Bificommander's page

I'm preparing to GM a homebrew sandbox campaign. I wanted to look up some free dungeons, quests or small adventures made by other GMs to populate my world with. But my google-fu is proving surprisingly weak, and I haven't been able to find any good resources.

Could anyone point me to, ideally, a site with a collection of small adventures? I'm looking for something small and self-contained like a ruined tower players can spot in the distance that have maybe half a dozen encounters in them, a quest to track monsters who raided a village through the wilderness, or a murder mistery in a minor town to solve. I'd save a lot of time if I could lift such side-missions and concentrate on only making the main-plot stuff myself.

@Dragon: I don't think you need to worry too much. It's my first Path of War build, I'm not an extremely skilled builder anyway, and I'm weighing "coolness" as well as effectiveness in my decisions.

Hmm, the Stalker doesn't have healing spells, but one of the Disciplines, Steel serpent, gets sone extra martial uses out of the Heal skill. Since he needs a high wisdom anyway, maybe I'll put some ranks in that one. I think it would fit the dark and gritty mood to have to fix injuries with hard and painful work instead of a simple spell.

3rd party friendly? It pains my heart to admit this, but even I can't see a taninim fit this game's setting.

However, a Stalker going into the Umbral Blade PRC (assuming we ever get to a high enough level) might. Umbral Blades are about channeling shadow powers that threaten to eat away their sanity. Sounds like he'll fit right in.

I think a Tengu stalker using two weapon fighting and specializing in the Veiled Moon discipline, which lets you teleport around short distances (as in, once or twice your movements speed) while you strike, would be awesome. What can I say, I like the second X-men movie's opening. For the demi-class, I'll take the rogue so I can do some trapfinding for the party and get a bit of sneak attacking going on.

@OyzarL How do you feel about interspecies romance with a dragon? Once you go scale, you'll never bail! :p

In all seriousness, it would be amusing, and it'd give Caurast a nice IC excuse to pick up that humanform ability, but I'm not sure how realistic it would be given that Caurast is probably a bit too much of a jerk for a paladin. (I'm required to make a willsave not to bully weaker creatures if it benefits him). It might be nice RP for him to get over that... but that'd result in a lengthy (1 day/level) period of being out of comission, then turning into another type of dragon. And since my most important feat requires an acid breath weapon, which no lawful good dragons have, and I don't really see Caurast turning Chaotic good all of the sudden... So even without the dragon-bit, only pick Caurast if you'd like to RP a really complicated relationship :p

I've been having a better look at the Gunslinger/Stalker build, and oh my are there some fun things you can do with it. Teleport around the battlefield, do your touch attack against flat footed enemies, get a guaranteed crit with a x4 modifier and a s$$&load of bonus damage, then vanish into smoke, incorporeality or the Etheral plane. You can recreate the lobby scene from the Matrix with this build.

Playing as the dragon Caurast is still slightly cooler, but it's close.

I would be interested, assuming I don't get into either of the other two gestalt campaigns I've submitted characters for.

Semi closed? Oh well, perhaps it's for the best. I'm DMing this one in RL (my party is at book 4 now), so at the very least I shouldn't have been playing a rogue or other trapfinder.

@Kyras: I only began reading it just now, but what about Path of War's Stalker as the other class? It fits stat-wise and he gets some useful disciplines like Solar Wind.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I can't help but wonder why I'm seeing so many monks all over the place.

And Caurast doesn't wear armor either... depending on who gets picked, the local armor merchants aren't going to be doing much selling. On the plus side, they'll probably get a lot of half-priced inventory.

Well, I spoke up about this when it seemed to hamper my chances (i.e. when there were more fire's than air's) so I feel allowed to speak up now it might improve them: Markan was supposed to be Fire/Water.

Divine Protection is the only nerf I wholeheartedly support.

I don't disagree that that one badly needed a nerf. It was so stupidly powerful, the oracle who didn't take that feat at 5th level would get mocked by his druid partymember who didn't take Natural spellcasting.

But the specific nerf they gave it is so heavy, they might as well have scrapped the feat altogether. I would've prefered it if they'd cut the effect by half, or even two thirds.

And thanks on the info. I'll go without any polymorphs for now then, it fits my characters current mindset. Also, I'll be the same size as a human for the moment anyway, so I won't have to worry about not fitting into the dungeon.

@Hotaru: Thanks, but I have the book. And I knew about the Extra-feats. It's just I have a rather limited selection of those as well. Hence why I'd prefer to use a spell. And since my char will be a bit arrogant with respect to humanoids (don't worry, he doesn't approve of rampant death and dismemberment of them) I'll give him the spell. If, in the course of this adventure he learns to value humanoids a bit more, he may pick up the Gift.

Yes, a Green Taninim would've been Lawful Evil. He'd have been motivated to undertake the task for the benefit of claiming (part of) the keep as a nice lair, and would've been lawful enough to keep his word (and possesive enough to defend the keep and not flee).

But under your ruling... I'll go for Brine. LN, and Power-hungry as compulsion (must bully weaker creatures if it's to his advantage). Roughly the same motivations, but I won't be obligated to piss off party members on a regular basis. (Of course, they might not like his bullying of any local populace that annoys him, but that's some character interaction I'm willing to accept.)

Sorry to bother you again, but I have two questions for how to best fit into the campaign.

First off, when I pick a dragon-type I get a Compulsion, i.e. a thing I must do, or not do, unless I succeed at a scaling will save every time it comes up. It's fun for RP purposes, but my prefered dragon-type for our forrest fortress*, the green dragon (seeing you're avatar, I'm sure you approve) has an unfortunately worded one: I must make a will save to "accept orders or directions from any creature not obviously more powerful than myself". Party members aren't obviously more powerful than me, and "directions" is vague. If you rule that this complusion means my dragon wouldn't like to be bossed around, that's fine. But if it means my dragon would argue against any plan or suggestion that comes from any party member but himself, that'll just annoy the other players and I'd take another dragon type. (Brine, probably.)

And secondly, I have two options to assume human form: The alter self spell of the sorcerer that lasts 1 minute per level, or the Draconic Exemplar's "Humanoid Form" Draconic Gift that does the same thing, minus the stat bonus, but lasts indefinitly. Given that I only get one gift per 3 levels, I'd prefer to get the spell. But if you believe that having only a short-duration human form prevents me from properly contributing to the campaign (say, because we spend a lot of time RPing in small villages where everyone would panic upon seeing a dragon), I'll take the long duration Gift.

*Well, I assume Vraath Keep is near or in the Chitterwood. Maybe I fumbled my RL perception check, but I couldn't find the keep on that map in your first post.

I'll be sure to ask a party member to keep a spare spell component pouch in case I really need another snack. :)

One final question: Noxious Bite feat, yay or nay? (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/monster-feats/noxious-bite) I can qualify for it, but it is a monster feat, so I'll understand if it's not allowed.

All right. I'll cautiously allow it, as I think it's cool, and it fits, kind of. What were you going to gestalt it with?

Sorcerer seemed the most thematically appropriate... but I noticed that the sorcerer archetype for the Taninim, the Trueblood sorcerer, isn't listed on d20pfsrd. It's actually a pretty simple archetype: It forces you to take the Draconic Bloodline, the ditches the lvl 1 ability to grow claws for an earlier limited use breath weapon, and it replaces the Eschew materials feat with the ability to eat spell components and absorb them into your scales.

It's mostly for flavor, letting you get the appropriate draconic bloodline, without getting a useless power (technically, not all Taninim have permanent claw attacks, but they can get them as an alternate racial trait). If you'll allow it, I'll take it. If you won't allow it, I'll just use a regular sorcerer.

(Should you allow it, I ask for one ruling: the eating spell components ability says a scale with a spell component has a visible mark, it can be destroyed, and has a hardness and hp. But it doesn't say exactly how someone would attack them. A Sunder attempt makes the most sense to me. Should you rule that a single area-spell hits them all and can wipe out my spellcasting ability in one shot... I'll look for a different archetype. :) )

Would you allow the 3pp Taninim, and it's class the Draconic Exemplar? It is available on d20pfsrd now ( http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/rite-publishing/draconic- exemplar ). It's basically dragons-for-players (should be good fun if the dragonrider makes it into the party too :) ). If needed for RP purposes, I can take the power that lets me assume human form, and thanks to the gestalt, I'll have some abilities I can actually still use once I do. And anyway, ending at lvl 12 reduces the risk of growing too large to fit into the dungeons (At lvl 5 he's Medium, at lvl 8 he's Large Lvl 12 is when he grows to Huge.)

If that's not allowed, I can try for a Gunslinger/Cleric, or a Swashbuckler/Summoner.

Hmm, moral dilema: I meant that Markan was Fire/Water, and my Air suggestion was scrapped... but that brings me into conflict with Squeeze bits, while Air/Water is a bit more free. And Fire seems like an especially crowded field right now... Well, I'll just be honest, I meant Water/Fire, I think it fits the character a bit better than Water/Air, but I don't hate Water/Air either.

Just to make it clear, are we getting two representative elements, or just one and is the second one mentioned a "spare", mentioned so that it's a bit easier to make a party of all 4 elements? (So if you'd accept the 4 current submission, you could give Squeeze Fire, Markan Air, Ashe Fire and Deko Earth.) And relatedly, does each character need a unique combination of two elements, or an unique element, chosen from the list of two elements we supply?

As far as important items go: The holy symbol of Sarenrae of the priest that tried to put Markan on the right path after his terrible childhood in the Underdark.
He might have succeeded, but he met his end at the hands of other evil men he wanted to redeem, with his lessons only half-sunken into Markan's head. Markan became obsessed with avenging his mentor. Added to that was his reluctance to accept his earlier deeds as ultimately foolish and futile wrongs, done in reponse to sensless inflicted on him during his childhood.
And without the active council of the one man he'd begun to trust, Markan set out on a quest for brutal vengance that would've horrified his teacher had he been here to see it. Markan has killed two of the ones responsible already, but they had been locally hired weaklings. The leader and his lieutenant are still alive, and Markan's wanderings, while not being free of other acts of "justice" along the way, has been aimed at gaining power to defeat these two, and information about there wereabouts.
And just last month, a sailor had mentioned a man of both orcish and elven descent, with a description matching the lieutenant's, making a name in the criminal underground of a city far across the sea. As this was possibly a valuable clue, and in any case as good a chance to gain more power as any, Markan booked a passage on a ship...

@Ashe: Woops, you're right, I'll fix it. Was still thinking of the barbarian.

@Devon:
1: I originally wanted the Fauchard, because it looks nicely scythe-like but with more practical stats. But... looking at what I have now, and what I can likely get in the Gestalt/E6 system, the difference isn't worth the headache. I'll just take the Skill Focus and be done with it.

2: Roger, Vanilla Bloodrager it is.

3: I don't really use ice spells, it was more of a coldhearted personality thing. Given your answer, Fire/Water it is. (I generally like Air as an element, but it doesn't fit this character quite as well so nm that one.)

4: They were hidden in the character sheet already:
(Knowledge & Craft only: Knowledge (religion) +4, Craft (weapon) +4, Craft (Clothing)+4, Craft (Jewlery) +4)

Here he is, Markan Arrnaur.

---

I left a few ?? there, to be decided after rulings from DevonPirate.

One of those rulings is about whether water stands for ice. If it does, Water is one of his elements, because of his apparent calm yet coldhearted reasoning. Else it's Air, representing his aloofness and gentle demeanor. Either way, Fire is his other element, for the furious anger he sometimes unleashes on his foes.

And if DevonPirates' remark about the characters noticing their strange gestaltness means they weren't gestalts before washing up: Markan was always an oracle with a crippled, tainted leg. Upon waking up on the island, he finds the taint has intensified, empowering his anger with profane power, i.e. becomming a Bloodrager with the Black Blood bloodline.

Doh! Forgot to ask: Is Water associated with cold? He's Fire and Water if it is, Fire and Air if it isn't.

Well, I had made a good start on making a character sheet in my new alias for this campaign, but when I clicked preview I got kicked to the paizo main page and I couldn't go back or recover my writing. So, character sheet and story will come tomorrow.

I have two questions for now: One, you mentioned that feats that apply to one weapon apply to a group. What about Exotic Weapon Prophiciency? Many Exotic Weapon Prophiciency-weapons aren't in a group, or are in a group with a lot of martial weapons who don't need that feat (I have martial weapon prophiciency from my class). Would we need to make a custom group for that? Or would you prefer not to bother with Exotic Weapons groups and supplying them as loot? I don't per-se need that feat, I'm sure I can make use of the Skill Focus feat too.

And two, I'm considering the Steelblood archetype for the Bloodrager, which focuses on heavier armor (yes, that does mean I'm less useful at the buck-naked start of course). All else being equal, I would prefer vanilla Bloodrager (or Metamagic Rager, which can't be combined), but it might be a nice archetype to take if there are no other heavy armor users in the party. Could I wait to see what the final party composition looks like before deciding this, or would that be too meta-gamey?

@ Gotcha Devon. I'll make the necro, and be sure to invest in bluff :)

Since your vetting process includes the votes from potential fellow players, I'll rely on that to prevent getting into a party with paladins and others with enough Knowledge-religion ranks to know it's not true AND who doesn't intend to let my character get away with it. My character wouldn't care if others don't approve (or "understand" as he would say it), but I agree it won't work if another party member feels morally obligated to smite his minions (and possibly him) as soon as he makes them.

So, if you're character is Paragon-For-Life, don't vote for me!

Sorry if it's a silly question, but do we start at lvl 1 and then level up to 6 or start at 6?

I have a bloodrager/oracle necromancer idea that might work. My intention with him was to make a more interesting CE character. Not a mustache-twirling, puppy-kicking backstabber, but a seemingly pleasant but slightly deranged fellow who tells everyone he's giving the villains they killed some communal service by reanimating them. He half-believes it himself. Same for his claim that he's a follower of a good or neutral diety. In practice, since he violates the good gods commands but doesn't think he's evil nor worships evil gods, he doesn't have a diety. Would that work?

Although, since you mentioned 3pp: Dare I ask if the Taninim from In the company of Dragons are allowed? They are basically dragons-made-playable. I've been hoping to get a chance with one of them, and the E6 means they won't grow to gamebreaking proportions. (They start small, at lvl 4 they become medium.) They can't fly at lvl 1, so he might have been swimming, and even at lvl 4 he could still have been traveling by boat. But he does gain a fly speed at lvl 4, don't know if that messes with your plans to keep us on the island or not. Plus, I understand if it doesn't fit your theme, so let me know in that case.

I have a question, though not particularly rule related, since I want to make a summoner at some point too, and have been looking at the Synergist. My question would be 'Is there any reason to do it, except that it's cooler?'

I won't deny it's a lot more fun to be the monster than just command it, but it seems like you're losing a lot. The ability to have seperate actions is a big one. Slightly smaller but still significant is that the creature doesn't seem to get skills or feats of its own, so you have to spend your own feats on combat AND spellcasting, unless you don't want to cast anything.

And just from reading the rules, there doesn't seem to be any advantage that you get from it. The only little joke I've been able to find is if you play a gnome and take the racial ability that you're always familiar with weapons you craft yourself, you can make any big, weird weapon you want and use it as a Huge Eidolon.

Am I missing something? If I'm not, I might still play a synergist, but I'd have to be really sure it isn't a high-powered campaign, and low-tier characters can survive it fine.

I'm currently building an Arcane Duelist (Bard Archetype) with a single level in Mysterious Stranger (Gunslinger Archetype), because I wanted a gunwielding character who could do other things except shoot monsters in the face. The fact that I now have a reason to put points in perform-wind instrument and play an onminious tune on my harmonica with my gunslinger is just icing on the cake, but I digress.

He will be wielding as his main weapon a revolver. It's his Arcane Bond item as a matter of fact, so I can still use that hand for somatic components while keeping the other hand occupied.

Now, the Arcane Duelists get two free feats, Disruptive and Spellbreaker that rely on threatening spellcasters. I could threaten with my revolver, but I'd need Weapon Focus, Snap Shot and Improved Snap Shot on top of several other feats that I also need to make it work. I don't think I can afford that many feats. But since I still have a hand available, I thought I could hold a melee weapon or even a shield that I could bash with in that hand. I wouldn't be using it much, but for Disruptive at least, threatening the area is enough.

The problem is, I'm not sure I am threatening if I've already attacked with my revolver that round. Would it count as Two Weapon Fighting if I attacked with my gun on my turn but tried to make an AoO on the opponent's turn? If so, would that mean I cannot make the AoO if I hadn't taken the TWF penalty on my regular attacks, even though I'm not making any regular attacks with my off-hand weapon? And would that in turn mean that since I can't make an AoO, I'm not threatening the squares around me regardless of whether I wield a melee weapon?