paizo.com Recent Threads in RPG Superstar™ 2014paizo.com Recent Threads in RPG Superstar™ 20142015-08-12T18:49:52Z2015-08-12T18:49:52ZForums: Round 4: Submit an adventure proposal: Daughters of FuryVictoria Jaczkohttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qqt5?Daughters-of-Fury2014-02-28T21:12:56Z2014-02-28T21:12:56Z<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>The Daughters of Fury</b></span></p>
<p>A new tribe rises in the Hold of Belzken. Its dark matriarch is not yet prepared to confront the crusaders of Vigil, but the infernal powers she called upon for her strength force her hand by demanding a prize she let slip years ago. There are devils in Lastwall, and the nightmare of an organized orc tribe looms with Hell's puppet strings attached. A mysterious half-orc woman is at the center of these troubles, but can the player characters discern why before more of Vigil's crusaders and citizens fall to the Daughters of Fury?</p>
<p><i>The Daughters of Fury</i> is an urban adventure designed for a party of four 3rd-level adventurers. By its end, the PCs are expected to reach 5th level.</p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Adventure Background</b></span></p>
<p>Kelseph never proved herself in her father's eyes. Wrogog the Red Fury, chieftain of the fledgling Fury tribe, hated her as his only progeny, and doubly for being a daughter. Kelseph's vengeful desires might have been heard by the Queen of the Erinyes regardless, but Kelseph's own child truly drew the attention of Eiseth and her servants.</p>
<p>She'd borne a daughter by one of her father's slaves, a golden-eyed knight named Adam Adil. An unwilling participant, he never told the child, Vegazi, he was her father. As she grew, he saw she inherited none of her mother's savagery and taught her somewhat of Iomedae and Vigil. Neither Wrogog nor Kelseph recognized an aasimar, else they might have paid more attention to his offspring. The diluted divinity in Vegazi's blood coupled with her resistance to her savage ancestry made too delicious a prize for an erinyes to pass up. </p>
<p>Shayle, patient and crafty for her kind, schemed for two prizes: the soul of Kelseph's daughter and a foothold for Eiseth in the demon-influenced, violently patriarchal Hold of Belzken. Subtly, she allowed Kelseph's path to cross with Chelaxian refugee, Gallus Crevac. Gallus bargained for his life with the offer of infernal power. He summoned a devil for Kelseph, and Shayle appeared. Afterwards, Gallus fled to Vigil, realizing he'd been an unwitting pawn in Hell's plot, and threw himself to the Vigilants' mercy.</p>
<p>The bargain granted Kelseph the might of a half-fiend and a magical weapon inspired by the erinyes: an <i>angelfall bow</i>. In exchange, Shayle would return in fifteen years' time to collect one of Kelseph's children. Secretly, Shayle left behind a phiam with Vegazi to protect her interests.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Kelseph overthrew her father's tribe and renamed it the Daughters of Fury. Adil died in captivity, spurring Vegazi to take her own freedom and escape with as many slaves as she could. Kelseph hardly noticed, and continued to grow her power. She had six tiefling daughters, a growing horde, and a gradual trend towards order. She began organizing. On the cusp of the Daughters of Fury becoming a true threat, Shayle returned for Vegazi.</p>
<p>With little choice, Kelseph bargained with her soul for time to retrieve Vegazi and keep her power, including the limited aid of Hell in the form of lesser devils. Kelseph fears her tribe seeing her so compromised, and took only her four eldest daughters with her.</p>
<p>Vegazi has survived on the borders, never belonging anywhere, but feels her mother's infernal past has returned to haunt her. She remembers Adil's old prayers and talk of the Sancta Iomedaea, and believes it the only place she'll be safe, but the phiam dogs every step...</p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Introduction</b></span></p>
<p>The adventure takes place in and around Vigil. The PCs start in the city and may be there for several reasons.
<br />
<ul>
<br />
<li>They want to join the crusade, requiring approval of the Martials and Tribunes, as well as the return of Aylunna Varvatos from clergy business in Vellumis.
<br />
<li>An old associate, Acolyte Ovir, asked the PCs to come during Aylunna's absence. He's anxious something will happen and intimidated by running the cathedral for several days.
<br />
<li>An old friend, Lora the cartographer, writes to the PCs complaining her father won't leave his border home and works on his book all day, and she wants them to talk sense into him.
<br />
<li>Venture-Captain Evni Zongnoss has heard about not just demons, but devils in the Hold, and the Harrow confirms trouble brewing. She puts out a call for any available agents to come investigate.
<br />
</ul></p>
<p>Note that until PCs swear their oaths, they can't go armed or armored on Vigil's streets. Their equipment is held at the gates.</p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Part I: Hell's Quarry</b></span></p>
<p>The party witnesses a Vigilant scouting party, headed by Precentor Martial Keyron Saiville (CG male human ranger 2/fighter 4/low templar 3), thunder home through Southgate with a half-orc woman thrown over a horse and a flock of lesser host devils (gaav) on their heels. The <i>hallow</i> effect on the gates repels most, others are fended off at the walls, but one slips inside and falls near the PCs, requiring the use of improvised weapons to slay it. </p>
<p>The scouting party heads to the Sancta Iomedaea, where investigation or enlistment by Gallus Crevac (LN male human ex-cleric of Asmodeus 5/expert 2) should lead the party. Gallus goes to the half-orc to apply his infernal lore in questioning and determining threat, and wants extra bodies in the room. Acolyte Ovir (LG human male cleric of Iomedae 3) attends as well; if the PCs are here for him, he sighs that he <i>knew</i> something would happen. </p>
<p>The half-orc, Vegazi, (CG female half-orc ranger 2), is under the phiam's <i>bestow curse</i> and can't easily answer questions, but she relates what she can of her mother and the Daughters of Fury, but doesn't know why she's targeted. Gallus elucidates on various devils and the vagaries of infernal contracts, but fails to mention curse devils or the Eiseth symbology in Vegazi's described nightmares, though a Knowledge (religion) check may catch it.</p>
<p>Gallus and Vegazi don't recognize each other, but the phiam recalls him; it telepathically communicates the misfortune to befall him if he interferes with Shayle's plan, and from that point forward, he surreptitiously feeds the phiam information to complete its goal up to the very limits of his Shield-Mark. It wants a location where Vegazi could be fetched. He suggests the party escort her to the Pathfinder Lodge. Ovir agrees, as Evni Zongnoss is a potent cleric and harrower, and may be of more help and information. More importantly, to the phiam, the lodge is under the southeastern wall between towers, leaving it out of range of the constant <i>hallow</i> protection and becomes the point of attack for the first of Kelseph's daughters.</p>
<p>Evni Zongnoss (NG female gnome cleric of Desna 5/harrower 2) receives the party at the lodge gladly; if they are agents responding to her call, she tells them it seems the investigation came to them. Evni cures Vegazi, then turns to the Harrow to divine what the devils want with her. She gleans a grim reading that ends with an assault on the lodge. </p>
<p>Ogash (CE female tiefling barbarian 4) has several <i>potions of fly</i> to keep up with the gaav flock she commands. She sweeps over the southeastern wall while the gaav distract the guards on top. Crashing into the lodge with two of the devils, the party must make use of the magical armaments decorating the room to defeat Ogash while Evni protects Vegazi from the host devils. Vegazi goes back to the Sancta Iomedaea for her protection.</p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Part II: Family Resemblance</b></span></p>
<p>That night, the phiam targets a PC for a <i>nightmare</i>. Knowledge (religion) rolls may reveal symbols linked to Eiseth within the dreams. </p>
<p>Unrest rises in Vigil over Vegazi's presence. The people are divided over what Vegazi is and what to do with her. She has defenders, but the phiam is raising agitation and superstition. Citizens fear for kin beyond the walls, leading to Lora (LG female human expert 1) approaching the party, or, if they responded to her letter, imploring them to hurry, about going out to convince her father to come into Vigil.</p>
<p>Lora's father, Grev (NG male human fighter 4), refuses to go at first, but showing interest in his book persuades him. He's a retired Vigilant that once served under Captain Adil, and he's writing of his experiences. He regales the party and shows excerpts all the way to Vigil; while a terrible writer, he's a good illustrator and PCs seeing Grev's portrait of Adil can make Perception checks to see resemblance to Vegazi.</p>
<p>Another of Kelseph's daughters, Ilka (NE female tiefling druid 5), attacks them on the return trip. She tracked the party and decided if Grev was worthy of escort, he might be valuable. She drops <i>ash storm</i> to conceal the abduction attempt and attacks the party with her boar companion and summoned dire bats. If Ilka gets Grev, the party can attempt to get him back; finding Ilka's camp leads to a battle with shapeshifting imps and reveals the Daughters are keeping separated.</p>
<p>In Vigil, a gaav drops a head with a bloody note. Kelseph threatens to send more unless Vegazi comes out by dawn, starting with Grev if he's taken. </p>
<p>The PCs can accept their reward from Lora, if they brought Grev in, and decide with whom to share what they learned. Arguments and debates spring up all over Vigil over what should be done about Kelseph's threat.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Gallus extends an invitation to the PCs to use his library, suggesting research might help. He secretly hopes they'll discover information on the phiam on their own and get it off his back. </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Vegazi tries to leave the city later that evening, but is caught and dragged to the Market Square by what passes for a mob in Vigil: a loud, shouting philosophical debate. The PCs hear about the ruckus from anywhere in the city, and arrive in time to hear or join in some of the arguments before the Watchknights break it up. </p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Part III: Sacrifice</b></span></p>
<p>In the morning, Keyron summons the party to the Watcher's Tor. They overhear a tense conversation between him and the Watcher-Lord over what to do with Vegazi; Ulthun refuses to negotiate, but Keyron wants to bait Kelseph and draw her out. When they notice the party, they are commended for their accomplishments and Keyron takes them aside to talk. They may share notes on connections and new information, but Keyron called them to discuss investigating Gallus and the phiam, if one or the other is still a threat. </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Not long after the meeting, the head Kelseph promised lands in Vigil, followed by another every few hours in a test of Vigil's resolve. The PCs won't get another chance to prepare for the final run of encounters at the adventure's end. </p>
<p>Keyron sends for the PCs in the early hours of the morning before the sun rises and has them come to the northern gatehouse. He meets them outside with their equipment and has them arm themselves; his men captured a daughter but she refuses to talk. He wants to see if the presence of those who dispatched two of her sisters makes a difference. Pressing Keyron gets him to admit events are wearing on him and his frustration is mounting.</p>
<p>When they go inside, they find Yvogga (LE female tiefling sorcerer 4) slipped her bonds and put her guardsmen to sleep, slaying them with Keyron outside. She summons host devils from a scroll to find Vegazi, and Keyron goes after them, leaving the PCs to handle the sorceress. Summoned lemures and Yvogga's imp familiar keep the party busy, but she surrenders quickly. </p>
<p>If questioned, she reveals the details of her mother's bargain, but the indirect communication methods they've used prevent her from knowing exactly where Kelseph is. If magically compelled, she admits she was a diversion, as were the gaav; her sister, Bax, abducted Vegazi.</p>
<p>Keyron returns angry, the gaav slain but Vegazi gone. To stop Kelseph, he asks the PCs to do what he can't; he'll reward them, vouch for their oaths if they want, but it's the Oathless he needs. </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>If the party agrees, Keyron smuggles them out through the harbor. If Bax couldn't use her cape, they see a barbazu taking Vegazi from her on the Strand and heading southwest. Bax confronts the party at Sophronia's Steeple, but vanishes once the devil is clear.</p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>The party can track the devil or use <i>locate creature</i> to pinpoint Vegazi. It leads them to rocky hills southwest of Vigil where they must climb up a rock face, battling Bax, if she's alive, and gaav as they go. They meet a barbazu at the top, then find Eiseth's Roost, a place smelling of brimstone and devoid of life. Shayle hovers above a large flat rock where Kelseph (LE female half-fiend orc fighter 7) restrains Vegazi. </p>
<p>The final confrontation pits the PCs against first Kelseph in battle, then Shayle in wits. Unless they attack outright, the erinyes tries to convince the party to sacrifice Vegazi themselves. If that fails, she appeals to Vegazi's sense of worthlessness to convince her to come willingly. If the PCs have not worked much with Vegazi, she might consider accepting, leading to opposed Diplomacy rolls with the erinyes to convince Vegazi otherwise. If the party has been kind to Vegazi and helped restore her confidence, then there's no chance Shayle convinces her. Shayle attacks in a difficult battle, but Vegazi joins the fight with her mother's bow. </p>
<p>[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Conclusion</b></span></p>
<p>With Kelseph dead and another threat dashed on the walls of Vigil, it seems cause for celebration, yet the tone is somber. Memorials are held for those lost and regret conveyed if Vegazi ultimately chose Hell. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, the PCs have earned the right to join the crusade if they wish, and a door into the Pathfinder Society could be opened as well. Keyron rewards the party as promised and accepts punishment for his recklessness. </p>
<p>If Vegazi survives, she contemplates staying in Vigil. She gives the party the <i>angelfall bow</i> and rids herself of the memory. </p>
<p>Gallus, if exposed, has a date with the prison, but the PCs could be granted custody of him. There is a bounty on him in Cheliax, but the PCs could just as easily keep him as a lackey, or, perhaps, show mercy. </p>
<p>Still, there's one more thing: Kelseph had <i>six</i> daughters...</p>The Daughters of Fury
A new tribe rises in the Hold of Belzken. Its dark matriarch is not yet prepared to confront the crusaders of Vigil, but the infernal powers she called upon for her strength force her hand by demanding a prize she let slip years ago. There are devils in Lastwall, and the nightmare of an organized orc tribe looms with Hell's puppet strings attached. A mysterious half-orc woman is at the center of these troubles, but can the player characters discern why before more of...Victoria Jaczko2014-02-28T21:12:56ZForums: Round 4: Submit an adventure proposal: City of Blood & ChainsMike Kimmel (Developer)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qqq4?City-of-Blood-Chains2014-02-28T04:08:30Z2014-02-28T04:08:30Z<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><i><b>City of Blood & Chains</b></i></span></p>
<p>Corentyn, situated where the Inner Sea meets the Arcadian Ocean, boasts a flourishing slave trade.The Order of the Chain oversees these dealings, but the Hellknights are not incorruptible. Resistance groups and criminals take advantage of their greed to smuggle slaves through the city. When a ruthless crime lord implicates the PCs in the murder of several Hellknights, they uncover a plot to destroy the resistance from within.</p>
<p><i>City of Blood & Chains</i> is a Pathfinder module designed for 3rd-level characters. PCs on the medium XP advancement track can expect to reach 4th level by the adventure’s conclusion. In the adventure, the PCs must navigate the criminal underworld of the Chelaxian city of Corentyn to clear their names of a brutal crime, find the true culprits, and foil a mad zealot’s insidious plot.</p>
<p><b>Adventure Background</b>
<br />
Even before he went mad, Drachius Vilario’s devotion to Cheliax was fanatical. As an Asmodean Inquisitor working with the Hellknight Order of the Chain, he rooted out corruption and eliminated resistance organizations within Corentyn—especially those which worked to liberate slaves. Six months ago, he discovered that several Hellknights were accepting bribes from Sorenia Lorict, a freedom fighter from Andoran working undercover as a city guard. He learned the Hellknights were on the payroll of the bugbear crime lord Borza Eyegrinder. Eyegrinder and his men made a tidy sum in Andoren coin smuggling slaves through the ancient tunnels under the Arch of Aroden.</p>
<p>When he learned of Vilario’s investigation, Eyegrinder captured the inquisitor and tortured him for weeks, then dumped his body in the sea beneath the Arch. Vilario survived—racked with pain, disfigured, and dangerously insane.</p>
<p>In the ruins at the base of the Arch, Vilario encountered a sect of Arodenites, the delusional worshippers of a dead god. He overpowered the cultists, cutting the eyes from their leaders in an echo of Eyegrinder’s favored punishment. With the cultists forced into his service, the seeds of Vilario’s plot were born.</p>
<p>Vilario remains devoted to Cheliax. Taking on a false persona—that of a smuggler called Bloodcoat—he has identified the corrupt Hellknights and manipulated them into turning slaves over to him. Deep in his sanctum, he puts the Eyegrinder’s lessons to use on the slaves, experimenting with the power of pain to shape their minds. He means to bend them to his will, to serve as spies amongst the slaves of Corentyn and root out those who oppose the iron law of Cheliax.</p>
<p>Sorenia Lorict has learned that the slaves whose freedom she so dearly bought never reached their destination. She has set a meeting with the corrupt Hellknights to confront them. Unfortunately, Eyegrinder has discovered the traitors and made arrangements for their elimination. The adventure begins as Sorenia and the PCs arrive at the scene of their grisly demise.</p>
<p><b>Getting Involved</b>
<br />
Sorenia asks the PCs for their help in confronting the corrupt Hellknights and learning the truth about the missing slaves. The PCs might be fellow freedom fighters, former slaves, sympathetic Chelaxians, hired mercenaries, or skilled adventurers with a reputation for getting things done.</p>
<p><b>Part One: Fleeing the Scene</b>
<br />
<i>The PCs flee the scene of a crime they didn’t commit, avoiding arrest by Hellknights and establishing a hideout beneath the streets.</i></p>
<p>The PCs travel with Sorenia Lorict (NG female fighter 2/rogue 1) into the foggy Warehouse District. As they near the condemned warehouse where they are to meet with Sorenia’s contacts in the Order of the Chain, she cautions them to be wary of the Hellknights, who stand above the law.</p>
<p>Darkness shrouds the interior of the warehouse, save for a single dying lantern. Beyond the mouldering crates which clutter the floor, five Hellknights lie dead upon the floor, partially stripped of their distinctive armor and bound with chains. Their bodies display signs of torture—severed digits, bloody gashes, and empty eye sockets. Before the PCs have time to take in the scene or search for clues, two dottari (Chelaxian city guards, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 260) arrive, accompanied by a Hellknight in training (guard officer, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 261). Sorenia urges the PCs to flee; the Hellknight is violently disinterested in any protestations of innocence.</p>
<p>Once the PCs escape or defeat the guards, Sorenia takes them to a hidden entrance which leads to ancient tunnels running beneath the streets of Corentyn. The sound of Hellknights in full plate armor filters down from the streets as the PCs flee.</p>
<p>Sorenia leads the PCs beneath the West Drenches district, widely considered the most unruly part of town. Here she parts ways with the PCs, heading to the surface to gather information. She provides directions to Marcellus’s Mercantile, a general store that serves as a front for the underground liberation movement. There the PCs can rest and plan their next move.</p>
<p>At the safehouse, the PCs encounter Marcellus (NG male shopkeep, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 284) and his assistant Limm (CG male halfling rogue 2), an escaped slave disguised as a human child. They allow the PCs to stay and rest, and can provide information, but are reluctant to get too involved lest they jeopardize their operation.</p>
<p><b>Part Two: The Streets of Corentyn</b>
<br />
<i>The PCs avoid detection while investigating the warehouse incident and the missing slaves.</i></p>
<p>Corentyn quickly grows hazardous for the PCs. Krezzik, a wicked imp in Eyegrinder’s employ, observed their actions at the warehouse and has spread rumors of their guilt. Squads of dottari patrol the streets at increased intervals. Citizens are far more distrusting than usual, and even the greediest shopkeepers avoid the PCs. If they linger in the streets, citizens point and whisper, or approach the Hellknights to turn them in. Every exit from Corentyn is heavily guarded, and the warehouse—scoured of all useful evidence—swarms with angry Hellknights. </p>
<p>The events detailed in Part Two can occur in the recommended order below, or another order the GM feels is appropriate. If the PCs get stuck, the GM can have Sorenia or Marcellus discover a useful piece of information leading them to one of these encounters.</p>
<p><b><i>Encounter 1: The Priest’s Haunt</i></b>
<br />
The PCs learn that an unscrupulous judge named Magnessa Alazonn (LN human cleric of Asmodeus 5) was helping the corrupt Hellknights and taking a cut of the profits. In the evening, she frequently sits in a secluded, rubble-filled courtyard outside Gallows Walls (<i>Cities of Golarion</i> 15) to listen to the screams emanating from the quarantined district. A master of giving and accepting bribes, she is willing to help the PCs only if they approach her properly. Using Knowledge (local or religion), the PCs can determine how to bribe Alazonn; if they fail to follow the proper procedures, or resort to force, she attempts to chase them off with magic. However, she is a coward at heart and surrenders if seriously injured. </p>
<p>The PCs can learn the following information from Alazonn:
<br />
<ul><li>The corrupt Hellknights work for Eyegrinder, a bugbear smuggler known for eating the eyes of his enemies.
<br />
<li>Recently, the Hellknights began working for a man called “Bloodcoat,” a fact they concealed from Eyegrinder.
<br />
<li>The Hellknights were in the business of finding slaves to smuggle out of the city—for both the resistance and slavers wishing to avoid tariffs.
<br />
<li>A number of city guards, former crewmen, and corrupt Hellknights serve Eyegrinder as enforcers and spies.
<br />
<li>Alazonn does not know the whereabouts of either Eyegrinder or Bloodcoat, but she suggests the PCs talk to Nixthiro, an information broker in the West Drenches, to learn more.</ul></p>
<p><b><i>Encounter 2: The King of Secrets</i></b>
<br />
The PCs visit Nixthiro to learn more about the criminal element in Corentyn. Nixthiro, a filth dragon (R2), rules over a ragtag group of urchins and ruffians from his “throne,” a pile of detritus blocking one of the city’s waste-dumping aqueducts. Though arrogant and greedy, the self-styled “King of Secrets” is always willing to trade in information and trinkets. Nixthiro demands deference from those who would treat with him, and tasty offerings please him as well. </p>
<p>For a price, the PCs can learn the following information:
<br />
<ul><li>The bugbear Borza Eyegrinder is a former pirate and a smuggler. The rumors about his appetite for eyeballs are true.
<br />
<li>Eyegrinder employs an imp alchemist, Krezzik, who serves as poison-maker, spy, and torturer, as well as Eyegrinder’s personal chef.
<br />
<li>The last person to go snooping around Eyegrinder’s operation—an Asmodean Inquisitor no less—was tortured and dumped in the sea.
<br />
<li>Eyegrinder’s smuggling operation is small but lucrative. He makes his profits by undercutting Corentyn’s tariffs.
<br />
<li>Nixthiro does not know where Eyegrinder himself hides out, but he directs the PCs to the Bloody Barrel, where they can find Eyegrinder’s recruiter, Lorvel Prete.
<br />
<li>The city’s newest slave smuggler, Bloodcoat, is extremely secretive. Nixthiro knows little about him, but suspects Eyegrinder is displeased by the competition.</ul></p>
<p><b><i>Encounter 3: Nowhere to Hide</i></b>
<br />
While traveling beneath the streets, the PCs notice a young woman (beggar, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 300) following them. A former member of the Thin Wisps (thieves guild, <i>Cities of Golarion</i> 23) named Elia, she is now an unwilling spy for Krezzik. When the PCs notice her, she flees through the maze of ruined streets, leading them past a makeshift collapsing wall trap (new trap) protecting her hideout. She lives in squalor with a sullen earth mephit (<i>Bestiary</i> 202) named Plodlum. They are not hostile and put up little resistance, unless the PCs harm Elia, in which case the mephit retaliates. </p>
<p>The PCs can use Diplomacy or Intimidate to learn the following from Elia and Plodlum:
<br />
<ul><li>An imp regularly visits Elia to give her assignments, threatening harm if she disobeys. He forced her to follow the PCs, warning her not to trust the “vicious murderers.”
<br />
<li>The imp has never revealed his name, but he has peeling, blotchy skin and carries numerous strange bottles.
<br />
<li>Elia doesn’t know where to find the imp. He always comes to her, appearing out of thin air or whispering orders from the darkness.</ul></p>
<p><b><i>Encounter 4: The Bloody Barrel</i></b>
<br />
The Bloody Barrel, one of the rowdier establishments in the West Drenches, is more arena than tavern. Here, sailors, soldiers, thugs, and slaves beat one another senseless in front of jeering crowds for the chance to win a bit of coin. While the bouts follow the strict rules and regulations of the city, serious injuries and even deaths are fairly routine. Eyegrinder’s goons are frequent customers (and combatants) at the Bloody Barrel, and he uses the bouts to recruit enforcers. His lead recruiter is his old first mate, Lorvel Prete (NE dealer, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 301), a greasy individual with a taste for mind-altering substances and berating his muscle-bound underlings. The PCs must rough up a trio of these thugs (street thugs, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 265) to gain entry to Prete’s back room. Using intimidation or force, the PCs can convince him to reveal Eyegrinder’s location: the <i>Bilge Guzzler</i>, docked near the Warehouse District. </p>
<p><b>Part Three: The <i>Bilge Guzzler</i></b>
<br />
<i>Seeking to find the missing slaves and confront the true murderer, the PCs go to Eyegrinder’s hideout. After defeating Eyegrinder and his crew, they discover clues leading them to Bloodcoat’s lair.</i></p>
<p>Eyegrinder’s old smuggling ship, the <i>Bilge Guzzler</i>, hasn’t set sail in years. Moored near the Warehouse District and exempt from inspections thanks to hefty bribes, it serves as Eyegrinder’s hideout. He conducts most of his business elsewhere, and only his most trusted toadies—primarily former crewmembers—know he resides there.</p>
<p>Krezzik (LE imp alchemist 2) and a pair of assassins (skulking brutes, <i>NPC Codex</i> 144) ambush the PCs in the Warehouse District on their way to the <i>Guzzler</i>. At the ship, the PCs find five crewmen (NE shipmates, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 294) patrolling the upper deck. Any disturbance alerts Eyegrinder (NE bugbear fighter 3) to the PCs’ presence, allowing him ample time to prepare an ambush in the shadowy quarters below.</p>
<p>After defeating Eyegrinder, the PCs are free to search his cabin. Amid the jars of pickled eyes, severed fingers, and other disturbing trophies, they discover bloody Hellknight helmets, as well as a map of the Warehouse District clearly indicating the crime scene. Of possibly greater interest, they find a map of some ruined tunnels which lead beneath the Arch of Aroden to Bloodcoat’s lair, along with half-formed plans to storm the tunnels. By now it should become clear that Eyegrinder had the Hellknights killed for dealing with Bloodcoat, and that the slaves can only be saved by infiltrating the hidden lair.</p>
<p><b>Part Four: In the Shadow of the Arch</b>
<br />
<i>The PCs follow Eyegrinder’s map to Vilario’s underground lair, confront the fiendish creatures and crazed cultists who call him master, and face the inquisitor himself in a climactic battle overlooking the raging sea.</i></p>
<p>The map from Eyegrinder’s cabin leads the PCs through the ruined streets beneath Corentyn to the Arch of Aroden. Large, crumbling stone doors serve as the entrance to the temple of Aroden where Vilario first enslaved the cultists. A hell hound (<i>Bestiary</i> 173) guards the entrance. Inside the temple, near the altar where Vilario tortured his Arodenite victims, the PCs face a haunt that sickens them with memories of excruciating pain (new haunt) and heralds the arrival of a pair of hollows (new monster), the reanimated bodies of two of the cultists who died under Vilario’s blade.</p>
<p><b>New Monster: Hollow (CR 2)</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>Nearby, the PCs discover Ursius (LN human witch 4), the leader of the cultists, who foolishly believes the patron who grants his spells to be Aroden himself. Vilario also blinded Ursius, but the cultist survived, unable to escape past the hell hound but safe from the hollows, who ignored him due to his blindness. He tells the PCs of Vilario’s appearance and the cruelties which followed. He knows that Vilario makes his lair in the crumbling ruins above. Ursius may also tell the PCs of the shrine below, where the cult keeps its treasures—particularly if they convince him they are devout believers in Aroden’s eventual, triumphant return.</p>
<p><b>Bonus Location: The Sinking Shrine</b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p><b>New Magic Item: <i>Silverlight Oil</i></b>
<br />
[Spoiler omitted]</p>
<p>An accuser devil (<i>Bestiary 2</i> 84) serves Vilario as a scout and spy. It attacks the PCs as they navigate a treacherous sloping passage, using magic to hinder their progress. It fights until near death before teleporting away, then uses its infernal eye to show Vilario the intruders. As is common practice, Vilario kills the devil so that it cannot reveal his activities to others.</p>
<p>Two lemure devils (<i>Bestiary</i> 79) guard the final approach to Vilario’s lair. Fallen columns, narrow passages, and doorways blocked by crumbling stone all serve to hamper the PCs’ progress as they battle their way past the devils. Vilario’s four most devoted cultists (NE prisoners, <i>GameMastery Guide</i> 270) attack the PCs in the inquisitor’s meager living quarters, fighting with suicidal abandon to please their master.</p>
<p>Finally, the PCs confront Vilario in his torture chamber. The room is ringed with dozens of prisoners chained to the walls, to one another, or lying feebly on the floor. Though most are slaves and cultists, the prisoners include a pair of Hellknights, who wrongly suspected that Bloodcoat was behind the killing of their fellows. Parts of the western wall have crumbled, revealing the cliffs and sea beyond—providing a convenient method for disposing of corpses and other waste.</p>
<p>Drachius Vilario (LE human inquisitor 7), in blood-drenched black robes and an iron mask which mark him as an Asmodean Inquisitor, relentlessly attacks the PCs. Many of the chained prisoners are mad with agony or desperate for freedom. They reach out to grasp at the clothes and limbs of any PCs who wander too close, while shying away from Vilario when he comes near. This, along with the crumbling western walls, adds to the challenge of the encounter.</p>
<p><b>Conclusion</b>
<br />
With Vilario’s defeat, the PCs free the prisoners and prevent his plot to infiltrate the slave community. Sorenia, now armed with detailed maps of the tunnels, can begin smuggling slaves to safety without involving corrupt Hellknights or criminals. The rescued Hellknights quash the investigation into the PCs and promise to look the other way regarding Sorenia’s operation.</p>City of Blood & Chains
Corentyn, situated where the Inner Sea meets the Arcadian Ocean, boasts a flourishing slave trade.The Order of the Chain oversees these dealings, but the Hellknights are not incorruptible. Resistance groups and criminals take advantage of their greed to smuggle slaves through the city. When a ruthless crime lord implicates the PCs in the murder of several Hellknights, they uncover a plot to destroy the resistance from within.
City of Blood & Chains is a Pathfinder...Mike Kimmel (Developer)2014-02-28T04:08:30ZForums: Round 3: Design an encounter: Astugr LighthouseChristopher Waskohttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qnht?Astugr-Lighthouse2014-02-05T22:56:00Z2014-02-05T22:56:00Z<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>Astugr Lighthouse</b></span>
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==========
<br />
The town of Skjoldmur has long been the funerary mecca of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Mourners deliver their dead to the Skjoldmur clerics of Gorum, who perform last rites over the departed before escorting them to their final resting places on the island of Orthost. Given the necromantic power saturating the Isle of the Dead, no sane Ulfen will deliberately spend the night on Orthost, so a hasty departure from the island following a funeral is just as important as the funeral itself. Considering how treacherous the shores of Broken Bay can be, it is no surprise that Skjoldmur’s citizens harbor deep respect for the building designed to guide mourners safely home: Astugr Lighthouse.</p>
<p>Astugr Lighthouse is a weather-worn granite tower that looms over the town’s surrounding walls from a bluff of hazardous rocks adjacent to Skjoldmur’s bay. It is lit with a blazing eye of fire that illuminates the coastline, for the people of Skjoldmur favor a traditional fiery beacon over a magical one, believing that fire repels Orthost’s restless dead. The lighthouse is owned, operated, and inhabited by an equally impressive family: Hargulf Astugr, his wife Isold, and their 5-year old daughter Talbot. The Astugr family has manned the lighthouse from generation to generation since its construction centuries ago—some even say that the original family matriarch, Forelda Astugr, remains in the lighthouse and protects its namesake family to this day—and they have never once failed to maintain its beacon. This illustrious history of sound service has earned the Astugrs great respect and recognition from the people of Skjoldmur.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the Astugrs, their lighthouse’s radiant beacon caught the eye of a dark soul: a member of the Gorum priesthood named Skimir White-Eye. Originally a hostage taken from a raid as a child and conscripted into serving the clergy, Skimir’s cowardice caused him to buckle under the brutal treatment and ridicule of Gorum’s faithful. Although he wears the armor and mouths the prayers to the Lord in Iron, Skimir’s soul truly belongs to Charon, the Horseman of Death and the rightful lord of Orthost in Skimir’s twisted mind. Eager to curry the Horseman’s favor and to take revenge, Skimir devised a plan to punish the Gorum priesthood (and with it the people of Skjoldmur), with Astugr Lighthouse as the centerpiece for his treachery. Skimir bided his time, studying the lighthouse, researching its guardian, and learning about the daemonic servants of Charon. Then one dark afternoon, when most of Skjoldmur’s clerics and warriors were summoned to Orthost for the burial of a famous raider’s young son, who suddenly perished after eating a horsemeat sausage laced with one of Skimir’s deadliest poisons, Skimir made his move.</p>
<p><span class=messageboard-bigger><b>The Lighthouse Weeps (CR 5)</b></span>
<br />
==========
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<span class=messageboard-ooc>The normally brilliant sunset is obscured by a ceiling of thick gray clouds, and the streets and buildings are wrapped in a churning shroud of falling snow. The eye of Astugr Lighthouse burns strikingly against the iron sky, but its radiant blaze dances almost frantically, weeping tears of black smoke that are swiftly dispersed by the biting, frigid wind. The sound of distant sobbing is muffled by the snowfall.</span></p>
<p>Just as the insignia on the last funereal longboat’s sail faded from view, Skimir put his plan into motion, activating a scroll of <i>control weather</i> stolen from the temple archives to conjure a vicious snowstorm and drive most of Skjoldmur’s citizens inside. As the storm brewed, Skimir cast two <i>lesser planar ally</i> spells to call a pair of lacridaemons, promising the fiends that if they snuffed out the lighthouse’s beacon then they could bind and hang the two Astugr parents out in the snow to die of exposure. The proposed sacrifice delighted the lacridaemons, so Skimir warded himself and each daemon with <i>resist cold</i> spells to protect them from the touch of the family’s guardian, wary of the dangers posed by the Astugrs’ house spirit. </p>
<p>Skimir led the daemons (concealed by their own <i>invisibility</i> spell-like abilities) to the lighthouse, and while the fiends quietly slaughtered the lighthouse guards, Skimir paralyzed the Astugrs with Extended <i>hold person</i> spells and ripped Talbot screaming from her bed, with their guardian spirit all but powerless to stop them. Skimir gagged Talbot and carried her back to a hidden lair in town, eager to inflict upon her the same torments that he himself suffered throughout his own stolen childhood, leaving the lacridaemons to claim their sacrifices and douse the beacon (in that order, by the selfish fiends’ insistence). The daemons lashed Hargulf and Isold together in only their nightclothes and strung them over the edge of the lighthouse facing the sea, where only the uncaring ocean could see them. Now the daemons wait, watching contently as the freezing winds strip the life from the lighthouse keepers (a sacrifice made all the sweeter by the desperate screams of their helpless guardian spirit), before they extinguish the beacon and return to Abaddon.</p>
<p><b>The Lighthouse:</b> The stairs lining the lighthouse interior are steep, acting as difficult terrain that makes running and charging impossible and adds 4 to the DC of Acrobatics checks. The roof is brightly illuminated and warmed by the beacon, which provides total concealment to creatures standing on opposite sides of it and inflicts 1d6 fire damage to anything that touches it. Creatures can stand adjacent to the flames without getting burned, but they take fire damage if moved (such as by bull rush) into one of the burning squares. Each square of the beacon burns self-sufficiently, but can be smothered with a full-round action. The wind and snow impose a -4 penalty on Perception checks and ranged attacks on the roof of the lighthouse, and automatically extinguish unprotected flames (except for the beacon, which is massive and well-fueled enough to burn despite the inclement weather). The roof is surrounded by an iron railing, providing a +4 bonus to CMD to avoid being pushed or thrown off of it. Hargulf also keeps an alchemical silver handaxe hidden under his mattress on the second floor. </p>
<p><b>Creatures:</b> Forelda, a disir who manifests as a lithe woman with radiant white hair, has been desperately trying to rescue her family, but the daemons’ bolstered cold resistance and her insubstantial nature have rendered her efforts futile. Unwilling to abandon Hargulf and Isold, Forelda has been sending out frantic cries for aid via telepathy to any sentient creature that passes within 100 feet of the lighthouse, but the eldritch storm, the daemons’ unnerving aura of sobs, and the absence of most Skjoldmur authorities for the funeral have kept the wary Ulfen away. If the PCs respond to Forelda’s plea, the disir assists them however she can, mainly by setting up flanks, attacking summoned reinforcements, using her aura of fate to assist her allies and impede the daemons, and trying to afflict each lacridaemon with cursed fate. Forelda knows the location of Hargulf’s axe (above) and readily discloses this information if asked. </p>
<p>Meanwhile the lacridaemons are anxiously waiting for their sacrifices to succumb to the brutal weather so they can douse the beacon and return to Abaddon. If they detect activity in the lighthouse’s lower levels, they do their best to hide themselves (having already used their <i>invisibility</i> spell-like abilities) and bombard the intruders with their own telepathic “pleas,” trying to discredit the disir and confuse the interlopers. Once the intruders reach the top of the lighthouse, the lacridaemons attempt to summon more of their own and focus their attacks against those trying to assist their dangling sacrifices. Each daemon fights to the death so long as its companion lives, but if one is defeated then the other attempts to smother the lighthouse beacon before teleporting away. The Astugrs hang 20 feet from the lighthouse roof, far from the warmth of the beacon, and if left unattended they will die of exposure in 5 minutes.</p>
<p><b>Forelda Astugr, Disir CR 4</b>
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XP 1,200
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<b>hp</b> 37 (Round 2)</p>
<p><b>Lacridaemons (2) CR 3</b>
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XP 800 each
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<b>hp</b> 30 each (Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Book of the Damned, Vol. 3, 48)
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<b>Resist</b> cold 20</p>
<p><b>Development:</b> If the lacridaemons are defeated, the Astugrs can be stabilized with a DC 20 Heal check; casting any <i>cure</i> spell or <i>endure elements</i> adds a +4 circumstance bonus to this check. At this point, Forelda beseeches her new comrades to find Talbot (unfortunately Forelda does not know who Skimir is or where he might have taken the child). Should the PCs prove reluctant to rescue Talbot, or act dangerously toward the Astugrs, Forelda becomes panicked and may lash out against her former allies. Failure to intervene results in Hargulf and Isold freezing to death, the lacridaemons extinguishing the beacon just as the funeral retinue departs from Orthost, and Forelda being driven violently mad with fear and remorse. The driving snow and winds make reigniting a functional beacon extremely difficult (a DC 28 Survival check), especially considering the bereaved disir’s aggression.</p>Astugr Lighthouse
==========
The town of Skjoldmur has long been the funerary mecca of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Mourners deliver their dead to the Skjoldmur clerics of Gorum, who perform last rites over the departed before escorting them to their final resting places on the island of Orthost. Given the necromantic power saturating the Isle of the Dead, no sane Ulfen will deliberately spend the night on Orthost, so a hasty departure from the island following a funeral is just as...Christopher Wasko2014-02-05T22:56:00ZForums: Round 2: Create a Bestiary entry: Chimney TrollMike Kimmel (Developer)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qlwt?Chimney-Troll2014-01-24T18:40:49Z2014-01-24T18:40:49Z<p><i>This large, emaciated humanoid stands to its full height, its joints cracking sickeningly. Filth and soot cover its pallid skin, and beady black eyes glint with desperate hunger from its elongated face.</i></p>
<p><b>Chimney Troll CR 2</b>
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<b>XP 600</b>
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CE Large humanoid (giant)
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<b>Init</b> +3; <b>Senses</b> darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +6</p>
<p><b>——- Defense ——-</b>
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<b>AC</b> 14, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, –1 size)
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<b>hp</b> 19 (3d8+6)
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<b>Fort</b> +5, <b>Ref</b> +4, <b>Will</b> +1
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<b>Resist</b> fire 5
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<b>Weaknesses</b> wicked blood</p>
<p><b>——- Offense ——-</b>
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<b>Speed</b> 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
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<b>Melee</b> bite +2 (1d4+1), 2 claws +2 (1d4+1)
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<b>Ranged</b> debris +5 (2d4+1)
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<b>Space</b> 10 ft.; <b>Reach</b> 10 ft.
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<b>Special Attacks</b> inhale flames, soot breath, throw debris (30 ft.)</p>
<p><b>——- Statistics ——-</b>
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<b>Str</b> 13, <b>Dex</b> 16, <b>Con</b> 15, <b>Int</b> 8, <b>Wis</b> 11, <b>Cha</b> 6
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<b>Base Atk</b> +2; <b>CMB</b> +4; <b>CMD</b> 17
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<b>Feats</b> Combat Reflexes, Deadly Aim
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<b>Skills</b> Acrobatics +5 (+9 when jumping), Climb +9, Perception +6, Stealth +5; <b>Racial Modifiers</b> +2 Acrobatics (+6 when jumping), +6 Stealth
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<b>Languages</b> Giant
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<b>SQ</b> compression</p>
<p><b>——- Ecology ——-</b>
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<b>Environment</b> any urban
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<b>Organization</b> solitary or gang (2–3)
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<b>Treasure</b> standard</p>
<p><b>——- Special Abilities ——-</b>
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<b>Inhale Flames (Su)</b> As a standard action, a chimney troll can inhale a single non-magical fire within 30 feet. The fire coils through the air and enters the troll’s mouth, extinguishing itself and granting the troll regeneration 3 (cold) for 3 rounds. The fire inhaled must be no bigger than a campfire. A successful DC 13 Reflex save by an attended fire (such as fire on a held torch) negates this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
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<b>Soot Breath (Su)</b> As a standard action, a chimney troll can exhale a searing cloud of smoke and cinders which winds into the mouth of another creature within 30 feet. The creature must succeed at a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1d6 fire damage and be nauseated for 1d3 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based. This ability can be used once each time the troll inhales flames and only within 3 rounds of using that ability.
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<b>Throw Debris (Ex)</b> This ability functions as rock throwing, but the chimney troll throws debris (such as shingles or bricks) instead of rocks.
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<b>Wicked Blood (Ex)</b> Chimney trolls cannot heal hit point damage naturally.</p>
<p>Chimney trolls are gaunt, pale creatures that skulk amongst the shadowy rooftops of towns and cities, searching for flames to heal their cursed wounds and flesh to sate their bellies. To claim the fire they need to survive, they twist their limbs into impossible positions, hiding in chimneys and sucking the flames straight up out of frightened townsfolks’ hearths. </p>
<p>Chimney trolls originated in the Hungry Mountains of Ustalav, where the Whispering Tyrant’s vile magic still holds sway. Many trolls there fall ill, losing their potent regeneration and strength and taking on a deathly pallor, hardly resembling their former selves. By some cruel twist of fate or malicious necromancy, their accursed bodies can only heal wounds if they consume the very substance trolls loathe the most: fire. This desperate reliance on fire has made them anathema to their kin, who drove them from their mountain homes. </p>
<p>Due to their diminished strength, chimney trolls prefer to harass opponents from the rooftops with thrown debris and their soot breath before closing in for the kill. Chimney trolls are 9 feet tall and weigh 350 pounds.</p>This large, emaciated humanoid stands to its full height, its joints cracking sickeningly. Filth and soot cover its pallid skin, and beady black eyes glint with desperate hunger from its elongated face.
Chimney Troll CR 2
XP 600
CE Large humanoid (giant)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +6
----- Defense -----
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, –1 size)
hp 19 (3d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1
Resist fire 5
Weaknesses wicked blood
-----...Mike Kimmel (Developer)2014-01-24T18:40:49ZForums: Round 2: Create a Bestiary entry: Time ThiefPeter Johansenhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qllz?Time-Thief2014-01-22T20:23:25Z2014-01-22T20:23:25Z<p><i>This humanoid seems to flicker in and out of existence. Its smoky black fingers are unnaturally long, and one hand fervently grasps an hourglass filled with golden sand.</i></p>
<p><b>Time Thief CR 4</b>
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<b>XP 1,200</b>
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CE Medium undead
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<b>Init</b> +6; <b>Senses</b> darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5</p>
<p><b>——- Defense ——-</b>
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<b>AC</b> 16, touch 16, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 dodge)
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<b>hp</b> 24 (4d8+6)
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<b>Fort</b> +3, <b>Ref</b> +3, <b>Will</b> +5
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<b>Defensive Abilities</b> incorporeal; <b>Immune</b> undead traits
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<b>Weaknesses</b> Borrowed Time</p>
<p><b>——- Offense ——-</b>
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<b>Speed</b> fly 40 ft. (good)
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<b>Melee</b> incorporeal touch +3 (aging, see below)
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<b>Space</b> 5 ft.; <b>Reach</b> 5 ft.
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<b>Special Attacks</b> Timesteal
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<b>Spell-Like Abilities</b> (CL 5th)
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At will—<i>ethereal jaunt</i></p>
<p><b>——- Statistics ——-</b>
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<b>Str</b> 10, <b>Dex</b> 14, <b>Con</b> —, <b>Int</b> 13, <b>Wis</b> 12, <b>Cha</b> 16
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<b>Base Atk</b> +3; <b>CMB</b> +3; <b>CMD</b> 15
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<b>Feats</b> Improved Initiative, Dodge, Skill Focus (Stealth)
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<b>Skills</b> Fly +6, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perception +5, Stealth +9, Sense Motive +4
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<b>Languages</b> Common</p>
<p><b>——- Ecology ——-</b>
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<b>Environment</b> urban
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<b>Organization</b> solitary
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<b>Treasure</b> none</p>
<p><b>——- Special Abilities ——-</b>
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<b>Timesteal (Su)</b> A target hit by a time thief's Timesteal ability instantly ages 2d6 years.
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<b>Borrowed Time (Su)</b> Time thieves each possess an ethereal hourglass (AC 16, incorporeal, 12 hp). Any damage to the hourglass prevents the time thief from using its <i>ethereal jaunt</i> ability. Destroying the hourglass instantly slays the time thief and restores all aging caused by that time thief's Timesteal ability.</p>
<p>Often mistaken for a shadow or similar type of undead, the time thief was once mortal, but has entered into a bargain with creatures of other planes to avoid it's death. Time thieves seek to evade the natural ends of their lives by stealing life from other living beings. However, unlike most undead, the time thief attacks the victim's timeline, the amount of time the gods have allotted them to live. Their victims are often left incapacitated by sudden aging, caused by the time thief's Timesteal ability.</p>
<p>The appearance of the time thief suggests how recently it has "fed" on the stolen time of others. If the time thief appears old, and most of the sand is in the bottom half of the hourglass, it is likely to be actively hunting for a fresh victim. Conversely, a young appearance and sand in the top half of the hourglass indicates that the time thief has recently stolen time from someone. Regardless, the stolen time is used up very quickly (a decade stolen is at best a month of continued existence), and the thief will soon be on the hunt again.</p>
<p>Time thieves are almost always paranoid, and guard their hourglasses of stolen time jealously, as it is the source of their existence. They hop back and forth between the ethereal and material planes frequently, whichever seems the safest at the moment. In combat, they make hit and run attacks, sneaking up behind a helpless or otherwise preoccupied opponent to make a few Timesteal attempts, and then withdraw to the ethereal plane. They seldom fight to the end unless desperate or cornered, though they may also try to slay anyone who knows the secret of their hourglass and has tried to destroy it.</p>This humanoid seems to flicker in and out of existence. Its smoky black fingers are unnaturally long, and one hand fervently grasps an hourglass filled with golden sand.
Time Thief CR 4
XP 1,200
CE Medium undead
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +5
----- Defense -----
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 24 (4d8+6)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +5
Defensive Abilities incorporeal; Immune undead traits
Weaknesses Borrowed Time
----- Offense -----
Speed fly...Peter Johansen2014-01-22T20:23:25ZForums: Open Call: Design a wondrous item: Earthbind BootsMike Kimmel (Developer)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qivl?Earthbind-Boots2014-01-01T19:18:34Z2014-01-01T19:18:34Z<p><b>Earthbind Boots</b>
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<b>Aura</b> moderate transmutation; <b>CL</b> 9th
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<b>Slot</b> feet; <b>Price</b> 10,000 gp; <b>Weight</b> 3 lbs.
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<b>Description</b>
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Thick iron bands encircle these sturdy leather boots. With a single stomp, their wearer can rip flying enemies from the sky and pull them to the earth. </p>
<p>Once per day, the wearer of the boots may activate them as a standard action by stomping on the ground, causing a sound resembling rolling thunder and crashing boulders. Upon activation, the wearer targets a single creature within 180 feet that is flying, levitating, or otherwise airborne. The creature must make a DC 17 Will save or be pulled to the ground by the force of the boots’ magic. The creature lands upright and directly beneath its former location, taking no damage. It is bound by the boots and cannot fly by any means for 9 rounds, though it can still walk, run, jump, and climb normally. If the target succeeds on its saving throw, it is pulled only half the distance to the ground and is able to continue flying normally. If the creature would land on water or another non-solid surface, it instead lands on the nearest solid surface within 180 feet of where it would normally have landed.</p>
<p><b>Construction</b>
<br />
<b>Requirements</b> Craft Wondrous Item, <i>telekinesis</i>; <b>Cost</b> 5,000 gp</p>Earthbind Boots
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th
Slot feet; Price 10,000 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
Description
Thick iron bands encircle these sturdy leather boots. With a single stomp, their wearer can rip flying enemies from the sky and pull them to the earth.
Once per day, the wearer of the boots may activate them as a standard action by stomping on the ground, causing a sound resembling rolling thunder and crashing boulders. Upon activation, the wearer targets a single creature within 180...Mike Kimmel (Developer)2014-01-01T19:18:34ZForums: Open Call: Design a wondrous item: Familiar's SoulstoneMichele La Barberahttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qiuu?Familiars-Soulstone2014-01-01T18:10:05Z2014-01-01T18:10:05Z<p><b>Familiar's Soulstone</b>
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<b>Aura</b> moderate necromancy; <b>CL</b> 9th
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<b>Slot</b> none; <b>Price</b> 7,500 gp; <b>Weight</b> 1 lb.
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<b>Description</b>
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A <i>familiar's soulstone</i> resembles a large, rough red gem the size of a fist. The bearer can use the gem to perform an hour-long ritual and bind the soul of his familiar, animal companion, or bonded mount to it. Once this bond is established, the only way to sever it is to destroy the gem. A creature may only have one <i>familiar's soulstone</i> bound to it, and a <i>familiar's soulstone</i> may only be bound to a single creature.
<br />
Should the bonded creature die while on the same plane as its <i>familiar's soulstone</i>, its soul is syphoned into the gem, where it'll be preserved for 24 hours. If the soul is not extracted from the gem within that time, the gem crumbles to dust, automatically releasing the soul.
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Touching the gem to the body of the deceased bonded creature for a full minute restores it to life as per the spell <i>raise dead</i>. This action destroys the gem.
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A witch's familiar brought back to life using a <i>familiar's soulstone</i> retains all of its stored spells.
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<b>Construction</b>
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<b>Requirements</b> Craft Wondrous Item, <i>raise dead</i>; <b>Cost</b> 6,250 gp</p>Familiar's Soulstone
Aura moderate necromancy; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 7,500 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
A familiar's soulstone resembles a large, rough red gem the size of a fist. The bearer can use the gem to perform an hour-long ritual and bind the soul of his familiar, animal companion, or bonded mount to it. Once this bond is established, the only way to sever it is to destroy the gem. A creature may only have one familiar's soulstone bound to it, and a familiar's soulstone may only be...Michele La Barbera2014-01-01T18:10:05ZForums: Open Call: Design a wondrous item: Bitter Widow's VeilVictoria Jaczkohttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qirz?Bitter-Widows-Veil2014-01-01T09:41:28Z2014-01-01T09:41:28Z<p><b>Bitter Widow's Veil</b>
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<b>Aura</b> moderate enchantment and divination; <b>CL</b> 8th
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<b>Slot</b> head; <b>Price</b> 14,000 gp; <b>Weight</b> 1/2 lb.
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<b>Description</b>
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This delicate black veil is often made from black lace or crepe and affixed to a cap, bonnet or band. Once donned, amorphous shadows swirl beneath the veil across the wearer's face.</p>
<p>Whenever a humanoid creature is slain in combat within 30 feet, the<i> bitter widow's veil</i> gains one charge, manifesting as a small, shadowy tear.</p>
<p>Expending the charge causes the flickering shadows on the wearer's face to coalesce into an inky overlay of a woman's anguished visage and unleash a bereaved scream. An invisible 30-foot cone of terrible grief radiates out from the veil's wearer. Creatures within the area of effect must make a DC 16 Will save or be <i>sickened</i> with sorrow for five minutes. If any of the affected creatures have dealt a killing blow to a humanoid or monstrous humanoid within the last 12 hours, they are <i>stunned</i> in the throes of helpless, weeping grief for one round, after which they are subject to the <i>sickened</i> effect.</p>
<p>While the <i>bitter widow's veil</i> contains an unspent charge, the wearer can see and hear ethereal creatures as described by the <i>see invisibility</i> spell. The veil may only contain one charge at a time. An unused charge dissipates in an hour if not otherwise expended.</p>
<p><b>Construction</b>
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<b>Requirements</b> Craft Wondrous Item, <i>crushing despair</i>, <i>overwhelming grief</i>, <i>see invisibility</i>; <b>Cost</b> 7,000 gp</p>Bitter Widow's Veil
Aura moderate enchantment and divination; CL 8th
Slot head; Price 14,000 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.
Description
This delicate black veil is often made from black lace or crepe and affixed to a cap, bonnet or band. Once donned, amorphous shadows swirl beneath the veil across the wearer's face.
Whenever a humanoid creature is slain in combat within 30 feet, the bitter widow's veil gains one charge, manifesting as a small, shadowy tear.
Expending the charge causes the flickering...Victoria Jaczko2014-01-01T09:41:28ZForums: Open Call: Design a wondrous item: Deck of Falling HousesMikko Kalliohttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qiff?Deck-of-Falling-Houses2013-12-30T21:31:30Z2013-12-30T21:31:30Z<p><b>Deck of Falling Houses</b>
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<b>Aura</b> faint transmutation; <b>CL</b> 5th
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<b>Slot</b> none; <b>Price</b> 5,400 gp (full deck); <b>Weight</b> 1/2 lb.
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<b>Description</b>
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This set of 54 cards is adorned with designs that are oddly skewed or tilted but otherwise similar to playing cards or Harrow cards. As a standard action, you can toss any number of these cards into an unoccupied space within 30 feet. In a flash of blue light, the cards transform into half-inch-thick, 5-by-10-foot sheets of opaque crystal with colors and motifs matching the original cards. </p>
<p>The transformed cards arrange themselves into a contiguous structure of your choice, such as a wall, tower or bridge, and become joined along the edges. At least one of the cards must merge with a permanent solid surface. The seams become magically hardened, allowing even the most absurdly imbalanced structures with improbable angles to remain standing indefinitely.</p>
<p>However, if a transformed card is destroyed (hardness 5, hp 15, Break DC 18), dispelled or hit by a severe wind (31+ mph), the magic starts to unravel and all cards in that structure become unstable. Each creature that starts its turn on or moves onto an unstable card must succeed on a DC 10 Acrobatics check or fall prone. One round later, the cards burst in a shower of crystalline dust and cannot be used again.
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<b>Construction</b>
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<b>Requirements</b> Craft Wondrous Item, <i>mage hand</i>, <i>make whole</i>, <i>shrink item</i>; <b>Cost</b> 2,700 gp</p>Deck of Falling Houses
Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th
Slot none; Price 5,400 gp (full deck); Weight 1/2 lb.
Description
This set of 54 cards is adorned with designs that are oddly skewed or tilted but otherwise similar to playing cards or Harrow cards. As a standard action, you can toss any number of these cards into an unoccupied space within 30 feet. In a flash of blue light, the cards transform into half-inch-thick, 5-by-10-foot sheets of opaque crystal with colors and motifs matching...Mikko Kallio2013-12-30T21:31:30ZForums: Open Call: Design a wondrous item: Amulet of Reverse IncantationMikael Sebaghttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2qh0e?Amulet-of-Reverse-Incantation2013-12-19T09:08:25Z2013-12-19T09:08:25Z<p><b>Amulet of Reverse Incantation</b>
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<b>Aura</b> faint abjuration; <b>CL</b> 5th
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<b>Slot</b> neck; <b>Price</b> 20,000 gp; <b>Weight</b> —</p>
<p><b>Description</b>
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An ivory cameo of a bearded, old wizard with identical faces on either side of his head hangs on this amulet’s delicate silver chain. Three times per day, the amulet allows its wearer to recite spells with verbal components backwards and achieve an inverse effect under the following circumstances:</p>
<p><ol type="•"><i>Diametric Effect:</i> If the wearer casts a spell that can counter or dispel another specific spell, he may activate the amulet to spontaneously convert the spell being cast into the spell which it specifically counters (for example, <i>haste</i> would be converted into <i>slow</i>).</ol></p>
<p><ol type="•"><i>Alignment:</i> If the wearer casts a spell that detects or affects creatures of a certain alignment, the spell instead affects creatures of the opposite alignment instead (for example, <i>chaos hammer</i> would damage and blind chaotic creatures and outsiders instead of lawful).</ol></p>
<p><ol type="•"><i>Cure/Inflict Spell:</i> Lastly, if the wearer casts a cure or inflict spell, she may activate the amulet to spontaneously convert the spell being cast into the other type of the same spell level (for example, <i>cure moderate wounds</i> would be converted into <i>inflict moderate wounds</i>).</ol></p>
<p>Activating the amulet is a free action.</p>
<p><b>Construction</b>
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<b>Requirements</b> Craft Wondrous Item, <i>dispel magic</i>, <i>tongues</i>; <b>Cost</b> 10,000 gp</p>Amulet of Reverse Incantation
Aura faint abjuration; CL 5th
Slot neck; Price 20,000 gp; Weight —
Description
An ivory cameo of a bearded, old wizard with identical faces on either side of his head hangs on this amulet’s delicate silver chain. Three times per day, the amulet allows its wearer to recite spells with verbal components backwards and achieve an inverse effect under the following circumstances:
Diametric Effect: If the wearer casts a spell that can counter or dispel another...Mikael Sebag2013-12-19T09:08:25Z