Hi, so this is my first time here, Huzah! I'm not totally sure that Im putting this in the correct section, but a quick look around seems to suggest that this one is as good as any for what Im trying to do. I recently spent the last day or so pouring over the mundane purchases in the goods and services section, looking for new ways to play with items that might never see the light of play, and new uses for ones that may already be used. This was inspired both by recent play expierences and a long standing impression I have. Over my admittedly short time as a pen and paper role paper (one D20 modern and one shadowrun oneshot, a years worth of 3.5 oneshots and VERY short campaigns, and one ongoing year long pathfinder run of carrion crown) I have come to the conclusion, that at least among the folks I play with (semi experienced to highly experienced guys in the 20-23ish age bracket) very few people bother using their gold on anything more than A) situational uses such as bribes or other highly specialized one off purchases B) utility items such as potions and weapons and ammunition and C) the most important of them all, the magic item you've been saving up for over the last 7 levels. I find this dissapointing because the mundane consumable rescources I feel get overlooked in favor of their more permanent and magical cousins. That in mind, I set out to give the items under goods and services a level in badass by combing them in what are hopefully new and intersting ways, along with the odd weapon or vehicle that most likely also sees little light of play. The goal is to assemble synergistic item combinations that are easily affoardable, craftable and useable, but will still give more standard options a real run for their money (ahahah, puns are the lowest form of humor). Quick disclaimer: I am highly aware im somewhat late to the party here, with people who have been playing since ADnD, and that it is highly possible that everything I am about to describe has been seen and done before, and done with more class as well. If that is the case, then im eager to hear how you folks have dealt with, implemented, and balacned the ideas that are presented. IF, on the other hand, you, dear reader, find yourself amused by my new fangled inventions, I invite you to look over them one and all, and then tell me how you would go about implementing them. What are I have here are idea composed of parts that are fully rulled, but have no ruling on how they might interact. I leave that, for you to decide. AND SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE STILL AROUND, I PRESENT
--=--)THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS BRAND NEW PRODUCT LINE(--=--
--VEHICULAR SILLINESS--
-(ROCKET SLED)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, a sled, soverign glue or comparable substitute method of securing two items, x2 Skyrockets. A distinct disinterest in your characters well being not required but recommended none the less.
*ASSEMBLY: attach skyrockets to either side of sled with sovereign glue.
*USE : Load payload onto sled. Light rockets. In one round's time, you will be able to feel the joy of 1d6 rounds of 90 foot movespeed.
*NOTES: Steering not yet available, feel free to implement your own compatible contraption
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: We from the Mysterious Stranger Contracting Corps (tm) do recomend the armchair from the furniture and decorations portion of the goods and services page of the pathfinder srd. With it, you can send off you chosen chump in class and style on his probably painful run. Barring that, we recommend a gun powder keg, for when you really just need to breach the wall at helms deep. Do note that the two optional features are NOT incompatible.
-(Sohei's Flying Seige Weapon)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, a sohei monk of level 4 or higher, his/her monastic mount (preffered large size), a vehicle cappable of being drawn by a single animal, a seige weapon that doth please your fancy and is capable of being transported easily, and a 2nd character proficient in seige weaponry and unafraid of heights.
*ASSEMBLY: Load and secure secure siege weapon to your vehicle. Attach whole contraption to monastic mount. load and secure seige weapon proficient chump. ensure rider is mounted.
*USE : Your sohei should know and be able to grant his or her mount the ability Hi-Jump. With this no longer shall you be plagued by direct fire siege weapons unable to fire upon the impudent castle guards who mock your noble personage from the wall. With a skilled sohei, you and your weapon can easily achieve heights of 30 feet and above. Now and forever more, fire from the moral, and literal high ground. Even if the high grounds happens to be elevated thirty feet above the closest peice of terrain.
*NOTES:
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: none presently available at this time, though, you can buy many different models of land vehicle, seige weapon, monastic mount, and even sohei from The Mysterious Stranger Contracting Corp. (tm)! The Mysterious Strangers have a commitment to customer service.
-(The Phoenix)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, a glider, x2 skyrockets, soveriegn glue or comparable method of securing two items, if your GM rules it to be needful, a sufficiently tall launching point (a feather tree token for 400 gold should do the trick)
*ASSEMBLY: secure skyrockets to glider, and (if needfull) ascend to a higher plane of elevation
*USE : light rockets. spend round before take in prayer to chosen deity, make peace with yourself. Take leap on next round and fly the quantifiably less friendly skys. CONGRATULATIONS! You are the proud achiever of Golarions first rocket powered flight. Enjoy 1d6 rounds of soaring through the skys before the skyrockets explode and almost certainly destroy your glider. If feasable, release carried payload on terrified and awestruck foes below.
*NOTES: Highly recomended to use either, your resident monk, or your least favorite npc/party member as pilot. The first is recommended for his or her ability to slow fall, excellent acrobatic skill and possession of the highest chance of being able to repeat this insane feat. The second for the lulz.
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: The phoenix is one of our proudest inventions with an incredible versitility of use, if not durablity. Arm your pilot with The Mysterious Strangers (tm) brand new detonation cord to truly rain fire from the sky. Else, simply hand the man a bag filled with your favorite Area of effect/splash item for him to drop as he flys screaming over your enemies. Alternatively, equip the phoenix itself with a pack of smoke sticks so your pilot can inscribe a short message of your choice across the sky. Enemy aerial foes got you down? Attach desnan candles to the front of your deathtrap for those breathtaking dogfights.
--Explosive Devices for Increased Adventuring Fun and Profit--
-(Detonation Cord)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, 50 feet of rope or rope substitute, 3-10 of your choice of splash weapon, twine or string to secure splash weapons to rope
*ASSEMBLY: have PC/NPC with appriopiate skill or sufficient intelligence attach splash weapons to rope in intervals of 10 feet, 5 feet, or go crazy and use the whole rope.
*USE : specific functions and applications of detonation cord described in supplemtary section below
*NOTES: appropriate splash weapons include but are not limited to, oil (alchemist fire), liquid ice, acid vials, tanglefoot bags, thundrstones, fuse grenades and any Mysterious Stranger (tm) made explosives.
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: detonation cord can be soaked in oil for greater effect with fire weapons
*** Detonation Cord: supplementary section on use ***
Detonation Cord is meant to be thrown so that the attached explosives are all used at once. To this effect the most common methods of use involve having the cord stretched out into a striaght line and dropped so that the attachments all shatter as if thrown.
A) the first method of deploying Detonation Cord (hereafter det. cord) is by using a grappling arrow or bolt, which you can attach up to thirty feet of rope to, and has (the arrow does) a range of 30 feet.
B) Trailed behind a Rocket Sled, or Phoenix glider
C) Attached to a skyrocket. A somewhat impresice method, best use for large targets that do not require accuracy
D) by attaching a skyrocket to both ends, and having you and a friend launch them in a parallel direction, the det. cord should form a close line between the rockets until it encounters a solid object, at which points, the rockets should alter course to become the world deadliest bola. Bonus points for when you foe is tangled, tripped, covered in splash weapons and has (1d6)-1 rounds to extract himself before the rockets on him detonate and set off the splash weapons
-(Shrapnel Pouch)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, a pouch, caltrops or marbles according to your preference and a fuse grenade
*ASSEMBLY: place your choice of small object and the LIT fuse grenade into the bag. you now have 1d3 rounds to get the hell out of the blast range
*USE : if I need to explain this one then you shouldnt be using it.
*NOTES: really, Im not kidding. figure it out.
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: if you happen to have some spare gold, you can substitute the magical item known as the Bag of Everlasting Dung in place of the regular pouch. This will ensure that your bag of fire and fury, is also a bag of fire, fury and humilation by way of dried animal defecation.
-(Dragons Breath Tube)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, a poison sand tube, flour, the ability to quickly bring fire into an area, or a fire already set up between you and your chosen target
*ASSEMBLY: remove sand from poison sand tube, if used, be carefull of left over and residual poisons. fill poison sand tube with flour.
*USE : use as you normally would. For those of you who know what dust explosion is, you should be catching on to whats going down here. For those of you who dont I have included two links.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5857379787822215553
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion
*NOTES: this works well in conjunction with a knowledgeable partner who can set up a readied action to light the ensuing 15 foot cone of flour on fire after you deploy it. In this manner, you can use two of these in a single round. Monks, its your time to shine if you have the ability to get these out quickly, flurry with them and make the dovakin eat his heart out.
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: The real fun of this weapon is just begining. Just as the poison sand tube could be filled with doses of poison, the newly christened Dragons breath tube can be augment its usual starchy payload with either black powder of flash powder. The first can be used to intensify the damage aspect, the second to create a powerfull blinding effect. If using the flashpowder on you own, it is almost certain you will be facing the light, goggles are recomended, because unless you have blind fight, everyone but the specators lose when a bunch of blind guys fight.
-(Ye Olde Flamethrower)-
*COMPONENTS: you will need, a pump water canister, at least 1 gallon of a flammable liquid of your choice
*ASSEMBLY: fill pump with ingitable liquid
*USE : pump water canister require a standard action for use, watch for attacks of opportunity. you can soak one target up to ten feet away with this action.
*NOTES: Another one that is best with friends. Purchase a large cart, get two friends, and preform drive buy incinerations to your hearts content. We recomend combing this with a dragons breath tube for increased firey doom. One man for the pump, one man for the tube, and one for the ingintion, and you good sir and dear madam, are well on your ways to becoming well acomplished and highly mobile arsonists.
*OPTIONAL FEATURES: none
In final notes, as I thought of all these with the past 36 or so hours, none of them have yet received a play test. All of them are garunteed to make your GM hate you if he is so foolish as to allow them. The goals were to create simple, cheap and effective weapons from nothing but items freely and commonly purchasable from the goods and services table and bring some of what I felt were lesser used vehicles and weapons into greater prominence. All that is needed now, as I mentioned earlier, is for someone to really put some hard numbers to these item combos. If anyone is interesed i worked out a theoretical set of values for the dragons breath tube. Should these prove to be original ideas, and they prove to be popular enough to attract major attention(gettin a little ahead of myself aren't I?) or even possibly developer attention, I would ask that they be cannonized as inventions of the Tian-Dans, should you choose to use them in your own play. (What can i say? you gotta represent, viet pride baby.) Now that my little fantasy is done, in the much more likely chance that these prove to be terrible or unoriginal ideas, eh. you gotta start somewhere. enjoy!
