BloatGoat's page

Salutations good folk!

Could we have a thread about puzzles that does not include math, riddles or word play, but instead focuses on systems/lore in the Pathfinder system.
Also, I'm aware not all players are fond of puzzles. You need not repeat this. Cheers.

I suppose I'll start.

Tile room puzzle:
"The floor in the room before is composed of large coloured square tiles. The tiles are about 5 by 5 feet and colored either red, green, blue, black, yellow, grey or white. Beyond the coloured tiles are a large metal chest resting on the floor. Inscribed on the ceiling is a large serpent biting it's own tail. Along the serpent's back from it's head to it's tail, is a line of coloured glass scales, each scale a colour matching a tile. As you near the first coloured tile, the serpent's head animates and slowly it's head turns to you. It's gaze is cold and calculating. The serpent's eyes shift colour to match the colour of the tile nearest to you."
The PCs must cross the floor tile by tile in the order carved on the serpent's back. If they stray from the path, they are hit by a spell tied to the colour of the serpent's eyes. If they teleport or fly to the chest, it will attack them (as if an animated object) and try to bull rush them onto the tiled floor.
If you wish, you could have the serpent remain inanimate in a circle, and have the correct path start at some random scale, rather than the 'first'.

Prismatic Wall Puzzle:
"Big fat prismatic wall is blocking the now long dead archmage's treasure, and the players are not capable of dispelling it.
In a nearby room, a reshapable Ice Golem sits dormant. The golem is the product of an experiment undertaken by the archmage, but was halted when the archmage realized the golem would become unstable and degenerate one hour after the first reshaping. The golem and the experiment is documented in journals left by the archmage, but not well enough for the experiment to be replicated by the PCs. A control circlet can be found near the golem. and any PC wearing it can reshape the golem into almost any object of large size."
The golem is not affected by the prismatic wall. The PCs have to reshape the golem into something that can carry them through the portal. A chest on legs, a barrel or similar will do. They can then grab some loot and get out while the golem is still stable.

That was the two puzzles I've used so far. I may post more in the future. I hope to see more puzzles.

The "Arcane" template (Mythic Adventures, page 224) grants the "Simple Arcane Spellcasting" feature.
This feature has no classification (Ex, Sp or Su)
the feature reads:

The creature gains the ability to cast spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. Select a number of spells with total spell levels equal to twice the creature's CR. No spell for this ability should have a higher level than 1 + 1/2 the creatures CR. A 0-level spells counts as 1/2 spell level toward this total. the creature can cast each of these spells once per day. Its caster level is equal to its Hit Dice. It uses the higher of its Intelligence or Charisma modifiers to determine its spell DC.

This raises some questions.

1. Are these actual spells or Spell-like/Supernatural abilities.
2. Do they require components/materials/foci
3. Are they subject to Arcane Spell Failure
4. Do they require an ability score of 10 + spell level
4a. Can such spells be used by a creature with a low ability score (say, an ooze)
5. If based on Intelligence, do they take up spell book pages.
6. Can they be identified/countered

Personally, I'm leaning towards ruling them as SLAs. The template has no requirements and I would like it to represent a creature infused/empowered with arcane energy, rather than a creature studying/developing arcane energy.

Any thoughts?

Channel Destruction (su): Any weapon a graveknight wields seethes with energy, and deals an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 4 Hit Dice the graveknight has...

...If you hit, you deal double the normal damage... *snip* ...The additional damage and bleed is not multiplied on a critical hit

Bob the Bastard, a 13HD graveknight, walks up to a paladin and thwacks him silly with his sword. A critical hit is rolled and confirmed.

Bob would normally add 3d6 points of fire damage to his rolls, from his 13HD.
Bob is using an Elven Curved Blade, with a x2 critical multiplier

Q1: Does Deadly Stroke multiply the fire damage from Channel Destruction (resulting in a total of 6d6 points of fire damage)

Q2: Does a critical hit cause additional fire damage, as per weapon damage muliplier (resulting, again, in a total of 6d6 points of fire damage)

Q3: Does Deadly Stroke stack with a critical hit for a total of 9d6 fire damage?

Cheers

Edits: Typos and missing content