After talking it over with a few people on Candlekeep, the focus of the campaign isn't in Hlondeth. It's in Najara, the kingdom of serpents.
From Serpent Kingdoms (page 104). "Najara, the Kingdom of Snakes, is an ancient realm of serpentfolk that encompasses the eastern reaches of the High Moor, the Serpent Hills, the Forest of Wyrms, the Marsh of Chelimber, and the river valleys that meander through the area."
You will create Yuan-ti heroes. You have been called by Set (or rather, someone you believe is Set) to revitalize and convert Najara from a decadent kingdom to one of Zion (which means, pure in heart). This is a short campaign, but you are laying the groundwork for whats to come. Much of Najara is in the Serpent Hills. The capital is Ss’khanaja. The nation is based on India, only Yuan-ti and reptile themed.
ASPECTS:
This is a test campaign, surely. I want to see if Yuan-ti can work as player characters. Purebloods can work certainly, with a little change. But the campaign is short, only beginning at level 3, and ending at level 9. This is certainly your chance to try roleplaying something very different.
Races allowed: Yuan-ti only. If you always wanted to play a yuan-ti, this is your big chance. However, I'll be allowing all three: yuan-ti purebloods, yuan-ti half-breeds, and abominations. You can not play a yuan-ti anathema, I forbid it. Playing a really powerful yuan-ti is not part of this experiment.
What You Will Need:
1. The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook.
2. The Advanced Race Guide.
3. A copy of the Serpent Kingdoms FR supplement for 3.5.
4. A copy of the FRCS (3rd Edition) might be helpful, but not mandatory.
5. Ultimate Psionics. Not needed, but it might be helpful if you want to add the psionic dimension to your character.
Creating a Character 1. Abilities. You have 20 points to create your character.
2. Race. Yuan-ti only. See above for reasons. If you really want to, I might allow an ophidian. But please note that they can't be nobles.
3. Class. Try to keep your class to core only. This is a test campaign. While it would be fun to create a Holy Guardian (see page 89 of Serpent Kingdoms) by combining the Slayer class with the Ranger, remember you are roleplaying a race out of the ordinary.
4. Archetype. Any archetype of your class is allowed, just be sure to have only one.
5. Traits. You may have two traits. Try to flavor them as serpent-themed.
6. Skills. Yes, we are using Background skills.
7. Feats. No, we won't be using Elephant-in-the-room/the-room-is-square feat rules.
8. Level. We are starting at level 3.
9. Hit Points. You start with maximum hit points at level 1, then Average the rest for your hit dice.
10. Alignment. I know Yuan-ti are evil. However, I'm asking you not to be.
11. Equipment. You start out with Level 3 wealth. You are also allowed some magic items (+1 in magical ability). Remember, Yuan-ti start out with the best tools, and usually have items that are at least Masterwork items.
12. Character Considerations. If you need to, you can create a skill that is serpent themed.
So I asked on the Candlekeep forums a simple question on how to convert the Force Missile PrC, and I got some varied responses.
One guy says it's really bad. This is what he said:
Diffan wrote:
I'm not super familiar with how Pathfinder Specialization works, but the Prestige Class is...well....a horribly designed mess. Reasons:
1. 4/5 spellcasting. Um....why? There's really no point in losing a casting level for the mediocre benefits you get.
2. Its overall beefing up a rather meh 1st level spell that doesn't seem play much past 9th level or from really any moster that isn't saddled with Class levels. You get some defenses against a 1st level spell. Its just overall lackluster and super specific. Maybe if the missile mage Class was more varied, applied to all orb/missile/rays etc then it might be a bit better, bit as-is.....its just bad.
The race builds for all three types of Yuan-ti have been sent to Elton.
@Seth: Of the race builds I made, the Yuan-ti abomination would work well for a bite+poison+constrict build.
@Elton, I have a saved copy of the message I sent you, so if you approve of the race builds, I can paste them in here so they have the same bolded/italicized and spoiler format as the message I sent you.
Elton says we can use the builds I came up with. Here they are.
@Elton: As the abominations have 4 racial HD, do you want to bump up the character level to 5 or higher so players can start with an Yuan-ti abomination with class levels?
A Yuan-ti pureblood's skin is as soft as a human's, which lacks the thickened hides of Yuan-ti halfbloods and Yuan-ti abominations.
A Yuan-ti pureblood's reflexes are as limited as a human's.
Change Shape (static viper form same size of Yuan-ti Pureblood) RP breakdown:
(10 RP) (monstrous) At-Will Spell-Like Ability (Lv 5 spell) Beast Shape III (diminutive to huge size, gain constrict and poison)
(8 RP) (monstrous) At-Will Spell-Like Ability (Lv 4 spell) only snake forms (constrictors and vipers)
(6 RP) (monstrous) At-Will Spell-Like Ability (Lv 3 spell) (tiny to large size)
(4 RP) (monstrous) At-Will Spell-Like Ability (Lv 2 spell) (small to medium size)
(2 RP) (monstrous) At-Will Spell-Like Ability (Lv1 spell) (Static snake form equal to Yuan-ti pureblood's size; similar to how a kitsune has a static human form equal to its size.)
Yuan-ti (Halfblood) (2 racial HD) (20 RP build):
Unlike a Yuan-ti pureblood, all Yuan-ti halfbloods retain their racial hit dice when they gain a level in a character class.
A Yuan-ti halfblood has the same racial qualities as a Yuan-ti pureblood.
A Yuan-ti halfblood has all the same racial traits as a Yuan-ti pureblood, as well as the following racial traits.
The extra 10 race points of the Yuan-ti halfblood race point build is for the following:
Special Halfblood's can make use of their static viper form's poisonous bite while in their normal form.
Special: The default feat for a Yuan-ti halfblood's first hit die could be Improved Natural Armor (increasing a typical Yuan-ti halfblood's natural armor to +2.
Special: A Yuan-ti halfblood's snake poison has a DC of 11 (10 plus half racial HD) plus the constitution modifier of the Yuan-ti halfblood.
Poison As viper's poison: Injury; Frequency: 1/round for 6 rounds; Effect: 1d2 Con; cure: 1 save
Yuan-ti (Abomination) (4 racial HD) (40 RP build):
A Yuan-ti abomination has a snake tail instead of humanoid legs.
Unlike a Yuan-ti pureblood, all Yuan-ti abominations retain their racial hit dice when they gain a level in a character class.
A Yuan-ti abomination has the same racial qualities as a Yuan-ti halfblood, except for the size quality, which is large for Yuan-ti abomination.
A Yuan-ti abomination has the same racial qualities as a Yuan-ti halfblood, as well as the following racial traits.
(7 RP) size quality changed from medium to large.
Special Removed the size bonus and size penalty for the adjustment to Str and Dex scores for having the large-sized racial quality. Only removed the type of bonus, not the adjustments to Str and Dex (so they become racial adjustments instead of size adjustments).
The above changes makes a Yuan-ti abomination's racial ability score modifiers become: +2 Str, +2 Con, +4 Int, +2 Cha.
(+4 RP) (monstrous) (adjustment to 1st At-WIll Spell-Like Ability) A Yuan-ti abomination's Viper Form ability becomes the 3rd-level spell version from the Beast Shape breakdown; allowing a Yuan-ti abomination to assume the form of any constrictor or viper of tiny to large size).
Special: The default feat for a Yuan-ti abomination's first racial hit die could be Improved Natural Armor (increasing a typical Yuan-ti abomination's natural armor to +3).
Special: A Yuan-ti abomination has a bite attack in its natural form that does the same damage as a large viper (1d6). (In PF1E, both constrictors and vipers have a bite damage die that is 1 less than the bite damage for a creature of their size.)
Special: A Yuan-ti abomination's third hit die feat could be Improved Natural Attack (bite), which would make their bite's damage die become 1d8 (closer to the 3.5 abomination's 2d6 bite attack.)
Special: A Yuan-ti abomination's snake poison has a DC of 12 (10 plus half racial HD) plus the constitution modifier of the Yuan-ti abomination.
Poison As viper's poison: Injury; Frequency: 1/round for 6 rounds; Effect: 1d2 Con; cure: 1 save
Special A Yuan-ti abomination has the constrict ability of a large constrictor while in its natural form.
Note: For the specials like the one above, I worked with them being able to have aspects of the vipers/constrictors they can change into via their Snake Form racial ability.
Damage die DC for PF1E Bestiary medium-sized constrictor (1d4).
Elton says we can use the builds I came up with. Here they are.
@Elton: As the abominations have 4 racial HD, do you want to bump up the character level to 5 or higher so players can start with an Yuan-ti abomination with class levels?
So i still need to change what i couldnt do in HeroLab, here is Ssilik (And gear not decided on)
Ssilik Yuan-Ti:
Ssilik
Yuan-ti abomonation fighter (savage warrior) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 107)
N Large monstrous humanoid
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +9
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Defense
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AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 dodge, +3 natural, -1 size)
hp 55 (5d10+21)
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +6
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d8+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d8+4); Poison Bite (DC 18)
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Statistics
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Str 18, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Atk +5; CMB +10 (+15 grapple); CMD 24
Feats Ability Focus (Poison Bite), Final Embrace[UC], Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (constrict)
Traits artist of battle in all forms
Skills Climb +12, Craft (armor) +8, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Perception +9, Survival +9, Swim +12
Languages Common, Infernal, Undercommon, Yuan-Ti
Other Gear 10,500 gp
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Special Abilities
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Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Final Embrace (Bite [Powerful Bite]) Gain constrict and grab special attacks
Grab (Large) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ ft. by sense of smell.
Elton, gear as 5th level PCs with the increased starting level to 5th level, correct?
As Seth made an abomination martial PC, I decided on the following:
A pureblood crossblooded sorcerer with the serpentine and vestige bloodlines.
The ancient civilization (for the vestige bloodline) being the civilization of the original human progenitors of the yuan-ti race.
Bloodline Powers he has/will gain:
1st level bloodline power (vestige 1st): Bonded Object (amulet) Using the level 5 PC Wealth to determine its abilities it has had since the time of the ancient civilization, so it fits better with the bloodline's bonded object thematic of being from the time of the ancient civilization. Does this approach have your approval, Elton?
3rd level bloodline power (vestige 3rd): Restored Glory
9th level bloodline power (serpentine 1st): Serpent's Fang
15th level bloodline power (vestige 15th): Eternal Past
20th level bloodline power (serpentine 20th): Scaled Soul
Although he obviously did not craft the ancient item, I worked with it being an item he can personally craft (which he can!) for the purposes of level 5 PC Wealth starting gear.
medallion of thoughts that also functions as +1 amulet of natural
Crafting cost:
medallion of thoughts (12,000 gold / 2 = 6,000 gold)
+1 amulet of natural armor (2,000 gp x 150% market value / 2 = 1,500 gold)
My PC has at least a +14 Spellcraft modifier (with a +0 Int modifier, max ranks and both the magical aptitude and skill focus [spellcraft] feats), which is enough to make a natural 1 on the spellcraft rolls to add both, including the +5 DC for not having the single spell each item has as a crafting requirement; the caster level for medallion of thoughts is 5th level and the caster level for the +1 amulet of natural armor is 3rd level).
Total cost of starting with his (ancient civilization magical medallion) bonded object: 7,500 gold
His bonded object uses up 7,500 gold of his 10,500 gold (Level 5 PC Wealth).
Cost of personally crafted magic items (2,500 gold) plus cost of bonded object (7,500 gold) = 10,000 gold (which leaves 500 gold left of level 5 PC wealth still to buy other gear)
Hesstin was born into a family of snake-handlers, with many family members having the beastkin (snakes) trait. When Hesstin was young, his sorcerer abilities manifested. He was tested using the ancestral family relic, a masterwork medallion made of bronze that was forged in the shape resembling a coiled rattlesnake, with eyes made from amber that each contain black snake scales that gives the appearance of black slitted pupils of rattlesnakes. The medallion hangs from a chain made of gold, with the one half of the clasp resembling a cobra's open fanged mouth and the other half ot the clasp being the head of a close-mouth cobra with the eyes being where the two sides of the clasp lock into place. The masterwork ancestral family artifact only functions as a bonded item (and thus unlocked its magical properties, a medallion of thoughts) for a sorcerer of the family line that possesses the rare vestige bloodline of their ancient human forebearers. Havng the more common serpentine sorcerer bloodline that the rest of the other sorcerer members have, is not enough to unlock the magic of the ancestral family relic.
No scions of the family bloodline have been able to activate the magic of the ancestral family relic for more than a millenium. Upon being placed around Hesstin's neck, he immediately starting hearing whispers in his mind he could not make out the words being whispered, then a clear thought of the family elder who placed and clasped the relic around Hesstin's neck <"This is a waste of time, our family no longer has the ability to activate the magic of our ancestral relic.">
Hesstin, thinking the elder had spoken the words aloud, "Even if our family no longer has the ability to activate its powers, we should keep our family tradition for tradition's sake, elder one."
The elder, a look of genuine shock on his face, "You can read my thoughts?" The elder tells the gathered family members, "Everyone stay quiet and do not say a single word." He then tells Hesstin, "I want you to concentrate and repeat aloud any words you hear, young one."
Hesstin did as he was instructed, and within seconds the jumbled incomprensible words he could hear with his mind became more focused and he repeated one of the sentences he heard, "Finally, our family will be able to ascend to our former glory."
"I only thought that, elder, I swear I have never said that aloud to anyone. I would never cause retribution upon our family from our overlords." Hesstin's cousin's voice trembling with fear that the overlords might find out his hope for his kind, the purebloods, to become the rulers like they originally were over the rest of the first generations of halfbloods and abominations.
The elder told the worried teenager to never say his desires out loud and try to prevent his thoughts from thinking them when in the presence of non-family members not gathered for the current traditonal gathering.
Still being young, Hesstin had not known such sentiment towards the halfbloods and abominations was felt by his family. He fet that no one should have dominion over him or others (Hesstin's innate good naturre, shared by the majority of his small family, begun his desire to one day leave a place that makes him akin to a slave).
Hestin was accepted into the Yuan-ti magical item construction school, learning to use his innate magical talent to make magic items for the halfblood underlords and abomination overlords.
At home, Hesstin crafted himself a snakeskin belt that has pieces of obsidian all along the length of the belt, that he imbued with magic to become a +1 obsidian bladed belt. Obsidian has less cost than baseline weapon and magically strengthened obsidian items cost additional 100 gp per lb of the item, which causes the obsidian item to lose the fragile quality. Obsidian does not overcome any forms of damage reduction (that I am aware of), and was chosen for thematics and adds a bit of personal flair to his clothing (that can easily be concealed by untucking his shirt. I like using the Pathfinder Unchained alternate crafting rules which work better than the baseline crafting rules. Using take 20 rule for crafting nonnagical belt (DC 15 increased to DC 20 for adding the obsidian pieces), it took Hestin a few attempts (Craft +9) to complete his belt, ruining a bit of snakeskin attempting to securing pieces of obsidian before he completed the belt before imbuing it with magic. Being purebloods, his family tends to not wear weapons in public, to lessen the chance of one the underlords or overlords deciding to take issue with pureblood daring to possess weapons in their presence, Hesskin imbues his his obsidian snakeskin belt to be able to take the form of a obsidan dagger.
At home he also imbued a pair of ordinary spectacles he purchased from a bazaar, into spectacles of understanding, to help him able to read the ancient texts at the library. He also imbued some sleeves of his into sleeves of many garments. After getting hurt a few times from falling off the tall ladders at the library, he imbued a pair of boots he bought from the bazaar into boots of the cat.
20 Point-Buy:
Str 7 (-4 points); Dex 12 (2 points); Con 12 (2 points); Int 11 (1 point); Wis 12 (2 points); Cha 18 (17 points)
Racial adjustments: +2 Int; +2 Cha
4th level ability bump: +1 Str
Str 8 (-1)
Dex 12 (+1)
Con 12 (+1)
Int 13 (+1)
Wis 12 (+1)
Cha 20 (+5)
Race: Pureblood Yuan-ti
Class: Sorcerer
Archetype: Crossblooded Sorcerer (serpentine & vestige bloodlines) (The ancient civilization of vestige bloodline is the ancient human progenitors of the Yuan-ti race.)
Hit Points 30 (Includes +1 hit point favored class bonus for all 5 sorcer levels) Alignment: Neutral Good
Bonded Item:
Although he obviously did not craft the ancient item, I worked with it being an item he can personally craft (which he can!) for the purposes of being part of his level 5 PC Wealth starting gear.
medallion of thoughts (CL 5th; enc: -)
(See background story to read the physical descrption I came up with for his bonded object.)
Crafting cost:
medallion of thoughts (12,000 gold / 2 = 6,000 gold)
My PC has at least a +14 Spellcraft modifier, which is enough to make a natural 1 on the spellcraft rolls be successful checks to create both magic items that comprise the ancient item, including the +5 DC for not having the single spell the item has as a crafting requirement. The caster level for medallion of thoughts is 5th level (DC 5 + CL 5th + 5 for missing spell = Spellcraft DC 15).
Total cost of starting with his (ancient civilization magical medallion) bonded object: 6,000 gold
His bonded object uses up 6,000 gold of his 10,500 gold (Level 5 PC Wealth).
Magic Items he personally crafted/imbued:
+1 obsidian bladed belt (that turns into an +1 obsidian dagger) (CL 1st; Enc: 3 lbs)
([2,000 +2,000 + 100 [cost to magically strengthen 1 lb obsidian dagger to lose the fragile trait]) / 2] = 2,050 gold)
Bladed Belt craft DC (5+ CL 1st +5 for mising spell = Spellcraft DC 11)
+1 enhancement DC (5 +CL 3rd = Spellcraftt DC 8)
(See background story for the physical description I came up with for his obsidian snakeskin belt.) Command Word: nia'dis'bo'gnith'gif
Spectacles of Understanding (CL 2nd; Enc: -)
(3,000 gold / 2 = 1,500 gold)
Spectacles of Understanding Spellcraft DC (5 + CL 2nd + 5 for missing spell = DC 12)
Sleeves of Many Garments (CL 1st; Enc: 1 lb)
(200 gold / 2 = 100 gold)
Sleeves of Many Garments Spellcraft DC (5 + CL 1st +5 for missing spell = DC 11)
Boots of the Cat (CL 1st; Enc: 1 lb)
(1,000 gold / 2 = 500 gold)
Boots of the Cat Spellcraft DC (5 + CL 1st +5 for missing spell = DC 11)
Cost Tally of personally-imbued magic items
+1 obsidian (dagger) bladed belt (2,050)
spectacles of understanding (1,500)
sleeves of many garments (100)
boots of the cat (500)
Total: 4,150 gold
Bonded Object (6,000 gold) + personally-imbued items (4,150 gold) = 10,150 gold used up of 10,500 gold (level 5 PC wealth)
Encumbrance of above gear: 4 lbs
other gear:
10,500 gold - 6,000 gold (bonded object) - 4,150 (personally-crafted/imbued magic items) = 350 gold left for gear budget
