I have long been using my own set of extensive house-rules, a curated hybrid of 3.5 and Pathfinder 1, 3.Aotrs, now functionally its own edition, though it's close enoguh to Pathfinder for discussion to be relevant. One of the thing I did was port all the psioinc classes over from 3.5. The Divine Mind has always posed problems, (though the Ardent has some of them too). I made fairly extensive revisions to it and called it done.
Until today, when I actually came to MAKE one, using Golarion's Asmodeus as a the deity.
In practise, what it comes out is with a set of rather pants ill-fitting abilities that I have been unable to find a use for, coming only from the mantles and domains. The character is... Functional, but the best class feature it the bonus feats and the ectopic ally. Which is rather bad.
So, at painstakingly length and some dubious shortcuts in leiu of wortking out how (or even if) tables, I have posted the current version of the Divine Mind here, such that it can hopefully be picked over and suggestions made to make it... Not suck. Help, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. (I've also posted to the GitP, where the tables are more readble.)
Note: I am well aware that tying the domians and mantles a bit together is a bit of a cop-out, but at the time, I thought it broadened out both Divine Mind and Ardent with some still-thematic abilities on top of their limited powerset. Until, again, I actually sat down to make one in anger to see what I could do with it.
I should note that, basically, ditching the class entirely is not on the table, so one way or another, the Divine Mind needs dragging to functionality.
DIVINE MIND Key Abilities: Charisma (power points, power save DC, special abilities)
Hit Die: D10
Class Skills: Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (Planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis) and Swim (Str).
Skill Points per level: 4+Int mod
Starting Gold: 240
BAB: Full
Saves: Good Fort, Will
Class Features
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Divine minds are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armour (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).
Powers: A divine mind’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points you have available. Your base daily allotment of power points is given on the table. In addition, you receive bonus power points per day if you have a high Charisma score; unlike your manifester level, this is based on your class level.
You begin play with no psionic powers. Beginning at 5th level, you learn one 1st level divine mind power of your choice. At each level indicated on the table, you unlock the knowledge of a new power, the maximum level of which is indicated in the table. Choose the power known from the list of powers belonging to your chosen mantles. (The feats Expanded Knowledge and Epic Expanded Knowledge allow a divine mind to learn powers from the lists of other disciplines or even other classes.) The number of times you can manifest powers in a day is limited only by your daily power points.
You can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than your manifester level.
Your manifester level is equal to your class level minus 4. For example, a 10th-level divine mind is a 6th-level manifester. You can manifest any power you know that has a power point cost equal to or lower than your manifester level.
You simply know your powers; they are ingrained in your mind. You do not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though you must take a Long Rest (e.g. 8 hours of sleep) to regain all your spent power points.
The Difficulty Class for saving throws against divine mind powers is 10 + the power’s level + your Charisma modifier.
To learn or manifest a power, you must have an Charisma score of at least 10 + the power’s level.
Mantles: Mantles represent a psionic distillation of a universal concept or philosophical idea that the divine minds believe transcends the multiverse.
Each Mantle gives you a granted power. In addition, it is linked to one or more Domains (see Class Features). You select one of these Domains when you gain the Mantle. You gain the Domain’s granted power in addition to the Mantle’s granted power. In the same manner as a deity grants spells to themselves, you can draw upon this conceptual force to manifest the spells of the Domain as Psi-Like abilities. You can manifest one Psi-Like Ability of each level of powers that you know. (E.g. a 8th level divine mind could manifest one Psi-Like Ability each of 1st and 2nd level per day). You can choose to manifest the Psi-Like Ability of each level from any of the spells granted by the Domains you know. Your caster/manifester level for these Psi-Like Abilities is equal to your class level (not your regular manifester level). The save DC for these Psi-Like Abilities is equal to 10 + ½ your class level plus your Charisma modifier.
(Clarification note: for these psi-like abilties, manifester level and caster level are functionally interchangable; it is NOT the same as the erudite’s Convert Spell to Power ACF where the spells become augmentable powers.)
You gain one Mantle at 1st level. This must be a Mantle whose linked Domain is one of your deity’s Domains, and you must choose a linked Domain from that Mantle which is likewise one of your deity’s Domains.
At 6th level, you gain a second Mantle, which also must be selected by these criterion. You may instead select a second Domain from your first Mantle if it has two or more Domains that your deity grants.
At 12th and 18th level, you gain an additional Mantle. You can choose from any of the remaining mantles (even ones which might oppose your deity’s alignment). You can choose to select a new Domain linked to a Mantle you already know in place of gaining a new Mantle. You gain that Domain’s granted power and can chose the domain’s spells when manifesting your Psi-Like Abilities.
Most of the powers provided by a Mantle are psionic in nature. Some Mantles feature new abilities unlike any psionic power in existence. These abilities are still treated as psionic powers in every respect, and always have a power point cost to manifest.
Mantles and their granted powers are listed below.
Psychic Aura (Su): You know three basic auras: attack, defence, and perception (see below). In addition, each of your chosen mantles adds a specialized aura to your options. You choose one aura to manifest, and its benefits take effect in a radius around you. This aura starts at a radius of 30 feet at 1st level and increases by 10 feet every two levels thereafter (e.g. 40 feet at 3rd level and 120 feet at 19th level).
Most auras affect either you and your allies or just your enemies. As you become more powerful, your aura spreads to encompass a wider area.
Activating an aura is a Swift action. Each aura must be activated individually.
At 9th level, you can have two auras active at the same time; at 15th level, you can have three active auras.
Attack: You and all allies within your aura gain a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Defence: You and all allies within your aura gain a +1 insight bonus to Armour Class. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Perception: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 insight bonus on Perception and Search checks. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Psychic Smite (Su): As a Move action, you can imbue one of your weapons (including a natural weapon or your unarmed strikes) with destructive psychic energy. This effect deals an extra D6 points of damage on any attack you wish to activate it on (as long as the attack is made with that weapon). You may hold the charge as long as you like without discharging (even if you drop the weapon), but the charge is lost if the weapon leaves the radius of your psychic aura.
It does not go off on any attack unless you choose to use it, and the charge is not wasted if an attack misses. Mindless creatures are immune to this damage, although non-mindless creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are affected by this damage as normal. (Unlike the rogue’s sneak attack, the psychic smite is not precision damage and can affect creatures otherwise immune to extra damage from critical hits or more than 30 feet away.) A weapon charged with psychic smite deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but you can imbue your weapon with psychic energy again by taking another Move action. Additionally, you may recharge it as a Swift action by expending your psionic focus.
Psychic smite may be used on ranged weapons, but only if the target remains within the radius of your psychic aura. You can bestow a ranged attack beyond this area by expending your psionic focus when making the attack. This discharges the psychic smite, whether the attack hits or misses.
If you have more than one weapon you must imbue each weapon with a psychic strike separately.
At 4th level and every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, etc.), the extra damage from you psychic smite increases by D6.
Combat Manifestation: At 2nd level, you gain Combat Manifestation as bonus feat.
Divine Grace (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you gain a bonus equal to your Charisma bonus on all saving throws.
Psionic Talents: At 2nd level, you learn one psionic talent of your choice from the Psychic Warrior powers list. You learn a second psionic talent at 4th level.
Ectopic Ally (Su): At 3rd, level, you gain the ability to manifest a single special ectopic construct as an ally to aid you in your cause. The ecotopic ally has the statistics of an astral construct created by the Astral Construct power, manifested as Psi-like Ability (and thus automatically augmented to your class level), except it is a creature, not a power effect. It cannot be dispelled, but you must make a DC 20 Concentration check to maintain or manifest it within an Null Psionics field.
It also has an Intelligence of 6, the same alignment as you and gains the appropriate skills and feats.
Once you selects the ectopic ally’s abilities, you may not change them again until you achieve a new level.
You can manifest the ectopic construct into being at will with a Standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. It appears within Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) range, in the same condition (e.g. damage) that it was when unsummoned (except for any damage it might have healed, see below). It persists until you dismiss it or it is reduced to 0 of less hit points.
You can use a Standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity to reabsorb the ectopic ally into yourself, provided it is within the same range. When unsummoned, it cannot be targeted or attacked. Any gear it is wearing or carrying immediately drops into its space.
The ectopic ally cannot heal by itself (unless it has the Fast Healing special ability), but while it is unsummoned, any healing that you receive (including natural healing) also heals the ectopic ally the same amount. (The Fast Healing special ability does not function when the ectopic ally is not manifested.)
If the ectopic ally is reduced to 0 or less hit points, it demanifests immediately and cannot be re-summoned for 24 hours. After this period, it can be manifested again and appears re-appears fully healed.
Ectopic allies can wear equipment or magic items suitable for humanoids of their size, but these items are left behind (along with anything it is carrying) when it is unsummoned or destroyed and must be re-equipped when it is summoned again.
Bonus Feat: At 5th level and every three levels thereafter, you gain a bonus Combat or Psionic Feat for which you meet the prerequisites.
Ascension (Ex): (Capstone) At 20th level, you undergoes an apotheosis and becomes, in effect, a minor divine being. Your type changes to Outsider. You gain the Celestial, Entropic, Fiendish or Resolute template as appropriate to your alignment.
(A true neutral Divine Mind gains instead Damage Reduction 7/– , Resistance 15 to Cold, Electricity and Fire, spell resistance equal to 6 + your HD and one per encounter, you can use a smite which deals D6 plus D6 per 3 HD extra damage to any creature (this is discharged on a hit on any target or the end of the encounter).)
You also gain the supernatural ability to fly (Perfect manoeuvrability) at your base land speed (reduced by armour and encumbrance) via psionic levitation while you are psionically focussed.
Fly becomes a class skill.
Mantle Auras Air: You and all allies within your aura gain Resistance to Electricity 5. This increases by 5 points for every five class levels you have.
Chaos: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 resistance bonus on saves against attacks made or effects created by nonchaotic creatures. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have.
Communication: The divine mind and willing allies within the range of his aura can communicate telepathically through the bond even if you do not share a common language. In addition, you and your allies increase the bonus from flanking by 1 point for every six levels you have.
Conflict: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 bonus on rolls to confirm critical hits. This bonus increases by 1 for every four class levels you have.
Consumption: You can leech power points expended near you. While the aura is active, you can expend your psionic focus as an Immediate action when a power is manifested within your aura. Doing so steals 1 power point plus 1 power point for every six levels you have from the power's manifester. This extra power point is added to your power point reserve; you cannot gain more power points than your normal maximum. This ability has no effect if used while you have a full power point reserve.
This reduces any augmentations first. The manifester may choose from which augmentation the power points are lost. An augmentation that has a cost of 2 or more power points to take effect is lost if a power point is stolen from it and the excess power points are wasted.
If stealing 1 power point would prevent the manifester from being able to manifest the power, you do not gain a power point but the manifester is unable to manifest the power; no power points are expended.
Corruption and Madness: Your aura disquiets and disturbs the minds of those who oppose you. All enemies within your aura must make Concentration checks (DC 10 + ½ your divine mind level + your Charisma modifier) to manifest powers, cast spells, or use psi-like or spell-like abilities.
Creation: All Constructs within your aura heal at a rate of 1 hit point plus 1 hit point for every five levels you have every round.
Death: You and your allies within the your aura deal 1 extra point of negative energy damage plus 1 point for every five class levels you have on weapon damage rolls.
Deception: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 insight bonus on Bluff checks made to feint in combat. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have. You can expend your psionic focus to feint as a Move action, as if you have the Improved Feint feat.
Destruction: You and all allies within your aura gain a +1 bonus on weapon damage rolls against wounded foes and ignore the same amount of Hardness when attacking and object or making a Sunder manoeuvre. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Earth: You and all allies within your aura gain Resistance to Acid 5. This increases by 5 points for every five class levels you have.
Elements: When this aura goes into effect, you must choose to align it to one of the four elemental subtypes (air, earth, fire, water). While you are psionically focused, your attacks and the attacks of allies within your aura overcome the damage reduction (if any) of any creatures of the subtype to which you are aligned.
Energy: Your wielded weapons and those wielded by allies within your aura deal 1 extra point of energy damage of your active element plus 1 point for every five class levels you have on weapon damage rolls.
Evil: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 resistance bonus on saves against attacks made or effects created by nonevil creatures. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have.
Fate: You gives your allies insight into the battle being waged around you, allowing them to bend fate to their will. Once every 10 minutes, each affected creature can choose to add gain a +2 insight bonus on any one D20 roll. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Fire: You and all allies within your aura gain Resistance to Fire 5. This increases by 5 points for every five class levels you have.
Force: You and all allies within your aura reduces the miss chance for striking incorporeal creatures by 10%. For every five levels you have, this bonus reduces by another 10% (until 20th level, where the miss chance disappears completely).
Freedom: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 bonus on Escape Artist checks and CMD verses grapple attacks and grapple checks made to escape a grapple. This bonus increases by 1 for every four class levels you have.
Good: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 resistance bonus on saves against attacks made or effects created by nongood creatures. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have.
Guardian: You and all allies within your aura gain Damage Reduction 1/— while you are psionically focused. This damage reduction increases by 1 for every five class levels you have (DR 2/— at 5th level, 3/— at 10th level, and so on).
Justice: You and all allies within your aura gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls against a foe that has attacked you or another ally. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have.
Knowledge: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 bonus on all Knowledge checks. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have. You can expend your psionic focus to grant yourself or an ally the ability to make a Knowledge check untrained.
Law: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 resistance bonus on saves against attacks made or effects created by nonlawful creatures. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have.
Life: Creatures in your presence feel rejuvenated and are more resistant to death effects. While it is active, allies affected by this aura gain a +2 bonus on saves against death spells, powers or psionic death effects and negative energy effects. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Light and Darkness: You can reduce of increase the light conditions by one step within your aura. For every six levels you has, you may increase or decrease the light conditions by one more step. For the purposes of interaction with magical lighting sources, this effect is treated as a power of 1/3 your class level.
Love: Your allies gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against charms and compulsions. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
Magic: You and all allies within your aura are treated as wielding magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming Damage Reduction.
Mental Tower: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting spells and abilities. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have.
Natural World: All animals, plants, and fey within your aura heal at a rate of 1 hit point every plus 1 hit point for every five levels you have every round.
Pain and Suffering: You and all allies within your aura can chose to take 1 points of damage whenever you or they hit a foe with a melee attack to deal 2 extra points of damage. For every five levels you have, the damage taken increases by +1 and the damage dealt increases by +2.
Physical Power: You and all allies within your aura gain a +1 bonus on combat manoeuvres. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have.
The Planes: You and all allies within your aura gain a +2 bonus on caster level checks or manifester level checks made to overcome the spell resistance or power resistance of outsiders. This bonus increases by 1 for every five class levels you have. You can expend your psionic focus to pinpoint the location of any outsider or extraplanar creature within your aura.
Repose: While you are psionically focused, you and allies within your aura ignore the effects of Fatigue. If an ally within your aura becomes Exhausted for any reason, they are treated as Fatigued instead. Your aura does not dispel Fatigue, it merely suppresses the negative effects.
Time: You give allies within your aura the ability to see just a moment into the future, increasing their reaction time. Anyone affected by your aura gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves. This bonus increases by 1 for every six class levels you have. You can expend your psionic focus to gain the benefits of Combat Reflexes feat for 1 round. If you have Combat Reflexes, you may make one additional attack of opportunity per round.
Water: You and all allies within your aura gain Resistance to Cold 5. This increases by 5 points for every five class levels you have.
Some thoughts: Smoothing out the ood power proegression (I think that comes from the old mind's eye articles?)
Both it and the Ardent are very strapped for choice of powers (as they come from mantles only), though the Ardent a bit less so, since it gets more mantles sooner.
The manifester level being class level -4 was fine right up until the point I realised that the 8th level NPC I was building could, NOT, in fact augment any of his five powers, becuse his manifester level was, in fact, 4. And he had 32 PP at level eight to basically do crap all with.
For some reason, I took Wild Telent (gained at first level) from the Divine Mind, when I'm thinking MAYBE I not only should have kept it, but made it Hidden Talent as well, if I don't do anything more radial. (Lke I did with PF Soulknife... *pauses to check* Like I AM doing NOW with the Soulknife, since reading my own rules, there's literally no reason why you wouldn't take the alternate class feature as I've written, duh, and I even thought I HAD made it automatic, so...)
Though that again, is perhaps a case of "lots of low-level abilities."
I am going to be honest, looking at it, I suspect I made only a cursory pass on Divine Mind in hindsight, because i perahps at the time did not fancy doing a stupendous amount of work making stuff up for one class. (My more recent work on the Fangshi (nee PF kineticist) laughs.) Dangit.
Hell, let me show you the results of The Best I Could Think To do, given Asmodeus' domains (Domains Evil, Fire, Law, Magic, Trickery/ Subdomains Arcane, Ash, Corruption, Deception, Devil (Evil), Devil (Law), Divine, Greed, Legislation (Law), Smoke, Sovereignty).
Though sorry, you'll have to deal with a standard 3.Aotrs statblock...
Vortan
Human Divine Mind 8 (Asmodeus)
LE Medium Humanoid (Human)
HD 8D10+16 (58hp) Init +2 SPD 40’ SPACE 5/5
AC 21/11/20 (+1 Dex, +10 Full Plate +1, +2 Heavy Steel Shield, +2 Dodge)
BAB +8 CMB +9 CMD 20/20
ATTACK +10/+5 Longsword +1 (D8+1 (+2+1 Fire)), 19-20)
+10/+5 Composite Longbow (D8+1, 20/x3)
+10 Firebolt (D6+4 Fire)
CA Divine Grace, Ectopic Ally, Psychic Aura (60’, Attack, Defense, Fire, Magic, Perception), Psychic Smite +3D6
SQ Resistance to Fire 10
SV Fort +11 Ref +11 Will +5
Str 12 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 16
Climb +12, Concentration +13 (+4 manifesting defensively), Perception +8, Sense Motive +11, Use Magic Device +14
Combat Manifestation[SUP]B[/SUP], Deep Impact, Dodge, Greater Psionic Weapon, Power Attack, Psionic Dodge, Psionic Meditation, Psionic Weapon, Weapon Focus (Longsword)
CR 7
Domains: Fire: Firebolt (D6+4, 3/Day), Resistance to Fire 10
Magic: Hand of the Acolyte (3/Day), Dispelling Touch (1/Day)
Mantles: Fire: Flaming Aura
Magic: Magic Knack
Psi-Like Abilities (Ps): Manifester Level 8
1st (1/Day): Burning Hands or Identify
2nd (1/Day): Produce Flame or Magic Mouth
Psionics: Power Points: 32 Divine Mind Manifester Level 4 DC 13+lvl
0th: Far HandA, Detect Psionics
1st: Control FlamesA, Metaphysical WeaponA
2nd: Energy EmanationA
Equipment: Full Plate +1, Heavy Steel Shield, Longsword +1, Composite Longbow (+1 Str) (20 arrows), Potion of Bull’s Strength, 685gp, 5 day’s rations
Languages: Common
Grunt
Ectopic Ally
N Medium Construct
HD 5D10+20 (47hp) Init +2 SPD 40’ SPACE 5/5
AC 22/12/20 (+2 Dex, +10 Natural)
BAB +5 CMB +14 (+16G) CMD 26/24 (28/26G)
ATTACK +15 Slam (D6+14)
SV Fort +1 Ref +3 Will +1
SQ Construct Traits, Darkvision 60’, Low Light Vision, Muscle (+4 Str)
Str 29 Dex 15 Con - Int 6 Wis 11 Cha 10 AL N
Perception +5
Improved Grapple, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Slam)
CR -
Languages: Common
Again, any help or suggestions would be greatly apprciated.
Context: I am in the process of fitting all the moving parts together for an Osirion mega-campaign, which comprises Entombed with the Pharaohs/Pact Stone Pyramid (3.5), Desert of Desolation (AD&D), Mummy's Mask (PF1), (parts of) Doomsday Dawn (PF2) and pretty much all of the 1E Osirion Pathfinder society scenarios that I can fit, most notably the Destiny of the Sands trilogy.
(The last one of note, because Amenopheus and the Sages will be very prominent in the campaign as the PC's patron, contacts and occasional expositors.)
(Though it's not important to the question at hand this will be run using my 3.5/PF1 hybrid system, 3.Aotrs.)
Thus posting to this subforum on the basis this question is an inter-edition/non-edition question. (If the mods think there is a better one for that, feel free to move it to the most logical place,)
The question has entails spoilers for both Entombed with the Pharoahs and Doomsday Dawn I will spoiler the first post, so anyone clicking doesn't get accidently spoiled:
Spoiler:
To access the pyramid of the Four Pharoahs which is located in Ramlock's Hallow, the PCs (or at least the adversaries) have to have the Funeral Mask of the Four Pharoahs. At the end of the module, the mask shatters, and the pyramid begins to slowly phase back into Ramlock's Hallow. (Which is, of course, the age-old trope of "dungeon collapses at the end" which is fine.
However, at the end of Doomsday Dawn, the PCs need to get into Ramlock's Workshop. However, Doomsday Dawn for some reason (possible not re-reading Entombed with the Pharoahs fully beforehand) assumes the Pyramid is NOT there, but in the material plane:
"Only one structure has traditionally stood within the Hallow: the Veinstone Pyramid. Once located at the center of the demiplane, this 556-foot-tall structure was transposed to the Valley of the Pyramids in Osirion about a decade ago by a party of adventurers who gained control of the Funeral Mask of the Four Pharaohs."
This being especially important for my campaign, since it a) will not have been ten years and b) the PCs will be the Ones What Done It.
So, the question is how to resolve this problem. A few ideas:
1) The mask does not break at the end of the Entombed with the Pharoahs, because the PCs are Mythic (or something).
While this is obviously the most straight-forward one, it also takes away something interesting and I don't think it's a terribly satisfactory answer.
2) The PCs will have to find a way to get the Veinstone Pyramid back OUT of Ramlock's Hallow, so they can get down to the workshop via a) hack through pyramid or b) reforge the Funerary Mask of the Four Pharoahs
2a) While at this point I sort of anticipate the PCs being both Mythic AND Epic, it's prefer the simple solution of "simple smash their way down" to, again, be a little unsatisfying (and a long time, since a cursory estimate from the cross-section in Entombed as being about 340 feet).
2b) Seems on the surface a nice solution - it means it adds another delay to the ticking clock (of a length I can control closer to the time), but one major issues itself, namely the one of what happens if the PCs just discarded the fragments of the mask. If they dropped them in the tomb, fine, they will be able to Planeshift to find them, but what is they tossed them in the desert...? This isn't a deal-breaker, since the puzzle of solving how to find and get the mask bag is I think, a potentially interesting one itself.
But if anyone can think of any other suggestions or comments on my proposed solutions, I'd welcome them.
As gaining information is a major part of this campaign (the Shifting Sands portion of Mummy's Mask's research is being considerably expanded), once I have the solution(s), I can then appropriate feed it to the PCs. But I want to try and get as many of those ducks in a rows as I can as part of preparing the first third (as I won't be running it all back-to-back).
(I'm going to cross-post this to the main PF1 reddit for good measure.)
So as I was reminded today, Create Water is something of a problem.
It is an example of why I call a story-breaking spell. A spell which, while it might not have any particularly mechanic-breaking power, completely circumvents some challenges - and also undermine the actual world-building, unless playing a tippy-verse style campaign. (Which I wouldn't, personally.)
In this specific case, I am running a mega-campaign in Osirion, framed around the Mummy's Mask adventure path, but mixing in AD&D's Deserts of Desolation (into the middle two books in that relavnt section0, and as many PF1 Osirion modules and society bits as I could cram in.
The PCs will reach the relevant part of Shifting Sands at a first-order magnitude pass estimated level of 8. (It might be higher.)
(I'm playing a hybrid of 3.5/PF1, though it is more PF1 than 3.5 at this point.)
According to the rules a Medium creature ina hot environment requires 1 gallon of water per day, two if the temperature spikes.
Create Water, a 0th level spell, can create 2 gallons/level.
In 3.5, this would mean a single spellcaster would only be able to cast it four times. (8 gallaons/level.) Pathfinder 1 has this unlimited, but I have already capped some captrips - Create Water among them, along with 3.5's Cure/Inflict Minor Wounds - to only be able to be cast four times (same number as you would in 3.5) before being expended.
However, that's still 64 gallons of water per day at level 8 (from a single 0th level spell slot) - eight cubic feet, so maybe a bathfull? That means a single 0th level spell slot can obiviate the need for the party to carry water, as that would be enough for eight party members AND THEIR CAMELS (at 4 gallons/day so a total of 40 gallons), but horror of horrors, they'd require a second 0th level spell slot for hot days (where they'd need 80 gallons).
This kind of defeats the point of, like, ever having any challenge in survival.
"But Aotrs, adventurers shouldn't ever have to worry about being attacked resting or food or water, that's something that they should be able to hand-wave away as never being important!" I disagree and I don't want them to do that. Especially in a campaign in which that's... Kind of a point.
So, I need to fix one of two things.
One, nerf Create Water; either by reducing the amount it creates, or perhaps more reasonably, limiting the amount of water it can create per cast (ala spell damage dice cap) - or even, perhaps, raising the level of the spell. To the point it should mitigate - but not obiviate - the amount of water the PCs will have to deal with.
Two, adjudicate whether the quoted 1-2 gallons of water per day is actually (close enough to being) right and to adjust if not.
I am entirely open to other suggestions on how to make this work; perhaps by making sure the PCs carry sufficient containers for that water, but that seems (by the time you add a camel) almost trivial to fix.
How did everyone else handle this in Mummy's Mask specifically?
One other factor in play in this specific case is a limitation of the character classes the PCs can choose - specifially, they are not allowed to have any of the classes that have seen regular use (which basically wipes out the entire core classes of both 3.5/PF1), which should mitigate stuff like Rope Trick/Magnificant Mansion et al shanigans.
(This time. I was EXTREMELY generous to the current campaign's party in allowing the wizard to have a special, upgraded version of Rope Trick that was 3rd level but did not asplode when the party took theie Handy Haversacks in it when I realised that was what would happen with the regular version that they had been using.)
Create Food and Water is another potential problem, but at least that's coming off a 3rd level spell slot and would require either and oracle burnig a spell learned or a shaman in the party, neither of which is guarenteed; and scrolls, of course, would cost more.
The characters have remained the same (if two regulated to recurring gues stars). We've lost players (one permenantly) and gained players and we were interrupted for the first time in thirty years fore eighteen months by a global pandemic, but it's done!
Karzoug the Claimer, with a sad inevitability that I could see a mile off ended the same way almost all the boss monsters in the AP ended - the dwarf barbarian's right axe and then the dwarf barbarian's left axe meeting in the middle.
We obviously weren't playing it all that time, but in chunks. In practise, it took us about six months to get through each book. We did that last couple since we re-started since lockdown, so it's taken us a fair bit longer, but high level play in a high power environment (we finished at 18th level) will do that; especially with six PCs and the player shortage we've had where somtimes, we couldn't get enough of us to meet one week in four.
Next week, we start on the second part of Shackled City (with two new players, one of whom came along today and got handed the spare cleric semi-NPC, so what a way to be introduced to the group...!)
Summary: I am brainstorming ideas in piecing together an Osirion mega-campaign from AD&D and PF1 modules and APs; particularly in melding plots and lcoations (rather than levels/mechanics).
Longer explanation:
When I was ten, and first starting out with roleplaying (gravitating from HeroQuest to Rolemaster - AD&D was a distant forth), my Dad borrowed a load of modules from somebody at work, so that I could read through them to see what pre-written adventures were like. I read them in the absense of any mechanical knowledge, of course. Whoever that generous soul was, among the contributions was the module I3 Pharoah.
That module has stuck with me ever since. (To the point I even at great expense bought a hard-copy one day.) I have always thus wanted to run and "egyptian" campaign ever since that day.
Lockdown costs us two of my weekly groups' players; one forced to move away, the other died. One more is intending to mvoe away at some point. My group has been struggling to get enough players weeks to week; but when we cap off Rise of the Runelords in three combat's time, we will have one, if not two new people joining us, so I can look beyond the next portion of Shackled City (which is ready to go) and what we do after. It's all brought it home to me that those campaigns I've always intended to do (the "egyptian" one and the Completely Aliehn World)... I really ought to do now or never. After all, at out approximation of 6 months per AP book, I reckon at best we're only got maybe ten adventures paths left in us before everyone is too old (and assuming I do continue to be DM Forever as it seems likely to be).
So, fresh yeat, and on my carefully prepared task list is, finally, to start looking at doing my Osirion Mega-Campaign. I have at LEAST an esitimated year once we get through the next four chapters of the Shackled Citty adventure path, so this is a mid-long term project... But it is time I finally STARTED.
So.
Looking at the dates, twenty years ago this year, I bought a quartet of AD&D PDFs, which have been rigourously stored ever since. Chief among them was Deserts of Desolation, the combined form of Pharoah and it's sequels.
The one time shipping was favourable to me, I was able to buy hard copies of Entombed with the Pharoahs and Pact Stone Pyramid. I snapped up Mummy's Mask as soon as it came out. And at odd intervals, through purchase (and being given a boat load of PDFs by a mate of one of the players), I have a load of Society modules set in Osirion. I have (with some effort) also got Doomsday Dawn.
I intended the core of the campaign to be Mummy's Mask, as that will be the most coherent part. But I intend to add at least Deserts of Desolation and Pact Stone Pyramid and Entombed with the Pharoahs in and weave in basically three plots, the latter two of which will start to come in later.
One, the plot of Mummy's Mask (whoich I have, admittedly, not reads in its entirity, though I did read the first couple of books a while ago.) As this starts at 1st level, it's a logical starting point.
Two, the Deserts of Desolation plot, in which an ancient prophecy is enacted (by the hapless PCs) to defeat a powerful efreet. This is graded at 5th level, but in any case whill require complte stat conversion.
Three, the seemingly random appearances of the Countdown Clock, leading finally, to, as the capstone, the end of Doomsday Dawn. The two primary modules here are in the 6-8 and 8-10 range respectively, so they can potentially go in there.
I would like to try and squeeze in as many bits of the others as I reasonable can.
This is going to be essentially an editionless thread, since I will be using my own 3.5/PF1 houserules, and with the combination of paths, on top of everything else AND the More Than Four Characters party size, a boat-load of stat conversion work will be required anyway. (I have a hsitory of previously converted AD&D to 3.5 campaigns already: Night Below and Homebrew=? Vecna Lives!/Vecna Reborn/Die Vecna Die! => Dragon Mountain as 16-Epic) So I am well aware of the monumetal stupidity of this task. (Hell, I am still half-threatening to rune Return of the Runelords as a direct sequel to Rise of the Runelords, meaning upgrading it to an 18-Epic AP - culimating in, of course, an ad-hoc fight against all seven Runelords...!)
The first job will be for me to print and read through at least Deserts of Desolation and Mummy's Mask.
As bits of Doomsday Dawn are set outside Osirion, I plan to either omit them altother, or instead seed the Plot Devices into the other parts of the campaign, and hopefully find a way to tie-in other two plots into the biggy.
My full current list of potential inclusions (as currently in my Campaign Ideas document, wherein I catalogue all my adventures, run and unrun) is thus. This is in very approximate order of level (or at least starting level), with the various modules of Mummy's Mask and later Deserts of Desolation seeded between them.
List of Acquired Modules
Destiny of the Sands: A Bitter Bargain (1st-2nd, 4th-5th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Destiny of the Sands: Race to Seeker’s Folly (1st-2nd, 4th-5th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Destiny of the Sands: Sanctum of the Sages (3rd-4th , 6th-7th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
(Given levels, possibility I might consider this as prequel to Mummy's Mask, but I will have to read them first.)
Mummy’s Mask (1st-15th?, PF, Golarion) (Osirion)
Risen from the Sands (3rd, PF, Golarion) (Osirion)
Test of Tar Kuata (3-4th, 6-7th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Third Riddle (1st-2nd, 3rd-5th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
The Rebel’s Ransom (5th-6th, 8th-9th, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Desert of Desolation (5th-7th, AD&D) (Osirion ?)
The Trouble with Secrets (5-6th, 8-9th, 3.5, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Entombed with the Phaorahs (6th-8th, 3.5, Golarion) (Osirion)
Beacon Below (7-8th, 10-11th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Drow of the Darklands Pyramid (7-8th, 10-11th, PF, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Pact Stone Pyramid (8th-10th, 3.5, Golarion) (Osirion)
Wrath of the Accursed (7th-8th, 10-11th, Golarion) (Osirion) (PF Soc)
Doomday Dawn (?? PF2)
One major pertinent point of consideration is where to locate Deserts of Desolation in Osirion approximately.
If anyone can offer any suggestions or other useful advice on any of the modules (from AD&D onwards) or story ideas, please do. (Or just to sit gobsmacked at my sheer insanity, whichever).
(I may crosspost this to giant in the Playground as well at some point, but I figured here was as likely as anywhere to have folk who have actully played the relevant modules.)
I'm aware that this is very high-concept and pending me doing a lot of reading over the next few months, but I wanted to at least make a start, because then the job is begun. (I've started printing Deserts already.) If nothing else, reading through all this will take over from re-reading all my hard-copy Paizo modules (and the entire AD&D encyclopedia magicka) in my bedroom at supper-time.
I am currently playthrough through Owlcat's Wrath of the Righteous, and while I have traditionaly preferred Epic to Mythic, actually using it is bringing me back to the idea that 3.Aotrs said when difference between 3.5 and PF1 were "why not both?" So potentially on a mechanical level, I might consider doing a mythic "sidegrade" along with the rest. I do fully expect this to end in Epic, though, but it'll be a hell of a ride. More expecially because THIS will be th party in which I will be only letting the players pick classes that we haven't really used before, and not from The Usual Suspects. (So, no clerics, wizards, paladins, rogues, rangers, archivists, druids, fighters, warblades, crusaders, swordsages, bards - I've got 50 base classes plus archtypes, time to use them!)
I am finally getting to work on the preparation for our second part of Shackled City (chapters 5 to about 8 I something).
I have just gotten to the second part of the Test of the Smoking Eye; i.e., the Pcs have to follow the path of the lantern of Guidence. It is an 80-mile journey, (so that would be about 4-5 day's typical travel), but the lantern-holding PC has to move at least 15 per round or they get teleported back.
How the *heck* are they supposed to do that?
Occipitus does not have any effect, as far as I can see, on nutritional or sleeping requirements.
The implication is they can't stop to rest (or go to the loo or eat etc) and there are several encounters.
Is the intention to make the PC have to Forced March?
They aren't going to have mounts, since they got to the plain via an NPC using Plane Shift, and even with the assumed default 6 PCs the adventure path was written for, bringing mounts with them is a LOT of extra scrolls (since y'know, you can't get horses to hold hands...)
Assuming a party speed of 20' round (dwarves and people in heavy armour); 16 miles/ day - eight hours - which is 2/ hour. So that's a 40-hour march. Given the DC per hour after 8 hours goes up by +2, so after about ten hours of forced marching (so 18/40 hours), the PCs are onto DC 30 Fort save, so the lower Fort characters are pretty much on nat 20 success. Which means they are going to be taking 22D6 nonlethal damage. Another five hours after that, at DC 40, and that's going to be pretty much true of any character at this level. The final hour's Fort save is DC 74 (!)
30' speed is little better, since that's 27 hours (and for most parties is going to require Splitting The Party), (19 hour's forced march).
It's unreasonable to be able to assume there will be sufficient spellcasting capability to be able to mitigate this.
Teleportation is not possible because of the nature of the test. You can't stop to replenish any spells.
E.g. Longstrider, which at 9-10th level - IF you have enough druids and rangers to cast it on everyone, including Kaurophon - isn't going to last long enough to do much.
Overland Flight might JUST be possible (if they are 10th level, not 9, it would last just long enough to get the wizard - on his own) with only two checks. IF you have a wizard and IF they happen to have learned that particular spell.
It's been an 18-month gap over lock-down when I'd didn't play, so maybe I'm missing something; but this part seems very poorly though out, like the wrote the 80 miles and then forgot about the logistics.
What happens is you cast Soulseeker and target a creature that is Undead (or you know is Undead, for example, an Undead BBEG)?
The spell says it fails if the target soul (unambiguously identified) is alive or soul-destroyed creatures and the rest of the text seems to assume it's a petitioner.
Would it, then, given the strict wording (as Undead creatures haven't had judegment yet, yes?) locate said Undead creature on whatever plane it was approximately or would it simple fail as if it was a living creature?
(This is a theorhetical question I'm not actually planning to use it on a BBEG myself; I'm considering adding this to my house-rule approved list and therefore want to understand exactly how it works, and if necessary annotate it.)
I was today looking at compiling a list for my players of languages that are available. As I looked through a couple of sites to do so, I was struck by one particlar absense:
Chelaxian.
Which, according to the Rise of the Runelords player's guide (which my party of said groip used when they generated their characters) was a language.
Apparently, later sources don't have it as one.
So my question is thus two-fold:
1) Does anyone know why Chelaxian got obviated
and b) what ought to I have my PCs replace that language with, since it seems unlike that it will ever come up?
(Asking here since this is more of an edition-agnostic lore question than a mechanical one.)
So, the Child-Scent hex seems to be more or less unilaterally regarded as completely terrible. (Unless maybe there are a lot of kidnapped children the PCs need to rescue.)
I, thinking that the idea is not without merit, have attempted to make it... Slightly less so. Maybe? What does the forum think?
Child-Scent (Ex): The witch gains the Scent ability, but only with respect to children, pre-adult, juvenile or immature creatures. Thus, she could sniff out a child’s hiding place, a den of wolf pups or a juvenile age-category dragon, but not the child’s parents or the den mother. She also gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against such creatures. Likewise, she gets a +2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against them. A witch may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify these creatures.
So, yeah. Favoured Enemy: Child?
Yes, it's still probably bad, but at least it's less bad, maybe? And might, possibly, have some more applications? I could add full ranger favoured enemy scaling, but I'm not sure it's worth it? (Though one feels even with that, it could hardly break anything...) Thoughts?
(Now, I grant you, this is likely maybe marginally more use to the Hexblade in my house-rules/own rules edition (to Make Hexblades Not Suck, one of the things I did was steal (many of) the Witch's hexes) as being more likely to be whacking things wit' sword or something, but yah.)
Okay. I'm in the middle of quest-writing, and my usual haunts (ahaha) for additional pairs of eyes are down for the count, so I figured I'd see if I could garner some eyes from the folks here.
The quest is on my homebrew campaign world for a party of 4th level characters (approx 6 characters). The crux of the plot is the PCs are heading to a village that has reported people going missing.
When the get there, the village is deserted, except for a wandering monster (a brontoscorpio, which on this campaign world is a tuned-up-to-11 version of the extinct early scorpion and a Level-Inappopriate challenge. Said monster is actually something else, under the influence of Veil and Feeeblemind. As the PCs hopefully avoid (or defeat and wonder), and try to find out where all the people are and why all the plants seem to have had a surge of growth and then died.
As they explore, they experience a series of haunts (placement uncertain, but nominally in order), tied to an incorporeal dryad bard, Narrei (a Dirge, a homebrew ghost bard template, essentially). The haunts essentially present the tale of what happened to her and (hopefully) suggest they way to put her to rest. As I like to try and present expositional historical events in creative ways other than just documents. (Other ways have including orbs with memories in them and cave paintings (described entirely through text, because I commit art like other people commit crime.)
(The PCs will hopefully be lead to believe this is all caused by her restless spirit, but when they arrive at the place to do what they need to do, the surprise twist is that she was deliberatly summoned by some evil fey from the local equivilent of the First World, who used her anger as focus for a ritual enacted to steal away all the populace, but that's not especially relevant to the specific topic at hand.)
What I'm looking for, then, is a rational-check and proximate balance look at the haunts (I've never used the official rules before), plus a general impression if you can tease out the story from the haunts. Thus, I've been a bit vague and omitted the names of the haunts, the DM's description and the method of destruction (it's the same for all of them). If no-one can figure out what to do, then I clearly need to do some mpre work!
Pertinent background information: 200 years ago on the campaign world, there was a period called the Dark Wars, where the nations of the north fought and defeated the Dark Lord, the final offensive being supported by an allaince with the (prime material) fey. The fall-out of the war and the burst of magic used to finally knobble the Dark Lord caused magic to wane in the north especually, and it still hasn't fully recovered. This happened at the same time as a load of plagues and famine, which essentially lead to a dark age for a century or so; the fey, stripped of their magic, got rather maltreated in human lands, and relations between the humans and the fey especially have been generally... Frosty, shall we say, from the side of the longer-lived fey especailly. This is all common knowledge to the PCs.
Dryads on this world are a specific subspecies of nymph (along with oreads, neriads and the like) which are a four-level monster class (and anoptional continued progression if they don't want to multiclass) which is a bit like druid.
(Pre-emptive apologies for any typos I missed, I haven't done my own second pass yet, though I've tried to clean it up for this post a reasonable amount!)
Note: The reset was explictly set as 1 hour, rather than 1 day, in case the PCs do decide they need to see one again for some reason.
Haunts
Haunt 1
CR 4; XP 1200
NE chained (Narrei) persistant haunt (20-ft radius)
Caster Level: 4th
Notice: Listen Perception DC 16 (the faint sound of a female laughing)
HP 18 Trigger: Proximity Reset: 1 hour
Effect: The faint sound of a female laughing increases, and and world blurs into a scene of a brightly-lit day on a road into a forest. The laughter comes from a green-skinned female – a dryad who is walking arm-in-arm with a man, wearing Validus legionary gear.
A DC 15 Knowledge (History) or DC 13 Profession (Legionary) check will identify the gear as being contemporary with that of legionaries approximately 200 years ago, in the late- and post- Dark Wars period. The legionary appears to be of Immune rank (a specialist legionary rank).
Both are carrying heavy packs and a small mule trots behind them sedately, with no sign of reigns or bridle, also laden with saddlebags. The pair are laughing and joking – the words are unitelligable, like that in a dream – though the dryad is more animated so than the soldier, who seems tired and care-worn.
A DC 12 Sense Motive check will ascertain the soldier looks not merely tired from the road, but that of someone who has been under long-term pressure, only starting to be releived.
A DC 20 listen Perception check picks out a single intelligable word, spoken by the man “Narrei,” said in reference to the dryad.
The dryad dances ahead of the man, turning, and laughing, and in the background, a village can be seen.
A DC 14 Perception check will indentify that the village hall and thermae appear to be the ones in Hamabastor in the present time, though much newer. The village seems smaller and the layout of the other buildings around them and one or two other buildings appears to be different.
The dryad bounces back and tugs on the arm of the legionary – the sparkle of light catching the ring on her finger is unaturally bright . The legionary, an identical ring on his finger also glinting too brightly, suddenly tugs back and pulls her into a hug. She laughingly kisses him and then between one breath and the other, he vanishes a long with the mule and he villager, and the scene goes dreary and grey. The dryad stands there alone, continuing to laugh, but the sound is strained and increasingly loud and interspersed with sobs, culminating when she throws back her head in a scream of grief and loss. As she screams, her skin also appears to turn grey-blue, and her skeleton is visible beneath the suddenly translucent flesh. The scene collapases into nothing, leaving behind an echo of the scream and a sharp, profound sense of loss.
All creatures within the area must make a Will save (DC 12) or be affected as Hideous Laughter (except the creatures are crying uncontrollably instead of laughing).
Haunt 2
CR 7; XP 3200
NE chained (Narrei) persistant haunt (35-ft radius)
Caster Level: 7th
Notice: Listen Perception DC 16 (the faint sound of a female humming a melodic tune)
HP 31 Trigger: Proximity Reset: 1 hour
Effect:
The world blurs into a beautiful forest glade. A spectacular oak tree rises in the centre, and off to the side is a small cottage, made in the Ciracan style. While most of the grove is wild and filled with wild flowers, a small cottage garden stands at the front of the domicile. A small stone plinth is set between the tree and the cottage, on which a softly golden-glowing stone orb sits. Notably, outside the immeidate zone of the grove, the trees are bare or leaves and there is a layer of snow on the ground.
The same dryad and man are reclining together under the shade of the oak tree. He looks very relaxed and content. She is humming a spritely tune, and across the hand which is not wrapped around the legionary, she is making coloured lights dance around her finger, and twirl into a dancing figure of silver light.
A DC 15 Spellcraft check will ascertain this appears to be Prestidigitation; a further DC 12 Knowledge (Nature) check will note that this is not normally a spell dryads know.
A ripple of wind seems to brush through the clearing. The lights twinkle out. The dryad’s song falters and her brow furrows in confusion. The man starts to laugh, but quickly trails off as the dryad makes more gestures and nothing happens. She stands up, the man standing beside her in confusion and concern. He glances across to the orb and seems alarmed to see it has stopped glowing. The colour begins to leech out of the world. Snow begins to blow into the glade, and the plants appears to wither.
A DC 16 Spellcraft check will ascertain she is attmepting to cast several spells, both of the arcane and natural variety. Nothing happens each time.
A DC 15 listen Perception check will identify the man calling “Narrei” to the dryad (the DC is lower because it is repeated more; if the PCs have previously heard the name, the DC is reduced by 3).
The dryad tries several more times, using different words and gestures. In mounting panic, shivering and with her breath starting to mist, she leans down to touch the yellowing grass and closes her eyes. Nothing appears to happen.
A DC 12 Knowledge (Nature) or DC 15 Knowledge (Religion) or DC 16 Knowledge (Arcana) indicates she appears to be attempting to channel positive energy, a racial ability of dryads.
The dryad’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and she repeatedly tries and tries again with words ands gestures. The man tries to hold her and comfort her, but she seems to be too panicked to be comforted. The world has complete lost all colour now, and is entirely in black and white. Finally, the dryad throws back her head and screams and the world explodes into nothing.
All creatures with the area must make a DC 17 Will save or be affected by an Antimagic Field (confined to their space only, treated as a 5th level spell effect) for 1 minute. Creatures that pass their save are instead affected as if by a targeted Dispel Magic (at 7th caster level). (While the PCs are recoveing from this, now it a good time to have the “brotoscorpio” come knocking; or perhaps a distant wailing, leading to a glimpse of Narrei herself.)
A DC 12 Knowledge (History) or (Arcana) check, reduced to DC 8 if the late Dark Wars period has been identified would place this event as most likely being (or an interpretation of) the Fade of Magic which happened six months after the end of the Dark Wars, occurring at the Winter Soltice. It is currently understood that the ritual that created the burst of magic that finally destroyed the Dark Lord, (created by the combined efforts of the fey and the spellcasters of the Northern Nations to cast), backed by the rising power of Summer Solstice, had an unforeseen backlash which damaged the flow of magic for centuries – it is the reason why the majority of the Northern Nations are still only within areas of Low Magic. The Fade of Magic, combined with the following natural disasters of plague and famine, created the dark age which followed. (It is ambiguous whether the environmental disasters were caused by the Fade of Magic or were just natural, though the vertiable denuding of the able-bodied population to march south to finally end the Dark Wars and the loss of manpower in the following harvast significantly conributed.)
Haunt 3
CR 6; XP 1600
NE chained (Narrei) persistant haunt (30-ft radius)
Caster Level: 6th
Notice: Listen Perception DC 16 (the faint sound of a pained moan)
HP 27 Trigger: Proximity Reset: 1 hour
Effect:
The sound of a pained moan rises, and the world blurs out, to be replaced with a view of a village, in the depths of winter. People are moving around the buildings, but they are, for the most part, hazy and indistinct and inconsistant, as if in a dream. The dryad is standing, talking to a figure in a pale robe, with a holy symbol of the Bright Lady on his chest. The figure’s face is featureless, as if blurred out; the only discernable feature is a brown beard. The words are indistinct and unintelligable. The world’s colours seem slightly muted – present, but as if filtered through a grey haze.
Again, a DC 14 Perception check identifies this as Hamabastor through the town hall; this is automatic if the PCs have successfully identified it previously.
(The Bright Lady is one of the most prominent Good deities, Saranrae would be a rough approximatation.)
A man, carrying wood-cutting axe, stumbles into the village from the forest. His face and skin are grey and very gaunt, his eyes blood-shot, and he shambles more like a zombie than a living man. He is apparently the source of the groaning, and he lets out another moan. The apparent villagers stop and turn to see him, all at once. They display exaggerated dipositions of alarm and several of them, including the robed figure hurry over. The dryad remains where she is, and recoils.
A DC 10 Sense Motive check indicates that they appear to be alarmed and concerned, but not afraid (as would be expected if the man was an actual zombie, for example).
The man moans again and this time it is followed by a severe coughing fit. A great gout of bright crimson blood explodes from his mouth, splattering the villagers and especially the pale-robed man, where the lurid red stain stands in shapr contrast to his robes.
A DC 10 Heal check will determine that this is an improbable amount of blood of to be expelled, enough that a human in that condition would likely be dead.
The vague people shapes do not seem concerned about this, but lay the man down and lift him up, to carry him towards the building the dryad and the man were standng in front of. Before they have gone more than about ten feet, they stand stock-still and all begin to moan in unision, their skins turning grey. They turn away and start to move in different directions, and begin to cough, harder and harder, until they too cough out huge gouts of blood. More villagers head towards them as they do so, but before they can reach the afflicted, the dryad turns and runs. The world seems to blur again, a rush of snow and leafless trees. When it refocuses, it is the same glade as before, but now covered in snow, with no living plants. The orb on the plinth remains dark.
The dryad bursts into the cottage, revealing a neat interior, and flings herself into the arms of the man, babbling incoherently. He holds her, does does not respond. She says something questioningly, and when he does not answer, she looks up. The man’s face has become grey and he moans.
The dryad, alarmed, recoils in horror, clasping her hands to her mouth in dismay. The man coughs and vomits out a jet of bright crimson blood, which covers everything. As the dryad’s scream of horror rises, the blood fills the world and the image collapses – but not before coating you all in blood.
All creatures in the area must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be subjected to a psychic echo of the plague (this is treated as a modified version of Contagion). Symtoms incude pale skin and throat irritating and paralysing fits of coughing.
On a succesful save, the creature is Staggered for 1 round (taking D3 nonlethal damage from a sudden coughing fit and dizziness) and Sickened for D4 rounds following.
A creature that fails its save is Nauseated for D6 rounds (taking D3 nonlethal damage per round from the coughing) and are Sickened for 4D6 minutes.
If a creature rolls a natural 1 on its Fortitude save, it actually contracts an echo of the disease. (This can be cured normally, and the victim is not contagious.)
Plague Echo: Disease, haunt-inficted (Fort DC 15); onset D4 minutes; frequency 1/day (D2 Con damage and Fatigued while the Con damage lasts), cure 2 consecutive saves.
The blood lasts only a few seconds before evaporating into nothing.
Haunt 4
CR 6; XP 1600
NE chained (Narrei) persistant haunt (30-ft radius)
Caster Level: 6th
Notice: Listen Perception DC 16 (the faint sound of angry shouting)
HP 27 Trigger: Proximity Reset: 1 hour
Effect:
The sound of angry shouting rises and the world blurs. The scene is the same villager as the previous images, still in the dead of winter. The world is again painted in muted colours.
The dryad is standing in the village square. She is being restrained by two huge, ill-defined figures. Their build seems more like a large orc than a human, but their featureless faces are the tan of humans, not the green of orcs. An old woman, well-defined unlike the other figures is standing before the dryad screaming and shouting at her, obviously berating her in some fashion. Again, the meaning of the words slides away from understanding.
A DC 15 spot Perception check will note that the old woman bears a familial resemblence to the man seen in the previous haunts.
A procession of indistinct villagers bear palls, each one with a cloth-covered corpse. The villagers move in unison, and silently. The procession moves between the old woman and the dryad and stops. The old woman rips off the pall; beneath it is a faceless, grey-skinned body, with a froth of bright crimson blood staining its jaw a chest. The features of the body are otherwise hazy, as if only half-remembered. The old woman points to the body and makes a vigourous, demanding gesture to the dryad, and then to the body. The dryad, crying and distraught, shakes her head again and again, speaking with a pleading tone.
The old woman snarls, covers the corpse, and the pall-bears step away, only for the next body to be brought and the next and the next. And each time, the old woman grows a little larger, and a little more menacing looking, her craggy features darkening, and wisps of smoke emitting from her nostrils.
Finally, the old woman, now seemingly about ten feet tall and looking more like some sort of demon than a human, rips the cloth cover off and the body beneath is the man. The old woman’s demand is the most vigorous yet, but the dryad is incoherent with grief, letting out only a single wail of distress.
The old woman speaks, in a voice of a demon, and for the first time, the words are intelligable: “then what is the point of you?”
The dryad falls to her knees as the figures and the buildings all dissolve into a featureless plain. The dryad curls into a fetal position, sobbing. Eventually, a sound of a shovel striking the earth penetrates, unaturally loud, into the silence and she looks up. In the distance, the glade can be seen. Four vague pall-bearers are standing by an open grave next to the oak, now looking dead. The dryad stumbles to her feet running towards the scene. The pall-bearers lift the pall and dump it into the grave, still moving in unison. The dryad screams and redoubles her efforts, but the glade is not getting any closer. The pall-bearers begin to fill the grave in. The dryad screams again, and black metal bars manifest in front of her, forming into a cage. The glade seems to receed into the distance, as if the cage itself was pulling her away. It grows smaller and smaller, until it is barely bigger than the dryad herself. She screams and bangs on the bars to no avail. She collapses to the floor and howls in grief and despair. The scene and the cage burst into fragments, leaving only a feeling of unfathomable loss.
All creatures within the area must make a DC 15 Will save or be affected as a Wave of Grief spell (Spell Compendium (3.5): –3 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks) for six minutes.
Haunt 5
CR 6; XP 1600
NE chained (Narrei) persistant haunt (30-ft radius)
Caster Level: 6th
Notice: Perception DC 16 (the faint sound of a crackling fire)
HP 27 Trigger: Proximity Reset: 1 hour
Effect: The haunt depicts a flash of Narrei’s memories of her death.
The faint sound of a crackling fire increases and the world fades away, melting into the village. The village is dark, the sky moonless and without stars. A crowd of faceless villagers stands in front of the town hall, each one holding a lit torch. The sound of the torches burning sounds more like a bonfire than a torch, magnified by the number. In front of them stands the old woman, in the demonlike form you saw previously. Before her, the dryad is being tied to a stake by the large shadowy figures. Around the base of the stake are bundles of stacked wood. The dryad struggles, weeping, but one of the larger creatures strikes her and her resistance falters. They complete their task as step away.
The old woman-demon steps forward. Her voice is ringing, but the words are meaningless aside from the first “Narrei.” The tone is accuratory, and with the conclusion of each sentence, all the villagers stamp down their feet in unison, making a sound that is far louder than in sound be. The dryad, crying and shouting, goes unheeded. The old woman-demon finishes her speech and produces another torch. She moves forward, as do all the torch-wielding figures behind her. The dryad, screaming in fear and panic, struggles helplessly in her bonds. The old woman-demon leans forwards and sets her torch to the kindling. The torch-wilders behind her all stretch ther arms out, elongating unaturally, to set their torches to the pyre as well. The flames erupt brillantly, rapidly creeping up the wood towards the dryad.
The torch wielders turn away and part, as the old woman-demon snarls with satisfaction and turns on her heel. The parting of the crowd shows a series of ghostly figures being lifted upwards, borne aloft with golden light into an incongrously-present sunlit sky. The last such figure is the man, standing staring down at the dryad. She is now covered in flame, burning and screaming, but still staring out at the man, even as her flesh blackens. The man regards her with an expression of sadness as the light bears him aloft. The ropes binding the dryad become lose in the fire, and she reaches out her right hand towards him, screaming a single word: “Nartius!” As she does, the world also seems to set alight and away as the fire consumes the dryad, leaving only a blackened finger bone visible in the flames. The world dissolves in fire.
All creatures in the area are subjected to a Fireball (Reflex DC 15, 6D6 Fire damage).
(The PCs have max hit-points, they'll be fine!)
Shortly thereafter, the PCs will encounter Narrei herself.
(I think this would be the appropriate place to post this...)
Just a head's up for anyone who uses GitP's forums, they are having server issues. The server's been getting worse over the past few months, getting notciably worse in the last few weeks, but now has basically hit critical mass, seemingly.
Information has been sparse, but we have some from Rich's twitter today.
Apparently, it's just become too big for the current hosting, so they can't even safely turn it back on now. The forums will be down, then, until they get a new server, which is an indeterminate timeframe (but Rich said zero chance before Monday).
(Several people on twitter have suggested he maybe look at go fund me or something if the expense is an issue. I for one would chip in if he does, I usually permenantly have 2-3 tabs open all day every day and it's killing me to have it down, since I have no-one to rant at!)
Could I get a secondary or subsequent pair of eyes to help me gauge the RP of some homebrew races I'm attempting to price up?
I am moving over PF's race point system (priorly, I was using one for 3.5 by JabbaTheWhat for my homebrew campaign world. Naturally, as I made these races under 3.5, they worked on 3.5's plus for minus system predomnantly, and what I did following those rules and tweaking doesn't fit at all with PF's. For those races with no or only +2/-2 it's easy enough to add another bonus, but with the more extensive mods, well, I managed to completely straddle PF's ability score stuff, to the point that even combining options didn't give me anything...!) I don't want to take anything away or modify the races, just essentially try and give them a rough price-up in RP for future additions.
I've made educated extrapolations, thus far, but for the sake of getting my eye in, a second opinion would be nice. The stuff in bold especially is what I'm looking for a second opinion on (everything else was easy enough to approximate from existing stuff, for as close as it needs to be for my purposes).
(Yes, Jump and Search are still skills in my rules, just pretend like their other skills or something!)
Spoiler:
Goblin
(World calls' em orc-kin, as opposed to goblinoid, but essentially, orcs, goblins, hobgoblins and kobolds are all goblinoid, genetically engineered (though they don't call it that) by the Dark Lord to oppose the main four races; goblins, the trackers, are nominally the equivilent to dwarves)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Orc-kin) type and subtype
• +2 to any ability score [0]
• Base Speed 30’ [0]
• Low-Light Vision [1]
• +4 racial to listen Perception Checks: Goblins have large and sensitive ears. [4]
• +4 racial to Stealth: Goblins make almost no noise when they move. [4]
• Scent (Ex): As the feat: Goblins a superb sense of smell. [4]
• +4 to Fortitude saves made to resist nonlethal damage caused by exposure to high temperatures in very hot or severe heat conditions (i.e. those below 140ºF) [2]
13RP; Level Adjustment +0
Gremlin
(Dreemaenhyll gremlin, which in flavour is something like the Golarion goblins, only turned up to 11 (and a little more like the Ones Out Of The Movies).)
Species Traits:
• Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Native) type and subtype [3]
• Str -2, Dex +2, Con -2, Int +2, Wis -4, Cha +2; Gremlins are small, fragile, but have sharp minds and a strong sense of independence, matched only by their utter inability to think things through. [0?]
• Tiny size: +2 AC, +2 on attack rolls, +8 on Stealth, -2 on CMB, lifting and carrying capacity limits half those of Medium creatures. [4]
• Reach 5 feet. Gremlins are right on the border of Small and Tiny creatures, and so are just big enough and just agile enough to have non zero reach [1?]
• Base Speed 30’ Gremlins are extemely fast for their size. [0]
• Low-Light Vision [1]
• Trapfinding, +2 racial bonus to all Craft skills and Disable Device. Gremlins are naturally inclinded to mechanical devices and creativity in general, thanks to their peculiar mind-set and long and nimble fingers. [4?+1+3]
• Primary Natural Weapon: Bite (D4, plus the Gremlin’s Strength bonus). [2]
• Chaotic Stupid (Ex): If a Gremlin attempts an ability or skill check and fails by five or more points, it must make a DC 10 Wisdom check or do something so fundementally stupid it deals itself D6 damage. This applies only to checks it initiates itself (i.e not to those made in reaction to another creature’s action)
It also deals this damage to itself any time it rolls on natural 1 on any attack roll, ability check or skill check. (This stacks with the damage if it also fails a check by 5 or more points.) [-3?]
16 RP
Hobgoblin
(Genetically engineered by the Dark Lord to be Good At Archery and be the Elf equivilent)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Orc-kin) type and subtype
• +2 to any ability score [0]
• Base Speed 30’ [0]
• Low-Light Vision [1]
• +4 racial to spot Perception Checks: Hobgoblins have superb visual acuity. [4]
• Sharp-Shooting as a bonus Feat. [4?]
• Accuracy (Ex): Reduce sight-based concealment miss chances by 10% (except for Total Concealment) for melee or ranged attacks. +1 competence bonus to all ranged attacks. Hobgoblins have preternatural hand-eye co-ordination and accuracy bred into them. [4?]
• +2 racial to Sleight of Hand: Hobgoblins have excellent manual dexterity. [2]
16 RP; Level Adjustment +0
Intulo
(Evil!Vulcan lizardmen)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Reptilian) type and subtype
• +2 Int, +2 Wis, -4 Cha: Intulo are cold and calculating, but their lack of emotion renders them passionless. [0]
• Base Speed 30’ [0]
• Bite: treat this as an unarmed (rather than natural weapon) attack (in that it provokes an attack of opputunity), which deals D4 lethal damage plus the Intulo’s Str modifier. [1]
• Stability: The Intulo’s tail makes them very stable. +4 on ability checks made to resist bull rushes or trips when standing on the ground or climbing (but not when riding, swimming or flying etc.) [1]
• +2 bonus to Acrobatics, Climb and Swim checks; the tail adds to balance and aids both swimming and climbing. [2+2+2]
• +2 Natural Armour: Intulo have a tough, scaly hide. [3]
• +2 to all Will saves: Intulo are very hard to mentally affect. [1]
12RP; Level Adjustment +0
Kobold (Another genetically modified race, because the Dark Lord wanted one to opposed halflings...)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Orc-kin) type and subtype
• +2 to any ability score [0]
• Small size: +1 AC, +1 on attack rolls, +4 on Stealth, -1 on CMB, lifting and carrying capacity limits three-quarters as those of Medium creatures. [0]
• Powerful Build: Whenever a Kobold is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check or combat manoeuvre, the Kobold is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A Kobold is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as Improved Grab or Swallow Whole) can affect him. A Kobold can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the Kobold’s actual size category but not with effects that change the Kobold’s effective size. [4?]
• Base Speed 20’ [-1]
• Low-Light Vision: Kobolds have excellent eyes. [1]
• +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics, Jump, Perception and Stealth. Kobolds move with speed quietly and have superior senses. [2+2+2+2]
13 RP ;Level Adjustment +0
Orc
(Think Uruk Hai, made to be the opposite to humans...)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Orc-kin) type and subtype
• +2 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, -2 Cha: Orcs are strong and heavily built but their size makes them less agile than a human, and they are bred to be inherently subservient to their masters. [0]
• Base Speed 30’ [0]
• Endurance as a bonus feat: Orcs can run for hours without tiring. [2]
• Low-Light Vision: Orcs see well in gloomy conditions. [1]
• +1 Natural Armour: Orcs have thick skin. [2]
• +2 to saves verses poisons [2]
• +4 to saves verses non-magical diseases: Orcs have hardy metabolisms that make it difficult to poison them, and the squalid conditions they live in provide them with a resistance to disease; those that don’t are usually dead! [2]
• +4 racial bonus to Intimidate: Orcs are large and fearsome creatures who have a menacing presence that comes from more than their size; they were designed to be intimidating. [4]
RP 14; Level Adjustment +0
Orc, Lesser
(Bred for strength over anything else, highly unlikely to be a PC race, included more for completeness)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Orc-kin) type and subtype
• +6 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con, -4 Int, -4 Wis -4 Cha: Lesser Orcs are huge, hulking brutes whose physical strength is matched only by their nearly absent minds. [0]
• Base Speed 30’ [0]
• Endurance as a bonus feat: Orcs can run for hours without tiring. [2]
• Low-Light Vision: Orcs see well in gloomy conditions. [1]
• +1 Natural Armour: Orcs have thick skin. [2]
• +2 to saves verses poisons [2]
• +4 to saves verses non-magical diseases: Orcs have hardy metabolisms that make it difficult to poison them, and the squalid conditions they live in provide them with a resistance to disease; those that don’t are usually dead! [2]
• +4 racial bonus to Intimidate: Orcs are large and fearsome creatures who are used to bullying others. [2]
RP 11; Level Adjustment +0
Vodyanoi
(Jungle frog-men)
Species Traits:
• Humanoid (Amphibious, Anorid) type and subtype
• +2 Dex, +2 Wis?, -2 Con. Vodyanoi are agile and savvy, but as ampibians, somewhat fragile. [0] (If anyone wants to argue me Charisma instead of Wis (the mental bonus is new)...)
• Base Speed 30’ Swim 30’ [2]
• +8 racial bonus to swim and may always take 10 on swim checks
• +2 racial bonus on Climb checks; Vodyanoi are adapted for an arboreal life-style. [1]
• +4 racial bonus to Jump checks; Vodyanoi have powerful legs. [4]
• Male Vodyanoi have a -2 penalty to Stealth due to their vivid colouration. They also gain a +4 racial bonus to Perfrom (sing) and (Wind Instrument) checks. Female Vodyanoi only gain a +2 bonus, due to their smaller sacs, but due to their duller colouring, no penalty on Stealth checks. [-2+4; 2]
• +1 racial bonus on Fortitude and Will saves verses spells and effects with the Sonic descriptor; Vodyanoi are somewhat resist to loud noises, because of own. [2]
• Far Breath (Ex): Vodyanoi gain Far Shot for any exhaled weapons (e.g. Blowpipes or blowguns) or any other similar weapons, do to their air sacs. (This does not apply to any breath weapons.) [2]
• Poison Skin (Ex): Any creature that bites a Vodyanoi muts make a Fortitude save (DC equal to 5+ ½ the Vodyanoi’s HD, plus it’s Constituion modifier) or be poisoned, taking D4 Constitution damage (there is no terminal phase). If Vodyanoi flesh is actually injested (or it is swallowed whole), add 5 to the DC, and the creature takes 2D6/2D6 Constution damage. Externally, or on the Vodyanoi’s death, the poison potency only lasts 1 day/ per point of Constution modifier (minimum 1 day). The poison is destroyed by roasting. A Vodyanoi killed by exposure to electricity, fire, heat, light, magma or steam damage is no longer poisonous. [5]
In other news, the clear favouritism in the DM for the Evil side clearly notable by all the evil races being at least Advanced (while dwarves in particular have had their racial traits reduced and moved over to Culture and some gone altogether; maybe I ought to give them ssome more stuff; sadly, I have always been on the elf side of the dwarf/elf divide...!) Though on the other hand, the Dark Lands have small RP cultures, so...!)
Question. I have bought virtually all of PF1 (and 3.5's) Golarion source material basically for reading material (the fact that some of it gets used when I run an AP is more-or-less icing on the cake), which maks Golarion, like, unique in the annals of history of RPGs, since I've never found any other campaign world be absorbing enough to want to read for the sake of it.
I have picked up dark mutterings the Golarion of PF2 might not quite be the same as PF1 (other than mechanically).
Is this significant to the point of unreconcilable differences? I mean, obviously, aside from events that chnage things based on time, is there any significant what would have to be treated as retrocasual changes to the mythos (as opposed to just stuff that was not expanded upon previous?)
So our party, which is starting at level 1, consists of 7 characters. Which is inconviently more than you can fit on the standard-issue Medium explorer frame (or the Kevolari Venture).
One obvious option is to swap out the science lab for guest quarters.
Of course, the problem is, that the number of expansions are so limited, it basically means the group having to pay an opportunity cost mechanically (i.e. loose 25% of any potential upgrade slots) just because we happen to have seven actual people who want to play the game.
(Never mind the fact that the woe betide if your PCs ever want to have, like, a relaxation room or something, given the need for medical bays, workshops or escape pods (seeing as we'd need to bays to have enough...)
Has anyone else had this issue and how was it resolved?
What do you think might be a fair compromise to suggest to the DM? Just ignoring the 6-crew maximum completely (I mean, we have one goblin and a Ysoki, which is two small creatures...) Increasing the BP or the number of expansions slightly? Maybe icnreasing the the latter slightly, but keeping the same BP which would keep a budget as it were?
I would welcome any suggestions.
(Unrelated, but as a starship freak, professional starship designer and rules-writer, the starship size/weight classifications compared to the stats make me cringe SO HARD. I maybe wouldn't have as much of a problem is the starships were in the same order of magnitude scale, but a 3-mile drednought's improvements in capacity over a vessel 125000 times smaller than just feels... So very wrong - even accounting for the fact fictionsl starships tend to scale closer to linear by length than volumetrically... Mini-rant over.)
I have told my players that I am intending to run Return of the Runelords as a direct sequel to Rise of the Runelords - i.e. a 17th to they-aren't-allowed-to-get-more-than-30-because-then-I'd-have-to-adjust-the -XP-spreadsheet AP.
Yes, yes, I know. I'm stupid, I just said that!
Furthermore, before Return came out, I had told the players there was an even 50/50 of running Jade regent as either a direct sequel or a "second generation" game, where the majority or entirity of the PCs would be the children of the RotRL party. The latter is now more the case, and I can see it being the third part of a trilogy.
Anyway, the upshot of this was one of my players asking at the point we are (the break between Fortress of the Stone giants (book 4 of Rise) and Sins of the Saviors (book 5) about whether or not it would be worth his character trying to set-up a farmstead and druid grove in Sandpoint, as a base.
This raises a good question. As I haven't bought all and read all of the Return books yet (I've bought the first two, but not looked at them yet), is there much of the quest pertaining to travel? I.e. if the PCs could teleport to each quest location, would it significantly short-circuit the plot or anything?
If it doesn't, then there is a VERY good reason (aside from the obvious good RP ones) for the PCs to have a proper base in Sandpoint, since they'll only be a [i]Teleport[/i[ away from home.
Okay, so our group is starting a Starfinder game shortly.
As I spend the majority of my time DMing (running adventure paths), I would quite like to have a PC that gets to, if not 20, at least the majority of the way there, like the PF APs do.
A look around seems to indicate that none of the Paizo SF AP (three or six part) go no higher than about 12/13.
Further, the large size of our group (six-seven players), the low number of character classes currently around and the general low-level of SF that essentially capping the game at 12/13th level means that we are... Somewhat limited in character options, especially if it means re-starting compartively frequently.
Now, I have the time and inclination to re-stat APs (I have even stupidly planned on running return of the Runelords as a direct sequel to Rise, at 18th to epic...), but I don't know if the Starfinder DM would be willing - or more appropriately, has the time - to do that. I am, however, willing to buy an adventure one and shove into the DM's hand myself. (I mean, after checking that he would be okay with that, though I'm sure he would!)
Are there ANY 3rd party adventures out there that would cover that sort of level? (Or do we know if any are planned by Paizo? Heck, are there any SFS modules that cover that range, even?)
I am starting a Starfinder game next week, and because I am a terrible, terrible person, I have decided to play a Space Goblin.
I rather like the idea of starting with an unstable junklaser (seems fitting), but one thing the rules don't say (as far as I could find) is what the price of one is. It says it's based on an azimuth laser pistol, so I would hazard that some proportion of that.
What do you think would be a reasonable request to reduce the cost by (given it has 25% less range and a 5% chance of blowing up in my face?)
(An official answer would be even better, if one exists.)
Okay, so my PCs wanted to spend some money today. We're playing a 3.x/PF hybrid and playing Rise of the Runelords. (Base 3.5 edition.) I have been using the PF settlement rules for base value and purchase limit, whcih is fine as far as it goes.
What is a good solution to look at if my PCs want to buy a specific item that's above the purchase limit? (Things, specifically, out of 3.5's magic Item Compendium.)
In instances so far, I have said they'd have to import it.
This week, one wanted an item costng 15k gold, so I looked it up and said it could be brought in from Absolom (which has enough base value), he paid his pennies and I just rolled about 8D6 to see how many days it woud take (about a month, as it happens).
But what about items that the PCs might want which are above even Absolom's 25k limit? How do they go about buying those (or, if you play strictly to the rules, can they even?)
The next question is whether PF's magic item costs are broadly the same as 3.5's. (I've never actually looked.) If they aren't the same, then I might need to adjust the settlement values accoridngly.
I want to strike somehing of a balance between not just letting them buy everything they want all the time and being too rigid. (The 75% availability for base price work pretty great, as far as it goes.)
Okay, so I'm doing myself a DM screen for my own hybrid 3.x/PF system and I want to resolve some issues with fly. Posting it here rather than the rules section because it will involve some house rules as well.
First off, straight RAW rules query:
1) The skill check lists you need to make a Fly check for moving *less than half* speed. The text below says you don't need to make a fly check if you move *greater than half* speed. So, which is it? It can't be both, since it ignores moving exactly half-speed.
2) Failure by less than 4/failure for non-winged fliers. There is no RAW on what happens. The intention SEEMS to suggest that they half to fly such that they either don't have to make a fly check - or fall, though the wording would almost seem to suggest that would happen at the end of their turn. Poorly worded, with too much "implied but not stated." I want to fix this so that it isn't (even if the end result it not what was originally intended, so long as it makes sense).
3) The Ghost Prat-fall Effect.
Partially a by-product of 2, partially from RAW.
Ghost have perfect fly speed, but, even with the aforementioned rule aside a standard PF ghost only has a +9 Fly skill, which means 25% of the time, it can't hover (whatever that means, see 2) and 5% of the time, it falls out of the sky when it tries to do so. I have difficulty parsing that.
This is exascerabated by us using a 1 = -10 and 20 = 30 on skill checks. This is pretty much fine in 99% of circumctances, but here raises an issue of logic, especially with Perfect fliers not using wings.
So, I belive that perfect fliers ought to have something that prevents that - I am supposing that perfect fliers ought to be able to take 10 on fly checks (or at least fly checks for movement), which would be in line with the bonus for Climb and Swim check for creatures with Climb and Swim speed. In the case of stuff like air elementals and a lot of (*but not all*) creatures with perfect fly speed, most of them are automatically making movement checks automatically in PF (where normally a 1 is just a 1) anyway.
Clarfication for 1 and and suggestions for 2 and 3 would be welcome.
I am currently still running RotR (we are about to start on the second half next month - htat's how far behind we are in terms of APs!) and have previously considered (because both I and my players are a bit daft) running Jade Empire as a direct sequel to RotRL. (JE being fairly sequally to RotRL.)
(That's not as daft as it sounds, because a) I play with a party that is typically seven to eight characters and b) a half-and-half hybrid of 3.5 and PF which is practically a sub-edition itself, so it's not actually THAT much more work to level up at the same time...!
And I've done it before; I ran the old AD&D module Dragon Mountain as 16th to low Epic before - that required a fair bit of bending out of shape of the original design intent, but it worked...! We still remember the battle with all of Clan Blood with like nearly forty casters manifesters, invokers and martial adepts of various stripes!)
At the time we started RotRL, I had said to the PCs that I was intending to ru JE as a sequl either directly (at 17th to epic) or a next generation and to make sure that as we went through Runelords to make sure they laid the foundation for a possible "next generation" of characters in latter case (when we had another look a year or few down the line[1]), if group elected to not carry on into epic.
Our player make-up has changed a bit since the, so I suspect it a little more likely that hey might want to run 17th-to Epic in an AP... But the existance of this AP (which I only really just noticed) suggests that perhaps I can have the cake and eat it too - run one AP (out of Jade Empire and Return of the Runelords) as the aforementioned 17th-to-Epic and then the other one as the "next generation" one as has come to pass between both adventure paths.
(No, not even I amd QUITE mad enough to do Return of the Runelords as a direct sequal to a direct sequal advanture path with PCs starting at whatever epic level they ended a previous advanture path at!
...
Probably...)
So, asking the general question (and especially towards James Jacobs, if he has time!), in terms of plot/character continuity (let me stress over the mechanics), would Return make a better direct sequal or a better next generation?
(I'm inclined to go with the latter, from what little I've seen, but there is something really tempting about going "right, you beat one Runelord last time, high-level camapign, so let's escalate! And then being able to go right wild mechanically with the Runelords...!)
[1]Judging by Shackled City and Runelords, it takes us about six months to get through an AP book (or two chapters of SC, it took about a year to do chapters one to four) and I haven't run quite back-to-back continuously.
Quick question - Powerful Charge monster ability - it says powerful charge adds additional damage to the charge. Is the damage listed in the monster description supposed to be the additional damage or the new total damage?
I.e., does a charging moose deal 2D8+6 or D8+4+2D8+6 (i.e. 3D8+10).
I would suspect the former, but it's not very clear.
Okay, so this is something I have been meaning to - should have - posted up ages ago, but I keep forgetting.
We are approaching the end of Zenith Trajectory (like, in the final battle right now). Two of the PCs are Splintershields - the grandsons of Davked's other two sons[1], so Zenith is likely to survive the current battle and be dragged back to Cauldron.
The Davked the PCs met was the doppleganger, okay, Celeste (who they briefly met at te community Demonskar Ball - thanks again for that, folks, by the by, that was great - doesn't really know what she's getting into fine...
The hardcover just leaves one, ever so slight flaw... It never tells you what happened to the *real* Davked. My reading of the text suggested to me that the Splintershields being A Named Clan that they are based in/around Cauldron, and that was thus my assumption when writing the PCs backgrounds.
(I suppose if this wsn't the case, then the PCs could deliver Zenith to be handed off to some nebulous Davked and the fact he's a doppleganger wouldn't really matter. But, no, I had to go make it personal!)
But in this situation, it is kind of important to know what happened/where is Davked - as, obviously, Vhalantru would have had to have him out of the way, lest he being there get in the way of the whole doppleganger thing.So I need to know what HE did, so that I can correctly obfuscate to the PCs plausibly.
Vhalantru doesn't want them interacting with the doppleganger again, so oresumably Davked needs to be ot of the way... Is he dead (either long before or Tragically Just Before The PCs Arrive (though that might not help them swipe Zenith), kidnapped, or what?
A google search had not turned anything "canon" up, which sort of makes this a bit of a problem.
Suggestions?
[1]This is my fault, since I write up some, part or all of the PCs backstory (depending how much they want to do) and use it as a good excuse to drop information, foreshadowing and the rest.
So, first time actively using the Pathfinder flight rules (as opposed to 3.5's.)
Pretty sure we largely made a complete hash of it (for one, totally neglected to remember the DC 10 Fly check on winged creatures taking damage, mostly forgot about the Erinyes' DC 15 Fly check to hover and mistakenly remembered Fly as Perfect, not good maneuverability...)
So... When using the actual right RULES, some questions, mostly pertaining the Perfect flight speed.
As PF does not make any exceptions I could find, I am to understand that anything with Perfect flight speed (a theorhetically-converted Beholder or a ghost) still has to make a Fly skill check to hover just like anything else?*
*If mechanically true, I may have to house-rule modify that one, as ghosts failing to float in place just seems a bit wrong!)
My party are running slipshod all over them so hard, its almost not funny.
I'm running Shackled City (on Golarion), with seven characters (and seven players, otn a good night!) I gave the players a slightly modified (primariy Golarion-ised)version of the community player's handbook, and one of the players decided his wizard would be the son of the Lathenmires.
Great, thinks, I, ready made rivalry, and a grand excuse to tie the Stormblades in a bit deeper to the party. So, as part of his background[1], Grallus Lathenmire was originally part of the Stormblades with his older sister dear (being opposites it pretty much every respect, they don't get on), but found the Stormblades distasteful. (Especially Annah, because he is smarter than she is and doesn't like to be patronised.) So he decided he would go away and (actual lines from background) form his own party with beer and hook horrors.
Which he actually did; the party as is met up while wandering around looking for the drunk dad of one of the dwarves.
So, we come to Meet the Competition, and the first one-screen appearance of the Stormblades. Their attempts to rile the PCs up fell flat at one comment from the 16-year old archer character (and my complete inability to come up with a rejoinder, partily because I was too busy laughing).
So the Stormblades went off in a bit of a huff.
The party pretty much beat the individual Stormblades out in the all the festival games, or the Stormblades did it themselves... For example, using the festival games from the community resources, Cora managed to screw up completely and come in nearly last in the obstacle course.Thy completely failed to give the Stormblades the chance to win in the tug-of-war by just not participating (entirely reasonably, as the party consists of a wizards, two archivists, a bard/cleric, an archer, a rogue and a crusader - and the rogue is the second-strongest member.)
The invitations to the ball came in and the party IMMEDIATELY went out and got costumes, hired both good carriages and got a few lessons, with only the one character (whose player wasn't there) being elected to have a poor costume, becuse it was funny.
The party of course, did all the usual stuff in the adventure in their typically competant fashion. We got to the Lucky Monkey, and Grallus' player asked about what were the chances of them taking it over. I said, as we had the Pathfinder downtime rules there and ready, if they wanted to do all the number crunching, I was absolutely fine with it.
So, of course, Grallus asked Daddy for some help, and Daddy was delighted to see his son taking up a real job ("A man's job, not like this stabbing people lark!") and thus giving Grallus the chance to score some points of his sister,
We come, then, to the Demonskar Ball (using, of course, Delvedeep's expanded version). Starting off, four of them easily won over the Aslaxins (with the chap in the poor costume still managing to win approval), to Annah and Zachery II's annoyance.
And then it was time for the Song of Heaven. Annah is upagainst the party's bard, Wathiki.
Now, Wathiki is a M'Wangi.(This is set in Sargava, only with Cauldron being less racist than the rest of the country, because, of course, the module wasn't written with that tone in mind and I felt no need to complicate it). Wathiki has an Afro. Wathiki's background, as handed to me by the player in its entirity, runs thusly:
Quote:
Now, this is a story all about how
Some dude’s life got flipped-turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became what I call an adventur”rare”
In west Kalabuto born and raised
In the tavern was where I spent most of my days
Cleanin' up maxin' relaxin' all cool
And all shooting some beats ‘cause my words were mah tool
When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started making trouble in my neighbourhood
I wielded my words an’ Ma hated the din
She said 'You're movin' in with the Clerics of Shelyn'
We whistled for a friar and when he came near
His lyrics were fresh and he used ice as a mirror
If anything I could say that this dude was too much
But I thought 'Nah, forget it' – ‘Let’s see this god and such'
I studied for some years, about 7 or 8
Before I yelled to the cleric 'Yo homes, see ya later'
I looked out at the kingdom
I was finally there
To drop beats in the world as an adventure”rare”
Wathiki - to his player's enormous credit - has spoken in nothing but rhymes for the entire adventure path[2].
Wathiki, who was very nearly the reason the party was called Grallus' Funk Band and not Grallus FB, because I warned them that the former name would probably make them the laughing stock of the city. (The more fool I.)
Annah chooses from the five options, the harp and with her "I paid the judge" is on +13. Wathiki, naturally, chooses "voice." I should thank Delvedeep, actually, for specifically using "voice" and not "singing" (as Wathiki's Perform skill is technically Perform (Beatbox). After lessons, (and the player being plesantly surprised he was going to get his full skill check) was at +12.
I found I had got two sets of DCs noted and wasn't sure which one I should use. Looking it up now i'm back, the original lists two set of DCs and I had apparently reduced all of them down a bit, because I thought they were a bit high.
I needn't have bothered.
Wathiki blew Annah out of the water, with his lowest check on the penultimate verse being 25 - the rest were over 30 (which passed on Delvedeep's highest set of DC!) Annah, meanwhile - not doube increasinly infuriated by the performance, failed her last two checks.
So, let us be clear. Wathiki delivered not only one of the finest performances of the Song of Heaven Cauldron has ever seen, but he did it beatboxing.
Annah stormed off, ignoring Wathiki's offered "good show" shake on it (and I had her snarl at Professor Palendor, just as a way for the PCs to know Wathiki won even when the judge was being bribed.)
During the dancing, I regretfully decided that there was no way Grallus would be stupid enough to let Cora anywhere near him dancing (because he knows exactly what she's like), so the only other one (not currently beatboxing!) with an elaborate cosume was dwarven archivist (and ladies dwarf) Danagar. Whom she utterly failed to out-dance to ruin the costume.
(And that is as far as we've gotten.)
After this, I fear no-one is going to bat an eyelid at the Lucky Monkey becoming the Funky Monkey, not now...!
So then, the poor Stormblades have been shown up at every single turn. They are about as threatening a rival to the PCs as DickDastardly, and about as successful.
Maybe I ought to just give up and make them the full-on comedy relief rivals at this point...! (Presumably that makes Todd Muttley...?)
[1]I let the players do as much or as little of background as they like, and then do the rest myself (typically just localising it), and using as a grand excuse to feed in pertinent background information. (Like all the stuff on the Splintershields for the two dwarves in the party.)
[2]The player viewed it as a challenge, since it wasn't something that comes naturally to him. But he's definitely getting better at it as this goes on!
My PCs just made their first foray into Drackthar's Way. Where they proceeded to trigger about 75% of the first level into one battle, and Drakthar as well (as I noted up that they triggered the first attack by Drakthar by the time they'd donethe first seven numbered locations).
They quickly realise that they were running way too ong on resources to tackle Drakthar (who has also been buffed up to being a rather credible threat!) and beat a hasty retreat, dragging the now-dominated Archivist (who, luckily for them, had chosne to load nothing but healing spells - and hilariously, the one Protetion From Evil).
(Drakthar, for his part - this being on Golarion - just enjoyed himself getting off on their fear. But they did discover that Glitterdust blinded him and web slowed him down (though he shrugged off the former (due to a homebrew template) and wasn't concerend about the latter.)
I imagine they will not be back for a day or so, now knowing properly what they're up against. They did buy some silver weapons after the were-rats (which explained to DM and player alike why Suddenly Were-Rats!), but the DR is Silver and Magic, so I shall suggest they might want to get some Oils of Magic Weapon...!
Now, they are being paid by the ear for all the goblins they kill. And they killed a lot of goblins (given the numbers were buffed for a 7-party team).
So the big question is... What is Drakthar going to do with the bodies? Normally, none of us would are, but the ears are money to the PCs (and I don't want to screw them put of too much money) - so... Where might he put them?
Having a bit of trouble with the PFSRD (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/). Seems as though some of the sidebar submenus will not stay closed when I open a new tab (Races, Core Races, Classes, Core Classes, Magic, Spells by Class). The rest of the menus are well-behaved and when I close them from tan to tab, they stay closed. It's getting a little irritating, since it means I have to scroll down unnecessarily to find the bits I use most (i.e. the bestiary, since I'm in the process of working through a conversion of Rise of the Runelords).
(I'm running Firefox on Win 10, it that is relevant.)
I'm working through Rise of the Runelords, doing a aprtical conversion (general upgrade to PF-standard monsters, using the PFSRD, thogh the game is itself somewhere between).
I'm looking at the auras entry of some of the devils (e.g. bone/pit fiend) and they have fear auras listed, but without much in the way of details.
In the old 3.5 descriptons, where they laid it out in full it specified that other devils are immune to these effects.
Nothing I can see in the PF universal monster rules for auras suggests that this is an assumed default (aside for the general toop-level creature-sare-immnune-to-thier-own-species thing).
Is is just sort of assumed in PF, or can they actually effect each other with their fear auras? (I would assume no by RAI, but if I wasn't coming from 3.5, I wouldn't know otherwise.)
Actually, neither pit fiend or cornugon specifiy a duration (or a caster level equivalent). I guess you are expected to extrapolate from their SPA caster level; but Fear auras are SU, so... What?
And looking at the universal monster rules entry for the basic format it doesn't give an indication where a duration might be...?
As an aside, I can just complain about both 3.5 and PF insisting on saying "as the spell fear" 95% of the time something causes a fear effect? Could PF (which is otherwise generally better polished and clearer) not have just said "unless otherwise specified, fear effects causes a target to be panicked for 1 round/level or shaken for 1 round if they pass" or something in the UMR? (Or maybe it does outside the PFSRD?))
Edit: Just noticed, as it doesn't say in PF UMR but does in 3.5 special abiities for fear: are fear effectes still cumulative in PF (i.e. a creature tha ets shaken twcie is frightened)?
I'm in the process of converting adapting the latter half of RotRL for my group.
(Adapting.convertig because a), the 3.Aotrs houserules we use fall somewhere between 3.x and PF and b) regular party size of eight characters.)
My current projected level for the PCs by the end of Spires is only 15 - I kind want to push them up to at least 17 as intended.
My usual method of dealing wth the XP balance for the larger group is to either double the number of monsters, splash in fewer, stronger classed enemies or add my "Defiant" template [1].
Problem is Xin-shalast is... kinda short of encounters as, written. Given the competance and power of my group at the level they'll be, I'm already liberally splashing class levels and Defiant templates, but even with that, I'm thinking I'm going to be a bit short.
(Example, the four cloud giants at D: giant Sentinels have gone to Fighter 3s, supported by a Cloud giant Oracle which I pulled off the PFSRD (presumably it's a boss monster from one of the other APs or something!), which might provide eight (projected) level 15PCs with slightly more than a speed bump,)
Problem is, I've found with the last the modules of this AP, there are a loot of encounters were (because of space or just encounter structure), it's not so easy to do my preferred "and his best mates, the x-2th level cleric." I can probably make up the short-fall with "random encounters[2]," but that might be a bit... bland.
So, what would be great is if I can crib the brains of the folk here to suggest some possible Stuff I can bung in, to spin it out a bit. Encounters you used, suggestions for other Paizo material set in Xin-Shalast (I transformed the four-Stone giant encounter at the Storval Stairs in Fortress of the Stone Giants into an adaption of the Kill of the Storval Stairs PF scenario, for example), plain old brainstorming, etc etc.
Anything might be helpful, even to ridgely define my areas of doubt and uncertainty!
(This is - believe it or not - the first AP I've run (it took me YEARS to get to the point we were ready to run the first one, and we've only just started Shackled City...!) and the XP issues are... not ever so clearly marked. Also, my XP system i not standard: I typically award half XP for combat (except for RP/story awards (includng haunts) and "boss fights," none for traps that are simple "roll to detect/disarm.") Granted, there are plenty of "boss fights," for which the Defiant template is spammed, but there's only so many times you can take the solo monster ofr fout PCs and go "and double/triple the nuber of hit points...!")
[1]In short: each application of which increments a monster's hit points, gives it a free save reroll at the expense of effectively negative level and the ability to expend a whole increment of hit points to make bad effects/death go away (ala 3.5's Iron Heart Surge (as RAI!) from the Tome of Battle. Each application shunts the CR by 1 (though I really only use CR a method for calcualting XP; I ignore EL completely). It actually works REALLY well for our play paradigm.
[2](I tend to not use random encounters on the fly (since they make for pretty mundane combats, but pre-script/generate them ahead of time, giving them a tiny bit more flavour.
Quick question, to make sure I'm getting this right:
A 15th (plus) level oracle with the Tongues curse can understand any spoken language at any time, but can only speak during combat (etc) in the two languages (from the list) they got at 1st and 5th level. (And outside of combat they may speak any spoken language.)
I am now well into running the first chapter of Shackled City (located on Golarion, in Sargava, about 50 miles east of Eleder). I have made judicious use of the various community resources, including the (slightly modified) version of Skie's Treasury thereof.
The PCs have just found Starbrow and made a quick jaunt to Skie for the first time before they go back down to try and search for the "R" and "A" keys...
Now, while I made sure to enable the PCs to be able to buy a Wand of Lesser Vigor, they want Skie to see if she can get them another one.
I had, in my own mind, sort of considered that the PCs should be able to put magic items on order, for stuff that is not immediately available in Skie's shop (especially for stuff like that that is basically standard gear these days). I wanted to make it so they they couldn't just buy anything they wanted (for once, normally I'm pretty lenient), but at the same time, I don't want to completely block them from stuff.
So, I had half figured that Skie (and/or the merchants, especially Maavu's Imports) should be able to have such items imported. I thought I had made a proper note somewhere, but apparently not!
So then: how do we think this is best handled. At the moment, the PCs have left Skie with the full market price (and expect to pay the rather small current import tax), which was a fair spur-of-the-moment decision.
(One of the PCs knows Skie quite well - his mother was part of Skie's adventuring party, but she retired to have him a little before it all went pair-shaped, so she's Auntie Skie and thus they are quite happy to trust her.)
What I'm looking for suggestions on is:
a) what extra price (if any) ought to be on top of the market price (in terms of a cut for any importer (if we decide that it is unlikely skie has her own contacts)) and what tax the city will put in on it.
(Taking the comjunity tax notices, the tax on magic items coming in on Chapter Four is still pretty small, about 1 gp per magic item, so at this stage, it's not likely to be more than a few copper or whatever.
I noiminally said that as the current import tax is 1 cp per 100lbsm, magic items would probably be more like something like 1 cp per 100gp's worth as a starter for ten 9bvut also told the players that I needed to go away and think about ot properly.)
b) How ong should this ought to take? I'm thinking there should be a (randomised) time-frame of weeks involved (less for an item like this which would be assumed to be a common item in our paradigm (as or more so than a wand of CLW), higher for other items (like, say, stuff out of the Magic Item Compendium etc).
Does anyone know whether or not there is any pricing/weights for mosquito nets and if so, where?
I'm about to start Shackled City (set in Sargava). Both Geart of the Jungle and the Sargava soruce book mention mosquitos as a danger - and even mention mmosquito nets once - but I can't find any actual prices or weights for them anywhere, including a google search.
It's a bit of a flavour issue, granted, but it does seem like it's something that the PCs should be having.
If there is not, what do you think might be reasonable? One of my players suggested using the price for canvas but half the weight; I'm otherwise open to suggestions.
Is there anywhere a list of general fauna on Golarion, particularly Varisia? My druid player has hit 8th level and is asking what sort of animals he's familiar with (and thus can shapeshift into).
I know there's a couple of encounter tables and a partial list of unique animals (i.e. re-skinned) in Rise of the Runelords (which is what we're playing - the original version, not the updated one, it took us that long to get to it...!)
I *thought* I had a Varisian sourcebook in my fairly extensive amount of PF material, but I apparently don't (clearly, it was the Andoran sorucrebook I remember buying recently!)
Is there such a source (offical or fanmade) or am I back to using mt best judgement? (Something like encounter tables would do.)
One of my players going Dragon Shaman in a couple of levels, and one of the (additional) auras we were considering was the Spell Power one (bonus to all caster level checks vrs Spell Resistance - there are five casters in the party).
I can't remember off hand, are there sufficient numbers of enemies with SR to make it worthwhile? I know there's not much in books 2-4ish, but I can't remember about the last two.
I've been working on preparing Shackled City, and it's occulded my memory (and SC is full of SR enemies).
One of the first quest-books I was exposed to when I started roelplaying twenty-three years ago was the AD&D Pharoah. My Dad has cadged a load of modules from an oppo at his work for me to look through, so I could see how other people did it. (I started my roleplaying career in large isolation - AD&D was not only not my fiest, but a distant third...!)
It stuck with me ever since. I bought the module in hard-cover one day when I saw it at local gaming store, and later bought the Desert of Desolation pdf that combined the whole campaign. For years it has sat, awiting conversion and running.
Now, as I start finally running my first AP and have become a full-fledged fan of Golarion, I am now debating as convert it, rather than to me own psuedo-Egyptian country (which would have required a lot more monster replacement, since my own homebrew world tossed aside the entire 3.x bestiary and re-imaged from scratch). Further, with the Great Golem Sale, I picked up Emtombed with the Pharoahs and Pact Stone Pyramid. And, as I was cataloguing my modules - largely due to the twelve Dungeon issues that I recently bought Age of Worms with - I discovered I also had the PF society module The third Riddle.
Thought occured that I nearly have enough to be making my own psuedo-AP... or perhaps to drastically expand Mummy's Mask (which I will be getting as soon as it comes out!) into some sort of uber-AP!
So, then, the question is, are there any other PF society modules, regular modulles etc etc that are set in Osirion (or close enough!) Third-party modules would be exceptable if they could be comfortably hammered into Osirion. (Given the nature of the mutant hybird rules I play, edition - and perhaps even rules - is irrelevant, since both 3.5 and PF requrie conversion work - and would in the base-case scenarios anywya, since I run for eight characters!)
I run my games via my own hideous mutant hybrid edition of 3.x/PF (I term it 3.Aotrs). I'm just - finally - starting to run the APs (it's taken us about four years to start RotRL - basically, I had two groups that ended up folding together and finishing the two AD&D=>3.Aotrs camapigns first). Shackled City is next on my list (since at one point, RotRL was slated fro one group, Shackled City for the other (since there was at least one player common to both!)
One of the first things I ditched in 3.0 was their stat generation - both rolling and their point buy. (Never understood why a linear distribution needs a non-linear advancement, personally.) I have now consistently used base 8, 30 points point-for-point (and have since upped that to 36, since it makes the PCs no stronger, but gives them a little more play room, especially for the MAD classes). The former equates roughly to 18,16,14,12,10,8, the latter to more like 18,18,16,14,10,8. (As opposed to 3.x 25-point buy/elite array which is, what, 15,14,13,12,10,8?) I am thus aware of the conversion to 3.x points buy in broad terms. But Pathfinder's 15/20 point buy is a bit of a mystery. It's becoming something I need to address as I look at the more recent advanture paths I've now got (e.g. Jade Regent) which are PF and not 3.x, at least as a first order of magnitude analysis.
So I was wondering if someone could enlighten me with some examples of what base stats 15 and 20 point buy work out to in Pathfinder, so if I feel the need, I could adjust my monsters and NPCs accordingly.
I am looking at starting convert Shackled City to Golarion, in preparation for our next campaign. (We won't be running Pathfinder, but a horrible hybrid mutant set of rules the like of which Man Was Not Meant To Know, which comprises mostly 3.5 plus elements of PF and my own extensive house rules.)
I had already done quite a lot of ground work - at once point, I was going to be running SCAP for one group and RotRL for another, but circumstances have since changed such that the two groups amalgamated due to lack of numbers. Ironically, since then, we've picked up new players, so the party size now stands at eight.
This means I've got to go back through my work and beef everything up a bit (something I have to do with regular AP anyway - I'd thought I was going to get away with it with SCAP, since it was set for the six characters we had intended at the time...!)
Anyhow, as a result of starting Runelords, and during the background research, thus causing me to look closely at Golarion and release how fantastic a campaign world it is, however, while I'm at it, I want to shift to over from Greyhawk to Golarion.
I have already glacned through threads on the subject, but they mostly deal with location. (I have already come to the conclusion is will in Sargava, particular location not especially important.)
I started out beginning the proces, but before I'd literally looked at the first encounter, I realised I need first to sort the deity conversion out.
* * * *
It's been a while since I've looked at the book and I'd rather not read it all the way through again before actually doing the conversion work (which I will perforce be doing from start to finish). So, without re-reading everything, I can immediately identify I need to replace St Cuthbert, Kord and Wee Jas. Yes?
If there are any others of plot-critical importance (aside from Mr A himself, obviously!), I would appreciate a reminder! (Monster gods are less important, since I can fudge or just ignore them altogether if need be, as the PCs are not likely to care much about them.)
At the moment, my only source for Golarion deities is the Inner Sea Guide.
There is, for better or for worse, no obviously direct analogues, either thematically or mechanically, though there are some reasonable paralellels.
Cuthbert could be replaced by either Abadar or Iomedae: both are normally worshipped in Sargava anyway. I'm rally not sure as to which would be best suited.
Kord's closest approximation would appear to be Cayden Cailean, or at least the same alignment and jovial-y sort of beer-guzzling-y-ness anyway.
Wee Jas could either be Nethys or Pharasma - I'm leaning towards the latter, on the basis that they are the same gender and Death + knowledge is not that far away from death + magic.
I would welcome any suggestions, especially of any other gods from other books, which as I've really just started getting into Golarion I wouldn't know about. (I have some time, so if I need end up buying some more books in the end, it wouldn't matter too much.)
* * * *
Aside from the obvious chance of location, which I'm largely going to gloss over aside from the cosmetic changes (since SCAP is nicely self-contained) and the dieties, can anyone think of any other elements that are particularly in need of alterning?
Jzadirune, perhaps, instead of being Gnomish... What might be a good replacement? Obviously really ancient Ghol-Gan is out of the question due to the size issues, and it's a bit far for Thassiloian. Any ideas?
As the PDF sale is on, and I am carefully totting up what I can get (thus far, Age of Worms from the Dungeon magazines, because I've heard good things about it and it's long!) I wondered about Jade Regent. We are about ten weeks in Rise of the Rune Lords (and I have two whole other adventure paths to run!).
So, my idle musing is whether Jade Regent would stand as a sequel to Runelords, in the distant future.
On the one hand, yes, this would require a significant upgrade of the enemies and challenges, yes (though it's not the first time - my 3.Aotrs conversion of the AD&D Dragon Mountain started at 16th and ended in Epic!) - but as I'm running for eight players, I have to go through and add/amend anyway even if I run adventure paths at their intended levels. (On top of the fact I play 3.Aotrs, which lies somewhere on the 3.5 side of a hidious mutant hybrid of 3.5, Pathfinder and houserules...)
Do those of you who are familar with it, then, think the story would be a good sequel? The scope certain seems like it would be big enough. The journey aspects I would perhaps have to fudge, a bit, one way or another (but my players are a little used to that, since I'm a terrible stickler for "journey"-type adventures...!)
And we started the campaign today. After about fur years of it being in the offing (it really took us that long to work through Night Below, though in that time we've also combined groups (which required finishing another campaign)and played through two other campaigns, so it was on-and-off), finally getting started is something of a relief.
This will be sort of an informal (and possibly infrequent) journal of events, because I do like to brag, I mean discuss the highlights of my games on occasion...
The game:
Spoiler:
The rules in use is technically 3.Aotrs. Basically, 3.5, but with massive amounts of house-rules and modifications, and a reasonable amount of ideas cribbed out of PF too. (I didn't adpt PF wholesale on the basis I felt their house rules were not better than my houserules and that PF had rather missed the point with some of the balance issues. Still didn't stop me nicking all the really good ideas though!) Skill system is mostly PF, though I folded my skills slightly differently. Most of the weaker classes have recieved boosts; notably fighter get a feat every level, for example, which makes them quite competative at the paradigm I play at even at top level. (We are using the PF Bard more-or-less wholesale, as it was a boost, with only the fact we still have 0th level spells as a thing, 3.5 style.)
The party is eight characters - and nine players two of the players are sharing a character. One very rarely makes it down anymore. They've got this little idea that he's got multiple personalities (which means it doesn't matter when he'd played by one or the other and acts different). This was supposed to be a secret, but one of the other player made a flip comment about it (which is of course true), so we just laughed and went with it, though I don't think the other PCs twigged that it's actually for serious...!
The PCs also started out with good stats: base 8, 36 points, point-for-point. (I don't hold with 3.5 or PF's non-linear progression of a linear bonus; if the PC want 18s, they can have an 18s, and they'll need it, because I'll expect them to have 18s!)
The enemies have been modified, by the addition of a) max hit points (mind you, the players are getting that too now) and b) increased numbers and additions of new enemies (often classed enemies) to the mix. (I only award half XP for non "boss" fights anyway; keeps the progression nice and steady.
Boss fights are usually supplemented by my Defiant template: of work of genius, even if I do say so myself, inspired by 4E's Solo monsters. Basically, a Defiant creature gets (pe increment of the template, and there are several that get up to three) a full extra block of hit points. They get one reroll on save (but that effectively gives them a -1 to everything), and they can expend a full undamaged block of hits as a swift action at the end of their turn to get rid of a condition (like Iron Heart Surge should have worked). In addition, if they get hit by any effect that would kill them outright (or stun/paralysed or otherwise spell combat over), they can expend a full undamaged block of hit points to not be affected immediately as a reaction.
This works amazingly well. Really, it's astonishingly great. You can add it on the fly if you need, and it makes boss battles fun. The boss battles actually LAST (because it takes the PCs a while to whittle them down) without having to cripple the boss' offense so as to not TPK. And it means Save or dies are not drama-killers but also NOT useless. (If anything, there is now a good argument for them to be saved as finishers.) I have used it in the last several campaigns and games I've won and it's abolutely top-notch.
The Party
Spoiler:
I did my usual with backgrounds - the PCs supply as little or as much as they like (so long as I get a few basics) and I will write up/amend and/or add place names and locations to fit the world, and provide them with Reasons Yu Are Now In Sandpoint. (Generally the more they write, the less I have to do!)
So we have:
Kaddo(k) Jawquvenh-Iignotia: Human male Bard, Shouanti but later brought up by Varisians after his village (camp/whatever) was wiped ut bu hobgoblins. Kaddok is his birth name, Kaddo is his adopted name and his surmnaes are Shouanti and Varisian respectively.
Gavril Nyd: Human male bard, Chelish Korvosan
(Yes, two bards. Kaddo is at least going Thundercaller, and is looking at squeezing in a level of Dragon Shaman, which I have said he needs to get Dragonfire Inspiration so that further down the line, they aren't stepping on each other's toes.)
Kethon Marlek Trat-Bonthewson (Ket; Street name Kevkas The Wary): Human rogue, Chelish Korvosan
Galmard Bugail: Human male Shoaunti Druid. Both Shounti are from the same quah, Shriikirri-Quah (same as Garridan).
Abbondio Heniol: Human male cleric of Desna. As he's 35 and his background was of the "born and lived in Sandpoint whole life" he pretty much knows everyone there. (Naturally, of course he's the least experienced player, but was game enough to have the biggest background, mostly exposition dump!) He knew Nualia passingly well (daughter of the boss), though there is obviously a big age gap.
Thrôllgar, thirdson of Kriegardt Orc Smasher: Dwarf Barbarian. He's from up near the Iron Wolf mountains, from a tribe of Dwarves from a small valley. It used to be a trading post from Janderhoff to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings until is that basically was isolated by the emergance of Irrisen. (Quite proud of that little bit of world-fitting!)
Regis Normun: Human male warblade (and the multiple personaliy guy). And Sandpoint native, he's just come back from his apprenticeship at 16. He went off early with his uncle to appentice during the Chopper attacks (on the night of the third murder, before anyone realised it was a sequence, he went out to a friend's and came back. He thought he heard something and hid, terrified in the alley until morning (he swears is was Chopper). Credible reason for psychological trauma? I think as credible as any!
And finally, Ruamaini Heliarni: Human male Wizard, Varisian.
(I'm mentally calling them the testosterone brigade - not a single female character among them. The Night Below party we've just finished had overwhelmingly more females than males (five to three) (though partly because two of the PCs were NPCs rescued and promoed to PC as we got new players in for the first time in donkey's years.)
My initial set up was to have the PCs in groups; some in one inn, some in the other and the natves in their own homes and then say "right, you get up. What are you wearing, what are you taking with you to the festival, what are you doing, in that order."
I put Kaddo, Gulmard and Thrôllgar in the White Deer and Gavril, Kevkas and Ruamaini in the Rusty Dragon. Abbondio, as a priest of Desna, was assigned as being the butterfly-releasing guy (who has his own house - or possibly lives with his parents). Regis has come home to his family. I told the players to pick two houses without names on and say, "right, that's my house." They decided to be next-door-but-one neighbours and that as such knew each other well enough to meet up. Which was conveniant.
Then I just sat back and made them meet each other and provided some light expository duties (through Ameiko, Quint and Mvashti, the latter two being name-dropped into some of the PCs backgrounds as persons of interest).
By the time our first (roughly two-hour) session was done, I had actually gotten as far as reading the opening speech. (As provided by the community source material - you guys are awesome!)
Victory for roleplaying, I think!
The PCs have formed three loose cliques, based on their starting locations; they've met in the street (bit of finagling on my part, but not really all that much, since I just asked them where they were going and they wandered past). The Sandpoint pair got into a bit of a snit wih Gavril (who didn't trust the directions that they provided to the Sage's house, despite being a worshipper of Desna) and Kevkas (who was asking questions about Chopper, having been given a precie of the events from Ameiko). The barbarian trio - who have really hit it off, by all accounts, first half of evening, I didn't even have to NPC Garridan to talk to them, they were so busy talking amongst themselves - wandered past and Kaddo was unusual enough cause Ruamaini to have a quick chat, before wandering off to see Mvashti.
So, excellent session: with a bit of luck, I can spin out the festival to encompass next week's session (to buy more time for my big order of models to come through, including some RotRL ones - bit bothered about that, it's been nearly two weeks and it doesn't appear to have shipped yet - before starting the goblin attack.
Such a complete change of pace from the endless monster-hacking that characterised the latter two books of Night Below.
Got a few Sin points - I'm being really vicious with assigning them, on the basis that I'd rather have too many than not enough, and the more I assign, the bigger a pattern I build. Sadly, they are all pretty much on the Sandpoint pair (Greed - though I think that actually should be gluttony, lust (talking about the brothel)...
Actually, what do we reckon anti-foreigner sentiment ought to fall under: that's got to be one, surely...! Pride maybe? (No, I don't know why the players decided to go there, but there you go...!)
Several of the characters have come to Sandpoint looking for work (for advanturing really). Any ideas (aside from actual adventuring) I could throw at them for the week or so after the festival before the midden hits the windmill in anger?
Okay, so I've have reached the point of doing the background write-ups for the PCs pre-advanture. Their brief was to give me as little or as much as they wanted and I would adapt and fill in the blanks as necessary and basically fit into the world (names, places etc), which is my usual drill for these sorts of things.
Problem. I encouraged one of the newer players to be native to Sandpoint (I wanted at least one character to be a local...!) As and as I came to write up his background, which was going to be a simple transposition/polish from his source material(see end of post) plus a near copy-paste of the Late Unpleasantness from the Sandpoint guide.
And then I finally put it all together and realised that he was a cleric.
Of Desna.
Who has been born and raised in Sandpoint.
And who is 35. In a town only 42 years old.
Crap.
So, not only is he going to be largely "exposition guy" from the perspective of the other PCs, but at that age, also going to be fairly well known in town and is going to have known Nualia personally, as well as all the current and former priests, and Tsuto too, yes? It's kinda going to put him front and centre. While great in some regards - personal connection and all that, it does sort of put me in a position with regard to what to tell the player and how much. (Considering he's the least experienced player, pretty much. If it was one of the more veteran players, I'd just dump the exposition on them and call it a day!)
Oh and just to compound the problem, the player's going to be away for a few months because he's got a course on a few weeks into the session, (but I suppose he really can be DM's Exposition Man then...) So it's also likely he might even miss the Nualia encounter altogether...!
Suggestions on what to do and how to handle this would appreciated. E.g, what you think I should tell him, how much etc etc.
(Also, I noticed he's not got a second name, and one of my other friends noted that he might well be the child of some of the first founders... What can we do with that?)
I'm going to talk to the player about this tonight and see if he's happy with what is going to be a fair chunk of exposition being dumped on his lap and whathave you anyway, but I would really appreciate some help!
(Source provided by player: "Abbondio is a human cleric and he was born in Sandpoint.
Since he was a child he was encouraged by his parents in being a cleric. Their main argument was that being a cleric was a job with good perspective, generally safe and quiet, therefore suitable for a person like Abbondio, who never wanted a life too risky and full of changes.
Abbondio then followed this path and became a functionary of the temple of Desna.
He enjoyed the life in the temple for some years but now he is thinking that maybe he wants to see a bit more of the world.")
It's been quite a while since I was last here, partly because I've mostly stuck to my own houserules which arguably should be called 3.Aotrs by now (with a lot of the better ideas of PF pulled in), but mostly because we've been playing converted AD&D modules that took an AGE to finish. (We're just coming up completing Night Below after about four years...!)
(I'm quite impressed how active this subforum is, actually...!)
Anyway, our next advanture will finally start us down an adventure path RotRL(the first of three, Runelord, Shackled City and I can't even remember the name of the other one off hand aside it was one of the non-Egyptian sort of ones...)
I am at the stage of getting the PCs to write me some background so I can set them in place for the start of the adventure (and also so I can get some ideas about sins and whatnot for later!) It's a big party - our group, after years of struggling with four-five players (and down to three-four in the last few) has swelled up to eight. I'd already done some modifications for my preferred party size of six, so I just upped again for the rest. Anyhow, the party is going to consist of a Bard, a Bard (yes, I know, but what can you do...*), a Cleric, a Wizard, a Druid (the latter two in the hands of expereinced players and the former, who is less familar with the system, will be heavily advised on optimal spells from both sides of the screen!) a rogue, a barbarian and a Warblade.
Anyway, enough of the endless preamble.
My first question is one loosely related to RotRL, but here seemed as good a place to ask it as any.
The first bard - the newest player, ironically (though not new to roleplaying in general) - has determined he is from a Shoanti tribe (or subtribe, we're still not hugely clear on how big a tribe is) that was wiped out bu Hobgoblins and he was basically adopted and raised by the Varisian tribe that found him. (All fair enough.)
So, how big are the Shoanti tribes (if it's ever specified)?
We have some sample tribe names for the Shoanti tribes, anyway, but there aren't any one I could immediately find for the Varisian tribes. Could anyone a little more familar with Golorin than I provide some suggestions (or failing that, point me to any mention of same anywhere in the adventure path.)
Secondly, I seeded a few ideas (as for backgrounds, I usually add a little section as to why the PC is where they are specifically with an eye to the specifics of the game) for the bard's reasons to be at Sandpoint (the festival, the theatre, the Virisian seer and the Shoant Innkeeper.) This last was in the hope that the bard might go and talk to him and find ut what he was doing there (and also as a not-so-subtle prompt on which inn to put the Bard at as much as anything else). The player is now asking if he can be from the same tribe as Garridan and whether they would know each other or if he would know why Garridan left and so on and so on. (The massecre of the bard's tribe happened 9-10 years ago, my player tells me; I have no idea how that fits into Garridan's timeline, or even if one is ever given. (The inn description mentioned a wife and children, but I didn't see them named or given ages, though I could have just missed it!)
Suggestions on how to handle this would be welcome. The new player seems a bit more into the roleplaying end than we generally deal with (we do fall more into the fight-y end, mostly being wargamers at heart...) and this is getting a bit more complicated than I was really looking at in the "it's just a dungeon dressing!" sort of way...!
(While it is novel to have so much enthusiam, it is also something I am unused to, since I (and the group in general) tend to focus much more on the "what" the party is doing than the "who" that is doing it, if that makes sense...)
Finally, then, are there any things that I should be especially aware of that might not be too obvious? Or resources of particular note (I know there was loads of extra stuff for Shackled City that I cribbed from these forums a while back when we had two groups and I was expecting one to be doing RotRL and the other SC)?
*I have *strongly* suggested that one or other takes Dragonfire Inspiration before many levels elapse, so they don't step on each other's toes. At bottom level, they'll have sufficently few uses that they'll be taking turns each combat anyway.
Okay, got a bit of a bind. Our group is having one of our one-off games a week on Saturday. Problem is, last night, the guy who was supposed to be running it had his motherboard die on him, and he doesn't have the time/money to repair it *and* finish writing the adventure in time.
Which puts it down to me. Again. (Guess I won't be doing anything other than DMing until, like Easter then... *sigh*)
I don't have time to write a game inside a week, obviously (at least not to our level) - I've also got to start prep for a Rolemaster game at Christmas (and I'm DMing the current weekly game as well...)
Now, I have a couple of back-up modules, which I thought might serve... Problem is, from the looks of things they are all the wrong length. A full module is, obviously, way too long for a day game. The Pathfinder Society modules (specifically, the Third Riddle) look too short (as, from what I recall from the one I played at the one convention I went to, you run two a day).
So, what I'm looking for is something in between, that I can run in about six to eight hours (or thereabouts). For example, two linked Society modules would probably do it, if such a thing exists or could be reasonably cobbled together hastily.
Edition/rules set is largely immaterial (thought D20-based is preferred) (as I'll either cough loudly over the differences and/or adjust/enhance the combat encounters either way).
Just a quick query, folks, regarding treasure. Specifically, should I be giving out anything not stated in the adventure; i.e. should the goblins in, say the first encounters, have any treasure (e.g. cash) on them if it doesn't specifically say so on their stats? As I'm not sure whether such creature should have treasure as their MM entries unless it tells me otherwise or not.
My thoughts are probably no, they shouldn't, but I'm not that familiar with how treasure is doled out in modules. (Since most of the modules I've played/converted up until now have been AD&D...Runelords/Shackled City will probably be the first actual 3.x modules I've run!)
I'm converting up for a slightly larger number of PCs, so I'm curious as to what treasure numbers I should increase by 50%. It'll make it a darn sight easier to do just stuff that's actually stated in the module, but it wouldn't hurt to know if Paizo as a rule counts treasure as suggested by the MM/bestiary in entries that are stated as being as [reference] or whether the module discounts it. I'm not fussy either way, really, but it'd be nice to know what ball-park I'm shooting at!
As I continue to pick my way through SCAP, totting up the XP, I reached chapter 9. Now, even giving out full XP for everything, the total falls short (to the tune of 8k XP apiece) of the projected 15th level. (Up until now, it's been about right.) In fact, the projected total for this chapter only just takes the PCs to 15th level when they've whomped Hookface.
(Let alone the half XP total...)
I think I may have to add some story-based XP awards in somewhere. (Since everyone is going to be sick and tired of random encounters; spicing up the encounters in Occipitus stretched me to the limit, never mind those one the way to and from Karren-Kural!)
Mostly, though, I'm concerned about the endurance needed for this chapter. There's a lot of encounters to deal with without a pause (forteen in fact) and several of them modest combats, plus two arguably 'boss' fights (to say nothing of resources used in non-combat encounters). Possibly more if they have to do the combat encounters more than once if they screw up the others. It seems an awful lot to do on one rest (even at the chapter's specified 15th level and not 12 or 14, where you have access to potentially 8th level magic).
So, folks who have played the module, how well did your parties handle it? Did they manage, or did Hookface pulverise the at the end of the chapter?
Okay, I've got now down as far as plotting chapter 6. By 'eck, there aren't half a lot of random encounters (in the end, I used my spread sheet to save rolling for every ruddy hour the PCs are outside on the plane (even with an upper limit of one encounter per day!) Anyway, there's a bit of a disconnect between the end of chapter 6 and the start of 7, that nobody seems to make a big deal of. So either I'm missed something or everyone just fudges it a bit...
How do the PCs escape Occipitus? Nothing is mentioned, they just pop back into Cauldron at the start of chapter 7. I mean, the obvious answer is plane shift, but having just done several buckets of random encounters, I really don't fancy making up a mean 250-mile journey - and I'm fairly sure the PCs will be sick of 'em too, by that point!
How does everyone else handle this (especially if you have a party sans cleric or handy scrolls of Plane Shift)?
Thanks to WotC's star maneuver with the PDFs, I have been able to start picking up the Rise of the Runelords months ahead of what I'd initially planned.
Right, so herein lies the problem. My standard party size is six, not four. This hasn't been a problem with Shackled City, since that was diesgned for six, but it might be with the Pathfinder modules and paths.
Now, I ran WotC's Lost Caverns 3.5 version relatively recently. [Aside]Which utterly failed to ever make me want to get any more PDF adventures from them - among their other sins, the bloody map was light grey on light blue - and when i printed it out in black and white as the cheap bastard I am, it was grey on slightly different grey. Neither was easy to trace for the PCs;I had to hold the ruddy thing up to the light in order to get anywhere...[/Aside]
That was a bit of a travesty. I increased all the numbers of monsters by +50%, as well as all the treasure (and added in +50% extra kit to make up the value). Any 'boss' monsters or creature encountered alone, I maxed out the hit points of. I also gave the party a choice of being 10th level, with high stats (basically 18,16,14,12,10,8 roughly) or 11th level and slightly lower stats. They opted for the former. Both my groups are allowed full access to the entire of 3.5 (at least as far as class, spells and feats go PrC are a bit more variable.) I gave them level appropriate gear.
And they completely minced the campaign. For various reasons, though notable the Crusader could have soled it, breaking the game she did by having level appropriate armour and a shield.
Anyway, while I blame this mainly on the fact Tsojcanth was full of crap, moribund low-level encounters pulverised by three martial adepts, the adventure was still indicative.
So, what is going to be the best way to bump the difficulty for six characters? This is mostly a minimum effort job, since if I wanted to go from scratch, I'd be using the pre-3.x modules I've got for this purpose (and that takes bloody ages...) Also given the fact that in both groups the players work well together; especially my Monday group who work in a Horrifically Flawless Team of Doom most of the time.
I reckon there's nothing wrong with the theory of increasing the number of monsters that come in two or more by 50% (argueably with my crazy-ass players, maxing the hits out too!) Also, I've knocked up a conversion package for my own house rules (basically, things like for Fighters, whom I give a feat every level, knocking up a list of what non-core feats extra they have). So, theyre not really the problem
It's the 'boss' monsters if you will, that cause me the problems. While a single enemy character might be a challenge to four players, the extra firepower from six is usually going to vastly swing things the PCs way. Maxing out the hit points is a given, but's it's nowhere near enough.
As I see it at the moment, I can see four options:
1) Add extra levels to those NPCs.
2) Add an extra lower-level henchdude
3) If dealing with a monster, not a character, just have two or them not one
4) Apply my own Solo template to them (which basically gives 'em twice the hit points and some free get-out-of-SoD rerolls provided there's not too many minions about).
So, folks, has anybody got any better or different ideas?
Has anybody yet tried doing a 3.5 version of 4E's Solo (or Minion) templates? It's one of the few ideas in 4E that I could see having some merit (and I will force some use out of the damn thing if it kills me. Again!) I posted this up on WotC but the boards are now pretty dead, so I figured I'd try here. (The only response I got there was being told, "it won't work don't do it" without a good reason why.)
My initial thoughts - to be concreted out are as follows:
I figure the trick to Solos is to downgrade the effect of SoD without negating them. Nominally, I'd guess you do something lie say, double (and probably max out) a solo monster's hitpoints.
As to Save or die, my starter for ten would be to give the Solo some sort of, for the sake of argument, let's call 'em 'fate points' which would allow it to reroll failed saving throws for effects (say, death, paralysation, polymorph maybe ability damage or stun but not hit point damage) a number of times per encounter. (A second failed save could be either and 'hard cheese dude' or let you spend more 'fate points' to try again.) The clever bit would be that if it chooses to use this power, even if it makes the save the second (or subsequent?) time, it gets some sort of negative effect. By initial thought would be a bit like a negative energy level (only that effects anyone!) That way, SoDs would continue to make some difference in a solo monster, but the chance of them ending the fight would be much less (though possible). Of course the number of 'reroll to not die' is an open question?
Anybody have any thoughts? (Or a link to anyone else's attempt at this?)
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Ra đời từ năm 2012, <a href="https://ko66.free/">KO66</a> nhanh chóng phát triển thành một trong những nền tảng cá cược uy tín hàng đầu châu Á. Hợp tác với các sảnh game nổi tiếng như Evolution, Jili, Saba, hệ thống của KO66 luôn mang đến trải nghiệm mượt mà, minh bạch và đầy đủ tính năng hiện đại. #ko66 #nhacaiko66 #ko66free #nhacaiko66free
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