Price is No Barrier to Knowledge actually would work well as a problem aspect. He ignored the warnings and read the book anyway. Price doesn't need to be limited to the financial aspect.
Y'all ever play Arkham Horror?
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Looking at Wikipedia, there was a big fire in 1904 in Toronto. Perhaps some supernatural event occurred there. You've got one issue that I see, which is that the crime rate is not high enough to cover up a ton of supernatural murder. Their homicide rate is 3.3/100K, about 1/3rd of Los Angeles and 1/2 of New York. Also, it's so cold!
Cliche? Maybe. But making a cliche work in a different way can be different. For instance, New Orleans vampires could be the ones who spread the angsty eternal torment myth to garner emotional sympathy, which they need on a certain level. Toronto might be a good pick. Universal health care is a conspiracy hiding something darker... Thanks to the "easy" travel of the Nevernever, other cities and environments can be added without a ton of difficulty.
My submission of a character: a veteran New Orleans cop who discovered the supernatural world during Katrina's landfall. Seeing that helping keep people safe was the whole reason he became a police officer, he was unable to simply stand by and let monsters run free. He took an early retirement and started traveling the country, looking for monsters. Aspect keywords might include "honorable," "law enforcement," "jaded," or "veteran." He'd likely be Pure Mortal (not knowing anything about the class other than the name) but making up for it with experience, weaponry, and a good gut feeling.
I haven't looked at the system yet, but the setting appears ideally suited for urban fantasy. I've only spent a small amount of time in New Orleans, but I think it would be a great candidate for urban fantasy. Ghosts, zombies, voodoo, vampires... Katrina could have been the result of a spell gone awry!
Is it too late to throw my hat into the ring? I'd have to learn the system, but you know my work over on our other Star Wars PBP.
The deadline is finished! The choices have been made! Stormchaser:
Loreck Durgen, Human Kensae, is accepted. Chris Parker:
Dak Calgar, Human Scout, is accepted. Smerg:
Urirawa, Wookiee Soldier, is accepted. Kalderaan:
Sho Larn, Kel Dor Kensae, is accepted James Martin:
Call Krassus, Human [Half-Clone] Soldier, is accepted. Sigz:
Raal, Chiss Kensae, is accepted. Everyone Read: Well, everyone was accepted. The slow reveal was needlessly dramatic. Everyone go over to the OOC thread for finalizing the characters.
Welcome to the following players: Stormchaser, Chris Parker, Smerg, Kalderaan, James Martin, Sigz! Recruitment Thread, which has a lot of background information.
On race relations: Spoiler: As throughout galactic history, the human culture is dominant. The Emperor is careful to cultivate a progressive, inclusive culture in the Empire. There are many non-humans in prominent ranks throughout the Empire, such as the Chiss military leader Thrawn and the Chief Counsel to the Senate, Twi'lek Nawara Ven. Skywalker has even made droid rights a priority, declaring memory wipes illegal on any droid that has not had one in three years.
There has been a significant backlash in some human circles who feel that the Empire is giving preferential treatment to non-humans. Several human-first groups have joined the Rebellion. It is most noticeable in the galactic north and past the Outer Rim.
You don't need licenses, as you are part of the military. The lightsaber form talents are part of the JK prestige classes in Core. You can, however, emulate them via lightsaber form Force powers in Jedi Academy. The Chiss are not part of the Empire per se. They've been formally allied for about a year. Thrawn's been part of the Empire since its inception (as he had been discovered by Palpatine prior to the Clone Wars). There are a few expatriates living in the Empire but it is rares.
There are rules governing this in Galaxy of War if the GM wants to use them, the requisitioning system. Depending on certain things about the character he can requisition more or less gear, basic armour is always free to requisition though. For our purposes, starting gear will consist of: All: 1500 Credits (Bank Account, unless you feel compelled to carry it into battle)Kensae: Lightsaber, Kensae Armor (Cosmetic if you don't have profiency, Jedi Light Battle Armor from Jedi Academy if you do) Other: One weapon of your choice that costs less than 2000 credits, one backup weapon that costs less than 500 credits, Stormtrooper Armor (if a Stormtrooper), 2 frag grenades All starting gear will be basic, but we can upgrade it later.
Regarding the history of the Stormtroopers: Spoiler:
Stormtroopers are the Empire's finest soldiers. They have a short but proud history of serving the Empire. Most of them are in the Space Marine program, which provides the strongest point in almost any assault. Utilizing training, tactics, numbers, support, and firepower, the presence of stormtroopers usually results in a quick and decisive victory for the Empire.
Emperor Skywalker knows that retaining the goodwill of the people means earning their trust. As a result, stormtroopers generally do not wear helmets, as many find them "dehumanizing". Many stormtroopers report a feeling of increased morale, although heavy combat tends to have them bring out their protective helmets (which are similar to speeder helmets and have clear visors). Stormtroopers are generally respected throughout the Empire as guardians of peace in the galaxy. Even with the higher-profile Kensae taking most of the individual glory, stormtroopers rarely have to pay for drinks or meals when off-duty, courtesy of a grateful public. Clones have almost entirely been phased out of the stormtrooper ranks, as most of them have aged too rapidly. Recruitment opened to volunteers, of which most are referred to the other branches of the military. Since the onset of the Rebellion, applications to join are up nearly 300%. Stormtrooper recruits are in the top 1% of recruits in an aggregate of categories, which includes strength, dexterity, constitution, and intelligence. There is no human bias in the stormtrooper ranks. Tomorrow, race relations!
I would imagine some of the aging would pass down, especially if he were actually the child of a clone and not the clone of a clone... I'll leave that up to you. Shall I start making a character then? I definitely want to see where you plan on going with it. The aging should be an interesting factor. Would your clone father have tried raising you as a "normal" person (thus giving you the mind of a late teenager but the body of someone in their mid-20s), or would he have given some of the mind-quickening special training that he went through? What was it like growing up as a half-clone? Did your clone father stay in the military after the end of the Clone Wars (and does he care for that name?) or become a civilian? Why didn't he join the resurgent Mandolorian cause as many of the Fett clones did (or did he)? Is he still alive, as he would physically be around 65 now? In game terms, what's his role? With the makeup of the party that is forming, I'd recommend a heavy gunner type role.
Updated List (With Names)
If y'all could include the stuff in brackets, I'd appreciate it. Right now if no one else were to join, I would be happy to include all 6 people. If more do submit to join, we'd have to make some choices.
28 point buy is what we will use. It is standard according to the rulebook.
Half-clone, eh? Your character would barely be 18 (unless the half-clones picked up some degree of their fathers' double aging). The members of the 501st are sworn to secrecy about Skywalker's involvement with Order 66 and the destruction of the Jedi Temple. The official story, told by the Emperor and confirmed by the clones, is that the clones of the 501st, upon receiving the order, refused to fire upon Skywalker out of loyalty to him. Emperor Skywalker is a bit of a sad, lonely figure to the citizens of the Empire. Everyone assumes that he is still mourning the loss of his wife, although there are conspiracy theorists who have their own ideas... I'll post some more information regarding the stormtrooper history and lore when I get off duty tonight.
Without profiency, it's just cosmetic.
Multipliers are additive in both 3.5 and PF. If it is a 2x critical hit on a Spirited Charge with a lance, it does 4x damage. If it is a 3x multiplier, it does 5x. But, yeah, it can get kind of silly, but there are a lot of limitations on it. They must have spent several feats, be mounted, be able to charge, be wielding a lance, and hit the target. They give up a full attack and must move away on the horse to do it again the next round.
I've been polishing the Kensae background. The Kensae Code:
There is peace and there is passion. Find parity between them. There is instinct and there is intellect. Find insight in them. There is calm and there is chaos. Find connection through them. There is loss and there is life. Find a light with them. There is the Light Side and there is the Dark Side. By these ways, find the path between them. Uniforms: You can tell a Kensae's rank from the colors he wears in his uniform. In higher ranks, lightsabers often signify a specific duty or calling. - Novice Kensae: A Kensae at the start of his or her career will wear white armor reminiscent of Jedi armor during the Clone Wars. The armor is mostly for show, although some Kensae choose to wear heavier armor later in their careers. Novices wear robes accenting the armor, with colors matching their military branch. Naval Kensae wear a very dark blue, while land-based Kensae wear a dark green. The contrast in color is actually done as a favor to novice Kensae, as most enemies subconsciously target the “highlighted” white area, allowing the Kensae to more easily block their blaster fire. Novices also uniformly use silver lightsaber blades to represent their oath to the Empire. - Kensae Guardian: Upon receiving their first promotion to Kensae Guardian (a rank akin to the Jedi Knight), a Kensae can make one of several modifications to his or her armor. The standard colors switch to silver armor and blue robes, although accomplished Kensae frequently wear stripes along the legs representing certain honors. The lightsaber may stay silver, but the Kensae has the right to choose green or blue, depending on their focus. Blue lightsabers signify a focus on swordsmanship, while a green lightsaber represents skill in the Force. Those who maintain a balanced approach usually choose to remain silver. - Kensae Master: Those who become Masters have a great deal of autonomy in choosing their uniforms. The most common color chosen by Masters is dark blue, both for armor and for robes. - Kensae Council: The uniforms of the 100 members of the Kensae Council are the same as when they were Masters, but with a gold trim to signify their special rank. The Council advises the Emperor on matters of the Force, much as the Senate advises him on matters of politics. - Kensae Honor Guard: The Emperor's personal guard all wear red armor without robes and wield silver lightsabers. To be chosen for the Honor Guard is one of the greatest responsibilities a Kensae can take. Each of the twelve members of the Honor Guard serve the Emperor for twelve years, after which they generally have their choice of positions. The annual ceremony inducting a new member of the Honor Guard is one of the Empire's most celebrated events. A few other lightsaber colors exist, but are rarely used. Red is forbidden as it is the color of the Sith, who corrupt the Force. Yellow is rarely chosen because of their usage by the Jedi Sentinels. Orange lightsabers are generally used by diplomats and ambassadors. Purple is reserved for the Emperor.
Okay, our current submissions are, in order of entry, with two days left: 1. Stormchaser - Human Kensae, Imperial Diehard
Okay, sounds good. Just keep in mind that the date is equivalent to 0 BBY, so the Empire is only 18 years old. Enough for a new generation to be born in, but most adults would still remember the Republic and the Clone Wars.
Kalderaan: Is Sho Larn a former Jedi? The excerpt mentions being judged fairly by the Republic, although the previous section mentions being inducted straight into the Kensae. DMs make the best players, in my opinion.
Fresh out of training! The characters may not have met, but some last minute personnel shuffling results in all of them being at the right place at the right time. (Which is aboard the Chimaera at the beginning of the battle, when the following intro occurs.) Intro:
I plan on using Google Sketchup as much as possible during combat sequences, to give everyone a good idea of the layout. It is free and easy to learn. Best of all, it is 3D and moveable. Example:
Kensae Talents:
-Middle Ground: As a full-round action, you may activate a Force power with the [dark side] descriptor without gaining a Dark Side point. You may use this talent once per day, but you may take this talent more than once. -Resist the Extremes: You gain a +2 Force bonus to all Defense scores against Force powers with the [dark side] or [light side] descriptors. -Scourge of Absolutes: Against any character with a Dark Side score of 0 or equal to their Wisdom score, you deal extra damage with your melee damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). -Dichotomy: If you use a Force power with the [light side] descriptor, you may spend a Force Point as a free action to activate a Force power with the [dark side] descriptor. If you use a Force power with the [dark side] descriptor, you may spend a Force Point as a free action to activate a Force power with the [light side] descriptor. Kensae Guardian Prestige Class: KENSAE GUARDIAN PRESTIGE CLASS Requirements To qualify to become a Kensae Guardian, a character must fulfill the following criteria: Base Attack Bonus: +7 Trained Skills: Use the Force Feats: Force Sensitivity, Weapon Proficiency (lightsabers) Special: Must have sworn an oath of loyalty to the Empire Special: Must be a member of the Kensae Corps Game Rule Information
Class Features
LEVEL - BASE ATTACK BONUS - CLASS FEATURES
Would this be human-centric as the Empire tended to be with a great disdain for aliens serving in the military or not? Emperor Skywalker is definitely not humancentric. He's actually very progressive, especially in terms of ending slavery. Non-humans are fully welcomed in the Empire.
Out of curiosity: Are the Kensae like the Jedi class mechanical wise or are they a class of their own? They use the Jedi class (as do the Sith) but will have a specific talent tree and prestige classes, just like Sith do. I'll post it when I get off duty.
Oh, by the way; what kind of gear is available? We are navy, after all, so presumably some of it would be standard issue? Depends on the class, but it will likely be simply a weapon, maybe a backup weapon, and basic armor if you're proficient.
Also, would it be fair to compare the Kensae to the Imperial Knights of the Legacy Era? The concept feels very close. Yes, Star Wars Legacy had just started when I started this campaign, so they did help inspire part of the backstory. I think the Imperial Knights are closer to Jedi than Kensae in theory, but closer to Kensae in practice. I did add some inspiration from The Force Unleashed into this campaign, as it came out after the first time I ran the campaign. Regarding your character concept: I like it, although I should point out that most people didn't regard the Jedi as treacherous until they joined the Rebellion. Most saw the Jedi as part of the same problems as the Republic: corrupted by politics and weighed down by tradition. Skywalker did not push for continuing the Jedi Purge and even welcomed the Jedi who were willing to adopt his new vision of an orderly galaxy.
I have decided that I want to run a campaign that I GMed for back in college using the Star Wars Saga Edition system. I'm looking to play with 4 players, although 5 is a possibility. I wanted to play in the Rebellion Era, but I didn't want to be shackled by the existing story. I decided on an alternate universe as the best way to do this. The story follows the general storyline of A New Hope, but throws a curveball: the protagonists are Imperial while the antagonists are Rebels. To show how that came to be, please read the backstory. End of the Rebublic, Rise of the Sith:
The galaxy was saved at its darkest hour. Senator Palpatine of Naboo, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, had manipulated events for decades in order to execute his master stroke. After making the galaxy hunger for peace through the Clone Wars, Order 66 all but annihilated the Jedi Order. His secret apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, took the mantle of Darth Vader and led the assault on the Jedi Temple. Vader ended the Clone Wars by slaughtering the Separatist Council on Mustafar, then fought his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Their duel ended when Kenobi hesitated to take the final blow against Vader. Vader took advantage of Kenobi's hesitation and struck him down.
Vader rushed his gravely injured wife back to Coruscant, having Force choked her in a rage when confronted by both her and Kenobi. She gave birth to a twin boy and girl, then died from her injuries. In her final breath, she named them Luke and Leia Skywalker. Vader saw his new master, Darth Sidious, looking at the twins with a naked desire for the power of their bloodline, and knew he had made a mistake. Declaring that he would make the Skywalker name worthy for his children, he threw off the mantle of Darth Vader and reclaimed the name of Anakin Skywalker. He engaged Sidious in a duel above the streets of Coruscant. Skywalker was nearly beaten when the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn appeared to him. Qui-Gon, the Jedi who had freed him from a life of slavery on Tatooine, told him to accept the will of the Force. With Skywalker disarmed and lying on his back, Sidious prepared to finish him off in a terrible rage. Skywalker called his lightsaber back to him and plunged it into the dark heart of Darth Sidious. Emergence of the Empire:
Skywalker went before the Galactic Senate and informed them of Palpatine's true nature. He explained that the Jedi had discovered Palpatine's identity, which is why he ordered them executed. Skywalker made no mention of his involvement, saying only that he discovered the plot and was able to beat Sidious. With the Republic in tatters and almost no Jedi remaining, the Senate voted to transfer the newly-granted powers given to Palpatine over to Skywalker. They hoped that Skywalker, whose popularity was now at near-universal heights after saving the galaxy from the Sith menace, would be able to rebuild it.
Skywalker was reluctant to accept at first, until Qui-Gon appeared to him and advised him that he could do great things with the power granted to him. He announced the creation of the Galactic Empire, free of the bureaucracy and internal politics that had choked the Republic for centuries. It would be a constitutional monarchy, maintaining the Senate as a partner in passing legislation. Skywalker quickly expanded the rights and liberties of the galaxy's sentient beings. The Empire outlawed slavery and made a priority in suppressing organized crime. Despite the freedom afforded to the citizens of the Empire, Skywalker expected obedience from the worlds of the Empire. Verbal dissent was allowed as part of the political process, but overt acts of insurrection were met quickly with overwhelming force. Remnants of the Confederacy remained, as did groups who wanted the return of the Republic. About a dozen small revolts occurred in the first few years of the Empire; they ended as quickly as they began when Emperor Skywalker dispatched massive fleets to the system. The Empire only fought small skirmishes, and the galaxy knew peace and prosperity for the first time in a generation. This golden age of peace ushered in the anno Imperium, a new calendar free of the Republic's tarnished history. Kensae, Jedi, & Sith:
Emperor Skywalker considered reforming the Jedi Order, but decided that too much of the Order was tied to rigid, outdated dogma. He banned the Jedi Order as an organization, but invited the surviving Jedi to live in peace. Likewise, he banned the Sith Order as an enemy to peace and justice despite there being no known Sith remaining in the galaxy. Some of the remaining Jedi went into hiding, continuing the Jedi Order in secret. The others were invited to join a new Force tradition, created and practiced by Emperor Skywalker: the Kensae Corps.
The Kensae Corps was created in the 5th anno Imperium as a quasi-military force, free of the corruption of the Sith and the rigidity of the Jedi. The Kensae were to be trained in the military as officers, much as the Jedi had been in the Clone Wars. This time, however, they would be prepared for it through their training. They could, however, live in the galaxy as citizens instead of being cloistered. Many Kensae took spouses and had families, although Skywalker never remarried. His twin children, Luke and Leia Skywalker, were trained in the ways of the Force as Kensae. The Kensae recruited Force-sensitive children as the Jedi had, but did not remove their attachment to their families. They also trained at a later age than the Jedi. At the age of 10, candidates for the Kensae Corps were offered a spot at the Kensae Academy on Coruscant or any number of satellite academies. They continued the education given to all children, but also learned the ways of the Force and the discipline of the military. By the 10th anno Imperium, the Kensae Corps numbered 10,000, which was as many as the Jedi ever did. With so few former Jedi as teachers, few Kensae were able to become Kensae Masters in the first years of the Corps. The Jedi Order quietly began to recreate itself. The only known surviving member of the Jedi Council, Shaak Ti, publicly declared that the Order would survive. Skywalker had several opportunities to strike at the Jedi and wipe them out, but he chose not to do so. The Jedi Order grew to about 1000 members, a fraction of their number before the Clone Wars. The Jedi did not engage in galactic politics. The public perception of them was mixed at best, especially after a group calling themselves the Jedi Sentinels began to use guerilla tactics to damage Imperial holdings. The Sith died with Darth Sidious, but a number of dark side cults surfaced over the years. The Kensae generally dealt with them swiftly and mercilessly. One cult that managed to thrive (relatively speaking) was the Blackguard, based in Mustafar. Skywalker declared that no Kensae would step foot on the planet, and thus the Blackguard were able to quietly build their forces. Imperial warships have shoot-on-sight orders for any ships leaving Mustafar. In the 15th anno Imperium, a group calling themselves the Prophets of the Dark Side surfaced, claiming that it was right and proper for the Dark Side to rule the galaxy. Prophet Valin, leader of the cult, proclaimed that a true Emperor would one day rule the galaxy as a Sith Lord. The Prophets use terrorism and propaganda to further their cause of a galaxy ruled by the Sith, who they claimed had returned. Several teams of Kensae were dispatched to follow up on these rumors. Contact with each of these teams were lost within days of arriving at the location of a rumored sighting. Only one sent back any status report at all, referring cryptically to a “Darth Starkiller” whose path they were following. The Empire declined to confirm any link to a new group of Sith, but the rumors continued to spread as the specter of the Sith's return loomed over the galaxy. Tensions ran high as various groups and factions began publicly doubting the ability of the Empire, Emperor Skywalker, and the Kensae to defend the galaxy from a resurgence of the Sith. Rebellion:
In the 17th anno Imperium, a group of Senators declared their worlds in rebellion and demanded a return to the Republic. Individual worlds had rebelled, but never as a group. This Rebel Alliance was led by Bail Organa of Alderaan, Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia, Baron Orman Tagge of Tapasi, and Mon Mothma of Chandrila. Emperor Skywalker initially tried to use diplomacy to return the Rebel systems to the Imperial fold, but this only gave the Rebellion more time to gather more worlds. The scales tipped to war when the Rebellion brought in the resurgent Mandalorians as an independent partner, which brought other factions to the Rebel cause like dominoes. The Hutts declared their independence and allied with the Rebellion. They were quickly followed by the Black Sun, which declared its support for the Rebel cause. The Jedi apprehensively joined with the stated intent to restore the Republic. The Order created a new Jedi Academy on Corellia, the unofficial capital of the Rebellion. Grand Master Shaak Ti hoped to return galactic affairs to what they were prior to the Clone Wars. Jedi General Rahm Kota and his anti-Imperial militia gladly joined, although the Rebel leaders have found them difficult to control.
The Empire's allies included the Chiss Ascendancy, an isolationist empire located in the Unknown Regions, and the Hapes Consortium, whose powerful warships and defensible position had proven an unknown factor since its reintegration to galactic politics. The Hapans were rather reluctant to engage in what they saw as the civil war of a separate state, but were convinced to join when Emperor Skywalker convinced them that the Rebellion would allow the Mandalorians to advance into Hapan space. The Chiss joined the fight when several Rebel warships entered Chiss space in an attempt to attack the Empire from behind their lines. The Chiss defended their territory from the incursion, destroying the Rebel fleet utterly. Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Chiss exile and the Empire's top military leader, helped bridge the gap between the Empire and the Ascendancy. The Rebellion was widespread outside the Core Worlds. Except for the founding worlds of the Rebellion, most of the Rebel worlds were in the Expansion Region, Mid Rim, and Outer Rim. Most of the systems of the Galactic North were in Rebellion, with other large expanses in the Galactic Southeast and Galactic Southwest. Once the Empire officially recognized the Rebellion and declared war on the Rebels, the Imperial Navy blockaded all of the Rebellion's founding worlds except Corellia. While the Empire's military was vastly more powerful, the area it had to defend was much larger. The Rebels built their strength and avoided direct military conflicts as the Imperials tried to hold onto what they had and tried to draw the Rebel ships into battle. The Empire and the Rebellion each try to outmaneuver the other into a mistake that can end the civil war, but neither have the means to deploy overwhelming force without allowing the potential for a devastating counterattack. However, there are rumors that the Rebellion has a secret weapon, one with enough power to put the Rebels on an even footing with the Empire... Character creation will follow the following rules:
I'll open up recruitment from now until 9/22/2010 at 1200 hrs (CST). I work the evening shift and don't have a computer in my mobile office, but I do have my phone to post. Therefore, non-combat situations can likely be played out without issue anytime that I'm awake, but combat situations will have a bit of a different method. What I envision for combat is that I will post the state of affairs for the round before going on-duty (including 3D pictures with SketchUp); the players would submit their "Plan A" action and "Plan B" action (if "Plan A" is not available because of changes during the round) including rolls and narration. When I come back off-duty, I will adjudicate and narrate everyone's actions by initiative order (hence the need for Plan B actions). This will probably be a little chaotic and trigger more attacks of opportunity than normal. I hope to get a lot of feedback and entries. Please submit backstories and general character concepts. Keep in mind that I've ran this before and have most of my original notes, so it's a bit like an AP. The party will almost certainly be at least half Kensae, if not more. (BTW, if you have an unorthodox character concept, like a Kensae who uses blaster pistols and cortosis bracers instead of a lightsaber, I can work with you to create the rules for it.)
I'm CST. I work evening shift (1300-2300) with Wed/Thurs/Fri off. Thanks to the unpredictable nature of police work, this is always subject to change. However, I've always got the Internet on my phone and usually have enough quiet moments throughout the day that I can post while working without too much interruption.
Gideon (Human Inquisitor of Aroden) is actually a ranged character.
I believe that they are pointing out that an unattended dagger will get a save despite being utterly unable to move. Complaining about how Wizards added unnecessary rules to the game is a little unusual in a thread complaining about how there aren't enough rules to adjudicate Reflex saves if the target is almost-but-not-quite-helpless. While I've been known to modify rules for dramatic effect or plot protection, having a consistent policy of favoring the players is a bit like letting them play EZ-Mode. The rules ought to be the rules. Exceptions ought to be exceptions.
I would greatly appreciate a developer popping his or her head in and clarifying if the difference in spells was intended. (I am hoping that the original intent was that it was supposed to be on the Wiz/Sorc spell list, so my EK can use it.)
Gravity Bow:
Gravity bow significantly increases the weight and density of arrows or bolts fired from your bow or crossbow the instant before they strike their target and then return them to normal a few moments later. Any arrow fired from a bow or crossbow you are carrying when the spell is cast deals damage as if one size larger than it actually is. For instance, an arrow fired from a Medium longbow normally deals 1d8 points of damage, but it would instead deal 2d6 points of damage if fired from a gravity bow (see table on this page for associated increase/decrease in damage due to size change). Only you can benefit from this spell. If anyone else uses your bow to make an attack the arrows deal damage as normal for their size. Lead Blades:
Lead blades increases the momentum and density of your melee weapons just as they strike a foe. All melee weapons you are carrying when the spell is cast deal damage as if one size category larger than they actually are. For instance, a Medium longsword normally deals 1d8 points of damage, but it would instead deal 2d6 points of damage if benefiting from lead blades (see page 145 of the Core Rulebook for more information). Only you can benefit from this spell. If anyone else uses one of your weapons to make an attack it deals damage as normal for its size. Why is Gravity Bow available to both Rangers and Wizards/Sorcerers while Lead Blades is available only to Rangers? My Eldritch Knight would love to have Lead Blades. Seeing as they do just about the same thing, why the difference in allowing Wizard/Sorcerer?
Is there a reason Calvin doesn't have Vital Strike/etc? I recall someone official stating somewhere that Vital Strike can be used on a mounted charge. Nope. Vital Strike requires a standard action to use, which you do not get on a charge (a full round action).
Calvin the Cavalier
Calvin:
CALVIN THE CAVALIER
Male Human Cavalier 10 LG Medium Humanoid (Human) Init +1; Perception +0 -------------------- DEFENSE -------------------- AC 27, touch 13, flat-footed 26 (+11 armor, +1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 deflection, +2 shield) hp 90 (10d10+30) Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +8 -------------------- OFFENSE -------------------- Spd 20 ft. Melee (Charge, Mounted, Challenge) +3 Lance +27 (3d8+111) Melee +3 Lance +19/+11 (1d8+21) or +3 Lance +19/+14 (1d8+12) Melee +1 Greatsword +17/+9 (2d6+19,19-20/2x) or +1 Greatsword +17/+12 (2d6+10,19-20/2x) -------------------- STATISTICS -------------------- Str 22, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 14 Base Atk +10/+5; CMB +16; CMD 29 Feats Critical Focus, Furious Focus, Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-by Attack, Shield Wall, Spirited Charge, Swap Places, Trample Skills Diplomacy +12, Handle Animal +6, Intimidate +15, Knowledge: Nobility +12, Ride +14 Languages Common Gear +1 Greatsword, +2 Full Plate, +3 Lance, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Belt of Giant Strength, +4, Cloak of Resistance, +1, Ring of Force Shield, Ring of Protection, +2 -------------------- SPECIAL ABILITIES -------------------- Animal Companion (Ex) Challenge (Order of the Sword): +10 to damage, +3 to hit while mounted Cavalier's Charge (Ex) Mounted charge grants +4 to hit and -0 AC rather than +2/-2. Hobbes:
HOBBES, LOYAL STEED
Male Horse Large Animal Init +3; Senses Low-Light Vision, Scent; Perception +13 -------------------- DEFENSE -------------------- AC 23, touch 16, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, -1 size, +7 natural) hp 86 (+36) Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +4 -------------------- OFFENSE -------------------- Spd 70 ft. Melee Bite (Horse) +11 (1d4+6) and Hooves x2 (Horse) +6 x2 (1d6+3) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. -------------------- STATISTICS -------------------- Str 22, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Base Atk +5/+0; CMB +13; CMD 26 (30 vs. Trip) Feats Fleet, Fleet, Fleet, Fleet, Toughness Skills Perception +13 Gear Chain Armor While charging his challenge target, Calvin hits unless he rolls a 1. He does 3d8+111 damage, 4d8+148 damage on a crit. The damage is 1d8 from the lance, 9 from strength, 6 from mount strength (Order of the Sword), 9 from Power Attack, 3 from magical weapon, 10 from challenge, and tripled by the lance and Spirited Charge. The hit (normally +16 for an attack modified by Power Attack) is increased by 4 from the charge, by 3 from the Order of the Sword's challenge ability, 1 from being on higher ground via mount, and 3 from Furious Focus. Calvin can charge from 140 feet away because Hobbes has selected Fleet multiple times. The DPR for Calvin's charge is 126.1, just short of the standard CR 10 average hit points. Without the mount, charge, and challenge, the damage is not great. Kind of a one-trick pony-rider easily thwarted in a number of ways, but certainly solid if allowed to be.
Barbarian with Alchemist (Mutagen focus / ¨Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde¨ PrC) seems like a good way to get close to Incredible Hulk with PC classes (though that kind of gets to the point: maybe a template would better approximate the Hulk than mucking with Classes not meant for the task) I generated a sample level 6 character (Bbn 4/Alc 2) to see what I could come up with. I have him fully buffed here, which he can do as a standard action (drink mutagen), free action (rage), and move action (drink enlarge person extract). He'd only have the benefits for a short period, but that's life. He's got terrible AC and a non-existent Will save, but he can do around 75 damage per round and has a decent shot at grappling most anything between CR 6 and 10. Stats: THE HULK Male Human Alchemist 2 Barbarian (Brutal Pugilist, Drunken Brute) 4 CG Large Humanoid (Human) Init +1; Perception +9 ------- DEFENSE ------- AC 15, touch 6, flat-footed 13 (+7 armor, +1 Dex, +2 natural, -1 size) hp 63 (4d12+2d8+26) Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +3 ------- OFFENSE ------- Spd 30 ft. Melee Bite +13 (2d6+13), 2x Claw +13 (1d8+13), and Gore +13 (2d6+13) Ranged Bomb +6 (1d6+1 fire, splash, 3/day) Alchemist Spells Known 1st (3/day) Enlarge Person (cast), Enlarge Person, Expeditious Retreat ---------- STATISTICS ---------- Str 27, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8 Base Atk +5; CMB +13 (+16 Grappling); CMD 21 (23 vs. Grapple) Reach 10 ft. Feats Brew Potion, Intimidating Prowess, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack +4/-2, Throw Anything Skills Acrobatics +9, Craft: Alchemy +10, Disable Device +9, Intimidate +19, Knowledge: Arcana +10, Perception +9, Spellcraft +10 Languages Common, Dwarven, Orc SQ Feral Mutagen (Su), Mutagen (DC 12) (Su), Pit Fighter +1: Grapple, Poison Use, Rage (12 rounds/day) (Ex), Raging Drunk (Ex), Reckless Abandon (+/-2) (Ex), Savage Grapple (Ex) Gear +1 Mithral Chainmail; Gear Amulet of Mighty Fists +1 ------------------- IN PLAY ADJUSTMENTS ------------------- Raging: +4 Str/Con, -2 AC, gain gore attack (1d8, primary), can drink as a move action Feral Mutagen: +4 Str, -2 Int, +2 AC, gain 2 claws (1d6, primary) and bite (1d8, primary) Power Attack: -2 Hit, +4 Damage Reckless Abandon: -2 AC, +2 Hit Savage Grapple: Half grapple penalties while grappling, enemies always provoke AoO when attempting to grapple Enlarge Person: +2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 Hit/AC, double reach, increase damage
The comment theorized that the bold part above could be interpreted to mean that an illegal immigrant is subject to the jursidiction of their home country first, thus the child should be a citizen of that country. Not sure how that would actually fly in the face of decades of legal precedent. No matter what country you are a citizen of, you are subject to American jurisdiction when you are on American soil. Likewise, if you go to a foreign country, you are subject to their laws and jurisdiction.
I'm a police officer in a large Texas city, which has a pretty high number of illegal/undocumented aliens/immigrants. It ticks me off when I arrest one for a crime, but I don't care about the non-criminal ones. I don't have statistics, but I do have first-hand experience. The vast majority of illegal immigrants that I deal with are just looking to make a better life. Most of them try to keep their heads down and avoid bringing the law on them and their families. One of the officers that I work with used to himself be an illegal immigrant. (He was born in Mexico and smuggled into America as a young child. When he was an adult, he went through the legal process to become a citizen, which took several years. He then became a police officer several years after that.) I can say with conviction that most crimes (property/personal crimes) are not done by illegal immigrants, although that is not to say that none of them are. I suspect that it's proportionately smaller than the population. This law is insane and leads only to racial profiling. It is absolutely clear to me what the message says to law enforcement, because I am law enforcement. The only law I can morally support in regards to illegal immigration is checking the status of those who are arrested for serious crimes, as we have an obligation to remove the (proportionately small) criminal aliens.
My only problem with it is that they get sneak attack damage from insanity. Have you considered giving them things like Rage and Improved Aid? I thought about Rage, but I didn't want to give them class levels or head *too* far from existing monsters. I used the derro (who has both madness and sneak attack) as inspiration. I wanted them to have a real penalty for getting swarmed and surrounded.
In the last session of my campaign, my players failed to stop a drow plot to poison the water supply with a potent mixture of alchemy ingredients that had previously been used to turn centaur into scorpion-like beasts. As a consequence, I'll have them go back to the town they were in previously and find the inhabitants turned into zombie-like infected. I was hoping to get feedback on them. Should they be a higher CR? Should they be modified to be (alone) CR 1 so I can more easily swarm them? I plan on making a few animals who have also been infected. INFECTED HUMANS / CR 2 / XP 600
My players wanted illusions to be basically omnipotent and quasi-real with saves few and far between. I wanted some level of realism and control so that the illusions would neither trivialize all encounters nor be trivially easy to overcome. This is the compromise out of a lot of arguing over the rules. Illusion Houserules: Illusions: Making Sense and Saving Lives
1. Illusion (figment) spells are now mind-affecting spells. However, they do not become mind-affecting until someone fails a Will save. 2. These illusion spells also grant SR when a creature makes a save. If it matters, the SR check happens before the save. The caster must be aware of the creature with SR in order to make the SR check. 3. A creature will make a Will save when it either studies the illusion or interacts with it. Until then, it will treat the illusion as if it were real. Studying the illusion is a move action, but the creature must have some sort of probable cause to study it and be within 10 feet. (Appearing out of nowhere, for example, is reason enough to study something.) Interaction implies hitting the illusion with an attack, talking to it, or any such action. If the caster can make the illusion react appropriately at the initial moment of interaction, the creature makes a Will save. 4. If the creature successfully makes its Will save, it recognizes that the illusion is not real. If it fails its Will save, the mind-affecting portion of the spell takes hold and the creature acts as if the illusion is real. 5. The caster must maintain line of sight to the illusion in order to properly maintain the mind-affecting portion of the spell, both at the moment that the interaction save occurs and any future interaction. The caster does not have to be in line of sight for the initial save of a careful study, but does for future interaction. 6. The mind-affecting portion allows the illusion spell to give a mental illusion of force. This does not allow it to exert actual force or support weight. It simply provides enough imagined force for a creature who has failed a save to continue to interact without realizing it is interacting with an illusion. This amount of force is flimsy at best.
7. Interaction with the illusion after an initial failed save requires the caster’s maintenance. If the caster is unable to cause the illusion to react appropriately, the creature automatically saves if it hits the illusion. 8. If the caster has stopped concentrating on the spell, through intentional action or not, it begins losing its power if it does not end immediately. An interaction that normally would grant no save with appropriate reaction by the caster instead grants a new Will save. 9. If the creature does succeed on a Will save, either initially or later, it can communicate to any ally that the illusion is not real. Those creatures, if not yet affected by the mind-affecting portion of the spell, can make a Will save with a +4 bonus to recognize the illusion as not real. Creatures already affected by the mind-affecting portion of the spell make a new save with a +4 bonus to shake it off. Creatures that fail this second save now cannot be convinced without incontrovertible proof that the illusion is false. 10. Incontrovertible proof that the illusion is false is an automatic successful Will save for any creature not yet affected by the mind-affecting portion of the illusion. If the creature has already failed one or more saves and is affected by the mind-affecting portion, it gets a new save at a +4 bonus each time it is presented with new incontrovertible proof. 11. If the illusion does something that is obviously unbelievable, it would cause anything from a Will save (maybe with a bonus) to an autosave. This is subjective and depends on the circumstances. A very intelligent creature will have a different idea of what is unbelievable than a deeply stupid one.
As a cop, I approve of this. When my players are running around, I tend to judge their actions on how I (or fellow officers) would act. I ran into this most recently when a player executed an unconscious bandit when capture would have been trivial. (He was literally two feet from a general store and actually had rope on hand.) I declared it an evil act and changed his alignment. His response was, "But I'm true neutral! Killing someone isn't evil to me!"
One of my players is an illusionist. I'm brushing up on illusion spells and their limitations. However, I have been completely unable to locate an answer to one question, which is why I come to you. Do you have complete illusory control of the 10-foot cubes that you choose your spells to affect? (I am using Silent Image as the base spell.) Let's say that you've created the illusion of a boulder in one cube. After continuing the spell for several rounds, can you suddenly have a figure (previously non-existent) pop out from behind the boulder? Can you make the boulder disappear and a chair appear in its place? Here's my initial take: you can create a single illusion in each of the cubes. (This can be a single creature, object, etc.) This illusion cannot change as long as the spell continues and cannot leave the cube. What is your opinion? |