Hullo. I really like Pathfinder 2e skill challenges, and I would like to show you how I run them as a GM: using Google Sheets spreadsheets. I hope you can get some value out of my method, and find a way to use it in your own games.
Since we've a Duergar and a Warforged in the party I'm sure any hair-prejudice should be an amusing juxtaposition to racial-prejudice. The style's a reference to an Alfred Hitchcock book character who hwas a shaved head, eyebrows and beard, lending him a 'curiously agelss' appearance- just a bit of description I quite liked.
"Hmph. Chatty bunch, aren't you." He goes for a swig of ale. "Right. For those of you contacted by our more bloody 'mysterious' members, I'll explain a bit more about what I am, what I work for. The Network is secret; it'd be officially outlawed by Cheliax if they knew enough to name us. Our task is to end slavery, wherever we find it; in practice, that means making as sizable a chunk in Cheliax's halfling slave workforce as possible. Bellflowers find slaves who want to be freed, spirit them across Cheliax and then over the border to safety; Andoran, usually. We've got codes for 'slaves' and 'Bellflowers' and the like for talking in public or if we might be overheard, I'll fill you in later if you want in. We're pretty compartmentalized; you can't talk if you know little. As a tiller I've escorted slaves through dark forests, I've stolen rations to outfit a safe house, I've bribed guards to get the right gate open at the right time. For each run, I do some and others do the rest. I know a few, but only our leader, the farmer, knows all. You'll be rewarded too, for joining. For hard work done well. Gold, and usually freedmen bring trinkets from their masters to donate. Most of you should also know of the big buzz in these parts- the Empress' Feast of enslavement."" Abrosh tosses a familiar poster onto the table "which'll be held out on the eastern plains in a few months. We can't pass up that opportunity, so there'll be operations going on all through then, there and leading up to it. You'll be involved in that, if you do your jobs well." "Any questions?"
Had a drop-out, need a new recruit. Same build rules as above; your character will either be ret-conned in as replacing the drop-out, or you'll be one of the group of NPCs also taken by the drow who suddenly turn out to be PCs. Party is Fighter, Mesmerist, Bard, Oracle.
We shall bring glory to Urgen and impart to the modern world a breadth of knowledge unseen since before Earthfall. Only a cataclysm of that magnitude could stand in the way of our imminent greatness!
Time for another PBP. I'll be running the module 'Doom comes to Dustpawn' Story:
Three months ago, a falling star crashed in the hills south of the town of Dustpawn. Expeditions of miners and alchemists formed to harvest its skymetal, expeditions of scholars and astronomers formed to satisfy their curiosity; none have returned. Now, a man named Dalviss Crenn has sent word through trade caravans to Isger, Cheliax and further cities that he seeks valiant adventurers to form an expedition to validate his own theory- that the falling star is in fact a ship designed to travel the depths of space itself, fallen to earth.
The PCs will not know each other beforehand. They may choose to know Dalviss as part of their backstory. Build Rules:
Level 9
25 point buy Core + Featured races + Octofolk; I wrote up fluff and stats to make it possible to have Octofolk be either Intelligent or Wise, choose which you like Two traits, one can be any campaign trait. No drawbacks. Any paizo material (No Unchained) + Path of War (maximum two PoW characters, any PoW material must be on a web source somewhere you can link me to) + My homebrew No background skills; +1 skill point per level for everyone. Max first HD, average-rounded up thereafter or roll. Can't take average rounded up after if you roll poorly No pre-game crafting; classes with bonus item creation feats can exchange them as per PFS Variant magic rules generally permitted If there's been an errata nerf or change, ask and I may reverse it (crane wing, etc) Standard WBL Leadership is fine, but no followers affecting the game, just cohorts Upon meeting the pre-requisites, everyone gains for free one of the following feats: Martial Training I, Weapon Finesse, Spell Focus, Weapon Focus, Point-Blank Shot, Toughness, Dirty Fighting. Any alignment, as long as it can work with a party of strangers constructively. Application: I need a minimum of four lines of backstory, one line of personality and one line of physical description. If you go for the minimum, I expect the lines to be content-rich.
I'll be recruiting four players. I'll need you to have most of your sheet done.
He seemed serious-minded when you met him; his voice was terce, he asked frequently the limits and rules he'd be operating under. The principles he was to uphold. Less so after your first battle with him, when he fought fukll of sound and fury. Your best estimate of him was of someone, quite young, working hard to balance the contradictions bestowed upon him and chosen. Like so. Robe flapping, he moves up, hands splayed forward. "Parzifal, help him!" A blue-feathered thrush moves forward and takes up a defensive position behind Vincent's neck. Muttering arcane words, he lifts his fingers and summons fire, lips curling back to reveal a broad grin.
The sky darkens the morning the group has decided to leave. Passage has been booked on a small trading caravan heading to Magnimar in the evening, with warm if rocking beds offered in return for guard duty should the group be attacked. Eventually, one of you speaks to Sheriff Hemlock. You might not tell him about what you've discovered, the conspiracy you fear you might unearthed. But even if all you say is that you are heading to Magnimar, he offers the same advice. "Might have a contact for you. Iomedaean, Kejal. Been working in the city recently, tracing some deaths as a favor for Haldmeer, the Lord-Mayor. Check with the temple, might help." With funds accumulated and a metropolis on the path ahead, Father Zantus personally oversees his acolytes applying fresh preservative wrappings to Chaise's body, muttering a prayer over his still chest. "Speak with Mother Mulquist of the Pharasman Temple of the Sainted Grave, near the Alabaster district. Pass my regards, if you would." He bows his head a little to Isme. "My priests will see Sir Chaise safely aboard the caravan tonight, with the dignity he deserves."
Alright, let's try this again; didn't get enough interest at recruitment last time. Among your small town, you were the strongest, the wisest, the swiftest, the most loved. A single tie bound you disparate people all together- a love of the theatre. Your performances were a shining light in the region. Now you have all been taken by a shadowy drow noble on a journey deep, deep underground to play for your most dangerous audience ever- High Ilvarandin. Survive, escape or rule; the choice is yours. On with the show. Intro:
Welcome to Theatre of the Mind, a blossoming campaign idea I have. It's developed to the point where I'd like to run it as a PBP. I will say upfront that I have not completely written or detailed every part of this campaign. I would like to run this PBP as a way of developing it, writing new bits as we progress through and noting character reactions to learn and improve future run-throughs.
Theatre of the Mind will involve a party of 4 PCs being captured by Drow and taken deep underground to High Ilvarandin, city of the abominations known as Intellect Devourers, where they will be required to put on plays to entertain their brainy patrons. From this I envisage several possibilities such as the PCs engineering an escape, destroying or ruling the city by joining one of several present factions, or setting up a new theatrical college to train promising Devourer actors. I'd like to leave the choice of which up to the group. For themes I'd go definite on Horror, Adventure and Comedy, with Survival and Intruigue as possibilities. I intend to play the Devourers... differently than traditionally done. Build Rules & Recruitment:
Any alignment
23 point-buy, I'm feeling whimsical. Level 6 Core races Any Paizo + Path of War + my homebrew Two traits, one can be any relevant campaign trait from any AP, no drawbacks Standard WBL Max HP for all levels Aside from putting points in Profession: Actor and the like, it would be nice if your class abilities somehow interacted with your stage performance. Obviously easier for casting classes, but I leave it to your system-mastery. I will be recruiting 4 PCs. I will end recruitment as soon as I have 4 good applications. I will require a minimum of three lines of backstory, a line and a half of personality, and a line of description. Please make those lines content-rich rather than poor. No need to complete a sheet; however, a rough description of what it would look like would be nice. Class, race, likely feat choices, archetype(s). It'd be nice to develop a little group backstory, but that can probably be developed best once playes are chosen. I may have missed some things, ask questions if you have them. Risks and Risk Avoidance: I feel it would be irresponsible of me to start this game without, from the start, naming a few risks and how I plan to avoid them.
Things will get too NSFW Intellect Devourers are by their nature creatures with interests in sex and torture. I plan to mention these things, but not dwell on them; indeed, it will be the purpose of the PCs to introduce more cerebral pleasures to the devourers. The game will die early Aside from the normal PBP mortality rate, I am starting the game without a complete campaign and an intention to 'make it up as I go'. All I can say is that I have a decent record of keeping up with games I GM, and believe I can avoid this risk. The PCs will lose agency Part of this campaign is going to be capturing a group of relatively low-level PCs and throwing them into a feeding-ground of high CR monsters and NPCs. There is a risk that doing this will cause the PCs to feel as if they never get to do anything, as if my NPCs are more likely DMPCs, as if nothing they do matters. I hope to avoid this by giving the party a fair bit of autonomy within certain boundaries. The party will be allowed free reign throughout Ilvarandin, subject to a few 'go to this spot and CR 15 monsters will eat your face' restrictions. There should also be plenty of CR-appropriate foes and encounters. The party will be given a number of side-quests to pursue independently.
Elo lies back a little and closes her eyes. "I'm a soldier. Irriseni. That part means I'll call you ma'am and bow at you occasionally." She jerks her head towards Kashuya. "Don't mistake it for respect earnt. Yet. Volunteered for duty here; heard that was work that needed to be done. A little glory to be won. That's all."
"For this party, ma'am, defenses means clearing for animal dens, sightlines and routes to leave in a hurry. Little more." Elo dumps her pack, then scouters the edges of the camp while Gaurm gets to work. She helps Kashuya work, but gives the woman an oddly reverent amount of space and the occasional half-bow of the head. Pouring some dinner into her tankard, Elo nods approvingly to Gaurm. "Top-grade chow. I've had far worse with far better ingredients to hand." She takes a weary sip from her waterskin. "Night watches?" Taking her jar from her belt, she uncaps it and tips it on its side. The crab inside scuttles out and curiously darts its eyes at everyone. Elo lies back a little and looks up at the stars. "From those creatures we fought; we're risking our lives now. In the territory for it. I almost bought it today, might be any of you next. If'n you want something special for your remains and gear, or for them to go to someone special, might be time to share. And if there's agood story in that, worth sharing it too."
"Soldiers... or at least, I am." She gives the woman a hard look. "I've no position to judge whatever brings a fighter to the fight; just make sure you hold strong when iron meets iron."
Muttering curses in Irrisen, Elo grabs for Kashuya's hand, gets to her feat and dismisses her doubles with a syllable. She waves away Barrett, and pulls out her own wand.
"...I'll be able to see this is a good training fight as soon as the giant hole in my lungs stops aching." She nods to Kashuya. "Back to scouting formations, and this time, we proceed more stealthily."
Damage coursing through him, Dazl once more summons his domineering stance. "Power is no-power, no-power is power! Between, walks the twilight!"
Elo blinks and surveys the woman, making sure she realizes the import; then she nods. "My life for the crusade, ma'am; for as long as Irrisen can spare me." Pulling out her own sheet of parchment, she quickly sketches out the key features of the area as well as the group's target. "Reconnoiter, engage, retreat. Avoid senseless casualties. As you order."
After the events in the tent are resolved, Elo looks around everyone. "Well, it seems I'm responsible for all of you. That doesn't mean I order you all to shine my boots and salute, I'm sure many of you are independent by nature or profession. It does mean if we work together, not only do we survive but we might get paid, as well as contributing to this crusade." "So, first part of things... I've your names, but a quick word on all of your skills would be useful. We're about to engage an orc band on their own turf amid wild turf, a sound marching order and engagement plan is going to be crucial." "Me... I'm not quite a wizard, not quite a swordsman. I've some magic, mostly ways to augment my place on the front lines, and this." Without moving a single muscle, her ponytail unwinds then re-winds itself and whips around her in a single terrifyingly fast movement. "I'm also as stealthy as any I've met." She looks enquiringly at everyone.
GM, hope you don't mind a quick discussion about rank, might help you better guide the plot/Elo. Currently, Elo is a sergeant in the Irriseni military. She is effectively on secondment to the crusade, but is still somewhat independent. A similar example would be american soldiers volunteering to go overseas and join british soldiers fighting in WWII, pre-Normandy. The point is, the Precentor can't PROMOTE Elo to lieutenant in the Irriseni military. What she could do is COMISSION Elo as a lieutenant in the crusade, giving her a second additional rank to complement her Irriseni rank. This would be a somewhat significant move, not handing off a casual title. Again, it'd be if an american soldier fought with the brits in WWII, and they made him a british Lieutenant. It'd be like dual-citizenship, responsibilities and privileges on both sides. This of course jumps into the issue of how the crusade is structured. Is it all rankless volunteer except for a few titles? Is there a small formal military with ranks and some large semi-independent volunteer batallions? By naming Elo 'lieutenant', does that mean I'm able to order the rest of the party around? Does that mean I'm ultimately responsible for them? Just a few thoughts.
Elo nods in approval at each cart; their bandages seem fresh, with a small flask of water to share on the short ride. More than many could hope for. Keeping to the middle of the group, she focuses her mind on an old marching song, focusing on the coming fights. Got a letter in the mail,
Sounds good. PM me descriptions of maps you need?
I believe it's because of discomfort over the possibilities of these two traits, the spell fireball and a significant number of metamagic feats. Means he requires a better ruling about it working before he'll approve it. On whether or not those worries are valid, I make no comment.
It might be worthwhile taking a brief wider view of the class. How does the Master of Many Styles Monk compare to the vanilla Monk? The Zen Archer Monk? The Brawler? The Animal Companion?
Dear me, very kind of you. Glad you approve. I'll start thinking. Name: The Lady Elovanakovia Parvanovitch, Sergeant of the Winter Guard, commonly known as 'Elo'
...huh. Can I ask why you seem to be running this at a high-ish power level? 22 pb, 'chawful' trait, gestalt, templates, oodles of free feats. I'd likely be interested in applying. I can absolutely make maps for you and help keep track of combat; I'm decent at them, either with finding maps from the internet or making my own quickly with google drawings/excel/etc.
Simeon manages to notice the second floor.
Yep, all going quite well. We might actually get through the rest of the makeshift Badger-Saga.
The tonsured man looks at Hames disbelievingly. "I have not the slightest clue of which you speak, madman, rebel, fool. Two more points. His Infernal Majesty is the purest incarnation of Law imaginable. And if I am to have any hope of a glorious afterlife, it will not be served by some last-minute weakness." He spits on Hames' shoes.
Among your small town, you were the strongest, the wisest, the swiftest, the most loved. A single tie bound you disparate people all together- a love of the theatre. Your performances were a shining light in the region. Now you have all been taken by a shadowy drow noble on a journey deep, deep underground to play for your most dangerous audience ever- High Ilvarandin. Survive, escape or rule; the choice is yours. On with the show. Intro: Welcome to Theatre of the Mind, a blossoming campaign idea I have. It's developed to the point where I'd like to run it as a PBP. I will say upfront that I have not completely written or detailed every part of this campaign. I would like to run this PBP as a way of developing it, writing new bits as we progress through and noting character reactions to learn and improve future run-throughs.
Theatre of the Mind will involve a party of 4 PCs being captured by Drow and taken deep underground to High Ilvarandin, city of the abominations known as Intellect Devourers, where they will be required to put on plays to entertain their brainy patrons. From this I envisage several possibilities such as the PCs engineering an escape, destroying or ruling the city by joining one of several present factions, or setting up a new theatrical college to train promising Devourer actors. I'd like to leave the choice of which up to the group. For themes I'd go definite on Horror, Adventure and Comedy, with Survival and Intruigue as possibilities. I intend to play the Devourers... differently than traditionally done. Build Rules & Recruitment: Any alignment
23 point-buy Level 6 Core races Any Paizo + Path of War + my homebrew; other homebrew considered Two traits, one can be any relevant campaign trait, no drawbacks Standard WBL Max HP for all levels Aside from putting points in Profession: Actor and the like, it would be nice if your class abilities somehow interacted with your stage performance. Obviously easier for casting classes, but I leave it to your system-mastery. I will be recruiting 4 PCs. I will end recruitment as soon as I have 4 good applications.
Risks and Avoidance: I feel it would be irresponsible of me to start this game without, from the start, naming a few risks and how I plan to avoid them.
Things will get too NSFW Intellect Devourers are by their nature creatures with interests in sex and torture. I plan to mention these things, but not dwell on them; indeed, it will be the purpose of the PCs to introduce more cerebral pleasures to the devourers. The game will die early Aside from the normal PBP mortality rate, I am starting the game without a complete campaign and an intention to 'make it up as I go'. All I can say is that I have a decent record of keeping up with games I GM, and believe I can avoid this risk. The PCs will lose agency Part of this campaign is going to be capturing a group of relatively low-level PCs and throwing them into a feeding-ground of high CR monsters and NPCs. There is a risk that doing this will cause the PCs to feel as if they never get to do anything, as if my NPCs are more likely DMPCs, as if nothing they do matters. I hope to avoid this by giving the party a fair bit of autonomy within certain boundaries. The party will be allowed free reign throughout Ilvarandin, subject to a few 'go to this spot and CR 15 monsters will eat your face' restrictions. The party will be given a number of side-quests to pursue independently.
Synthesist Summoner. -2 characters in the same-ish body, backed up by mechanics
Wotcher. Introduction:
Welcome to recruitment for my Rise of the Whatlords game. We will be playing Burnt Offerings, the first book in the Rise of the Runelords AP line; if we manage to complete it and people still want to play, I'll find or create something for us to play next. We will not be continuing with the Runelords AP should we finish the first book.
I've decided to start up this game after reading over Painlord's guide to PBPs and reflecting on my past and current PBPs a little differently. I'd like to give it all another try. I think I can run a fun and interesting game for everyone involved. Expect a mildly modified version; enemies will be re-built, encounters will be modified or removed. Additionally, expect me to be very amenable to 'going off the rails'; if you wish to evolve the plot in a way the game does not exist, run it by me and I will be very unlikely to dismiss it out of hand. If you have already played Burnt Offerings, as long as you can avoid meta-gaming or giving spoilers to people who don't want them, it should be no issue. I'll be accepting four players for this game. I like to keep group numbers small; too many and too often I feel like I cannot stand out from the crowd as a player. I've been playing Pathfinder for over three years, and PBPs for much of that. I've almost finished a vanilla PBP of Burnt Offerings that ended up proceeding rather slowly due to dropouts and other reasons; I would like to try for a faster speed this time. I will use combat maps hosted on Google Drive; I'd like players to move their own tokens. Recruitment:
Right now, no one needs to create characters for this game. I want to try something different. Those interested, please fill out the below.
Experience with PBPs:
After a few days, I will announce four people to join the game. I will then request Skype names from all my players so that we can form a group conversation (text-based) and sort out character creation and other preparations there. Plus we can have some fun exchanging old game horror stories. Character Creation:
Level: 3
Point Buy: 25 HP: Max 1st level, average rounded up thereafter Materials: Any Paizo on D20pfsrd excepting ACG, Unchained and Occult. I may allow personal homebrew upon application and screening. I may permit Wordcasting if you ask nicely. Alignment: Any except CE Wealth: 3000gp Race: Core + Aasimar/Tiefling Traits: 2 and 1 RotR campaign trait If we manage to complete the adventure, I will implement the Mythic rules, granting everyone a tier. So, that should be it for now; post if you have any questions.
As a 10th level cleric in a game, I've had a lot of luck with Shield Other. Give it a try.
I confess that particular pun is from someone else's previous iteration of the concept; he's credited up the top. A few puns are mine. Like 'Dreadlocks' for a Cause Fear effect.
I have a homebrew Magus archetype called the White-Haired Magus that is muchly about hair use and grappling, could serve if you'd like me to post it.
Onlookers see the curious sight of a humanoid whale blushing a deep rose as Podrick receives the lady's necklace with thanks; along the way to meet his family and dispose of the accursed artefact, he drafts and readies his latest epic, his group's first; 'the Drowning of the Yellow King'.
What level? <10, Barbarian
Alrighty, here we go... Creatures of magic and legend, the poet-whales of the Triaxian Arctic live then write epic tales of undersea tragedy, drama and triumph. These tales they share with each other through whale song with unknown magical properties. Thought by some to be a created species, it is not widely known but whales 'sing' their children into adolescence. After the rude calf is birthed into the water, the mother and father sing to it, guiding its physical development to the point where the child can take care of itself and sing its to its desired maturity. Modern times have brought a new practice, agreed to by volunteer pod members, where parents sing to their child past the typical point where children are left to grow for themselves; they sing them into a new form, the form of the cetakin. Unlike their parents, cetakin are able to ford into open land by use of their strong tails, similar to the merfolk of other worlds. Cetakin are also smaller, though still larger than many land-going creatures. Their ability to breath the air also comes at the cost of much of their mystical singing abilities, and they can only communicate with their parent-race in the barest fashion. Cruel though these restrictions might be, for the chance to write and bring back legends and poetry from the world above the poet-whales are willing to inflict them on their young. Most cetakin embrace their heritage and their role on the surface, and are celebrated by their seagoing families. Racial stats:
I'm writing a campaign set in the delightfully flavorsome region of the Mana Wastes but I'm having some difficulty due to geographical inconsistencies. The Map of the region. Note the positioning of Alkenstar and Dongun Hold and Martel. Okay, so there's a massive canyon not indicated on the map with a huge bridge running between three cities. I can show that with a little work in MS Paint. But... Yet, as shown on the map, the Ustradi River separates Alkenstar and Dongun Hold, not Smokeside and Skyside... Yet, as shown on the map, Martel is miles and miles away to the east. Can anyone help me resolve these inconsistencies? Preferably a resolution where rather than 'ignore the map' or 'ignore the description' there's a way to combine the two in a way that makes logical sense. Cheers.
You're all lovely. Much thanks.
Obvious troll is obvious.
Or, use his aging to make him even more combat-effective. Inquisitor syngerizes very well with the Monk, particularly the Zen Archer monk, which uses Wisdom as their attack stat with bows instead of Dexterity. As your character grows older, he'll grow even more steady and sure with his bow, even if he can't do quite as much damage. Inquisitor/monk is a very viable build, and very dangerous.
Lantzkev, we're only four rounds into the combat. No one on our side has died yet (and you used Breath of Life on the dead animal companion) and we've made his accomplice flee and we've got him on the ropes. It hasn't been that curb-stomp of an encounter. Additionally, your attempt at using the enemy in our combat as an example of how Psionics may or may not be broken is significantly flawed because -The enemy is 'possessed by a fragment of a god-killer', which means... we really have no idea what that means, other than the psion has immunity to mind-effecting. We have no idea what kind of GM handwave oogie-boogie has thrown into the character and how it might have made fighting against him unrepresentative of fighting against a normal Psion. -This enemy was presumably designed for a solo encounter against us, a full party of level 15 characters, as that is what has occurred. Consequently the GM is fully entitled to optimize and boost the enemy's power level, possibly arbitrarily, to ensure he does not crumble like tinfoil. I have no problem with this, but it needs to be noted. As well- you've raised some issues about how balanced my class (dread) is, and how balanced my archetype (fear in flesh) is. I wouldn't mind sorting them out here as well, I haven't played a Dread before and am happy for some feedback, so- -I think that a Dread's ability to defeat Immunity to Fear is just as legitimate as an Antipaladin's ability to do likewise or even a Paladin's ability to be Immune to Fear. Seems to me that 'blanket immunity to fear, WTF?!?' is just as valid as 'ability to bypass blanket immunity to fear, WTF?!? -I am very sure that a Dread's ability to defeat Immunity to Fear does NOT bypass immunity to mind-affecting, thus not making it especially overpowered. -I quite like the Dread, they're a fun little class, particularly when coupled with the Fear in Flesh archetype. They're a 3/4 BAB gish with some abilities to boost their damage output to close to Fighter levels. Rather than these abilities being (relatively) easy to access (alchemist, magus, druid) they require an external condition: nearby creatures suffering from Fear effects. And then it gives you tools to cause Fear effects. For me, this makes the class much more fun and dynamic, and their abilities actually synergize really well and are very cleverly written. I recognize that some abilities may, if properly deployed, allow me to do evil things to the action economy. But as these abilities require decent pre-buffing, and as all of a Dread's Powers and abilities require the enemy to be not immune to mind-effecting, I think it is well balanced. EDIT:-As to fear effects being overpowered, let's look at how a Dread can cause fear effects. Firstly, they get a goodly amount of Powers to let them cause fear. They aren't full casters like Psions so their Powers aren't as strong. Secondly, they get some swift-action supernatural abilities (Terrors) to let them cause fear. Terrors have very low durations- 1 round, 1d4 rounds- which significantly reduces how crippling their fear effects are. Additionally, ALL of these fear effects are completely neutralized by immunity to mind-affecting. There is a feat that allows a Dread to bypass immunity to mind-affecting, yes. BUT it requires that the Dread be 10th level, it gives the enemy a +4 bonus on the save, AND it requires the expenditure of Psionic Focus, which will take a full-round action (or a move action with another feat) to get back. This conclusion may be biased as we have encountered only immune-to-mind-affecting abilities in the campaign, but I think it is relatively balanced.
Musical instrument.
Into the tavern strides- well, taking slow and careful steps- a thin, short man in hardened leather armor as thick as he is, a wide-brimmed hat dwarfing his head atop him and a monocle covering his eye. Dark blood stains, old and fresh, spot the armor in places. The fellow looks around slightly nervously and heads to the bar counter. "Excuse me, please... I need alcohol." He raises a hand and waves away the beer the keeper is about to poor him. "No, no, not that kind." He speaks in a rapid but clipped and precise tone. "I need illegal alcohol, fermented in old socks and strained through ten feet of iron cannibalized from bullets, girders and holy symbols of dead religions, I need alcohol strong enough to damn a man to drink forever merely for inhaling the slightest amount... moonshine is the colloquial term for it, yes? I need moonshine. I hope that you have some, or at least know where to get me some. Please hurry with your answer; this is not as yet a medical emergency, but it may be if circumstances conspire." Giving the keeper a moment to recover from his speech, the man looks around the bar again at the rest of the patrons.
Give him some intelligent wondrous items with the ability to cast buff spells on him. Should help him gain some traction in the action economy when versing six players. Fluff them as failed attempts at creating a phylactery.
How about inverting wildshape? Have his 'normal' form be that of a Beast Shape tiger and have wild-shape give him the Alter Self and Monstrous Humanoid changes.
So.... you want to play a Synthesist? Hrmm; okay... how about combining the Synthesist archetype with the Master Chymist archetype? Make your eidolon a sentient creature with a different alignment whose powers you call on; have to make will saves to remain in control? In reward for giving up the SLAs, give the Eidolon more evolution points than usual. DMs may not like this idea though, since by failing a will save your eidolon could go on a rampage, making you quite unreliable or unstable.
Switch to a Witch. Hexes are Supernatural so Silence doesn't mean anything to them, and they have plenty of spells for when they're not in silence-range.
This beautiful post by Grick explains what JJacobs has said about Chill Touch/Frostbite and Spellstrike- Here My GM has said that what JJacobs said is unofficial and I need something more authoritative. Does anyone have any more rulings on how Frostbite works with Spellstrike, preferably by one of the game-designers-slash-people-who-are-empowered-to-rule-on-things-like-this? This is for PFS. Cheers.
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