Great news!
Silence should be transmutation, not illusion (glamer). As a general rule, glamers cannot provide protection from the elements, yet somehow, in an area of silence, creatures are immune to sonic-based attacks.
What kind of bounty do you 'capture' with a flamethrower? The drone handle is a nice detail. I wonder if it could carry a Small-sized creature through the air.
I'm glad you liked the censor. Most people would agree that negative conditioning via torture is pretty evil (there is a reason why spells like pain strike have the [evil] descriptor). Others might see it as a nonlethal option allowing the censor to resolve a conflict that has devolved into violence without murdering his opponents. So I guess it depends a bit on the circumstances and how the GM/group prefers to handle alignment. I envisioned the censor as an agent of oppression who may or may not rationalize his questionable actions ('This hurts me more than it hurts you, but it's necessary for your own good!'). If you are looking for a less controversial option, replacing the chastise performance with a denounce-based ability could work (ostracize the perpetrator!), though it probably isn't the most useful ability for a common adventurer.
Once you have settled on the dungeon's theme, picking monsters should be easy. Who built the pyramid? What was its purpose? How old is it/what is its history? Who had access? How much technological/magical know-how and resources went into its creation? What makes the place special? Which creatures would be drawn to such a place? You can toy with the players' expectations by giving a classic monster an interesting and unusual twist. A child mummy is creepier than a regular mummy, for example. Connections between different creatures can help to create a dungeon ecology (symbiosis, intruders, scavengers, etc.). Maybe the pyramid is based on a dualistic religion (sun and darkness, day and night). There could be two factions of creatures trapped in an eternal struggle. To make it less cliché, add a third party of newcomers that upset the balance of power. From a mechanical viewpoint, creatures with abilities that have great synergy can make for challenging encounters (for example a creature that heals from fire damage and a creature with a breath weapon that deals fire damage).
1. A stone boulder (usable as an obstacle/weight)
Maybe ecdysis (shedding of the exoskeleton) is common among shirren? Though it doesn't seem to be a former body part. I bet psi-blockers are common among young shirren parents.
I wrote an origami master (summoner archetype) a while ago.
I think you'll get more focused (and more useful) feedback if you post one class at a time. I don't 'get' many of these classes. A lot of them seem to have concepts and themes which are very similar to those of existing classes, but lack strong class mechanics to support them. It seems like you are trying to apply certain design concepts from video games to existing classes. That's fine in principle, but I think it is also much more difficult than you make it out to be. You still need a strong class concept with multiple different abilities that supports a lot of different character builds.
All right, that makes sense. I think they serve that purpose well. 1) I'm not sure why a character would be proficient with only one specific weapon. If it is supposed to be an equipment trait, maybe the sword serves as a constant reminder to the character's failure, spurning them on to perform great deeds? Not all of these traits are equally powerful. Gaining a bonus to Initiative is certainly better than a bonus on Profession (mercenary) checks.
Androids make for pretty interesting characters. Can you seperate yourself from your previous personalities? Do you try to incorporate your former incarnations into your own identity? What happens if something with the renewal process goes wrong and residual memories resurge? How does android society deal with the renewal? Iseph's pupils are a very cool detail. Seems like androids run on AAA batteries...
Interesting. So there is a distinction between temporary and permanent enhancement bonuses. I assume the same thing would apply to Arcane Strike (which allows the wielder to treat their weapon as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction).
It's refreshing to see that the problem of untying shoelaces still hasn't been solved. The art looks great though.
These seem like pretty neat fantasy creatures, very medieval in theme. I love the auras, too few fey have something fun like that at these levels. I'm glad you like them! I tried to make the auras not too powerful, but I may have to fiddle around with them. I think some variants for animals might be interesting, one with discarded bones, collars, sticks, or maybe even the remains of missing pets. A little morbid, but if it is a friendly fey that seeks companionship it could be pretty neat, I could even see it as an improved familiar possibly. The concept is a bit too specific for its own creature, but I think one could use the toy-related perdu, exchange a few skills and spell-like abilities, and it should fit nicely. This does not address more primitive based cultures as well. A creature made of sharpening stones, digging tools, beads, fishing hooks, and similar lost "primitive" tools for the jungles or islands in the inner sea. Really interesting idea. A tool-related perdu is on my list, but I would not have thought of that. A jewel and coin based one mentioned above also sounds interesting, I could see a party of PCs hunting it down for the obvious value in its component parts (or protecting one from treasure hunters). I'm still working on these. My inclination is jewels--lovecoins--pride/greed? Thank you for your input!
I added the perdu subtype and three new kinds of perdu. I also added the construct empathy ability, because I thought it would be cool for them to have animated objects as buddies (and helping them to develop their own personalities). I'm not happy with the latin names for the individual creatures, but I couldn't think of anything better.
From Greek mythology: The Horae (minor deities of time and seasons) could be a group of outsiders or fey. The Korybantes, Telchines, Dactyls, Curetes, and Cabeiri would make interesting monstrous humanoids or giantkind (more so than the elemental/environmental-themed giants we got so far).
I knew of the Tsukumogami and like them a lot (though I would have preferred if they had individual abilities based on the type of object that serves as a base creature). I didn't think of them in this context, though. There are certainly conceptual similarities. According to the original myth of the tsukumogami, they are objects who turn into vengeful spirits after they have been abandoned by their masters despite years of loyal service. Whereas the perdu are treasured objects that still have great value to their owners. The silkling is a different creature (actually one of the very first pathfinder creatures that I ever wrote). I believe my main inspiration was the mimic (ambush predator in disguise). I think I have enough ideas for additional perdus and I plan to write them down once I'm feeling a bit more inspired (I'm currently working on a few other creatures which I hope to share in the future).
Going with the general vibe that good-aligned rulers are rare (presumably) because their values tend to clash with a certain ruthlessness and pragmatism that seems to be necessary to achieve and/or maintain power, it would certainly be interesting to see how they pull it off. The bureaucrat on the throne by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night could be a thing, but it's also kind of stereotypical. A leader who subtly and openly empowers others (supporting a free and independent press, strengthening civil society, financing lawyers that defend the fundamental freedoms of the people in court, patronage of like-minded individuals etc.) would be more interesting. Normally, the big reveal ("she was behind all of this the whole time!") is reserved for the villainess. I wonder if it could work the other way around as well (the PCs suddenly gaining a lot of respect for the queen as they figure out that she is the brilliant mastermind working behind the scenes to promote her vision of benevolent rulership).
Queen Telandia Edasseril and Queen Galfrey are both good (though one might argue that they use a certain stereotype). To be fair, good rulers of any gender are a rare commodity. Most are neutral or evil. Edit: Doing a quick search in the Pathfinderwiki using the keywords "heads of state", "good", and "male/female" delivers three female rulers and seven male rulers of good alignment.
While the focus should be on Taldor, I would like to see a section that describes the Taldan impact and continuing influence on the development of law, bureaucracy, philosophy, architecture, and arts in Avistan (not unlike how Roman culture has shaped western civilization until modern times). I would also like to see the introduction of a new philosophical tradition that reflects the people's mentality and helps to explain their resilience (Roman stoicism seems like a good fit for patriotic Taldans.)
Thanks for the clarification, that helps to put things into perspective. Re: faction attributes, the Advance Goal table includes a line for exactly that purpose (which is why we assumed that it was possible). I think we struggled a bit with the idea that the only way to increase a faction's impact is by increasing its Size (one of my players wanted to have an artists' guild, a small yet influential group, and we wondered how to implement this concept). But I guess faction Size does not have to represent the actual number of members--it can also be interpreted as friends, supporters, patrons, and other benefectors that act as multipliers for the faction's goals. So far, I'm really happy that we introduced factions. We are still experimenting with the rules and figuring out how to run things, but it has already fundamentally changed my players' outlook and how they approach problems: "The lumber consortium [trade faction] has attacked us for our weak position against the local fey. Maybe if we put up a show of force and clear the hex with that evil fairy queen, we can gain some favor with them.
As a GM, I now have three different ways to create challenges for the PCs (on a personal, faction, and kingdom level), and my players can approach these challenges in a way they feel most comfortable. I'm still a bit unsure how lenient I should be with allowing them to 'switch' from one level to another, but at the moment, I'm inclined to let them have their way.
Certainly a lot of creatures that fill a similar niche (fear-based abilities seem to be a recurring theme, for example). A bit more variety would have been desirable. I like the banelight. Now I want to use a banelight bard that abducts people so it has an audience for its light show. I'm happy that the mezlan was included (I realize that it's a reprint, but I wasn't aware of it until now). While its abilities are fairly generic, the background lends itself to great NPCs (a centuries-old shapechanger with memory loss and multiple personality disorder--what's not to like?).
I think this works better as a rogue archetype. Just make the treasure sense ability work like a rod of metal and mineral detection. Done.
Do the Eldest have heralds like other gods (or comparable servants with a similar role and level of power)?
Kingmaker:
Inspired by Euripides' tragedy, the Bacchae, I plan to use a self-styled 'horned god' that comes to the Stolen Lands with his retinue of maenads to spread ecstatic mania among the citizens. While I could use any fey for this purpose, tying the antagonist to Nyrissa (and foreshadowing her arrival in this manner) would be ideal. Thanks!
I have been waiting a long time for a Cultures of the Inner Sea Hardcover, focusing on everyday life and material culture of the various ethnicities. This would be a great resource for GMs who want to breathe life into the campaign world. Ideally, such a book would use rules language very sparingly. Please tell me all about Vudran sweets, but don't waste precious space on the related Craft (confectionary) DCs. I want to know more about Chelish opera, but I have no need for a trait that grants me a conditional bonus against bardic performances from a mezzo-soprano. The name in the thread title is misleading though. Almanacs are periodicals with astronomical/calendrical information and structured accordingly.
Thank you both, that is reassuring. What you describe is exactly what I had in mind. Maybe some perdus aren't as benevolent as others? And they could have different personalities. A key might be curious and into riddles, a locket could be romantic, a pocket watch would be a creature of habit, etc. I realize that keys were maybe not the best example to begin with. In modern times, the loss of a key can be annoying, frustrating, embarrassing, but keys normally don't have sentimental value for us. In premodern times, that would likely have been different (according to folklore, keys were even supposed to have healing powers, and those who were passed on over generations were especially powerful). The coin is an interesting suggestion. A normal coin may not have sentimental value, but a special lucky coin would work, as would a coin that represents the first wage that a person earned in their life. That being said, items can also have a situational emotional value for a person. For a child, the loss of a penny that it was given to buy sweets may feel devastating. I like the idea of lost thoughts, though they would have to be manifest in material form to work with this creature. Maybe little notes, scribbles, letters? Things that are incomplete without a counterpart are a good suggestion as well.
I'm working on a group of creatures called perdu that are made of lost objects, but I have a hard time figuring out what constitutes these creatures. This is what I have so far: It feels unfocused, which is usually a sign of a weak concept. I originally wanted to create a series of monsters, each associated with a different type of object, an individual personality, and a unique set of abilities. I probably need to be more specific. Do you have any suggestions? In a fantasy world, which mundane items would hold great importance to their owners? And which concepts do you associate with these objects? Also, do you know of any mythological creatures that are somehow related to lost possessions?
Spoiler: Using a sphere of annihilation for waste disposal is certainly mythic.
I reworked the emotive blast effects after figuring out that reusing the drawback mechanic didn't work out for all manias (d'oh!).
At the moment, I'm wondering how this class compares to the standard sorcerer and whether I've gone overboard with the maniac. It's a bit tricky, because I also tried to correct some perceived flaws in the sorcerer class (bonus spells gained too late, bloodline feats that don't synergize well with spell casters, lack of support for metamagic). So it can be seen as an attempt to unchain the sorcerer class, but I still want it to be balanced with other full casters. What do you think?
Well, a summoned outsider could reasonably gain the language of the summoner as part of the summoning. If that were the case, it should have been mentioned in the description of the summoning spells and outsiders shouldn't have Common listed in their language entries (they can be encountered on their native planes after all).
I think there are enough monsters who don't speak common to make Linguistics a worthwile investment. And even among civilized folks, identifying an NPC's accent and talking to them in their native tongue can be an icebreaker in conversations and grant a PC a bonus on Diplomacy checks. My only real problem with Common as a lingua franca is outsiders. How many different worlds inhabited by intelligent creatures exist on the Material Plane? I assume there are a lot more than just Golarion. Why would outsiders speak Taldane (or any other language native to that world)? That would only make sense if Common was a universal language, a gift from the gods or something like that, which would raise new questions (why do other languages even exist and why are there creatures who don't understand Common?).
I have a few questions. 1) Would it make sense to have terrain improvements affect starting faction size for certain industrious factions? In my current Kingmaker campaign, the players have offended the lumberjacks by siding with the native fey and now the lumberjacks have formed a union to push their own agenda. Giving them an extra size bonus for every sawmill in the kingdom would be fitting. It would also mean that players who run a very expansionist course (like mine) would have to be very careful in their dealings with the economic power houses of their kingdom. 2) I'm not 100% convinced that the kingdom should start with a judicial faction representing the rulers and a civil faction representing the citizens. It doesn't necessarily make sense for a fledgling kingdom with weak institutions and it pits the rulers and the citizens against each other. Also, it goes a bit against the idea that factions should not be power bases for the player characters.
Why exactly do they want a Gargantuan roc? In places where adventurers go, more often than not, animal companions of size Large and larger are more hindering than helpful. I think most players would prefer options for temporary size increases, like animal growth. I would suggest designing a spell or magic item.
I like the idea of a fighting style that is based on using invisible weapons (I've always thought that a character who uses invisibility on their sword should gain some kind of advantage). I guess it makes sense to implement the concept in the form of spells if it is meant for a magus character, but wouldn't the act of casting the spell give away its purpose, at least to somebody who succeeds at their Spellcraft check? And in many other tense situations where this spell would come in handy, casting a spell would likely be considered an aggressive move that initiates hostilities. So it is mostly aimed at assassins, who no longer have to rely on killing their target with the first strike (which admittedly is difficult to pull off at higher levels) or can get away before anyone notices that the target is dead (including the target themselves). I think such a spell is more useful as a plot device than as a tool in the hands of the average adventurer. I'm pretty sure that the illusion subschools are mutually exclusive, but I could see an argument to be made that the different aspects of the spell represent different kinds of illusion magic (hiding the weapon attack is a glamer effect whereas the target not dying from the wound is a shadow effect). It still violates basic design principles, though.
That explanation doesn't satisfy me at all, but I'll cede the point in order to avoid writing a fundamental critique of christian hamartiology and its (in my opinion) deeply amoral implications. Keep in mind that I'm arguing from a narrative standpoint here. The mythological narratives of which I'm thinking all focus on humankind's failing struggle to lead a self-determined life in defiance of the mythological forces. Oedipus' fate has been determined by the oracle's prophecy, and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot escape its grasp. Other heros sometimes have a choice to make, but it's an impossible choiche between self-abandonment and total destruction. That doesn't diminish them as humans, but from a modern standpoint, they aren't autonomous beings. They don't have a life outside of this struggle because that is not what the story is about. Human freedom of choice is fundamentally incompatible with the mythological mindset I guess I should have been more precise with my language here, but again, I'm arguing from a narratologic standpoint. You are right that prophecy doesn't necessarily preclude human agency, even if that agency only consists of choosing which path to take to reach the inevitable outcome. It certainly doesn't help that mythological narratives offer very little in terms of psychological motivation, which would introduce morality and thereby a sense of agency. But that is not what these stories are about. They demonstrate how even a great person is not master of their own fate, not for rational reasons, but because of an imposed mythical order that defies comprehension.
Has it been established anywhere in canon that gods can see into the future? For the most part, divination spells don't allow exact predictions of the future (augury is badly written in my opinion--it's basically a weaker version of divination, which provides a "useful piece of advice"--certainly not the same thing as a glimpse of the things to come). Talking about 'death of prophecy' is meaningless if prophecy does not imply a predetermined outcome (if not the course that leads to the outcome, which admittedly allows for agency). To me, these messages are one and the same. I'll freely admit that it's a subjective interpretation. I'm rather sensitive when it comes to the inclusion of mythological content (I certainly wouldn't need stats for gods, for example) whereas others don't seem to have the same reservations.
Never mind, found it.
I always saw the death of Aroden as a narrative device to make perfectly clear that in Golarion, humankind is responsible for its own destiny. Not unlike the story of man's fall from paradise in Genesis, it serves to deflect the problem of theodicy and free will. There is no place for adventurers in a world where the divine champion of humanity walks among the mortals. In such a setting, player characters would be reduced to sidekicks fulfilling a predestined prophecy. I didn't present an ironclad argument based on inherent logic, I made an analogy to give a different (meta-narrative) perspective. I guess I could have done a better job explaining. The struggle with supernatural forces is essential to traditional mythological narratives. In these narratives, human attempts to emancipate themselves from irrational and overpowering mythological forces are usually doomed, often resulting in a desastrous outcome for the hero. This kind of mythological logic is difficult to accept for modern minds--after all, we like to think that we are masters of our own fate. Human freedom of choice is fundamentally incompatible with the mythological mindset, and while many works of epic fiction successfully create tension and drama by pitting them against each other, it is more difficult to translate these conflicts into fantasy RPGs which focus on the agency of player characters. The game uses all kinds of narrative devices to ensure that this conflict takes place in a controlled environment that prevents escalation, at the risk of trivializing the threat of mythological powers. I see Aroden's death as a narrative of emancipation that serves to establish the relationship between humankind and the mythological forces on principle (you may disagree). The existence of gods threatens human freedom (in the words of Bakunin, if God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him), so the game banishes them to a different sphere of existence with limited permeability and restricts their interactions with mortals. Aroden is a messianic figure, the personified breach between the spheres of immanence and transcendence. It's not a coincidence that his death heralds the end of prophecy. By creating an unknown future, Aroden's death freed humankind from a predetermined destiny (a traumatic experience for sure). Any explanation for his death would only perpetuate the mythological framework. (If Aroden had been killed by some demon lord, for example, humankind's history would forever be linked to that demon lord and its future would be shaped accordingly.) I don't know if there could be a satisfactory explanation for Aroden's death (I'd like to think that he realized how mankind needed to be free from divine steering to figure out things on its own, but that would raise the problem of theodicy again). From a narrative standpoint, the ommission is better than any explanation that would distract from the core message ('You are on your own now'). The topic of nonhuman races is a different problem, in my opinion. Traditionally, they are part of the mythological world, but RPGs introduced them as player races similar to humans. Despite this, they have a lot of mythological dead weight to carry around. They are relicts of a bygone age in a humanocentric world. They are stale, unable to change or evolve as a culture or society. They are depicted in essentialist stereotypes that would be considered extremely offensive if applied to real world cultures. Where the human race is defined by its different cultures, dwarven/elven/etc. cultures are defined by their race. The narrative setup puts them in a position where they are no longer part of the mythological world, but at the same time lack the potential to become something different. If the setting would treat them equal to humans, they would likely have their own narratives of emancipation (I haven't checked, maybe the do and the picture that I painted is too negative. I guess the gnome's departure from the First World could be seen as such a narrative).
I always saw the death of Aroden as a narrative device to make perfectly clear that in Golarion, humankind is responsible for its own destiny. Not unlike the story of man's fall from paradise in Genesis, it serves to deflect the problem of theodicy and free will. There is no place for adventurers in a world where the divine champion of humanity walks among the mortals. In such a setting, player characters would be reduced to sidekicks fulfilling a predestined prophecy. And the fact that there is no explanation is essential to this effect. If you think about it, the mythic framework that encompasses man's fall from Paradise is deeply unsatisfying (how could Adam and Eve choose to disobey God if they didn't know the difference between good and evil to begin with?). The narrative can only deflect the problem of theodicy and free will, not solve it. The only truely satisfactory explanation would impose a new meaning, a new destiny on humankind, thereby depriving it of its freedom to choose its own destiny. It's similar with the events surrounding Aroden's death. It ensures that Golarion is a place that needs adventurers.
CULT
BOONS
Little is known of Apholine the Flame, the mysterious Eldest who left her home in the First World to dwell in the sun's blazing glory. Much to the dismay of her followers, Apholine has been mostly silent since her disappearance, though she still grants them spells. Some followers claim to have received strange visions accompanied by the recipient's spontaneous combustion. Even the most devout believers who have traveled to Golarion's sun, the Burning Mother, couldn't find a trace of their patron, leading to speculations which sun Apholine may have sought out when she left. Subsequently, Apholine's followers have visited different planes of existence and even traveled through the vast emptiness of space in search of the sun that shelters the Flame, so far to no avail.
The cyclops is fantastic. I bet he has been trying to make sense of these autostereograms for hours...
A discovery that allows alchemists to create healing bombs already exists.
Specialized knowledge would be okay if it were sufficient for the cavalier to consult his personal pocket library to gain the bonus. Regarding challenge, it is probably worse than Order of the Star (which grants a bonus on saves as well), but not by a huge margin. I think powerful knowledge is actually quiet good (considering the UMD DCs normally required to activate a scroll). You can bump up your CL by 2 by taking the magical knack trait, and you should be good to go with a starting score of 12 or 14 in your 'casting stat' (assuming you pick up a headband somewhere on the road).
This is probably the last update, though I might make additional changes based on my playtesting experiences. -added short descriptions for each mania.
What I would still like to add are emotional auras for each mania, mostly for flavor reasons. I would propose the following: 1 Anger---------------Bright Red
Objections?
The Sleepless Agency could also use some support, though I'm not very hopeful for them to be included in this book. I'm somewhat disappointed by the anachronistic paradigm shift regarding the release of new prestige classes. I think there were several good reasons to turn away from prestige classes in favor of archetypes. The arguments SKR made in this video a while ago are still valid. Also, unlike real classes, most prestige classes lack additional support and have less build diversity/customizability, making them less desirable as player options. I hope this is not a trend that will continue in future products.
Maztica & Kara-tur were well before my time in getting into tabletop games, but I'm given to understand that the major criticism against them was that not enough creative liberty was taken in translating the real world cultures into a fantasy setting, and that they were very direct, one-to-one additions, partly because the guys who added them were actual historians first and for most. As a scholar of early modern european history, I've noticed that there is such a thing as a colonial perspective on the past that dominates non-scientific discourse and that many contemporaries seem to share. (Of course there are no real victims of this misrepresentation but ourselves. Presumably, this obliviousness to our own history and the invention of a romantic past has played a role in establishing a narrative of cultural hegemony since the 19th century). Many generic 'european' fantasy settings would be a lot more interesting if the authors had forgotten what they thought they knew and instead had done some actual research on material culture, social cohesion, familial bonds, gender relations, religion, micropolitics and other aspects of everyday life in premodern european societies.
A group of oozes based on the seven skymetals. You can even pick one as an improved familiar!
Other than being very difficult to fight/kill, the creature doesn't have a lot of interesting abilities. Maybe they could have different abilities based on a certain emotion or cause of death? Or they could have different abilities based on certain powerful souls that are part of the swarm. Also, how do these creatures relate to ghosts? Can you make out a spokesperson among the swarm that can be talked and reasoned with? Can the creature be put to rest by other means than destruction? Finding an individual soul that is part of a soul swarm could be an interesting quest. Destroying a swarm usually disperses the creatures. Maybe individual ghosts that are captured by the swarm could be set free? The stat block is still a bit rough. A few observations: - Why is the size huge? Swarms normally use the individual creature's size (despite occupying several squares). - Resurrection has a casting time of 1 minute. - Does the creature have a hive-mind? - What is the DC for energy drain? - Maybe a creature killed by the swarm joins the swarm (cannot be raised unless the caster succeeds at a caster level check)?
The first thing that came to mind when I read Horror Adventures. It's a first draft--what do you think?
A better approach to achieve your goal would be to create magus archetypes focused on a specific school of magic, including options for an expanded spell list. I tried something like this here with a magus archetype focused on mind-affecting spells. I could imagine similar archetypes focused on necromancy, conjuration (teleportation), illusion, and transmutation. That way, you increase variety among different magi without destroying class balance.
|
