He Must Die—Again!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

The arrival of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Occult Adventures with its host of psychic magic and class options means new ways to tell stories for the world of Golarion (and beyond). But what about some of our older adventures, particularly one about a Very Infamous Monk? Are you ready for a Design Challenge?

When Occult Adventures first made its way through playtesting, one question I often thought was, "How could our older adventures be retold with these new options?" Being a rather large fan of Russian fairy tales and folk lore, I am quite fond of the Reign of Winter Adventure Path, so of course, I immediately gravitated towards that one to pick for this Design Challenge.

What does this mean to you? It means I have thrown the gauntlet to everybody who loves creating stat blocks, whether you're they type who spends hours poring over new archetypes, class combinations, and gear selection, or just like putting together a fun NPC for your group to face. "Pray tell, Liz, what is the rules of this duel?" you might ask.

You get to make this guy, Grigori Rasputin, but this time, using one of the new character classes from Occult Adventures.


Grigori Rasputin returns—but as what? You get to decide!

For reference, here's his original stat block, as it appeared in "Rasputin Must Die!":

Spoilers for Reign of Winter AP:

Grigori Rasputin  CR 17

XP 102,400
Male middle-aged human oracle 18
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses true seeing; Perception +13
Aura unholy aura (DC 22)

Defense

AC 32, touch 22, flat-footed 32 (+10 armor, +4 deflection, +4 insight, +4 luck [touch only], +4 natural)
hp 192 (18d8+108)
Fort +16, Ref +12, Will +20; +4 vs. death effects, domination, mind-affecting effects, and possession
Defensive Abilities stitched soul; SR 25 vs. good

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +13/+8/+3 (1d4–1/19–20)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +14/+9/+4 (1d8/×4)
Oracle Spells Known (CL 18th; concentration +26)
9th (3/day)—astral projection, miracle (DC 27)
8th (6/day)—fire storm (DC 26), mass cure critical wounds, moment of prescience, stormbolts (DC 26)
7th (7/day)—blasphemy (DC 25), destruction (DC 25), ethereal jaunt, mass cure serious wounds, regenerate, reverse gravity (DC 25), vision, waves of ecstasy (DC 25)
6th (7/day)—antilife shell, blade barrier (DC 24), harm (DC 24), heal, mass cure moderate wounds, project image
5th (7/day)—contact other plane, flame strike (DC 23), greater forbid action (DC 23), mass cure light wounds, slay living (DC 23), telekinesis, true seeing
4th (8/day)—cure critical wounds, divine power, freedom of movement, scrying, sending, terrible remorse (DC 22), unholy blight (DC 22)
3rd (8/day)—bestow curse (DC 21), blindness/deafness (DC 21), clairaudience/clairvoyance, cure serious wounds, dispel magic, searing light
2nd (8/day)—cure moderate wounds, death knell (DC 20), dread bolt (DC 20), enthrall (DC 20), hold person (DC 20), levitate, minor image (DC 20), silence (DC 20), spectral hand
1st (8/day)—command (DC 19), cure light wounds, entropic shield, forbid action (DC 19), murderous command (DC 19), remove sickness (DC 19), unseen servant
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 18), detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound (DC 18), guidance, light, mage hand, read magic, resistance, stabilize, virtue
Mystery occult

TACTICS

Before Combat Within the Thrice-Tenth presbytery (area H6), Rasputin enjoys the benefits of the World Engine’s unholy aura and insight bonus to his AC. When faced with combat, Rasputin activates his ectoplasmic armor revelation and casts entropic shield, freedom of movement, levitate, moment of prescience, and true seeing. Once enemies are in sight, he casts antilife shell and spectral hand to enable him to use touch attacks beyond the field’s perimeter.
During Combat Under the protection of his antilife shell, Rasputin attempts to hinder opponents with reverse gravity and waves of ecstasy and turn foes against each other with terrible remorse and murderous command, before laying waste with such deadly effects as blade barrier, blasphemy, destruction, harm, stormbolts, and unholy blight. If wounded, Rasputin casts quickened cure spells while continuing to target enemies with offensive spells.
Morale On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

STATISTICS

Str 9, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 26
Base Atk +13; CMB +12; CMD 30
Feats Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, DiehardB, Ectoplasmic SpellB, Expanded Arcana (2), Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Persuasive, Quicken Spell, Toughness
Skills Bluff +25, Diplomacy +30, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (nobility) +10, Knowledge (planes) +12, Knowledge (religion) +20, Perception +13, Sense Motive +16, Spellcraft +15, Use Magic Device +25
Languages Church Slavonic, Common, Russian
SQ oracle’s curse (haunted), revelations (ectoplasmic armor [+10, 18 hours/day], project psyche, shroud of retribution [3/day, 1d8+9], spectral spells [4/day], spirit walk [2/day, 18 rounds], sure soul [+4])
Gear mwk dagger, mwk Nagant M1895 revolver with 21 metal cartridges, amulet of natural armor +4, belt of physical perfection +2, cassock of the Black Monk, headband of mental prowess +4 (Wis, Cha)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Stitched Soul (Su) Rasputin’s soul is stitched to his body with threads of fate, and he clings tenaciously to life. He gains Diehard as a bonus feat. In addition, when first reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than his current Con score, Rasputin dies, but he springs back to life 1d4 rounds later as if the target of a resurrection spell. If killed a second time, the Mad Monk again comes back to life 1d6 rounds later, as if the target of a raise dead spell (upon his return, he loses 50% of his remaining unused spell slots as if they had been used to cast spells). Only after Rasputin is slain for a third time do his soul’s stitches finally unravel from his corpse, releasing his malignant spirit into the ether.

Your entry will be judged on presentation and adherence to theme, and to help me with that, I've brought in the man responsible not only for the original Pathfinder version of the Mad Monk, but was also one of the lead consultants on Occult Adventures as well: Brandon Hodge!

But what is the reward for all of your hard work? Something we've never offered before: A custom Paizo.com avatar with art selected from Occult Adventures, along with $25 in store credit. On Paizo.com, a custom avatar means either being a Paizo employee (or the subject of whim by a Paizo employee), so this is a rare opportunity for a unique avatar that nobody else has!

Now, onto the rules:

  • One entry per poster. Employees of Paizo, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who is currently employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
  • You must post your entries in this blog's discussion thread.
  • All entries due Midnight, September 13th, 2015, Paizo time.
  • Entries must be in the following format:
    Stat Block Format:

    [b]Grigori Rasputin  CR 17[/b]
    [b]XP 102,400[/b]
    zzAlignment zzSize zzType
    [b]Init[/b] +##; [b]Senses[/b] zz, zz,; Perception +##
    [b]Aura[/b] zz (## ft., DC ##)

    [b]----- Defense -----[/b]
    [b]AC[/b] ##, touch ##, flat-footed # (+## zzModifier, +##zzModifier)
    [b]hp[/b] ## (##d##+##); fast healing ##
    [b]Fort[/b] +##, [b]Ref[/b] +##, [b]Will[/b] +##
    [b]Defensive Abilities[/b] ##/zzAbility; [b]DR[/b] ##/zzMaterial; [b]Immune[/b] zz; [b]Resist[/b] zz ##, zz ##; [b]SR[/b] ##
    [b]Weaknesses[/b] zz, zz

    [b]----- Offense -----[/b]
    [b]Speed[/b] ## ft., fly ## ft. (zzManeuverability)
    [b]Melee[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage plus zzOthereffect), zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
    [b]Ranged[/b] zzAttacktype +## (zzDamage)
    [b]Space[/b] ## ft.; [b]Reach[/b] ## ft.
    [b]Special Attacks[/b] zz, zz
    [b]Spell-Like Abilities[/b] (CL ##zz; concentration +##)
    At will—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]
    1/day—[i]zz[/i], [i]zz[/i]

    [b]----- Tactics -----[/b]
    [b]Before Combat[/b] zzBeforeCombat
    [b]During Combat[/b] zzDuringCombat
    [b]Morale[/b] On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

    [b]----- Statistics -----[/b]
    [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] +## (+## zzConditionalmaneuverbonus); [b]CMD[/b] ## (## vs. zzManeuvername)
    [b]Feats[/b] zzFeatname, zzFeatname
    [b]Skills[/b] zzSkillname +##, zzSkillname +## (+## zzCondition); [b]Racial Modifiers[/b] +## zzSkillname, +## zzSkillname when zzCondition
    [b]Languages[/b] zzLanguage
    [b]SQ[/b] zz

    [b]----- Ecology -----[/b]
    [b]Environment[/b] zzClimate zzTerrain
    [b]Organization[/b] zz, zz, or zz
    [b]Treasure[/b] zzCategory

    [b]----- Special Abilities -----[/b]
    [b]zzName (Ex/Sp/Su)[/b] zzDescription

  • Entry must be CR 17, must use a character class from Occult Adventures, and must include the stitched soul special ability.
  • You may use any Paizo-published material, but you must cite your sources.
  • Selection of avatar art is subject to Paizo.com's Community Guidelines.

Remember, all entries must be in by September 13th, 2015. Good luck in designing the Mad Monk Rasputin, and letting us kill him again—or try to!

Liz Courts
Community Manager

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Brandon Hodge Craig J Spearing Design Challenge Occult Adventures Pathfinder Adventure Path Pathfinder RPG Reign of Winter
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Liz Courts wrote:
ElMustacho wrote:
Do we have to assume that he's in the same location as in the AP? He has some circumstance bonuses from being near *********. Are they preserved?

I'm going to say "yes."

Wait, what are those circumstance bonuses?


The desire to generate a Kineticist Rasputin is overwhelming. It probably won't match the flavor quite as well as Psychic or Medium or Occultist, but it would certainly explain his difficulty to kill with poison or damage!

Community Manager

Milo v3 wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:
ElMustacho wrote:
Do we have to assume that he's in the same location as in the AP? He has some circumstance bonuses from being near *********. Are they preserved?

I'm going to say "yes."

Wait, what are those circumstance bonuses?

He has a

Spoiler:
+4 insight bonus to his AC from the World Engine, which is also granting his unholy aura
.

I think I have the perfect idea. Which I imagine is the same idea as a lot of people, but oh well.

Community Manager

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Rynjin wrote:
I think I have the perfect idea. Which I imagine is the same idea as a lot of people, but oh well.

It's all in the execution of the idea. :)

Grand Lodge

Liz Courts wrote:
Naal wrote:

I have two headscratchers about this.

Do we use a regular 15-point-buy for his stats (CR = character level -1), a 20-point-buy (CR = character level), or what? Because I cannot match his ability scores with any common generation method. At best I get a 26-point-buy. Unless I am missing a major boost source for Con or Cha.

"As long as his CR meets 17" is my ruling.

Quote:
The second issue is gear. By-the-book 96,000 for level 18 NPC? Ol' Ras above has about 115,000 worth.
Available money is equal to the value of his equipment in his original stat block.

Everything about this guy screams CR 18. He has 20 point buy, his stats make his spells uber powerful with a high DC and number of spells, and he has near PC wealth. This could be interesting. I'm curious what's giving him the -1 CR. Maybe it's because he's not totally min-maxed.

Silver Crusade

TriOmegaZero wrote:
** spoiler omitted **

*single tear rolls down the GMs cheek.*

Clearly though, Yroh and company will still have plenty to contend with, worry you not. Especially if I like how I or someone else rebuilds him ;-)


Here's yet another question: how come he's wielding a modern firearm... without any Weapon Proficiency feat?

Community Manager

JiCi wrote:
Here's yet another question: how come he's wielding a modern firearm... without any Weapon Proficiency feat?

The answer to that lies somewhere in the availability of guns in this particular adventure.

Silver Crusade

JiCi wrote:
Here's yet another question: how come he's wielding a modern firearm... without any Weapon Proficiency feat?

Spoiler:

In the AP, it lists firearms as using the Guns Everywhere rules in his location, so natives to the area treat them as simple weapons.


It's a simple weapon in the time I believe :-)

Sovereign Court

Here's my entry. :-)

Spoiler:

Invulnerable, indomitable, inevitable.

Grigori Rasputin CR 17, MR4
XP 102,400
Male Middle-Aged Mesmerist 8/Overwhelming Soul (Telekineticist) 8/Guardian 4
Beyond Morality Medium humanoid (Human, Mythic)
Init +11; Senses true seeing; Perception +15
Aura unholy aura (DC22)

----- Defense -----
AC 26, touch 19, flat-footed 23 (+6 Armor, +2 Deflection, +3 Dexterity, +4 Insight, +1 Natural Armor)
hp 252 (16d8+148+32);
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +20
Defensive Abilities absorb blow (-20), beyond morality, force ward (8), hard to kill (-50), stitched soul, to the death, towering ego; SR 25 (Good only)
Weaknesses stitched soul

----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +11/+6/+1 (1d4-2/19-20)
Ranged Telekinetic Blast +17 (4d6+16/x2 or Projectile)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +16/+11/+6 (1d8/x4)
Special Attacks gather power, hypnotic stare (-3, painful stare [+4/+2d6, fatigue DC24], bold stares: disorientation, susceptibility), metakinesis (empower), mythic power (11/day, surge +1d8)

Mesmerist Spells Known (CL 8th; concentration +20)
3rd (4/day) bestow curse, oneiric horror, greater, spite
2nd (6/day) burning gaze, haunting mists, instigate psychic duel, placebo effect
1st (6/day) adoration, charm person, ill omen, hypnotism, murderous command, surge of adrenaline
Knacks—bleed, detect magic, detect psychic significance, read magic , touch of fatigue, unwitting ally

Kineticist Spell-Like Abilities (CL8th; concentration +20; At-will; Expanded Aether)
Blasts—telekinetic blast (0), force blast (2)
Infusions—bowling infusion (2), foe throw (2), force hook (2), pushing infusion (1)
Utility—basic telekinesis, kinetic healer (1), self telekinesis, telekinetic finesse

----- Tactics -----
Before Combat Rasputin observes the PCs at several points during the adventure, as noted. During this time, he applies his mesmerist tricks to allies in the field to aid them from afar. When it comes time for his own fight, he activates his scroll of true seeing using use magic device, drinks his potions, and finally activates his reflection of weakness mesmerist trick on himself. These bonuses are included in his stat block.
During Combat By now, Rasputin has developed a relatively decent understanding of his enemy’s abilities, and uses his spells and kinetic infusions to whittle away at foe’s weaknesses. In particular, he focuses his mind-affecting abilities on foes who’ve shown poor resolve, and his kinetic infusions and foe throw on unsteady targets. When he drops below 0 HP, Rasputin’s mythic abilities allow him to function all the way to -50HP, a time during which he uses instigate psychic duel in an effort to single out a particularly meddlesome target while preserving his ability to act (albeit within a binary mindscape).
Morale On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

----- Statistics -----
Str 7, Dex 16, Con 25, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 30
Base Atk +12; CMB +10 (+18 when using CMB infusions); CMD 27 Feats Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Defensive Combat Training, Diehard^B, Fatiguing Stare, Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment, Improved Initiative, Spell Focus: Enchantment, Toughness^M, Weapon Focus: Kinetic Blast^M
Skills Appraise +8, Bluff +29, Diplomacy +23, Escape Artist +14, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge (nobility) +6, Knowledge (planes) +9, Knowledge (religion) +8, Heal +12, Linguistics +8, Perception +15, Sense Motive +16, Sleight of Hand +7, Spellcraft +13, Use Magic Device +23
Languages Aklo, Celestial, Church Slavonic, Common, Russian, Latin
SQ amazing initiative (+4), consummate liar, display of charisma, display of constitution, elemental focus: aether, infusion specialization (2), mental potency (+1), mental prowess (1/day), mesmerist tricks (12/day. DC24, [manifold tricks: 2], gift of will, meek façade [+3], psychosomatic surge [1d8+4], reflection of weakness, shadow splinter [7]), mind over matter, overwhelming power (+2), recuperation, touch treatment (11/day. Confused, dazed, fascinated, frightened, sickened, shaken)
Gear mwk dagger, mwk Nagant M1895 revolver with 21 metal cartridges,+2 glamered mithral chain shirt (Cossack Garb), amulet of natural armor +1, belt of physical might +4 (Dex, Con), crystal ball, headband of mental prowess +4 (Wis, Cha), muleback cords, potions of bear’s endurance, eagle’s splendor, and shield ; ring of protection +2, scrolls of antilife shell and true seeing

----- Special Abilities -----
Stitched Soul (su) Rasputin’s soul is stitched to his body with threads of fate, and he clings tenaciously to life. He gains Diehard as a bonus feat. In addition, when first reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than his current Con score, Rasputin dies, but he springs back to life 1d4 rounds later as if the target of a resurrection spell. If killed a second time, the Mad Monk again comes back to life 1d6 rounds later, as if the target of a raise dead spell (upon his return, he loses 50% of his remaining unused spell slots as if they had been used to cast spells). Only after Rasputin is slain for a third time do his soul’s stitches finally unravel from his corpse, releasing his malignant spirit into the ether.

Spoiler:

1. This Rasputin is built with the overwhelming soul kineticist archetype, mesmerist, and guardian mythic path. Mesmerist is a no-brainer for Rasputin’s formidable personality and deception, while the overwhelming soul archetype allows him to express his formidable personality; to the point that he can use some semblance of the ectoplasmic features of the occult oracle mystery as part of his original build, and focus his mesmerist talents on utility effects rather than direct damage.
2. Although, in the AP, he’s in the process of stealing Baba Yaga’s mythic power, this represents some degree of siphoning having already been completed, and most importantly gives him a few neat tricks up his sleeve in the form of a mythic power reservoir, a higher initiative, and access to incredible durability and mythic toughness/weapon focus, as well as the mythic display options for both constitution and charisma. Beyond Morality rounds out his mythic path abilities to play up Rasputin’s incongruence.
3. Overall, this occult version of Rasputin focuses more greatly on supplying his allies before combat with mesmerist tricks, and using his illusions to whittle away at his foes before they ever arrive in the Chapel. When the PCs do confront him for the final battle, his soul-stitched ability and incredible survivability ensure a truly epic experience in having to actually kill the man who survived so much in our Earth. When possible, he uses his infusions and stare abilities to make enemies vulnerable to the allies he’s cultivated in the meantime.
4. Rasputin’s knacks exclude detect poison because he normally just tanks it; after all, on Earth, there’s very few fort saves he’s going to fail, and it gives the Russian nobility quite the scare as a benefit. The rest of his knacks are his go-to spells for Earth as they’re practical and also effective against non-adventurers.
5. His first level spells are all utility powers to further his schemes. Ill omen is a great spontaneous spell for him, as it scales with his caster level and offers no save, increasing the efficiency of his other compulsions or forcing enemies attempt to strike him to fumble. Surge of adrenaline, in conjunction with his mythic display abilities, can account for some of his more tremendous practical feats of survival and resilience.
6. Hypnotism and kinetic healing allow him to perform some of the various “miracles” he’s remembered for on earth, as well as his touch treatments, psychosomatic surge, and gift of will abilities. While most of the abilities are temporary, they certainly are effective boons for his allies.
7. Rasputin’s second level spells are a combination of effective tools for aiding his allies as well as ensnaring the mines of his enemies. Instigate psychic duel in particular is useful when Rasputin is below 0HP, as it allows him to act normally against a single target and destroy them from within. It isn’t quite the occult mystery’s magic jar, but it serves a similar practical function.
8. His third level spells are all combat based, given that if someone is capable of resisting his formidable powers, he needs a more direct means to destroy them. Given his predilection for spying on his foes at numerous points during the adventure, and the general player reaction of seeing their own spells turned against them, he particularly enjoys using spite and greater oneiric horror in tandem to frustrate them, while bestow curse can dramatically reduce a foe’s ability to fight back.
9. I wasn’t quite sure how to lay out Rasputin’s kineticist abilities, since they scale. I grouped them by blast, utility, and infusion for ease of reference. The bracketed number refers to the burn cost associated, while elements are listed in the concentration stat line. Telekineticists gain two very useful traits which mimic occult mystery abilities: force ward and force blast, the latter of which replaces Rasputin’s ectoplasmic spell feat in the original. His other abilities, in addition to the psychic skill unlocks, can account for some of his more mundane mysticism rather than the overt magic he’s capable of as an oracle.

Dark Archive RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Gorbacz wrote:
What Rasputin does when he's not TPK'ing people.

Don't forget about this


3 people marked this as a favorite.
Justin Riddler wrote:
Gorbacz wrote:
What Rasputin does when he's not TPK'ing people.
Don't forget about this

Move over, I won XD

Shadow Lodge

2 people marked this as a favorite.
JiCi wrote:
Justin Riddler wrote:
Gorbacz wrote:
What Rasputin does when he's not TPK'ing people.
Don't forget about this
Move over, I won XD

What in the world did I just watch...


are Archetypes of non-occult classes allowed, assuming they are from the Occult Adventures book? (such as the Psychic Detective Investigator Archetype or the Psychic Bloodline for Sorceror)


Where can I find the stats for the Cassock of the Black Monk?

And I too am having a hard time coming up with what his point buy is supposed to be. Or, need confirmation that it's accurate.

Near as I can tell his starting stats were:

Str: 8 (-2)
Dex: 10 (0)
Con: 18 (17)
Int: 13 (3)
Wis: 12 (2)
Cha: 17 (13)

So 33 Point Buy is what we're meant to use?


Rynjin, I found Cassock of the Black Monk on archives of nethys.

As for Rasputin's point buy, the lowest I can figure is 26 points.

Str: 7 (-4)
Dex: 9 (-1)
Con: 17 (13)
Int: 14 (5)
Wis: 13 (3)
Cha: 16 (10) +2 from human.

He has +2 to all physical stats because of his belt of physical perfection, and then he also had +4 to Wis and Cha from his headband. Add to that the 4 stat increases he's gained from leveling (all of which go to Cha), and you should have the stat block listed above.


He's also carrying around gear worth about 123,000 gold.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Ah, durr, forgot the +2 from Human.

But the rest should be accurate. He has a -1 to all physical stats, and +1 to all mental stats from his age category.

But it should now be:

Str: 8 (-2)
Dex: 10 (0)
Con: 18 (17)
Int: 13 (3)
Wis: 12 (2)
Cha: 15 (7) (+2 Human goes here?)

So 27 Point Buy. Or, 20 PB if it went in Con...that's probably correct.

Going to go ahead assuming 20 PB. So, final:

Str: 8 (-2)
Dex: 10 (0)
Con: 16 (10) (+2 Human goes here)
Int: 13 (3)
Wis: 12 (2)
Cha: 15 (7)


1 person marked this as a favorite.

My entry:

Spoiler:
Grigori Rasputin CR 17
XP 102,400
Male middle-aged human mesmerist 18
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses True Seeing; Perception +18
Aura unholy aura (DC 22)

----- Defense -----
AC 25, touch 21, flat-footed 25 (+4 armor, +3 deflection, +4 insight, +4 natural)
hp 192 (18d8+108)
Fort +12, Ref +13, Will +24
Defensive Abilities stitched soul, towering ego +8; SR 25 vs. good

----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +13/+8/+3 (1d4–1/19–20)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +14/+9/+4 (1d8/×4)
Special Attacks hypnotic stare (-3, 30 feet), painful stare (+6d6+9)
Mesmerist Spells Known (CL 18th; concentration +28)
6th (4/day)—euphoric tranquility (DC 25), insanity (DC 25), true seeing, waves of ecstasy (DC 25)
5th (5/day)—mind fog (DC 24), primal regression (DC 24), mass synesthesia (DC 23), waves of fatigue
4th (7/day)—dimension door, dominate person (DC 23), enervation, greater forbid action (DC 23), freedom of movement
3rd (7/day)—bestow curse (DC 21), clairaudience/clairvoyance, confusion (DC 22), dispel magic, fear (DC 21), scrying (DC 21)
2nd (7/day)—enthrall (DC 21), hold person (DC 21), inflict pain (DC 21), levitate, silence (DC 20), suggestion (DC 21)
1st (7/day)—adoration, command (DC 20), innocence, murderous command (DC 20), remove sickness (DC 19), unnatural lust (DC 20)
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 18), detect magic, detect poison, light, message, read magic

----- Tactics -----
Before Combat Within the Thrice-Tenth presbytery (area H6), Rasputin enjoys the benefits of the World Engine’s unholy aura and insight bonus to his AC. When faced with combat, Rasputin casts freedom of movement, levitate, and true seeing. Additionally, Rasputin implants spell anticipation on himself to cast insanity if he is targeted by enemy spellcasters.
During Combat Rasputin attempts to control the nearest opponent with dominate person, then harries his opponents with his hypnotic stare and effects such as waves of ecstasy, greater forbid action, euphoric tranquility, and quickened hold person. Rasputin targets opponents that resist his powers with enervation and mind fog to soften them up. If confident in his control of the situation, Rasputin implants a new trick on himself, preferring cursed sanction or greater mask misery, then fires his mwk Nagant M1895 revolver at the target of his hypnotic stare on subsequent rounds, using painful stare on the first attack that hits each round.
Morale On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

----- Statistics -----
Str 9, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 26
Base Atk +13; CMB +12; CMD 25
Feats Combat Casting, Diehard^B, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Logical Spell, Persuasive, Quicken Spell, Spell Focus (Enchantment) Toughness, Uncanny Concentration
Skills Bluff +38, Diplomacy +33, Intimidate +27, Knowledge (arcana) +17, Knowledge (nobility) +23, Knowledge (planes) +14, Knowledge (religion) +17, Perception +18, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft +17, Use Magic Device +29
Languages Church Slavonic, Common, Russian
SQ bold stares (allure, sapped magic, susceptability, timidity), glib lie, hypnotic stare (-3, 30 feet), mental potency, mesmerist tricks (280 feet), mesmerist tricks (compel alacrity, cursed sanction, faked death, greater mask misery, mask misery, mesmeric mirror, misdirection, psychosomatic surge, spell anticipation, vision of blood), painful stare (+6d6+9), touch treatment, towering ego +8

----- Special Abilities -----
Stitched Soul (Su) Rasputin’s soul is stitched to his body with threads of fate, and he clings tenaciously to life. He gains Diehard as a bonus feat. In addition, when first reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than his current Con score, Rasputin dies, but he springs back to life 1d4 rounds later as if the target of a resurrection spell. If killed a second time, the Mad Monk again comes back to life 1d6 rounds later, as if the target of a raise dead spell (upon his return, he loses 50% of his remaining unused spell slots as if they had been used to cast spells). Only after Rasputin is slain for a third time do his soul’s stitches finally unravel from his corpse, releasing his malignant spirit into the ether.

Yes, his actual kill mechanism is his gun.

Liberty's Edge

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Is there a bonus for also building him to be Russia's greatest love machine?


LilyHaze wrote:

Rynjin, I found Cassock of the Black Monk on archives of nethys.

As for Rasputin's point buy, the lowest I can figure is 26 points.

Str: 7 (-4)
Dex: 9 (-1)
Con: 17 (13)
Int: 14 (5)
Wis: 13 (3)
Cha: 16 (10) +2 from human.

He has +2 to all physical stats because of his belt of physical perfection, and then he also had +4 to Wis and Cha from his headband. Add to that the 4 stat increases he's gained from leveling (all of which go to Cha), and you should have the stat block listed above.

He's also middle-aged, just to make things complicated. I'm still coming out at 26, though.


See above. If you put the +2 in Con rather than what you'd expect (his casting stat), it comes out to 20 PB.


Rynjin wrote:
See above. If you put the +2 in Con rather than what you'd expect (his casting stat), it comes out to 20 PB.

Perception check fail for how long I've been staring at my entry. >.>

Silver Crusade

Rynjin wrote:
See above. If you put the +2 in Con rather than what you'd expect (his casting stat), it comes out to 20 PB.

Ok, with that though how does he end up at 26 Charisma at 18th level? Even with the +4 from levels, I'm only counting a 24 by that point


Phylotus wrote:
Rynjin wrote:
See above. If you put the +2 in Con rather than what you'd expect (his casting stat), it comes out to 20 PB.
Ok, with that though how does he end up at 26 Charisma at 18th level? Even with the +4 from levels, I'm only counting a 24 by that point

...Hrm. Good catch.

Yeah, f#&~ if I know then.

I think whoever made him may have just assigned what stats he thought fit best (it's how I design NPCs, so who knows), but that doesn't help people reverse engineer him.

Or, maybe it really is 26 PB.

If so...weird number, dude.


I'm still only getting 26 at the lowest.

Str - 8 (-2)
Dex - 10 (0)
Con - 16 (10) +2 Human
Int - 13 (3)
Wis - 12 (2)
Cha - 17 (13)

That's his stats upon creation. Then you apply middle-age'd to get the stat line of

Str - 7
Dex - 9
Con - 17
Int - 14
Wis - 13
Cha - 18

Then +2 to all physical, and +4 to Wis and Cha, then 4 more to Cha for leveling...

Str - 9
Dex - 11
Con - 19
Int - 14
Wis - 17
Cha - 26

So 26 point buy accounting for the aging "penalties." What am I doing wrong?

Silver Crusade

Rynjin wrote:
Phylotus wrote:
Rynjin wrote:
See above. If you put the +2 in Con rather than what you'd expect (his casting stat), it comes out to 20 PB.
Ok, with that though how does he end up at 26 Charisma at 18th level? Even with the +4 from levels, I'm only counting a 24 by that point

...Hrm. Good catch.

Yeah, f@@! if I know then.

Brandon Hodge, your weighing in on this quandary would be much appreciated :-)


Quote:
You may use any Paizo-published material, but you must cite your sources.

Wait....wouldn't the old Dragon Magazines for 3.5 technically count as "Paizo published material" in this regard?


I'm so making a Mad Monk once I get home.

Grand Lodge

I'm pretty sure he really is 26 point buy. I'm playing the calculator, and yeah, he's definitely more than 25.

This means even more so that he's actually CR 18 as per how other things have been in Pathfinder AP.

Contributor

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Phylotus wrote:
Rynjin wrote:
Phylotus wrote:
Rynjin wrote:
See above. If you put the +2 in Con rather than what you'd expect (his casting stat), it comes out to 20 PB.
Ok, with that though how does he end up at 26 Charisma at 18th level? Even with the +4 from levels, I'm only counting a 24 by that point

...Hrm. Good catch.

Yeah, f@@! if I know then.

Brandon Hodge, your weighing in on this quandary would be much appreciated :-)

OK. I hope this doesn't get me in trouble with Liz, buuuuuut since we're talking about the old statblock and not necessarily how you'd build yours, I'll say two things:

1. These stats are slightly developed from my original turnover, which started with the heroic array adjusted for age category and spell use [see below]. But after edits, they don't match, so I don't really know any more than you do, BUT...

2. It turns out miracle works...well, miracles. My original turnover has a note that through the use of the spell Rasputin permanently boosted his Con by +4. I imagine the Rob or Adam may have used a similar tactic in development, though I cannot confirm nor deny that because I seriously don't know.

Make of that what you will!

Grand Lodge

So essentially the Miracle gave an inherent stat bonus, much like Wish can. That makes sense.

Silver Crusade

Well, I'll toss my hat into the arena. I was already looking at doing this for my own upcoming game, so I already had a basic idea as to how I would go about writing him up.

Spoiler:

Grigori Rasputin CR 17
XP 102,400
Male middle-aged human medium (reanimated medium) 18 (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures pg 30, 93)
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses true seeing; Perception +24
Aura unholy aura (Fort DC 22)

----- Defense -----
AC 22, touch 22, flat-footed 22 (+4 deflection, +4 insight, +4 luck [touch only], +4 natural)
hp 183 (18d8+90)
Fort +16, Ref +12, Will +20
Defensive Abilities stitched soul; Immune possession, death effects, and negative energy; SR 25 vs. good
Weaknesses influence penalty (-6 on all Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks involving worshipers of faith other than the heirophant spirit's, except checks to convert)

----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk dagger +13/+8/+3 (1d4–1/19–20)
Ranged mwk Nagant M1895 revolver +14/+9/+4 (1d8/×4) or channel ray +13 touch 9d6 negative energy (Will DC 29 half)
Special Attacks ease passage, channel negative energy 9/day (Will DC 27, 9d6), shared séance, sudden strike
Medium Spells Known (CL 18th; concentration +24)
6th (4/day) – antilife shell*, mass inflict moderate wounds* (Will DC 24, half)
5th (5/day) – flame strike* (Ref DC 23), mass inflict light wounds* (Will DC 23, half)
4th (7/day) – dismissal, inflict critical wounds* (Will DC 22, half), remote viewing, spiritual ally, summon monster V, true seeing, unholy blight* (Will DC 22)
3rd (7/day) – adjustable disguise, aura alteration (Will DC 21), call spirit (Will DC 21), inflict serious wounds* (Will DC 21, half), mindscape door (Will DC 21), searing light*, thaumaturgic circle, vampiric touch
2nd (7/day) – analyze aura (Will DC 20), death knell* (Will DC 20 negates), greater oneiric horror (Will DC 20), inflict moderate wounds* (Will DC 20, half), placebo effect (Will DC 20), purge spirit (Will DC 21), sessile spirit (Will DC 20), spectral hand
1st (7/day) – calm spirit (Will DC 19), charge object, comprehend languages, heightened awareness, inflict light wounds* (Will DC 20, half), murderous command* (Will DC 19), psychic reading, quintessence (Will DC 20)
0 (at will) – bleed* (Will DC 18), detect magic, detect psychic significance, ghost sound, light, mage hand, read magic
* treated as divine magic

----- Tactics -----
Before Combat Within the Thrice-Tenth presbytery (area H6), Rasputin enjoys the benefits of the World Engine's unholy aura and insight bonus to his AC. He channels a hierophant spirit through a séance. When faced with combat, Rasputin casts spiritual ally, true seeing and activates trance of three to allow his champion spirit to enter him as a secondary spirit. Once enemies are in sight, he casts antilife shell and spectral hand to enable him to use touch attacks beyond the field's perimeter.
During Combat Under the protection of his antilife shell, Rasputin attempts to hinder his opponents with greater oneiric horror and spiritual ally and turn foes against each other with murderous command before laying waste with such deadly effects as channeled negative energy rays, flame strike and unholy blight. Those that engage him in melee combat find him to be a cagey fighter, taking full advantage of any Strength damage incurred when attacked by good creatures and the champion's sudden attack spirit power.
Morale On the precipice of claiming his mother’s mythic power, Rasputin relies on his stitched soul to preserve his life, and fights to the death again and again until slain permanently.

----- Statistics -----
Str 9, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 26
Base Atk +13; CMB +12; CMD 30
Feats Channel Ray, Combat Casting, Diehard<sup>B</sup>, Improved Channel, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Logical Spell, Spirit Focus (Hierophant), Toughness<sup>B</sup>
Skills Bluff +20, Diplomacy +29, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (nobility) +20, Knowledge (planes) +14, Knowledge (religion) +23, Perception +24, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft +14, Use Magic Device +20
Languages Church Slavonic, Common, Russian
SQ ask the spirit, astral journey, channel self (hierophant), lingering spirit, nothing is taboo, propitiation, spirit bonus +6 (Wisdom checks, Wisdom-based skill checks, and Will saves), spirit mastery, spirit surge 3/day (1d8), spirit warding, trance of three (champion)
Gear mwk dagger, mwk Nagant M1895 revolver with 21 metal cartridges, amulet of natural armor +4, belt of physical perfection +2, cassock of the Black Monk, headband of mental prowess +4 (Wis, Cha)

----- Cassock of the Black Monk -----
Aura strong transmutation; CL 12th
Slot body; Price 34,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This ankle-length black robe, cut in the style favored by Orthodox priests, bears little outward ornamentation beyond its gold buttons, though subtle occult symbols embroidered in black thread decorate the skirt's hem. The cassock of the Black Monk grants a +4 luck bonus to the wearer’s touch AC. In addition, while wearing the cassock, a medium channeling the Hierophant spirit gains access to spirit mastery (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 33) and may use it as if he had it as a normal class feature. If the wearer already has spirit mastery, he can use spirit surge one additional time per day. This ability has no effect if worn by a non-medium. If the wearer is a medium but is not channeling a hierophant spirit, once per day he can cast a spell with the Intuitive Spell feat (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 136) as a standard action that does not increase the level of the spell. This ability has no effect if the wearer is a non-oracle.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, divine favor, enshroud thoughts; Cost 17,000 gp

----- Special Abilities -----
Ask the Spirits (Sp) Rasputin can send his consciousness to the Astral Plane any number of times to ask the spirits for advice, as if using contact other plane to contact the Astral Plane. He automatically succeeds on the Intelligence check to avoid the decrease to his Intelligence and Charisma.

Astral Conduit (Su) Rasputin can enter a deep coma in order to project himself on the Astral Plane as astral projection, except he can project only himself, he can't enter other planes, and his projected gear has no magical properties.

Channel Self (Su) Rasputin is essentially a bodiless spirit using influence to possess his own spiritless body. The more influence Rasputin has over his body, the more powerful he becomes.
Each day he can perform a séance at a location as normal to focus on one of his potential future legends. Séances take 1 hour to perform and require his concentration. At the end of a séance, Rasputin channels that legendary potential as strongly as possible into his body to serve as his spirit for the day. He gains the spirit's listed séance boon, lesser spirit power, intermediate spirit power, greater spirit power, and supreme spirit power. After 24 hours, Rasputin loses contact with his spirit's potential legend and can perform another séance. The spirit gains 3 points of influence over his body, to a maximum of 6 points. Since he is possessing his own body, Rasputin doesn't lose control at 5 or more points of influence, though he still suffers the legend's influence penalty as normal at 3 or more points of influence. All effects and abilities that normally increase or decrease (such as spirit surge or spirit powers) have the opposite effect on Rasputin; this does not apply to the abilities of the reanimated medium archetype. He cannot choose to channel a weaker spirit to avoid losing influence from using spirit surge. Rasputin's body enters a deathlike coma should he reach 0 points of influence and he is helpless for 24 hours, after which he reverts to 1 point of influence if the body is still alive, but can't perform another séance for 24 hours.

Ease Passage (Su) As long as his body is intact, it's easy for Rasputin to return to it. He takes only 1 negative level instead of 2 from raise dead.

Lingering Spirit (Su) Rasputin's spirit lingers for up to 1 round after death before departing if he spends 1 point of influence. If he died of hit point damage, healing works on his body during the intervening round and can bring him back to life. Once the spirit departs, the breath of life spell continues to work for 1 additional round, even though Rasputin has been dead for more than 1 round.

Nothing Is Taboo (Ex) Unlike other mediums, Rasputin does not possess the taboo class feature.

Propitiation (Su) Rasputin has learned hidden techniques and rites that allow him to mollify his channeled spirit once per day, increasing its influence over him by 1 point (to a maximum of 6 points of influence).

Overflowing Grace (Greater, Su): When Rasputin heals a creature to full hit points or a creature already at full hit points with his negative energy, that creature gains a +1 profane bonus on attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws for 1 round.

Shared Séance (Su) Rasputin can request his allies to be present for his séance. A character counts as present so long as he maintains physical contact with another present character and willfully opens himself to the spirit; he can take other actions during this time. All present allies gain the channeled spirit's séance boon for 24 hours.

Spirit Bonus (Su) When Rasputin channels his hierophant spirit, he gains a +5 bonus on Wisdom checks, Wisdom-based skill checks, and Will saves.

Spirit Mastery (Ex) Rasputin is a legend among spirits, particularly lesser spirits. He can use his spirit surge ability an additional two times per day to reduce his spirit's influence over him.

Spirit Surge (Su) After failing a d20 roll that was modified by his spirit bonus, Rasputin can reduce his spirit's influence by 1 point in order to add 1d8 to check's result without taking an action. This can cause the check to succeed instead of fail. He must be conscious and aware to use this ability, and Rasputin can use this ability at most once per round.

Spirit Warding (Su) Rasputin can ward himself from other spirits and the grave's call. He is immune to possession, death effects, and negative energy.

Stitched Soul (Su) Rasputin's soul is stitched to his body with threads of fate, and he clings tenaciously to life. He gains Diehard as a bonus feat. In addition, when first reduced to a number of hit points equal to or greater than his current Constitution score, Rasputin dies, but he springs back to life 1d4 rounds later as if the target of a resurrection spell. If killed a second time, the Mad Monk again comes back to life 1d6 rounds later, as if the target of a raise dead spell (upon his return, he loses 50% of his remaining spell slots as if they had been used to cast spells). Only after Rasputin is slain for a third time do his soul's stitches finally unravel from his corpse, releasing his malignant spirit into the ether.

Sudden Attack (Intermediate, Su): Whenever Rasputin takes a full-attack action, he gains one additional attack at his highest base attack bonus. This ability stacks with the extra attack from haste, but it doesn't stack with special actions that grant extra attacks, such as flurry of blows or spell combat. Sudden attack works as normal with full-attack options such as two-weapon fighting.

Trance of Three (Su) Rasputin can reduce his spirit's influence over him by 1 point in order to allow a portion of his legendary spirit from another potential legend to enter him for 19 rounds, granting him the intermediate spirit power from another legend. If that power has limited number of uses per day, he must keep track of the remaining uses even after the secondary spirit is gone; if Rasputin calls the secondary spirit again that day, it can grant the remaining uses of that power. If he uses an ability that incurs influence, it actually reduces that amount of influence over his primary spirit, not the secondary spirit. Rasputin doesn't gain the benefits of his spirit bonus from the secondary spirit. He can end the trance of three early as a free action.

Spoiler:

I was looking at making him a mesmerist, and given pictures of him, it would be a natural way to go. But, in the end, I decided to emphasize his role as an occult consultant to the Romanovs for the purposes of my game and so he became a medium. The reincarnated archetype was gravy on an already awesome meal, even though its lingering spirit ability has a weird interaction with stitched soul. The hardest part was coming up with a psychic equivalent of the cassock, as I'm usually not that great with designing magic items.
Edit: Removed the +10 armor from the occult mystery's ectoplasmic armor revelation and added two spirit powers.


The original version of Rasputin had his own unique Oracle mystery. Can our version have its own unique archetype/other sort of Occult modification?

(I'm guessing no, but never hurts to clarify!)


Drejk wrote:
Dylos wrote:
Any chance Occult Adventures will be in the PRD before this contest ends?
Occult classes and rules are already available on d20pfsrd.

Some may be hard to find... the Sensate Fighter archetype is on the site, but it is not on the fighters page atm... I can't even find it there without searching for it or just looking for occult adventures...

Silver Crusade

You have to click on the fighter archetypes link itself to pull up the sensate in the list.


Are we supposed to post our entry here ?


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Liz Courts wrote:
It's all in the execution of the idea. :)

I see what you did there. <_<


Liz Courts wrote:
Also, since it came up elsewhere, all of his class levels must come from Occult Adventures. If you wanna go crazy and make him multiclassed, have at it. :D

So all his class levels must come from OA; does that mean that they have to consist of the OA new classes alone, or can they use old classes for which an archetype exists in OA?


The more I try at Kineticist Rasputin, the less sense it makes. But I'm amused, so I'll keep at it and post when I'm done.

Grand Lodge

Gamerskum wrote:
Are we supposed to post our entry here ?

Yes, that's the rule.


Can someone tell me in a spoiler what is the source of his oracle powers?


Entryhazard wrote:
Can someone tell me in a spoiler what is the source of his oracle powers?

Spoiler:
Raw power inherited from his mother, Baba Yaga. Yes, her.

Psychic or Spiritualist? One's easier and straight, the other is bizàrre and fascinating...
Ahh, decisions, decisions...

The Exchange

Liz Courts wrote:

Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Russia's TPK Machine.

*nods at Gorbacz for that particular line*
Also, since it came up elsewhere, all of his class levels must come from Occult Adventures. If you wanna go crazy and make him multiclassed, have at it. :D

There went my first build.


Bardess wrote:

Psychic or Spiritualist? One's easier and straight, the other is bizàrre and fascinating...

Ahh, decisions, decisions...

I don't plan to enter, but I can't see how he could possibly not be a Mesmerist. :D


My favorite part of this blog post: "Paizo time"


Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
Bardess wrote:

Psychic or Spiritualist? One's easier and straight, the other is bizàrre and fascinating...

Ahh, decisions, decisions...
I don't plan to enter, but I can't see how he could possibly not be a Mesmerist. :D

Mesmerist seems the first choice (Cult Master in particular), but since have already been posted 2 Mesmerist builds, I'm thinking to do something different.

Plus, Mesmerists can't cast his higly destructive spells and play with ectoplasm...

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