Hey guys I was working through a custom campaign I'm creating and wanted to include the completion of the "ruby wing" prophecy told to Khanjar-Khanayr (unique zahhak azi in Rahadoum) by Ahriman. Problem is I can't come up with anything decent besides a red dragon, which seems too generic. I plan on sleeping on it and coming back to it tommorw, but would love to hear some ideas from you guys, Thanks, reference link below.
Are you referring to the Form of Flame revelation that mimics Elemental Body? Because that does not give you the elemental subtype at all in any way whatsoever. Check the spell and the section on polymorphing.
Elemental body does give energy resistance 20, but does not give immunity to paralysis, poison, stunning or sleep. When you get to elem body 3 it gives you immunity to bleed damage, critical hits, and sneak attacks that is all.
No I'm referring to the Oracle revelation "Energy Body".
Energy Body (Su)FAQ: As a standard action, you can transform your body into pure life energy, resembling a golden-white fire elemental. In this form, you gain the elemental subtype and give off a warm, welcoming light that increases the light level within 10 feet by one step, up to normal light. Any undead creature striking you with its body or a handheld weapon deals normal damage, but at the same time the attacker takes 1d6 points of positive energy damage + 1 point per oracle level. Creatures wielding melee weapons with reach are not subject to this damage if they attack you. If you grapple or attack an undead creature using unarmed strikes or natural weapons, you may deal this damage in place of the normal damage for the attack. Once per round, if you pass through a living allied creature’s square or the ally passes through your square, it heals 1d6 hit points + 1 per oracle level. You may use this ability to heal yourself as a move action. You choose whether or not to heal a creature when it passes through your space. You may return to your normal form as a free action. You may remain in energy body form for a number of rounds per day equal to your oracle level.
Having a discussion within the group I'm currently playing with. The oracle is under the impression that "resembling a golden-white fire elemental" and gaining the elemental subtype means they also gain fire resistance/immunity. Thoughts?
I would think that the instance when this issue would be most severe would be in a solo campaigns. I realize they are quite rare but take it from somebody who has played a few, it can be very trying to face enemies that you can't touch (though to be fair as a fighter they have just as hard a time hitting me too). Whether it be flying as this thread suggests or invisibility or illusions or whatever else a DM can think up. I seem to recall a mute harpy in my last solo premade adventure that was quite a pain, and a pair of tieflings for that matter. The trick is to not be discouraged and to try and find sensible mechanisms to get around your limitations; just like any squishy wizard finding a meat shield to stand behind. If I recall correctly the harpy was flying around the outside of balcony so I simply left the room and stood in the stairwell. Not the most manly way to resolve the problem, but its better than standing there and letting her rain arrows and spells on my head. If she wanted to kill me that badly she was gonna come to me. As for the tieflings it was a tough fight with a lot of blind swings, but in the end it led me to blind fighting/blind sense which made my life much easier. But I digress...
Really the problem that being broached here is the inequity between magic users and fighters which has existed since the beginning of 3.x. "Wizard: I can call upon the gods to change reality to my will! Fighter: I like swords?" If the casters were just as inept at dealing with flying monsters as fighters you'd be complaining about something entirely different. Is it fair? Not especially. But then again neither is dying from the first non-critical blow you take while being level one. Neither is having the healer fall to their death crossing a bridge when the barb jumped across. Neither is getting blown up by a trap because nobody wanted to roll Rogue. Each class has its weakness and whether unfortunately or fortunately magic > melee at high levels.
But that fact was true when the fantasy genre was being created. Did Frodo fight the Witch King, no he hid like a smart hobbit and if it was a campaign and I the DM, I'd give him xp for not being a dumbass. Did Conan defeat the evil scorcerer, yes but he did it with guile and opportunity not by marching in headlong. A maester was killed by his own poison and a Renly slaughtered by a shadow, both because magic was more powerful. It's the facts of life for characters in a fantasy setting. There are ways around it, but personally I think the answer lies in being creative not by fundamentally changing the rules. A level one caster has to be creative to stay alive, a level 20 fighter has to be creative to stay relevant. I say let them keep their magic, nothing feels quite so good as taking a dragons head off with one powerful swing of your vorpal greataxe.
This isn't meant to be a criticism, just curiosity:
If you aren't wanting to change shape in battle, why bother with it?
Not that I mind the concept- but you are sucking up a pretty hefty level penalty for things you aren't planning to use.
the DR is only in hybrid or animal forms as are the physical stat boosts and the natural weapons/armor.
you are essentially paying 4 levels (if you go by the suggested CR/Level adjustment thingie- if I remember it correctly) for low light vision, scent, +2 wis and a -2 cha.**
I mean, I'm not against the flavor.. it sounds awesome. But you are paying a *lot* for that flavor, if you aren't ever planning to use the +5 str/+5 con, natural armor and attacks.
**The rules in the Bestiary say to treat you as a character level = to your CR, which for a Werebear is 4 though that's made less clear since the Lycanthrope in question is *also* a 4th level ranger- despite the Lycanthropy rules saying that it should be (animal CR+1) or (base form +1) whichever is higher- which means the Ranger Werebear should be a 4 (bear)+1 +4 (class levels) = 9.
So would a Werebear be CR 4? (as the Bestiary 2 says) or a CR5 (according to the Lycanthropy rules) or is a Ranger 4 Werebear a CR 4?
I have no idea.
-S
You bring up good points. It isn't that my character doesn't want to utilize his abilities, its that he finds it pragmatic to not until he gets to know his new compatriots better to avoid a potentially volatile situation. Also, I could imagine transforming in front of them for the first time in the final boss fight and making it that much more memorable (assuming the secret could be kept that long). That being said an entire adventure of holding yourself back is quite the price just to be able to call yourself a lycanthrope.
As for my ECL I would think it more suited to be somewhere around 1-2 base. Lycanthropes have no Hit Dice, low light vision and scent are both obtainable by standard races if desired, the bonus to ability scores become less and less significant as characters start getting to higher levels and acquiring equipment that give +6/+8 to ability scores. The same can be said for the natural armor bonus. The only truly significant advantage is the DR and it can be overcome easily if the DM mixes in some silver weapons every now and then (thats what I would do in their situation).
Its not shifting forms that causes your alignment shift, its the evil acts that get performed by the lycanthrope. For instance if a CG character became an afflicted werewolf there alignment would slowly start changing toward evil because of the predatory nature of the curse. Shifting into a new form and slaughtering the small village you grew up in down to the last man isn't going to do anything nice for your alignment, whether you had control of yourself or not. Atleast that's my understanding, sorry if I was ambiguous or flat out mistaken. From my understanding of the description, Werebears don't have the same compulsions as Werewolves, Weretigers and the like.
The DR idea is simple yet effective, I like it. It still wouldn't be overcome very easily, but DR 5 is much less impactful as bad guys start consistently getting multiple attacks per round. Thank you for your input.
I was asking to join a preexisting group about the start the second adventure of Jade Regent and was thinking for making a Werebear Ulfen Ranger. There are three of them and they're all level five at the moment; because of some generous DMing on creation they have some pretty beefy stats as well. If I was starting at level one I would never consider it, but now that everybody is level five I was thinking there is enough wiggle room to make a natural lycanthrope work. I was looking for different opinions on how as players or DM's how you'd attempt to make it work.
Firstly I want to bring up the points I thought most significant. Because I'm not part of the original party my character would most likely encounter the group as a complete stranger and would be very guarded about being a lycanthrope. Though it might be more accepted in the Land of Linnorm Kings there is nothing saying these characters would have the same views. Meaning there would be no transforming in the middle of battle to munchkin it up and hog the limelight. Also as the mysterious stranger there is ample opportunity for me to make myself scarce at night to keep them guessing.
Secondly, Werebears as LG when they transform so there would be no conflict in alignment with the party (unless I'm unknowingly walking into an evil campaign). I could start shifting from CG to NG as a result of my actions but that is hardly a deal breaker.
Lastly the damage reduction. I can't honestly think of a good way to get around a DR 10/silver. It takes +3 on a magic weapon to overcome it outright and considering the Jade Regent himself only has a +3 that might be a little unreasonable. I have considered afflicted instead of natural, but I'd probably want a way to gain control over at some point.
adding a few more to an already excellent array of choices :)
1) Shadows of Redemption
2) The Depth of Darkness
3) The Infernal End
4) Rifts of the Abyss
5) Aegis of Light
Adobe doesn't allow the granular security that we'd like on our PDFs—there's a more thorough discussion of the topic here. In particular, this post by Vic Wertz as well as further information in the thread.
I can understand that the option to pick and choose which security options they want to implement isn't under Paizo's control. My concern is more founded by the fact that nothing else I've ever download from Paizo (free or not) has ever had a password on it. I've gotten into the habit of extracting a few pages from several different PDFs and making a small custom read for my players when preparing for a new Adventure Path. It isn't that I can't simply give them all the files required, but thought it easier for them if they didn't have to sift through different files. Furthermore, though I can see the positive impact of having a password on their PDFs (especially with respect to anti-piracy), I'm worried that it might alienate the vast majority of their customers. My two cents, anyway it isn't directly germane to me being able to extract my pages.
If this is something that most customers have been dealing with for some time then there is little sense in delving further into it. Again I suppose its more frustrating for me because it is my first experience with a password on a PDF ("We be Goblins" was another free download and it didn't have a password). Anyway, thank you very much for your timely response, I appreciate it greatly. Have a great weekend.
Hey everybody. I really like the player's guide for Skull & Shackles; the battle scars/amputations created a very interesting tool for the DM I thought. Yes there wasn't a lot pertaining to races and classes but I thought using the rest of the guide to develop the naval combat rules was appropriate. Especially if Paizo already had something else planned for the later pages of the first adventure and couldn't put the new rules there.
Anyway, on to my question/concern. When I downloaded the player's guide I attempted to extract a few choice pages from the PDF, but couldn't because of a password. Is this a new policy being enacted on all PDFs, just this one or perhaps even just on mine? Does the PDF come with the password (though I think that would defeat the point) and I'm missing something? Or is this something Paizo is doing to try and limit their customers actions with their PDFs?
Thank you Paizo for what seems will be another good Adventure Path and thank you in advance to any/all of you who have an input with respect to this issue. Have a great day.
Just downloaded the PDF and am really excited by what I read; the battle scars/amputations and naval combat were of particular interest. However, I noticed when I tried to extract choice pages that there was a security password enabled. Is this now standard on Paizo PDFs or is this something unique to this PDF (or even perhaps my PDF)? Secondly, was the password suppose to be sent with the PDF and I'm simply missing something or was this a deliberate act by Paizo to inhibit what customers can do with their PDFs? Thanks you Paizo for the start of what will most likely be another great Adventure Path, and thank you all for any input you have with respect to my questions.
I agree that Dhampir should have as much versatility as their human parents, but surely there is something singular that takes place for being the progeny of an undead. Not that I am sure what that should be. Perhaps extremely pale skin, or a domineering prescence/gaze, or maybe it should be skin as black as midnight. Any other ideas would be welcome in my effort to understand half-vampires.
Not sure if this has been discussed before but I was wondering if there was any further details about the general appearance of Dhampirs. Nothing in the second Beastiary or Classic Horrors Revisited or the Carrion Crown Player's Guide describes one in terms of general hair color, skin tone, height, weight, etc. Any information available would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
Anoze
P.S. Its not that I'm adverse to the black skin white hair look, I enjoy that motif, but would like to know if there is any variablity possible while staying within Pathfinder lore.
I was pulling that damage from the table on page 58 of the core rulebook. Since the hybrid form is large it would do 1d8 base. And with Improved Natural Attack it would act as one size category larger which would be 2d6 I would think. I didn't know about not being able to take that feat as a monk. Why can't they take the feat? Do their fists and feet and whatever else they attack with not count as a natural attack?
The developers have mentioned no INA + monk combo. It worked in 3.5, but not in PF.
Good to know. Would you happen to have a link of your source?
Sorry about that Pirate, I didn't see your previous post. Thanks for pointing those things out. I do agree with you about discussing who controls their character while they are transformed. I haven't decided if I will allow them to be a natural lycanthrope or not either, so I think that would be first before deciding who controls their toon.
I was pulling that damage from the table on page 58 of the core rulebook. Since the hybrid form is large it would do 1d8 base. And with Improved Natural Attack it would act as one size category larger which would be 2d6 I would think. I didn't know about not being able to take that feat as a monk. Why can't they take the feat? Do their fists and feet and whatever else they attack with not count as a natural attack?
And I could be mistaken, but with Bestiary 2 it would seem that the werebear and weretiger are no longer Large when in hybrid form. It looks like they are now Medium. So, this would seem to eliminate the weapon-sizing rule. Yes?
Dean
I believe that is a mistake. In the Beastiary it states whichever is larger, base creature or base animal, is the size of the hybrid form. And since the grizzly bear and tiger are both large then the lycanthropes hybrid form would be as well.
As would I, but I am not sure if that is what my player wants to do so I wanted to cover all bases.
What do you think of Werebear monk? As a DM I think its a little over powered. +8 to natural armor with the wisdom bonus to AC and decent dex would make them impossible to hit, the DR would probably nullify anything that does hit and they would be doing 2d6 damage from level one if they took Improved Natural Attack (which is what my player had in mind I believe) with two attacks per round.
LazarX, I realize they do, but I don't want to discourage my players from thinking outside the box. Forcing them to buy new armor everytime they transform would just be too much in my opinion; especially if they were afflicted and couldn't control when they did. I was thinking that making them purchase armor that shifts with them, as opposed to light fortification or something comparable, would be a good middle ground.
What about weapons? Obviously using the same weapon as before they transformed doesn't hurt anything, but if they wanted to have a weapon that increased in size as they did would you make it +1 as well?
How do you get around the fact that items do not get larger when a Werebear or Weretiger transform? Do you alter the rule as homebrew? Do you force the PC to choose between forms until they can get magic items that changes with them (if so what type of bonus would you apply for that ability, +1/+2...)? Do you change the Werebear or Weretiger so that the base animal has the young template and thus is one size smaller? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated as well.
Thank you for the link. I have a couple other concerns if I may. Out of all the lycanthropes the Werebear and the Weretiger are the only ones who would change size when they shift, in your opinion should their items increase size with them or burst/fall off? Also, would these change in stats affect the CR at all? Since the lycanthrope section says that the CR should be +1 to whichever is higher the starting Werebear would be level 5, making the level 4 ranger level 9. Or because it does not gain any of the additional hit dice do you not increase the CR?
Not sure if this as already been posted (and I thought it easier to post a new thread then search through hundreds) but are the Werebear stats in Beastiary 2 p. 181 messed up? I know about the organization section missing and that isn't what I'm speaking of. I am referencing to the size, AC and ability scores of the Werebear (Hybrid Form). I suppose the first question is what bear is being used for the base animal? I am assuming that they were using the grizzly bear as their reference in the Werebears creation.
Firstly the size:
] A lycanthrope’s hybrid form is the same size as the base animal or the base creature, whichever is larger.[/quote wrote:
With that in mind the base size of the grizzly bear is large, where as the Werebear (Hybrid) is medium.
Secondly, AC:
] In hybrid or animal form the lycanthrope has the natural armor bonus of the base animal increased by +2.[/quote wrote:
My interpretation of this statement is that the lycanthrope receives the base animals natural armor +2; which is consistent with the Werewolf stat block in the Beastiary p. 198. If this is the case then shouldn't the Werebear's (Hybird) armor be 24? The Grizzly's natural is +6 and thus the Werebear should have an addition six to its AC.
Thirdly, Ability scores:
] +2 Wis, –2 Cha in all forms; +2 Str, +2 Con in hybrid and animal forms...In addition to these adjustments to the base creature’s stats, a lycanthrope’s ability scores change when he assumes hybrid or animal form. In human form, the lycanthrope’s ability scores are unchanged from the base creature’s form. In animal and hybrid form, the lycanthrope’s ability scores are the same as the base creature’s or the base animal’s, whichever ability score is higher.[/quote wrote:
In the Werebear's stat block the hybrid form does receive the bonus to strength and con (and the wis/cha changes assuming they were both 10 originally). However, In hybrid form isn't the Werebear suppose to switched its base str to 21, con to 19 and wis to 12 to match those of the Grizzly since they are higher? This would give the hybrid form 23,14,21,12,14,8 for its ability scores in str/dex/con/int/wis/cha order.
Not sure (if correct) how these changes would affect CR and such. Also all the quotes are from page 196 of the Beastiary. The Grizzly is on page 31 of the same book. Thanks for reading.
Description 'Pleased to meet ya. What's your story?'
The slim young man grins up at you, shifting from foot to foot. His slight frame is too small to contain all his energy, and it spills over into constant movement. As you talk he smiles, frowns, pushes a stray curl of brown hair from his face, fiddles with a broken lock he carries in a pocket. He seems genuinely interested, but unable to keep his mind and thoughts still. Stillness, you feel, is a foreign land for Rolan.
Spoiler:
As the youngest son of a large farming family, Rolan was alternately ignored, bullied, and spoiled by a horde of elder siblings. He learned at a young age that he could achieve more with quick wits and nimble fingers than with muscle or clever arguments. Now grown, and with his eldest brothers likely to inherit the farm, Rolan is ready to leave home and seek his fortune. Many of his elder siblings have done the same before him, and he longs to follow in their footsteps.
Rolan will start as a trickster / tumbler thief, rather than a backstabbing machine or a pickpocket. He'll start naive, cheerful, with little idea of the true dangers and horrors of the Realms. As the campaign progresses he could progress in a number of ways, and I look forward to roleplaying through the options - he could end up as a thief/mage or a shadowdancer or a rogue/bard/harper. It all depends on the people he meets and dangers they face and overcome together.
