules, I apologize.

I'm going to paste what I've done to a profile I'll start building later today, I'll probably spend my talents on Conjuration and, since it is a very sp consuming Sphere, I'll make a custom casting style.

Later today I'll post from that profile.

EDIT: Ah, I forgot to ask. I clearly misunderstood the Background rules, probably because in Strange Aeons we did not have any. I thought I would only start being able to choose those feats starting from lvl 2 and this is why I picked one from the Half-Elf Racial Trait. Should I pick two?

I think I know what you're referring to in the gestalt rules, and it's definitely confusing - especially when you're unfamiliar with Spheres. :-) That rules section is when you gain magic talents from both sides of your gestalt: a Magus/Sorcerer, for example. It obviously wouldn't apply to your Ranger/Witch, but in the scenario I just mentioned, you'd have separate spell points for each class but could use gained magic talents interchangeably. This is really only relevant because a Sorcerer has a higher caster level than a Magus, so you need to keep track of which spell points are being spent each time you use a sphere ability as it'll affect how powerful the effect is. :-)

Since you're considering a custom casting tradition, I'll mention a boon that's great for the Conjuration sphere: Bound Companion. You'd need the Focus Casting drawback + one additional general drawback of your choice, but it grants a Conjuration companion that doesn't require spell points to summon. From a flavor perspective, it's a magical creature granted by your patron (like your familiar), so if it's not with you, your spellcasting becomes much more difficult. Taking this boon would mean you'd have a familiar, animal companion, and Conjuration companion ... and still have all of your spell points for other Spheres. ;-)

EDIT: Yes, that's correct. In a regular campaign, you'd choose one of the two listed Background feats at Level 1. For Strange Aeons, as players learn who they are, they'll "unlock" a Background feat and the alternate ways to spend Hit Dice.

Ok, all the stuff I previously posted is now in this Alias' profile, hopefully corrected. There is still more to do, however!
But so far, I have corrected the feats. I think I need one more due to being lvl 1, but I'm saving it after I've done the rest for I think I'll get Weapon Focus for a bow.

I made the casting tradition following your advice. It's funny because I had already picked Focus Casting but hadn't seen the Bound Companion talent, which is pretty handy.
I am unsure if I chose the correct number of Talents. I've picked Fey Companion (form) because I think it's free (I got a new dcompanion and it's a (type) talent)? If it isn't, I'll just discard Natural Enhancement for now (I'm picking Enhancement Talents for myself and the companions!)

I have written down the familiar sheet but I'm stuck on the companion. When it says, for example, "+2 natural armor", what is the base AC? Just using their own stats? Is it based on Druid's Companion? What is their BAB? Etc.

Finally, regarding the Martial Tradition, I've read up on it, but unsure on what to choose / exactly how to make one. I'm torn on Beastmastery or Sniper for it. I don't intend on spending a lot for Sniper, at least initially, but just to have a solid Ranged option when I do not need to concentrate. For that, I need Shortbow Proficiency.

So, I think it would look somewhat like this: Rogue Weapon Training (Shortbow and also the Starknife for flavor reasons), two talents from Beastmastery or Sniper. Would that be it?

Everything's looking good thus far. You're correct that you still need to select your Level 1 feat.

That's a nice simple casting tradition, which is good because the more complex traditions are easy to forget about. As you have no verbal or somatic components, you'll be able to silently cast in any type of armor.

Your magic talent allocation is accurate. Nice work noticing that Conjuration companions gain one free [form] or [type] talent - that's often overlooked by new players. All of the information on your Conjuration companion is found on the table at the top of the Conjuration page. It currently has 1d10 hit points, BAB +1, good Fortitude and Reflex saves, 1 skill point, and 1 feat. AC is currently 15 (+3 DEX +2 natural) unless you decide to make it Small.

Speaking of magic talents, since this is a solo campaign, it might be worth picking up the Life Sphere, as otherwise healing and condition removal could be difficult. The Alchemy Sphere is also an option, but it takes a little more investment. Otherwise, you'll need to rely on my "spend a hit die while resting to heal" mechanic, but that's currently limited to 1d10 of healing per day.

If you're finding yourself short on magic talents (Level 1 characters usually are), sphere-specific drawbacks can help. Marking Enhancements might be a good fit for your character.
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Making a custom martial tradition is pretty simple. You're already almost there! :-)

Serael's Custom Tradition
Equipment: Rogue Weapon Training
Beastmastery Sphere
Sniper Sphere
One Equipment talent of your choice
- Armor Training if you want to wear medium or heavy armor
- Shield Training if you want to wield a shield heavier than a buckler
- Expert Reloading (if using a crossbow)
- Shortbow Mastery (if using a shortbow)
- Splitshot (if using any type of bow)
- Throwing Mastery (if using a starknife)
- Any other Equipment talent

Ah, I forgot to ask!
Companion feats I'm assuming we are using from your own homebrew? If not, are we then using the ones from the Spheres wiki?
For the Life suggestion, good catch! Marking Enhancements seem good, so I'll pick it to get an extra Sphere for my choices.
And regarding that Martial Tradition, would it mean I get both "entry" talents for Beastmastery and Sniper spheres?

You can use the ones from my website or the Spheres wiki. There'll occasionally be some overlap, but that's because I originally made my website as new Spheres products were being released. Pretty soon, there were too many new feats for me to keep up. :-) The only feats to avoid are the ones that involve "guile spheres" as that's a subsystem I don't use. It's too complicated and changes too much of the base game.

Every time you gain a new Sphere, you gain any of the listed base abilities. In your case, you'd gain Deadly Shot and "ignore penalties for firing a ranged weapon into melee" from the Sniper Sphere and either the Handle Animal (bonus skill ranks + Tame) or the Ride (bonus skill ranks + Defensive Rider) package from the Beastmastery Sphere.

...And I think I'm finally done!
Thanks a lot for all the help.

Looks great! There's one quick adjustment: because you have the Armored Companion talent, your Conjuration companion gains a +2 armor bonus, so it should actually have AC 17. :-)

Since you're new to using Combat spheres, I need to explain a potentially-confusing bit of terminology. :-) Spheres is based around the "attack action" - a Standard action. The design intent is to make combat tactics more than "I 5ft-step and full-attack every round until the enemy is dead." It's heavily inspired by video games. As such, while the Full-Attack action is always an option, it'll often be better at mid-high level to do something else. You'll notice that Combat talents can often combo with each other, so an "attack action" is really one attack with potentially multiple rider effects. Deadly Shot is a good example: make a single attack (even at BAB +6 and above) that deals bonus damage and possibly adds a [snipe] talent. You can usually stack other "attack action" abilities - for example, Coordinated Attack from the Beastmastery Sphere would let you make a Deadly Shot, spend a Swift action to let your Animal Companion (when you eventually get one) attack, and keep your Move action available for something else. The one exception is that you can only use one "special attack action" each round, so you couldn't combine a Deadly Shot with a Barrage. Hopefully this all makes sense. It's a bit of a thinking shift, but once it "clicks," I think you'll find it makes combat much more tactical and interesting. :-)

It does make sense and I read a bit of the wiki that explained that. There's no better way than actually playing it, specially when I have eventually more bonuses to the standard action! Also, I have corrected the Companion stat block!

Great! I'll have the first Gameplay post up shortly.

EDIT: We're live!

Hey YBD, are we doing standard encumbrance rules? Just to know how that will work with the loot and such so I can make a spreadsheet for myself.

EDIT: Also, thanks for the tip to pick the Life Sphere, I already needed it!

We are doing standard encumbrance rules, yes, but I'm not going to be a huge stickler about it. As long as you're within a few pounds, it won't be a problem. :-)

Ok!! I'll do a proper spreadsheet when I have a bit more time, for now I did some quick calculations and I am assuming Serael only took one Courtier's Clothing, so she can stay within Medium Load.

Quick reminder about healing: in addition to the ability from your Background, you can always rest for an hour and spend a Hit Die to regain 1d10 hp.

Ye! That's true. Is the companion also capable of doing that?

No, just you. It does potentially save you spell points, though, as when you have time to spare, you can use the hit dice on yourself.

Hey, YBD, I have a question that is irrelevant for now.
The Snipe Sphere says I can add any (snipe) talent to my attack as a special attack action. If I use Shortbow Mastery, would that apply to both attacks? And what if I spend martial focus to deal additional damage, does it apply to both attacks?
I'm unsure if the wording of "special attack action" excludes it from stacking those powers!

Good question! When using Spheres of Might, the exact wording of the various abilities is very important. In this case, one ability uses a Special Attack action, and the other uses a Swift action. Here's how they interact:
Standard Action: Deadly Shot
- Make a ranged attack that adds one [snipe] talent you possess in addition to damage. Can spend martial focus to deal additional damage
Swift Action: Shortbow Mastery
- Make a ranged attack with a -5 penalty

It isn't relevant yet, but thinking about other standard archery feats, here's how they'd factor in:
- Rapid Shot is duplicated by the base ability of the Barrage Sphere. As this is a Special Attack action, you could use Shortbow Mastery but not Deadly Shot.
- Manyshot is duplicated by the Splitshot talent from the Equipment Sphere. This can be combined with any other Attack action or Special Attack action, but only one of the arrows carries the additional effects ([snipe] talents, extra damage, etc). You can also use Shortbow Mastery.

I'm heading off to bed. Good luck against the skeletons!

Good night! Next week my vacation is over so I won't occupy so much of your time, haha.

This is a good time to level up. :-)

Since this is a solo game, both you and your companion get maximum hit points each level. Everything else should be the same as in Strange Aeons: you'll gain a Background feat of your choice from the list on my website in addition to new talents and abilities from both of your classes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :-)

Oh! I hadn't seen the discussion post, thanks for the heads up! Tomorrow I'll level up and probably bother you with questions. I'll also do some selling and buying. Thanks a lot for running this, it's been great.

Yeah, it's been fun so far. You're doing well! As you can see, Reign of Winter is a fairly challenging Adventure Path - especially as a solo game. I'll recommend picking up some cold iron weaponry at some point, as there are quite a few fey enemies scattered throughout the campaign. ;-)

I don't think I'm doing well at all, the lodge humbled me, hahaha.
I'm done levelling up. I picked the Storm-Lashed feat, alongside the Cold Flesh Hex for extra climate protection which looks like it'll be important (and I might ditch the cold weather outfit which is very heavy). For talents, I picked Deep Enhancement and Pining Shot (Snipe).

I was making the equipment spreasheet (it's here), but I have to stop for now. I'll finish it later today, probably much later though. I intend on selling some of the masterwork stuff I've got and buying cold-iron arrows and starknife.

I have a few questions:
- The Companion got Full HP for the level up, should it have gotten it at first level as well? I gave it the average roll only.
- How do scrolls work with Spheres? Does it still follow standard rules if the spell is on my class' spell list, etc? Do we use UMD for all of them?

Not to worry: the beginning of Reign of Winter is notoriously difficult. I actually cut out several of the combat encounters, as getting continuously ambushed isn't great for a low-level solo character. ;-)

I will mention that (despite how it may appear) weather effects and climate protection aren't particularly important in this Adventure Path. You'll note that you've already received a magic item that provides cold protection, and there will be several additional things as we continue. You're more than welcome to pick up the feat and hex, as the electricity bonus and cold resistance are beneficial, but if there was anything else you were considering, feel free to pick it up instead. ;-)

To answer your questions, your companion gets full HP at each level as this is a solo game. As for scrolls, the rules are slightly more complicated but (I feel) still quite intuitive. Each spell is associated with one or more magic Spheres, and as long as you possess that Sphere, you can use a scroll without UMD. There isn't a one-to-one correspondence, but things are pretty self-explanatory. The lesser animate dead spell is associated with the Death Sphere, for example, while unseen servant is associated with the Conjuration Sphere. There's occasionally some overlap as well for spells like fireball, which is associated with both the Destruction and Nature [fire] Spheres. With your current Sphere selection, you'll generally be able to use scrolls for summoning, healing, and condition removal spells in addition to some Transmutation spells like magic weapon and bull's strength.

You know what, that is very true, the Cloak of the Yeti helps a lot with that. I swapped both the feat and hex for Robustness (for extra healing) and good old Evil Eye!
The equipment is also finalized, it's on my profile (the one I linked previously) and I put what my previous transaction is, in case you wanna check the math. But basically bought a Cold-iron Starknife and swapped my shortbow for a Masterwork one and bought 40 cold iron arrows. I'll make a post and head to bed, thanks for the help!

Sounds good. When it comes to buying/selling items, make sure you give me the list so it's easier for me to keep track. The opportunities to do so will be few and far-between, though, so you'll generally be needing to make do with what you can find. ;-)

Fair enough! Here's the list:

This enemy has a few talents from the Lancer Sphere, in case you're curious about what just happened.

That is actually really cool, trying to bash an enemy using another enemy! Also, surprised you change the monsters to this extent.

I tend to limit it to significant enemies, and it's never very much, but sense PCs have access to Spheres, it's only fair that enemies do as well. ;-)

In this case, the troll has the Lancer Sphere (unlocks the Impale ability), Terrifying Pierce (free demoralize attempt on successful impalement), and Ragdoll Swing (hit an enemy with another enemy).

Commiting those talents to memory, it looks like a cool build for a character.

That's the other reason I add Spheres to enemies every now and then. There are so many interesting things you can do with the system, and exposing you to some of the options can spark ideas for your own characters. :-)

That's the other reason I add Spheres to enemies every now and then. There are so many interesting things you can do with the system, and exposing you to some of the options can spark ideas for your own characters. :-)

Yeah, I feel like I'm still only dipping my toes in it, it's really cool.

I'm thinking of getting another companion and getting the Exceptional Ally feat, but it is a drain on spell points. The companion would mostly be for the flavor of making a biped (battle form, ost likely) and say it looks like the Rider.

I can also go deeper into Enhancement to get Greater Enhancement to save on spell points, making the ones I spend points on last 3 hours.

All right, barring the feat and Magic Talent, which I'll think about and properly set up tomorrow, the level up is done! All mathematical changes applied: BAB increased to +3, got +1 Resistance bonus to all saves, +1 sp and all numerical changes that trickle down from those 3, but otherwise nothing else.

I only get class features as a Ranger which includes Favored Terrain for which I have chosen "Cold"! I know you emphasized the campaign won't be Irrisen-focused (and I see why now, gotta travel around in the hut!), but it does look like the more immediately useful option.

Summer and Winter have properly leveled up. I got the "Dodge" feat for Summer to increase the AC.

Unless it's a really bad idea, I'll pick the talent and feat I mentioned, mostly because on level 4 I get a lot of Combat Talents, which I'll probably take to have also an Animal Companion and/or the Warleader Sphere buffs for them.

Exceptional Ally is a nice feat, but unfortunately, it wouldn't work on Summer. He's always summoned and can't be dismissed, so there's no way for the feat to trigger.

Greater Enhancement is a great choice, as thus far, enhancing your companion has been your go-to combat option.

Don't forget that your base saves go up from your class as well as the +1 resistance bonus. That should be +2 to all saves this level. :-)

Favored Terrain: cold is a perfect option for the campaign. Even though it isn't Irrisen-focused, every location you'll travel to will be cold and snowy.